Kiri Callaghan's Blog, page 3
April 7, 2020
The Dawn Will Come (Cover Song)
I've been thinking a lot about this song lately, so we decided to revisit it since I was dressed as a Dalish for Faire From Home.
Let me back up. This past weekend Angelique and I hosted watch parties and zoom meetings to best imitate the Renaissance Faire experience because for obvious reasons, the faire was cancelled. Angelique has always attended or participated in the faire since she first moved to Los Angeles, as many of you know, it's where we first met each other, so we wanted to very much make it mean something. We watched some faire-appropriate movies, we dressed up, we took turns singing songs, and we even had moments of LARP style descriptions (eg. FORSOOTH, YOUR SENSES ARE PLEASANTLY OVERWHELMED WITH THE SCENT OF GARLIC FROM THE FOOD VENDOR TO YOUR RIGHT. YOU SEE IT IS NONE OTHER THAN THE SEASONING DELIGHT THAT IS ,,THE GARLIC FESTIVAL) that described not only what you might see at the faire, but also provided a link to that vendor's online store to help push sales for them since faire is a huge part of their revenue.
Fun fact, we're attempting a larger scale open to public ,,Pirate Party this Saturday. You should try to stop by if that's up your alley. Kindness and jovial expectations required. Pirate accouterments encouraged.
So after the event was closing down and we had heard people sharing both their fears and hopes, this song was especially in my mind, and since I was very much already dressed for it, it seemed the perfect time to film it.
March 30, 2020
Saga Kolbeck | Gasoline Cover
Name: Saga KolbeckTik Tok Username: (kiricallaghan)Age: 29Religious Affiliation: Former BinaryMagical Ability: TechnomancyOccupation: Archivist/Librarian/ResearcherAugmentation: Internal wifi/ability to connect consciousness to the network from remotely any location, ports in the back of her neck to jack in to local networks, EMP trigger that forces everything within a 30 ft or smaller radius to go offline for ten seconds before needing to hard reboot. Aesthetic hair implants that change the color.Appearance: Pale (but who isn’t in this town?), honey colored eyes, silver/white hair. Her favorite color is teal. Average build. No visible tattoos but it’s not uncommon to see encryptions scribbled on her skin or mapping out circuitboards when she’s bored. She wears long cardigans to keep warm, tall boots to deal with walking through whatever grime is on the streets and a small circuitboard she wears on a necklace. The first she ever built.Background: Born into the Auricle City Binary equivalent of a strict Roman Catholic Home, Saga began her technical education very early. Her parents were far from wealthy, but they were well connected within their religion, which afforded her some of the best teachers in the technical field. A prodigy in puzzles and technical logistics, she built her first CPU at only 7yr old. It was this same drive and accomplishment that awarded her a coveted internship at Conway Technical at 15, where her official title was ‘corporate research analyst intern’, but the wry smile she always says it with will give you an impression this may be a euphemism. At 18, she unexpectedly left her job with Conway Technical, began to question her religious upbringing and parted ways with its teachings. Though in the same way “recovering” Catholics will still cross themselves, she finds herself still falling into old habits or mindsets from time to time.She now works in the Auricle City Library, helping maintain the mainframes and keeping information as available to everyone who wishes to access it.
When asked why she left her position at Conway technical she simply shrugs, says an offhanded comment about a 'toxic work environment', and changes the subject.
March 22, 2020
Witch's Brew: Peppermint Patty (Simple)
It's no secret at this point that I'm one of those pagan folk. I've been publicly out of the broom closet for a few years now, I can proudly say, but it's still pretty rare when I talk about my craft.
I've talked a little bit about Samhain on my channel, a little about green magic and chaos magic, but I haven't really talked too much about my love and affinity for hearth magic. It's been a goal of mine to attempt to incorporate more of it in my daily life, but I must confess, the struggle is real when a schedule is bustling and you've no time to cook, let alone cook with an intent beyond, "I am starving!"
But one silver-lining to this quarantine is that time is something I finally am abundant in. I'm stuck inside and I'm trying to feel cozy rather than cornered. We were blessed with the rain today in Los Angles, and with the sound of rain coming through the open window and the crackling sound of a fire on the tv, I was reading a book, content and reaching peak hygge.
This was on my mind when I started boiling water for hot chocolate to cuddle up with and I decided to focus my feeling and intent towards that cocktail and be a bit more mindful when making my dessert drink, and it's so simple, it seemed like a great start for a series like this. Thus, I give you: The Witch's Brew recipe for a Peppermint Patty.
Ingredients & Correspondences:Hot Chocolate Mix
Chocolate Syrup (Optional)
White Chocolate: (Water, Heart) Friendship, Self-Love Milk Chocolate: (Water, Earth, Heart) Friendship, Self-Love, Nurturing, Love, Balance, Raises Emotional Energy Dark Chocolate: (Earth, Fire, Heart, Sacral) Love, Romance, Grounding, Prosperity Cacao Nibs: (Fire, Sacral, Root) Grounding, Prosperity, AncestorsMedicinal Note: (The higher the cacao, the more these effects apply)
Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory
Increases Memory
May reduce chances of a stroke
May Help Fight Depression Symptoms and Improve Mood
Strengthens Immune system
Peppermint Schnapps (1 oz)
Peppermint Leaves: Healing/Purification, Attract Money & Love, Positive ChangeMedicinal Note:
Digestive Aid
Diaphoretic
Antiseptic
Treatment of Headaches & Minor Nausea
Corn (Grain): Protection/Purification Yeast (Fermentation): Grounding, PurificationMarshmallows
Egg Whites (Eggs): Cleansing, Healing, Hex Breaking & Ostara correspondencesMilk/Cream of Choice
Cow's Milk: Nurturing, Prosperity, Protection Goat's Milk: Power, Success Soy Milk: Job Success, Protection, Psychic Awareness Coconut Milk: Protection, Spiritual Cleansing, Confidence, Strength Almond Milk: Mental Clarity, Beauty, Fertility, Luck, Prosperity, Love Cashew Milk: Prosperity, Love, Communication Oat Milk: Money, SuccessWhipped Cream (Optional)
Prosperity Directions(I like to speak correspondences aloud because it helps me focus, but that may not be the case for you, as with all practices in the craft, find what feels right for you)
Pour Hot Chocolate Mix in your favorite mug, focusing on the aspect you want to bring into your life and mindset (eg. Milk Chocolate, Self Love).
Add Peppermint Schnapps (1oz or to taste), visualizing the changes and steps you need in yourself and around you to bring this about (eg. healing, positive change).
Add Milk of Choice, adding this aspect/aspects to your visualization (eg. Almond Milk, Mental Clarity).
Top with Whipped Cream to seal your intent with prosperity, Marshmallows with the thought that this change shall be made with no harm to others (healing) & Chocolate Syrup drizzle (Dark Chocolate, Grounding).
For something small and simple like this, since I do like to speak things aloud, I might form a simple spell like this:
Help me find contentment and love within myself,
and not be blinded by the lies my depression and anxiety tell me.
By healing this wound within myself I bring about positive change,
not only to myself but to those around me.
Grant me mental clarity in those moments of weakness that I may persevere.
With this strength I prosper, I heal, and I am free
If it harm none, so mote it be
August 14, 2019
The Tea Room Experience
It’s no secret that I am a fan of tea. And why shouldn’t I be? It’s amazing. It’s so versatile, it’s like saying you’re a fan of sandwiches. You can have it any way you like, hot, iced, with cream or sugar, with nothing added, green, black, white, herbal (or as I like to call it, why even bother? I kid). Caffeinated, decaf, caffeine has never even breathed up on this fruit infusions, floral, smoky, sweet, chocolatey, caramel… Somewhere out there, there is likely a tea you’ll like.
Whimsy & RabbitsAnd on top of this love of tea, I also have a deep love and affection for tea houses and/or afternoon teas, and have been since I first experienced one my first trip to London my senior year of college.
So when I come across a tea house that particularly gives me joy, I feel the need to share it with anyone I meet. Plus, I don’t post enough on Yelp to really have my reviews hang around and be useful, so this is my best way of showing appreciation. This post is, in no way, sponsored by the amazing women who run this establishment, I just wanted to share my experience with you. They’re hard-working ladies and they deserve the shout out.
I talked a little bit about my experience on my Instagram,
but frankly, this place deserves more love than an Instagram post and the lack
of formatting that usually means.
The Tea Room Experience is a
reservation-only tea room in the heart of downtown Orlando. You’ll find it on
Church street, hidden rather innocuously away between many other small
boutiques within the large building that houses all of them.
I’ve been to my fair share of Tea
Houses, and they all have their ups and downs, but this place truly won a warm
fuzzy place in my heart. But enough gushing, let’s get down to the facts, shall
we?
The Decor
The first thing I noticed about this location was the great windows the space provided, which allowed for natural light to fill the room. While I wither in direct sunlight, I love a good sunlit room.
Chandelier at The Tea Room ExperienceNormally white walls give me a sort of hospital sensation but these gave a soft bounce light that filled the room. It was also offset by spring colors. Saturated pastels of green and yellow lined tables, sunflower garlands intermixed with tiny tea cups, vibrant tea sets adorning every table, faux topiaries, and a very deliberate use of gold in furniture and fixtures. Did I mention there’s a chandelier made of tea pots and cups? There’s also a giant rack full of amazing hats the Queen of England herself would rave about if you don’t have your own and want to get in the spirit.
Now décor and aesthetic is a big
part of afternoon tea, it does have a history of pomp and circumstance, but
what are looks without substance, right?
Food & Drink
Afternoon tea came with three sandwich halves per person. The first was a wonderful twist on the traditional egg salad on a marbled rye bread, adding in sun-dried tomatoes which gave such a wonderful added zest. The second the classic cucumber sandwich with cream cheese and added dill for a little extra flavor on a whole wheat. The third was chicken, cream cheese and what might have been pineapple and a little dill. I admit, I forget all of the ingredients in this one, but it ended up being my favorite.
The
traditional scones had their own flair with pineapple and honey, served with
tart raspberry preserves and Devonshire cream. The preserves and cream gave the
perfect contrast to the sweetness of the scones.
Spread for four tea-goersAnd the desserts. Oh goodness. Mint-chocolate tea cookies and coconut chai cupcakes, both made with REAL tea—everything but the actual bread for the sandwiches is baked in-house and the care to detail shows. Sweet croissants with chocolate drizzle and coconut sprinkles, and mini chocolate and vanilla Swiss rolls. At least, I believe that’s what they were. I do know they were delicious and well worth the lactose-pill use and risk of intestinal pain.
So. Tasty.
The tea selection itself may not be
as vast as some tea houses but each is diligently selected by a certified tea
sommelier, which is probably the best job ever and I’m now very curious how one
becomes one and how lucrative it is as a trade. The care taken in selection was
clear and each complimented the current menu in their own way. I chose a
vanilla cinnamon black tea and paired it with a little honey and cream which
brought out the tea’s natural creaminess more and complimented the scone and
cupcake the best.
And all of that food and tea? Only $20 per person. Which, if you don’t go to a lot of afternoon tea services, is a steal.
Owned by mother-daughter team Flor Maria Velez, and Keishla Estela (the resident certified sommelier from the International Tea Masters Association), this amazing tea house is open from 11am – 3pm, Wednesday – Sunday.
So if you find yourself in the Orlando area, I know the
theme parks are full of restaurants and great dining experiences, but give The
Tea Room Experience a call. You won’t regret it.
The Tea Room Experience
420 E Church St Unit 109, Orlando, FL 32801
Reservations: Book Now!
February 28, 2019
“Dungeon Be Mine”
“Dungeon Be Mine” - Ink & Stardust
February 18, 2019
The Echo – Poetry Brothel
Hello kindred!
If you’re here, you very possibly encountered me at the Poetry Brothel at Los Angeles’ El Cid. It was such a joy to get to connect with you, and if you wandered here to find more of what I do, I can’t thank you enough.
Above in the site navigation you’ll find my YouTube Channel and my contact page where all my socials reside, as well as a link to my publisher’s website where you can find my other writing love, fiction!
Also below you’ll find the version of The Queen of Hearts that was recited on the stage:
The Queen of Hearts
She stands in a permanent S curve. Bone structure built for statues, the only thing in the world with a better body is her hair. She is the wet dream that wakes you up at night in a cold sweat, and she’s so far out of your league, you don’t even know the name of the game she plays. She looks you dead in the eyes and applies sin colored lipstick without smudging.
I’ll fool you with my Cheshire grin
I was born a liar, Dishonesty is a sin
it’s simple to acquire. I’ll admit,
it’s my addiction, easy to lie
give false depiction of me myself and I
no matter what cards I hold, I’ll never fold
If I don’t feel guilty, why atone?
Be it war or gin we play love
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
To be kind I must be cruel in love it’s all the same
I’m a whore, but you’re a fool,
That’s how we play this game
Hearts are a stack of chips that I intend to win
Don’t disagree, you’re dying to give in
Deal a hand if you’re not scared
But understand you’re ill-prepared
If you think that you can take me all alone
It’s all in or nothing. Keep in mind, I may be bluffing
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
If you’re more than fear see how you’ll fare
Push your stack in, if you even dare
if your house is glass, you should not cast that stone
Deny, deride, demand
I won’t ever show my hand
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
The Echo – Poetry Brothel - Ink & Stardust
Hello kindred!
If you’re here, you very possibly encountered me at the Poetry Brothel at Los Angeles’ El Cid. It was such a joy to get to connect with you, and if you wandered here to find more of what I do, I can’t thank you enough.
Above in the site navigation you’ll find my YouTube Channel and my contact page where all my socials reside, as well as a link to my publisher’s website where you can find my other writing love, fiction!
Also below you’ll find the version of The Queen of Hearts that was recited on the stage:
The Queen of Hearts
She stands in a permanent S curve. Bone structure built for statues, the only thing in the world with a better body is her hair. She is the wet dream that wakes you up at night in a cold sweat, and she’s so far out of your league, you don’t even know the name of the game she plays. She looks you dead in the eyes and applies sin colored lipstick without smudging.
I’ll fool you with my Cheshire grin
I was born a liar, Dishonesty is a sin
it’s simple to acquire. I’ll admit,
it’s my addiction, easy to lie
give false depiction of me myself and I
no matter what cards I hold, I’ll never fold
If I don’t feel guilty, why atone?
Be it war or gin we play love
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
To be kind I must be cruel in love it’s all the same
I’m a whore, but you’re a fool,
That’s how we play this game
Hearts are a stack of chips that I intend to win
Don’t disagree, you’re dying to give in
Deal a hand if you’re not scared
But understand you’re ill-prepared
If you think that you can take me all alone
It’s all in or nothing. Keep in mind, I may be bluffing
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
If you’re more than fear see how you’ll fare
Push your stack in, if you even dare
if your house is glass, you should not cast that stone
Deny, deride, demand
I won’t ever show my hand
The Queen of Hearts has no heart of her own
