I’m Veronica. You know that character that Winona Ryder plays in Heathers? I’m not like her. Or, the Veronica in that Elvis Costello song? Well, one day I might be her, but I won’t be written by some British dude in ironic glasses. I hope.
I’m 28. I was raised in North Central Texas (which means “around Dallas.”) I currently live in rural California with my husband and two cats. I work at home as a SQL analyst.
I have a myspace profile. I post political-type things at Taking Place, and I occasionally post bad poetry at Flooded Hearts.
I’m obsessed with feminism, women’s history, and the stories of female saints. I’m a literary snob and a total pain in the ass at movies. I like to read, putter around with web design, and play Sims 2.
I’ve been writing online since December 1999, and there’s not much about blogging I haven’t already had to deal with. All comments, complaints and diplomatic demands that I pay homage can be sent to nine.pearls@yahoo dot com.
1 August, 02:41 AM
I picked “nine pearls” because I liked the way the two words sounded together… and because both words are easy to spell. That’s it. No hidden meaning. Just poetic appreciation. If you’ve ever seen Donnie Darko (and if you haven’t, go check it out) you know the significance of ‘cellar door.’ I picked ‘nine pearls’ for similar reasons.
However, it turns out that Nine Pearls has meaning after all:
The Nine Pearls, sometimes known as the Nava Moti (or nine gems, or “mani”), are a group of sacred gemstones described in the Vedic text known as the Garuda Purana. Enumerated as the Oyster Pearl, Conch Pearl, Cobra Pearl, Boar Pearl, Elephant Pearl, Bamboo Pearl, Whale Pearl, Fish Pearl, and Cloud Pearl, these gems were later documented in the treatise Brihat-Samhita (“The Great Compilation”) of Varahamihira, the Indian mathematician. The first documented contact with these artifacts by the Western world is described in the sole volume of 18th Century scientist Albertus Seba, entitled Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. Therein, a large collection of Bezoar stones and non-oyster pearls were hand-sketched, and the collection of these items were on display in a forum which was the precursor of the modern day museum. Today, the original 446-plate volume, part of the greater work Locupletissimi Rerum Naturalium Thesauri Accurata Descriptio, is on permanent exhibit at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague, Netherlands.
Each of the pearls is believed to have magical powers, and the Brihat-Samhita is pretty much a doomsday book. So, goes to show, even when you think you’re doing something fluffly and meaningless, you could be wrong. It might be meaningful on the other side of the world.
30 July, 07:02 PM
