Poetic License Horoscope Valentine to You (plus a song.)

Dear Readers,

I heart you so much, I’ll be your Valentine any year. May the stars spell out your every silly wish. XOXOXOX, Jane

Love and the Science Museum

(The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA)

Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19): At the science museum, there is a Cell Phone Disco. If you stop there and call someone, it records your phone’s signals in sparkling red lights. It’s beautiful and terrifying, kind of like communication itself.

Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20): To the Pisces who fixed her own fireplace: You stopped yourself from being suffocated. You purchased tools and parts. You restored your home to warmth and woodfire. You’re my absolute hero.

Aries (March 21-April 18): In the words of Kanye West, (and the Roseanne theme song, and, well, Nietzshce) “That-that-that that don’t kill me, can only make me stronger.” Whatever pretty thing you’re waiting for, hang in there. It’s coming.

Taurus (April 19-May 18): “Electricity is the only thing fast enough to carry the messages that make us who we are.”-Dr. Rodolfo Llinàs, Neuroscientist.

Gemini (May 19-June 21): On the Earthquake Simulator, you can build a little structure with magnets and see how long it withstands the shaking. Reinforce the foundation and build low to the ground.

Cancer (June 22-July 23): “Chain reactions are beautiful. Like a ballet of falling dominoes, a finely tuned chain reaction seems to generate its own energy, powered by the tiniest push.” –Sign on the wall next to the Rube Goldberg machine.

Leo (July 24-Aug. 23): Black holes, though they may be the “Monsters of the Cosmos,” spew out matter as they suck it in. They seeded the universe with all the stuff we’re made of. Thanks, black holes!

Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23): I should have known that the hallways inside the giant heart would be unnervingly narrow. There were movies of blood cells moving across the ceiling. Its pulse was faster than my own. A machine told me I have 35 cups of blood, and I believe it.

Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 21): There is nothing quite as romantic as falling asleep to Radiolab. (You should go back and listen awake, though. It’s really good.) Let your dreams float in and out of posited situations, through language lost and love letters found.

Scorpio (Oct. 22-Nov. 22):  There are many ways to get mild shocks at the science museum, including touching a key that simulates Ben Franklin’s famous lightning. Be careful what you touch, but watch for pretty revolutionary flashes.

Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22): The Benjamin Franklin statue is surrounded by children’s hands-on experiments. Enlightening things are happening to Dixie cups, pencils, yeast. Start your own miniature experiment, see what eurekas you tonight just before sleep.

Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20): To the Capricorn giggling in the church aisle about a first date: ‎"Some cried out, they tried to take it to the streets/But I wanted it to be heard so I said it in the sheets"-Josh Martinez. Take the revolution to bed and make it your own.

Poetic License Horoscopes is a free syndicated series which appears weekly on such lit blogs as The Serotonin Factory, Critical Mass  and The Legendary. If you are interested in adding the Poetic License Horoscopes to your lit journal / lit blog, please email me at serotoninfactory@gmail.com.

Friday the 13th is Forgiveness Day

I made it up one day 12 years ago in the midst of an argument with my on-again off-again girlfriend at the time. I wrote her a violet-scented letter proposing that that day and every subsequent Friday the 13th should be the day you have to forgive yourself and others.

I was pretty much trying to convince her to forget what a jerk I was being, but still. Every Friday the 13th I try to forgive myself my mistakes, forgive others, wipe the slate clean. I also try to do this every haircut.

To celebrate, please enjoy this Big Star song.

Beautiful Love Art

My adult and kid students have beautiful artwork here: Drawing Love.

A Great Lovey-Dovey Art Party Idea

This is a message originally from Sarah Dolan at Drawing Love.

http://drawinglove.wordpress.com/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog

"Hello Friends!

We are in desperate need of new art considering we have just run out. So, if you are looking for a fun event, give this a try:

1. Gather art supplies, old magazines, and card stock.
2. Invite all of your friends over for a pot luck.
3. Put on some great music.
4. Draw, paint, collage, and create.
5. Add in a bunch of laughter, talking, and stories.
6. Send the art you created to DrawingLove.
(You can save money by mailing in all the art at once!)

Our address is:

DrawingLove
P.O. Box 511
Normal, IL 61761

Include any photos from the event or blurbs about how it went, and we could include that on the site!

Thanks for taking the time to read this message!

Sending you lots of love,

Sarah and the DL team.

P.S. Join our facebook group and get the latest updates!
www.facebook.com/drawinglove "

We did this (sort of) with my classes-- I'll post the beautiful results next week. :)