Pen-Elayne on the Web

That's as May Be

White Rabbits! Via Cyndy Roy at Mousemusings (link at sidebar), this article explaining the origins of Mayday, "the real Labor Day." The article points out that "By covering up the history of May Day, the state, business, mainstream unions and the media have covered up an entire legacy of dissent in this country." Just in case you think marginalizing dissent was something new. Here's a good site from Canada with more details, including how this day is being celebrated around the world outside the US' doorstep. (Okay, not entirely true, there are events in this country as well today, like the Mayday Festival here in NYC.) In the interest of fairness, here are some pages about the pagan origins and celebrations of Mayday. Here are some cool pictures of maypoles. And a maypole poem from Jonathan Swift (!). And Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Maypole of Merry Mount. And maypole dancing in Hastings, MN. For which of course ya needs yer Maypole dance ribbons. And hey, go nuts, make your own maypole centerpiece! And Tarot stuff that makes me consider taking a cold shower.

I'm on vacation from work today and tomorrow; today was supposed to be a day of rest but it sounds like, quite logically, Jenny and Christian upstairs have chosen today as their official Move-In Day. They still make less noise moving into a bare apartment than the last tenants did just walking around in a furnished one. Still, the earplugs are in and I don't anticipate copping much of a kip. Tomorrow we head down to the basement of St. Paul's Church at 60th Street and 9th Avenue for the Big Apple Con, also being held Saturday. Come see our new haircuts! Robin's took an hour and a half; I suspect the barber school student cut each strand individually. Twice.