2019 Yearly Review: A Year of Farewells

This year, I concentrated more on the video than on the written post. What can I say? 2019 was interesting, and as 2020 dawned, I realized things were not going to calm down anytime soon. If you haven't already seen this video up on my Patreon (you should really check out My Patreon), here is my 2019 review video, complete with timestamps and links to all my projects! Cheers!

Video Timestamps

If you just want to check out one part, you can see different sections by clicking the timestamps below:

• 00:00 - Intro: 2019 - The End of a Decade
• 1:50 - System Andromeda 2009-2019: The Path of a Decade (for those interested in the history of this grand venture of mine)
• 7:39 - System Andromeda Today (whittling down my focus & moving forward )
• 10:49 - Becoming Arcadian Nomad (why Arcadian Gypsy is no more)
• 16:21 - Tricky Fish Photography 
• 18:12 - Travel (Research Trip in Colorado!)
• 20:24 - Life & Lifestyle (lifestyle freedom, farmlife, family, health, etc.)
• 25:08 - Writing Review
• 33:20 - 2020 & Beyond (moving forward with Acting, Writing, Tricky Fish, Ransomed Roads, Lost Title Cards, etc.)
• 36:58 - Patreon (a little info about how this is all possible)

If you saw some things you were interested in knowing more about, I've posted links of all my projects below. Enjoy!

Main Sites

www.SystemAndromeda.com

Patreon

My Patreon Page

Tricky Fish Photography

Tricky Fish Photography Website

Instagram: Tricky Fish Photography

Facebook: Tricky Fish Photography

Pinterest: Tricky Fish Photography

Writing

Ransomed Roads 

Ransomed Roads - Travel & Lifestyle blog

Instagram: Ransomed Roads

Facebook: Ransomed Roads

Pinterest: Ransomed Roads

The Lost Title Cards

The Lost Title Cards - movie blog

Changeling: The Ongoing Journey of an Aspie

Changeling - blog about Autism

Arcadian Nomad

Etsy Shop for Arcadian Nomad
Instagram: Arcadian Nomad
Facebook: Arcadian Nomad

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What do you think?

Still exploring the galaxy?
Click on any of the following:
site - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

Monthly Review: January 2018

It is a new year, and I'm beginning a new update system for all of my projects, beginning with the new year post I did at the beginning of this year. So here is January!

Life & The Biz

The big life event of January was a family emergency that resulted in a lot of my resources going elsewhere. My grandmother has been recuperating from a broken bone in the hip area, and I will be assisting my mother in her rehabilitation once she is home. Alongside fighting off the sinus infection that ushered me into the new year, I am experiencing migraines, etc. It will all mean taking a slower path with my projects. Basic business minutiae are currently on hiatus while I attend to family matters. There's been very little social media this month, due to the new job (see below). I'm prepping posts of all kinds for March, though, so, as always, stay tuned. I've begun my project book for my tiny house, and will be updating throughout the year, so I'm excited about that.

2017: A Year in Review

What is that quote about the universe laughing when you make plans? Well, let's just say that this post is coming out about ten days later than I'd like. That comes down to a number of reasons, but the big one was the worst, most raging sinus infection I've had in years. It obliterated me. I was actually rather impressed. Still, I soldier on. At the same time as my infection, I've taken on a new position (more on that below), so my other projects are moving a bit slower at present. I look forward to that changing soon. Add in a family emergency all in the last two weeks, and you get a recipe for late posting. So, without further ado...

2017: The Year in Review

Another year come and gone. Remarkable, isn't it? I remember this time last year when we were all wishing 2016 good riddance. There was a distinct unity to our discontent. Celebrity deaths took too many beloveds. The presidential election threw just about everyone. People were just...unhappy with life. When the wheel turned, more than a few lifted a middle finger to '16, myself included.

This year, it's a little different. Some people were ready to give 2017 the old boot. While I had my own concerns regarding this year (not the least of which being that sinus infection I mentioned above), I found that it was decidedly better than 2016. So I nod more fond farewells at this turn of the year than sour ones. 

...And there were definite farewells. Did you know the Death card of the tarot doesn't actually mean "death"? It actually means change, that concept that when we shuffle off the mortal coil, we are actually just making a change of venue, of scenery (actually that's a very loose definition, but you get the idea). And this was such a year of change: upheavals to be sure, but what those sharp lurches created were moments of true inspiration, motivation, and focus. All things being equal, I view it like that card. Letting go of certain things so that other things could flourish.

Here are the highlights:

The Thing about Burning Man

What is it about Burning Man?  Why we all come back looking exhausted & radiant?

I can't speak with absolute certainty, but I do know this:  It works on much the same principle of brainwashing as does the military & Jesus camps who, I might note, have some of the highest success rates of any organizations.  In this case, you can't help but love it.

It starts with a simple doctrine: Radical Self-Reliance....Thou shalt not MOOP.  MOOP being originally "Matter Out On the Playa" and becoming simply "Matter Out Of Place"....I like the second, because I think it can easily be said to follow the RSR Doctrine....anyone not following the doctrine could easily be said to be MOOP, an undesirable bit of stuff wandering about the playa waiting for someone else to take care of it.  Radical Self-Reliance is about knowing one's self well enough to prepare and take responsibility for our actions & choices, rather than relying on others to take care of you.  You bring the necessary supplies & shelter, clean up after yourself, and make sure that any ridiculous thing you do is at a level that you can handle without needing others to do it for you.

So one takes the doctrine & prepares.  Food, Shelter, First Aid....anything anyone can think of to go wrong & need.  There's even a guide to help you.  Believing oneself ready, you take your doctrine, supplies, fuzzies & glowies, and you head out.  And it is with your arrival to the great Black Rock City that the brainwashing begins.

The first thing that happens on your arrival in Black Rock City (BRC) is that you get hit with dust.  Lots of dust.  Dust storms.  Having believed yourself prepared, you say "No one told me about the--*khak!* *gack!* *gasp!*", your words cut off as another white out buffets you to & fro.  You cower in your tent, looking every bit as though you are experiencing the end of the world, breathing through a dust mask & peering out only occasionally with goggle-encased eyes, disbelieving that such a phenomenon can last through the entire DAY(??), and hoping that if your tent blows away, it won't decide to take you with it (I'm sure it's happened).  When you do emerge, everything you own is covered in dust...not a fine layer, mind you, but actual dunes.

 

At some point, usually mid-week, sooner if "letting go" is easy for you, you give up hope of ever being clean again...not for the rest of the week, mind you, but ever again in your life.  The dust has permeated every part of your being.  It has snuck through every battened down hatch of your stuff.  It is not only on you, it is in you, having crept into every orifice of your body, absorbing through skin, and casting everything in a slightly greyish tone.

This is the breakdown of self....and as you struggle on, RSR ever in the back of your mind, something amazing happens...

You stop caring.

You stop worrying about being clean, looking nice, being clean, whether you were properly prepared for this, being clean, your woes in the outside world, that your tent just blew away with your house keys....Did I mention being clean?  You just stop caring about that.

And what that gives you is the ability to care about something else.  To care - really care - about yourself, about others, about being part of a community.  You feel more yourself than you ever have.  You wander out into the desert, a dazed expression on your face, remembering that you got yourself into this and you must continue the doctrine.

And then another amazing thing happens.  Everyone you meet wants to hug you, feed you, give you treats, take care of you, body & soul, without - because you adhered to the doctrine - you ever asking them.  You wonder how the world could ever be different than this glorious display of love.  Why, life should always be like this, you think to yourself.

And despite the fact that you will return to the outside world in mere days, you know in your heart of hearts that it isn't the real world you are returning to.

Oh, and you get to see things set on fire.  That is totally freaking awesome.

That is what Burning Man is.

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

><(((*> BM07: Tasseograph Trash Tea Temple

Tasseograph Trash Tea Temple

I took this photo my first year at Burning Man.  I had gotten my camera the year before, and was getting kind of good at this whole picture-taking thing.  As I was headed out to one of the more extreme places you can take a camera, I had learned how to keep her safe from the playa, and my photographer's eye was eager for the eye candy rumored to abound.  I was not disappointed.

It should be noted that there were two absolutely gorgeous temples that year, and I loved each of them for different reasons.  [By the way, if you're not familiar with Burning Man, you should definitely go here now.]  For the last couple of weeks, I've been featuring a picture of the larger temple (don't worry, it will be back).  The large temple was zen style, so peaceful you felt you could melt into the ether or some such thing.  For aesthetic purposes, however, my favorite was, by far, the TTT Temple.  It had this whole eclectic gypsy vibe and I'm a total sucker for that.  It also provided some really nice perspectives to work with and gave a nice contrast to the large temple.

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.