Pleased, Merc?

[ellenkushner]

Back in the 80s, when my roommates & I were regular readers of the Village Voice, and Cynthia Heimel's column in particular, she did a piece in which everything that went wrong with mail, communications, and the like was greeted with a mournful "Mercury Retrograde, man." It stuck.

(According to one current astrology expert: "Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.")

Because Mercury is the cosmic trickster.

So here's the thing. Lots of people I know were having big problems with mail & communications recently. But ever since we did those two readings here of The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales , things seemed to have turned around. Could it be that the Cosmic Trickster has been temporarily appeased because we devoted an entire anthology to him?

Anyone else (esp those involved in the antho) having this experience?

P.S. For some reason, Viking or Amazon has listed this book as being for "Reading level: Ages 9-12." ?!? I think someone checked the wrong box: "Grade level" makes more sense.

Comments

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

The local epithet for Mercury retrograde is "Schmercury."

We've been wondering if Venus is in retrograde, though, as there have been a number of decidedly bad romantic meltdowns (including one involving a psychotic break). Got any cures for that one?

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Love poems. Plenty of love poems. She always likes those.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

If my decaying memory serves, I believe the relevant line is, "Mercury retrograde, mon. Not my fault." Shortened, in use, to the first two words, but only because the concluding four are implied.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

You are so right, Mr. Bones. (As always.)

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Interesting, especially since yesterday I opened an e-mail that sent me off to the moon in an oversized snit. Luckily I realized I was over reacting, tho' I'm still concerned about how I'll deal with the situation (a situation that's halfways the result of my own machinations biting me in the ass).

'Tis such an amusement to be a human being this incarnation...

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[calimac.livejournal.com]

When I was on staff at the GEnie SFRT, we used to talk about Mars in retrograde a lot, for the same reason.

We also used to hand each other a lot of virtual thorazine.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just bet you did!

[yaoi-in-exile.livejournal.com]

Mrrrr...have never had that problem, being under the wing of the celestial trickster myself. (3 (Snarky!icon comes out to play just for this occasion.)

This so *should* be on the required reading list for about every high school ever. *pouts* Dumb Old Dead Blind Poets, hogging all the fun.