The Star Compass

 

 

I  completed  my  star compass

 Originally planned as sort of a  ornate    Mandorla    circum pattern of  coloured  crystals   plotted against  the rising and setting skies 

Owing to post redundancy   expense  of materials  and time  limits on construction  it became  a  simple  line plan   on a flat surface   see illustrated

 

Most  star compasses  I have read  of are Polynesian in  design   and  map the  southern sky     and  of course have a clear  horizon  running  oceans  to   the lapping beaches   and cloudless  nights 

Here in UK are  street  lights,   flash on security  lights,  rain ,cloud,   high  buildings    and a  emphasis for me  anyway  on   winter time astronomy  where   no  rooftops    and city  lights  block the view.

North and south ok but  my east  and west  blocked  by  highway   or town lights

The  Western star compass  as illustrated   resembles  a Rose pattern  and  is mainly  centred on following  in a circle  the  familiar winter to spring   patterns Plough  Cassiopeia  Orion  and  the summer  triangle around the limited   gaps  in street  lights at  54  degrees  latitude   urban setting

I would not recommend  you use it  for  oceanic navigation   or even   out of  the garden  navigation.

 

 

Still redundant    and yet still a  qualified  (if unemployed )Teacher  

 started in   training   using  DOS 5 and WordStar 2   and until last year taught Web  2.0

lots of  skills  and  experience  yet  now wake up  thinking  "I am unemployed"  

Noted my  greatest failure at interviews   is coming across as   talking too clever and that  my most disastrous interviews  were  those with  middle aged   woman exactly like the women on those dating sites (maybe even those women  on  those  dating sites)      and  I  came across  exactly as my   dating profile said   - "not really their sort" 

  the phrase  response "too clever for me"  said to me both  on  dating sites   and  as interview  feedback 

 

 

Actually aware  my   mentioning  having  not  one but two national awards  in my   career  is  coming across as negative  factor to   prospective employers  or  voluntary organisations

 Do they  believe  this  by  now long term  unemployed  so called  IT teacher  so called  award winner  who has only  used this past year to write and publish poetry !!!

 

i spent some time on you tube  (a subject I also used to teach ) looking at the   posts  with most subscribers    usually  guys called Guy ever so blogging, ever so  creative   called Dan  or  Dan 

 watching   reminded a lot  of the  twenties   nineteen twenties that is

" ou Tub  igital  ideo"   never a truer word said

 

My  poetry has   improved     in this past year   as although  writing since 1985   only returned to poetry  from 2011  and that  stuff now seems  dire   and  mystically obscure

as a  full time wage  earner and in  a  secure (or so I thought)  job  my poetry  was  concerned with doom,  love lost,  death,  ending  and   hopeless ness.  

 

yet from 2013  as  a  time on his hands  but frustrated and hopelessness in my job applications  non   person   my poetry became   more popular with  internet readers  and in content  better in images and theme , ironic  expressive   and   rooted in  recognisable popular  culture   and  story  telling

I am currently revising    The Rag letters   and  ditching the  hopeless love lost in favour  of the popular culture  archetypes    and   myth retelling  for example   urban legends - grandmother  was on the  roof and the  dog ate  her  type   

 

'scratches,  knocks , scratches

mad  hooks, mad axes'

heard  that  story from a  friend who disappeared

 

hitched a  lift  with ghost  car and ghost  driver

broke down

ghost gas

 

Urban  legend  Mark Littler  Sept 2013