(You didn't notice the solstice nine minutes ago, did you?)
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Falling in to autumn
"When summer's gone / Where will we be?"
The Doors, "Summer's Almost Gone"
We'll be here.
~
In case you had not noticed, the autumnal equinox occurred Tuesday afternoon (for those of us in North America), bringing the official start of the season of autumn. But let's face it: No one really cares about even noting the equinox itself other than dorks such as myself, so there's no reason you should have noticed. So today, Wednesday, will be the first full day of the new season worldwide.
~
The autumnal equinox is perhaps not as observed as even the vernal equinox (in March) because a) people tend to like summer, and b) the return of kids to school and the start of the fall TV season have already commenced, so people already felt like it was autumn.
~
On the news programs the person reading the weather (who may or may not actually be a meteorologist) will tend to mention when the equinox will occur, and people may glance up from putting on their makeup or drinking their coffee and nod with some vague sense that they should find that interesting, but the official shift from summer to autumn (or from winter to spring in the southern hemisphere)—that is, that very moment when the position of the earth relative to the sun is just so (i.e., the scientific stuff*)—makes so little difference in the daily lives of people that it's ultimately nothing more than a quaint bit of trivia.
From the standpoint of the changing seasons, Tuesday wasn't that much different than Monday was, nor that different than Wednesday will be; it's not as though all the leaves on all the trees dropped at 2:18 (Pacific Daylight Time) or that the temperature will suddenly drop 30 degrees (at least, not because of the change in season—climate change might bring about any number of consequences, I suppose, but even that seems unlikely)—especially here in SoCal, where actually it was warmer as autumn came in than it was during a good portion of the summer (if those aforementioned pseudo-meteorologists can be trusted with their forecasts).
It's not as though the universe flashes a light across the sky or offers some cosmological indication of when the equinox has occurred. Either you pay attention to the available information and watch the clock for that moment and choose to get a kick out of it for whatever silly reason that might be, or you get on with your day and when watching the news at night and the pseudo-meteorologist mentions that the equinox occurred earlier and now it's officially autumn you'll have a vague sense that you should find that interesting.
If we were meant to pay attention, they'd make it a holiday so we'd have the day off. Of course, given that most holidays are observed on a Monday (so we can have three-day weekends), it's more likely that Monday would have been the observance of the equinox, and thus the precise moment Tuesday would still be largely unheralded.
And that's okay. The universe keeps going whether we notice it or not.
~
* Of course, if you don't grasp that the seasons are caused by the particular way the earth orbits the sun, and more specifically by the tilt of its axis relative to the sun, then none of this is likely to make the slightest bit of sense. (And if you want to find out about that, this piece on the National Geographic site isn't bad.)
But again, the beauty of the situation is that you do not need to understand it to get on with your regular existence.
The Doors, "Summer's Almost Gone"
We'll be here.
~
In case you had not noticed, the autumnal equinox occurred Tuesday afternoon (for those of us in North America), bringing the official start of the season of autumn. But let's face it: No one really cares about even noting the equinox itself other than dorks such as myself, so there's no reason you should have noticed. So today, Wednesday, will be the first full day of the new season worldwide.
~
The autumnal equinox is perhaps not as observed as even the vernal equinox (in March) because a) people tend to like summer, and b) the return of kids to school and the start of the fall TV season have already commenced, so people already felt like it was autumn.
~
On the news programs the person reading the weather (who may or may not actually be a meteorologist) will tend to mention when the equinox will occur, and people may glance up from putting on their makeup or drinking their coffee and nod with some vague sense that they should find that interesting, but the official shift from summer to autumn (or from winter to spring in the southern hemisphere)—that is, that very moment when the position of the earth relative to the sun is just so (i.e., the scientific stuff*)—makes so little difference in the daily lives of people that it's ultimately nothing more than a quaint bit of trivia.
From the standpoint of the changing seasons, Tuesday wasn't that much different than Monday was, nor that different than Wednesday will be; it's not as though all the leaves on all the trees dropped at 2:18 (Pacific Daylight Time) or that the temperature will suddenly drop 30 degrees (at least, not because of the change in season—climate change might bring about any number of consequences, I suppose, but even that seems unlikely)—especially here in SoCal, where actually it was warmer as autumn came in than it was during a good portion of the summer (if those aforementioned pseudo-meteorologists can be trusted with their forecasts).
It's not as though the universe flashes a light across the sky or offers some cosmological indication of when the equinox has occurred. Either you pay attention to the available information and watch the clock for that moment and choose to get a kick out of it for whatever silly reason that might be, or you get on with your day and when watching the news at night and the pseudo-meteorologist mentions that the equinox occurred earlier and now it's officially autumn you'll have a vague sense that you should find that interesting.
If we were meant to pay attention, they'd make it a holiday so we'd have the day off. Of course, given that most holidays are observed on a Monday (so we can have three-day weekends), it's more likely that Monday would have been the observance of the equinox, and thus the precise moment Tuesday would still be largely unheralded.
And that's okay. The universe keeps going whether we notice it or not.
~
* Of course, if you don't grasp that the seasons are caused by the particular way the earth orbits the sun, and more specifically by the tilt of its axis relative to the sun, then none of this is likely to make the slightest bit of sense. (And if you want to find out about that, this piece on the National Geographic site isn't bad.)
But again, the beauty of the situation is that you do not need to understand it to get on with your regular existence.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
And now it's winter
Officially. (The solstice has hit.)
p.s. I'm asleep. (Ah, the glory of scheduling posts ahead of time.)
p.s. I'm asleep. (Ah, the glory of scheduling posts ahead of time.)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The seasons change; the system does not
For those who don't pay attention to any other sources where this information can be found: The autumnal equinox (marking the official end of summer and start of autumn) occurs Monday at 8:44 a.m. Pacific (so please adjust that for your particular time zone as applicable).
Source: My Simpsons 2008 calendar (which lists the Pacific time--always get a calendar made by those in the same time zone).
~
Tomorrow I have jury duty.
I'll end up getting assigned to a jury on a case. I just know it.
I need to have my faith in the judicial system be further undermined by sitting with 11 others and have most of them demonstrate their utter inability to take seriously the admonition against making up their minds before getting to the deliberation. I'm certainly overdue for that.
Really. I've served on two juries in the past. I have noticed a pattern.
I'm not saying we as humans aren't inclined to jump to conclusions (of course we are); I'm just saying that's specifically what one is told not to do at the beginning of the trial.
It puts me at a distinct disadvantage when I get in the jury room. It's not only that it makes me just a tiny bit more jaded (if you can believe that); it turns me into the jerk who's keeping the rest of the jurors from getting home.
~
I should probably mention that during the voir dire interviews with the attorneys: "You should be aware that if you keep me on the jury I will actually keep an open mind until we deliberate, but I'm not going to be able to convince the likely prejudicial majority of people one way or the other with some Henry Ford-like speech. So if what you want is a jury that can reach a verdict quickly because they all already have made up their mind in the courtroom, then I'm not your man."
They probably deserve that.
It's not that I'm trying to get out of serving; I'm merely throwing off the system by listening.
Silly me.
~
Just mentioning this: If you have any thoughts on this (or any other post), do feel free to share them by clicking on the "thoughts on this" link below. They need not be well-considered. (Clearly I'm not doing that with the posts, so it would be hypocritical to expect that in comments.) Thanks for dropping by and reading all the way to the end, whether you leave a thought or not.
Source: My Simpsons 2008 calendar (which lists the Pacific time--always get a calendar made by those in the same time zone).
~
Tomorrow I have jury duty.
I'll end up getting assigned to a jury on a case. I just know it.
I need to have my faith in the judicial system be further undermined by sitting with 11 others and have most of them demonstrate their utter inability to take seriously the admonition against making up their minds before getting to the deliberation. I'm certainly overdue for that.
Really. I've served on two juries in the past. I have noticed a pattern.
I'm not saying we as humans aren't inclined to jump to conclusions (of course we are); I'm just saying that's specifically what one is told not to do at the beginning of the trial.
It puts me at a distinct disadvantage when I get in the jury room. It's not only that it makes me just a tiny bit more jaded (if you can believe that); it turns me into the jerk who's keeping the rest of the jurors from getting home.
~
I should probably mention that during the voir dire interviews with the attorneys: "You should be aware that if you keep me on the jury I will actually keep an open mind until we deliberate, but I'm not going to be able to convince the likely prejudicial majority of people one way or the other with some Henry Ford-like speech. So if what you want is a jury that can reach a verdict quickly because they all already have made up their mind in the courtroom, then I'm not your man."
They probably deserve that.
It's not that I'm trying to get out of serving; I'm merely throwing off the system by listening.
Silly me.
~
Just mentioning this: If you have any thoughts on this (or any other post), do feel free to share them by clicking on the "thoughts on this" link below. They need not be well-considered. (Clearly I'm not doing that with the posts, so it would be hypocritical to expect that in comments.) Thanks for dropping by and reading all the way to the end, whether you leave a thought or not.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Ecliptic
Happy Summer, everyone.
And here's a photo of the latest sunset this year (taken two hours and 54 minutes into the new season):
(Get it? It's not only the most recent sunset, but it's the sunset that occurs at the latest time of day... eh, never mind.)
And here's a photo of the latest sunset this year (taken two hours and 54 minutes into the new season):
(Get it? It's not only the most recent sunset, but it's the sunset that occurs at the latest time of day... eh, never mind.)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Springing into action
Vernal equinox: Today at 4:07 pm, Pacific Standard Time.
Which, now that Daylight Savings Time was moved up so that it went into effect over a week ago, means it will occur at 5:07 pm.
Which, now that Daylight Savings Time was moved up so that it went into effect over a week ago, means it will occur at 5:07 pm.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Solstice alert
Winter kicks in at 4:22 pm (in the Pacific time zone). In the northern hemisphere, that is.
Just so you can acknowledge it in whatever way you do, which probably involves continuing to work, or watch TV, or sleep, etc.
Just so you can acknowledge it in whatever way you do, which probably involves continuing to work, or watch TV, or sleep, etc.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Summer's arrival
Spring gets sprung out (okay, Doug, let's cut that out right now), and summer hits tomorrow (Wednesday the 21st) at 12:26 pm Pacific Daylight Time (according to my Simpsons calendar). Not that most of my readership will see this until well after that point, but hey, I gave some modicum of alert this year to my readers who visit daily.
As soon as I get some.
As soon as I get some.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Dark times--but it's only astronomical in this case
If I'm calculating things correctly, the winter solstice will occur at 10:35 am (Pacific time zone), tomorrow (December 21). Of course, if you care about commemorating that moment, you probably already knew that.
Enjoy, or ignore, as you see fit. And if you want to review what I said about this event (four years ago), here's a link to it (which may or may not be more entertaining than this Wikipedia article about it).
And now, apropos of nothing above, on the left there's a picture of one of the ice sculptures that adorned the bars at my office's holiday party last week. Yes, there's tubes running through it to act as a luge for the vodka poured by the bartender in the top and coming out colder in the glass below.
It's difficult to not feel guilty about such indulgence when there's so much suffering in the world. That's where the vodka comes in.
Enjoy, or ignore, as you see fit. And if you want to review what I said about this event (four years ago), here's a link to it (which may or may not be more entertaining than this Wikipedia article about it).
And now, apropos of nothing above, on the left there's a picture of one of the ice sculptures that adorned the bars at my office's holiday party last week. Yes, there's tubes running through it to act as a luge for the vodka poured by the bartender in the top and coming out colder in the glass below.It's difficult to not feel guilty about such indulgence when there's so much suffering in the world. That's where the vodka comes in.
Sunday, September 22, 2002
Doug's Brush with Some Modicum of Semi-Greatishness
[email composed 22 September 2002]
Tuesday morning as I walked up the stairs exiting the train station in Downtown L.A., I encountered a row of director's chairs nearly blocking the stairway completely. Rather than being intrigued and curious, I was slightly irritated; Oh great, another film crew, I thought. I wormed my way around the chairs and the wires on the ground, hoping my path to the office wouldn't be blocked. I turned the corner, relieved I wasn't stopped, and proceeded down the sidewalk. In an alcove, I noticed some people seated in more chairs, presumably actors. I didn't turn to see who they were; I had places to go. A few paces farther down the street I spotted two actors I recognized from the TV show "Alias" (the ones who play Jack Bristow and Arman, the head of SD6), dressed in suits. They were standing around, ostensibly waiting to do a scene. I passed within inches of them as I continued along my usual path to the office. I made no eye contact, I said nothing; I kept walking, just like I do every other day.
As must be evident from my tone I've encountered film crews many times over the past three years I've worked in Downtown--they do shoots there with some frequency. This was one of the few times I'd actually spotted actors--usually I run into the crew during setup--but obviously it didn't phase me. They're just actors, not superheroes. I held no interest in engaging them in a moment's small talk. I didn't give them any obsequious acknowledgement (which they probably crave--you know how actors are). I didn't stop to watch--anyone who has ever witness filming knows how uninteresting it actually is, repetitive as hell. I do watch the show, and when the episode that features that shot airs I will no doubt think to myself, Oh yeah, I remember the day they were doing that, but I am content to wait for the edited version to appear on my television screen. At the corner of the block, a stage hand in Elvis sunglasses made some declaration
that the scene could proceed (I assume). For me, however, the street light turned green and I stepped off the curb without looking back.
Perhaps there's something wrong with me. In America our collective obsession is with fame, or whatever it is that being on television provides. Maybe I'm deluding myself into believing my life isn't so awful that I don't need to bolster my self-esteem by taking pride in coincidental proximity to something that will eventually appear on TV. I'm not so desperate for attention that being close to minor celebrities (notice I couldn't think of the actors' names) becomes the high point of my day. (No, that came later, on the ride home that evening, when a couple of obnoxious teenage girls who were taking up two seats each had to scoot over and shut up because two big guys got on the train and weren't about to stand for the whole trip. It's ever so satisfying when arrogant inconsideration meets its comeuppance.)
This whole incident is only interesting because it involves something that a lot of people have heard of, because my life, as a non-celebrity, bores others, but not because I have some vampiric need to feed off the semi-famous (even though that is what plagues our society).
I don't need to be a celebrity, or near to celebrities, to get a sense of self-worth; that's what writing to you all does for me (or at least my self-delusion affords me the belief that it does).
Besides, if they could not recognize my intrinsic talent as I passed by and see fit to write me into the show, who needs them anyway? (That's Hollywood for you.)
Doug
"The desire for fame is the last infirmity cast off even by the wise."
- Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian, circa 97 CE
~~~~~~~
Not only is the new TV season here, so is an actual season.
Having noted the astronomical events that mark the passing of our seasons in the past, I have learned that some of you expect me to continue that. So, to appease your the Autumnal Equinox occurs Monday, September 23rd at 4:55 am GMT. However, since most of you aren't in England, in California (if I'm doing my calculations correctly) that's today (Sunday the 22nd) at 8:55 pm--just shortly before I sent this. Fall is here: Enjoy the roughly equal amounts of day and night today, as tomorrow there'll be a little more darkness.
Generally, it's celebrated by those who are/were apt to celebrate it as an end-of-the-harvest festival. In Japan, the 23rd is a national holiday, observing the beginning of autumn. If you get over there and get a job, next year you can get the day off. Maybe you'll see some celebrities.
~~~~~~~
Here's the word "orifice" for no reason other than someone requested I include it. Give the people what they want, that's what I say.
Tuesday morning as I walked up the stairs exiting the train station in Downtown L.A., I encountered a row of director's chairs nearly blocking the stairway completely. Rather than being intrigued and curious, I was slightly irritated; Oh great, another film crew, I thought. I wormed my way around the chairs and the wires on the ground, hoping my path to the office wouldn't be blocked. I turned the corner, relieved I wasn't stopped, and proceeded down the sidewalk. In an alcove, I noticed some people seated in more chairs, presumably actors. I didn't turn to see who they were; I had places to go. A few paces farther down the street I spotted two actors I recognized from the TV show "Alias" (the ones who play Jack Bristow and Arman, the head of SD6), dressed in suits. They were standing around, ostensibly waiting to do a scene. I passed within inches of them as I continued along my usual path to the office. I made no eye contact, I said nothing; I kept walking, just like I do every other day.
As must be evident from my tone I've encountered film crews many times over the past three years I've worked in Downtown--they do shoots there with some frequency. This was one of the few times I'd actually spotted actors--usually I run into the crew during setup--but obviously it didn't phase me. They're just actors, not superheroes. I held no interest in engaging them in a moment's small talk. I didn't give them any obsequious acknowledgement (which they probably crave--you know how actors are). I didn't stop to watch--anyone who has ever witness filming knows how uninteresting it actually is, repetitive as hell. I do watch the show, and when the episode that features that shot airs I will no doubt think to myself, Oh yeah, I remember the day they were doing that, but I am content to wait for the edited version to appear on my television screen. At the corner of the block, a stage hand in Elvis sunglasses made some declaration
that the scene could proceed (I assume). For me, however, the street light turned green and I stepped off the curb without looking back.
Perhaps there's something wrong with me. In America our collective obsession is with fame, or whatever it is that being on television provides. Maybe I'm deluding myself into believing my life isn't so awful that I don't need to bolster my self-esteem by taking pride in coincidental proximity to something that will eventually appear on TV. I'm not so desperate for attention that being close to minor celebrities (notice I couldn't think of the actors' names) becomes the high point of my day. (No, that came later, on the ride home that evening, when a couple of obnoxious teenage girls who were taking up two seats each had to scoot over and shut up because two big guys got on the train and weren't about to stand for the whole trip. It's ever so satisfying when arrogant inconsideration meets its comeuppance.)
This whole incident is only interesting because it involves something that a lot of people have heard of, because my life, as a non-celebrity, bores others, but not because I have some vampiric need to feed off the semi-famous (even though that is what plagues our society).
I don't need to be a celebrity, or near to celebrities, to get a sense of self-worth; that's what writing to you all does for me (or at least my self-delusion affords me the belief that it does).
Besides, if they could not recognize my intrinsic talent as I passed by and see fit to write me into the show, who needs them anyway? (That's Hollywood for you.)
Doug
"The desire for fame is the last infirmity cast off even by the wise."
- Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian, circa 97 CE
~~~~~~~
Not only is the new TV season here, so is an actual season.
Having noted the astronomical events that mark the passing of our seasons in the past, I have learned that some of you expect me to continue that. So, to appease your the Autumnal Equinox occurs Monday, September 23rd at 4:55 am GMT. However, since most of you aren't in England, in California (if I'm doing my calculations correctly) that's today (Sunday the 22nd) at 8:55 pm--just shortly before I sent this. Fall is here: Enjoy the roughly equal amounts of day and night today, as tomorrow there'll be a little more darkness.
Generally, it's celebrated by those who are/were apt to celebrate it as an end-of-the-harvest festival. In Japan, the 23rd is a national holiday, observing the beginning of autumn. If you get over there and get a job, next year you can get the day off. Maybe you'll see some celebrities.
~~~~~~~
Here's the word "orifice" for no reason other than someone requested I include it. Give the people what they want, that's what I say.
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
it's that time again
[email sent 20 March 2002]
Hello readers,
Happy Vernal Equinox (or Happy Autumnal Equinox to my relatives in Australia)! I hope this message finds you well and not down a well (unless that's where you enjoy being).
As you may recall, I last sent out a general message on the Winter Solstice. And now I send out one on the first day of spring (from my quick research on the 'net, I believe it officially occurs at 11:19 a.m., Pacific Standard Time), which undoubtedly leads some of you to believe I'm on some quarterly schedule for these messages. However, longtime readers (technically, I've been sending out these ramblings for a few years now--I know, I can't believe it either) know that I'm also motivated to compose when I need to vent about something. (This past weekend, in fact, I saw a former dragonboating buddy, and he said something about how he couldn't wait for something to annoy me so he'd get another e-mail diatribe from me.) Now, I wish to get one thing clear: This cat Shaft is a bad mutha--[shut yo' mouth!] But I'm clarifying about Shaft. [Then we can dig it.] Also, there are other events besides the passing of the seasons and something pissing me off that inspire me. (Believe me: if annoyance and frustration were all it took, with much of what's been going on at work lately, you all would be receiving messages from me almost daily.)
Just to thwart the expectations you may have developed since before the last paragraph, I'm not going to prattle on about the scientific ramifications of the sun crossing the ecliptic, or about the Wiccan Sabbat of Ostara (Eostre) that occurs on (or at least around) the equinox, or the concept of rebirth inherent in the pagan and Christian celebrations that happen around this time, for three main reasons:
- I am neither Wiccan, other pagan, or Christian, and anything I said about that topic would be summarizing what information I gleaned from checking out webpages on the topic, not from my own knowledge or experience, and heck, if you're really that interested you could do a search as easily as I could. (Must I do everything for you?) If you don't understand why bunnies are so prevalent now, I urge you to look into it.
- I don't feel the need to pretend to seem smart. Either you like me already or you don't.
- Nobody reads anything longer than about a paragraph or two. I was recently informed of that, and so I figure, why bother?
I will note that I remember from the astronomy class I took my freshman year of college, all those many years ago, that "equinox" is Latin for "equal night". If that impressed you in the slightest, you are obviously not considering that for as much as I spent putting myself through university, I really should remember a lot more, otherwise that tidbit was extraordinarily costly. Especially in light of the fact that I walked into a book store the other day, flipped through a book on Presidential facts that was in the discount section that I did not purchase (on which I spent no money) and can now tell you the following I do remember: if you thought the first names of Presidents Coolidge and Eisenhower were, respectively, Calvin and Dwight, you would be completely wrong. (Both adopted their middle names; their actual first names: John and David.) From something I saw on the History Channel, I could tell you that the name for the popular font Trebuchet comes from a catapult device from the Middle Ages. I could also tell you that the Ramones had two separate songs whose titles began with "Now I Wanna"--"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", from their first album in 1976, and "Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy" from their second album in 1977. And for none of this did college play any part.
Yes, I could go off on what a tragedy it is that a song by those punk pioneers was used in a Nissan commercial--the one where the SUV is cutting through the hedges in the middle of a steeple chase--but we're well past the second paragraph now. Besides, anyone who hasn't figured out that those who formerly considered themselves part of the "counter-culture" are now a target demographic for advertisers need not hear it from me. Far be it for me to burst anyone's bubble. Really. Happiness is nothing more than a matter of proper maintenance of your delusions.
And what has this to do with anything? Nothing whatsoever. However, if you choose to believe it does, then it does. See how easy that was?
The other thing that some people have apparently determined about my messages is I usually have some self-deprecating twist at the end, but predictability is the death of art, and I don't particularly have some twist in mind, so you will have to be appeased by...
Talk to you in July!
doug
p.s. Swahili gumbo plaza nook vehement slithy tothes. (You're not reading this far anyway.)
Hello readers,
Happy Vernal Equinox (or Happy Autumnal Equinox to my relatives in Australia)! I hope this message finds you well and not down a well (unless that's where you enjoy being).
As you may recall, I last sent out a general message on the Winter Solstice. And now I send out one on the first day of spring (from my quick research on the 'net, I believe it officially occurs at 11:19 a.m., Pacific Standard Time), which undoubtedly leads some of you to believe I'm on some quarterly schedule for these messages. However, longtime readers (technically, I've been sending out these ramblings for a few years now--I know, I can't believe it either) know that I'm also motivated to compose when I need to vent about something. (This past weekend, in fact, I saw a former dragonboating buddy, and he said something about how he couldn't wait for something to annoy me so he'd get another e-mail diatribe from me.) Now, I wish to get one thing clear: This cat Shaft is a bad mutha--[shut yo' mouth!] But I'm clarifying about Shaft. [Then we can dig it.] Also, there are other events besides the passing of the seasons and something pissing me off that inspire me. (Believe me: if annoyance and frustration were all it took, with much of what's been going on at work lately, you all would be receiving messages from me almost daily.)
Just to thwart the expectations you may have developed since before the last paragraph, I'm not going to prattle on about the scientific ramifications of the sun crossing the ecliptic, or about the Wiccan Sabbat of Ostara (Eostre) that occurs on (or at least around) the equinox, or the concept of rebirth inherent in the pagan and Christian celebrations that happen around this time, for three main reasons:
- I am neither Wiccan, other pagan, or Christian, and anything I said about that topic would be summarizing what information I gleaned from checking out webpages on the topic, not from my own knowledge or experience, and heck, if you're really that interested you could do a search as easily as I could. (Must I do everything for you?) If you don't understand why bunnies are so prevalent now, I urge you to look into it.
- I don't feel the need to pretend to seem smart. Either you like me already or you don't.
- Nobody reads anything longer than about a paragraph or two. I was recently informed of that, and so I figure, why bother?
I will note that I remember from the astronomy class I took my freshman year of college, all those many years ago, that "equinox" is Latin for "equal night". If that impressed you in the slightest, you are obviously not considering that for as much as I spent putting myself through university, I really should remember a lot more, otherwise that tidbit was extraordinarily costly. Especially in light of the fact that I walked into a book store the other day, flipped through a book on Presidential facts that was in the discount section that I did not purchase (on which I spent no money) and can now tell you the following I do remember: if you thought the first names of Presidents Coolidge and Eisenhower were, respectively, Calvin and Dwight, you would be completely wrong. (Both adopted their middle names; their actual first names: John and David.) From something I saw on the History Channel, I could tell you that the name for the popular font Trebuchet comes from a catapult device from the Middle Ages. I could also tell you that the Ramones had two separate songs whose titles began with "Now I Wanna"--"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", from their first album in 1976, and "Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy" from their second album in 1977. And for none of this did college play any part.
Yes, I could go off on what a tragedy it is that a song by those punk pioneers was used in a Nissan commercial--the one where the SUV is cutting through the hedges in the middle of a steeple chase--but we're well past the second paragraph now. Besides, anyone who hasn't figured out that those who formerly considered themselves part of the "counter-culture" are now a target demographic for advertisers need not hear it from me. Far be it for me to burst anyone's bubble. Really. Happiness is nothing more than a matter of proper maintenance of your delusions.
And what has this to do with anything? Nothing whatsoever. However, if you choose to believe it does, then it does. See how easy that was?
The other thing that some people have apparently determined about my messages is I usually have some self-deprecating twist at the end, but predictability is the death of art, and I don't particularly have some twist in mind, so you will have to be appeased by...
Talk to you in July!
doug
p.s. Swahili gumbo plaza nook vehement slithy tothes. (You're not reading this far anyway.)
Friday, December 21, 2001
deconstructing this time of year: the winter solstice
[email composed 21 December 2001]
Greetings everyone,
Please pardon the interruption. I'm sending this to everyone in my address book, which includes friends I see regularly, friends I don't see so regularly anymore, friends I'm related to, friends with whom I work or used to work, friends with whom I dragon boat (or used to), friends I've met through our mutual admiration of the Old 97's (although you may be used to a different e-mail address), or anybody else that is for some reason in there.
By now you've probably had one of three reactions:
- Hey, a message from Doug!
- Oh, not another message from Doug!
- Doug? I don't know a Doug.
And if it was second or third one, you've probably stopped reading and deleted the message. I understand.
Okay, I'm only addressing the people who are still reading now. Thanks for sticking with us. On to the real message...
It's the Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere). Well, technically, today's when the Winter Solstice occurs (at 11:21 am, Pacific Standard Time, if you wish to catch the exact moment). This is it: the shortest amount of daylight all year; starting tomorrow we see a little bit more sun each day until June 21. A number of religions and cultures of the world (those that started in this hemisphere at least) seem to think that this return of the light is cause for celebration, and thus, this time of year is (in these politically correct days) identified as "the holidays."
Lacking any specific religious allegiance, and being a white guy (therefore not having much in the way of worthwhile culture), I can't claim to really have a "holiday" but here in the U.S. that's not a problem: we all celebrate Christmas whether we believe Jesus was the son of God or not; we all have the day off work, we may as well get together. I applaud this opportunity to gather with loved ones. However (those of you who know me saw this coming), there is part of me that cannot help but feel a little guilty co-opting the observation of the birthday of the Christian savior without holding avowed devotion to said savior. That's why I'm spotlighting the astronomical event of the Winter Solstice and not dwelling on any particular ritual that springs from it: I certainly don't wish to tread on anyone's beliefs (or lack thereof, for my atheist readers).
No, I'm not going to bore you with details about the solstice itself. If you wish to find out more, there's a number of worthwhile sites on the web that can fill you in (I reviewed www.candlegrove.com to verify the exact timing of the solstice, but feel free to do your own search). I want to seem clever but not out-and-out dorky. (I realize I come across out-and-out dorky, of course, but that's not my specific aim.)
By now you've probably had a number of people give you some holiday-related greeting, in person, in greeting cards, on TV shows, in magazine ads, on billboards, and in e-mails--both people you know and strangers--and of course, from every clerk in every store where you've shopped to purchase those gifts that are the truly integral element of acknowledging that we're happy about the more-daylight thing. I have. This started me thinking (although, to be fair, just about anything will do that): Do these greetings influence reality? Does wishing someone a "happy holiday" actually cause that person to, in fact, have a happy holiday? And does that clerk really care whether we have a happy holiday or not? Should he/she?
It seems to me that it's entirely possible that these ostensibly altruistic messages uttered at the end of transactions, to strangers on the street, and so on, may not have genuine intent behind them: they are social intercourse, they are what one is expected to say, lest one be viewed as a Scrooge, a Grinch (before the Jim Carrey movie). But if we don't really mean it, what good is it doing? If the wish is to have any positive effect on the recipient, it seems to me, that it must be heart-felt, and call me overly cynical but I cannot believe that the clerk can mean it to every customer he sees for the entire month of December. Is a hollow greeting really any better than none at all?
Sure. It keeps people off your back. And promotes spending.
I'm not suggesting that the clerk secretly wishes ill upon the customer, that the actual desire is for the person to have a rotten holiday. Unless the customer was really rude, of course. Nobody wants that jerk to be happy. Admit or not, but you know what I'm talking about.
I don't wish bad on anyone--unless they cut me off in traffic or something, and only then when I'm in a bad mood, and even then I don't really mean it. But to be perfectly honest, I don't think everyone is destined to be happy during this period--at any given point in time, some people are happy, some people are unhappy, and the rest are somewhere in between; where someone falls on that spectrum is largely a factor of their own choosing, I think. (Yes, I'm using "their" instead of "his or her": deal with it.)
There's only so much for which I can be responsible. I don't mean to sound selfish, but, well, come on.
By this point, most of you are probably thinking I'm completely incapable of experiencing innocent joy. That's not the point. Don't try to distract me now. I may or may not. What I don't necessarily like is the way there's an insincerity to some of what transpires between people masquerading as good will that is taken at face value because we're all too afraid to puncture the fragile spirit of the season. But hey, I get over it. Besides, it's a free country: if you have "the holiday spirit," that's fabulous. I certainly hope that it would be sufficient to allow you to ignore the insipid ramblings of some idiot you find in your e-mail.
The only reason I'm sending this to you is I think you have some redeeming quality that justifies investing the hope that you choose to make yourself happy. I certainly think you should try to be happy during this period if for no other reason than the sun's coming back, but more important, I think you should try to be happy even after "the holidays" are over. There's a new year coming (thanks to Pope Gregory 417 years ago), and while I won't pretend to care about the happiness of every single person on the planet--that's just spreading myself too thin, I'm sorry; surely that task can be dispersed among the rest of the people, with each covering his or her (yeah, I'm back to that) territory of sorts--I shall pretend to care about the happiness of each of you then.
As long as you reply to this message, that is.
I don't care if you say anything, but I would appreciate everyone who wishes to remain in my address book to acknowledge that they've read this far. Even if you're not inclined to comment, just send me back a blank message. Really. I'm serious. And I'm not as desperate for e-mail as this plea would make me out to be (almost, but not quite). Apologies to those who received this in multiple addresses. Thanks.
The deity of your choice--or lack thereof--bless us, one and all, my friends. Or not, if you're not into that sort of thing...
doug
p.s. I reserve the right to continue to care about you choosing to be happy even if you fail to reply to this message, just for the record. You're just a lot less likely to receive more messages from me--and many of them will be more entertaining than this one was--in 2002. Perhaps you'd prefer that, now that I consider it further...
Greetings everyone,
Please pardon the interruption. I'm sending this to everyone in my address book, which includes friends I see regularly, friends I don't see so regularly anymore, friends I'm related to, friends with whom I work or used to work, friends with whom I dragon boat (or used to), friends I've met through our mutual admiration of the Old 97's (although you may be used to a different e-mail address), or anybody else that is for some reason in there.
By now you've probably had one of three reactions:
- Hey, a message from Doug!
- Oh, not another message from Doug!
- Doug? I don't know a Doug.
And if it was second or third one, you've probably stopped reading and deleted the message. I understand.
Okay, I'm only addressing the people who are still reading now. Thanks for sticking with us. On to the real message...
It's the Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere). Well, technically, today's when the Winter Solstice occurs (at 11:21 am, Pacific Standard Time, if you wish to catch the exact moment). This is it: the shortest amount of daylight all year; starting tomorrow we see a little bit more sun each day until June 21. A number of religions and cultures of the world (those that started in this hemisphere at least) seem to think that this return of the light is cause for celebration, and thus, this time of year is (in these politically correct days) identified as "the holidays."
Lacking any specific religious allegiance, and being a white guy (therefore not having much in the way of worthwhile culture), I can't claim to really have a "holiday" but here in the U.S. that's not a problem: we all celebrate Christmas whether we believe Jesus was the son of God or not; we all have the day off work, we may as well get together. I applaud this opportunity to gather with loved ones. However (those of you who know me saw this coming), there is part of me that cannot help but feel a little guilty co-opting the observation of the birthday of the Christian savior without holding avowed devotion to said savior. That's why I'm spotlighting the astronomical event of the Winter Solstice and not dwelling on any particular ritual that springs from it: I certainly don't wish to tread on anyone's beliefs (or lack thereof, for my atheist readers).
No, I'm not going to bore you with details about the solstice itself. If you wish to find out more, there's a number of worthwhile sites on the web that can fill you in (I reviewed www.candlegrove.com to verify the exact timing of the solstice, but feel free to do your own search). I want to seem clever but not out-and-out dorky. (I realize I come across out-and-out dorky, of course, but that's not my specific aim.)
By now you've probably had a number of people give you some holiday-related greeting, in person, in greeting cards, on TV shows, in magazine ads, on billboards, and in e-mails--both people you know and strangers--and of course, from every clerk in every store where you've shopped to purchase those gifts that are the truly integral element of acknowledging that we're happy about the more-daylight thing. I have. This started me thinking (although, to be fair, just about anything will do that): Do these greetings influence reality? Does wishing someone a "happy holiday" actually cause that person to, in fact, have a happy holiday? And does that clerk really care whether we have a happy holiday or not? Should he/she?
It seems to me that it's entirely possible that these ostensibly altruistic messages uttered at the end of transactions, to strangers on the street, and so on, may not have genuine intent behind them: they are social intercourse, they are what one is expected to say, lest one be viewed as a Scrooge, a Grinch (before the Jim Carrey movie). But if we don't really mean it, what good is it doing? If the wish is to have any positive effect on the recipient, it seems to me, that it must be heart-felt, and call me overly cynical but I cannot believe that the clerk can mean it to every customer he sees for the entire month of December. Is a hollow greeting really any better than none at all?
Sure. It keeps people off your back. And promotes spending.
I'm not suggesting that the clerk secretly wishes ill upon the customer, that the actual desire is for the person to have a rotten holiday. Unless the customer was really rude, of course. Nobody wants that jerk to be happy. Admit or not, but you know what I'm talking about.
I don't wish bad on anyone--unless they cut me off in traffic or something, and only then when I'm in a bad mood, and even then I don't really mean it. But to be perfectly honest, I don't think everyone is destined to be happy during this period--at any given point in time, some people are happy, some people are unhappy, and the rest are somewhere in between; where someone falls on that spectrum is largely a factor of their own choosing, I think. (Yes, I'm using "their" instead of "his or her": deal with it.)
There's only so much for which I can be responsible. I don't mean to sound selfish, but, well, come on.
By this point, most of you are probably thinking I'm completely incapable of experiencing innocent joy. That's not the point. Don't try to distract me now. I may or may not. What I don't necessarily like is the way there's an insincerity to some of what transpires between people masquerading as good will that is taken at face value because we're all too afraid to puncture the fragile spirit of the season. But hey, I get over it. Besides, it's a free country: if you have "the holiday spirit," that's fabulous. I certainly hope that it would be sufficient to allow you to ignore the insipid ramblings of some idiot you find in your e-mail.
The only reason I'm sending this to you is I think you have some redeeming quality that justifies investing the hope that you choose to make yourself happy. I certainly think you should try to be happy during this period if for no other reason than the sun's coming back, but more important, I think you should try to be happy even after "the holidays" are over. There's a new year coming (thanks to Pope Gregory 417 years ago), and while I won't pretend to care about the happiness of every single person on the planet--that's just spreading myself too thin, I'm sorry; surely that task can be dispersed among the rest of the people, with each covering his or her (yeah, I'm back to that) territory of sorts--I shall pretend to care about the happiness of each of you then.
As long as you reply to this message, that is.
I don't care if you say anything, but I would appreciate everyone who wishes to remain in my address book to acknowledge that they've read this far. Even if you're not inclined to comment, just send me back a blank message. Really. I'm serious. And I'm not as desperate for e-mail as this plea would make me out to be (almost, but not quite). Apologies to those who received this in multiple addresses. Thanks.
The deity of your choice--or lack thereof--bless us, one and all, my friends. Or not, if you're not into that sort of thing...
doug
p.s. I reserve the right to continue to care about you choosing to be happy even if you fail to reply to this message, just for the record. You're just a lot less likely to receive more messages from me--and many of them will be more entertaining than this one was--in 2002. Perhaps you'd prefer that, now that I consider it further...
Friday, June 22, 2001
Welcome to summer
[email composed 22 June 2001]
Whether you realized it or not, today (or by the time most of you read this, yesterday) was the longest amount of daylight the northern hemisphere would see all year, a.k.a. the Summer Solstice. If you didn't take advantage of it, don't worry: tomorrow will have only slightly less daylight--you probably won't notice.
And if you enjoy the night, remember that this means that the sun will be setting a teeny bit earlier every day from now until December.
Tomorrow (or today as most of you read this) I am off to Vancouver, British Columbia, to compete with my dragon boating team, the Killer Guppies, in a large tournament. This is our first "international" competition, and it should be interesting to see how the team responds to the environment. If we win a medal, great, and if we don't, well, I'll just enjoy being away from the office for a few days. (Dragon boating is a paddling sport, just for the record. Amazingly, I've been doing this for over a year now. Eh, it forces me to exercise regularly, if nothing else. And the people on the team are pretty cool, too.)
I'll let you know how well we did (and how good a time we had at the party after the races) when I return next week. If I can remember.
Whether you realized it or not, today (or by the time most of you read this, yesterday) was the longest amount of daylight the northern hemisphere would see all year, a.k.a. the Summer Solstice. If you didn't take advantage of it, don't worry: tomorrow will have only slightly less daylight--you probably won't notice.
And if you enjoy the night, remember that this means that the sun will be setting a teeny bit earlier every day from now until December.
Tomorrow (or today as most of you read this) I am off to Vancouver, British Columbia, to compete with my dragon boating team, the Killer Guppies, in a large tournament. This is our first "international" competition, and it should be interesting to see how the team responds to the environment. If we win a medal, great, and if we don't, well, I'll just enjoy being away from the office for a few days. (Dragon boating is a paddling sport, just for the record. Amazingly, I've been doing this for over a year now. Eh, it forces me to exercise regularly, if nothing else. And the people on the team are pretty cool, too.)
I'll let you know how well we did (and how good a time we had at the party after the races) when I return next week. If I can remember.
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