Monthly Archives: December 2012
Just about all of 2012 is in my rear-view mirror now. It joins well over 50 others, most of them so far back they are lost in the mist and fog of life. My car moves forward at its full legal pace: 24 Hours Per Day, just like the markers say. (You do not want to be pulled over by the causality cops for violating the reality limit. The fines are truly Lovecraftian.)
Up ahead I see the border markers for 2013. Less than six hours away, so there’s no need for more stops. It’s an easy drive, and there’s something very poignant about watching the last mile markers roll past. This is country passed through once, never visited again.
It’s a time to look back in my mirror for some last glimpses of the path traveled.
Continue reading
12 Comments | tags: 2012, bridges, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Little Big Town, looking back, paths, rear-view mirror, roads, Tornado | posted in Life, Music
I’m of an age to have seen the arrival of 1984 and 2001 as an adult. Those years are significant due, respectively, to the famous George Orwell book and to the famous Stanley Kubrick movie (authored by Arthur Clarke). Because of those stories, those years were mileposts in future imaginings. Would the world turn out per the dystopic 1984 vision? Or would space travel come along per the 2001 vision?
Fortunately and sadly (respectively), the answer was, “Nope.”
This evening 1984 came to mind due to thinking about 2001, and that came to mind due to thinking about this post. My 201st blog post. A small milestone for long-time bloggers, but a milestone nevertheless.
Continue reading
12 Comments | tags: 1984, 200, 2001, 2013, BOOL, Chillaxmas, Freshly Pressed, Spock, stats, WordPress | posted in Life
Yes, it’s that time of year again. I don’t mean Christmas or New Year’s. I don’t even mean Winter Solstice (the actual, true & proper, physics-based holiday of the season). I don’t even mean Chillaxmas. I mean that the friggin’ Ants have once again invaded my demesne.
They have come every winter, except for the very mild one last year. I believe they come seeking water. Even Ants cannot live for more than a few days without water. My theory is: fuel prices being what they are these days, the poor Ants cannot afford to keep their tiny furnaces running. This leaves them unable to melt ice or snow, and so they come seeking liquid water.
This, then, is a tale of species war! One man’s fight against thousands of alien invaders!
Continue reading
24 Comments | tags: ant poison, ants, Formicidae, Hexapoda, humor, Hymenoptera, Them! | posted in Life, Rant
It seems fitting to take this opportunity to write a Sideband post the way I had originally intended when I began them. That intent goes back to the beginning; the first Sideband post was my second post here. For better or worse, the original intent didn’t last long.
In fact, it’s hard to see much difference between the Sideband posts and the other posts. That probably reflects a lack of focus on the main topics. Sidebands were intended for stuff that was off topic. But I’ve been so all over the map on topic that at least one blogger asked if I had a short attention span. [insert here one of the short attention span jokes you’ve heard before]
That’s not going to change. I’m eclectic; so is my blog. Sidebands will evolve. For now, here’s a Sideband on yesterday’s post, just like Blogger originally intended.
Continue reading
2 Comments | tags: chaos, chaos theory, fractals | posted in Math, Physics, Sideband
I had thought, on this third day of Chillaxmas, that to entertain and terrify you, I would post a true tale of alien invasion and species murder. I know you’re expecting the punchline to be that I would if I could, but I don’t have such a tale, so I can’t, ha, ha. Well, I do have just such a tale, and I could, I’m just not.
Not today, anyway. It’s all queued up for tomorrow, and it’s just as well. This will give me a chance to issue a little advance warning. I have pictures of the aliens! War is never for the faint of heart; it’s all the worse with an exoskeleton-wearing alien enemy!
Today, very much like Dug, I was distracted by some virtual philosophical squirrels.
Continue reading
11 Comments | tags: alien vistors, Chillaxmas, David Gray, Dug, Lucinda Williams, salt, storytelling, tertiary, theatre, three | posted in Life, Science
At this point it seems safe to say the Earth continues to orbit the Sun, and that life on the planet also continues. Either the Mayans were wrong, or all those people thousands of years later, working off little (or no) knowledge of the situation, were not correctly interpreting the situation.
Ya think? 🙂
In any event, it sounds like a good excuse to throw a party! Let’s make it a good one!! We’ll decorate extensively (I’m thinking a red and white color scheme), and maybe there should be some gift-giving.
And, here’s an idea: let’s go chop down a tree, drag it inside, put it on life support and decorate it with festive lights and small icons! (Perhaps pine trees, like pumpkins, are delighted to participate in our ancient party rituals!)
Continue reading
6 Comments | tags: asteroid, cats, Chillaxmas, Christmas, eating alone, elephants, Mayan Calendar, Mayans, New Year's Eve, Tunguska | posted in Life
The cow just jumped over the moon, I saw it!
Of course, by ‘cow’ I mean International Space Station (ISS), and by ‘jumped’ I mean swung smoothly over a period of several seconds (ssoposs). And by ‘moon’ I mean—you know—the Moon (M).
For a space geek (and I should think, really, for any oxygen-breather), it was kind of thrill and a nice cap to Christmas. (I’m indebted to my friend, Jeff, who called moments before to let me know! It was way worth standing out in the 12-degree chill!)
And speaking of famous old poems, to commemorate my FP present from WP, I’ve done a brief riff on the opening stanzas of an old favorite…
Continue reading
4 Comments | tags: blog, blogging, Chillaxmas, cow, Freshly Pressed, funny poetry, International Space Station, ISS, Night Before Christmas, poems, poetry, Santa | posted in Life
Christmas to me in a word: Lefse!
Merry Christmas! The day our inner child has been awaiting is finally here. It’s Christmas Day, the first of The Twelve Days of Christmas! I have a series of 12 intensely Christmas-y posts planned for the next 12 days. Each post keys off its respective line in that immortal song.
I’m sure you will enjoy my essays on the political ramifications of Leaping Lords, and I have a shocking Dairy & Hotel industry exposé concerning certain Milking Maids. Earlier in the series, you may enjoy the article about the bizarre biology and genetics of so-called “Turtle Doves.” There’s also a travel article; we’re going to France to see some Hens.
Yes, of course I’m kidding. This is a lazy Christmas Day post of random (sometimes silly) thoughts and memories of Christmas Passed.
Continue reading
21 Comments | tags: Christmas, Christmas Day, cinnamon sugar, cod, cold, cookies, lefse, lutefisk, White Christmas, winter | posted in Life
A couple of funny things happened on the way to today’s post! The first thing is that — apparently due to having unknown Time Posting powers (or perhaps there was a passing Christmas Time Warp) — the post posted today tunneled back in time two days!
And while I’m pleased with this new-found power (I am a bit puzzled on how to wield it in the Name of Goodness), the point of posting a “Night Before Christmas” parody on the night before Christmas is — in fact — that you are posting it on the night before Christmas. (Naturally, my ruling star of Irony would insure that, with great power comes great befuddlement.)
But combined with the other thing that happened today, I choose to take this as a sign to write a new Christmas Eve post. You see, today I was Freshly Pressed!
Continue reading
2 Comments | tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas presents, Freshly Pressed, Joy, Peace on Earth, Twilight Zone | posted in Life
Most of us have traditional ways of celebrating or observing the re-occurring events in our lives. An anniversary might call for dinner at a certain restaurant. A promotion or sale might call for buying a round of drinks. The great life milestones—births, graduations, weddings, retirements, deaths—all come heavily freighted with traditional behaviors.
For me, an important tradition at Christmas time is watching—and reading—the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol! I think it is one of the most engaging, endearing, wonderful and important stories ever. It is a story of redemption and re-discovery of lost joy. And it is an affirmation that how we choose to live our lives matters.
Plus it has ghosts!
Continue reading
14 Comments | tags: A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim, Bill Murray, Charles Dickens, George C. Scott, Jim Carrey, Patrick Stewart, Reginald Owen, Scrooge | posted in Basics, Books, Life, Movies
Logos con carne 