... the sun rises on the first café since Easter.
Easter began a new approach to comments for reasons discussed in this post and in the comments there.
Today, I began what I called "A new era of comments on this blog." Everything is still moderated and I'm maintaining the stricter standards, but you can write the comments in the comments box. With that change, I'm able to do an open thread at the end of the day again — a "café" post.
I'm continuing the tradition of putting up a photograph of the sunrise, part of my ritual of running to witness the arrival of the new day.
Today, is also the arrival of a new season, as I mark the seasons. I put the solstice/equinox in the center of the season and count out 6.5 weeks in either direction. Today, we begin the approach to the fall equinox. I love the seasons of more equal balance between light and darkness, and that's what's starting today.
Enjoy the café. You can talk about anything, but to make it through moderation, it will need to be something I think readers will enjoy.
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17 comments:
I see my two comments in that 2019 post were 'Give it a go...' and 'The risk is you end up moderating like Twitter'.
Still timely...
Your system of marking the seasons is essentially he same as that of the ancient Celts. They marked their seasons as beginning about halfway between the equinox and solstice. Imbolc was the beginning of spring around February1, Beltane was the beginning of summer around May 1, Lughnasadh was the beginning of harvest around August 1, and Samhain was end of harvest and beginning of the dark period around November 1.
There is nothing g new under the sun.
I haven't been tuning in as much since the letters to the editor format began. Coincidental to the new format I've been stopping by this week. I noticed a few posts where Ann had to add her own sarcasm and snark. We will relieve you of that burden- leave that to us!
"Your system of marking the seasons is essentially he same as that of the ancient Celts....
I've been listening to the Great Courses course, "The Celtic World."
So thanks. And happy Lughnasadh.
So now I’m supposed to think about how to pronounce “Lughnasadh”. Great. No — check that — Almost Heaven.
I predicted this a couple of days ago (not that it was a tough prediction). Obama's birthday bash would not be pared down. It would just be said that it was paired down. And the exact words to report were to be handed out to the global media. Obviously the Daily Mail did not get the note.
His Day
The Obamas continue to annoy, even when I don't have to hear His words spoken or see Her thoughts staring at me from someone's bookshelf.
I've always said, "As soon as you get done with Beltane, Lughnasadh is right around the henge." Not really, but I may start.
This is good, from Houellebecq, "Anything can happen in life, especially nothing."
Yours is a noble effort; may we be worthy.
Construction on our new house should start around the Fall Equinox. We have power and water, and the foundation hole is dug. We're just waiting for the loan to close. That's waiting for the appraisal, which had been difficult to get started since the real estate market in Puget Sound is so hot. The loan should close on September 7, the day after Labor Day and then construction on the foundation should start about two weeks later.
I've been tracking progress on my blog, tokulacres.com. Tokul is the neighborhood we live in and tokulacres is an homage to the 1960's show Green Acres. My wife and I have always been city dwellers and after we move, we'll be rural residents. The neighbors are really nice; most of the homes are on acre+ lots, some in the 5 to 7-acre size.
I really enjoyed the song/poem/movie recommendations folks would leave under Ann's posts. I missed those these last few months, especially when Ann was discussing the Oscars.
Anyway, if you haven't already seen it, I can't recommend "Another Round" more. I know it is a foreign film, and you have to watch it with subtitles, but it really is worth it - an experience I haven't had with a movie in a very long time.
https://youtu.be/bj8Jmz_srDg
I wrote to Ann about "Another Round" early in the new commenting regime, but my email didn't make it through her posting process. I haven't seen her mention the movie on the blog, so here goes.
I have a feeling that you all will love it :)
Proost!
"So now I’m supposed to think about how to pronounce “Lughnasadh”. "
loo-NA-sad.
... with the "NA" like the "na" in "snap."
A way to remember the word is to think of Luna -- the moon -- as sad. The sun has been overdoing it and it's time to cheer up Luna by enlarging the darkness.
"Obama's birthday bash would not be pared down. It would just be said that it was paired down."
I think it was pared down as I predicted: the donors were excluded and the most exciting people got to have the event without them. It would only make the party better to have a high-minded excuse to exclude all the people they had to invite.
"I wrote to Ann about "Another Round" early in the new commenting regime, but my email didn't make it through her posting process."
I was only publishing comments on posts and never did open threads, but thanks for the movie recommendation. It's interesting. I looks like it's based on an idea I heard about in a Joe Rogan podcast with the author of that book "Drunk," that a certain level of blood alcohol is optimal for creativity. You don't want to go over or under. I'm not recommending it, because there are health issues, but the idea is... oh, let me quote the book. I have it here:
"The ascending phase, as blood alcohol levels rise, is characterized by stimulation and mild euphoria, as alcohol enhances the release of dopamine and serotonin. This is when alcohol mimics the effect of pure stimulants, like cocaine or MDMA. During this phase, alcohol also triggers the release of endorphins. You can think of it, in this regard, as something like a mild version of morphine, providing a pain-killing effect, enhancing overall mood, and decreasing anxiety. In its descending phase, as blood alcohol levels peak and then start to decline, alcohol has its depressant effect. In terms of inhibition of brain functioning, alcohol provides a depressant double-whammy. It enhances or exaggerates the activity of GABAA receptors, which function to inhibit neural activity, while simultaneously depressing the activity of glutamate receptors, which normally excite neural activity. So, when it comes to brain activity, alcohol simultaneously slams on the brakes and lets its foot off the accelerator. This neural screeching to a halt is what, especially at high blood alcohol levels, causes a sedative effect."
Slingerland, Edward. Drunk (pp. 82-83). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
Starting in September Baylor University is sponsoring 100 Days of Dante in which one can, in the company of others, work one's way through the Divine Comedy (which has 100 cantos) one canto a day till it's finished This is to celebrate the 700 anniversary of Dante's death, 1321. If you want something non-political but interesting to do with other Americans - why not try this along with the daily politics of Desolation Row?
"In other news, Dante has just emerged from Hell (Canto 35) and is looking at the dawn."
Here in the Boston area, temperature lags length of day by about 6 weeks. Thus, the makeshift calendar on my wall begins "winter" with Darkmonth, 31 days centered on the winter solstice, locks us into frigidity with 30 days of Coldmonth, and ends with 30 days of Gettingtiredofthismonth. The other three seasons proceed similarly and correspond nicely with "the way it feels".
Looking at the temperature data, the change slows down near the extremes, so one day in Coldmonth or Hotmonth has an expected value similar to any other day, a nice byproduct of what started as a simple length of day creation, inspired by the December 6, 2020 post "Althouse captures the exact moment the light pierces the center of the dome -- the sign ushering the season of Brumalia?"
Very nice to see some comments (not emails) again. I hope it's manageable; one café a day would make me stop by more often. Today's bonus: Lughnasadh!
Not yet sure I like all the comments, including this one, being printed - I feel I have to read them all before I write anything. I did feel like often reading all the few email comments, or none, while Ann was moderating.
Love the sunrises - since I'm more of a sunset guy, but now see both (with more naps thru the day).
Learned our son's wife is ... pregnant, as they try to buy a flat. In Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, 2 hours from our Bratislava home). It's been 3 weeks, the RE agent said loans usually close in about 3 days. Seems like RE agents are converging onto a normal, high-asset inflation world, standard of behavior.
Using the solstices to center the seasons makes sense, and is how folks feel often, but ain't gonna happen.
"Ahhhh ... August.
Die she must.
The autumn winds blow,
chilly and cold.
September,
I
remember.
A love once known
has now
grown old." (S&G)
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