An early end to the winter of our discontent?

Two interesting developments:

1. You may recall the the groundhog did or did not see his shadow back on February second. I can never remember which behavior indicates what result. (And, just between you and me, I'm not clear on the nexus between the groundhog and the change of the seasons. Just how does that little furball dictate the weather?) But I do remember the prediction is for an early end to winter. You might as well believe.
2. Daylight Saving Time is starting three weeks earlier this year, on March 11. Despite the fact that lots of articles like this one in the Detroit Free Press are fomenting a "son of Y2K" worry, I say bring it on. There is nothing more rejuvenating that those first few days of DST. (You might make a note on your calendar for March 11. If every electronic device you own seems to be a mess all of a sudden, it might be Y2007DST.)

If an early end to winter is important to this soft Californian, imagine how attractive it is to the ice covered midwesterners. And if you've ever felt the wind blow through you in the canyons of Manhattan - well, 'nuff said. So in conclusion, friends, I will rapidly transition from the mundane to the sublime and quote the words of Shelley:
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

Comments

DodgerScott said…
Speaking of groundhogs...how's that no good varmint doing in your yard? It's just a matter of time before your no good dog starts digging up the entire yard.
February 12, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Barry Martin said…
Ahhh, you have divined the topic for tomorrow's post...stay tuned...
February 12, 2007 at 2:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Can anyone give a good reason why we have Daylight Savings Time? Planting the crops on time? Getting to school on time? What's the point?
February 12, 2007 at 7:29 PM
Barry Martin said…
Wikipedia tells us DST was first used by the German government during WW1. It is typically seens as a way of reducing the amount of energy being used, since it stays light later in the evening and you don't have to turn on artificial lights. There are some studies that show that's true, and some others that refute it. To me, it's all about the possibility of playing 9 holes after work.
February 13, 2007 at 6:43 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How I have neglected my blog and the sadness that results

So jeez, I am feeling a little contrite because I have neglected this blog. Feeling a little like I have let an old friend fall by the wayside while I have been spending all my time with someone new.I even got needled by one of my (few) readers today - "Wow, no blog post since April 2!"  Feeling a little frivolous and superficial because my good old reliable Blogger blog here has fallen victim to my other time sucks - namely, Facebook, and of course, what I like to call "real life." Maintaining a blog is no simple task, my friend. Just mouse up there to the top of the screen, left of center, and start clicking on "Next blog." You will soon soon discover there are lots and lots people who start a blog, make two or three posts, and discover it's kind of demanding. (You'll also discover that about two-thirds of all the random blogs you'll see in the "next blog" mode are in Spanish, which I find strangely fascinating. ) Maybe those whose
Read more

Indians owned slaves? Did I sleep through that history lesson?

There's a story in the news about a vote in the Cherokee Nation to change their definition of citizenship, restricting it to descendants "by blood." The story goes on to say that this change will cut off the descendants of blacks whose ancestors were slaves to Cherokee owners. What? Wait a minute, what?? Indians owned slaves? Here you can learn much about what the Indian learned from the European settlers about keeping slaves , and how they adopted the practice. You think you know your history, then something like this pops up. There's a new show coming out on the BBC that will represent the global-warming-is-caused-by-the-sun theory. Titled "The Great Global Warming Swindle," it it set to air March 8. It's directed by a guy named Martin Durkin, and he says "It’s very rare that a film changes history, but I think this is a turning point and in five years the idea that the greenhouse effect is the main reason behind global warming will be seen as
Read more

"Mikey Angels" flies off in both directions at once

Image
The expression we've all heard is "you can't be too rich or too thin." I suppose that gets said a lot around the tennis court at the country club, the changing room at Sak's? I suppose it draws a wry smile every time. Or is it really said in the aisles at Target by people who are at no risk of being too much of either? The expression we've never heard is "you can't be too smart," because we all know it is possible to be too smart. Kind of ironic since we spend a lot of energy trying to force kids to be smart. We pound them with homework, make them take tests, tell them the kids in Mumbai are going to take your future job. We try to get them into the best schools, the ones for the smart people, but they are always at risk of becoming "too smart for their own good." Based on what I've heard about last weekend's Presidential candidate activity, Obama is running the risk of being too smart for his own good. He and McCain did these l
Read more