Today was, I just found out moments ago, National Donut (or Doughnut) Day, here in the US. How I missed it, though, is easily answered: I spent most of the day waiting while cars were repaired, to the tune of more money that I would have hoped for. Blech.
So none of that! On to the donut (or doughnut) verse! [Read more…]
If you live within driving distance (this link has a map of the range of the eclipse), and aren’t already planning on seeing the eclipse, allow me to urge you to do so. An annular eclipse is so much more beautiful than a full eclipse; the quality of the light is such that the entire world seems dipped in silver, shimmering and dancing.
Unless you have the proper equipment (welder’s goggles, eclipse glasses, or a properly filtered scope of some sort), you can’t (or rather, shouldn’t) look directly at the sun. With an annular eclipse, you really don’t want to, in my opinion. Instead, find a spot in the woods, where the leaves are sparse enough to let light through, but thick enough that the light comes through in patches. This is where you want to be for the eclipse.
It will get dim, but not really dark, almost as if the sun had been blocked by a cloud. But while a cloud will diffuse the light, the eclipse transforms it. There are not beams of light; there are circlets, shining rings. As the wind moves the leaves, the circlets dance, coming together, drawing apart, larger and smaller depending on how high the leaves are. It is stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful.
And then it is gone. And won’t be back for over a decade. The last one in the US was in 1994, on May 10th–I remember it well. It was a big day. Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa. John Wayne Gacy was executed. I remember both, but I remember them because of the eclipse.
What I’m saying is, this is a memorable and worthwhile event. Go see it if you possibly can.
I wish I could have been there to hear. Via NPR, we hear that a new world record has been set–the greatest number of bagpipers to play together at once. More, after the jump: [Read more…]
Entirely too busy grading to write anything of substance. But… one of my students’ papers reminds me of this older post (don’t ask how–I wouldn’t tell you anyway).
A slight change, from quill pen to tattoo needle, and reader Sheree has a fine looking cuttlefish all her own! A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I’m speechless.
Gorgeous. Click to embiggen.
If I ever got a tattoo, it would (duh) clearly be my Cuttlefish With Quill. But that won’t happen while I share a bed with Cuttlespouse.
This morning, Cuttlespouse left for a weekend with friends. Cuttlehouse is, of course, significantly quieter. To compensate, the stereo is considerably louder right now, playing music Cuttlespouse does not care for. Don’t worry–there is plenty of Cuttlespouse-approved music that I love, so this is not a sign of hardship on my part. But that’s not what I am here to write about. That, after the jump: [Read more…]
(video below the fold, so as not to screw up RSS readers…)
“These were hard-core activists; when they withdraw money from the ATM, they said they take the bill and they take a pen and they cross out ‘In God We Trust’…”
Damn, that’s hard-core. Right up there with suicide bombers and Westboro Baptist Church.
It’s actually a fun piece. But listen, after their video–they laugh through a list of the things we are up against (e.g., the poll showing few would vote for an atheist candidate for president), and I have to remind myself, these are the same people whose forehead veins nearly pop at the sound of “happy holidays!”
Watch and enjoy, after the jump! [Read more…]
I’ve been reading reviews, mostly on sites where the writers and commenters are believers. It put me in mind of this: [Read more…]
There are many reasons I am not there today, but I hope all who *are* there have a great time.
Same goes for next week’s Rock Beyond Belief. And more and more events all the time!
Anyway, I posted this recently enough, so I’ll just point at it today, as what I would have contributed had I been given about 2 minutes to speak.
Some things are just too good to be true. Eternal Earthbound Pets, it seems, was one of them.
All the sordid details, after the jump: [Read more…]
Ok, this is just fun.
I was looking for something I had written long ago, and search engines were being no help at all. Still haven’t found it, and am wondering if perhaps it’s a false memory. But that is not what I am writing to tell you about.
I want to tell you about Cuttlefishism. And it’s just great. A couple of 8th graders, back in 2006, had a bit of fun creating their own “Cuttlefishism” religion. We’ve all been there. But these kids (who are college-aged now, if counting on my tentacles works) put up a website in support of their new religion (apparently taking advantage of a “create a free church website” link–how perfect).
And it’s just adorable. I had to check, though; did they predate me? Checking, I see I was indeed a Cuttlefish before their website went up, so I’m safe from lawsuit.
Anyway, I would love to make their day. There hasn’t been an update on their site in 4 years or so, but you can go and sign their guest-book, and maybe sign up for their forum! (I don’t even know if they would still get email updates to let you in, so I can’t promise we’ve just found a place where our Cuttlefish Army can congregate.) Mostly, I just had a big dumb smile on my face looking around their site and remembering, just a bit, what it was like to be an 8th grader having fun.