For the curious reader of science fiction (scifi) and fantasy
Happy Advent, everyone—or whatever holiday you prefer. We received a very pretty 7 inches of snow today, leaving lovely mounds in the branches of our evergreen out front, all lit up for Christmas.
Driving home this evening, I watched as a taxi ahead of me spun in a graceful 270 degree circle (on a street that fortunately was mostly empty). As he straightened out and drove on, I imagined he was driving a bit more cautiously. I wonder if this was his first time driving in snow. You learn fast!
Wishing everyone a peaceful and beautiful Easter Sunday! Here’s a gorgeous image from NASA of the hook at the end of Cape Cod, from the International Space Station.
Conduct your own experiment with Schrödinger’s Cat in space! Go to APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) and press the button to see if the astronaut is holding a picture of a live cat or a dead one. You have to go to APOD; it won’t work here. Are you determining the course of the universe, or splitting it into another set of infinite branches? What do you think? I know which interpretation I favor, but pick your own. (No one knows which is right! Who says science has already answered all the great questions?)
Oh, and Happy April 1st!
Here’s where I wish everyone a Merry Christmas (oops, too late!), a Happy Hanukah (oops!), and a Fabulous New Year (um…).
Well, you Philistines, technically it’s still Christmas until Three Kings Day, and our tree stays up until then! So I can still say, Merry Christmas, from all of us at the Star Rigger Ranch! And it’s still a pretty new 2017, so Happy New Year, as well! It’s got to be better than 2016, right? Right! (No, don’t talk to me about Trump. I will not let you bring me down. Not today.) Anyway, we celebrated our New Years Day by catching Rogue One. It was really good.
So, all together we traced another nearly perfect circle around the Sun, and we’re still kicking. Yes, we suffered losses, including some real shockers. But I guess that’s part of what happens in this carousel around the Sun. We didn’t wobble out of our orbit and fall in, or get thrown out of the solar system, or get hit by a big asteroid, and that’s worth being grateful for.
Anyway, as I said to my small group this evening, I hope that a year from now we can all check in and say what an amazing year 2017 was. I wish that for all of you, too!
My main thought for Thanksgiving? That I hope you all have a joyous, thoughtful, and celebratory day today! Try not to eat too much, but don’t try too hard. And if you’re feeling down, whether it’s because of politics or family or the weather… see if you can focus for a few moments on something you’re grateful for. If you’re lucky, and my prediction pans out, you’ll feel better for it. In my case, it’ll be the family and friends I hope to have gathered around.
Have a most happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
The photo above, by the way, is the countryside somewhere near Concord, Massachusetts. I took the economy autumn foliage ride recently, courtesy of the MBTA’s commuter rail. It was a lovely interlude.
Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and joyful New Year!
May the year 2016 rock!
The beautiful full moon was peeking through the clouds over our house when I took Captain Jack out for his evening walk. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.
This is a photo of last night’s full moon, shining through the star atop a Christmas tree in Beirut (from AP, via NPR). This is the first full moon on Christmas since 1977, and the last until 2034! Our skies are cloudy here in Boston, but I hope you get to enjoy it!
Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas! To those who don’t celebrate Christmas, blessings on your day!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Jesus! Many happy returns!
Like many people I know, I’ve been finding it hard to believe that Christmas is almost upon us. It just doesn’t feel like it; maybe it’s the unseasonably warm weather, or maybe it’s the feeling that we’re whirling round and round the sun faster every year.
See if this helps. It’s the U.S. Air Force Band, making a flashmob appearance at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum last year. Enjoy.
This year we packed up the whole extended family (local branch) and headed to Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod, for the Thanksgiving Weekend, splurging on a nice guest inn. In some ways, this was a lunatic mission, since we decided to fix our entire turkey dinner the day before, and pack it all up in coolers and take it with us for Thanksgiving dinner. But it turned out well, and we spent much of the weekend hanging out in front of a fire, and in the hot tub, and walking along the streets and waterfront of Provincetown, and doing our best not to have any consumables left to carry home at the end of the weekend. A fine time.
In the course of our walking, we came across Carver Street, and so of course had to get some pictures. Here are a couple of them.
There’s a big tower called the Pilgrim Monument, which—after climbing a lot of stairs—gives a fabulous view of the surrounding town and the end of the Cape.
Hope you all had a great weekend!