Pull A Rabbit Out Of A Hat
Hello World,
Hong Kong Bok Choy! It's time once again to wish everyone a very healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year, and don't spare the dim sum! We have now roared out of the Year of the Tiger, and hopped into the Year of the Rabbit, which may sound timid and uneventful, but this is very far from the case. The year has been described thusly: "In Chinese mythology, the Year of the Rabbit symbol represents longevity and it is believed that the Rabbit enjoys a close relationship with the moon. Westerners may refer to the man in the moon, but when the Chinese peer up at the moon, what they see is the Rabbit standing by a rock, holding a cup that overflows with the elixir of immortality. As symbols go, this is considered one of the finest." As far as people born in the year: "Although generally calm, gentle and loving, Rabbit people can be very ambitious and intuitively know how to get ahead in the world. They are good listeners, kind and sweet by nature, and are therefore often sought out as popular and trusted friends. Generally noted for their physical beauty, Rabbits like to surround themselves with beautiful things. They have a good eye for art, design and fashion, and are usually at the top of anyone's Best Dressed list. Others may call the Rabbit timid, but those born under this sign rightly view themselves as wise and cautious. Because a Rabbit’s overall approach is calm and considerate, they make excellent teachers. Coupled with their organizational skills, they are well suited for supervisory positions. They are detail-oriented and happiest when engrossed in intellectual activities. However, since they are basically reserved creatures, they do not thrive in competitive environments." You share your birth year cycle with the likes of Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Angelina Jolie and Jane Seymour. So anyone born in the years of 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011, this is your year, so get out there and party like it's 4709, 4708, or 4648!
Of course, Tuesday was Groundhog Day, and depending on which famous groundhog prognosticator you subscribe to, they either did or did not see his or her shadow, meaning we either will or will not have six more weeks of winter. But a good time was had by all, and no groundhogs were injured during the course of the event, so I consider that a success even if an unanimous decision was not reached on the shadow hypothesis. And as everyone knows, Sunday will be Waitangi Day once again for our friends Down Under, although with the explosive situation in the Middle East at the moment, I'm not sure how much attention the world is going to pay to the usual riots and controversy surrounding this annual South Seas donnybrook, and probably just as well.
And speaking of donnybrooks, we find ourselves finally staring down both barrels of Super Bowl Sunday at long last, which this time around will pit the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Green Bay Packers, both of whom are no strangers to the gridiron winter classic by any means. The mavens in the NFL hierarchy, in their infinite wisdom, decided to hold the Super Bowl in Dallas this year rather than Florida, ostensibly because the weather is about the same, and also to make use of a brand-new stadium that was just built for the Cowboys. Only part of that worked out, because it's true that the stadium is still there, but it seems to be surrounded by about 6 inches of snow in every direction, thanks not. In fact, yesterday I called one of the hospital vendors in San Antonio, and their recorded message said they were having a snow emergency in the area, and I should expect wait times on hold to be longer than usual. People can say what they like about the vagaries of cruel fate, or the gods toying with us, but personally I prefer to believe that this only goes to prove that our old nemesis Comrade Mischka is really a Jets fan after all.
I should also report as a public service that the week after next will bring us Valentine's Day on Monday, for anyone who is not yet prepared to sweep their loved one off their feet with the perfect romantic gift, they've still got some time to pull the rabbit out of a hat, as it were. (No, not Angelina Jolie, let's not be ridiculous here.) This is another year where we have lucked out, and find that Cupid's special day is not falling during Lent for a change, so we can indulge in all the pleasures of the occasion without guilt or restraint, and don't spare the chocolate. In fact, Ash Wednesday isn't until March 9, making everyone wait for Easter until April 24, which is about the latest that I can ever remember it, and a quick search online shows that it hasn't been this late since before 1982. There's apparently a very arcane and mystifying computation for arriving at the date of Easter every year, and our friends at wikipedia.org devote several long and incomprehensible paragraphs to detailing the specifics of the process, but it can be somewhat summarized as follows:
====================
In western Christianity, using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, inclusively. Christian churches use March 21 as the starting point in determining the date of Easter, from which they find the next full moon, etc. [Eastern Orthodox Christianity uses the Julian calendar, which is why their Easter often falls on a different date.] Each year, the lunar month beginning with a new moon between March 8 to April 5 inclusive is designated as the paschal lunar month for that year. Easter is the 3rd Sunday in the paschal lunar month, or, in other words, the Sunday after the paschal lunar month's 14th day.
====================
Well, actually, that's just about as clear as mud, and it's a wonder that they can get people to agree on when Easter actually is every year, with all of the ballyhoo and folderol they have to go through to get there. It's only a lucky thing that this process hasn't been taken over by the warring factions of the St. Patrick's Day parade, or the fight over the actual date would be tied up in litigation so long that we'd never get around to the marshmallow Peeps and malted milk eggs before it was time to start all over again.
Speaking of dates, it was on Tuesday morning at work that someone asked me about an order that they said should have arrived "earlier in the week," which prompted me to observe that it then could only have been yesterday, since there was nothing else that was earlier in the workweek from Tuesday morning. After all, they haven't invented the "week stretcher" yet, so as it stands now, "earlier in the week" from Tuesday morning doesn't leave you much to play with. In other news on the work front in the local area, it was the unwelcome combination of heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures that created a patchwork of huge snow mounds throughout our fair city, wherever the plows could push them, in their efforts to clear the streets and no place to go. There's been no possibility of anything melting, so we've been stuck with them ever since. Bill happened to notice one such towering pile on the corner as he walked past our mechanic's garage, and the enterprising proprietor had propped a large sign on top that announced: FREE SNOW, presumably to anyone in the neighborhood who might be interested. Then there was the owner of a bagel shop at the train station, from his location under an overhang, with a sign that offered ICICLES 10c to 25c for his commuter patrons. So the weather may be throwing at us everything that it's got, but we still have our sense of humor, thank heaven.
And speaking of humor in unexpected places, last Sunday was the annual congregational meeting at our church, in spite of the prevailing conditions at the time, and it went off without a hitch and right on schedule. Unlike previous years where the SWAT teams were on stand-by, the National Guard on high alert, and the FBI ready to spring at a moment's notice, this meeting was short, amicable, productive and on-topic throughout, which I don't mind saying, is a novelty that has caught many of us by surprise, and has taken some getting used to, compared to the old days. In fact, it's getting to the point that us old-timers are starting to lose our skills in name-calling, fist fights and throwing chairs, where once we were at the top of our game in these categories. Why, I doubt that I could hit the broad side of a budget deficit dissenter with a metal folding chair at 20 paces anymore, much less toss a bulletin board clear across a phalanx of rampaging ushers like I used to. I tell you, the old ways die hard, and it doesn't even hardly feel like we've really had an annual meeting when everything is so calm and civilized, and people are still speaking to each other when it's over. But on the bright side, there was plenty of delicious salad and pizza, fried chicken and pasta salad, plus brownies and cake, which all managed to take some of the sting out of it, for those of us hoping for a little more excitement. And thanks to our mechanic, everyone who showed up left with a bucket of free snow.
Elle
Hong Kong Bok Choy! It's time once again to wish everyone a very healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year, and don't spare the dim sum! We have now roared out of the Year of the Tiger, and hopped into the Year of the Rabbit, which may sound timid and uneventful, but this is very far from the case. The year has been described thusly: "In Chinese mythology, the Year of the Rabbit symbol represents longevity and it is believed that the Rabbit enjoys a close relationship with the moon. Westerners may refer to the man in the moon, but when the Chinese peer up at the moon, what they see is the Rabbit standing by a rock, holding a cup that overflows with the elixir of immortality. As symbols go, this is considered one of the finest." As far as people born in the year: "Although generally calm, gentle and loving, Rabbit people can be very ambitious and intuitively know how to get ahead in the world. They are good listeners, kind and sweet by nature, and are therefore often sought out as popular and trusted friends. Generally noted for their physical beauty, Rabbits like to surround themselves with beautiful things. They have a good eye for art, design and fashion, and are usually at the top of anyone's Best Dressed list. Others may call the Rabbit timid, but those born under this sign rightly view themselves as wise and cautious. Because a Rabbit’s overall approach is calm and considerate, they make excellent teachers. Coupled with their organizational skills, they are well suited for supervisory positions. They are detail-oriented and happiest when engrossed in intellectual activities. However, since they are basically reserved creatures, they do not thrive in competitive environments." You share your birth year cycle with the likes of Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Angelina Jolie and Jane Seymour. So anyone born in the years of 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011, this is your year, so get out there and party like it's 4709, 4708, or 4648!
Of course, Tuesday was Groundhog Day, and depending on which famous groundhog prognosticator you subscribe to, they either did or did not see his or her shadow, meaning we either will or will not have six more weeks of winter. But a good time was had by all, and no groundhogs were injured during the course of the event, so I consider that a success even if an unanimous decision was not reached on the shadow hypothesis. And as everyone knows, Sunday will be Waitangi Day once again for our friends Down Under, although with the explosive situation in the Middle East at the moment, I'm not sure how much attention the world is going to pay to the usual riots and controversy surrounding this annual South Seas donnybrook, and probably just as well.
And speaking of donnybrooks, we find ourselves finally staring down both barrels of Super Bowl Sunday at long last, which this time around will pit the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Green Bay Packers, both of whom are no strangers to the gridiron winter classic by any means. The mavens in the NFL hierarchy, in their infinite wisdom, decided to hold the Super Bowl in Dallas this year rather than Florida, ostensibly because the weather is about the same, and also to make use of a brand-new stadium that was just built for the Cowboys. Only part of that worked out, because it's true that the stadium is still there, but it seems to be surrounded by about 6 inches of snow in every direction, thanks not. In fact, yesterday I called one of the hospital vendors in San Antonio, and their recorded message said they were having a snow emergency in the area, and I should expect wait times on hold to be longer than usual. People can say what they like about the vagaries of cruel fate, or the gods toying with us, but personally I prefer to believe that this only goes to prove that our old nemesis Comrade Mischka is really a Jets fan after all.
I should also report as a public service that the week after next will bring us Valentine's Day on Monday, for anyone who is not yet prepared to sweep their loved one off their feet with the perfect romantic gift, they've still got some time to pull the rabbit out of a hat, as it were. (No, not Angelina Jolie, let's not be ridiculous here.) This is another year where we have lucked out, and find that Cupid's special day is not falling during Lent for a change, so we can indulge in all the pleasures of the occasion without guilt or restraint, and don't spare the chocolate. In fact, Ash Wednesday isn't until March 9, making everyone wait for Easter until April 24, which is about the latest that I can ever remember it, and a quick search online shows that it hasn't been this late since before 1982. There's apparently a very arcane and mystifying computation for arriving at the date of Easter every year, and our friends at wikipedia.org devote several long and incomprehensible paragraphs to detailing the specifics of the process, but it can be somewhat summarized as follows:
====================
In western Christianity, using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, inclusively. Christian churches use March 21 as the starting point in determining the date of Easter, from which they find the next full moon, etc. [Eastern Orthodox Christianity uses the Julian calendar, which is why their Easter often falls on a different date.] Each year, the lunar month beginning with a new moon between March 8 to April 5 inclusive is designated as the paschal lunar month for that year. Easter is the 3rd Sunday in the paschal lunar month, or, in other words, the Sunday after the paschal lunar month's 14th day.
====================
Well, actually, that's just about as clear as mud, and it's a wonder that they can get people to agree on when Easter actually is every year, with all of the ballyhoo and folderol they have to go through to get there. It's only a lucky thing that this process hasn't been taken over by the warring factions of the St. Patrick's Day parade, or the fight over the actual date would be tied up in litigation so long that we'd never get around to the marshmallow Peeps and malted milk eggs before it was time to start all over again.
Speaking of dates, it was on Tuesday morning at work that someone asked me about an order that they said should have arrived "earlier in the week," which prompted me to observe that it then could only have been yesterday, since there was nothing else that was earlier in the workweek from Tuesday morning. After all, they haven't invented the "week stretcher" yet, so as it stands now, "earlier in the week" from Tuesday morning doesn't leave you much to play with. In other news on the work front in the local area, it was the unwelcome combination of heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures that created a patchwork of huge snow mounds throughout our fair city, wherever the plows could push them, in their efforts to clear the streets and no place to go. There's been no possibility of anything melting, so we've been stuck with them ever since. Bill happened to notice one such towering pile on the corner as he walked past our mechanic's garage, and the enterprising proprietor had propped a large sign on top that announced: FREE SNOW, presumably to anyone in the neighborhood who might be interested. Then there was the owner of a bagel shop at the train station, from his location under an overhang, with a sign that offered ICICLES 10c to 25c for his commuter patrons. So the weather may be throwing at us everything that it's got, but we still have our sense of humor, thank heaven.
And speaking of humor in unexpected places, last Sunday was the annual congregational meeting at our church, in spite of the prevailing conditions at the time, and it went off without a hitch and right on schedule. Unlike previous years where the SWAT teams were on stand-by, the National Guard on high alert, and the FBI ready to spring at a moment's notice, this meeting was short, amicable, productive and on-topic throughout, which I don't mind saying, is a novelty that has caught many of us by surprise, and has taken some getting used to, compared to the old days. In fact, it's getting to the point that us old-timers are starting to lose our skills in name-calling, fist fights and throwing chairs, where once we were at the top of our game in these categories. Why, I doubt that I could hit the broad side of a budget deficit dissenter with a metal folding chair at 20 paces anymore, much less toss a bulletin board clear across a phalanx of rampaging ushers like I used to. I tell you, the old ways die hard, and it doesn't even hardly feel like we've really had an annual meeting when everything is so calm and civilized, and people are still speaking to each other when it's over. But on the bright side, there was plenty of delicious salad and pizza, fried chicken and pasta salad, plus brownies and cake, which all managed to take some of the sting out of it, for those of us hoping for a little more excitement. And thanks to our mechanic, everyone who showed up left with a bucket of free snow.
Elle
posted by El Tango Fandango @ 8:16 PM
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