It’s wierd- the few people (who should know) that I’ve asked about this just looked at me as though I’d asked why politicians lie… it just is. Even She Who Makes The Earth Tremble, a qualified horticulturist, just shrugged. The least worst answer I found was that British soldiers used 3-monthly seasons to identify uniform changes (summer uniform to winter uniform, etc), and it’s become the ‘official’ seasonal calendar.

Mind you, none of these people had any idea about the significance of the equinoxes (equinii? *) or solstices. Now I really wish I hadn’t opened this can of worms, ‘coz my vague but comfortable feeling of cultural superiority has taken a direct hit below the waterline…

It’s funny, the vast majority of people in this country don’t know why the seasons are the way they are, they don’t know when the actual seasons start (from an astronomical / cultural / historical perspective), and most seem to think seasons are nothing more than the remnants of an Anglo-Saxon imperialistic macho heritage, and we should all start using the Aboriginal seasonal calendars (all of which use from 6 to 9 seasons, depending on tribe and location), none of which apply outside their immediate geographical range.

I know we always try to get some order out of natural chaos, and even the ‘real’ seasons are man-made approximations, but on this I think we’ve gone way past ‘order’ and gone on to ‘anally retentive bureaucratic stupidity’.

Didn’t someone mention some Novak fellow earlier in this comment list? Oh no, the FA Effect has happened again!

* I know it’s “equinoces”

But, seen in the context of the “contents” of the rest of his “column”, I found more delicious irony in poor old Bob’s admission that he probably won’t be invited back to the next Big Secret Conference because he’s gone and blabbed about this Secret Conference. Maybe he thinks the White House will write a note for him so that all the intelligent prestigious people he so cunningly annoyed both publicly and privately will want him back next year… you know, “Please excuse Bob’s actions this year, he was really helping us to get a better handle on where the American Public is going wrong, so you see he really is Important and Prestigious, and should be invited back next year.” (Obviously, this isn’t Bush’s handwriting)

In fact, there’s so much wrong in so many ways with Bob’s little essay, from content to intent, we’re spoiled for choice.

Harold, I don’t sleep. RSS feeds make sure of that… You’re right, it’s usually about 6AM when I shovel coal into the laptop and wind up the wireless LAN. Fun reading all this in bed, though. And our Spring don’t start until 1st October (I think). More convenient, I believe.

I should’ve made that clearer.

BTW, don’t you just love it when the Republicans, hungering for positive news of any kind and not finding it, revert to eating their own?

I personally believe that incompetence is immune to race and class.

Seen through the lens of true, world class stupidity and incompetence, everything this administration has accomplished makes terrifying sense.

Oh,… and why does anyone read this douche bag?

I heard about that Aspen conference and thought I saw an invitation on my desk, but Karl said my dog ate it and I wouldn’t be able to get past the big burly security men without it. He also said that the bathroom hall pass had been damaged and it would be dangerous to attend without THAT!!! When Karl is right, he’s right.

The Rita the Hurricane thing seems to be getting less and less windiery. Andy says I can have the weekend off and he’ll call if he needs anything. I’ve been wanting to learn how to play that new guitar I got out in California for ignoring Katrina, maybe I’ll do that.

God Bless America!
W