February 2, 2005

It's not your average creature that yearns to be devoured by Love. Courage, in the face of Love, is the largest peacock tail of all to a certain sort of woman.

Any man who engages in romance with a 'wild and / or dangerous woman' is both brave and urgently accepting. Like a native building a hut at the base of a volcano. The risks are evident, but the view....My God the view. And everybody down there with their small and sensible loves, they look like ants from where you're sitting. The fall may be inevitable, the height impossible to survive. But one never knows what can happen.

Sometimes a fall turns into flight.

So I guess most of us have gotten the bad news by now that we're in for six more weeks of winter. Punksutaney Phil saw his shadow this moring and if you're superstitious you might believe you'll be shoveling snow off of your driveway until late March. Yes, ever since 1885 those wacky people in Punksutaney, Pensylvania have went up to Gobbler's Knob to see how much more cold weather is in store for the year. The movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray has made that thing really popular -- and that was a pretty good movie, by the way; it's actually one of my all-time favorites.

Did you know there's actually an albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie in Canada that makes the winter prediction? Probably not because Phil gets all the fame.

Groundhog Day itself was something I never had much interest in. In Missouri, at least, it's difficult to say exactly when winter ends and spring begins. Just like in the fall, there always seems to be a time period where one day you're turning the heater on full blast and the next you're switching on the air conditioner. And then maybe a few days later you're turning on the heat again. It's snowed in April (and June!!) and we've frequently gotten temperatures in the 70's in January and February. It is true when they say that in Missouri (especially in the St. Louis area) if you don't like the weather, "wait five minutes."

You know, as I went to write this daylog today, I got the weirdest feeling that I've noded this before, like a sort of a Déjà Vu, maybe. And this morning when they were going to announce on the radio if that groundhog had seen his shadow I thought to myself that I'd already heard it. But, anyway, I guess most of us have gotten the bad news by now that we're in for six more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil indeed saw his shadow this morning at 7:30 AM and if you're superstitious you might believe you'll be shoveling snow off of your driveway until late March. Yes, ever since 1887 those wacky people in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania have trekked up to Gobbler's Knob to see how much more cold weather is in store for the year. The 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray has made that thing into an annual media frenzy -- and that was a pretty good movie, by the way; it's actually one of my all-time favorite flicks.

I'll bet most of you didn't know that there's actually an albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie in Canada that makes the winter prediction? Probably not because Phil is the marmot gets all the attention.

Groundhog Day itself was something I never had much interest in. In Missouri, at least, it's difficult to say exactly when spring begins and winter ends. Just like in the fall, there always seems to be a time period where one day you're turning the heater on full blast and the next you're switching on the air conditioner. And, again, maybe a few days later you're turning on the heat. It's snowed in April (and June!!) and we've frequently gotten temperatures in the 70's in January and February. It is true when they say that in Missouri (especially the St. Louis area) if you don't like the weather, "wait five minutes."

I am really getting the weirdest feeling that I've done this before. This morning when they announced on the radio if the groundhog had seen his shadow yet or not, I knew the answer before they said it. But, anyway, I guess most of us have gotten the bad news by now that we're in for six more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil did indeed see his shadow as he crept out of his environmentally-controled "hole" this morning at 7:30 AM EST and if you're superstitious you might believe you'll be snow blowing your driveway until late March. Yes, ever since 1887 those peculiar folk in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania have made the cold trek up to Gobbler's Knob to see how much more of winter is in store for the year. The 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray has made that thing into an annual media frenzy -- and that was a pretty good movie, by the way; it's actually one of my all-time favorite motion pictures. I would like to see it today, in fact.

I'll bet most of you didn't know that there's actually an albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie in Canada that makes the winter prediction? Probably not because Phil's fame overshadows poor Wiarton's.

Groundhog Day itself I was never interested much in. In Missouri, at least, it's difficult to say exactly when spring begins and winter ends. Just like in the fall, there always seems to be a time period where one day you're turning the heater on, the air conditioner the next day, and then back to the heater the day after that. It's snowed in April (and even June!!) and we've frequently gotten temperatures in the 70's in January and February. It is true when they say that in Missouri (especially the St. Louis area) if you don't like the weather, "wait five minutes."

All right, this is seriously freaking me out. I swear I've done this daylog before. I'm going to talk about the bad news that we're in for six more weeks of winter because Punxsutawney Phil did indeed see his shadow as he crept out of his environmentally-controled "hole" this morning. If you're superstitious you might believe you'll be shoveling the damn snow off of your driveway until late March. Yes, ever since 1887 -- dammit, I know I've typed this before -- Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania have traveled up to Gobbler's Knob to see how much more of winter is in store for the year. The movie Groundhog Day has made that thing into an annual media frenzy -- and that was a pretty good movie, by the way; it's actually...have I mentioned how much I like the movie? I swear I have.

I'll bet most of you didn't know that there's actually an albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie in Canada that makes the winter prediction? Probably not because Phil's fame overshadows (pun intended) poor Wiarton's.

Groundhog Day itself was something I never had much interest in. In Missouri, at least, it's difficult to say exactly when spring begins and winter ends. Just like in the fall, there always seems to be a time period where one day you're turning the heater on full blast and the next you're switching on the air conditioner. And, again, maybe a few days later you're turning on the heat. It's snowed in April (and June!!) and we've frequently gotten temperatures in the 70's in January and February. It is true when they say that in Missouri (especially in St. Louis) if you don't like the weather, "wait five minutes."

OK, people, I was just sitting down and going to do a daylog that had to do with Groundhog Day, but I swear I've done it before, that I've done this whole friggin day before. In case I have, I think I won't. Maybe I did one last year and that's where the confusion is. I'm going to check my nodelist.

So I guess most of us have gotten the bad news by now that we're in for six more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil indeed saw his shadow this morning at 7:30 AM EST and if you're superstitious you might believe...fuck! I'm really freaking out over here, guys...

So, we're playing basketball, only with a squishy green inflatable gertie ball. It bounces well enough, but the important part isn't the game but telling the story of the game. My son tells me that I should tell the story of Jim's Amazing Rigs, who are back from Florida to play in California. The "teamers" who are playing now are very fast. One is named Sports Naked Boy (my son, sans pants), and the other is Chuck (me, with pants). (The benefit of me playing is that we waive the rule of no ball throwing in the house. This is not spoken, but understood.)

I make the mistake of looking at the mail while S.N.B. fetches an errant bounce of mine, and I'm promptly banished from the game. Until S.N.B. realizes that he needs me to fulfill a new role, that of the basket.

I don't mind holding my arms out to form a hoop, since it gives me a chance to sit on the couch. But Sports Naked Boy is not one for swooshes. Every single shot hits the backboard first.... which, if you're following along (and if you're not, make a basketball hoop with your arms in front of you now), is, of course, my face.

Bounce, bounce, wham.

Bounce, wham.

Wham, bounce.

Wham.

It's going to be a long--Wham--afternoon.