Ever have your phone line die for 36 hours for no reason?
I recommend it; lots of fun.
But I'm not here to complain as it's the weekend and I've gotten my laundry done already...which leaves me to do...whatever. I feel like buying Indian food, actually.
Earthly Powers still going for good reading; it's 600 pages, not 400 actually, but I've got 100 down. The future-pope character, in the protagonist's 1920- memories, is a pretty heavy gambler! Roultette, dice, and some Italian casino stuff I've never heard of, so I'm learning a bit. Not that I wanna throw my money away gambling. I prefer to throw it away on tangibles.
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This is some boring, nerdy stuff for the weekend-netgoing nerds (freakin' A) from a book of 600 weather proverbs (by George Freier) that I saw at work. Did you know that there were 300 weather proverbs, let alone 600? Much credit for the number must go to the seafarers,
or legit mariners or otherwise. All bold-face stuff by Freier...
"If dogs roll around on the ground and scratch or eat grass and refuse meat, it's a sign of rain"
"The unusual howling of dogs portends a storm"
These seem to indicate a form of irritation that may be caused by falling barometric pressure when absorbed gasses escape from bodily fluids and collect as bubbles in body tissue.
"When cats place their paws over their ears it is a sign of rain"
"When cats hide under the bed there will be a storm"
Cats can become irritated by falling pressure and do things that indicate itching. However, they also lick themselves in fair weather. This removes electrostatic charges accumulated during fair weather and low humidity. Cats have a keen sense of smell, and may respond to smell changes when large molecules become hydrated with water molecules as humidity rises.
"If bulls are irritable, expect a storm"
"If rats and mice are restless, expect rain"
"If fowls roll in the sand, foul weather is at hand"
...these indicate a form of irritation due to a falling barometer. Remember that people are also more irritable during low-pressure periods.
"Land birds bathe before a rain"
"If the wild geese gang out to sea, good weather there will be"
"Geese call down the rain with their cackling"
"When crows go to the water and beat it with their wings, expect foul weather"
"Petrels gathering under the stern of a ship indicate foul weather"
Birds most likely sense the falling barometer through irritation or by changing air density. I think they also hear low frequencies with their feathers as low-frequency sound detectors. They can detect air turbulence we can't hear. Petrels are birds that always seem to be flying far at sea. Before storms, sailors noted that they would congregate around a sailing ship for protection.
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7 pm update -- I was just watching the 1931 film of The Threepenny Opera. It was in Arlington Library, and I had thought of checking it out ages ago but the reviews on Amazon are so negative...well, those people are full of shit. This is a nice lil film. Lotte Lenya isn't in it enough, but Forster is really good as Mackie (kinda like an intense, moustached-Ringo) and Neher absolutely kicks azz as Polly.
I didn't get much out of L'Age d'Or or Simon of the Desert but let it not be said that Cheech is narrow-minded; I'm giving The Exterminating Angel a shot tonight...
I recommend it; lots of fun.
But I'm not here to complain as it's the weekend and I've gotten my laundry done already...which leaves me to do...whatever. I feel like buying Indian food, actually.
Earthly Powers still going for good reading; it's 600 pages, not 400 actually, but I've got 100 down. The future-pope character, in the protagonist's 1920- memories, is a pretty heavy gambler! Roultette, dice, and some Italian casino stuff I've never heard of, so I'm learning a bit. Not that I wanna throw my money away gambling. I prefer to throw it away on tangibles.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
This is some boring, nerdy stuff for the weekend-netgoing nerds (freakin' A) from a book of 600 weather proverbs (by George Freier) that I saw at work. Did you know that there were 300 weather proverbs, let alone 600? Much credit for the number must go to the seafarers,
or legit mariners or otherwise. All bold-face stuff by Freier...
"If dogs roll around on the ground and scratch or eat grass and refuse meat, it's a sign of rain"
"The unusual howling of dogs portends a storm"
These seem to indicate a form of irritation that may be caused by falling barometric pressure when absorbed gasses escape from bodily fluids and collect as bubbles in body tissue.
"When cats place their paws over their ears it is a sign of rain"
"When cats hide under the bed there will be a storm"
Cats can become irritated by falling pressure and do things that indicate itching. However, they also lick themselves in fair weather. This removes electrostatic charges accumulated during fair weather and low humidity. Cats have a keen sense of smell, and may respond to smell changes when large molecules become hydrated with water molecules as humidity rises.
"If bulls are irritable, expect a storm"
"If rats and mice are restless, expect rain"
"If fowls roll in the sand, foul weather is at hand"
...these indicate a form of irritation due to a falling barometer. Remember that people are also more irritable during low-pressure periods.
"Land birds bathe before a rain"
"If the wild geese gang out to sea, good weather there will be"
"Geese call down the rain with their cackling"
"When crows go to the water and beat it with their wings, expect foul weather"
"Petrels gathering under the stern of a ship indicate foul weather"
Birds most likely sense the falling barometer through irritation or by changing air density. I think they also hear low frequencies with their feathers as low-frequency sound detectors. They can detect air turbulence we can't hear. Petrels are birds that always seem to be flying far at sea. Before storms, sailors noted that they would congregate around a sailing ship for protection.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
7 pm update -- I was just watching the 1931 film of The Threepenny Opera. It was in Arlington Library, and I had thought of checking it out ages ago but the reviews on Amazon are so negative...well, those people are full of shit. This is a nice lil film. Lotte Lenya isn't in it enough, but Forster is really good as Mackie (kinda like an intense, moustached-Ringo) and Neher absolutely kicks azz as Polly.
I didn't get much out of L'Age d'Or or Simon of the Desert but let it not be said that Cheech is narrow-minded; I'm giving The Exterminating Angel a shot tonight...
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Oh, and *I* know where the Wild Things Are.