Scott’s Neighborhood

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne! [1]

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp! [2]
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae run about the braes, [3]
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn, [4]
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere! [5]
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne. .  
- Robert Burns

And, for those of you with a more classical bent, here is another take on this holiday tradition:

John

[1] For those of you who don't speak gaelic, that translates to "For old time's sake".
[2] Er, that's "You'll buy your pint of beer and I'll buy mine"; i.e., a Scottish Dutch treat.
[3] This is a sappy reference to running through fields of daisies as kids (sounds like a car commercial, doesn't it?).
[4] This verse is not nearly as dirty as it sounds. It refers to playing in the streams, but much water has poured over the dam since then.
[5] In modern frat speak, this verse is "Dude! Chug! Chug! Chug!" (It loses something in translation.)

Here's a fun little site that will tell you where you rank as a taxpayer [1] Kiplinger's Tax Burden. You don't get any cool graphics or nifty badges for yoru blog, but you do get some interesting information [2].

Enjoy!

John

[1] As opposed to the IRS, which will tell you how you rank as a taxpayer: as their love monkey, and don't you forget it!
[2] For example, in the ten years since getting that sheepskin, my income has trotted from "too poor to eat" to "Kids! my purse exploded!" [a]
[a] Geek points for the reference!

If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be?

It depends on exactly where the mistletoe was hanging...

John

Today at 17:47 UTC (11:47 AM CST) will be the Solstice, a traditional day in many religions. But what exactly is the solstice?

To a scientist, it marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern [2]. To a TV weatherman, it represents the “first day of winter” [3]. To an astronomer, it marks the low point in the Sun’s apparent travels in the sky, known as the analemma [4,5]. And to some religions, it marks the start of festivities.

In truth, these are all inter-related. The solstice is the point at which the Earth’s tilt and orbital path combine to create the shortest day in the year [6]. Because this is the shortest day in the year, the Sun does not rise as far in the sky and so is at a lower altitude at noon, making this the lowest point in the analemma. And because less sunlight hits the Northern hemisphere, the hemisphere radiates heat away faster than it comes in and cools, creating winter [7]. Though early priest/astronomer/astrologers didn’t know the physical link between the Sun’s travels and the seasons, they were clever enough to understand that there was a link. Thus, the solstice marked the start of festivities in Babylon, Egypt, Rome, and the Olmec and descendant civilizations.

In any case, this is a special day of the year [8]. So go out and enjoy it!

John

[1] Geek points for the reference!
[2] Thereby demonstrating the old adage that each thing contains its opposite.
[3] Thereby demonstrating that a simple untruth has greater staying power than a complex truth. Remember that Midsummer’s day takes place on the summer solstice, thus “Midwinter’s day” should take place on the winter solstice [a].
[4] Or the high point, for those in the Southern hemisphere.
[5] By the way, making an analemma is easy and a fun science project. All you need is a stick and a place to put it [b]. Just go out to the same place once a week at noon and prop the stick up so it is sticking straight up (i.e., makes a right angle with the tangent to the Earth’s surface). Now mark where the shadow of the stick falls. Plot them up over the course of a year, and you’ve made an analemma! Analemmas made closer to the poles will be fatter and more like a Hershey’s kiss in shape; those made nearer to the equator will be skinnier and look more like a figure eight.
[6] NB: This is not the Earth’s closest approach to the Sun; that happens in early January . If the Earth had no tilt, then perihelion and the solstice would take place on the same day, with summer in January and winter in July.
[7] In the Southern hemisphere, more sunlight comes in, so heat builds up, creating summer.
[8] Then again, what day isn’t?
[a] Yes, these are hemisphere-centric terms. My apologies to all who live in the Southern hemisphere; feel free to swap “winter” for “summer” at will throughout this post.
[b] Get your mind out of the gutter!

I'm up to my ears in chores today [1], so I'm going to make an old quick and dirty favorite of mine for lunch. Because it primarily consists of various things all dumped together, with stunning originality, I call it "Dump Chili". Though it is quick and easy to make, it is reasonably tasty. So, the next time you want something that is both good and fast [2], give this a try!

Chili1

Chili3

In a medium pan, sauté the onions in the oil until translucent. While the onions are cooking, open the cans of beans and dump them into a colander; rinse clean [4]. Once the onions are ready, dump in the beans, the meat substitute, and the can of tomatoes. If necessary, add 1/4 can of water. Dump in the spices and stir. Cook over low-medium heat until warmed through (about 15 minutes).

This makes a filling and inexpensive meal. The left-over chili freezes well, and makes a nice chili pie [5].

Chili4

John

[1] Cleaning up the yard, weeding the garden, cleaning house, doing laundry, filling in the hole in the backyard, re-upholstering the attic, etc.
[2] And even relatively inexpensive, thus demolishing the old NASA credo.
[3] Everyone has their own chili spices. Like cornbread, spaghetti sauce, and kissing, everyone is convinced that their recipe is best. Mine is 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. This gives a sweet and low heat that builds, as opposed to a thermonuclear explosion heat that spoils the rest of the meal. Trust me - this will make you sweat without making you regret it!
[4] You can leave the sauce in the beans, but it will make the chili very watery. Trust me on this!
[5] Chili baked in a pie crust, similar to a Cornish pasty, and not to be confused with the Okie tradition of "Frito Chili Pie" (which isn't really a pie but does have Fritos and chili).

Making a list, checking it twice... How's your holiday shopping going? Who's left on your list?

Just me; I always save the worst for last. (Now where's that anthracite? [1])

John

[1] That's a geology joke, because only us geology-types would think it was cool to get coal for Christmas.

The New York Times turned me onto this guy - a PhD who decided he'd rather do stand up.

John

perched

Thursday (Dec. 10) marked the two-year anniversary of my having adopted my dog, Marty.  Taking care of a creature has to be among the best things someone can do to give their life some structure and meaning.  I got Marty from a rescue that saves dogs from the red list at the SPCA, so his days were numbered before fate intervened. In a way, we kind of saved each other, which I guess is often the way it feels when you connect with another soul.  It was pretty much love at first sight, and even though he chewed up several of my shoes, a tv remote, a hairbrush, 2 toothbrushes, a down pillow and my ACME laptop bag in the early tenure of our relationship, he's never broken my heart. Not yet.

Marty's a boisterous fellow, but also a cuddly sort. Weighing in at about 50 lbs., he's no lap dog, but he often likes to curl up beside me on the sofa.  He's got endless energy for running and leaping and playing tug-of-war. Playfully curious about cats and raccoons and squirrels, even though they get alarmed by him.  He's a loyal and loving little thing, thoroughly devoted to me, as I am to him. What a good dog.

If you have the emotional and financial wherewithal, I highly recommend adopting a pet. Contact your local shelters and rescue groups.  I started my search through petfinder.com.

If you could hang out with any movie character for a day, whom would you choose as your sidekick?
Sponsored by The Official AVATAR Community on TypePad. See AVATAR in theaters December18, 2009.

Why, God, of course. The real question is "Which one?" Do I go with the burning bush [1]/tower of flame from The Ten Commandments? Or with the nose-beeping, skee-ball playing clown from Dogma? Or with  the mis-placed figurehead of Jason and the Argonauts? So many options, so little time...

John

[1] Did you know that there is an actual bush in the region that may burst into flames spontaneously?