i learned today that February is named after a pre-Roman festival, the Lupercalia, in which goat and dog sacrifices (called februa) led to thong-wearing men running around like Pan whipping the arses of women (with the hides of the sacrifices) for the sake of fertility. Optimism in the midst of dreary late winter ( Read more... )

Not only are the financial institutions of America getting a colossal windfall from a megatax bailout sure to leave every unsheltered butthole in the US of A steaming red,
but they're also taking it to the people directly and all mafioso style.

exhibit A: Someone i know recently received a notice from Capital One indicating the APR on his or her ( Read more... )

i am currently laboring for legal tender at the nearby Capitol Theater.¹ This is the first time i have performed alienated wage labor in a while, and it is admittedly interesting working with the public in a service capacity, something i could have indulged more if i had pursued bartending more doggedly.
i enjoy the environment that cinema provides ( Read more... )

Congratulations to everyone who got the day off for a <2-inch, wet winter quasi-storm! :)

Noodge busted me (?) a link to developing corn-syrup industry news about mercury tainting. i've been trying to avoid HFCS (as it's oft abbreviated) for many many moons because of my contempt and suspicion over money-motivated industrial food production ( Read more... )

We've knocked the Netflix deliveries down to 1 at a time, so we get 3 a week maximum if there are no holidays. Nonetheless, we are 210 episodes into the moody, foggy, thundery soap opera Dark Shadows. At this point i am inclined to think the show is named after the "dark shadows" cast by the boom mics, but at the same time i am willing to tolerate ( Read more... )

According to frankensplean, today used to be St. Lucia's Day for Christian saint-worshippers. Her name is derived from the Latin "lux" for light, & festivals for her involve light ceremonies ( Read more... )

i had to traverse 10 miles (of snowed-over goop) to Saugus, and for once i enjoyed the somnambulent and skittish Sunday drivers!
Way too many knuckleheads don't use their headlights in poor visibility, but that was the worst of their crimes today. :)

According to the Greek legend, those kingfishers are supposed to be provisioning civilization with peaceful seas, but they're acting more like storm-petrels.¹ :P ( Read more... )

As this theme was discussed elsewhere on my friendlist, i looked up what was special about my birthday - events, births, & deaths, all according to wikipoopdia. It's a little after the fact, but time's always shafting me anyway.
So, those that made an impression in each category:

events (or Three Adventures1577 - Sir Francis Drake sets out from ( Read more... )