February
Of winter, my mom used to say: "Well, remember honey, February is a short month (only 28 days), and spring comes in March." My old Union friend used to remind us this time of year that the wheels (literally and figuratively) are spinning fastest -- that business is running at it's highest pitch -- this time of year. This is when we cab drivers make our nut for the summer, paradoxically.
And boy is all of that true right now.
Maybe, as my friend Adm. Renor (ret.) pointed out, the moon has a ton (well, several gazillion tons) to do with things. And the moon was just recently about as close to the planet as it gets in the long interval of one of it's cycles. Of course, the moon thing is hogwash to a rationalist.
Anyway, consider the following--
The economy sucks, and seems bound to continue to suck into the for-see-able future. Thank you George H. W. Bush, et al you fucktards! If one thing seems reliable, it is this trend. The newspapers tell me so - - and so does my eye. Two more businesses in my neighborhood have gone out--a Mexican fish place, and the little Islamic grocery right across from the Islamic center. Let's keep this "recession" multi-cultural, shall we? Anything that is not a sound, well organized, and well financed business is bound to suffer and risks failure.
Here in Madison, the weather has shut us in since right around December 1. Without much money to entertain, you begin to realize that life is confined to just a series of limited indoor boxes with Class M (capable of sustaining human life) conditions. True, we cabbies get to go tantalizingly close to the outside all over town. But consider this: we do it inside a machine. The machine blows hot, dry air in our faces all day. It jerks us around, wrenching our bodies--often painfully. It beams a constant audio signal at us. It exposes us to pathogens. At best it subjects us to people who demand our attention (my cab is like a confessional, without the religion), at worst people who verbally and physically abuse us. Whatever you do in a winter climate, I'm sure February has a way of making it worse. This is probably why (not just a couple) Wisconsinites have killed neighbors and been grisly with the remains.
Our personal circumstances are bound to magnify the effects of this economy and it's Februaries. I am stuck in a lease with my ex until the end of July, for example. Liquor? Others I know of are maybe in bad situations with their landlords, or suffer from bad health exacerbated by poverty and the sedentary-ness of winter. Whatever it is, February makes it worse.
Anyway, the good news is that Mom was right, and spring is just right around the corner. I have been thinking about the coming summer's bike adventures. Maybe in the mean time, we can all just cut one another some slack, and lay the fucking christ off, eh? Mom used to say that too, sort of.
And boy is all of that true right now.
Maybe, as my friend Adm. Renor (ret.) pointed out, the moon has a ton (well, several gazillion tons) to do with things. And the moon was just recently about as close to the planet as it gets in the long interval of one of it's cycles. Of course, the moon thing is hogwash to a rationalist.
Anyway, consider the following--
The economy sucks, and seems bound to continue to suck into the for-see-able future. Thank you George H. W. Bush, et al you fucktards! If one thing seems reliable, it is this trend. The newspapers tell me so - - and so does my eye. Two more businesses in my neighborhood have gone out--a Mexican fish place, and the little Islamic grocery right across from the Islamic center. Let's keep this "recession" multi-cultural, shall we? Anything that is not a sound, well organized, and well financed business is bound to suffer and risks failure.
Here in Madison, the weather has shut us in since right around December 1. Without much money to entertain, you begin to realize that life is confined to just a series of limited indoor boxes with Class M (capable of sustaining human life) conditions. True, we cabbies get to go tantalizingly close to the outside all over town. But consider this: we do it inside a machine. The machine blows hot, dry air in our faces all day. It jerks us around, wrenching our bodies--often painfully. It beams a constant audio signal at us. It exposes us to pathogens. At best it subjects us to people who demand our attention (my cab is like a confessional, without the religion), at worst people who verbally and physically abuse us. Whatever you do in a winter climate, I'm sure February has a way of making it worse. This is probably why (not just a couple) Wisconsinites have killed neighbors and been grisly with the remains.
Our personal circumstances are bound to magnify the effects of this economy and it's Februaries. I am stuck in a lease with my ex until the end of July, for example. Liquor? Others I know of are maybe in bad situations with their landlords, or suffer from bad health exacerbated by poverty and the sedentary-ness of winter. Whatever it is, February makes it worse.
Anyway, the good news is that Mom was right, and spring is just right around the corner. I have been thinking about the coming summer's bike adventures. Maybe in the mean time, we can all just cut one another some slack, and lay the fucking christ off, eh? Mom used to say that too, sort of.