Solstice Silliness
Days are brutish and short around here at the winter solstice. Any of you who tuned in to the Seahawks-Ravens game today to see Troy Smith’s first NFL start at quarterback got only a glimpse (he’s a rookie, and was Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from last year). Up to a point, we can substitute caffeine for sunlight here in Seattle and come out even, but after Thanksgiving, the curve straightens out asymptotically, leaving you in the 3:30pm dark with a buzzing in your ears and a case of the shakes.
At a certain point, other beverages, reminiscent of sorties to more hospitable climes, need to step up where caffeine leaves off (click any photo to enlarge):
I happened to be browsing back through my Photoshop collection and ran into photos from my kayaking trip to Baja in 2003 about this time of year. I remember thinking, at the time, that I was going to do something like that a lot more often. Here I am 4 years later, wading through the brutish and short.
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Just performing a public service here. Hope that warmed you up!
All very warm and tropical, indeed.
Waiting for the boy to wake up on Xmas morning here, it is 53 degrees and windy at 6 am. Damned balmy.
we call those boat drinks in my family.
feliz navidad!
Days start out like that here in Santa Cruz. The sun peeks up over the bay and starts warming the house right away. Those words “brutish and short” remind me why we came here for winter. The light is good, Phil. I’d send some your way if I could. Good cheer and happy holidays to you.
Merry Christmas, Phil, to you and your family. We have one Toto toilet installed and working—two more to go and maybe three.
Boat drinks–
Boys in the band ordered boat drinks
Visitors scored on the home rink
Everything seems to be wrong
Lately, newspaper mentioned cheap air fare
I gotta to fly to Saint Somewhere
I’m close to bodily harm
Twenty degrees and the hockey game’s on
Nobody cares, they are way too far gone
Screamin’ boat drinks! Somethin’ to keep em all warm…
Jimmy Buffet, 1979
Thanks for the reminder of tropical climes. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Phil.
Merry Everything, Phil! One more full moon and we’ll be heading toward one of those paper umbrella islands. You could still get reservations
Oh my gosh, it’s a warm beach scene! I think I may swoon.
Here in Colorado it’s in the single digits… ice has coated the sidewalks and streets for weeks now. Normally we have all kinds of warm sunny days in between the cold ones, but not this month! brrrrrrrrrr
Nice to visit your place again, Phil. I don’t blog much these days, but its like finding old friends when I re-visit the old Salon Bloggers in their new homes.
Thanks for all the good wishes, all of you. Glad I could provide a little bit of an escape. Roger and Marc, I’d never heard of the concept of the “boat drink”.
Carroll - have a great time. Not sure I can marshall all the resources necessary to get over there with you.
I’m intrigued by the drinks, Phil. Carrot juice with a kick? And thanks for the vicarious sunset. It’s pissing down here & likely to do so for the rest of the day.
All the very best to you both for 2008.
great post….lovely….merry christmas to you and hope your holidays are good up there…keep blogging it….
Boat pose works even better! Take Navasana!
Happy New Year! We must make our own fireworks, it appears.