Apologies, but I don’t have much time to chat today. The taxes, they are calling me!
What one has to do usually can be done.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’
Apologies, Today Is Spoken For
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, must do on February 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Good Hunting, Artists
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, artists, creativity, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Snatching the eternal out of the desperately fleeting is the great magic trick of human existence.”
— Tennessee Williams
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The Planet Parade Rides Again
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, look up, science, sky on February 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
You may remember in 2023 when I mentioned a five-planet parade in the skies, or in 2024 when six planets aligned.
Fun sky news: this week we are in line for a parade of all seven planets!
When and how to view February planet alignment
Skywatchers will get a cosmic treat this week with a celestial gathering of planets.
A planetary alignment, or a “planet parade,” according to the internet, will grace our night sky just after dusk, according to SkyatNightMagazine. You can expect to see seven planets align Friday when Mercury joins Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn.
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars will be visible to the naked eye, but Saturn will be harder to spot low on the horizon, and you’ll need a telescope for Uranus and Neptune. Still, “every other world in our solar system will be visible among the stars at the same time — if you know where to look.”
“You really only have a few minutes after sunset to catch them before they drop below the horizon. After that, you’ll still be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars clearly for a much longer time,” Dr Bloomer added.
I don’t have a telescope, and we often can’t see this kind of event because of city lights.
Still cool!
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Your Perfect Thing
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #damntasty, perfect for me, Thoughts on February 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
There are some things in life that are just perfect.
It might be a book, or a movie or a volcanic beach under the hot afternoon sun. Or it might be a salad.
Mr Man and I recently went to Montreal with a friend, and stopped off at a little roadside cafe* for lunch. I checked out the menu and perused the glass display case, and there it was.
A pretty pottery bowl filled with a squash, greens, and cranberry salad. The bright orange squash was the perfect blend of soft but not squishy, sweet but substantive. The tender greens brought a hint of bitterness mellowed by a creamy lemon dressing and the bright red of candied cranberries sprinkled throughout.
I had some with lunch, and then went back to the counter.
“That was amazing,” I said. “Two more, please. I have to take some home with me.”
Maybe this wouldn’t have been the perfect salad for you, dear reader, just as my perfect book or movie or afternoon may not be the same as yours. That’s fine.
The news is often dark, but when you can, take a moment to look around you. There is always light. Use it to find your way.
However you connect to what’s good in the world, try do as much of that as you can. What’s important is to realize when you have found a thing that is perfect for you, and to revel in its magic.
Me? I’m off to have lunch.
* Mr Man just gave me the name of the restaurant: the Bravo Bistro Grill & Traiteur.
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Curious Horses Change History
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, cool facts, history, knowledge on February 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Last night, we watched the original Ghostbusters, which is always fun. Coincidentally and just in time to inspire this post, today I ran across this article from Dan Lewis at Now I Know that opens with that film and evolves into a fascinating discussion of why firehouses have poles.
Curious horses, that’s why!
How Horses Created Firehouse Poles – Now I Know
…in the late 1870s, “David Kenyon of Company 21, an all-African-American firehouse in Chicago [. . .] reached the ground by sliding down a wooden pole normally used to bale hay for horses.” Kenyon realized that this could be made into a permanent feature…
Read the whole thing for more on why poles were not just a good idea, but critical for firefighters. Spoiler alert, it’s not just because sliding down poles is fun!
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Leveling Up
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, current events, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Storytelling is good for so many things: entertainment, shared cultural touchstones, lessons from elders, or other instruction manuals for living. Even so, speculative fiction has always been burdened by accusations that it is less able to comment on reality than, say, literary fiction.
I disagree.
In fiction or nonfiction, no matter the genre or approach, storytelling is always, always, grounded in the cultural currents from which it springs. It’s how we pass on what’s important, even if it isn’t always “real.” Whether it shows us futures to avoid, goals to achieve, values of importance or daily ways to survive, the work’s foundation always reflects its context.
On a related note, here’s a short document on surviving difficult times, written in the form of an RPG-style guide. It wouldn’t surprise me to see an actual game follow soon.
Because life and art are two facets of the same die. And we’re all just players, trying to level up.
“The idea that any of us can do everything is instant failure. We all have our own skill sets and our own passions and we will accomplish the most if each of us works within those arenas to do what we’re already good at, what we already care about. You don’t have to do it all. Just a little.”
— Bree Bridges
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Telling Stories for the Future
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, climate change, creativity, storytelling, Writers, writing on February 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“To care about climate change, you only have to be one thing, a human living on Planet Earth.”
— Katharine Hayhoe
(I submit that other animals and any Earth-bound aliens also qualify, but “humans” is a good place to start.)
If you are a creator concerned with the livability of the planet, this guide from This Is Planet Ed may be useful. It’s designed for works aimed largely at younger audiences, but the ideas apply across the board.
A Toolkit For Climate Storytelling
Whether you want to develop a whole show, a story line, or embed climate solutions in your character’s world, this guide offers ideas, strategies, and tips to help.
Because as my landing page reminds us:
“Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
— G.K. Chesterton
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Dreaming Sweet Dreams
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, poem, Thoughts, writing on February 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The cat lies dreaming
claws spread wide to catch the Moon,
Her bright wings outstretched.
The cat’s fine, thanks for asking:)
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Of Course, Cuddles
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, cat tales, home on February 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“I’m sorry,” the vet said, “but it looks like Chewie’s teeth are in pretty rough shape.”
Hang on, what? I mean, he had bad nutrition and little care before we got him, but he’s not that old.
“See this line of tartar, and the inflammation in his gums?”
I could indeed see that. That’s why we asked about a cleaning.
“We won’t know how bad it is until we get him under and take x-rays, but it’s possible we may need to remove some teeth.”
Ruh-ro. That sounded not great.
We made an appointment. The day arrived. Today is that day.
/cue dramatic montage of us packing up a cranky cat, delivering said cat, and distractedly working while waiting for word on the cat
The phone rings.
“He’s fine.”
Phew.
“Only one tooth was very bad so we’ve removed it. He’ll need a couple of weeks with just wet food, pain management, and of course, cuddles.”
That we can do.
And this, gentle reader, is my cat story for the day. Join me later for the inevitable followup, “Shameless Cat Exploits Injury to Extort Excessive Number of Treats from Family.”
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And We’re Broadcasting Live
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #ShoutingAtTheTopOfOurLungs, aliens, science, SETI on February 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a question: what if we flipped the whole “search for alien life” on its head and asked How Far Away Could We Detect… Ourselves?
A fledgling space-travelling civilization similar to ours may be out there somewhere in the Milky Way. Maybe they have their own fledgling SETI program, complete with radiotelescope arrays scanning the sky for the telltale signs of another technological civilization.
If there is, and if they do, from how far away could they detect our technosignatures? New research is asking that question.
Answer? Very far away!
Better check my work for typos again, because you never know who might see this! 😉
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