Full Moons

Last night when I saw the Moon I thought I have to check the calendar and see when it is full,it looked full but sometimes I am a day or so off when I happen to notice a Full Moon. I checked the calendar and it was indeed a full Moon,I didn't think much more about it until this morning when I got up and again saw the Moon,that got me to thinking how long does a Full Moon last? I right away assumed it would be Moon rise to Moon set,but since I couldn't get that thought settled in my head I had to check it out.
A Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly opposite each other in the sky,when the Moon is 180 degrees away from the Sun,so technically a Full Moon lasts less than a minute! You can imagine my surprise at this,of course maybe I am the only one that didn't know this? Also of interest is the reason the size of the Moon varies is due to it having an elliptical orbit so at one time it will be nearer to Earth,also called a Supermoon. This photo is of a Supermoon.

Decisions,Decisions

I first started this blog in hope of adding to my mental workout and keeping the synapses firing in good order,but sometimes I am not so sure it is working. I have a birthday card all set to send off to a friend that is having a birthday on Sunday,and first of all I can't be sure I didn't send her the same one last year as when I choose cards I like to find ones that suit the people that they are for so at least a couple of times I have sent the same person the same card. If only it ended there! I also like to include a little  personal message as seems only right. For years I have been adding along with personal messages the saying that "I was going to enclose some cash,but I had already sealed the envelope" I don't know where I picked that up but I really love that saying,which brings me to the next decision...have I in the past already sent that saying with a previous greeting? And if so will she remember it? She is younger than me so you would think she would be more mentally agile,but sometimes her memory seems worse than mine,so if I do write that message will she recognize it as being my old tired sense of humor,in need of an overhaul? Or will I get by with it unscathed? Whatever is a person to do?

Not About Football

I used to love football,and sports in general but over the years they were ruined for me with all the commercialization,they were no longer about sports and you had to spend hours to see what you wanted to see. This is also a big part of the reason I don't watch much TV. I realize that the commercials is what pays for the whole she-bang but I just don't have that kind of patience.
Today is a kind of flight of ideas blog. It has been said that flights of ideas is a sign of mental illness,but hey! You knew that about me before today.
First of all when I was waiting with my groceries at the U-check a younger guy,somewhere in his 30's I would guess, asked for my help with his Roma tomatoes,no problem talked him right through it,then when I was on my way back from the store I realized that incident had made me feel like I must exude an air of competence and wasn't sure who was further from the truth,me or the guy that asked for my help!
The next thing on my mind is something I see all the time and have always wondered about. I always see big rigs,vans and the giant crew-cab pickups with only one person in them,and I wonder if they just ran out without the rest of the crew,or if they always drive around alone in what I assume to be gas hogs,and never mind the parking issue! The flip side of that is the smaller the vehicle,the more people that are in it...sometimes it looks like a clown car at a circus when you see the amount of people getting out. So is this an economic thing or and ego thing?

Phil vs. Weather Guessers

First of all my apologies for yesterdays blog posting multiple times on facebook,I kept getting a message saying the page was down,and being a sucker I believed them and retried posting it several times before actually checking to verify it wasn't posted.
Punxsutawney,PA. home to Phil the groundhog celebrates the occasion with music and food. The Groundhog day celebration is rooted in a Celtic superstition that proposes if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2,the Pagan holiday of Imbloc,winter will last another six weeks,if no shadow is seen legends states that spring will come early.
Phil has been forecasting 122 years  as of 2012,though some years were not recorded. Of the 115 predictions on record Phil has predicted 15 early springs. He has an accuracy rate of 39%. When Phil isn't "at work" he lives in the town library with his wife Phyllis. I have always been a fan of Phil's but always hope on the years that he sees his shadow that he will be wrong,as I am hoping this year and so far (cross your fingers here) it doesn't look to good for Phil this year.
Oddly enough I could find NO statistics of weather forecasters accuracy,and one site claimed that no meteorologist or TV station kept records of their predictions,so I guess Phil wins this competition hands down!

Valentine's Day

I didn't set out to blog about Valentine's Day,I was curious where the phrase "hand in marriage" came from,but could find next to nothing about the odd saying. The only morsel I managed to ferret out was one persons guess that it came from handfasting, which is a trial marriage that lasts a years time.
I was surprised to learn that Valentine's Day goes way back,I had always thought it was one of the more recent holidays. There were two martyrs named Valentine that were perhaps the earliest to have February 14 honoring them. It was first established in 496AD and later deleted from General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the U.S.,that number goes up to 1 billion when valentine exchange in schools are included.
Valentine circa 1900-1910  Childrens valentine circa 1950

Proofreading

A friend of mine is writing a biography about her aunt,she was a B list actress and was best known for the character Vampira,which was copied by the character Elvira  in more recent times. I have been proofreading the chapters as she sends them,and it is a fascinating story. I was struck this morning by how important the adoration and attention were to her and how she had cut herself out of so many potential breaks by not thinking she was getting her due respect. Admittedly it would be a tough business to break into and not for the faint of heart,but the ones that do indeed make it in their chosen profession then shun their audience and demand privacy...seems the very thing that drove them to their success comes around full circle to haunt them. Not something I would want either of,the adoration or being in the public eye,but without those who do thrive on those very things we,the humble masses would be without entertainment,or at least that type of entertainment.

Dreams

I have always had weird dreams and for the most part find them amusing,so I thought I would share what I recall from my latest,plus a friend that also has weird dreams shared hers with me so we will see what I found out in my ever so amateur attempt at interpreting them. Here goes nothing!
In the first part of my dream I am pulling my friend that died recently out of a sink hole and just as I get her out and I am about to climb out after her I reach for her hand and she hands me some flowers and I fall back into the hole. The next thing I know I am standing in an open field and a rhinoceros is coming for me. Okay,now for the meanings I found. A hole means something is missing or lost,so I guess that would fit with the friend that died. A rhinoceros means well protected or shielded (especially emotionally). Determination and follow through. A show of strength in response to provocation. A lack of delicacy,gentleness or diplomacy. All of this description fits me to a tee,so maybe there is something to this dream interpretation?
Now for the friends dream: we are on vacation together in a place that is like Maui/Vegas,we are on a train/boat and are offered gum,which she takes and I decline. Then we arrive at our apparent destination which is my boyfriends and he is with Dolly Parton. Now we will see how this one shakes out. Gum means indecisiveness, thinking while trying to decide a problem or a sticky situation. Slot machines mean someone or something that lacks human characteristics such as  emotion,compassion,responsiveness or warmth. Being on a boat means change or progress is happening or on your mind,trains mean a process or journey. These oddly enough also seem to reflect what is currently going on in her life. So who knows,maybe this is the key to unlocking the weird dream mystery.