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The sky! It is all asparkle!

Tonight is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. Look to the East between midnight and dawn.

The Geminids is a really good one, but it’s overlooked often on account of it’s cold as a witch’s tata out there in mid-December. It’s also a strange one — most meteor showers come from comet tails, but the Geminids come from this big rock thing which doesn’t seem to shed enough fluff to account for the light show.

Oooo. Mystery.

Also, ASPARKLE is the first Scrabble word Uncle B. spelled that got all his letters out. ASPARKLE. Jesus.

Yep. We’re still all over that Massive Multiplayer Online Scrabble game. We’re got over 60,000 points now (the minimum to hit the leaderboard is 160,000).

If you haven’t checked it out, it’s worth going over just to sightsee. Over 12 million tiles now. On a board 21926 by 18975 squares, which would be 90,685 square feet or just over two acres in the real world. Somebody has made a cool sightseeing guide to all the weird shapes and patterns people have made with spellin’!

I must say, it’s a pleasant thing to do of an evening: sit around in front of a roaring log fire with a drink and a sleepy cat and try to outdo each other spelling the biggest, badassedest words we can dredge up.

I had no idea he knew the word for lady parts in so many obscure dead languages.

Comments


Comment from Nina from GCP
Time: December 13, 2010, 11:18 pm

Here in the Sacramento Valley we’ve been socked in for 3 days. No meteor watching tonight, I’m afraid.


Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: December 13, 2010, 11:41 pm

It is a clear night in WI, but since it is -12F, with a -35 wind chill, the meteors will have to do their thing without me. I am just glad the blizzrd is over.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: December 13, 2010, 11:48 pm

This pseudo-scrabble is great fun.

But what are you meant to think when your partner tries to spell ‘pooface’ and gets all ‘well, really!’ when they won’t accept it?

Some evenings I think we’ll die laughing.


Comment from Can’t hark my cry
Time: December 13, 2010, 11:50 pm

I don’t think I could make myself go stand out in the cold between midnight and dawn. . .and the only east-facing window in my home not blocked by the house next door is in my enclosed front porch. . .which also faces the streetlight. So I’ll just have to dream about them or something.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 13, 2010, 11:59 pm

Dammit, I had to try! If you don’t dream big…


Comment from Mark Matis
Time: December 14, 2010, 1:08 am

You needs to find youse a better Scrabble referee:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pooface


Comment from scubafreak
Time: December 14, 2010, 3:28 am

A little off topic, but LifeIsGood over on the Cornfield found an interesting tidbit of intel on one Julian Assange, International Man of Masturbation….

http://www.okcupid.com/profile/HarryHarrison


Comment from Skandia
Time: December 14, 2010, 4:56 am

If you were out in Arizona, away from the cities, away from the illegals, it would be pretty cool. The stars are brilliant out there, but here it’s still snowing and about six degrees F.


Comment from David Gillies
Time: December 14, 2010, 5:57 am

Good thing about the Geminids is anyone can find them. Gemini is one of the easiest constellations to find.

One thing that still gets me after a dozen years in the Tropics is Orion is overhead during the winter, rather than low on the horizon. Gemini is off the shoulder.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 14, 2010, 12:07 pm

Overcast here last night. Feh.


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: December 14, 2010, 12:55 pm

Yeah, it’s always overcast here and I miss the meteor showers. But…

Total Lunar Eclipse – Dec 21 starting at 1:33am which is actually the night of Dec 20th (that’s the way I always think of it so I miss the events half the time)

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2010.html#LE2010Dec21T

…I guess that’s eastern time North America…you may still see it in merry olde though.


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: December 14, 2010, 1:03 pm

Update: Here’s a better link for the eclipse: http://www.mreclipse.com/LEdata/TLE2010Dec21/TLE2010Dec21.html


Comment from Monotone The Elderish
Time: December 14, 2010, 4:28 pm

Would’ve gone and looked at it, but freezing my nads off in -10 degree weather isn’t my idea of fun. That and a blizzard and all….


Comment from Deborah
Time: December 14, 2010, 8:21 pm

Skies were clear and cold-ish (high 40s) in the Texas hill country last night (windy though). My sister-in-law and I watched, but not for long. Lots of extraneous lighting in my neighborhood. My goal someday, is a section of land, with my house in the middle, so I can turn off ALL the lights and star-gaze in peace.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 14, 2010, 8:39 pm

I’ve got one of those in Tennessee, if you’re interested, Deborah. A bowl of hill sixty acres with a falling down house in the bottom.

PRO: really good star gazing.
CON: place is called Dry Creek for a reason.


Comment from Jen
Time: December 15, 2010, 12:51 pm

Dry Creek? I’ve been there Weasel. Not far from Erwin. Pretty place I always thought.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 15, 2010, 1:15 pm

More than one Dry Creek, then. This one is an hour and a half out of Nashville.

I was born in Johnson City, which is near Erwin. It is indeed very pretty in East Tennessee.


Comment from Rob
Time: December 27, 2010, 8:34 pm

Hmm.Do I understand that you’re looking to sell your Tennessee property? I’m in Nashville, and my last name is Erwin, and I’m looking for a place out of the city…


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 27, 2010, 9:12 pm

Hm. Now would be an awful time to sell property. And there really is no water…they’ve tried fruitlessly to dig wells for years.

But, ummmmm…hm.


Comment from Rob
Time: December 27, 2010, 11:21 pm

Well, you’ve got my email address if you’re insane. Er, I mean interested.

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