The Daily: 17 December 2025

Saturnalia Saturnalia begins today. Time for feasting and merriment. No time for work, it's all play for the next many days. Too much wine. Not enough sleep. All frenetic fun. Much like with Mardi Gras, this holiday is not particularly my thing. But I do relish a breakdown of order... and Saturnalia is time to… Continue reading The Daily: 17 December 2025

The Daily: 1 January 2025

New Year's Day is misplaced. This date has no real significance. It is tied to nothing in the solar year nor in the cultural year. It is historically wrong. When the Romans created these two new months in their calendar, January and February, and set their state calendars to begin on 1 January, that date… Continue reading The Daily: 1 January 2025

The Daily: 23 December 2024

The weather is finally settling into winter. The highs are in the single digits and the lows don't bear repeating. I've got all the heavy curtains closed tight, and draft blockers are wedged tight against the thresholds. And yet the furnace is still running far too much for my comfort. I fear the next oil… Continue reading The Daily: 23 December 2024

The Daily: 17 December 2024

Saturnalia Saturnalia begins today. This year Saturn is sharing the night sky with the much brighter upstart planetary deities, Venus and Jupiter; but Saturn is still brighter than any star in the sky, shining to the south for several hours after sunset. In my part of the world, the earliest sunsets, 4:11pm have already passed… Continue reading The Daily: 17 December 2024