Our Star: Sol, or the Sun

A few days ago I had the awe inspiring experience of ‘seeing’ the sun setting, and being able to see its full outline as seemingly about four times its normal size, it majestically descended through the city’s haze. All without going blind.

Being able to directly see the sun is a lifetime rarity usually only reserved for sun eclipses and the like, and viewing it through darkened glass. I’ve never witnessed a sun eclipse, never been in a geographic position where that was possible.

Six years ago, during the Australian bushfire emergency, I was at my sister’s place on the western side of a steepish hill as we watched an angry red sun outlined by bushfire smoke in the western sky. Though it was very small and looked even furter away than normal it looked like a warning.

Normally of course we only glance in its direction. We’re careful never to stare too long at that fierce golden globe. And we’re taught that from childhood, Don’t stare into the sun! You’ll go blind! And variations thereof in every language on Earth.

So I think that normally we don’t get a personal experience of how fiercesome our star is, or should be.

When I saw it a couple days ago, seemingly nearer and so big I wish everybody could see that. It would cure us of taking its benison for granted. That Sol is just our sun, that it gives us warmth and light, food and life.

A photo doesn’t do it justice, you need to see it yourself.

Weather Forecast …

A storm is forecast for 7.00 pm. At 5.10 pm don’t see much of it yet …

Just a breeze rising … the temperature is 30 degrees centigrade … and a faint weather front is getting pulled up the sky like an inverted window blind.

It’s still only 5.19 pm, not a lot of change yet

By 5.36 pm I’m starting to see layers in the cloud front and a thickening, though it’s still very high …

The clouds are rising out of the southwest moving very fast to double the speed of the Earth always turning east and to become the weather system on the east coast.

The wind lower down is said to be from the NNE (by the weather app on my mobile).

Cumulus thunder heads are starting to rise up on the horizon. Sunset isn’t for another forty-five minutes but the atmosphere is darkening as the cloud shuts out the sun.

Ibis are so far flying home individually from the fount of all goodies, the shopping mall’s garbage station.

5.55pm an hour away from sunset.

Cat Diary 25

I’ve been trying to tell how bored I am every night when the old woman shuts me in the den.

The carpet under the door is my nightly target. I’ve managed to strip out three lines of weaving. The old woman tells everyone she’ll be having someone in the install a metal strip. So I’m shredding carpet while I can.

But really I want to run and jump and play zoomies at night. I want to play on the balcony. I want my true freedom. But the old woman tricks me every night. She tosses a handful of kibble in my kibble bowl and I can’t resist them, you know?

Then she says, “Nighty-night.”

And she walks away.

I gobble up the kibbles and then start miaowing most pitifully. She doesn’t listen. Or she pretends her ears are made of steel … well, she says she steels herself not to hear me.

So far she hasn’t weakened and let me out.

Me, asleep on the back of the couch. I was furious with old woman when she took away my towel. I hissed and showed my teeth.

She was not impressed, she said. And she said sh’d be washing it.

Pardon me, I’m sure.

Lodestar 66, Scrim vs Avatar Remaindered 23, Sard

After editing Scrim’s Chapter 66 Scrim Meeting Sard went looking for where I’d left Sard in his story. I had a feeling that I was repeating myself. Turns out that Chapter 22 (of Avatar Remaindered) was the last one I’d posted, and that I wrote the unfolding situation from Sard’s point of view in Avatar Remaindered Chapter 23, and from Scrim’s point of view in Lodestar 66.

While I did play with dropping Scrim’s point-of-view chapter and crossing into Sard’s point-of-view just for this chapter in Lodestar, realized that since all the rest of Sard’s story is told in Avatar Remaindered, Chapter 23 belongs there. And so decided to post just Lodestar 66, Scrim Meets Sard here and now.

66. Scrim Meeting SardDownload

Christmas Eve

Last night I joined a small group of eight people taking one of Rick’s Tours … this one driving up to The Mt Cootha Lookout, then on the way back viewing various Christmas lights installations.

This one is the newly opened bridge from Kangaroo Point into Brisbane CBD, with the bridge done out in Christmas livery and the new casino on the left with its festive—dare I think festive anytime?—lights. Time will tell.

I wasn’t quick enough taking photos for the most part as it was a drive, and we couldn’t hold up the traffic. Did have some success videoing.

This an amazing display in a frontyard in a nearby suburb. The owner begins the installation process on November 1 and finishes taking it down late February. Totally dedicated. The electricity bill must be off the planet.

Wall to wall with people, kids, dogs, inscense, perfume, fragrances, meaning I had to go sit in the van quite soon. I saw at least two families in their pyjamas all alike. Six or seven fancy dogs.

Everything was blinking. I had intended to make a donation but couldn’t see where and the fragrances … as above.

The best for our little group was the display in the CBD. Hundreds of people there too but roomier and out in the open at Brisbane City Hall and its attached Square.

A whole story was shown but a couple or three of videos, the longest one of 43 seconds … we’ll make do with a frame. (I’ve just started learning about my carbon footprint in relation to mobile phone use)

One of my favourites (frames) … representing an Australian Christmas carol from my teens … Six White Boomers … where boomers mean large kangaroos.

Cory Doctorow: Proud to be a Blockhead

Under the above title was going to be a link to Doctorow’s post of that name, but I don’t think so. Not yet. The link I pasted turned into a wall of text, virtually unreadable. So, again, this post will be the ‘About Blogging’ … how often already this year have I tagged a post that way?

Because what happens usually when I click on a Share Button, the title of the article/post to be shared and its URL are copied and saved on a virtual clipboard. Then, when I click and copy on a place in my post of my choosing ... usually after I’ve introduced the article/post as I intended to do here … the article/post will paste into the position directly under the title and shove the intro to the bottom, or into a never-never land where it can never again be found. (Yes, that is a hint to myself to save a draft though I’m not sure if that’ll work.)

I can but give it all another go.

Lol, this is a straight-out quote that reverberates in my head … from one of my own fictions, and when I say or think those words, I always feel like I’m hovering over Tardi Mack (trucker and surfer starring in Mongrel [published] and Meld [still being edited]) saying it while he is giving x y or z problem another go.

Intro

I’m proud to be a blockhead the same as Doctorow. Quoting from Doctorow’s article … “the most laughably false statement about writing ever uttered is Samuel Johnson’s notorious “No man but a blockhead ever wrote but for money”: … Yep. I’m definitely a blockhead.

There’s so much in this article that resonates with me, that I relate to, the whole article is rich with quotes about ‘making art’, creative endeavors of all kinds, how badly musicians are paid, and that by Spotify that people tell me I ought to be ashamed of not using them in preference to Apple Music, for example. All of them guilty of the same practices?

Why it’s important to read and read lots, how writing is a way of thinking, a way of working stuff out. While Doctorow is afraid his luck will run out in relation to his writing career, I’m often afraid that the internet will fall over and how easy that will be when it does, with all the links in the chain from me here typing this to you opening WordPress or your mail service, and reading. And there’s much more.

So I thought you might as well read the original … https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/21/blockheads-r-us/