You Googled Me?:  is it the Full Moon or what?

All kinds of weird Google search requests find my blog; the largest percentages of these searches are typically looking information about a video game and two particular kinds of bread.  I’ve tried to provide some material for these seekers, rather than let them go frustrated and empty-handed.

But today there are a couple of searches that wrench me a bit:

“birth defects and bright spots” – what was this seeker looking for, something for a paper, something for themselves to lighten their personal load?  Something to explain a congenital disorder manifesting in “bright spots”?  I sure hope they found what they were seeking.

“picture of cute little kid in poverty” – this one, on the other hand, made my hackles rise.  What in the hell could have spawned this query?  Oh, sure, persuade me, it’s probably for something beneficial to impoverished cute kids.  What about the not-so-cute kids?  Why aren’t you asking about them, too?

I sure hope it’s just the Full Moon’s influence producing these kinds of searches or weighting my attitude.

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UPDATE: As of now, somebody’s stumbled on to me while seeking info on knives for spackling and another for pics of fifteen-year-old persons of the female persuasion (I’m not typing out the actual request because I don’t want this cretin visiting again!).  It MUST be a full moon!

5:29:43 PM    comment []

If you missed it this morning…

You may still have another chance tonight; the sky tonight and pre-dawn tomorrow morning will be brightened by the appearance of this month’s full moon (depending on local weather conditions).

The Full Wolf Moon begins at 5:47 am EST tomorrow, 18-JAN-03.

Moonset this morning was spectacular, looking much as the Hunter’s Full Moon did in October last year at moonrise and yet not as red since particulate in the air had settled overnight with the cold.  Golden-white and large as it hovered over the horizon – I even stopped the car to show the kids on the way to school this morning.  For some reason, perhaps just scheduling wrinkles, we never catch moonset.  We often catch moonrise, since it typically happens after all our cares for the day have been set aside.  But moonset is either far too early, during the day, or during the hubbub of morning’s reveille of activities. 

We would have missed it this morning, had I not seen it when checking traffic lights on the way to my daughter’s school.  Serendipity strikes again.

This launched a great discussion on the way to school of planetary alignments, size of sun and other celestial objects, relative location other planets and so on.  Wonderful – we don’t have enough of these spontaneous discussions about the skies above and space beyond.

I may have to get the kids up just a bit earlier tomorrow, so we can take a leisurely stroll and take in the moonset.  Even if it is a Saturday morning and no other reason to rise early.  When will we get to do this again?

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In case you miss this one because of inclement weather, or because you’re busy or whatever, here’s the schedule of Full Moons for the year.  Maybe you’ll catch the next one!

Times shown are Eastern Standard Time (-5h GMT)

12:49:12 PM    comment []

Watch this morning's moonset!

It's spectacular, the moon is about full.  If you're west of Wisconsin and reading this about 8am-9am EST, you may yet catch it if the weather is clear.  Go, don't dawdle, look now!  Something this special doesn't happen often!

8:22:36 AM    comment []