spring

This will either be a boring post about the weather, or an equally boring post about my life, vaguely outlined using the weather as a metaphor, I will see. It is spring, technically and also sort of really. The days are longer promising to get warmer but don't necessarily really, bla bla bla. It promises to get warmer in the next few days. It's not rainig at all now, but it promises to rain. Probably drizzle, the drizzle continues and it never pours, this is the metaphor bit. You see, it was raining, but the pouring never came. Now it promises to not quite pour but, whatever I said in the last post about it raining slightly more substantially than a light shower. Is shower lighter or heavier than light rain, or drizzle? I think I asked that in the last post too. So that, it's sort of promising to do that, again, as it does every so often, and that ,combined with the actual climatical spring, promised or otherwise is giving me a sense of something resembling hope, which will likely come crahing down or at least sliding down when I sit down one day and realise 5 out of 5 and a half promises turned into nothing. Oh well, at least I have this brief moment without which I would be very glum for very long indeed. What I'd really like is more stuff, and better stuff, but sometime the dreams are less fun than they should be when I start actually counting on them happening and when they like, don't, it's a problem. It also makes the reality, stuff I do get much less exciting as it never equals the wild fantasies in my head, which are never really all that wild as, are really good things that are beyond happening to me, at the moment, at least in those quantities. Yeah that's it, the second one, boring combination piece, weather and metaphor for. Hope you got something out of that.

Splash of Colour

the stench of scorched flesh...

drifts through the air..

for tonight is the Burning Of The Witches.

Today, they don't burn actual witches ie actual real people at least not officially ad not legally. Hopefully not at all, it's just an effigy. It's an old end of winter/coming of summer ritual that dates back to Pagan times when people burnt bonfires to scare away evil spirits and say goodbye and hearty fuck you for a least a couple of months to winter.

Then the Christians came along and had to twist it to their liking, so they thought, hmmm, what's evil.. I know? Witches, they're women and they're into Satan and they're currently our representation of (insert hated Empire)/(queen/queen consort/King's mistress)/Catholics/Protestants etc... and we burn them. So they went with that.

People still do it and it's a bit of a lark and excuse to stay out all night with bonfires,very popular with the young people. I personally am not impressed. I've always been kind of on the witches side. To be honest, I never believed any of those people really cursed anyone, and really, even if they did, I bet they had a good reason, and of course most of the victims were women, pagans, poor and destitute, weird and outsiders, sure some of them were actually kind of assholes, but burning? really, and hanging as well, for the crime of being old and unpopular and maybe a bit of a crook but not that bad of one. Not good medieval/post medieval reformation era/later if you're in America people!

So I'm here, in my room, not partaking.

And another thing! You have a festival that marks the end of winter/beginning of spring on the last day of April! I mean shit how long to we have to wait for the start of spring? You've got the equinox, then you got Easter then you have May.. I mean, you're just tempting fate. Let's just have an equinox festival and be done with it, everything after that can be called something else, say it's for the berries or something but you keep up with this shit you'll have frozen ground til June. Don't want that.

A Modest Thought

Earlier today, as I posed before an art class, in all my fabulous glory, looking past the young artists swishing their paint across their canvas through the window at the spring blossoms and spires of the magnificent St Vitus Cathedral at the Castle, here in Prague , Czech republic, or Czechia if you prefer, I thought to myself, along with the thought "ooh it's a wee bit nippy in here" that I may well be literally the most Bohemian person in existence.

I don't imagine there's any money in that, unfortunately.

What I've been doing..

with my time.



*whistles*

Sprung!

It's Spring.

Yep, it's here.

Generally it's a nice thing when spring starts showing up, it gets warmer, trees start blossoming there's green and pink and green everywhere, it's lovely. And sunshine, not only are there more sunny days, but it's sunny for longer, that's awesome.

And then it rains. Then it a blue sky breaks out almost immediately but no sooner do you get done beaming on how quickly it cleared up do dark clouds show up. You walk away from the window and when you come back the sky is black, it's windy and raindrops are falling. 

And it rains, hard. Then it stops, it clears up and is quite nice again for a while. Just a while, a short while. And before you know it rain clouds show up on the horizon again, or more like are right there in your face getting thicker and darker.

You can see where this is going. It's been that kind of day. If nothing else it at least says that the warmer season or spring/summer is here.

It might storm tonight. 

When there's nothing to say..

One can enjoy the prettiness. Happy Spring world.

Well the Northern (if you look at the world the traditional way) part of it anyway.

At least those parts of that hemisphere that gets actual weather, and seasons that are not described primarily as "dry" or "wet".

Well the regions within those parts of the Northern Hemisphere that isn't too cold all year to really get much of a spring, or is having another long winter in the fashion of last yesr that they can't seem to break, and possibly haven't yet.

Think I've covered it.

Slowly getting..

there, things together. I did achieve a fair bit.. on Monday.. and took some steps toward doing more the rest of the week. I mean, for one thing, I'm properly a proper citizen which I already was but I didn't have one particular thing that literally everyone has here.. that is citizens and because of my weird status I didn't. For ages. Now I have it. That's the thing I did on Monday.

To be fair to myself, and that's only necessary if I agree that I haven't done all that much over all this week really which I'm not entirely convinced of.. I have been doing a lot of going out and having fun this week. Well going out.. reading a play, seeing live music, not just drinking beer...

Spring is pretty much here and just in time for the weekend it's overcast and promising to rain but.. I'll probably live with that.. more guests, with whom we may party some tomorrow.. there's a big thing in a park and whether or not it rains (it will) I reckon we can have some fun with that. And it is nice, that though the sky is grey.. yes still grey and not dark after 7pm, there's still some colour, as those little things that are supposed to be on the end of the branches of the trees.. are finally showing up properly, some of them. It's a definite improvement.

I give you to tomorrow.

It's cold again, actually snowing, or it was I don't know if it still is I closed the blind so I wouldn't have to look at the greyness and falling snow and people in big fat puffy jackets and yes, we have a whole extra hour of daylight to enjoy it woop e doo.

Tomorrow is April. If by April there hasn't been a major change I'll.. I'll. I'll just.. be very very grumpy.

Oh and Happy Easter. Or whatever.

Ok one more chance.

It's still cold. It may not be as much as it was, and the recent snow might have melted, and the forecasted snow will likely melt pretty quickly too, and it was somewhat sunny today but.. it's still cold. It was 5 and felt like 3.. then 6 and felt like 3.. now it's 4. Feels like 1. Don't get me started on the whole "feels like" phenomena.. I mean, if it is a certain temperature then THAT IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE! And how come it always feels like less than the temperature is huh? And always a few degrees huh? And why is it when it's ALREADY WAY TOO FUCKING COLD LIKE -5 DURING THE DAY THE GAP IS THE MOST LIKE 7 DEGREES COLDER IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN AFFORD IT TO FEEL LIKE 7 DEGREES BELOW -12 YOU KNOW!!!! Which is what it was like a week ago, or thereabouts.

So it's better than a week ago.. and than a few days ago but still. it keeps on being wintry. It's late fucking March for fucks sake! We've had accusations lobbed at cute rodents, people defending said rodent taking the blame for themselves, including one which you read on this very site, explanations here and there for why this was occurring how it was.. we've had the official first day of spring, we had Future Shorts Winter Screening, finally.. and that's all wrapped up, the movies voted on, a winner declared, the venue turned back to a theatre and all the cigarette butts and empty glasses cleaned away..

And today is the last day of.. er, normal time? Tomorrow is the beginning of daylight savings. Yes, this time tomorrow it will be an hour earlier.. er, later? No earlier than it is. The days will be longer (well not really, I mean it will be a couple of minutes but there'll be an hour off the daylight in the morning which won't make that much difference to people who don't get up before 6am, though Cooley mightn't be woken up by the sunlight so it's probably another boon for us) and we'll get that sunlight still around after 7. It'll be nice, I suppose, even if there's not much to look at, seeing as NOTHING HAS BLOOMED YET, and if the sun doesn't shine then, well. but it is nice don't get me wrong.. I like the old daylight savings time.

So back to the point. This is your last chance weather gods. If spring doesn't come, and I mean come properly.. be WARM, actually warm (ish) and flowers come out and stuff, once the time change happens.. I just don't know how we can continue this relationship.

Leave Phil Alone!

punxsutawney phil
Originally uploaded by ewaldmario.

The current ongoing winter in much of the Northern Hemisphere has caused millions to cry out for a scapegoat, and they have found it in lovable rodent and well known meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil.

It dates all the way back to February 2nd of this year, Groundhog Day, where Phil, in his infinite wisdom, declared that there would be an early spring this year, after emerging from his grounhog hole, and not seeing his shadow.

Well, anyone living "literally" anywhere on earth, that is the Northern Hemisphere and particularly places that get cold at all, know this to be utter bunk. Nevermind early spring, it's March 26 already.. 6 days into official full on spring and well.. I may have mentioned this myself once or twice but... it's cold. And people are enraged! They're saying Phil maliciously and deliberately deceived people. They're calling for his head!

I for one, however, do not blame Phil. Phil is but merely an adorable burrow dwelling squirrel hedgehog or whatever he is, and he did what he was told to do, see his shadow or not, and deduce the facts from the evidence he found. There was no shadow.. so he said it's spring! A simple mistake. Or was it...

This is what happened. Phil did not see his shadow. This was not a mistake of Phil's, or the conditions at the time, just bear with me.. I will explain.

Back in late February, I went to Eilat in Southern Israel. It's a very warm place, you may imagine, like summer.. even in the (we thought then) dying days of winter. Oh what a beautiful week it was, after a long enough already winter, it was like paradise to lie by the beach with the hot sun upon our backs, but of course, all holidays must come to an end, and after a week we had to return to Prague where it was still winter. I did not let it get me down though, do not mope, I said, the day after we return it's March, and spring will soon follow.. the days will get longer, warmer, buds will blossom, birds will sing... etc etc etc.. and I said it again and again and again.

Needless to say, I was mistaken. And that is not all.. you see, young Phil, our furry friend, was merely doing a job, he reported what he saw.. and at the time, I believe he was correct. He did no wrong. I however, did what any human over the age of 6 should know well better than to do. I tempted fate. To wish and hope and be so fucking sure.. and vocalize one's idea of the future should be? Utterly irresponsible. You see, fate hates it when smug knowitall humans talk like they know what's fucking going on.. and fate, total asshole. It wasn't enough to fuck up the weather here in the little part of central Europe that I inhabit, or even all of Europe.. but all of the fucking Northern Hemisphere*.

So don't blame Phil, blame me, for, in my foolishness are the cause of all of this. The worst part of it is knowing that those people are suffering is because of me,  that Phil is getting persecuted over something that is my fault.. and that if no one else does, I deserve all of this, and more, fully.

Leave Phil alone. Take me.

When you've got nothing to talk about..

You talk about the weather. Hence this being something that could very appropriately called "The Weather Blog" when it's not the "me rambling about stuff that's bothering me and stuff in general without giving details.. often including references to the weather". Well, the thing is, everyone does, all the time. particularly when there is weather. There's always some kind of weather, I hear you say.. but no, not really. Sometimes it just.. is, it's quite nice, not too hot, maybe a bit cloudy but pleasant, and how it has been for a while and how it's supposed to be for the time of year in the place you're in. It's when it's all wiggy that you can't help talking about it. Like now. It's spring, it's been officially spring for 2 days and March for 22. Easter, that spring festival with a side of death worship is coming up and well.. IT'S BLOODY COLD!!! Yes, I've been saying this forever, and it has been, and then it kinda warmed up but not to warm, or anything near it, and it snowed, and then it melted and it snowed again, and then it snained (something between snow and rain) and some of it stayed and then it went etc etc etc. It was coasting along at crappy weather for this time of year.. ie SPRING but much like or even slightly nicer than it had been. Then the temperature dropped. It's even colder now. I'm not pleased. I did not order this.

I think I understand "other people" a bit..

It's so beautiful, so white and magical and.. white and snowy and.. white.. yeah it snowed again. It's been doing that. It did it last week and then it kind of went away, snowed a little more then went away... then it went away and was grey and ugly for a few days and it continued cold but I thought, it's got to be over it.. got to be out of it's system now all there is left to do is for it to warm up, and bloom, and stuff. And it snowed. It's slightly warmer than it was but at this point I want weather that's appropriate for a different season altogether and nothing less. I mean, it is beautiful, if I'd gotten this 2 months or even a month ago, which I did, and quite a lot really.. I would be.. oh pretty. Ok by about the 4th week of having this regularly it was more like.. "oh, it's still snowing" *closes blinds* but you know, none of the grumbling that normal people do as soon as there's a hint of snow, none of the flashbacks to getting up at the crack of dawn to sweep tons of snow off the porch so dad can drive into town back in the old town.. but ya know.. it's kinda bugging me now.

Here we go again.

Another Monday, another fresh start to the week, the opportunity as well as the responsibility to get things done. 9:15 and not much so far, but I'm hoping. Spring starts this week, officially according to the Northern Hemispherean system, it seems. Hopefully there'll be blooms, at least the yellow ones which bloom earlier than the other blooms, I've found oh yeah and a bit of warm weather.. it's been cold for a while now, time for a change. I need to write something. And no I don't mean write something if not worthwhile at least mildly entertaining or at least about something on this blog for once, but something, a book, a play.. something like that. I reckon it'd be good if I like.. had an idea, but I don't even know where to start. Where do I start. Once upon a.. There was once.. In *insert place, geographical or otherwise* Amanda.. (or Chloe or Anastasia or Jane, insert any name really* I... Those are all possible starts, but then what? *goes and thinks about it*

In the air.

I don't really do a whole lot of rereading posts from the past, every now and again I skim them, see what I was saying a year ago but.. really, what's the point. Mostly it's pretty much this, me writing about nothing in particular, and in particular how there's nothing going on, and occasionally how I'm looking forward to something or kinda sorta as close to determined as I get this time and yeah, I'll totally do it.. yeah.

Of course I don't, nothing changes and I keep writing the same thing. And this is where now comes in. There's something in the air. Not pollen, not that I've noticed but, there does seem something springy going on. There was a bit of sunshine today, though it was freezing, and they're putting up all the easter shit in the square.. and I had a meeting which may turn into some kind of employment, and I'm possibly closer to having important documents I need for said employment than I was before someone said yeah they'd help.. next week, and there are some ideas I have for stuff I want to do..

it doesn't sound like much, but, who knows. In a month I'll still be sitting here, as I am, hopefully it'll be warmer and there'll be more than the couple of tiny yellow blossoms on one tree, and maybe I'll even be doing a test for some tour that I might be doing soon, but.. I don't think I'll scan back so I can read this post.

At least we have a pope again.. heady days they were without one.. however did we survive? And it's an old white guy with outdated conservative values.. so everyone can rest easy. And in other news, water still wet.

Guess that rat/hedgehog thing was right.

You know, the one that looks at the sky and runs from it's own ghost? You know, the one in that movie where Sonny and Cher wake you up every morning? You know? It's right.

I mean, if it said we were gonna get 3 more months of winter which I'm sure it did, what else would it say? Well, it looked like it was getting nice here.. it warmed up, the sun even came out but that was like 2 days.. and on a Monday! As soon as it got near the weekend it got drizzly, and now that it's Friday it's got cold again and tomorrow it's supposed to dip right back down to winter. Typical.

It's because of me you know. All because I'd quite like it to be spring when it's supposed to be (almost) spring and just to make sure I don't get anything at all I want ever no matter what and always live under these nasty drizzly cold conditions, it's got like this again. It's not fair, especially when we just got back from sunny seaside Eilat and have to deal with reality like it is here! And then there's all the other stuff I've got to deal with.. life is just so hard.

I definitely need beer.

*counts the days, months*

I'm over this winter thing. I wasn't all that interested in the first place, to be honest. I mean, I like snow and stuff.. but, there really isn't enough of it for the whole time that winter is around, and if there was, I'd probably be as over that as well, like people who grew up with it, and grumble as the snowflakes start falling, turning the landscape all beautiful and stuff.. when kids and dogs come out to frolic and.. ok I like snow. We had another shower last night, well, quite a heavy fall.. it was particularly wonderlandy this morning, complete with snow on the end o the branches of the trees where the leaves are supposed to be. It was very pretty.. of course, this morning was the morning the fixit dudes came in to fix the windows in the bathroom, and they came late, and took their time starting, and then the 2 or 3 hours estimate they gave us for the time it would take turned out to be wildly inaccurate and they were here all day and thus, I have not been out once. Except to go downstairs to buy a few things.. and well, it seems to have melted pretty quickly giving us that "recently snowed and there's some lying about but it's not all that pretty anymore" look. It seems to be like that most of the time, except for when it's just grey, and the days are still to short and to be quite honest it's too cold. And in just under a week we're going to Eilat, a particularly lovely warm town by the sea in Israel so.. nice break from this all. After that we're back, and it'll be March, and it will probably be cold to very cold for some weeks yet and might even snow more and it's not even officially spring until the late part of the month according to these northern hemisphereans which I've never really gotten used to but apparently it's like that.. but, nevertheless it is going to be March.. and March is.. spring, sorta. So it won't be so bad after that. Just 5 days.. and a couple of hours we're off on a midnight flight. Quite looking forward to that.

And finally.. we have.. *cough*

..something resembling late spring. So a lovely day fell on a Saturday after yet another whole week of overcast and downright cold weather, but.. I seem to, at some point in the week, perhaps while out going on tours on windy cool days, or a night out where I failed to dress like it's fucking winter.. have not so much come down with something as I have a really fucking sore throat which is not only painful and annoying but it keep some from sleeping.

So the perfect idyllic weekend will have to wait. Of course weekends are not just for lolling about, when you're trying to develop a new and vibrant multimedia (ok it's pretty much one media) project.. with people who have like.. jobs, you need to work on the weekend. And we did, yesterday was pretty productive and I'm proud of us and also glad we have a fair bit of footage because it's going to be yet another 2 weeks before we can all meet again and do this properly due to family engagements.. this time it's my fault.. my mother is coming here again, of all things, not to Prague of course, she couldn't be bothered to do that, but I'm required to go and visit her and the rels at the old ancestral home, so I'll be gone next weekend.. and then one of our crew are off on another trip somewhere..

Oh well.. we've got tons of stuff to edit and knowing us none of that will get done before then. I swear oe day there will be something to show for this... just can't say when.

*coughs*

Oh and by the way...

spring came back. It might even be summer already. This is after weeks of way too cold for April overcast weather.

Of course, it didn't warm up slowly and spend a few days lingering in the just warm enough pleasant sunshine.. it just stopped being cold one day and went straight to hot. It's actually kind of good because the building we do our play in is very cold, so it works for us. I do have a big bulky hot costume though, and I do a lot of running and restraining and general beating (ok not really the beatings but it can get physical) and I do sweat a lot in that thing. I mean really.. like a fucking hippopotamus assuming they sweat more and stinkier than any other animal including pigs. Yeah, that much.

Speaking of.. the play's going good still, no major cockups and audience really likes it. I'd like to actually see it myself really. And everything's been fine except for my experience with the tram from hell after drinks after the show last night... *grumbles a bit*