Eclipso-mania
Now that we've all had a chance to sit back, catch our breath, & relax after last Monday's event of the century, here are some observation. ** DISCLAIMER #1: As always, I cannot guarantee whether you will find my observations as wildly witty as I do. **
** DISCLAIMER #2: Fake news. Because of the plethora of information clogging the Internet over the past 6 months, I cannot guarantee that all of my information is partially or fully truthful. I haven't been practicing the due diligence that you've come to expect from me. [My Eclipse Chase Team misinterpreted their GPS signal & ended up on Ostrich Island--near the Canary Islands--& couldn't fact-check all the rumors I may or may not have been hearing or seeing.
What matched the hype?
As I was driving back to Norfolk from Beatrice in [perhaps] bumper-to-bumper traffic [SEE Traffic item below.], a Lincoln radio station was soliciting phone calls from listeners. Here are the questions they were asking: (1) Rate the eclipse on a scale of 1-10, using as a reference the actual event compared to all the hype. (2) What did you like best and/or which of your expectations were met, even if you can't give the event a "9" or "10"?- Darkness, Part I. The sky started to darken noticeably as I was driving from Lincoln to Beatrice already on SUN evening.
- Food. My brother-in-law M---'s smoked, barbecued ribs & my sister's ice cream cake dessert were everything I expected . . . & more. In fact, even if this event of the century would have been completely obscured. the noon-time cuisine would have [most likely] made up for the disappointment.
- Temperatures. I'm going to guess that the air temperature [w/o factoring in the ECF *] plummeted anywhere from 4-6 degrees F during the 2 1/2 minutes of the entire eclipse. * Eclipse chill factor
- Animals. The effects of the those 2 1/2 minutes of total eclipse were dramatically evident in the animal, plant, & human kingdoms. I can neither confirm nor deny that cows grazing in pastures outside of Norfolk started wandering aimlessly & banged into tree.
- Eye protection. I was grateful to my brother-in-law, M---, who shared a welder's mask with me . . . even more helpful that $1.99 eclipse glasses from Hy-Vee.
I woud rate this phenomena an 8.0.
What did NOT match the hype and/or what was disappointing and/or stressful?
- Traffic was not as bad as we were led to believe. I left Beatrice at 4:00p (CDT) & was back in Norfolk by 1:00a on TUE morning . . . as far as you know.
- Despite the steady stream of traffic & considering that my sister C------ & brother-in-law live on a major thoroughfare heading west toward Homestead National Monument, not a single car bearing an Iowanian license plate stopped & asked us if this event would be postponed, if necessary. This was surprising because . . .
- The eclipse was scheduled to begin at 11:30, which is when the shadow of the moon started to obscure our special eyewear view of the sun. It had rained off & on throughout the morning hours, there was some cloud cover & haze, & a consistent threat of thunderstorms or other severe weather lasting throughout the event. It was a little stressful is all I'm sayin'.
I Can Neither Confirm nor Deny *
* Sometimes I figure things out or come up w/relevant questions that nobody else seems to think of.- Especially considering all the made-to-order opportunities available in a plethora of settings, nowhere was it advertised that Corona Beer was an official corporate sponsor of the 2017 American Full Eclipse.
- The Platte River south of Columbus seemed to be running much higher than when I drove over it in the morning. Was this due to a controversial theory known as "eclipse evaporation obstruction?" Inquiring minds want to know.
Eclipse, Theology, Drudge
I noticed these two taglines on the Drudge Report at 11:57a, MON 8/21. [I was tired of seeing the same eclipse stories repeated ad nauseum, as we channel-surfed among the three t.v. channels that were providing massive coverage.- "Once-in-a-Lifetime Event." The next full eclipse visible from Nebraska will be in--I think--96 years. If you read this tagline, you assume that the basic principle is that you will not live to see another full eclipse from the continental U.S.
- "Apocalypse? Rapture? Second Coming?" If any of these events occur before one's natural demise, the next full eclipse visible from Nebraska will also be a "Once-in-a-Lifetime Event", right? [NOTE: Lutherans believe in the 2nd coming. The apocalypse & rapture? Not so much.]
Other miscellaneous reflections . . .
- Taped re-runs of eclipse coverage. The last time I checked the t.v. coverage, it was pretty certain that we were NOT going to get rained out. Yet these esteemed journalists were still reporting that we were in a severe thunderstorm watch. I checked the radar. No signs of thunderstorms anywhere close. When I pointed out this contradiction to my sister, she thoughtfully & without the least hint of condescension in her voice [No, seriously, Christy!] noted that all the TV coverage had been repeating for the last hour or so. I was watching a replay that was obsolete by 2 hours.
- Eye damage & the gene pool. I know this sounds cruel, but after everything we've read & heard & seen in advance, along w/the same information repeated ad nauseam on TV all morning, people who decided to tempt fate & stare directly at the sun . . . Don't you think this can only benefit the gene pool? [Honestly, I don't know if this makes sense. I just thought it was funny. Cruel but funny.]
- Bill Nye @ Homestead monument. I mentioned earlier the haze that diminished the sight of the eclipse somewhat. After watching & listening to Bill Nye the Science guy a few times on MON morning, it made sense that the haze included a high level of "air pollution, contributing to the haze. Draw your own conclusions.
- People selling water bottles. I thought that maybe grocery stores & c-stores would already be discounting bottled water by later on MON afternoon. If they were or are, I haven't noticed it.
Dateline: Norfolk Daily News
8/21: "Lots of stops." Boston-area residents said they've set the world record for traveling to every stop on the city's subway system in about 7 1/2 hours." I am trying to find out how many historical markers are to be found in Nebraska. Once I do & once I have a map, along w/detailed directions to each one, I may try to set the record for stopping at all our historical markers in the shortest amount of time. [And it will be by car, not subway.] A new project for me to pursue in my retirement?Food for Thought
"Defying egg scare, Belgian town makes giant omelet." Omaha World Herald 8/21: "Defying rain & a tainted-egg scandal that has shaken European consumers, a Belgian town turned nearly 10,000 eggs into a giant omelet for the whole community . . . It's an annual event in the town of Malmedy that took on greater meaning this year as several European countries have reported receiving eggs or egg products contaminated by a pesticide." Although I cannot reveal my source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, I offer the following.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PRESS RELEASE: Officials of Malmedy, Belgium, proceeded with their controversial egg omelette, despite possible mass poisoning, damaged DNA, whatever. Town mayor Jacques Cousteau * commented, "This annual event which began sometime during the Reformation in a reaction to Martin Luther, an well-know egg afficionado, is much more important than any possible health hazards, including possible genetic harm to our children."
* An obvious pseudonym
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
No comments:
Post a Comment