When my LSBH and I found ourselves, incarcerated at home early last week courtesy of Ma Nature, I spent some inquisitive time online. One item that caught my eye was on The Weather Network ( the Canuck equivalent of The Weather Channel ) from their “ Digital Reporter “ Daniel Martins. He observed that while we carp and harp about the take no prisoners winter we’re getting, we should consider that its “WAY” worse on various moons and planets right here in our home system.
He looked at seven locations in all. The one I found most surprising was Mercury. I always had this image of Mercury as a planet that was only a half step short of being burned to a crisp. Such is not the case, it seems. Even though its three times closer to the sun than we are , on the nightside temperatures get down to -180 C ( -292 F ) . Add to this the fact that Mercury is a slowly rotating planet and one day here translates into 58 days there and you have a most frigid situation. Even Mars can produce overnight lows that have broken the sensors of some of the many probes that have been sent there from earth. It typically registers nighttime lows of -110C ( - 166F ). The red planet also has frosts that can last for 100 straight days. In the summer months it can hit about 35C ( 95F ) Now, that's more like it!
There were a number of other fascinating, but frigid, factoids about planets and moons that inhabit our local heavenly neighbourhood. They include ice volcanoes and 100 metre snowdrifts - Brrr. The whole article can be found on the Weather Network website.
A small side bar here whilst we are in a Martian mood. A local gentleman was disappointed recently to discover that while he had been accepted for initial consideration by the folks at the Mars One Project, alas, he did not make the short list. Wow, I simply cannot get my head around the idea of seriously wanting to do that. Somehow the thought of blasting off from earth NEVER TO RETURN just completely escapes me. 
And just to close the book for a bit on the weather chronicles it seems
"polar vortex" is the new term du jour in weather media land. Sometimes I do think that the idea folks in the back rooms at the various weather networks regularly brainstorm ( now theres a weather image in itself, eh ) just to come up with these terms that pack a jolt. In October of 2010 it was a " weather bomb" that caught us all off guard and that was the buzzword for awhile.
As you asked about the flooring stuff I shall elucidate a bit. I'm a sucker for oak anything. As a Canadian you'd think I'd make maple my wood of choice, but oak has, for me at least, much more visual character. The flooring we're using is pre-finished and extremely sturdy. We did part of our living/dining area with it 18 years ago and then finished off the bedroom, hallway and dining area with the same stuff about 8 years ago. It wears like steel plate and the little grooves and such that appear over the years can only be described as character marks just like the wrinkles in all of our faces.
Well, the wet stuff has been making its presence felt inside here most recently. Like any major reno undertaking theres always gonna be some domino effects. This time it was plumbing stuff. A hot water pipe in the kitchen that wouldn't turn off even though the valve was as closed as we could get it, necessitated turning off the water until repairs could be made. Shortly thereafter the underfloor fitting for the dishwasher got us in hot water again as it sprung a leak in the basement which didn't become apparent until it soaked through the finished ceiling and created an icky drywall mess. So we've spent a couple of days sans hot water and I have a small taste of what the folks who got cut off from basic utilities in the blizzard went thru.
Your observations on singing and how it promotes mutual awareness and group integrity of a variety of sorts was most interesting. When I was in high school I was in the orchestra. That too made one very attentive to what those around are singing or playing - the ultimate in co-operative activity.
I can certainly appreciate that it is diametrically opposite to the kind of conditioning that you referred to in your theorizing on young people who get into technology incessantly and fuel their everyday activities with high sugar and similar processed foodstuffs. It's some sort of witches brew, to be sure.
Once more to the riddle cave we go. I am guessing that your last offering was tea.
I was very tempted to come with a riddle for water this time around, as it's been in mind constantly but I shant. Instead I offer this fella:
deceptive effects of this substance
hopefully create receptive response
in one sense especially
See y'all later and stay dry.
Don
All Images sourced from Google Images
Fig. 1 - 40belowproject.ca
Fig. 2 - eso.org
Fig. 3 - sciencefiction.com
Fig. 4 - canajunfinances.com
Fig. 5 - adamcowherdconstruction.com
Fig. 6 - commons.wikimedia.org
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