Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A PLACE IN THE SUN [& SNOW]

Got up fairly early this morning and noticed there was a lull in the snow falling, so went out and shoveled the porch and sidewalk. Just did it again not long ago, but it's coming down now, even though they say the worst is yet to come.

I was stopping every few feet to lean on the shovel and admire the unique reality snowstorms create. The world feels smaller, more intimate on a day that feels bright despite the clouds and the falling flakes, and sounds echo in that strange snow filled muffled way that makes you, or at least me, grateful and happy to be alive in it.

Maybe that's because I rent an apartment and shovel the snow to keep my rent from going up in a little deal with my landlord. So I don't have to worry about the gutters getting too weighed down or the snow damaging the roofs or the runoff when it melts seeping into the basement etc. like my homeowner friends suffering through this. Especially those in areas getting even more snow than we are here and who already had more than us to begin with. (And I measured over twelve inches out front already).

There wasn't anyone out this morning at all, and very few this afternoon. But surprisingly, the mailman came! Just like the old slogan promised.

The main piece of mail was a copy of the poet Lewis Warsh's new novel A PLACE IN THE SUN. It's a nicely produced book from Spuyten Duyvil that I already read and dug in galleys (pre-brain surgery). It's a mix of literary and pulp genres that makes for a sometimes challenging but ultimately engaging and fulfilling read.

Or as I said in the "blurb" I wrote for it: "Lewis Warsh brings his poet's sensibility to a mash up of literary and genre fiction techniques—including constantly shifting perspectives and unexpected interconnections—to create an intriguingly compelling and deeply satisfying reading experience. I loved it."

10 comments:

JIm said...

There is a rumor going around that Big Al is stuck in a snow drift somewhere. He has not been seen for weeks.

Harryn Studios said...

for those that require tutoring on basic climate conditions: [1]global warming evaporates more moisture into the atmosphere [2]the atmosphere leads to increased precipitation [3]leading to record snow falls in winter [4]and, shifting weather patterns ...
someone didn't read the entire chapter or bother to investigate how other countries across the globe are coping with the problems - naughty, naughty ...

Butch in Waukegan said...

harryn said...
. . . someone didn't read the entire chapter or bother to investigate how other countries across the globe are coping with the problems - naughty, naughty ...


When I read the first comment I just sighed. Mike’s description of his snow storm exactly described how I felt this morning digging out from our 12” snow. It was very quiet ( for a work day) and the houses and trees and sky seemed much closer. Truly peaceful.

You did a good job summarizing the science but I’m afraid this fellow is not interested. He thought he was being clever but even his lame humor is cut-and-paste.

Elisabeth said...

I can only read about these snow covered experiences and wonder what it's like.

I worry about our gutters filling up with leaves and interfering with the occasional flow of rain water in our drought stricken state but that must be nothing compared to the weight of all the frozen water.

You describe this beautifully, Michael, as ever.

A mosquito just buzzed past my ear and once again I'm entranced by the sense of the distance between our two worlds. How strange it is to be communicating in more a less similar times across such vast spaces.

JIm said...

The great thing about the Global Warming religion is that every possable climatic event confirms the true believer's faith. The following events are confirmation for the Warmist; too much snow, too little, many hurricanes, few hurricanes etc. And how about the scientific discipline of the UN, East Anglia, Penn State scientists. Wow!

Lally said...

Elisabeth,
I too am amazed and grateful for the technology that allows us to not only communicate over these vast distances (two distant continents) but to feel connected in some pretty basic ways with people we've never seen in person but feel some understanding for and shared perspective with. Pretty remarkable and probably more appreciated by those of us old enough to remember a time when that would have seemed near impossible and certainly highly improbable.

JIm said...

Hey Butch, Here is a little more cut and paste for you.

U.N. climate panel admits Dutch sea level flaw
OSLO
Sat Feb 13, 2010 12:09pm ESTRelated NewsU.N. climate panel reviews Dutch sea level glitch
Fri, Feb 5 2010
U.N. climate chief rejects resigning over glacier gaffe
Sat, Jan 23 2010OSLO (Reuters) - The U.N. panel of climate experts overstated how much of the Netherlands is below sea level, according to a preliminary report on Saturday, admitting yet another flaw after a row last month over Himalayan glacier melt.

Robert G. Zuckerman said...

Jim,

We're all hypocrites. I'm the first to admit. Anyone who buys nicely packaged meat in a grocery store is.

Whether or not Al Gore's book and views are 100% accurate or not, there can be no argument that the world's population of humans has doubled in the last half century, and that humanity is producing more carbon emissions and pouring more pollutants into the atmosphere than ever, and that the amount of waste and non-degradable material continues to increase.

The point is, we should do what we can to reduce and hopefully end and/or transform things which are clearly harmful into things which are less harmful.

Hamlet/Shakespeare soliloquized that fear of death and the unknown makes us "rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of." The same holds true for toxic opinions - fear compels and constrains us to hold to views that are wrong simply because they are familiar to us and we are used to them.

JIm said...

Robert,
I agree with you that we should be good stewarts of the enviroment. As a bowhunter I spend time in the wilderness. I and my hunter friends value and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us in the Rocky Mountains. Polution levels of power plants and auto emissions have been regulated to good effect. Acid levels of rain has been reduced. And we need to do more. The trick is to achieve a proper balance between free enterprise economic development and government regulation and take over. The premice of discussion and regulation should not be a flawed and fraudulent science. I believe reasonable men, governed under the most amazing founding documents in history, can come to a successful solution.

JIm said...

Hey Guys,
Here is another Warmist update from the UK.

Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995
By Jonathan Petre
Last updated at 5:12 PM on 14th February 2010
Comments (820) Add to My Stories
Data for vital 'hockey stick graph' has gone missing
There has been no global warming since 1995
Warming periods have happened before - but NOT due to man-made changes


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250872/Climategate-U-turn-Astonishment-scientist-centre-global-warming-email-row-admits-data-organised.html#ixzz0fdPHrSZH