The vernal equinox passed two days ago without my even noticing it. Must be this unseasonably cold weather we've been having, that and the intermittent rains.
The passing of the seasons was important in the lives of our ancestors, who had to contend with decisions about the tilling and the sowing and the harvesting of crops. So they looked to the skies and to their primitive — although in many cases mightily accurate — calendars to determine the best times to do all those things.
In urban societies in the developed world there is no longer that focus on the sun, moon, and stars to manage our lives. Instead we must now consider school breaks, summer vacations, holidays, which may or may not coincide with parenting schedules, child rearing, health, and even personal preferences, in deciding the hows, whens, and wheres of the things that we need or want to do.
Boy, I wish the weather would warm up quickly.
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The current issue of Time has a story about Mel Gibson's new movie "Apocalypto" which is about the Maya of southern Mexico and Guatemala. Having visited that part of the world, and knowing a little bit of the history there from my reading, and from conversing with the natives I have met, I am really looking forward to seeing it, despite Mel's well-known passion for gore.
A compendium of images - most original, some not - words, and links, sometimes musical, gathered for the exclusive enjoyment of friends and relatives, some old, and some new.
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