October 27, 2003
Darkness
This really is one of the most depressing moments of any year:
The Monday after the clocks have gone back. It's not yet time to go home, but, glancing out of the window, you find it's pitch dark. And you realize: this is just the first day of it. You won't leave work in daylight again for the next five months.
I truly hate the winter -- and the winter hates me back. It's the vampire of seasons. It sucks the warmth and joy and life out of the world, leaving only a cold, barren husk behind. A cold, barren husk in the darkness.
Why oh why oh why didn't we evolve to hibernate? What the hell was the matter with our ancestors? Think of it: not only would we dream away the bleak, gloomy awfulness of the winter, but we'd get to stuff ourselves with junk food throughout autumn and yet be thin and gorgeous in time for spring.
Posted by matt at October 27, 2003 06:00 PM
You could always follow the example of species from other evolutionary branches and head south for the winter.
Works for me, though being at 3000ft, I have to head 15 miles further south to the coast to reap the true benefits.
We touched on the very same in the lab today; pretty much identical analogies too; it is very much the work of the devil. Damn that Persephone.
It does seem a pretty heavy price to still be paying, all these centuries later, for a few bloody pomegranate seeds.
The last sentence of your post made me weep with regret that the world is as it is rather than as it should be.
Yes, but now Amazon lets you search the full text of 120,000 books.
[Max] Oh well, in *that* case...
[Dr F] I thought it might strike a chord :)
[Adam] Feet? Miles? No, I'm sorry, you've lost me.
I apologise for the momentary lapse into antiquated non-metric measurements. It was a side effect of spending too much time recently in the company of ex-pats (who seem universally to reject the metric system.)
I promise it won't happen again. (You're lucky I didn't use traditional Thai measurements!)
Not wanting to be contrary, but I'm an ex-pat who:
a) swears by the metric system
and
b) likes winter more than summer. After all, who wants to be hot? There's no escape.
Sorry ;-)
Waddaya want, a show of hands? Who wants to be hot? Everyone! It's the human condition.
Who ever heard a sexy person described as "cold"? Is there an internet site where people can vote on the question "am I cold or not?" Is everyone constantly after the "coldest" new bands, movies, places to visit?
I think not.
And don't give me any of that "cool" crap either!
(Er, that's one for and one against, so far; and I have yet to hear a motion in favour of oppressive darkness.)
(Nice to have you back, Dan. It's been far too long :)
Dan: I don't think you can describe yourself as an ex-pat. For far longer than I've known you, you've been European rather than British ;-)
As for the "cold" business, I think the population is divided into those who like to put clothes on and those who prefer taking them off.
