Fat Tuesday

While I wasn't paying attention (again) Mardi Gras snuck up on me, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and the relentless march towards Easter begins.  Easter Sunday is an odd holiday, one of the very few that I know of that is tied into the lunar calendar.  It would be a lot simpler if Easter was always celebrated on a regular basis, say like on the third Sunday in April, but no, we have to complicate matters.  I don't know how the Eastern Orthodox Church calculates Easter but us Western types figure Easter to be the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox, which is quite a mouthful.  There might have been a lot of wine flowing when the early church fathers made that decision.

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It's taken longer that I expected but my lungs seem to be clearing up a little since I quit the tobacco.  There's just enough loosening chest congestion that I'm losing my voice; a strange sensation.  There is no coughing, pain, or discomfort but I'm not used to sounding so weird, it reminds me of Clint Eastwood saying "Get off my lawn!"  The really odd thing is that it comes and goes, unpredictably, but right now I'm uncharacteristically soft spoken.  Maybe gargling with salt water will help.

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The fact that Chicago is slowly sinking is news to me but four inches per century isn't something to get too worked up about.  In the 19th Century the downtown area was raised by many feet to get it out of the swamp and solve the cholera problem so most of Chicago is well above Lake Michigan's high water mark.  The effort went so smoothly that one hotel was raised and the guests didn't have a clue that it was happening.  In the worst case scenario the city fathers will no doubt make it somebody else's problem by opening the locks and letting more water flow towards the Mississippi.

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Nice link to that classic Disney cartoon, Uncle Ken.  I remember that one from watching The Mickey Mouse Club on TV, when it was shown every day after school.   I must have been in the second grade or so, the prime demographic target. and some of those cartoons were dark and creepy.  Disney knew how to exploit public domain sources and those early efforts were definitely not for children despite the cutesy animals and whitewashed themes.  Everybody loves Pinocchio but unless you've read the book you would never suspect that Pinocchio kills the Cricket.  Disney has it all: kidnapping, rape, murder, drugs, and abuse of all kinds.  It's only a matter of time until a new religion forms around the House of the Mouse; I think its time has come and St.Goofy will be a comfort for us all.