November 25, 2007
God Damn This Orange-Colored Sky
Filed by Bil at 10:37 pm under Damn Hippies, The Science
There are few times when I curse living in a big city. I’ll admit, I am not 100% city slicker. I do love me some outdoorsiness. I particularly enjoy seeing stars at night, which, in Chicago proper, is pretty much out of the question. Most of the time there is a glow that radiates up from beyond the buildings around me, and makes the sky itself impossible to see. All I see is the glow. Most of the time I tell myself it’s okay, it’s the price I pay for living in a place where at least some of the fine establishments stay open till the wee small hours. I mean, it’s not okay, but there are bigger problems to face right now.
But every now and again I see an article like this one from the 16th of November, describing the awesome comet and/or meteor shower that I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE because I live under a giant cloud of smog and second-hand smoke.
Anyway, I was in Florida this weekend – northern, panhandle Florida, not Miami Florida – and the other night I saw some stars. I was in a hay field sitting with 30 or so in-laws around a bonfire and I had just come off a hay ride (yep.) when I thought to look up. Sure enough, there was Orion.
Stars aren’t easy to take pictures of, especially with my little pocket-sized instamatic digital camera, so I instead took pictures of the bonfire. (See the next thrilling post for pictures of this trip…coming soon.)
We all know how pretty the stars are at night, so I won’t waste both our time describing them, but I just want to convey the feeling I had. Seeing the night sky out in the country is exactly the kind of thing that makes me realize that while I do love living in the city, I love getting out of the city just as much.
You know what else is really cool? Spanish moss. I had never seen it up close and personal.
This trip to Florida was part Thanksgiving and part memorial service, which apparently are two things that compliment each other very well. And for the first time in a long time I got to actually play football instead of just watching it. I feel great. Luckily for me, however, by the time we left I was just as eager to get back into the city as I was to leave it. I can only take so much head-to-toe, Wal-Mart-purchased camouflage clothing covering the people that surround me.
Oh, you know you love the camo in hicksville. Janis sends her love. And a Jäger bomb. And “It’s Raining Men” karaoke style. Oh. . . and my mom with a margarita at noon. Bitches.
That is all.
I remember reading a book that takes place in 1775 (me?! I know…) and there were two people out riding one night in the winter, and they were happy that the stars and moon were out because then they could see the road. And I was like “You were riding by starlight?” How realistic is that?” But then I realised it was probably pretty accurate, since there were no gaslamps even, and long stretches between towns. People get nervous in the dark places in the city, but I think our attitude of what “darkness” is is radically different because we’re so used to a different level of “brightness.”