Thursday, January 22, 2009

Dark Days

Ah, late winter. Does anyone above the 45th parallel north not dread it? Post-holiday, pre-taxes, cold, dark... the only positive is that I feel a minimum amount of guilt climbing into my jammies before dinner.

My personal period of crabitude has been dubbed The Dark Days, defined as the days I leave (0730) and/or return (1730) home in the dark.

It starts settling over us in mid-October. The post-Halloween time change stalls the full impact for a few weeks, but by Thanksgiving it's all over until, cloud cover permitting, we start seeing the light on both ends of the commute around mid-February. Eventually we reach the Period of Maximum Goodness when we stop triggering the automatic driveway light and can get to and from work without the headlights on.

The most unfair thing about The Dark Days? Its effect on my mood doesn't line up nicely with the sunlight curve; like most things, it seems darkest just before the dawn. February, even though it marks the end, seems to be the longest 28 days of the year.

Ain't that always the way. sigh...
 

2 comments:

  1. Right about now I'm white-knuckling it, just trying to hang on until Spring. I refuse to even THINK about the fact that I still have to get through February.

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  2. But you have things blooming! I saw them! Crocuses are up about two inches. Grass is green. Sap is rising. Spring is nigh.

    At least you can bury your dead.

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