"Poppies... poppies... poppies..."

Blarg. The offices made from the conference room are being painted today. Not over a weekend, not even in late afternoon. Those times would be better as folks wouldn't be around as the paint dried... so we get to "enjoy" the fumes. And they aren't as pleasant as the fields around the Emerald City, I'm sure.

Also heard Ted Turner speaking at some place or other on the radio at noon. A couple things. He complimented Wyoming and other, similar states. Oh, he didn't mean it as compliment. He meant to compliment California for "voting right" and disparage other states "in the middle" for not going the same way. Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Turner. The other thing is that while he could be funny in his answers, it only made his attempts to be serious all the more awkward. You see, his voice sounds rather like Bob Hope.

Lunar Eclipse Night of the 15th.

As detailed in http://skyandtelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_946_1.asp

There will be a full lunar eclipse Thursday night. Things start at 8:05 PM (CDT) when the moon enters the penumbra - but that doesn't dim things very much. At 9:03 PM (CDT) the moon enters the umbra and the real thing starts. Totality lasts from 10:14 to to 12:17 AM (CDT) and it's completely over at 1:15 AM (CDT).

Usual adjustments for other time zones, though the moon rises already in partial eclipse in the Pacific time zone.

As this is a lunar eclipse, no safety precautions are needed. Stare at the moon all night long if you want!