seattle, wa
sunrise:
7:24 a.m.sunset: 4:26 p.m.
* * * * *
we've become nocturnal.
we get up in the dark, go to work in the dark, come home in the dark.
i walk kate in the dark, throw the ball for her in the dark, pick up poop in the dark. (public hygeine note: i take along a flashlight for that.)
around here, when daylight savings time turns into left coast standard time, it's like someone threw a switch. suddenly we're all creatures of the night. (on the upside, this does cut down on UV-related skin damage.)
the change also seems to trigger the return of winter storms. siberian pacific fronts, wave after relentless wave. lowering, ominous events in their own right. which means there are afternoons when you look out the window at 3:30, and darkness is already upon the land.
science is still trying to explain how seattle can remain so green this time of year, given the total absence of light for photosynthesis.
on the first work day following the time change, people instantly forget how to drive. a predictable hour-long commute suddenly takes an hour and 20 minutes. or more. if a snowflake is spotted, anywhere, add another 20 minutes. or more.
sales of vitamin d spike, as folks try to ward off seasonal affective disorder, cardiac events and spontaneous cases of rickets. we're fortunate to have a medic one paramedic just down the block. you never know when you're going to need resuscitation from a spontaneous case of rickets.
ever heard of human hibernation syndrome? yeah, i hadn't either. we've got that here, too. lots of it. people wandering between cubicles, eyes vacant, no purpose evident. then again, maybe they're just zombies at home in their natural environment.
good news note: werewolf attacks go way down, november through march, probably because the impenetrable cloud cover obscures every full moon.
could be worse, you say? yes, we could be living in alaska. that would be darkness on a whole 'nother order of magnitude.
then again, it could be better.
No comments:
Post a Comment