Don't Fear The Reaper

Eschatology \es-kə-ˈtä-lə-jē\  noun:
A part of theology, physics, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events of history, the ultimate destiny of humanity — commonly referred to as the "end of the world."

Alright.

So according to the Mesoamerican long count calendar and New Age beliefs about galactic alignment, 2012 is up for the Year-Most-Likely-To-Explode Award. A lot of these beliefs can't pin point an exact day, they just allude to our current general solar year. However, the Mayan Calendar highlights tomorrow, December 21st, 2012 as the end-all be-all apocalyptic grand finale.


If it ends or if it doesn't end,
I'm musically prepared.

I've made my Grooveshark playlist:

R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
U2 - Until The End Of The World
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaper
Europe - The Final Countdown
Elvis Costello - Waiting For The End Of The World
Tam Impala - Apocalypse Dreams
Richard Barone - Don't Open 'Til Doomsday
The Cure - End Of The World
Muse - Apocalypse Please
Smashing Pumpkins - Doomsday Clock
Alkaline Trio - Armageddon
The Strokes - The End Has No End
Nelly Furtado - End Of The World
Julie London - Fly Me To The Moon
Country Joe And The Fish - I Feel Like I'm Fixin To Die
Nancy Sinatra - End Of The World
Southern Culture On The Skids - Make Mayan A Hawaiian

Just in case the world does suddenly come to a screeching halt tomorrow, at least I can say I ended it doing my favorite holiday activities:

Crafting

Drinking Christmas Juice

Baking cookies with my baby girl:

 And then watching her play in the snow:

And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without our annual gingerbread house construction:

So in case the world does decide to shit the bed tomorrow, at least I'll die happy with my family and a glass of alcoholic goodness in my hand.

Cheers!

Countdowns And Meteor Showers

Once a year, Earth passes through the left overs of asteroid 3200 Phaethon and we get a little late night light show in the sky. Instead of the normal meteor showers that are caused by comets (ice chunks), this one is a little strange because it's caused by an asteroid (heated chunks). This annual end-of-the-year shooting star party (called the Geminids) is supposed to be pretty kick ass this time around. The Moon just so happens to be at the beginning of his orbital cycle, so his normal handsome glow is dimmed for the show making it way easier for us to view. We're also possibly going to pass through the comet Wirtanen and if that happens, it's going to produce a second simultaneous meteor shower.

Let's do the math here:

Meteor Shower #1 + Meteor Shower #2 - glow from Mr. Moon = Over 100 visible shooting stars an hour

I know I'm a nerd about the sky, but come on! How cool is that?!

Get a million blankets, go somewhere far away from city lights with a thermos of hot chocolate or coffee or whiskey or whatever keeps you warm, wait half an hour for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark, and go check out some spacey entertainment! Peak time is supposed to be between midnight and 5am, so 3ish will most likely be your best bet.

Anyway.

Not much else going on here at our house to report. We're counting down the days for our 2 big events with a couple of new advent calendars.

One is for Santa.

Duh.

"Santa's beard is very bare. On his chin there is no hair!

So each day add a puff of white, and when it's full he'll come that night!"

The second is for Disneyland!

Kalynn's 3rd birthday is coming up quick and the countdown to California has officially begun. We take a ring from the Mickey chain every morning!

I hope all is well with everyone and that nobody is stressing out too hard for the holiday season!

Happy star gazing!

Other posts you may be interested in:

Beaver Moon

Hunter's Moon

Harvest Moon

A La Luna Ida Y Vuelta