Wake and Afmaelisdagr

Reeve: You're polychromatic and overly large!
Companions: You couldn't light up a face, let alone a world.
Reeve: Yah, boo, you blow!
Companions: Yeah, s'right! So's your mother!
Companions: Sun! Sun! Sun! Shun! Shun! Shun!
Spectator: What are you doing?
Reeve: We're winding the sun up. Didn't you read website?

OK, for the record that was completely fictional. But CUSFS and Jomsborg the New did successfully raise the sun for the next year. Dan invoked a fearsome vaguely germanic speech exhorting the sun to rise, we circled, we libated mead, we shouted, and the sun came up.

It had the shape and aspect of like a death circus, with lasers and stuff, which is the best shape it's had for ages :)

And the wake was fun. We played Penultima, and Zendo, and a long bridge session, and a few rounds of Concrete, Abstract or Squoingy, kept the reeve awake, and got to Castle Mound in plenty of time.

Happy valentines day

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http://oneoverzero.comicgenesis.com/d/20030214.html
http://oneoverzero.comicgenesis.com/d/20030222.html
http://oneoverzero.comicgenesis.com/d/20030223.html

Every year there's a bit of a blat-blat about valentines day, with some people (and all advertising) going over the top, many people feeling pissed off, many people justifying it.

Is it worth celebrating valentines? Certainly. Love is a great thing, we have days to celebrate all sorts of crap, why not this?

Is there a good reason people get annoyed? Certainly. The problem isn't people who celebrate themselves, but a lot of advertising suggesting you have to.

Should we cancel valentines? I don't think so. Do we cancel Christmas to avoid upsetting people with no families? Do we cancel New Years to avoid upsetting people who can't drink? Do we cancel Easter or Ramadan to avoid upsetting people of different or no religion? Do we cancel sysadmin appreciation day because 99% of the population think it's stupid?

Why not do take the opportunity to think of people you love in different ways? Is there anyone you owe a kiss? Have you told your best friend that they are your best friend? Did you ever ring your father up just to say you love him?

OK, I'm being sappy, but I know about 30% of you need some cheering up :) Everyone else please continue being sappy or sarcastic as appropriate :)

Jack's happy post

I'm happy, but I don't know why. Of course, being me, this is surprisingly annoying. It's like when you win at blockus and all the intelligent people glare at you, and you say "Sorry, I don't know how I did that. Apparently my intuition does work." But it means you've no idea how to do it *again* you just have to leap from the lion's mouth and trust :)