Jed's Super-Dooper Newbie Question-of-the-Week Thread

slcboston said:

For you, what marks the first sure sign of Spring?

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Just bringing this to the next page.

This is gonna sound bad. Please don't misinterpret me here. I'm not a total lech.

Here, a pretty good sign that spring is coming is skirt length. Skirts tend to rise with the temperature. Especially once the snow melts.

On a more serious note. The dog is actually willing to go for a walk, instead of looking out the door, then up at me with the, "You're joking, right?" face.

Debio said:

Here, a pretty good sign that spring is coming is skirt length. Skirts tend to rise with the temperature. Especially once the snow melts.

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I used to look for the joggers along the path by the Charles.

LongWave said:

Anne Rice is probably my favorite author, but I had the same problem when I started. I tried to read the Witching Hour three separate times before I could sink into it and finish, and it now stands as my favorite book of all time.

And by the way, that whole Church thing didn't work out for her, and she's back writing the genre that made her famous. (although she still claims her Christ books were her favorite to write)

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Good God man, Details! Details!

(I liked her books before the Church thing. That's what mostly ticked me off, in QotD, Christ was a minor blip on the historical radar but after three more books in the main series somehow Christanity was layered into the series.)

Flowers.

slcboston said:

For you, what marks the first sure sign of Spring?

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When somebody else says so. Or when the days get brighter and I keep cursing as I fail month after month to get those weighted curtains...

zanzjan said:

The Signs of Spring, they are Three:

1. Three (or more) robins seen together
2. The Sound of Spring Peepers
3. The Maple Sugar Houses firing up.

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We had all three of those, actually. Or at least they've strung the trees for the maple sugar houses, anyway.


Then the cold returned.

Fallen Angel said:

Good God man, Details! Details!

(I liked her books before the Church thing. That's what mostly ticked me off, in QotD, Christ was a minor blip on the historical radar but after three more books in the main series somehow Christanity was layered into the series.)

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Well, from what I recall, she joined the church around 2000. She quit because she didnt like how they supported certain causes. She is quite liberal and didnt like how they treated women and homosexuals. And she despises the idea of the devil. So she left the church, but remains quite spiritual.

Anyways, she wrote a few books about an angel and a hitman, which I heard mixed reviews on. I will read those one day I suppose. And she recently came out with The Wolf Gift, a wolfman novel.

Now for a truly serious answer to this question. It may be useful for any of you who ever want to write in a Japanese or Japanese like setting.

There is an expression in Japanese, haruichiban.

Roughly translated, it means the first wind of spring. There is, in most years, a serious wind storm in the early part of spring. Not a typhoon or anything, but constant high winds for a day or two. This, for most people, is the official start of spring.

North of England is sheep country and nothing says spring like the daffodils surrounding a field of pronking lambs.

When I lived in South Korea, it was when yellow dust (fine sand from the Gobi brought in by the wind) started showing up on the cars.

Now, however....well, in the words of Eric Cartman, "Colorado has two seasons: winter and July." It's currently 70 degrees here, but no one would blink if it dropped below freezing next week. I've seen snow on the ground in May.

Point being, there is no sure sign of spring for me anymore.

I lived in Fountain Colorado for 3 years in the late 80s. I remember that kind of thing. People told me stories of snow in July. At first I didn't believe them, but towards the end of my time there, I did. Never saw it though, but I believed.

First sign of spring?

Your personalized income tax package arrives in the mail.

The first sign of spring I notice is a change in the air. The wind smells different, warmer and fresher, like stuff is growing.

Today, my previously mentioned haruichiban is here. The house is shaking, the wind is so strong. This is a new, well built house, too. 50 knots sustained. The poor doggy is scared and spent the night whimpering. I finally had to go sleep on the couch so the poor guy good relax.

Spring is here in Japan, if anyone is looking for it.

For me, it's the sight of the first robin. I know then that even if it gets cold again (and it usually does, here in upstate NY), spring really is here.

ElouiseBates said:

For me, it's the sight of the first robin. I know then that even if it gets cold again (and it usually does, here in upstate NY), spring really is here.

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I saw one of those for the first time ever a couple of days ago. I was SO excited. It was a little surreal, though. I've always heard of them being associated with spring, but since I've never lived anywhere they're native before it was kind of like seeing a unicorn.

ElouiseBates said:

For me, it's the sight of the first robin. I know then that even if it gets cold again (and it usually does, here in upstate NY), spring really is here.

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I have learned not to trust the robins anymore...

Though at least this year it didn't snow again after they arrived.

My mother used to say it snows three times on the robin's back. I typically expect three snowfalls after I spot the first robin of the season. This is the first year we didn't get that snow. We didn't get even one snowfall, but it could still be coming. Wisconsin gets snow in May.

Jill

Sounds terrifying, but I think I'd have to choose space. The ocean would be fascinating, but it's something I've sum in, drank, urinated in (maybe?) and sailed across. Space on the other hand is just...completely unknown. Out there, you could experience things that no human ever had, possibly ever would; could discover all kinds of new things. Amaazing

Definitely space, but I hope the far reaches of space. I wouldn't want to stop at the moon...I've heard it's nothing more than a tourist trap.

slcboston said:

For you, what marks the first sure sign of Spring?

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Well...here in Missouri, you have no idea when Spring is. 93 degrees one day and 32 the next... BUT- "if you don't like the weather here, just wait a minute- it'll change."

slcboston said:

Who is an author you always wanted to read, only to be disappointed when you finally did, and why?

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Jostein Gaarder, author of Sophie's World. Simply couldn't get past the first few pages of that book, it was so boring. Apparently his other stuff is equally good, which makes not want to pick it up at all.

slcboston said:

For you, what marks the first sure sign of Spring?

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Having to wear a coat in the morning and late afternoon, but be in short sleeves during the mid-day. It's that crazy weather where it's not as cold as winter anymore, but not yet as hot as summer either.