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April 12, 2005
oh, look at the moon!
Last night I was waiting outside the Q Street exit of the DuPont Circle Metrorail station waiting for my hometown friend, who was in town for a conference and wanted to meet up.
It was around 8pm, and a sliver of moon had risen in the clear night sky. People streamed out from the long ascent, and one dusky-skinned woman with a large bag of groceries emerged and looked up at the moon and said to me, "Ooooh! Look at the moon! It's so beautiful!!!"
I spppressed my acquired East Coast reaction of shock and suspect hesitancy and thought, "OHMYGAWD A COMPLETE STRANGER IN DC SPOKE DIRECTLY TO ME AND DIDN'T ASK FOR MONEY!!!"
The main reason why people give you a look of shock and terror when you go up to speak to them in this town (and other Mid-Atlantic cities as well) is that in most cases the only time someone comes up to you to talk is to ask for money. If you do go up to talk to someone here to either get acquainted or even offer a compliment, 80% of the time they'll look at you like you are crazy. I try to fight this reaction in myself, and try not to take it personally when people react that way to my attempts at extroversion. Back home, it is not considered psycho to go up and chat with someone you don't know, and it's a cultural trait I'd like to keep, thank you.
"Yes, and the sky is so clear tonight," I responded. "Do you think it's waxing or waning?"
"Oh, I think it's waxing. You see it now at the start of the evening, so it's waxing." I don't know that much about astronomy, so I couldn't comment, and joined her in the stargazing. Eventually she wished me good night, and headed towards P Street. As she walked away another guy came out of the station and looked up at the moon as well. He kinda looked like Tom Skerritt circa 1980 in Alien. Was he getting ready to join that fateful tour aboard the The Nostromo? Stay clear of air ventilation shafts, buddy.
The sky was very pretty last night, and the days have been glorious. People are noticeably friendlier and more polite in this weather. They say "Please" and "Thank You" and hold doors open for you. I think the cold, damp winters here can be brutal in their own way. Spring Break trips anywhere south and/or sunny are now going to become the norm from now on. I start to get very nutty towards the end of March.
My friend evenatually emerged from the station with her two co-conferenceers for dinner. First we tried Logan Tavern, but the clear weather had stimulated every queen in a half-mile radius, and they all needed to eat as well. We were too hungry to wait an hour to be seated. Then I led the Bataan Death March up 14th Street to try Saint Ex, where we saw The Mighty Former Blogger Ed and his dapper friends. We had a nice dinner and caught up on hometown gossip.
Posted by jimbo at April 12, 2005 10:02 AM
Comments
They are dapper aren't they? It was awfully nice to see you. Next time I hope you will sit with us.
Posted by: Ed at April 12, 2005 12:49 PM
>>Oh, I think it's waxing. You see it now at the start of the evening, so it's waxing." I don't know that much about astronomy, so I couldn't comment, and joined her in the stargazing.
Why, Jimbo - you don't keep track of moon cycles and when's the full moon?
Easy (rough) rule of thumb - the moon rises in the east right at sundown on the nights when it's Full, and then rises a bit less than an hour later each succeeding night as it wanes, pushing the moonset later and later into the night and the next morning.
A New moon pretty much corresponds to the moon rising and setting during the daylight hours; once you can see it again in the evening time (because with each day after the New Moon it will rise later in the morning and set later in the day), and in the western sky (I bet you were looking west toward G'town - and the moon you saw wasn't rising, but setting) as it's getting ready to set, it has already started waxing. (When the moon is a waning sliver, it isn't visible during the evening, except, perhaps, during deepest part of winter when it gets dark real early).
The last New Moon was on April 8th - the next Full Moon will be on May 8th.
Posted by: Andy at April 12, 2005 1:54 PM
Oh, Jim complete strangers also ask for directions. Once I had the joy of trying to give directions in my extremely poor German, ja! The only problem is when they want the $20 tour guide info or ask understandably stupid questions about the mall (Pentagon City or that clump of land surrounded by museums?).
Posted by: Marie at April 13, 2005 10:15 AM