Over the very short period of time that I’ve been wandering the WordPress halls, it’s been a source of surprise to see so much activity along the lines of climate change denial. The short duration probably does not offer a representative sample, but still, wow–it seems that folks do protest too much.

The lion’s share of it is bluster. Most of what I’ve seen would otherwise be laughable, if removed completely from context. It’s still a reasonably free country though, and I’ll support the right of an individual to toss up their two cents, even if in so doing they reveal themselves as incapable of recognizing the scientific method even if it bit ‘em on the ass.

Some of it, however, a minority, is solidly reasoned, presented by people who are obviously technically literate and trained. It’s my opinion that they’re misguided and myopic, but no matter there, either.

Mmmm...pi!

Yes, it’s that time of year again. And in the furious flurry of goings-on--in the news, in the blogs, and out here in my meatspace day-to-day--I have to admit that were it not for a quick happenstance glimpse at a nondescript corner of my newspaper during my ride to work yesterday morning, I’d have let National Pi Day come and go without so much as a passing thought (I don't often get to savor the newspaper; it's more akin to stuffing a heat-lamped burger into my snackhole as I rush off to other things).

And ironically enough, the title of the brief snippet I nearly page-flipped over was: *Don't Miss: Pi Day*

I've been a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for a bit over seven years now; among the many aspects of this very strange and engaging chunk of the planet I love is that within the regional cultural fabric are tightly-woven threads tethered to raising unabashed geekitude to a righteous, happy, high art. So it came to no surprise to learn that the first National Pi Day was celebrated at San Francisco's Exploratorium in 1988.

Tonight, it was my turn to play the role of Some Freak of the Subway.

Laughing convulsively, wiping away tears, I found myself driven to such a state (during my evening commute on the BART between San Francisco and Oakland) from reading the current Op Ed piece in The Onion, satirically attributed to Jimmy Carter, and titled I Got What America Needs Right Here.

The link is below, and I am compelled to offer fair warning that—for those completely unfamiliar with The Onion—the language is extremely coarse. Those with sensibilities not well matched for such content as this are advised accordingly.  Hell, I’ve been reading The Onion for years, and I was jarred. It’s absolutely not to everyone’s liking, and if my admission that I couldn’t contain myself paints me in a dark light, I’ll own that.

Dreams can have a lingering impact for several reasons ranging from their abject and comical absurdity to their revelation of a hidden truth. Sometimes that waking moment--the realization that the reality we'd just created through dreaming sleep is suddenly no more--is so jarring, and is in such stark contrast to what we left behind the night before and return to once again, that we're haunted by the vapors of our vanished constructs.

I can't remember which night it was last week, but I had one of those dreams that just kind of sticks with you.  

While I was certainly not lacking for profound disappointment last night, I simply did not have the energy to toss much by way of comment posting into the calm-down versus hell-no-I-won't collective fray. Permit me to reveal my inner flake: I'm a Libra. I have a capacity to appreciate both sides of an impassioned and well-joined argument. (Further, I'm often apt to suggest to those that who'd insist that there are two sides to every argument aren't counting highly enough.)