Light On Dark Water

The Weather, Straight Up

http://www.youtube.com/e/5N1Im1xbjWQ
 

This is strikingly foreshadowed in Walker Percy's The Thanatos Syndrome:

During the minute or so of happy talk at the end of a newscast, when other members of NewsTeam-7 are smiling and making pleasantries and semi-jokes as they stack their papers, Chandra will have none of it: no grins, no banter. Instead, she often challenges the anchorman: "What you talking about, have a nice day–what's nice about that?"–socking the weather map with her pointer.

(Hat tip to Janet.)

Maclin Horton

8 responses to “The Weather, Straight Up”

  1. Janet

    We just don’t do cold well down here.
    I just finished reading The Thanatos Syndrome for the first time. It’s the only one of Percy’s novels that I hadn’t read and so, though I’d started it before, I didn’t really want to finish it and not have another one to look forward to. I would say that it might be my favorite, but I always think that about whichever one I’ve just read.
    I wouldn’t have made that connection with Chandra, though, but it’s so apropos.
    AMDG

    Reply
  2. Janet

    I just noticed the glasses. My kids used to laugh at me for having worn those big frames, but their time is coming.
    AMDG

    Reply
  3. Mac

    I think their time is here. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them in several fairly hip settings lately–on alternative rock bands or on cool young people in commercials or something.
    I actually don’t remember TS that well, and am not sure why that particular bit has stuck in my mind all these years (I read it when it first came out and not since). It’s definitely not my favorite but I like it.

    Reply
  4. Louise

    We just don’t do cold well down here.
    At 40 degrees south, Tasmanians ought to do cold well, but we don’t. We dress a lot like those young folk near that fountain of ice in Maclin’s previous post. We don’t dress for the cold and don’t build for it and therefore spend fully 9 months of the year complaining about the weather! But it’s a bonding experience.
    At least Alabamans are only going to complain for 3 months of the year. No, 6, b/c you have such hot summers!

    Reply
  5. Louise

    Make that 10 months, b/c we also complain of the heat for the 28 days we have over 25C!
    No, make that 11.5 months, b/c the days of decent temperature (i.e. 20C) are wet. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Mac

    Yes, summer is the big complaining season for us. Janet and I are both in the south, but she’s 300 miles further north, which makes a difference. She gets something more akin to a real winter there. Here we feel ill-used if there’s a period of more than two or three days when we can’t go outside without putting on a coat.

    Reply
  7. Janet

    I DID go outside yesterday and today without putting on a coat. It was in the 40s yesterday and so it was ok. I think that made me a bit optimistic about today and I was pretty cold until the heater kicked in on the way to Mass.
    AMDG

    Reply
  8. Louise

    I finally had the chance to hear the report – she’s hilarious!
    “We’ve had Martin Luther King week!” LOL!

    Reply

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