12 February - Yesterday

Whoops. Apparently the 11th of February is National Guitar Day. The amusing thing is that yesterday was one of the very rare days when I didn't get one out. 

7 February - Big Game Eve

A lot of people get very excited about American Football's great big championship game. I do not, but because I'm a New Englander, and our local NFL team is in contention this year, it is expected that I will be cheering them on. So, yeah. Go Pats, and all that. But I'm not a proper sports fan. I don't wear the jerseys, or the hats and scarves, or have stickers on the car. I don't know the players' names, or keep track of statistics and trades. But sure, I'll cheer them on.

What I am mostly looking forward to is watching the game with my family, having a nice feed, and laughing and/or groaning at the ridiculously expensive advertisements. And the halftime show is always fun. I never expect anyone to top the performance that Prince gave, but some have definitely been memorable. 

So yeah. Tomorrow night I will mostly be cheering for Bad Bunny.

MONDAY UPDATE: The halftime show was wonderful. The Pats didn't win, but that's how it goes sometimes. Congratulations to Seattle. The ads mostly fell short of memorable (lots of AI slop). I ate way too much food. Okay, let's get back to making music.

1 February - Imbolc and Elsewhere

Today is Imbolc, a Celtic fest day roughly halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. It's a point along the wheel of the year when the return of the light is celebrated. The promise of a Spring reawakening and all that. It's also known in certain circles as Candlemas or St. Brigid's Day. It is a day marking optimism in the face of difficult circumstances. Long ago, this may simply have meant the natural challenges of Winter itself. But these days, it could be anything.