Morning constellations

[alt_sinistra]

I've been thinking a great deal the past few weeks about the parts of the sky I rarely see: the constellations that come up not long before dawn.

There's Venus, of course, the morning and evening star, but she is very obscure this month in the mornings, as she's currently near where the sun rises. But the past few days, I've been contemplating Ophiuchus, long a family favorite. (If you've forgotten why, the star Nu Ophiuchi is often seen as having the name Sinistra, for the left hand of the figure.)

There have been some who've argued it should be considered a sign of the Zodiac, and others who argue it should not be - a fascinating look at where we draw lines about what does and doesn't belong, that's gone one for millennia. (This particular argument dates back to Ptolemy's Almagest and quite possibly before.)

Comments

Private message to Raz

[alt_sinistra]

Love -

Once upon a time, I know I spent Saturday nights other places than with you. I have no earthly idea what I did with them now, because I keep wanting to come find you, and mark, and talk, and drill - and of course, other things. That I can’t decide which I miss most is promising for our marriage, but miserable right now.

And it’s got to be worse for you, and I keep thinking that and... how are you? Is there anything I can do to help? (I am fairly sure you do not actually want sappy little love notes delivered ostentatiously by owl to you at mealtimes, for example. But if you did, they could be arranged.)

Ugh. I don’t like feeling like this. All roiling and edgy and never settled. And wondering what thing she’s going to come up with next. (And meals are awful. Not being able to talk to you half the time, and I’m just waiting for her to insist I come down for breakfast.)

But - we do have things we ought to talk about. Tallie got some notes to me, and I suppose we ought to think about how to handle Easter hols in general. And I finally got both my parents by firechat, and they’re not happy, but they - well. We worked it out. (Diane, though. That’s still rather awful.)

Anyway. Walk round the lake with me sometime? Or Bathsheba’s said she’s willing to walk down to Hogsmeade and pretend she’s chaperoning (and really ignore us).

Private message to Tosha

[alt_sinistra]

Thank you again for Friday night, and not insisting I talk, and for giving me an entirely new alphabet to distract me. (And distract me it is - all the different forms for if a letters at a beginning of a word, or the middle, or the end.)

But it's beautiful, too. A whole new set of patterns and ways things connect. Never mind the excuse it gives us if Madam Headmistress decides to be fussy. (Why I'm saying 'if', I've no idea. When, more like.)

Re: Private message to Tosha

[alt_antonin]

You are quite welcome, dear heart. And you are correct: it will be a neat distraction for you. (As well as a source of pleasure for me: whilst there are several places I might go for a conversation in Russian, there are fewer speakers of Arabic with whom I might converse.)

Do send me your exercises as you complete them -- there are several errors that are very tempting for beginners, and once they've set into one's memory it is a bear to dislodge them. I also believe I've found you a tempting primer for once you've mastered the basics, but I shall continue to be mysterious there.

Re: Private message to Tosha

[alt_sinistra]

It's doing nicely so far. I admit, I am feeling a little over my head, but in a somewhat useful way. And I think I'm finally beginning to sort out letters.

I should have some of the exercises done - well, maybe tomorrow. We'll see how tonight goes.

I am shocked, utterly shocked, that you are being mysterious.

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

Have you noticed she does the same thing we do? The pointless public post and then a bunch of PMs to the people she actually wants to talk to.

It's not as if Umbridge can make her read HER PMs. I wonder if she's threatened to sack her? Or if she's got some other hold over her? I think most of the teachers loathe her as much as we do. Almost.

Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good

[alt_ron]

Sure. She could sack her, couldn't she? Now she's Headmistress.

She's got to have the governors behind her, or she wouldn't have got to be Headmistress. That was some gambit she pulled, taking over.