Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Michaelmas


Today is Michaelmas, or the feast day of St. Michael and several other saints. I know this only because of the Michaelmas daisy, a light purple aster that blooms in profusion at this time of year. Here's one in our garden, growing wild between a variegated geranium and the coleus. I wouldn't even know about Michaelmas otherwise -- it's not a date that Presbyterians pay any attention to, at least in the United States -- but historically it's played a significant role in England as one of the quarter days that organized the yearly calendar.

For example, in the film version of E. M. Forster's book "Maurice," the scenes at Cambridge University begin in "Michaelmas Term" in 1909. How's that for a bit of trivia? I remember that only because when I saw the film way back in the '80s I had no idea what Michaelmas was, but it sounded very romantic and fit in well with the sepia-toned, romantic nature of that movie.

It's life as usual around here. We've had a lot of rain over the past day or so -- in fact I got caught in it walking home yesterday, and didn't have my umbrella. I was pretty soaked by the time I got to our front door! Oh well -- it's only water, and at least it happened on the way home and not on the way TO work, when I needed to look more or less presentable.

I think I've mentioned before that I occasionally read an extremely right-wing news website just to keep an eye on what those folks are thinking. The heavily propagandized "news" stories are mildly interesting, if you can overlook the bad writing, but the reader comments are really fascinating. (Just be prepared for heavy doses of racism, anti-Semitism and paranoia.) I don't want to link to the site or mention its name because I don't want to give them publicity and I certainly don't want them or their legions of trolls knowing I read them.

But anyway, I say all that only to introduce this hilarious screen grab, which I took from the comments section a few days ago:


I'm guessing "Cybil Tupperware" was supposed to read "Civil War." Someone should do a right-wing drag queen named Cybil Tupperware. She could drape herself in Don't-Tread-On-Me flags and MAGA accessories.

I had a very peculiar dream last night. I was supposed to go to a Melissa Etheridge concert in Tottenham (of all places) with Dave, my stepmother and my friend Cherie. They went ahead without me and I was supposed to meet them, but I was in a mall and I kept doing things there, and finally I'd frittered away so much time that the mall was closing. As I was about to depart, Dave came up the escalator and told me the concert was already over. I looked at the clock and it was 11:45 p.m.

I have no idea what any of that means, if anything. I don't even particularly like Melissa Etheridge.

38 comments:

Ursula said...

Means you didn't want to go to the concert (whatever "concert" stands for as a dream symbol in your particular case), therefore merrily managed to miss it. In my dreams I am world class not so much at missing trains but always carrying far too much luggage for a person with only two arms. I am sure Jung would have a field day with both of us.

Glad to hear that you visit news websites not exactly chiming with your own views and read their readers' comments. So do I. Rather than, cosily, living in our own little echo chambers much better to learn what really goes on in the big wide world. How does the philosopher say? "Know thy enemy". I'd tone it down by saying "Know pockets of society your imagination didn't stretch enough to realize they exist" or some such convoluted insight.

Waiving a daisy on this cool yet sunny Michaelmas,
U

Moving with Mitchell said...

Happy Michaelmas. Who needs to go on the web for reference photos when you’ve got that garden? Cybil Tupperware wouldn’t have much of a following. If you’d like your dream to be analysed: come to my window, wait by the light of the moon.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Dance like a horse and whup your ass!
It's time to celebrate Michaelmas!

Happy Michaelmas to Steve and all his loyal readers!

Anonymous said...

I'm not critical of you not linking to the right wing site, but I've been thinking about having a look at some. Know thy enemy? I'd like to know how they justify some of their extreme thoughts from their own mouths, rather than media filtered. I expect many are poorly educated, but not all.

Ursula said...

Andrew, it's a fallacy to think that those swinging on the right wing (of whatever shade and its extremes) are "poorly educated". To paraphrase god knows who, it's not only WHAT you know but HOW you USE that knowledge. Thus demagogues are made. And then there is the stomach that speaks louder than reason and marches. An empty stomach that is. To name a trite, overused, example, do you think Hitler would have had the power he did if he hadn't given the Germans something to DO like build Autobahns in the wake of one of the world's worst recessions ever? When currency was carted around in wheelbarrows so worthless those notes could barely buy you a loaf of bread? Same goes for the prohibition in America. Never was crime and its gangsters riper than then.

As to "media filtered": My dear Andrew, once upon a time we had PR [public relations, propaganda by another name] now we have "musac", a constant drizzle of newsfeeds on various media, giving ourselves little time to filter what we are being fed.

U

Mary said...

Given the source of 'Cybil Tupperware', I'm willing to bet she burps in public and doesn't excuse herself either. :)

(FYI for those who might not get the reference, Tupperware ladies always told you to burp your lid before closing to lock in the freshness. Hilariously, I just found a yout*be video of a Tupperware burp song. Just as dreadful as you might imagine.)

The Bug said...

Cybil Tupperware - hahahaha! I would totally go see a drag show with her in it :)

Bob said...

Perhaps you could bring Cybil Tupperware to life. She might be fun.

Gosh, 'Maurice,' that movie is one of my favorites. I need to watch it again.

Ellen D. said...

I was hiking in a nearby forest preserve this week and wondered about all of the pretty purple asters! Thanks for the explanation! I wanted to take some home to plant in my garden but we are encouraged to leave nature alone in the preserve so I was too chicken to take some. :)

Anonymous said...

You're very brave and strong to be able to read right-wing websites and their comments. I can hardly stand looking at a headline these days. We are in an ongoing Cybil Tupperware.

ellen abbott said...

what Robin said. some days I can't even read Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter about the ongoing Republican BS.

Ed said...

Somedays the political nature on this side of the pond does feel like being in someone's Tupperware with no room to maneuver.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh Lord. Cybil Tupperware. I do love all the comments about burping. And you know- Tupperware has always been a little bit sexy, don't you think? So much cooler than empty Cool Whip containers. And the parties! Do they still have Tupperware parties? Probably not. Who has time for that?
Your daisies are lovely. It makes perfect sense that "Michaelmas" would be St. Michael's feast day. It is a romantic sounding holiday, isn't it?

Sharon said...

Your flowers made me smile. That comment made me laugh. One of my sisters sends me texts like that all the time. She never proof reads anything she types and combine that with a serious lack of spelling skills creates some interesting text messages. I spend a lot of time deciphering them. But Cybil Tupperware is one I'm not sure I would have gotten.

Kelly said...

From personal experience (and not just with what I see in the media, social or otherwise), I know there are good, sane folks on the left and good, sane folks on the right. Also extremists, idiots (IMO), educated, uneducated, wealthy, poor, and most any other "qualifier" you can name on both sides. Then there are some who sit in the middle and can't relate to either side. I dare say many on each side have no true understanding of those on the other.

Moving along... I am STILL laughing at Cybil Tupperware! Autocorrect can be a bitch. I'm a vivid dreamer and always enjoy hearing about others' dreams. I'm not sure I always think they have to have an underlying meaning.

Red said...

These extreme right wing groups make me very angry. In fact, any right wing group makes me angry.

Sabine said...

I have become an avid reader of a very angry brexit person's blog, they blame everything on Europe/Germany and/or people who don't read the Telegraph etc. I read some of it out loud the other day and R asked whether this was a parody blog. But no. Great fun, actually.

Janie Junebug said...

I'm a big Tupperware fan and Cybil is the best container I've ever had. I burp her every day.

Love,
Janie

Catalyst said...

Aha! Your distaste for Melissa Etheridge (whoever she is) explains it all.

Steve Reed said...

Maybe it harkens back to the concert I was supposed to attend with my co-worker a week or two ago -- and backed out of because of Covid? I always think it's interesting to read about how others are thinking, even when I don't agree with them.

Steve Reed said...

Nice lyric reference! I'd forgotten that was her song! Maybe right-wingers would warm to drag queens if they had one of their own? She could also tote an AK-47.

Steve Reed said...

Did you make that up or is that an actual saying?! LOL

Steve Reed said...

I think it's healthy to know what others are thinking, but also in this case I confess to pure voyeurism -- because the arguments on this particular site are not particularly well thought out and tend mostly toward hysterical paranoia.

Ursula, as Andrew already said, not all right-wingers are less educated -- but I think it's safe to say that there's a correlation between populist right-wing politics and working-class voters.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! I remember my stepmother "burping" her Tupperware when she put away leftovers. As kids we always got a kick out of that. :)

Steve Reed said...

I would too!

Steve Reed said...

I'm not sure I'm the person to animate Cybil, alas. I'd be a very bad drag queen. (Now that I think about it, I wonder if the person actually tried to write "Civil F*kkin' War" or something like that...? What accounts for the "Tupper" part of that phrase?)

"Maurice" IS a terrific movie.

Steve Reed said...

If they're anything like ours they're probably SUPER prolific, so you'd be fine to take some seed heads, I would think. I'm not sure how easy they are to deliberately grow from seed but they sure spread around easily in the wild.

Steve Reed said...

It's like a car crash. I can't look away.

Steve Reed said...

It's weird -- I feel like I can separate from it somehow, so reading it doesn't bother me too much. It's more a sense of appalled shock, and at least in this case I understand why some of these people think the way they do -- because they're approaching current events from a racist or otherwise extreme viewpoint. It's a whole different worldview.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Trapped and suffocating, I get it! Our side of the pond has some similarly scary politics, although they're slightly less dominant than in the states, I think.

Steve Reed said...

Surely now you can just buy Tupperware in stores. I agree -- who has time to host a Tupperware party? Besides, there are so many imitators these days. I don't even know if real Tupperware is still being made. My stepmother still has some authentic Tupperware that's decades old. The stuff never dies.

Steve Reed said...

Well, at least it keeps you on your toes. It's like doing a word puzzle in a newspaper! LOL

Steve Reed said...

Absolutely -- there are crazy people on both sides and lots and lots of people in the middle. And many of them DO think seriously and take current events seriously. I really do try to understand where "the other side" is coming from.

And yes, I'm not sure interpreting dreams is always (or ever) significant.

Steve Reed said...

They sometimes make me angry but most of the time they just perplex me. Or shock me.

Steve Reed said...

Oh, DO pass along the name of that blog. I'd love to take a look. This is the frustrating thing about these right-wingers, though -- they never accept responsibility for the failure of their actions or their decisions. It's always someone else's fault when their poorly-considered policies fail. With Brexit, they'll all just blame the politicians because they "didn't do it right," rather than admitting the whole idea is crap.

Steve Reed said...

She appreciates that! It helps her keep her figure.

Steve Reed said...

You can find her on YouTube! I don't know why I chose her for my dream concert -- I've never owned a Melissa Etheridge record in my life.

Edna B said...

I've never seen a grave decorated this way. Very interesting indeed. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.