Someday, Greg promises me we will retire to the country where I can actually see the stars, then I will also get a telescope. Astronomy was one of my favorite classes in college.

we will retire to the country where I can actually see the stars

That's one thing I really miss about the farm I grew up in. I loved walking out into the field at night and looking at the Milky Way.

Yeah, our stars are ridic out here. One of our coworkers once brought kids from the reservation to our neighborhood to look at stars because it's darker here!

I am slowly learning. It's funny because it's all, like, basic stuff. But I knew, and then I forgot, and so it's like starting from scratch. At this point, I pretty much start at Orion and work my way outward. So I can now reliably find Sirius in Canis Major, and Castor and Pollux in Gemini. But the more stuff I want to look for with the telescope, the more comfortable I have to be with finding my way around the night sky, so it's been really fun learning.

Liese, you should remind your SO that the stars are WAY better where you are than they are in Anaheim.

(For those not with us, he declared his undying devotion to Anaheim when we were all hanging out this past weekend, which is...well, it's Anaheim.)

Heh! Right?

He was somewhat bemused at everyone's reaction to his impression!

Liese, I'm a naked-eye or low-power observer, so I mostly just use the Sky & Telescope web site and a planisphere as my viewing guides, but I also have a couple of books I like: National Geographic's Backyard Guide to the Night Sky and Thompson's Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders.

Oh, those are great, dcp. Thanks for the links!

I have a couple of friends i know well enough that in some casual conversation they'll mention wishing they had the time to brave ikea for more of a certain type of storage canister, or spending ages looking for just the right size of silver hoop earrings and then i luck out and can find that item and save it for the next gift-giving occasion....but that's only a couple of people. I wish my mom would agree to lists, but she thinks that takes the surprise out of gift giving.

I wish my mom would agree to lists, but she thinks that takes the surprise out of gift giving.

only if you get everything on the list. It's a surprise, a stepping stone, if you will.

Wait a minute, Vortex, your mom is planning for thanksgiving now?? Did I read that right? That is nuts! And for only 20 people?

I'm sorry, did I not make it clear that my mother is insane?