Which End Is Up ?

Awhile ago, I was lying on a friend's floor and looked up at a world map mounted on the wall. From my vantage point, South was up and North was down - as opposed to the way most maps and globes are oriented. It struck me that our sense of up and down and direction are more a part of cultural bias than any galactic or universal reality. My friend actually went so far as to permanently reposition his map with the South Pole at the top - much the same as it may appear from outer space  - or not.

There is a significant mindset difference in identifying things as 'backwards' as opposed to 'reversed'. Take a moment to reverse the way you look at your world and see where it leads you. Here's a video to help get you started - "The Known Universe"

Nostalgia

With 2010 hours old, it's time to replace last year's calendars with some new ones from the supply I've been amassing for the last month or two. Every November, I start collecting new calendars from the local hardware, tire, and Asian grocery stores, as well as those that arrive without request in the mail.

I can't say exactly why, but I always enjoy the connection to the past when putting up my new date trackers. My guess is that businesses have been handing out calendars for at least a couple of hundred years, much the same as they do now. Calendars also show up in a number of older films, often spinning in tight spirals denoting a rapid reversal in elapsed time. Other times, they are a handy device to orient the viewer to an earlier time than the present.

Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe not, but my I value my relationship to things gone by, as well as an anticipation of future prospects - kind of a simple, but tangible way to get a sense of time and place. Happy New Year.