How is your autumn/winter going?

[LightPhoenix]

Way back in June, someone asked this question, and I thought I'd ask it again now, just because I'm curious.

Right now my life is going a fair bit between good and okay. I'm working as a lab tech at a local hospital here in Syracuse, and making a fair bit of money for someone straight out of college. Not that the money matters to me all that much, although being able to buy components to a new computer is pretty nice.

My friends are pretty well spread out over the state (NY) and country (US), so I've been a bit lonely. Not to mention I'm starting to get that hankering to be close to someone again (my ex and I broke up in March)... so I've been a little down lately.

Early winter has been pretty nice here in Syracuse... we got a little snow around Halloween, as we always do, but it really warmed up, at least for here. Walking around with coats unzipped and girls in skirts and all that... almost like spring is putting in an early showing. Walking through SU's campus to work every day is pretty fun.

If I can get time off from work, a friend and I may be going to Vegas in February for a week, which would be mad fun. Also, I have to get down top NYC sometime to see some people, and I have to find a friend in Poughkipsee (which I know I spelled wrong) somehow...

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I live in Central Arkansas, where global warming insures we have a long and really mild autumn now. I can remember 20 years ago we'd often have snow by this time. The temps stay in the 50's to 70's for the most part, and will finally get cold sometime in December.

I work for a major not-for-profit hunger relief organization, and in my department (donations processing) our busy season is kicking in. People want to donate in lieu of gifts AND to beat the tax deadlines for charitable contributions, so it's going to be a madhouse until March.

My gaming is largely hit and miss these days, as everyone has other commitments and such. I've run my main campaign 3 times since January, and have gotten to play in games run by others maybe 3 times, as well.

So there ya have it...I reckon I'm doing ok.

 

[mythusmage]

We had a Santana* recently, preceeded by a pair of rainstorms. The rain was unusual, but the Santana was normal.

Me? Waiting for GenCon SoCal, having work done on my teeth (I'm hoping Medicaid will pay for implants, but that's not quaranteed), and posting on message boards.

BTW...

*A Santana is not an ordinary heat wave. From time to time a high pressure system will form over the central Rockies. Air gets pulled down and 'pushed out'. These winds then spread out from the high pressure zone. When this happens what is known as an off-shore flow begins in the Southern California area; bringing hot, dry winds form the interior. Hot because the winds get compressed on their way to the coast. Khamshins and Siroccos are much the same thing, only in different parts of the world. Note that both of San Diego County's worst wildfires occured during a Santana.

 

[Krieg]

Things have been pretty tough as of late. My wife is experiencing some chronic health problems as well as emotional distress which unfortunately has added a measure of strain to our marriage.

One of my best friends lost her husband to an unexpected heart attack, and she is pregnant with their second child. He was the same age as me (33).

Several friends I served with in the Marines have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The tenth anniversary of my daughter's passing is coming up on Wednesday.

Mortality is weighing upon me a bit heavily this year.

We had a Santana* recently, preceeded by a pair of rainstorms. The rain was unusual, but the Santana was normal.

Isn't it "Santa Ana"?

 

[mythusmage]

Isn't it "Santa Ana"?

Santana is the proper name for the phenomenon. Santa Ana is 'slang'.

BTW, find some time to take the wife out for a picnic. You need a break from life, and a day out will do you both good.

 

[Krieg]

FWIW

SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
January 1958, Volume 4, Number 1

THE SANTA ANA WINDS
By Bertram B. Moore

In many parts of the world we find that local weather conditions of outstanding characteristics are named after their localities. This is especially true in Spain and Italy.

To make the point clear and bring it close to home, here in San Diego County we experience heavy thunder storms over portions of our mountains and desert areas during July, August, and September. We call these storms Sonoras, because they originate in Sonora.

Under certain atmospheric conditions here in Southern California, we have heavy north and northeasterly winds. They are more frequent during the summer months but may occur at any season of the year. These winds are strong, blustery, and very dry. They seem to originate in the upper atmosphere over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, to gather momentum as they drop down to warm valleys and desert areas, where they rise to higher altitudes as hot air, sucking more wind down after.

A few hours before they hit the valleys of Southern California, high winds are noted in the vicinity of Sandberg, Tehachapi, and the San Gorgonio Mountains. ere they dip down through the canyons north and east of the Santa Ana area, and sweep down valleys to the sea.

In the February 1933 issue of the United States Naval Institute Proceedings, Lt. Comdr. 0. H. Holtman recalled that, in the early days of Spanish exploration, it was the custom to name places and occurrences for the saint on whose day the discovery or event took place. He mentions several blows of hurricane force so named in the logs of early navigators. He then expresses the belief that the first Santa Ana during Spanish times must have been experienced on July 26th, Saint Anne’s day, and was named for her. This seems doubtful for two reasons. The first is that the first Santa Ana would not have been an important enough event to rate a name. The second is that early records of the missions and expeditions do not mention these winds by name, although attention was paid to weather conditions.

Several articles on the origin of the name Santa Ana are to be found in the March and April issues of Touring Topics in 1933. One theory offered was that the winds were named after the blustery Mexican general and president, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

Another writer thought that the name was derived from an Indian word Santana, meaning big or bad wind. This point of view has gained an increasing support, and has become official in some circles.

Still another held that the name originated from the Spanish word Satana, meaning Satan.

The majority point of view among Southern Californians was, and is, that the winds are named for the locality of the same name.

Terry E. Stephenson wrote an article of some length on the subject in the California Folklore Society Quarterly of February 1943. He had become a resident of the city of Orange in the Santa Ana Valley in 1884, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce in 1906. He was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and the Santa Ana Register for many years. He states that, motivated by intermittent controversies, he looked into the matter and settled it to his own satisfaction.

He first discredited the theory that they were named after President Santa Anna, by pointing out that the winds were called Santa Anas in records written before the man was known.

He then said they were not named by an Indian word Santana meaning big or bad wind. To prove his contention he had written Professor Harry Hoifer, an eminent authority on Indian languages of Southern California. Professor Hoifer reported as follows: “A careful search through the available data on Indian languages of Southern California fails to reveal any word even remotely similar to the word Santana, big or bad winds.”

Stephenson concluded that most of the evidence indicated that the winds were named for the locality in which the old-timers thought they originated, the Santa Ana Canyon.

Other articles are to be found written by long time residents in the valley, most of whom were positive that the name came from the locality.

There is a letter on file at the Serra Museum written by the late Ann Guern, an authority on old Spanish. In it she states that her mother, Mrs. Alice Woodbury, lived in Santa Ana from childhood. Mrs. Woodbury reported that the members of the old Spanish families in those days (she had friends among the Verdugo, Sanchez, and Figueroa families) always spoke of the Santa Anas as deriving their name from the valley, and the canyon where they were strongest.

She went on to say: “The pronunciation as Santana is colloquial, elision of the unaccented a with the accented.”

From the facts quoted, as well as others which space does not permit mentioning, it appears that the name was given to these warm winds by early California settlers because of their supposed point of origin, the Santa Ana Canyon.

BTW picnics are wonderful but you might want to remember that most of the country isn't 70 & sunny in late November.

 

[mythusmage]

BTW picnics are wonderful but you might want to remember that most of the country isn't 70 & sunny in late November.

Who says you have to have it outdoors?

 

[Krieg]

.

 

[der_kluge]

Damn, dead of a heart attack at 33. You just made my day, Krieg. Thanks a lot! I'm 31. Seriously, that's tough, I'm sorry. I was just reading on cnn.com about some soldier that died *hours* after his son was born in Iowa. He didn't even know his wife was in labor. I just can't imagine how hard that must be on his wife right now.

BTW, the global warming thing is kind of a misnomer. Weather patterns are cyclical. Environmentalists will show you a picture of the last few decades to show a decline, but what they don't realize is that they kind of stuff has been happening forever. So, just because it's warm out doesn't necessarily mean you can blame it on global warming. I'm not saying that global warming isn't real, I'm just saying you can't easily link the two.

Anyway. Life is hectic. I moved to Virginia (from Kansas City) in October. My wife and daughter are still in KC, so I miss them a lot. I did manage to find a guy to game with, but we've played a total of twice, and the first game was the freeport modules, and the DM decided to abandon that, so now we've started a new game. We did kick out this loser guy, so that was a plus.

Anyway, I'm flying back home Friday after Thanksgiving and moving my family up here that next week. We still haven't sold the house yet, but my wife has decided she doesn't want to be away from me anymore, and she doesn't want our daughter to be away from me anymore, either. So, there's a lot of logistical planning that goes into something like that. Hopefully it all goes smoothly. The good part is that I really like my new job, and the area is really nice.

 

[Panthanas]

Other people’s lives always seems to put my own life into perspective. Anytime I think that things aren't going well for me, I just have to stop and look at the world to realize, things are not that bad for me.

On that note...things are going pretty well for me. I have returned to school, working on my Masters in Education, after quitting my job last June (I was a store manager for an EB Games...worst job I have ever had btw). Currently I am substitute teaching. I had to apply to a second school district since the one day a week I was being called sure isn't going to pay my bills or feed my 14 month old son (who is a blast to have around ). Hopefully I'll receive enough calls between the two districts to work at least 4 days a week.

I'll be starting an Eberron game here very shortly, since my group wanted to play that rather than my own world (They make me sad). Should be fun none the less.