I’m angrier than a farmer whose cow started giving Pepsi over this next story. In fact, the whole subject matter makes me irate. I was trying to ignore the story, but I can no longer do so and that’s what pisses me off.
You see, there is an eclipse set for today. Millions of people are expected to overtake cities where a clear view is expected. But there’s a problem that might affect many, and that makes my anger give way to joy at the expense of others.
It seems that those of us who care about the eclipse (I don’t) in the Capital Region’s general area might have our view obstructed by clouds, even though totality was never expected. To those who have gone through great effort to participate, only to find that clouds might ruin everything they worked for, I have only this to say.
Indeed, while people in this area are breathlessly awaiting their precious eclipse, the weather is preparing to conspire against them. And that is funny! Misery as someone else’s expense is always a joy for me. According to the National Weather Service, the clouds have the potential to “make it look [a] a little fuzzier or blurrier than it normally would.”
This is good news indeed. This will be payback for all the people who are cramming into places that aren’t designed to hold that many people. The eclipse hunters are victimizing others, so I’m glad that there’s a chance that the eclipse will victimize them.
Judging by this map, Albany won’t be directly in the path of the eclipse, but it indeed looks like we’ll see something. Other reports say that Albany will experience 97% totality, at 3:26 p.m. we shall see.
In the immediate Albany area, it is also reported that the moon will start blocking the sun at around 2:12 p.m. Maximum coverage will occur at 3:36 p.m. The whole silly affair will conclude at 4:36 p.m. We should witness up to 97% coverage.
The Times Union has this to say:
“As the immediate Albany area will not see the moon completely covering the sun…[it will result] in the phenomenon of seeing the surface of the sun rimmed around the eclipse.”
The article went on to say that everything will be plunged into a temporary sort of darkness and there will be a decrease in temperature. Those temperatures could drop by ten degrees. In other words, this eclipse, for the region at least, will be a boring thing indeed.
All sorts of mayhem will happen today, if it hasn’t already started in areas where totality is expected. Hotel rooms are booked. Schools are closed. Roads will be overrun with self-centered jerks who are willing to put others out for the sake of their own selfish joy.
I suppose we should care about this eclipse, because the next one, the media reports, won’t occur again until 2079, which for many of us will be long after we die. So if you care even a little, you might want to be a sheep and go out there an experience it. I, however, will remain indoors not caring a bit about what’s going on.
Why do people even care in the first place? There are far more important things happening on the ground than what’s going on in the sky.