Your Weekly Antics I Told You So Edition...2-16-23

The title of this weeks Antics may have been used in past editions, but do the readers really care? If this title applies more than once, may as well use it. I’m hoping I haven’t lost any readers since last week, but let’s call it as it is…no one heeds the advice generously shared on this page, therefore I anticipate some of my readers may have met their untimely demise when they screwed up and went home Tuesday night without a Valentine treat for their significant other…I know who you are, it was nice knowing you hence, the title... here’s what I’ve got…

1. We pride ourselves in sharing tid bits of information we find interesting and this weeks topic of interest we feel may have gone unnoticed is Bostonhenge. This phenomenon that occurs in Boston twice a year in spring and fall, is a nod to Manhattanhenge which is a play on Stonehenge. Here’s the deal…there are several times a year that the sun sets and rises at the perfect time, allowing its rays to fall upon specific city buildings in such a way to give off an ominous glow and optical illusion that the sun is setting and rising from and on specific city streets in the Back Bay - such streets are Arlington, Columbus, and Stuart Streets. Some areas in Boston to see this phenomenon claim their own names…MIThenge and Pruhenge, because naturally you can view the event on the grounds of MIT and The Prudential Building. Reading more about this I learned your next opportunity to catch this event in Boston will be in late October 2023. To do so, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with and follow the sunrise and sunset calendar, or maybe follow one of the many photographers on Instagram and Twitter who keep track of such things as this event presents beautiful photo ops. If you’re an early riser and would like to experience such a phenomenon with minimal crowds, grab yourself a coffee, hit the road, and catch one at sunrise. Don’t say you don’t learn something new here every week kids...we work hard keeping you in the know. Exhibit 1, Bostonhenge. Is there a Woohenge out there amongst the 7 Hills of Worcester? Let's get our own trend going...

2. Let’s back up a bit, share some history, and give us all a point of reference for #1. Stonehenge – you know, the circle of large stones erected in a circle in Wiltshire England…there are all sorts of theories and beliefs surrounding the creation of Stonehenge, when, why and by whom it was built; how the stones all found their way to the site that they stand upon…everywhere from aliens to who knows what. There is so much info out there on Stonehenge that I felt I needed to dumb it down a bit…not for my readers, but for myself, I was getting a popsicle headache trying to keep up. I found a site, 10 Facts about Stonehenge geared for kids – right up my alley, and here’s what I found out…

- Stonehenge is a stone circle in Wiltshire, England.

- It was built 5000 years ago.

- It took 1000 years to build.

- Scientists believe the stones were erected to tell the times of year

- Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site ( A World Heritage Site is a landmark with legal protection for having cultural, historical or scientific importance. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric landmarks in the world and has great historical significance.)

- Nobody knows for sure how the stones got to their present site.

- In the 12th Century there was a rumor that Stonehenge was moved by a Wizard.

- New research shows that Stonehenge was once moved from Wales, England.

- Each year people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice and be present at Stonehenge as the sun rises

- We know Stonehenge was used as a cemetery.

3. Anyone care about what I think about Stonehenge? Probably not, but too bad, here’s what I think. People way back in the day were weird, weirder than they are now and created these things for all sorts of reasons. I mean no disrespect to the countless archeologists and researchers who have done their due diligence in studying this phenomenon with DNA, soil samples, bones and other artifacts found, but what if we took the simple route of figuring things out. For instance, maybe a bunch of guys sometime in 2000 BC were hanging around bored talking trash and started pondering over who was the strongest. Maybe they started strutting around showing off their muscles challenging their neighbors to who could lift and move the heaviest boulders in the land. One simple dare turns in to another and next thing you know, you've got all the men in the village challenging and one - upping each other. The possibilities are endless.

4. To make it interesting, perhaps they decided to place a wager - whoever lifts and moves the least has to buy the first round of drinks at the local watering hole. Further reading provided us with this little tid bit - Beer was the alcoholic beverage of choice in 2000 BC, the original craft beer one could speculate, and these crazy bastards drank their beer though straws. Naturally their primitive brewing process left who knows what behind in the form of sediment at the bottom of their barrels, drinking their beer through straws was necessary to avoid drinking the sediment along with their brew. Drinking beer through straws at high noon in the heat of a summers day would explain a lot. This would give us a better understanding as to why they may have started challenging each other to start moving boulders around in the first place. Challenge underway, the next guy comes along, decides he too wants to take part in the beer wager and one-up the last guy, bets he can move an even bigger and heavier rock. This goes on and before they know it, they’ve been out there every Sunday for who knows how many years and generations, gathering boulders and stones in varying shapes and sizes and in the madness they later discover they managed to put them all in a perfect circle and Stonehenge is born. Once their work was complete they found themselves standing around staring at each other saying, now what?

5. Another scenario...maybe the 2000BC - ish Meteorologist - weather type person got sick of telling people what time of year it was and when it would be safe to plant their crops. Even back then Weathermen everywhere were ridiculed and considered unpredictable. The common man lacked common sense often looking to blame others rather than take responsibility for their own failings - this guy, feeling under appreciated and misunderstood, decided he had enough of the laziness and shenanigans of the villagers and thought, I'll show them...not only am I going to create a stone calendar to force my fellow man to be more self sufficient, but I'm going to make the biggest one possible just to prove a point. You don't want to listen to me and then blame me for your failed crops and inability to feed your family? Here's this giant creation...go ahead and figure out for yourselves when the best time of year is to plant and sow your own damn crops... He and his meteorology friends got to work on their labor of love - their giant forever structure of I - told - you- so- ness, for all near and far to see. Through the sweat and tears of their determination and haste it was only a bonus that they all just happened to land in a perfect circle. See...we've got it all figured out.

6. Moving on... the next full moon is not until March 7th, but you could’ve fooled me. Something in the universe is off kilter because everyone has lost their God forsaken minds.

7. I hate to admit when I can’t fix something, I try my best, but the fact of the matter is, not all can be fixed. Even the best laid out plans that required numerous people to coordinate and pull off can still end up hitting the skids. Not due to the lack of efforts of those killing themselves to improve the life of someone who cares less about their situation than we do, but because once again, we’ve pulled out all the stops for yet another Great Un-Doer of All Good Deeds. This is a thing, trust me. It needs to be labeled, bagged and tagged, what have you - you all know one, have worked with one, or have experienced one of these people at least once in your life. It doesn't matter what you do to try to help them, they un do it - ALL. OF. IT.

8. Am I bitter and jaded? Perhaps. Do I prefer to be referred to as a seasoned worker? Sure I do, but bitter and jaded it is. I've earned that title and wear it with a badge of honor people and have decided if given the option, I have all sorts of ideas for things we could have written up on a t shirt... keep reading.

9. As a reward for longevity, Elder Services is offering their employees Tshirts. Funny this was on my mind and low and behold this subject was brought up as we were informed we'll soon be able to collect on this expression of gratitude for our hard work. I think the only improvement that could be made to these t shirts is some additional wordage or captions if you will. I'd like my shirt, which better be roomy by the way, on the front to read, Help me, Help you, and on the back, I told you so... I'll wear that tshirt with pride while out on home visits and on zoom meetings - look at it as a conversation starter and/or being proactive for those we're trying to help. If you meet with someone in the community wearing that shirt the first thing they're going to read is help me, help you. Despite this clearly written statement, when they decide to ignore you, all of your suggestions, un-do everything you've done and again not take any advice given, they will also be able to read clearly, I told you so, when your meeting is complete and you make your exit. Stylish and functional.

10. Could this be a dangerous game we'd be playing? Putting it all out there telling people right off the bat what's expected of them when working with you to try to improve their lives? Maybe. However, this would be a simply stated way to manage the next person who happens to come along yelling at you like you owe them money. I could practice my deep breathing, calmly sit back and just point at the shirt - I'll be like a living, breathing billboard for Social Worker's everywhere. Don't all thank me at once ...

I know I'm awesome.

And last but not least...the temperature today is predicted to hit 64 degrees - that's right, 64 degrees in the middle of February. It may be a bit cloudy - we may get some showers - bottom line is, it's not the below zero weather we had a few weeks ago, so unbundle, get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Have a great weekend!