Midnight in a Coal Mine

A timeless — or dated — classic from the Lemming: a black cat in a coal mine at midnight.

Unrelated posts:

• "In Retrospect"
  (April 22, 2016)
• "The Artifact"
  (April 15, 2016)
• "Blue River"
  (April 8, 2016)
• "Sunset Halo"
  (March 18, 2016)
• "Training Opportunities"
  (March 11, 2016)

In Retrospect

In the short run, the Lemming is pretty sure that humans will keep acting the way they have for the last few centuries: making mistakes, occasionally learning from their mistakes, and wondering what's over the horizon.

In the longer run, the Lemming is pretty sure that humans will keep acting the way they have for the last few millennia: doing pretty much the same things, for pretty much the same reasons.

In the still-longer run — let's be realistic. This lot is descended from folks who have kept leaving their homeland: crossing most of another continent the first time. Earth has gone around its star some 1,900,000 times since then, give or take.

They've settled everywhere except on the planet's ice caps and in its ocean by now. That's settled. They've checked out just about every spot on the planet, and have more-or-less-permanent bases on its icecaps, ocean, and one in orbit.

The locals still can't seem to sit still for more than a few generations.

The Lemming doesn't think that's going to change. It a way, it's one of humanity's more intriguing qualities.

More of the Lemming, looking back at futures:

• "Training Opportunities"
  (March 11, 2016)
• "As Advertised"
  (February 26, 2016)
• "Double Planets Possible"
  (November 28, 2014)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Night Flight"
  (September 26, 2014)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Morning in the City"
  (August 29, 2014)

The Artifact

"Another day, another routine patrol: until 0600."

Once again, the Lemming has been unnecessarily cryptic.

Related (???) posts:

• "Training Opportunities"
  (March 11, 2016)
• "An Island: Somewhere"
  (January 29, 2016)
• "Destination"
  (February 13, 2015)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Mr. Chuckles"
  (November 7, 2014)
• "The Great Moon Hoax, Dihydrogen Monoxide, and a Rambling Lemming"
  (July 18, 2014)

Blue River

Another week, another landscape. This one has water in it, and the Lemming still doesn't have much to say.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Lambent Sky, Brumous Band"
  (April 1, 2016)
• "Sunset Halo"
  (March 18, 2016)
• "An Island: Somewhere"
  (January 29, 2016)
• "The Touch of a Vanished Hand"
  (October 30, 2015)
• "Island Flight"
  (September 11, 2015)

Lambent Sky, Brumous Band

The good news is that Norbert Nerdley — you may remember him from last year (December 18, 2015) — was not pressured into producing content for today's post.

The other news is that the Lemming has taken another unannounced vacation: but thoughtfully left a picture, and arranged for Narcissus-X to provide his uniquely-insightful commentary. What follows is from Narcissus-X, artist extraordinary with a penchant for penguins.

Penguins in the Night: Narcissus-X Cogitates

Silent sinuous stream; evanescent emanation; brumous band, obscure exhalation under lambent sky!

And did five fumaroles fitfully favor flippant finches? Thrush not for whom the gull toils, it toils four three two one: and done is the mare's nest of quixotic quintile querns.

Yet softly steals the errant mist, and weaves a circle round rippling dreams of penguins in the night.

More, but not less:

• Not entirely without merit; from the Lemming, selected by Narcissus-X
  • "Sunset Halo"
    (March 18, 2016)
  • "An Island: Somewhere"
    (January 29, 2016)
  • "The Touch of a Vanished Hand"
    (October 30, 2015)
  • "Island Flight"
    (September 11, 2015)
  • "Narcissus-X Proffers Plenteous Provisos"
    (August 14, 2015)
• Profundity and penguins, from Narcissus-X
  • "Narcissus-X: Beware the Droste!"
    (January 21, 2016)
  • "Narcissus-X and the Gloomy Dane"
    (August 12, 2015)
  • "Penguin, Penguin, Burning Bright: Narcissus-X Ponders"
    (September 5, 2014)
  • "Narcissus-X: Baleful Bandicoots; Chimeric Penguins"
    (June 16, 2014)
  • "Plutonic Plasticity, Pattering Pizza, Penguin Peccadilloes"
    (June 7, 2014)