The dog days of August--beginning on July 3, 6, or 24, and ending on August 11, 17, 23, or 24, depending on your source--are an equivocal period in the Western calendar: fortuitous to some, frightening to others. For example, over the past 20 years, August has been a terrible month for investors in the U.S. stock market, as traders go on vacation and investors freak out over the upcoming fall trading season. On the other hand, the feast day of St. Roch, the patron saint of dogs, is August 16, giving dog owners something to celebrate. But, on the other, other hand, in Western cultures, the "dog days" were popularly believed to be an evil time, "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies," according to John Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, written in 1813.

All of which is really boring. But still good enough reason to hash.

Bring yourselves, bring virgins, bring your pooch, bring doggy virgins to the next doggy-friendly Blooming Fools hash, the Dog Days Hash, taking place next Saturday, August 22, starting at 4 p.m. from Thomson Park in Bloomington. Your hares will be White Lightning and Son of Gucci, and the cost is a mere $5 (still cheep!). There will be doggy treats at the beer check and the on-in for our four-legged hashers (and anyone else who wants some, I guess). And of course, there'll be plenty of beer (don't know if there'll be doggy beer, but I'll try), and orange food, and snausages, and alternative beverages, and so on, for all men, women, studs, and b!tches.

Barmen. If you can't find the start, try calling 219-6566, you never know.
WL

Directions: From College Mall: Take Third Street west to Rogers Street, turn left (south) on Rogers. Continue south to Rockport Road, turn right (west). Turn right again at Countryside Drive, and then another right onto Thomson Park Drive, which ends in the park. Park, hash, be merry.

Here's a link to a map of the park, in case you're actually in the park and you still get lost: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/1011.pdf

Here's a link to a satellite map of Thomson Park: http://bloomington.in.gov/locations/viewLocation.php?location_id=45

Here's a map of Bloomington: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=39.164287,-86.526904&spn=0....

Here's a map of Indiana: http://inmap.indiana.edu/viewer.htm

Here's a picture of Mark Kruzan, our mayor: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2226/1904154353_d7ed4cfb48.jpg

Here's a picture of Calvin and Hobbes: http://www.freecomputerdesktopwallpaper.com/new_wallpaper/calvin_and_hob...