5
The precession of the equinoxes is the earlier occurrence of the equinoxes in each successive sidereal year because of a slow retrograde motion of the equinoctial points along the ecliptic, caused by the wobble inherent in the Earth’s rotation, much like that of a spinning top.
6
From a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
7
The extreme tip of Latin America is an endlessly fascinating area of the world
8
Despite all his references to exotic locales, the author has never been outside the continental United States (except for Canada, which counts as a foreign country, but not by much; unless you’re talking about Quebec, which
9
Cawdor is the name of the castle in Shakespeare’s
10
The author has never been in a mine, either, but read several books about mining. There is not far from his residence an abandoned coal mine, which belches smoke and flame occasionally. This might also be a classical reference.
11
No, he’s never been to Khartoum, either. In fact, he mostly sits home and reads a lot. Last year, in researching a novel, he read six books on the subject of golf. Imagine that.
12
1. There is no such thing as a “nuclear pulse reactor.” The author just made that up.
13
2. Say, this is nice. I mean, talking like this. You strike me as very intelligent, warm, and sensitive; fun to be with.
14
3. Would you like to get together for lunch someday?
15
I hope you don’t think me forward. We’re getting along so swimmingly. Do you read much? I do. What kind of music do you like? I go for a little classic rock, some contemporary, a little jazz, and Baroque.… Oops, sorry, have to go back to work. Talk to you later.
16
The author would have quoted some lyrics, but obtaining the proper rights and permissions is a costly and vexing process.
17
Cf. “Rhadamanthus,” above. Note the return to mythology here. This mixing of ancient and modern allusions is very clever.
18
As you can see, the Greek mythology theme has been dispensed with in favor of more cryptic allusions. What he’s getting at here is anybody’s guess.
