Here in Connecticut, February is winding down with rainy days. In Rome, it is Pope Benedict's reign that is winding down, and I won't venture to guess what is winding down in Washington as sequestration approaches.

Winters are hard for me. I would hibernate if I could. Rain just amplifies this, and this winter, the death of my mother is another compounding factor. Yet I try to take time to stay on top of the latest memes online. I've managed to miss most of the Harlem Shake, yet it is in my consciousness. Today, I shared the pig saving a goat with various friends.

Recently, I read John Cassidy's article, Is It Rational to Watch the Oscars?. He explores the idea of 'common knowledge', those things you need to know to fit in during discussions around the water cooler. He talks about how this has changed in the era of online social networks.

I always have mixed feelings about this. How do you share in the common knowledge, see the palimpsest that we live our lives against, without being defined or constrained by it? What role does common knowledge play in our social contracts?

Last night, on my way home from work, I stopped at a funeral home to pay final respects to the mother of a friend from church. I may have met his mother at church on some rare occasions but I didn't really know here. One person thanked me for coming, and that struck me as odd. Of course I would come. That is what friends do. The words of David Byrne came to me, "like humans do".

From the memorial, I stopped at the house briefly only to find that another friend had passed away unexpectedly. I rushed off to a commission meeting, yet the Oscars, Trudy, Ellen and David Byrne stuck with me.

The rain will soon pass, as will the memorial services. The award ceremonies will continue and all of this will merge together with personal experiences and common knowledge to provide the backdrop to our lives.