Dog days of summer

Well, it's the dog days of summer, or so every media article these days says. Check these out:

• USA Today: Dog days of summer getting on players' nerves about how the recent heat has affected baseball players (it also had a definition of dog days - see below)
• Leader Times: Dog days of summer about dog training in the heat
• Philadelphia.com: Joe Sixpack: the dark lager for these dog days of summer about different styles of beer for this time of year
• Richmond Times Dispatch: Dog days of summer leave time for to-do lists about business owners catching up on their to-do lists because summer is so so slow (which small business did the reporter go to? Not mine!)
• and many many more...

So what are the dog days?

"The dog days, July 3-Aug. 11, reflect the 40-day period when Sirius, the "Dog Star," rises and sets with the sun, according to J. Kelly Beatty, editor of Night Sky magazine. The ancient Egyptians believed Sirius, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, magnified the heat radiated from the sun."

So there, no more dog days until next year. How sad :)