FRI 18 MAY 2001

Thought for the Day
"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."
-- Richard Bach, Illusions

Recommended Reading
I just read Journal of the Unconscious by Kathleen Lawless Cox. It's a strange and interesting little book, consisting of vividly described dreamlike vignettes. It's short enough to read in a single sitting, and lends itself well to dreamy rainy days.

Our Four-Legged Friends
Everything on the internet inevitably mutates into something it wasn't before. Cases in point include hogs, frogs, chickens, and armadillos. (Disclaimer: No animals were permanently damaged in the creation of the aforementioned web sites.)

Thought for the Day
"Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die."
-- Dr. Entropy

Thought for the Day
"Just because you call the shots doesn't mean you're at the right end of the barrel."
-- Phil Simborg

Flowering Field

This field is just down the road from us. Makes for a pleasant drive into work.

First Firefly, Last Goose
Last night I saw the first firefly of the spring. Just one, all alone. Kind of like the guy that shows up first at the bar in the afternoon asking, "So, where's the party?"
There's also a lone Canada goose that's still hanging around a nearby pond, even though the rest of the Canada geese left weeks ago. Did he miss his flight? Did he meet a girl? Did he get a job in the area? Whatever the reason, I hope he likes hot weather. It gets just a tad warmer than Canada here, especially in the summer.

Heavenly Matrimony
On their way to a justice of the peace to get married, a couple has a fatal car accident. The couple is sitting outside heaven's gate waiting for St. Peter to do an intake. While waiting, they wonder if they could possibly get married in Heaven. St. Peter finally shows up and they ask him. St. Peter says, "I don't know, this is the first time anyone has ever asked. Let me go find out," and he leaves.

The couple sits for a couple of months and begins to wonder if they really should get married in Heaven, what with the eternal aspect of it all. "What if it doesn't work out?" they wonder, "Are we stuck together forever?"

St. Peter returns after yet another month, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informs the couple, "You can get married in Heaven."

"Great," says the couple, "but what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced, slams his clipboard onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" exclaims the frightened couple.

"Come on!" St. Peter exclaims, "It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to find a lawyer?"

Thought for the Day
"Where there's smoke, there's work!"
-- new Bush administration motto (courtesy of FST)

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fiction We were shocked and saddened by the untimely death of Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and the Dirk Gently mystery/fantasy novels. He was one the funniest, most perceptive, and most entertaining authors we've ever had the pleasure to read, and he will be sorely missed.

Douglas Adams in 1989

Birds and Bees
If you're actually around birds and bees in the springtime, it's obvious why "the birds and the bees" became a euphemism for sex and sexuality. The birds are probably more familiar to most people, swooping and darting after one another as they pair off to mate. But have you ever seen bees really go at it? The other day there were a fairly large number of bumblebees near the edge of the yard near the woods, having something of an aerial orgy. They would chase after each other through the air, and the one behind would grab the one in front. Both of them would then dive down into the grass to roll and tumble like young lovers before suddenly buzzing back up into the air again. It looked like an awful lot of fun, especially for bees.

Speaking of Dylan...
Bob Dylan turns 60 this month. Happy birthday, Bob.

Thought for the Day
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."
-- Bob Dylan