Life is never so bad it can't get worse.

Q: What originally came in this box?
Was it this?.....

Sorry about no post last night. It was 9:30 when I got home from our Executive Committee meeting and I had several things that had to be done before bed. By the time those were done it was way past bedtime and posting was out of the question. I'll try to throw in a few extras tonight as compensation.

You're thinking this pic is photoshopped, or it's the weirded out version of a plastic flamingo.
But it's a real pic of a beast known as the Coconut Crab. This thing is so big and so strong that it can break coconuts with it's pincers, hence the name. How 'bout coming home from work and finding one of these on the front porch!

You'll need to click to enlarge. This shows annual death rates for men from a variety of causes.
I am either too stupid or too stubborn or both. Every day after my workout I go out to the pool, get in one of the lanes and thrash my way down and back to the point of exhaustion, with no perceptible increase in skill level. My current working theory is that I need to slow down my arm and leg movements. That will reduce the aerobic demands on my system, meaning I shouldn't get so winded so quickly. It also should mean my head will be out of the water longer for breathing...once I drop the snorkel.
That's the current theory. By this time tomorrow night I might have a completely different approach. But I'm going to keep getting in the water and going back and forth until I get it right.
Yeah, I've got a lot of stubborn Swedish blood coursing through these veins.

The Veep Stakes is coming down to the wire. Obama will announce in the next couple of days in advance of the Democratic convention next week. Will it be Hillary? No. But I did hear one guy say that the two of them could have a great theme song: "Ebony and Ovary."

Joseph Thomas, age 23, was arrested here today for the armed robbery of the Hide Away Lodge in Tempe. It didn't require great detective work, though. Mr. Thomas left his wallet behind with his ID inside.
May be time to consider another career choice.

Tomorrow, the 21st, is the 40th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The Czech president had instituted some reforms, included more freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of travel. This didn't sit well with the Soviets who sent troops in, overthrew the government and instituted communist restrictions on the Czechs.
Obscure history to us, but not to eastern Europeans. While we're remembering 1968 for the assasinations of Bobby Kennedy and M.L. King, they're remembering the Prague Spring.
The geopolitical landscape has changed a lot there, and Czechoslovakia is now two separate countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. But Moscow's actions and rhetoric the last couple of weeks must seem like deja vu. The Russian invasion of Georgia and Medvedev's statements about Poland over the last two days sound too much like the bear of years past.
Where is it headed? And does that depend on the willingness of the west to speak with a united and firm voice to Moscow, making it clear that a repeat of Soviet-era expansionism will come at a heavy political price?
This will be interesting to watch.

I'm missing my motorcycle. Because I won't ride without all the protective gear, and because overnight lows are still in 80's with daytime highs in triple digits, I've only been on it once every couple of weeks for morning errands. I need some serious right-wrist therapy sessions.
What I need is another solo road trip!

Am I the only one who can't understand why they don't make field hockey sticks longer? It reminds me of the short hoes that migrant field workers used before the govt. made them illegal. Their backs must be killing them after a match.

And yes, Andrea, we've been to the Tillamook Cheese factory. Yumm! We also have fun memories of attending the Netarts Friends Church nearby. That is a beautiful part of the country.

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That is his." - Oscar Wilde