Funny Page Coincidence

Today it was babysitting.

Everyday I read the Chicago Tribune funny pages - that is, 2 full pages of cartoon strips. And I am amazed by how often there is a strange coincidence of cartoon topics. Today the word "babysit" came up in 2 different cartoons.

Having noted that, I looked for other odd similarities, and I noticed that "dog" came up in a whole bunch of comic strips - from Dilbert to Blondie to Peanuts... and about 3 more. But maybe that's just the prevalence of dogs in our culture. I'm not inclined to be struck much by all those dogs. But the two references to babysitting surprised me.

I don't think there's a cartoonist conspiracy
So I think this is mostly me.

Tonight

Show is going well.
This audience is swell.

Naturalism

Heard in real life, about real furniture:
Q: "Is that table stable?"
A: "It's strong as a bong."

Baffled

How did genuflection
Take on a protest direction?
To the Catholic in me
It's a mystery.

Bradley House

Visited this really spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright house in Kankakee, Illinois. The house is on a big lot which is on the Kankakee River.

Then we took an electric boat tour of a nice stretch of the river.

Right upon the Kankakee,
Things were looking Wright to me.

In A Hole

I will probably have a claustrophobic nightmare after reading this:

"IU student survives 3 days locked in cave after group forgets him, forced to lick moisture from cave wall"

Spelunker
had to hunker
in the cave
till he was saved
after his club
realized their flub.

That IU as in Indiana University. Is there any chance this is a hoax? The student's name is Lukas Cavar, which seems a little too perfect.

"Somehow" he got separated from his group. "Somehow" they forgot him. He was "rescued" by the cave club - not by authorities.

But big establishment media are reporting the story as true!
So what's a mere blogger to do?
I will report it, too.

New Trix, Old Trix

General Mills is caving in:

"Kids and adults alike expressed their distaste after Trix decided to start using fruit and vegetables concentrates and spice extracts, like turmeric and annatto—instead of Red 40 and Yellow 6 food dyes—to color their cereal."

So, the company is going back to its original vibrant hues, the way Trix were meant to be!

Kids found natural color
Unacceptably duller.

September Warmer Than August

It's not quite Indian Summer yet,
Because it's not quite Fall,
But if the forecast is correct,
It's coming after all.

He Don't Get No Respect

What does Kim think about this Rocket Man thing?

Did he expect respect
From the guy we chose to elect?
I guess that plan is wrecked.

Sounds

The bugs are chirping in the night
While overhead a plane in flight
Generates a distant roar.
It flies away, is heard no more.
A siren howls and is gone.
But the chirping carries on.

How The Marathon Went Today

Today's marathon adventure: well, it was warm. Started at about 70 F and ended up somewhere in the 80s. At the water stations, I would drink a cup of Gatorade cup and pour a cup of water on my head. I'm sure I look a bit comical when I do that, but it feels so good.

Otherwise, the amazingly good thing, was that my legs never cramped. I know I moaned in prior years about my quad-cramping issues. I decided to take a less lackadaisical approach to training this year, with particular emphasis on my quads. So I bicycled more - that hits the quads in particular. I did the "international distance" triathlon that involves the full 25 mile bike ride. And I kept doing treadmill sprints, even while doing distance training. Oh, and I did squats with dumbbells, approximately weekly. And I switched to different shoes. So either some element in there, or maybe all of them combined, somehow prevented the cramping.

Due to the lack of cramping, this "training marathon" actually had a better time than last year's "main marathon". Well, in 3 weeks we'll find out how I do on my main marathon for the year, the Chicago Marathon. It's a flatter course. I hope the weather will be cooler! We'll see if 3 weeks is enough time to recover. I think I took it kind of easy today.

You know,
As marathons go.

Training Marathon

Tomorrow I'm doing a training marathon. By which I mean, I was already signed up for the Chicago Marathon, which is in three weeks. And in my distance training, I've already run 20 miles. Which means that this weekend I should be doing a 22 or 23 mile run, in theory, I think.

So I signed up for the Fox Valley marathon, which also has a 20-miles-only option, specifically designed for people training for a later autumn marathon. But, what the heck, I want 23 miles, not 20, for my training, right? I can always walk the 3 extra miles.

So, I plan to cover twenty-six miles
Tomorrow.
Will I be all smiles?
Or will I be trudging in sorrow?

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

"When you see flies sitting on the windowsill rubbing their legs together, they are cleaning themselves. Flies rely on their compound eyes, antennae and the bristles on their bodies and legs to sense the world around them. They have to keep these sense organs clean so they can fly with precision to find food and mates and avoid predators."

How clean they are -
Our friends the flies!
Some biased folks
Think otherwise.

But just observe
The scrubbing they do
Before they alight
On a pile of poo!

37% Unable

Disheartening news about the residents of this country:

"According to Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center released Tuesday, 37 percent could not name any of the five rights protected by First Amendment, and just about half (48 percent) could name freedom of speech."

This poll
Hurt my soul,
So banning it is my goal.

Maybe They Should Have Given Him Play Money

"Two workers at Wicker Park's Beadniks chased a 52-year-old man who used a toy gun to rob the boutique of a few hundred dollars until one of the employees tackled the man, according to the victims and police."

Robber
Clobbered.

Zzz

I feel like one big sleepy head.
But will I trundle off to bed?
Or maybe walk the dog instead?

I think in fact I have to roll.
I owe that dog a healthy stroll.
And then a snooze will be my goal.

Dictionary Entry Deletion Request

I saw someone use the word, but it's long past time to jettison
"Netizen".

Needs Debugging

Here in the States, we're worried about Irma hitting Florida. But in Japan, they have other worries:

A deadly tick got away Monday after being brought to a news conference held by the Miyazaki Prefectural Government to warn of a tick-borne disease, prompting the governor to apologize the next day.

Tick with sickness
Still shows quickness.

Faux Emily

Because I could not stop my Thought -
I let it "dash" headlong -
Not using commas - as one ought -
When sculpting Word to Song.

I dumped the contents of my brain
Upon the Ground for all
To contemplate with puzzled pain
In God's great Study Hall.

Irksome Inconsistency

Lyrics from a song by Bruce Springsteen, The River:

"Then I got Mary pregnant
And man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat.
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
No flowers, no wedding dress."

...So why on earth did HE get a wedding coat, but SHE didn't get a wedding dress? It doesn't seem fair. This has been bugging me for years.

I must admit the lyrics
Tend to get me depressed,
But this is an injustice
That needs to be redressed.

Irma

When I was driving to the airport in Fort Lauderdale yesterday, I could see there were lines at gas stations along the way. I have a friend who lives outside of Naples, out in the sticks, and he says the stations are now running out of gas. And this is for a storm that may not hit Florida at all, and not for a few days yet.

Well, at least there has been plenty of warning.

I hope it's all a false alarm,
And Florida feels no harm.

Convolutions

Uber driver introduced me to not one, but two
New conspiracy theories. Well, not really new,
But new to me. Or maybe not. 
Maybe I'd heard them before and merely forgot.
You may think this sounds a little dense,
But I like to forget what doesn't make any sense.

Irma Threatens

Here in Florida, people buying supplies
In case Irma hits this week.
But I plan to flee to the friendly skies
Before any weather turns bleak.

Swim Report

I had a nice long swim today in Naples, Florida, in calm Gulf waters. It was raining, a little, while I swam.

Compared to Lake Michigan, where I swam last week, the water was so warm, and so salty.

Also, this time, I wasn't in a race
And so I leisurely set my own pace.

Rainbows in the Everglades

Search for pot of gold

Never gets old.