More Randomness

Not enough to write about for a long post. So here is a bunch of little stuff. Enjoy!

Despite the 12 inches of rain from Hurricane Irene, a couple more inches from the remnants of Hurricane Lee, and the best efforts of our Laissez Faire Firefighting Task Force, the Great Dismal Swamp Fire still burns. According to this Daily Press article, the fire is 90% contained. According to the same article, a refuge spokesman says “that doesn’t mean that it’s out”. Good to know. I guess that means that those of us who attempt to drive across bridges that are 90% complete or like to ride around in boats that are 90% waterproof should just step back, enjoy the foul-smelling haze, and postpone any hikes through the smoldering remains of the park for a while longer.

I took my three-year-old on his first log flume ride this past Labor Day. He loved going up the hill and around the gentle curves. He then lost his mind from fear after the first little drop. As we helplessly approached the giant drop he (as Terry Pratchett would say) passed through fear and came out the other side, expressing total glee at the giant soaking splash at the bottom and laughing at the fact that my hat was blown clean off. It is not clear if he will want to give it a go again in the future… I will ask him once he comes out of fetal position and quits it with the maniacal giggles and the sleep-screaming.

I discovered that I can throw a football well enough to earn carnival prizes, but I am miserable at trying to grab stuffed Angry Birds with a claw game. I attribute the football thing to rubbing my Buddha that I built out of rabbits’ feet and leprechaun poo. I blame the bird thing on a lack of 1980s montage music at the arcade.

I have been drinking a lot of tea over the past couple of months, mostly at work. My current batch is Numi Gunpowder Green Organic Tea. Not bad. Dunkin’ Donuts has started selling Keurig K-Cups of their coffee. That’s just plain ol’ awesome.  Only available at select doughnut shops for now, but coming to Amazon September 21st.

I am 65% of the way through Atlas Shrugged. I started reading this at the suggestion of one of my sisters, and I am pretty excited to see how this is going to finish. I love the book so far but I think it has changed my day-to-day behavior somewhat. For example, in the past I used to express mild annoyance at those ever-present fund-raising groups waving “CAR WASH” signs around at intersections. Now I find myself firing paintballs and lobbing trash out the windows at them while screaming “DIE, PARASITES, DIE!!! YOU ARE WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS [EXPELTIVE DELETED] COUNTRY!!!” I am very impressionable, you see.

More later...