Monday's Missives

Mexican king snake found in a drain in Scotland- demonstrative of the multiple problems with mans fascination with animals and the trade in same.

• A few weeks ago I gave an Iraqi patient who is fluent in English the number for one of my contacts in the translator/interpreter network underworld. He called them and was not only offered a job and training but the classes and test fees will be paid for by the organization and as his is worn out they are buying him a new prosthetic leg and paying for his physical therapy.
• Every once in a while I get something right- don't get too used to it though.

  

  Miss Landmine contestants

  
  
  
  
• For Robert F. Scott's Antarctic expedition he chose to incorporate ponies, sled dogs and 3 tractors into his plans. It was destined to fail before the severe weather hit. Another interesting related fact- part of the reason Amundson succeeded and Scott's party starved, froze and dehydrated to death was Scott's insistence it be a scientific journey to gather samples and take readings etc. along the way not just a race to the pole for the sake of getting there. This is a really odd fatal error. If he had slogged to the pole and not worried about anything but getting there and back alive- he could have wrote his own ticket and done anything he wanted on the next expedition.
• Of course he would also have had to leave the ponies and tractors behind...
• Unsolicited outdoor tip for the day: Almost no matter where and when you go in the great outdoors in the US of A if you carry a backpack with a water reservoir, a water filter, headlamp, some bandannas, two ways of making a fire, a knife, some 550 cord (50-100 ft.), a trash bag and two space blankets it will only cost you a few pounds of weight and you still might be a knucklehead and get lost but at least you'll be a live knucklehead.

  

  Ad said to the effect," I'm a single mom and my ex husband set fire to my car. I don't know where to find parts for it...." That is code for, I talked to the body shop and if you buy it from me it will cost twice what the car is worth to fix it and you run the risk of getting killed by my ex or at the very least having him burn it to the ground when he sees it and assumes I still own it.

• It depends on the server and the situation but I most often get perturbed when  they ask about what I'm reading when I have a book at the table. There is a snap judgement where I sense their motive (maybe incorrectly) and if I sense they're genuine I'll engage them, if I sense they're sucking up to enhance their tip I'll shut down- quick.
• It is 05/18/2014@0740 and Zac is rubbing Crayons together to see what colors are formed on the paper.
• Formed? That gets the point across but I am sure that isn't correct.

  

  Her eye looks sad. How is that possible- one eye? It seems like it would take both to form an expression. Anyway, I am sure it was something I did.