So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Cory and I went out to Pine Island today to check out the nature center there-- they were kicking off next month's celebration of Ding Darling Days a little early.

Living so close to the coast is a little weird-- not being part of the whole boat culture here. There's a whole world that's right in our backyard that's completely foreign to us. When we go to the beach, people are anchored just offshore, frolicking around their boats. Rich people live on exclusive islands like Useppa, which is only accessible by boat. They eat at restaurants like the famed Cabbage Key Restaurant, fabled to be the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet's "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and which is also only accessible by boat. Yes, there are tour boats that go there. They happen to cost $35 bucks a person, which is a little much just to get a cheeseburger. Even a good cheeseburger.

So whenever we get a free opportunity to go somewhere on a boat, we do. And today, we signed up for a one-hour boat tour of Pine Island Sound. The weather was beautiful, and to cap it off, we had some visitors join us for a bit of our ride:



When they told us "you'll probably see dolphins," we thought that sounded pretty cool. We had no idea they'd be just a couple feet from the boat. That they love playing in the wake and they'd be so close that we probably could have touched them.

Of course, if you're a "boat person" in a coastal state, this all sounds silly to you, because this is probably a common sight. But for us, it was something really special.

Farewell, Coach

I just read that Paul Newman died... and now I think I'll have to watch my favorite Paul Newman movie again tonight. No, not The Hustler. Or The Sting. Or even Butch Cassidy & The Sunshine Kid.

Those who know me well know that I believe Paul Newman's greatest accomplishment was as coach Reg Dunlop in Slap Shot.



About 15 years ago, I was watching the Today Show while they were interviewing Newman. Katie Couric asked him to look back on his career and tell her which movie was his favorite. Guess which one it was?

He said he'd never had so much fun shooting a movie as he had shooting Slap Shot.

We'll miss you, coach Dunlop.

Help our Friends!

I don't know if I've ever talked about our friend Deb before-- Cory and I met Deb several years ago when we were working in Columbus, Ga. Our station hired her to be one of the anchors for our fledgling Fox newscast.

Deborah is awesome-- Smart, sassy, stylish. You know, a lot like me... Only much, much cooler. She found out a few years ago that she had breast cancer, and really started re-evaluating things. When she left our station, she moved to Amsterdam to work at a mission for recovering prostitutes. Seriously. How cool is that?

Anyway, Deb started dating Craig shortly after she finished her treatments-- and even though they lived a few hundred miles apart, something really clicked. We met him once, and Cory and I both thought he was great. Deb recently moved to Arkansas to be with Craig, and about six months ago, I got an email from her saying that they were engaged!



If anyone in this world deserves an awesome wedding, it's Deb. And now she and Craig are finalists for a Charleston wedding giveaway, and need your vote!

Click here to vote for Deb and Craig!

You can vote once per day. I know that most of you don't know either of these people, but it literally only takes about a minute of your time-- so if you have a free moment, please vote for our friends.

Only In Florida

And again, Jesus is visiting the Sunshine State. This time, he was spotted chillin' at the beach.

I hope he has the good sense not to wear a speedo. He is, after all, from another country. And in my experience, the majority of foreign men visiting Florida beaches believe that wearing a speedo is a really good idea.

Only in Florida

Jesus (and no, I don't mean hey-soos) spends way too much time in this state. Today, he's appearing on drywall. I think it's his commentary about our current real estate and construction crisis.

Interestingly enough, when the secondary drain pan in our air conditioner overflowed, and flooded part of our attic, the ensuing stain on our ceiling did not look like Jesus. Or even the B.V.M. It just looked like a big ugly blob. We are not the chosen ones, apparently.

Chopstick Chatter

Several years ago, when I was beyond miserable working in Columbus, Ga, I started looking at jobs teaching English overseas. I got on a kick where I really wanted to move to Japan. Unfortunately, Cory wouldn't get on board with the idea, and we ended up in Georgia for another year.

Well, a friend of ours has embarked on the adventure of a lifetime... and I'm completely jealous. For the next year, she'll be working in Beijing. If you're curious what life on the other side of the world is like, check out her blog: Chopstick Chatter.

Aaaahhhhhhh......

From the National Hurricane Center:

I love it.

Drawn by Hand

Cory and I have a friend who habitually writes on his hands. Usually it's little reminders to himself, like "Dentist" or "Buy batteries" scrawled across his hands in Sharpie. He's an artist, and there's a very simple poetry to his scrawlings.

Personally, I think it would be damn funny if he had "Buy notepad" tattooed on there. But that's another story.

I really think he needs to see this. It really elevates his craft to a whole new level.

Feeling like a "Jerk"

You know that scene in "The Jerk?" The one where Steve Martin is running around, flapping the phone directory over his head, shouting "The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!"

Well, I kind of felt like Navin R. Johnson today.

I got the mail, and there was something bulky in the bundle. It was pouring out (thanks to Hurricane Ike), so I had to round the corner of the building before I was sheltered from the rain and could take a peek.

And there it was. In all its full-color, 374-page glory.

The new IKEA catalogs are here! The new IKEA catalogs are here!

Keeping it Brief...

Okay... so we're all breathing a sigh of relief about Ike. At least here, we are. In Cuba, they're probably crapping their pants. And Haiti? I work with a couple of Haitians who rarely hear from their family in the first place-- and with the constant flow of hurricanes barraging that country, they haven't heard a thing in ages.

So, two things-- if you're as obsessed with weather watching as I am (well, really just "hurricane watching), check this site out:
www.stormpulse.com
The graphics are awesome. My dad sent me the link after I made last week's post, and I'm totally hooked.

Second, if you haven't seen this website yet, this is really cool:
photosynth.net
You need to download the software (which apparently eats up your graphics system) to actually use photosynth-- and I don't need it that much-- but just watch the demo on the homepage for a few minutes. So very cool.

Really?

Oh yeah... I think this is what we all really needed to see.

I can't wait until December 1, when this whole mess will should be over.

Until then, I'll be holding my breath. And looking into hurricane shutters.