The Paws to Refresh

 With the mask restrictions ending today I thought a celebratory post would be just the thing to help ease us all toward our more normal lives,so smile and enjoy! 

Shades of Soylent Green

 I've always enjoyed dystopian novels though what is stranger than their many strange themes is that they all seem to be coming at least partially true,that my friends is the really scary stuff. Today's case in point is that "steaks" are now being made by 3 D printers,that way it allows them to almost perfectly duplicate the texture of animal meat. Here's the part that is bothersome about that,aren't the vegan meats supposed to be mainly for people who don't eat meat? So how would they know or care what the texture of a real steak was like? I know scientists are working on ways to feed the future masses with more plant based foods to help slow climate change among other reasons but there are still going to be the animals we're currently consume,still being part of the problem, so what part of the puzzle am I missing? For those who have no idea who or what Soylent Green is,it was a movie in 1973 loosely based on a 1966 novel about food shortages of the future and how they were coped with. 

Bedrock Update

Back in 2019 I did a post on a woman in a posh San Francisco neighborhood who was literally taking on city hall. Neighbors had complained that the retired publishing mogul's Flintstones house plus various yard decor was an eye sore. The woman in turn counter sued to city and not only did she win and can keep her home and yard features the city is also awarding her $125,000 to drop the lawsuit. I love it when people fight city hall and win! and as far as how would I like to live next door to something like that,I would be fine with that,there are far worse things to have next door. 

 

Simple Math

 That phrase should qualify as an oxymoron,or maybe that's just me. The formula to figure a dog's age by multiplying their human years by 7 has been debunked. The biggest flaw with the old formula was it didn't take into account the variables of the different breeds. The larger breeds naturally age faster which is at least partly due to the growth hormone being greater in the larger breeds but there are many contributing factors so what they have done is made a chart where you can look up your dog's breed and get a guesstimate of their life expectancy.  Maybe it's best to not spend too much time thinking about your pet's age and just enjoy your time with them. 

Dolphins and Duvets

 Just when you think you've heard it all...I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that maybe this young woman millionaire is a touch on the eccentric side. Why,you ask, well she fell in love with and married a 39 year old dolphin, which is okay if that's your trip but Cindy,her dolphin husband died within months leaving the grieving widow to swear she will never marry again. But wait,there's more, if cross species marriages aren't your thing,how about a woman in the UK who married her duvet? She said it was the most intimate,reliable relationship she'd ever had. I can't help but wonder what happens when her "spouse" wears out. 

Free the Ocean Barbie

For any of you who have been reading my blog regularly and for a long time may have been part of this piece of good news,that is if you signed up for the daily trivia question from Free the Ocean. They in turn remove one piece of plastic from the ocean. They have recently partnered with Mattel to produce Barbie Loves the Ocean collection which is part of their goal to achieve 100% recycled,recyclable or bio-based plastics and packaging in all of their products by 2030! This is really good news that companies are finally working toward a sustainable future. I don't have much call for buying from Mattel but I can assure you whenever I need a toy they will be my go to company.  

Entitlement

 Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave my house someone had parked in front of my garage door even though the door was up as I had been out earlier that morning. I had no idea who the car belonged to so I got lucky when the first neighbor I asked was the one with the parking offender. It was a young girl who seemed surprised that parking in front of someone's garage would be a problem. She moved her car to the middle of the road and went back to the neighbor's house but not without giving me the stink eye. Here's my take away from that scenario...with any rite of passage,such as getting a driver's license a person should also need to pass an entitlement test to determine if they feel they should be awarded more rights than the rest of the population,such as parking where ever they wish or not obeying other rules of the road. I was polite about the whole thing but in retrospect I feel like maybe I should have went a little Karen on her,then again she would have assumed she did nothing to deserve it. End of rant. 

When In Rome

 Customs vary from country to country and though some might seem odd to westerners our customs probably seem odd to other places as well. Without further ado I present some interesting customs of the world: In China husbands carry their pregnant wives over hot coals,this is for two reasons one is in sympathy for the wive's upcoming labor and to ensure the wife has an easy labor.

The baby jumping festival in Spain features men with red and yellow masks and clothes representing the devil who are then chased away by the pious men. Next the babies born the previous year are placed on mattresses in the street where the devils jump over them to absorb sins and protect them from misfortune,then the babies are sprinkled with rose petals before the parents claim them.

 

It's a Dirty Job

 I didn't realize that being an astronaut was such a dirty job since it seems fairly sterile but since they have to exercise at least 2 hours per day they get sweaty which isn't a problem here on Earth,but there are no laundry facilities in space so they literally wear there clothes,socks and underwear included,until they can't stand them. NASA has finally teamed with Procter & Gamble to come up with a solution, at the current time they are sending 150 lbs of clothes per person per year which are disposed of when they can no longer be worn. Since water is at a premium in space it would have to be reused but I was wondering whatever happened to  the silicone beads that were supposed to be the next laundry breakthrough? It seems like they would be the perfect fit for this dirty job. 

Mer Tails Tale

 Diversity is always good and it can also be interesting/surprising. One of those interesting groups,Merfolk,was launched in the UK in 2017. The woman who started the group didn't think there would be many like minded people for the group but since its inception it has grown to around 100 people who meet as often as they can to don their tails and have a flipping good time. Most of the tails are made of silk or other fabrics and cost from $139-$279 but the best tails are made of silicone and start at around $1,672. Most of the Merfolk also practice free diving,enabling them to swim underwater longer without any other special equipment. I don't think my claustrophobia would allow me to swim with what amounts to my legs being tied together but they certainly make it look like fun. 

Dad's Day Contest

 The UK had a contest for Dad jokes judged by a comedian who says a good dad joke should be a combination of equal parts cringe and cheese. The winner out of 2,700 entries was,"I once hired a limo but when it arrived, the guy driving it walked off!

I said "Excuse me? Are you not going to drive me?"
The guy told me that the price didn't include a driver…
… so I'd spent £400 on a limo and have nothing to chauffeur it!"

The runners up follow:

• Why did the man fall down the well? Because he didn't see that well!
• What did the pirate say on his eightieth birthday? "Aye Matey!"
• Someone has glued my pack of cards together - I don't know how to deal with it.
• What do you call a zombie who cooks stir fries? Dead man wok-ing
• I was wondering why the frisbee kept looking bigger and bigger, and then it hit me
• I was stood behind a customer at an ATM and he turned around and said "could you check my balance?" - so I pushed him. His balance wasn't that great.
• Why did the scarecrow get an award? Because he was out standing in his field!
• What did the daddy buffalo say to his son when he left for work? Bison
• Two guys walked into a bar. The third guy ducked.
• What do you call a blind dinosaur? A Doyouthinkhesaurus!

Happy Father's Day!

Beaver Butt or Plastic Bottle?

 Some time in the past I did a post about where artificial vanilla flavoring came from in case you hadn't made the connection,it comes from beaver's anal glands. The reason it doesn't stink like other animals anal glands is the beaver's diet. If that isn't enough to make you pay the difference between artificial and real, there is now another choice for vanilla. At least this time they call it by a slightly different name,vanillin,which is being made from plastic bottles. I know scientists are trying to find ways to recycle that awful stuff though I'm not sure making it part of our diet is the answer especially since we are already ingesting micro-plastics without their help. It is more than worth your while to read those labels!