Our Body: The Universe Within

Exploration place is hosting a traveling exhibit until October called "Our Body: The Universe Within".  There have been many commercials for it and KSN even featured it last night on the 5:00 p.m. news.  I can't even look at the TV when they are showing the preserved bodies... totally creeps me out.  Some of the nut job christians in town have complained that it "desecrates" the dead and tried to start a boycott.  I don't agree with them but I can't bring myself to go, I pass out at the sight of my own or anyones else's blood and I suspect preserved bodies may have the same effect on me.

http://exploration.org/index.php

Work

Work has been taking a lot of my time... may not be writing much for a while.   Was offered a chance to work in Australia last week.  I was tempted at first but am leaning towards not. 

Lyrics to live by #2 - Dolly

You better get to livin', givin'
Don't forget to throw in a little forgivin'
And lovin' on the way
You better get to knowin', showin'
A little bit more concerned about where you're goin'
Just a word unto the wise
You better get to livin'

Wichita River Festival

The Wichita River Festival is our towns biggest party.  I used to really enjoy it when I was younger.  Medallion hunting, bath tub races, tug of war on the river sand bars.  All of these events are gone.  Aside from the fireworks I couldn't find a single thing I am interested in attending...  they have even cracked down on the drinking (now only in "beer gardens" where you are overcharged for skunky beer).  Oh, well at least KC pride is only a few weeks away... I can go to a real party.

Ghosts in the pine trees

I was driving out of the company parking lot today, which is lined with pine trees, and captured a glimpse of an unusual site.  Sometimes in Kansas, when the weather is just right (enough rain and consistently mild temperatures), you may catch a glimpse of ghosts.  They aren't really ghosts, the tree's under the right conditions release enough pollen in the blowing wind to create a white "mist" that is quickly dispersed into the air and disappears;  However, for just a few moments it looks like a ghost floating though the woods.

An Australian I really like

I work with Australians.  Sometimes in person but mostly over the phone... For the most part I have divided them into 2 groups: Those that annoy me and those that do not (In fairness I am easily annoyed).  I have been talking to a new employee in our Australia office named Maggie... and she is actually pleasant to talk to.  I am going to have to rethink my bias now.

Jason Ridge in Wichita

Not really.  Well I don't think so anyways, LOL.  I was at the gym last night and there was a guy there working out that I had never seen before.  Handsome face, a little taller than me ( I am 5'9") and a very nice body under his gym clothes.  I couldn't stop staring cause it looked just like the porn star (In case you don't know who I am talking about):

 http://www.jasonridge.blogspot.com/)

So he noticed me staring and smiled (he even smiled like Jason Ridge), he might not be Jason but he didn't get angry from a guy checking him out.  Anyways, it was looking like it was going to storm and I was on my motorcycle so I headed home and didn't say anything to the guy.  Might have missed my chance to meet  a porn star.

I Grow Geraniums

I know that sounds very gay (well I am gay).  I know it doesn't sound very interesting (you would probably rather hear about my orchids or plants that eat bugs).  I know it doesn't seem like much of challenge (although keeping them blooming in Kansas takes more effort than other places).  The fact is I grow geraniums (The plain bright red ones).  I don't do it very well, forgetting to fertilize regularly and treat them with Bacillus Thuringiensis for the pretty sulfur butterflies... so that they usually just end up green do nothings by July (no help from mother natures hail storm this year).  But I do it anyways.  I do it to remember a neighbor who died several years ago.  Her name was Faye, and she could grow the most incredible geraniums.  They would bloom all summer with the biggest brightest blooms you can imagine.  Her front lawn was incredible... the deepest darkest green, perfectly manicured.  The backyard was a cool forest glade... on a tiny city lot.  Columbines of every imaginable color thrived there the way they do in Colorado... and multiplied on their own (I plant them and they last a few years and then dwindle and disappear).

Faye died a few years ago, and her grandson and his family live there now... It took a few years for him to get the lawn back to the way it used to look but it is an incredible emerald green again this year.  It makes me somewhat embarrassed of my own lawn.  I may go buy some geraniums and put them in pots this weekend, and then sneak them onto his front porch at night.  I can't grow geraniums very well, but I am good at remembering the people I have loved.

Hail

Had a hailstorm here last night just as I was going to bed.  I heard the whack... thud... just as I had slipped into bed.  Randy yelled from the other room, "What was that noise?  I think it is starting to hail".   He ran up stairs and grabbed a few plants (He complains about my obsession, but is really sweet) before it started coming down hard.  I said don't worry about it there is nothing you can do about it (well... i cussed... a lot... if that can be considered doing something).  And this spring was going so well.  No nasty hard late freezes.  No dry blasting winds.  I got up this morning and surveyed the damage.  Lost a lot of annuals and some other plants may not recover but at least we didn't get the tornadoes  and wind damage that spawned as the storm moved down into Oklahoma and Missouri.