I had no idea there was a Morris community forum. Apparently most people don’t either, because there’s hardly anything there, and it goes for months without any entries. I’ve been missing out, though, because years ago someone found it important to discuss something I posted, Botanical Wednesday: I see it as giving the finger to the heavens. I have fans in my home town!

true beliver in god

if you belived in the higher power of this unvirst you would not be giving it the finger living in morris is like i a a point of hell with out morals of god are the belife that all man is creATED EQUEAL BY COLOR OFF SKIN AND LIFE WE WILL ALL BLEED RED BLOOD AND BE BEARD IN THE GROUND THE SAME UNDER THE SAME GOD YOU POEPLE SAY YOU BELIVE IN OPEN YOUR EYES LIFE IS SHORT LIKE THE THE BIBLE SAY LOVE THAY naborght as a he thay lord say because thay dont know ohw will are what color the person that may be thier to save your life so be kind to who you see know matter what the color of the skin be kind because you dont know when god will seen donw and angle when you need its hand to save your soul black or white are what every color it human form may be hate by color can be the end of your life but god will always love us as and equel

Uh, never mind. I’m not answering the door to anyone anymore.

Yesterday, I spent the day in Minneapolis, because my daughter and son-in-law were passing through, and we had a chance to have lunch with them, before they left me again. It’s as if they have their own life to live.

Today I’m heading home all alone because I ditched my wife at the airport. She’s flying to Spokane to go on a road trip of indeterminate duration with her sister, and without me. I have to prepare for classes.

I’m lonely already. It’s going to be just me and the evil cat for a while.

Michele Ashbaugh has this YouTube series where she interviews people while in the bathtub, and she asked me to join in, so I did. Don’t worry, we’re both only seen from the neck and shoulders up, so you’re not going to get a show.

There are others in this series, if you’re curious what people sound like when they’re naked. Turns out they still sound like ordinary people.

Last year, in hopeful anticipation of a contractor finally getting around to giving us new siding, we hacked away all the brush and shrubbery and saplings sprouting all around our house. We were disappointed: he didn’t get around to us that summer (life in a small town: limited supply of available contractors, high demand).

So this year, he has promised! We gave him a giant bucket of money! He ordered all the supplies! So we took another look at the vegetation around our house.

It had all grown back.

So this morning we’ve been out with pruning shears and weed-eater, trying to destroy the jungle. I think I need a machete and a chainsaw. Or a flamethrower. Or to call in an airstrike. Thinking about exotic plant poisons, or hiring a herd of elephants.

See, this is why I was trained as a zoologist. Plants are apparently my nemesis.

A poll was taken in 1859, and nothing has changed.

YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS. (Reading Times, 1859) pic.twitter.com/l1pIOPS7tw

— Undine (@HorribleSanity) July 27, 2017

It’s true. I too wear one to avoid being taken for an Englishman.

Coke Zero is being discontinued. Hot on the heels of this pronouncement that Like it or not, life is all about successful reproduction and nothing else really matters, I’ve lost all reason to live.

Whew. I’m back from SDB, and after four days of solid science, my brain is full. I’m taking the night off.

But tomorrow…I have a couple of things I want to write up.

One of the minor annoyances of YouTube is their superficial algorithm for predicting your preferences, so they can help you with recommendations for what to watch next. Oh, you watched a scathing takedown of Thunderf00t? Here’s the whole Thunderf00t catalog of obsessive inanity, you’ll like that.

So I’m very happy to see a Google Chrome addon that kills all that crap, Hbomb’s YouTube Censorship Chrome Addon. It also wipes out a whole bunch of other assholes. Recommended.

^*By the way, it’s not actually censorship to voluntarily refuse to pay attention to someone; it would be censorship if the preferences of others were blocked against their will. It’s just fun to call it censorship because we’re refusing to watch the videos of precisely the kind of people who are unclear on that distinction.