Fear of the Ocean

Ah the ocean, with its waves lapping up against the shore, and its many wonders and mysteries. Humans have a long history with this great and vast wet thing.

So why did this make it to my long list of phobias? Let's first look at the crazy creatures who call it home. Fish the glow, giant squid, tube worms, living sponges, sea bugs, moray eels, scary sharks, and giant mammals. And, apparently this giant Black Sea Bass. (Edward Lellewellen with a very large fish Credit: Library of Congress)

Air. Ocean dwellers don't need it. Isn't that a clear indication that they belong in water and we belong on sandy beaches or solid boats surrounded by lots of breathable air?

"Jaws." This movie ruined my beach bunny life before it ever had a chance. That reminds me, if you want to see bunnies reenacting the movie in 30 seconds, click here.

Zero warning. It's a perfect day with the perfect temperature and you are splashing around like an idiot when suddenly a creature whooshes past your unprotected legs. Or a big wave takes you down and you find yourself face to face with a stinging jellyfish. A coral reef full of gentle tropical fish is heaven for scuba diving fans until a hungry eel decides to take a bite.

Finally, you can't outrun anything in water. On land we can at least give ourselves a little bit of hope of escape. If a large animal, say a dog, decides to attack, you can try to outrun it. You could dodge hedges and mailboxes, turn the corner and wait for the opportunity to whack it with a stick. Or escape up a tree and wait for help. Unless there is a hungry wild cat hiding in the tree as well. Hmm. Maybe land animals are worthy of phobias as well. Snakes, wolves, creepy men in bowler hats (refer back to the photo)...

Happy May Day, one and all!

I had no idea that May Day was anything other than a distress call for pilots in war movies. But with some time on my hands, I found out that the May Day celebration includes dancing around the Maypole and general merry making in honor of Spring. Another excellent excuse for a party!

Fun facts:

• Its origins go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans

• It is the another tree decorating holiday that former pagan cultures cherish so much

1914, when pole dancing was innocent.
(Original photo credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-54028]

• In 1889, bored with synchronized dancing and aimless carousing, the labor union movement and Socialists of the world decided have their kind of fun on May 1st, proclaiming that day the International Workers' Day. The demonstrations and parades also required synchronized behavior but this was the era of the popular marching songs judging by my great-grandfather's collection of 45s, so it still might have had some element of fun.
  

An early May Day Parade, when tough guys wore bowler hats.
(Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-B2- 2010-12[P&P]

• We can thank those socialists for giving us the manageable 8-hour work day in the United States. (But the fight continues, if you are paying any attention to the plight of undocumented workers or labor leaders elsewhere in the world.)

Enjoy the sunshine, revel in Spring, and make sure that your boss isn't committing any H.R. violations.

Brooklyn Fire

Accidentally brought to you by Con Edison?

Okay, so you can't really see anything from these photos. But I swear that there was a giant explosion that blew a hole in the street just outside of our apartment. Flames reached 12 feet into the air and the black smoke made its way into our apartment across the street. Look fire trucks!
All of the lights started to flicker in our apartment so we powered down for a while and watched the firemen. They climbed onto the roof and inspected the nearby supermarket, Key Food, and cleared the area. We waited and watched at a distance, wondering why they didn't start using the fire hoses. I could hear the rumbling and an occasional BOOM as more flames pushed through the underground into the air above it.




What do you know, just as the fire began to die down, Con Edison trucks arrived to the rescue.




An hour later I peeked out the window to see what looks like snow flurries. Is it winter again?? Alas, no, its just ash from the fire. It can't be easy to bring electricity to the millions if residents in New York City. But, isn't that what we're paying them to do? Maybe it is time to start installing solar panels and on every rooftop.