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)...

Heart in a Box

This amazing piece of medical technology can successfully keep donor hearts alive and beating even after it is removed from the body. It should change everything. Including how we view the process of donating organs. Read more an article that manages to reference Edgar Allen Poe and the word "yuckiest" at msnbc.com.

I almost *heart* South Florida

My husband and I got just back from a little trip to Florida. The thing about going on holiday, is that I always expect to be completely amazed by the new sights and sounds of my tourist destination. *wow, they dress different* *check out that cathedral* *this food might send me straight to the bathroom but it sure is delicious* Even Ft. Lauderdale was a bit of a culture shock for me. I would go as far to say it was an exotic experience, but not in the normal sense of the word.

First of all, it isn't a city. Rather it is a pastel town with lots of palm trees, yachts, old folks, buff folks, unfit folks, and a high percentage of blondes. However, everyone we encountered was nice, some were even angelic in nature.

These ladies were kind enough to pose for a photo.

Is it the constant sun and access to the beach that makes people automatically happy? Not so in Miami, which recently won some sort of award for rude driving.

Our hotel was located on the strip of beach that seemed to go extend all the way to the tip of Florida. We were afforded a great view of the ocean as well as the busy road that my husband likened to the video game Grand Theft Auto. So it was really the best of both worlds.

Ft. Lauderdale has it share its tacky restaurants and tourist traps like you would expect and I am kicking myself for not buying one of the $25 naked woman beach towels. An absolute bargain for a priceless piece of kitsch. Believe it or not, we did catch some sun in the few days that we were in Florida. We tried to take lots of black and white photos so that no one could contradict the fact that we were beautifully bronzed- temporarily at least. The sky had its share of smog or what have you from the smoke drifting over from the fire in the Everglades. That's right, the swamp was on fire!

Nestled the middle of a fancy strip of shops, is this fabulously tacky store full of frog sculptures.

During our little exploration of the popular Las Olas Boulevard, we found ourselves witness to a food and wine charity benefit for the Heart & Lung Assoc. A top-drawer crowd, I suppose, of mostly Ralph Lauren-wearing blondes (apart from the angels). Not that there is anything wrong with that but needless to say, this does not happen very often in Brooklyn. So, the exotic people of Ft. Lauderdale turned out to be the t.v. version of the clean-cut American. Go figure.

Do the Cosmonauty

Have I stumbled onto a new Russian dance craze?

Eurovision!

Before American Idol and Pop Idol there was Eurovision, an international song contest started up in 1956. ABBA won in 1974 for the fabulously cheesy song "Waterloo." The Semi-Final took place in Helsinki, Finland last weekend where Marija ŠERIFOVIĆ from Serbia placed number one above 14 countries for her song Molitva. Watching this video clip, I have new respect for circus-trained interpretive dancers.