Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Claus encounters of the Santa type

Our visit with Santa tally is up to 3: a whole lot of Kringle time for a kid who doesn't actually understand the Claus/gift corollary. But he seems to be calmer about the old elf now, and actually cheers when he appears on television, which I think is a good thing.

About bears: the National Zoo does indeed have spectacle bears as well as sloth bears, or rather they have enclosures for these bears, because I can't say I've ever seen either. In the future I expect to visit other, bear-displaying zoos, although I don't plan to go to Chicago. Instead I'd like to visit the allegedly excellent Philly zoo, because I like Philadelphia in general. I think it results from the combination of good food, ample Revolutionary history sites, and the fact that I didn't grow up nearby. I have only spent one day in Philly, that I remember, because I know I was there in my younger days, so Philly is on the grand list of cities in which I've spent one day, along with New York, Boston and Atlanta. Its a small list. I don't hang out in cities much, and apparently only east-coast cities are worthy of my time. None of this, of course, has anything to do with bears.

Did I tell you I saw a gila monster at the zoo? It was laying draped over a rock, so we could only see part of it, but it doesn't really look pleasant. I'm thinking I don't want them meeting me at airports, or anywhere else. They looked much friendlier in the book, which just goes to show how literature can lead you astray. Folks, books aren't really healthy for you, and I'd like, at this holiday time, to offer an opportunity: send your books to me. I'm well-trained in dealing with this threat, and I'd be happy to save you from danger.

A danger I will not save you from: the giant, man-eating catfish the History Channel is doing a show on right now.

1 comment:

engineeredmadness said...

Yeah, you don't wanna run into a gila monster in a dark alley at night