Polite Dissent

Finally got that long bike ride today the weather has denied me the past few weeks. It went well for the most part, but those last ten miles were killer (and the headwind was no help). Came home and crashed, and have been mostly zombie-fied the remainder of the day.

The parents came up from St Louis yesterday. My mother and the Polite-wife went shopping for lawn furniture and arts & crafts supplies, while my father and I went hiking at a couple of obscure central Illinois sites. First we went to Dickson Mounds, a state museum about mound-building Native Americans, and the Mississipian culture in general. Next, we went to the Gleason Sand Prairie nature preserve where there is about 4 square-miles of sand dunes and unusual plants and animals in the center of Illinois. There were hillsides of prickly pears in bloom, and we saw over 15 lizards and skinks in a ten minute period. Also saw a couple of deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis), but managed to get them off before they bit (no Lyme disease here!). We returned home, and all cooked a nice meal together (salad, sesame chicken, and gyoza) before they returned home.

All in all a nice relaxing and sunny weekend. Next weekend: I’m on call again (sigh).

Sunday Blog-o-bits:
1. Matt Rossi presents us with some comic stories he would like to write. The first one, concerning Tony Stark, is particularly good. I’m always up for pulp-style action, plus he references Robert E. Howard as a bonus. His second idea seems very complex and convoluted (but no more than certain Legion of Super-Hero stories and ret-cons), and while I like the idea of tying the origins of several extraterrestial races (including the Martians, Kryptonians, and Daxamites), I’ve never seen in pulled off well. Remember that issue of Star Trek: the Next Generation where it turns out the humans, Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, etc. all had a common ancestor. It should have been graoundbreaking, but was never referenced or mentioned again (A Mopee, as Mr. Silver Age would say). His third story raises some interesting consideration as well. Well worth reading.

2. One month to the Tour de France!

3. Bible inspired diets [editor’s note: link now dead] are on the rise. This is the third article I’ve seen in last two weeks. I don’t care how religious you are, this is not a good idea. Remember, most people before the Industrial Revolution (and that includes Biblical times), were significantly less healthy than we are, and they died early (and were shorter!) due in large part to poor nutrition.

4. Finally, good news this week: cancer rates are down.