Weekend Miscellany

• On Saturday night, the local news covered an event sponsored by "The Show-Me Clowns for Jesus." Seriously.  What a great title for a short story.  In the horror genre, of course.
• For those of you who don't know, the nickname of Missouri is the "Show-Me State."  Versions of the origin vary, but it either means that we are stubborn skeptics who require proof of everything, or it originated in the mines of Colorado.  During a strike many workers were imported from Misouri, but most had no experience as miners.  Hence they had to say "show me" whenever they were told to do something.  I prefer the former explanation.
• Our bird feeders have been a huge hit this year.  You can't go outside without the bluejays and red-bellied woodpeckers chattering at you to hurry up and go back inside so they can get back to the dinner table.  I find myself leafing through a bird book to prove that it is a white-breasted nuthatch outside the window and NOT a dark-eyed junco.  Is this a sign of age?
• I took my mom to visit her new great-granddaughter.  She's adorable, but she's going to have to be a special child to outdo her older sister, who will be three next month and is adorable and quirky.  She handed Mom a photo of the baby and said, "Here, Your Majesty.  Take that home."  
• We put a man on the moon almost fifty years ago, and we still couldn't figure out how to get those people off that boat?
• Poor Marco Rubio.  Dry mouth, sweat, and drinking water on national television.  All the smart people on TV (and they have to be smart to be on the tube, don't they?) say his political career is finished.
• Zero progress on the second India short story.  I just have too much time to do it.  It's not due until the end of May and consequently I am not in panic mode yet.  Hoping this will kick in soon.