Dispatch from the Shore

Hey all,

We're having a great time here on the Jersey Shore. It's funny -- I'm aware of the existence of a teevee show called The Jersey Shore, and that's that, but when I was telling people that my family and I were going to the Jersey Shore, lots of folks grinned and said, "What happens at The Shore stays at The Shore". And that sounds great and all, but it doesn't make for good blogging. So, a couple of notes thus far:

:: It turns out that the tastiness of rum varies in direct proportion to one's proximity to salt water. Rum's great in Buffalo. But drinking rum when you're so close to the ocean that even through closed doors you can hear waves breaking? Awesome.

:: I'm planning to sample some tequila later. I'll just have it on the rocks, maybe with a lime twist. None of that licking-salt stuff; that's just gross.

:: Yeah, it's really hot. But late in the afternoon when the wind is coming off the shore, it's very pleasant and can get downright chilly.

:: Kite surfing looks like more fun than anyone should be allowed to have during one activity.

:: I dislike tourist-trap pricing.

Reactions to world events:

:: The Pirates aren't just toying with having a season over .500, but they've been flirting with first place. In fact, as of this writing, they hold a one-half game lead in the NL Central. This amazes me.

:: The NFL lockout sure has been "on the verge of ending" for quite a while now.

:: Thinking it over, it becomes clear to me that the Republicans have been getting a little crazier each year for something like thirty years. Every time election season starts to roll around, they're just a little bit more insane. It terrifies me to think that as batshit crazy as Michelle Bachmann or Rick Perry are, in 2015 (assuming an Obama reelection next year) there will a whole bunch of Republicans coming to the fore who are crazier than that.

:: Rupert Murdoch apparently got a pie thrown at him today. This disappoints me. I can think of few people less deserving of a pie in the face than Rupert Murdoch. But then, I'm odd.

:: And finally, it continues to amaze me that you don't have to venture far from Western New York to see how much nicer folks have it just about anyplace else. Cities and towns with waterfronts, that let folks build things as long as they comply with certain zoning requirements, cities and towns that...oh well.

More upon my return to society. Having great time, wishing you were!

-Me