I've Never Seen that Before!

This morning I saw something I've never seen before in my life. (I think as I get older, I'll be amazed that I could keep saying that) The emotion was the same as the first and only time I ever saw a praying mantis in the wild. (I've also seen a woodpecker only once in my life)

I saw a bird attempting to attract a mate. It was just fascinating. I mean, it's one thing to see it documented on Planet Earth, but it's quite another to see it firsthand.

I wish I knew what kind of bird it was. I Googled like crazy, but couldn't come up with it. The best description I could give was that it was a large sparrow, with black and white stripes on its wings, so it was probably one of these birds.

I saw it hopping along down the street, stopping every few seconds to spread its wings out in a jerky fashion, hop on its feet, semi-spin, stop, skitter forward a few feet, and repeat over and over and over.

There was absolutely no doubt about its intent. I hope he impressed his paramour enough to build a bayis ne'eman. :-)

A New Knissue!

It's been a long time, but I've finally launched a new issue of my satire website TheKnish.com. Issue 27.0, hot and fresh at a web browser near you.

5 Races Down, 4 to Go

Today I ran my fastest 4-mile race ever. I am amazed that I continue shattering my own records as I get older. According to Maseches Avos, I peaked two years ago, but man, I'm far from done. I'm starting to think that I might actually be genetically pre-disposed for speed, but an affinity for weightlifting in the offseason might be literally weighing me down. In either event, I run smarter, I cut angles, I drink strategically, and I'm getting faster. No telling what I could do if I lost 10-15 pounds. In either event, these are my results:

http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.exe/93570.1.658473158900000140