Metamorphosism

er, whose four year old was it??

it was my niece, more on all that later.

Do you have that "west nile virus" there?
i just learned, during my recent vacation, which included many mosquitoes, that only the night-biting ones carry the virus.
just, FYI. ;)

It's interesting that Vex should say that, because Ashcroft is finding evidence that al Qaeda is running a pilot West Nile mosquito bioterrorism program in Austria.

There's no reason to be overly worried, because fewer than 50% of those exposed catch the disease, and fewer than 50% of those infected actually die. Staying inside under the covers all night is an effective precaution, but don't poke your nose out.

i hear intl. schmectron corp, the world's largest maker of mosquito netting, is a major contributor to the bush campaign.

Meteors? Are they out tonight? I'm reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. If I also see meteors and fireflies tonight, I might explode. (Or maybe just be attacked by boars and owls.)

Eeksy, I hope you didn't explode. Or maybe I hope you did.

And since you don't have comments on your site, Eeksy,I'll say it here, your post about the firefly lamps was, just, well, you so eaily make me gasp, what you write and how you write.

Um, wait, this is actually Mig's site, isn't it? Er, thanks, Miguel, for letting me use it for, extracurricular purposes...

Oooh, I'd forgotten it was hurtling balls of ice time! we'll have to go out this weekend.

I've only seen fireflies once, in Central Park of all places. I'd like to live where they are, also where one or the other of the aurorae shows up, but I think that probably doesn't go with my tropical fantasy...

A younger child, say one that's just learning to walk with some confidence but has yet to understand the whole 'elevator gravity thing', is also a must-see. Picture a very small person squat-walking fairly quickly off an elevator as the doors open, arms stretched upwards and staring down at the ground with utter confusion on his face... hilarious, and yet beautiful.

everyone should go read eeksy's post on fireflies. i had been thinking about quitting this blogging thing until i read that.

I've never seen fireflies in real life. At least I hadn't until I read that.

BTW, ylang ylang oil, mixed with equal parts water in a small spray bottle, makes a delightful mosquito repellent. Not quite as effective as Avon's Skin So Soft bath oil, but neither is it 'woodland fresh.' It's supposed to have a tranquilising effect on humans, and a slight aphrodesiacal influence (some say) as well. We're in the thick of dead crows here, murders of them in fact. My blonde mosquito-bait tendencies mean my bedroom always smells woodland fresh in summer. I guess I should make it my preferred scent.

Dead crows, see, are the CDC's preferred bodies of evidence of the migration of the virus.
(looks up at crow tree, across the street)
(sprays shoulders)

What about blackbirds? We had a huge blackbird die-off here last year.

Thursday night is the peak for the Perseids? If the sky is clear, I'm going to be groggy Friday morning.

Wait! Wednesday night, not Thursday night.

"According to the best estimates, in 2004 the Earth is predicted to cut through the densest part of the Perseid stream sometime around 7 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 12. Activity could be high for a few hours on either side of that time. The late-night hours of Wednesday, Aug. 11, on through the first light of dawn on the morning holds the promise of seeing a very fine Perseid display."

i saw fireflies for the very first time this july, in gettysburg, there was a small field next to our hotel...
needless to say, i was thrilled :)