And goodwill towards all

There's a sight I've seen many mornings on my way to work: a guy in a wheelchair begging for money at the median strip of a busy intersection in Marina del Rey--Mindanao and Lincoln. I make a left turn there into the Marina coming to work and he frequently arrives at his begging location about that time. I think he makes a decent chunk of change at this location. The thing is, I've seen this tableaux develop over time.

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And now for something completely different...

Stupid pet trick of the day: Talking starlings have a habit of shuffling words around or squishing them together. This is a well-known trait, and not exclusive to Baby the Talking Starling Who Lives At My House. The roommate told him so often that he was "a sweet, sweet baby bird" that he started saying, "Sweet, sweet baby bird." Apparently that was too much of a mouthful because he took the "sw" of sweet and the "aby" of baby and has now started saying, "Swabbie!" He's very enthusiastic in his use of the word.

My dad, the former Marine, told me lots of stories about swabbies, none of them flattering, and a bad influence on babies of all sizes and species. So I've inquired of Baby if he's sure he wants to be talking about them. He just replies, "Swabbie!"


Random quotes of the day:

"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."

—Bertrand de Jouvenel


"Happy is the child whose father goes to the devil."

—16th century proverb

Disclaimer for the Quote(s) of the Day:

These quotes do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, The Universe or its subsidiaries, Leonard Maltin, Siegfried and Roy, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However, they frequently reflect the views of the Cottingsley Fairies.