Tag: Random Weirdness

Spanish Pigeon Sport!

La Suelta: a female with a marked feather is turned out with a pack of gaudily- painted males, flying pouters of the “Modern Deportivo” breed, who are… a bit hyper- macho; examples below. The one who seduces her home wins- it takes days. Big money prizes, state involvement– Suelta madness!

Even Odder Riding Rhyme

I posted on my childhood “trotting rhyme” from the Piedmont earlier, but Peculiar found a modern one that is… well, merely descriptive words fail. It is about riding on a Tardigrade, the enigmatic microscopic beastie also known as a “water bear”. I want a bonny tardigrade to serve me for a steed. I’d harness him …

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Separated at Birth?

Peculiar and Mrs Peculiar have been regular patrons of the Santa Fe Opera since they were students at St John’s there. Mr P has always had a sideline in opera criticism (use search on the O & P blog for older examples), in addition to his guiding and photography. His review of the normal fare …

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Food Quote

“If bacon ate, it would eat poutine.”– Chris Jones, in Esquire Perhaps Foie Gras Poutine. As the writer says, “Not for the weak.”

For Annie D

Are Geladas different from true baboons? UPDATE: She replies “Too different. That’s why I broke up with him.” (The Kapcha wouldn’t let her in). She also made a point about aposematic coloration, convergent evolution, geladas, and black widow spiders–! Later, maybe…

Just for fun…

What is this? (Sent by Jonathan Hanson) UPDATE: (Jonathan): “Apparently you screw it into a log or something, stick a piece of bait on the hook, and when something pulls on it . . . bang. Twenty two caliber.”

Fenton, Light

James Fenton is a serious poet and has written some chilling ones (Tom McIntyre remarked that being in Cambodia in the bad days might give you a rather chilly view of human nature). His new collection Yellow Tulips: Poems 1968- 2011 (available only from the UK so far) has plenty of those, and melancholic and …

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