Doc: "Yeah... nightly ritual here. I remember a time before smart phones and the internet where you'd
see someone like that in a film and it would bug you for 3 days ...like that tune that won't go away."
This is the Death Ball Sponge, one of 30 new species discovered on a deep ocean expedition
spearheaded by Ocean Census and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.The specimen was found at
extreme depths, specifically at 3,601 meters (approximately 2.2 miles) deep in the South Sandwich Trench.
Unlike typical sponges that filter-feed on microscopic particles, the "death-ball" is a predator.
Its surface is covered in thousands of microscopic hooks that act like Velcro, snagging small
crustaceans (such as skeleton shrimp) as they drift by. Once prey is trapped, the sponge slowly
grows new cells over the animal to break it down and absorb it alive. Real fun at parties.
-- AI Search Information.
Doc: "They do have a point there."
Gage: "...two in fact..."
Kris: "Hahaha!! Oh my ! I do love Jayne Mansfield.
Love her daughter Mariska Hargitay from SVU too!"
Res: "I find it terrific that, back then the female stars kept their
clothes on and drove men wild with imagination."
The nurse, during my annual wellness check, suggested that
at my age I should have a bar in the shower. So, I took her advice.
Gage: "You know you have a drinking problem when..."
There's many different types of praying mantis in the world and a
whole sub-type of mantises called Flower Mantises.
This one is the Spiny Flower Mantis, Bulls-Eye Mantis or #9 Mantis
[Pseudocreobotra_wahlbergii]. They mimic their flowery surroundings to catch prey. Wiki Page
Molly: "She's smiling, she knows how good lookin she is!"
Fre: "I had no idea they could look like this . .very different ..and lovely.
I've only seen a few and they were all the stick kind."
Doc: "I love them. I'll occasionally find them in the yard and they don't have much
problem being handled. Here's a pic of one of those critters I found on the front porch."
Back around 1971, I lived in Anaheim, California for a short time [I lived everywhere for a short
time growing up, but I digress...]. Next door to our apartment was the Licorice Pizza record store.
Being a music fanatic, even back then, I would hang out in the store all the time, talk to the
staff, listen to new stuff, etc. After all, I couldn't afford to buy anything so the store was my
musical entertainment and they didn't regard me as a pest.
We eventually worked out an arrangement... I'd do menial chores around the place [basically
janitorial stuff] and they'd give me records in return. It was through these records that I
discovered Pink Floyd [Meddle] and Mountain [Flowers of Evil], to name a couple.
Obviously, I have very fond memories of the place.
Anyway, I always thought the name Licorice Pizza was very cool for a record store and this
was their logo, which I think is fantastic. I still have a shopping bag in the
garage with this logo on it. One of my prize possessions. -- Doc