The Life Aqueous

So, lots of water-based happenings these last few weeks. First, I flew over several great lakes several times, and had many musings about Lost and Todd's "Sole Survivor" post, which were a bit morbid but fortunately I was distracted from them by the glory of flying.

Until last week, I hadn't flown since...I think winter of two years ago. I'd forgotten how much I liked it. It's probably very cliched to say such things, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi to seeing everything melt away into vaguely defined networks of roads and the motley of farm fields. You also get to be reminded of how ugly cities are, but by that same token I got to leave the urbanized parts of Michigan we were flying over and pass into the comparative verdant western New York.

Then there was the most tragic news I've heard in a while (also aquatic-based, as it happened while filming underwater) - much worse than those poor astronomers in the underworld - Steve Irwin had died. I don't know how many episodes of his show I'd watched, at Grandma's house and my own, and realizing that he had more balls than all of upper-class Victorian England and a McDonalds play pit combined. I have to respect the ability to truly revel in the most diverse and dangerous beasties nature has to offer. R.I.P. Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.