Last Chance Gone

The late Douglas Adams wrote a book in 1990 entitled Last Chance To See, describing a number of critically endangered species. One of the species mentioned was the Yangtze river dolphin.

For that species, the last chance is gone.

"Anywhere But Here"

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the webcomic "Anywhere But Here"? (The full archives are hard to find; they actually begin here. If you decide to go through the archives, be patient. It starts slowly, but stick with it at least until Bill and Chuck show up.)

In today's strip, I particularly love the second and third rows, a sequence (complete with sound effects) straight out of Bugs and Daffy. Death scratching his head in puzzlement is icing on the cake.

Family

This year, for the first time in my life, I will be spending Christmas away from family.

Today, a large box showed up on my porch. Contents: an assortment of Christmas and birthday (Jan. 4) presents, from my entire family.

• A nice thick sweater.
• A pound of Sumatra Mandheling (one of my favorite strains) coffee beans.
• A BtVS wall calendar, and a Chargers calendar. (I also have a World Wildlife Fund calendar; I'll have to think about which to keep at home and which to put in my office.)
• A "doggy bag" dispenser (for cleanup during walks).
• A couple of Christmas albums, and ornaments for my first-ever all-by-myself tree.
• A little book of humor, dedicated to Douglas Adams (which is an immediate point in its favor).
• My Christmas stocking, which I've set aside until the day.
• A couple of personal, heartwarming items, whose nature I'll reserve.

Family is good. Thanks, all of you.