A glorious birthday

A fire whirl shoots into the sky as flames from the Hog fire

jump highway 3 about 5 miles from Susanville, California

on July 20, 2020

In what was shaping up to be just another day in hood, my birthday suddenly took a turn for the better (and the bizarre).  First, I won a close set in tennis after my work day, 7-5, in the middle of a heat wave the L.A. Times called "climate change kindles extreme weather".  The weather has gotten so f*cked up there's even a new phenomenon called "Firenado"; a fire caused tornado.  For the first time in a long while, my hands became so sweaty it affected my game.  I kept wiping my hand on my shirt for temporary respites.

After tennis, I visited my kids in their backyard for pastries.  Before I took my first bite, I noticed a buncha flies feasting on something on the ground I couldn't identify.  I grabbed a fly swatter, and with my first swat killed 5 flies.  Wowzers - I've found my calling.  From that moment on, the day turned into a glorious massacre, the likes of which I'd never experienced.  By the time I was done, I'd counted 46 casualties (see below).  This wasn't just happy hunting.  I had to prove to myself my eye sight, hand-eye coordination and speed were intact, and with a kill ratio of 95%+ I passed with 'flying' colors.  During the rampage, I remembered the line from Vin Diesel's character Riddick in the movie Pitch Black (the first one), when he slashed a predator alien creature to pieces and said, "did not know who he was f*ckin' with".

My only regret was when I looked up, my kids had left the backyard in disgust.  I stopped and took the picture below before a regiment of ants began marching in.

August 18th, 2020 - the world is a
better place without 'em