So this past week we had the sad (ahem) duty of heading out to Pacific Northwest in search of fruit for our upcoming new mixes (hush-hush!).  Our fruit hunt coincided with the nuptials of two dear friends, so we mixed a little business with a little pleasure, all the while basking in the breath-taking light of July in Washington State. 

We checked out some orchards in the humblingly heavenly San Juan Islands, where we stayed in a Tree House.  Actually, we stayed in a cottage called the Tree House, courtesy of our marvelous hosts from Isle Dream Cottages www.alldreamcottages.com, how's that for a shameless plug?), and out our window each night we got to watch a whale feeding in the channel.  Trying fruit all day, watching whales at sunset, sometimes this job really ain't so bad.

This didn't make many headlines, but while we were in Seattle some idiot went on a shooting spree at the Seattle area Jewish Federation, killing one woman and critically injuring 3 more.  Meet Naveed Afzel Haq, the latest excuse for man's inhumanity to man.  This absolute putz, this schmuck, thinks Israel is evil, so he decides to go on a rampage in Seattle?  That's like poisoning Lake Michigan because you have the L.A. Lakers.  That's like boycotting American Idol because you don't want to violate the second commandment, thou shall not worship false idols!  Some headlines labeled him insane, others a terrorist, but I'm just going to label him schmuck because it'll really tick off his worthless anti-Semite soul.

Anti-Semitism?  That's SO 2,000 years ago.  I mean, aren't 4,000 years of hating a culture enough?  When are we going to come up with a new anti-whatever-ism?  How about picking on Ecuadorians for a change?  Or how about the Greeks- everybody LOVES the Greeks.  They could stand to be taken down a peg; they could use a little humility for a change.

This awful Haq gets labeled a terrorist (he WISHES) and accused of savagery, but he's an AMERICAN. He gets to buy guns at Wal-Mart with the rest of us. Somehow we let this imbecile slip through the cracks in our system and turn into a moron with access to bullets.  He'd like to blame the Jews for all that's wrong, I'm sure plenty of Jews would like to blame fundamentalist Islam for this mess, but I think we should pick on the American education system.  As a culture we've got to create some checks so that fools like Haq can't violate his god's fifth commandment, and that should happen about the same time that the little brat is learning how to finger-paint.

Poem for the day:

Beneath the Ocean yonder plays my friend,

My brother, though he looks nothing like me.

He once drank milk and I once had a tail.

Through all four eyes of ours we the same see.

But he eats kelp or krill swimming fish

And I eat hamburgers and cheerios.

He inhales through a hole atop head,

while I just breath in through my little nose.

We're alike, as I say, though dif'rent too.

See, I have thumbs and fingers to grasp tight,

But he won't ever pick up anything,

I shoot and punch, but he can't really fight.

Does he pity me, no hole on my head?

Or pity us all for the curses we've said?