Someday . . .

I chatted briefly with a young teen--maybe 14--alone at the coffee shop. There are about 570 kids from the Lima area here at Lakeside for camp. He had a fragile, geeky appearance. He's going to wow all the girls in about 5 years and probably grow into a self confident, capable adult, but right now I can tell he's really uncomfortable with his height and weight, skin, voice, and thoughts. But he was carrying his Bible. He's got a true friend who won't let him down.

Phoenix Bat Company

I saw Cheryl at the coffee shop this morning. Her sister and family were here for VBS--they come every year, no matter where they are living (Canada, Maryland, Nebraska). Cheryl rattled off the different places they were visiting--a goat farm, a whistle factory, a donkey farm, an ice cream plant, the Anthony Thomas candy factory, and this one, The Phoenix Bat Company in Plain City. Cheryl should go into the tour business.

My Dog won't bite

Famous last words. "Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites; half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. Injury rates in children are significantly higher for boys than for girls." [CDC Dog bite prevention]

At the coffee shop this morning a man drove up in a white Mercedes station wagon with vanity plates and OSU decals, and let his two large dogs out of the trunk area. Thinking he was going to let them roam the parking lot while he got his coffee I thought to myself how unsafe it was for his pets. But I was wrong. It was only unsafe for the customers because Mr. Dartmouth-Sweatshirt let the dogs into the glassed vestibule of the coffee shop where they waited, panted anxiously, and scratched at the glass while he leisurely got his coffee. Meanwhile, the customers coming in had to make their way around an overweight, long-haired shepherd mix, and an adult yellow lab, half the size of the other dog.

Dog owners casually say, "Oh, he won't bite," but statistics prove them wrong time and again. Even a minor bite can become infected, and often children (usually young and male) are victims of the dogs (usually young and male) with careless, naive owners (usually young and male). Also, given the thousands that are bitten each year, millions of people have been traumatized by a dog at sometime in their life and may be very anxious closed up in a small space with a strange dog.

All dogs will bite. Be safe. Be considerate. Leash your pet and don't bring him into a people only area where he will become anxious around strangers. Don't let him run loose in public areas--if you decided on a large breed that needs exercise, accept the responsibility and run with him at the end of the leash. If you don't listen to me, here's the web site of a personal injury lawyer. People sue for a lot less than have their face ripped off.

The real spill

I saw a former co-worker at the coffee shop and got up to greet her, knocking over a full cup of coffee, which splashed maybe 10 ft or so. We reminisced about the days the roof leaked in our library and we were always mopping up the floor or funneling water away from the copier and computers. As I was leaving and getting a refill, I saw another regular, the Orkin Man, and told him he'd missed my performance (he used to sing with a rock band). He told me he would have applauded.

Not sanitary

This morning I saw a young woman med-tech (I assume) standing beside a table smearing cream cheese on her bagel. She was in FULL regalia--stethoscope around her neck, scissors and rolled tape hanging from her belt, and some other bells and whistles I didn't recognized. I stopped at her table on my way to get my refill.

"Is that sanitary to wear your medical equipment to and from work?"

"I wipe everything down with alcohol wipes when I get to work and between patients."

"Wouldn't it be easier just not to wear it all outside the office?"

"I'm very careful about sanitation."

Some middle school student needs to use her as a science experiment.