Those wacky neighbors

I have no idea what's going on here. Well, okay, that's not true. I have some idea. There's a hose connected to the exterior faucet that's set up to go through an open window into a bedroom. So how come I don't feel enlightened?

Rip van Winkle

The wife was at Whole Foods, and was approached by another woman.

Other Woman: Have you ever seen a man with a ponytail?
J: Sure.
Other Woman: No, a man with a ponytail! He's right over there (pointing at a cashier)

Very puzzling. Where has she been the last 50 years?

The blanket octopus

Yikes:

The male blanket octopus spends his existence drifting along waiting to meet with a female. If the male meets a female, he fills one of his tentacles with sperm and tears it from his body. He gives this sperm-filled tentacle to the female which she then uses to fertilize her eggs. Afterwards, the female leaves the male who floats away and dies.

Double yikes:

An unusual defense mechanism in the species has evolved: blanket octopuses are immune to the poisonous Portuguese man o' war, whose tentacles the female rips off and uses later for defensive purposes.

A European Cold War

I discovered today that the country of Liechtenstein refuses to recognize the governments of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and vice versa, because of post-WWII era laws and the confiscation of property belonging to the former Prince of Liechtenstein due to his links with Nazi Germany. When I was thinking about countries not recognized by other countries, I was thinking Israel or Abkhazia or Taiwan, not civilized Europe.

Wind advisory

It has been astonishingly windy in Austin these last few days. The winds are strong enough to slam a car door shut. I don't know why it's happening. What's especially strange is that it's 95 ° and sunny while it's happening. We'll occasionally get windy days when a front moves in, but nothing like this. Very strange.