Late August, in the Sea of Klaxons

Good Lord. It's been 20 years since Smilin' Mike took down the Iron Curtain. I remember the trains coming out of Hungary, so full that people were clinging to the tops of the carriages. Everyone was on pins and needles waiting to see what the Soviets would do, expecting the borders to close again any day, until it became apparent that Gorbachev was on the side of the reformers.

That was a remarkable time to have lived through. The World Wars had finally ended, after lasting 3/4 of the century, and Europe was returning to normal. The Warsaw Pact had been a menacing alien presence my entire life, and for years before I was born, and now in just a few weeks it just melted away and was gone, and everyone could live normal lives once more.

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I bought a new Cat Taxi for Flaster. I left it sitting out with the door open, so he'd get used to it. He evidently approves, since he's taken to sleeping in it.

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ZOMG! 1930s style goggles and linen helmets!

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The Chinese restaurant nearest my home has become, for reasons unknown to me, possibly unknowable to me, a favoured haunt of Somali expatriates. There's even a free Somali newspaper in the rack as you exit (I got one that had an article about the Ohio State Fair - I have no idea what it says).

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I got an aftermarket LED head (Nite Ize, with the Qoon mascot) for my trusty AA Maglite that I've carried for ten years or so. It took the output from 'bright' to 'painful'. Lots of UV too, so stuff glows.

I've always loved flashlights, ever since I was a child. There's something very high tech and empowering about being able to conquer the darkness with a little metal tube.

I wonder about replacing the white LEDs with actual UV LEDs. It would be handy for hunting UV-reactive rocks.