A few things have piqued my interest as of late. I’ll share them here.

Did anyone see the story about the guy who tried to smuggle the monkey on an airplane by hiding it under his hat? This has me baffled on several different levels. Did he really think he was going to get a monkey from Peru to New York without anyone noticing? How in the world did he clear customs in Florida when he entered the country? The people checking him out must be the same people that “serve” me at various businesses here in the Sunshine State. Not all that bright, obviously. Good thing he didn’t have a gun under his hat.

What about the story regarding how branding has affected even toddlers in the US? In case you missed it, young children were given various types of food and asked how good it was. The food wrapped in McDonald’s wrappers, even if it was something like baby carrots, was rated higher by the kids. Unbelievable. Anyone who says advertising in this country has a nominal effect on children really needs to read this story. Now, I just need to save up those wrappers so I can give them to my kids wrapped around delicious liver and brussel sprouts.

Does anyone care that Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s homerun record? I thought I would be angry at this point, but all I feel is utter indifference. I saw the story this morning when I got up, and I thought, “Huh, he did it.” That’s sad to me. I can’t believe a guy I used to cheer furiously for as a Pirates fan has sucked the life out of the game for me. He has become the proverbial wet blanket on the fire that was my enthusiasm. Thanks, Barry.

On a final note, I have to confess one of my bizarre foibles. Yesterday, I realized the extent of my depravity. I wear Hanes ankle socks when I wear running shoes. Somehow, I ended up getting two different kinds…some with the word Hanes in red and some with the word Hanes in black. Now mind you, the word is sewn on the sole of the sock under the toes. So, you obviously can’t see it when you’re wearing the socks, even if you’re not wearing shoes. Well, you guessed it. I cannot wear one red and one black. I honestly tried. It’s been a while since I’ve done laundry, and I could only find one of each yesterday. I looked at them, thought it through, then put them on. After about five minutes of walking around in them, I freaked out. I couldn’t take it. I took them off and changed into Birkenstocks. Something is seriously wrong with me.