HONK HONK RIBBIT-BOOM!

Good morning! Did you sleep well? I did. And it's been a good morning, thus far. I worked on some under-the-covers blog code, watched some Sliders, had some croutons. Paddy O'Wife isn't up yet, so I've yet to place my "soon to be ignored" breakfast order.

So what's going on? --Whoa, check this out:

Exploding Toads Baffle Scientists

More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and German scientists still have no explanation for what's causing the combustion, an official said. ... The toads at a pond in the upscale neighborhood of Altona have been blowing up since the beginning of the month, filling up like balloons until their stomachs suddenly burst.

That's a bit disturbing. My apartment overlooks a pond and if I saw toads exploding in it, I'd be glued to the window like a cat. I might even start meowing. How do people react to exploding amphibians?

For that matter, how do geese? We've got plenty in the pond. Imagine if they were swimming around, honking to their heart's content, when suddenly RIBBIT-BOOM -- French cuisine everywhere! The geese might scatter, never to return, or they might stick around for the frogs' legs buffet. Either way, it'd be a hell of a story for their yearly migration.

"Hey, Gus, long time no see. How was your mating season?"
"Not bad, Gus. Lined up a couple of nests in Poughkeepsie, NY."
"A couple, eh? Not bad. I just got one, myself. Not terriby exciting."
"You want to hear something exciting? Check this out. I was swimming along, singing 'H is for Honking' one afternoon --"
"I love that song!"
"Good to know. Anyway, there I was, swimming around and tormenting at least a dozen cats in a dozen windows --"
"Oh, that's fun. If they ever got their claws on us... Whoa, buddy, watch out! Good thing they're under glass."
"Yes, yes. As I was saying, I was swimming around when I saw a frog swimming near the fountain --"
"What kind of fountain? Lighted?"
"I don't know. ANYWAY... I was at the high point in the chorus when all of a sudden I heard RIBBIT-BOOM!"
"RIBBIT-BOOM?"
"RIBBIT-BOOM! That's the sound a frog makes when it explodes. Must have been a German frog."
"... What?"
"Read the news, you ignorant goose."

You can imagine where the conversation goes from here.

The point is this: exploding toads are exciting news items for fowl migrations. And geese rudely interrupt each other.

Ribbit! I'm feeling a little gassy.

Today is "Math Anniversary" Day. Happy (83 + (4 * 59))th, Principia Mathamatic.