Notes from Steve

I heard on the news this morning that a bunch of people were stranded on the way up to Mt. Everest - at the time I was writing this, everyone was accounted for and eating soup.   October is typically the time of year that is sunny and dry on this mountain, but a blizzard and rain and lightning, etc. hit and their lives were in peril.  From what I’ve heard, death is a strong possibility* when climbing to the summit of Everest.   My take on “life in peril” is I try not to put myself in a position where this might happen.  Like blowfish* - don’t serve me blowfish.  Or base jumping - I’m not going to do this either.

There is a dead bird in the backyard of my little brick house.  I keep looking at it hoping something will take it away.  I think it’s a woodpecker (… northern flicker I think …) and I think it flew into the building.  If I was a bird, I’d avoid flying into buildings, but I guess with winter coming all the animals in my backyard are frantically collecting as much food as possible.  Frantic behavior is never a good thing. 

We had a disaster drill the morning of October 4th.  We talked through what would happen, and we talked about how the media would be up and security and all the other fun details.  This is great because it hopefully reduces frantic behavior.  We all now know the possibilities and can anticipate the outcomes. 

When measuring the possibilities (both the good and the bad) of different events - like climbing Mt. Everest (good - saying you did it, bad - death), blowfish (good - living, bad - death), base jumping (bad … there is no good and death is probable) -- it’s important to be aware and practice caution.  Let’s be careful out there.

*one in one hundred … roughly 1%
**blowfish can be extremely poisonous due to tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin found in its liver, ovaries, skin, and other organs. Consumption of these toxic parts can be fatal, but the fish can be safely eaten when prepared by specially trained and licensed professionals who expertly remove the toxic organs. There is no known antidote for tetrodotoxin poisoning, making proper preparation crucial for preventing serious health consequences. 
 

*" squinny" is the local term in Des Moines.  I bark at them.