Stormy weather amended

Of course, no sooner had I signed off last night and snuggled down under the covers to watch "Pushing Daisies" in bed, the real storm arrived - lightning, thunder and rain so hard it sounded like the ocean was washing over the top of my apartment. It was the kind of storm I used to hunt when I lived in Aurora -- spectacular.

I interviewed a Coastal Carolina University student today who is testing shark repellents made from dead sharks. Well, from the chemicals emitted by the rotting flesh of dead sharks, to be more specific. No wonder they call it "repellent." The word "stink" doesn't even begin to describe that nast.

Allegedly, some of the repellents are not smelly at all -- I guess those are the ones they will make sunscreen out of.

One more reason not to swim here: Sharks. Bull sharks, tiger sharks, blacktips, lemon sharks and those creepy freakin' hammerheads. No swimming. Maybe not even any wading.

However, I have decided what I'm doing for my birthday this year: Going down to Florida to swim with these:

Manatees! I cannot wait. There's a refuge, or shark-free zone, as I like to call it, and the tour only lets in a few people a day. You're not allowed to pursue the manatees, you have to wait for them to come to you. But once they do, they want their bellies scratched and their backs rubbed and they like to snuggle. I cannot really think of anything better, unless the manatees also like to listen to Cheap Trick while they are snuggling. But what are the odds?