Reptilian Respite

On Friday afternoon, I was sick and tired of seeing cold, glittering reptilian eyes, so I decided to stop reading about the Trump transition and headed down to the American Museum of Natural History with one of my old college roommates and his son to see the crocodilians exhibit. The awesome Dr Evon Hekkala receives some much deserved accolades in the exhibit, which features several live crocodilians, including African dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis) and some cute baby American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Another major centerpiece of the exhibit was a huge mounted taxidermy specimen of a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). There were fossil crocodilians on exhibit as well, and some interactive displays, such as an alligator vibration simulator:





This was a social visit, with an old friend and a grammar-school aged boy, so I didn't take copious notes. I tend to go to the exhibits multiple times (museum membership has its advantages), so I will write it up in a more thorough future blog post. I just wanted to get away from slimy, soulless reptiles for a while and see some Archosaurs.

Yesterday morning, at my volunteer coaching gig, we had an eleven-and-up girls group, a really fun group of students, some of whom have been with us long enough so we can teach them some of the throws with more 'oomph'... we were teaching them the major hip throw, O goshi, yesterday. Two of the girls in the group are identical twins, very athletic, pretty, nice, and smart girls who are instantly likeable. One of them told me at the end of the class that she would prefer to stay in the dojo rather than going to the pool for swimming:

"I wish we could stay here, I don't want to go swimming today."

"You really need to go to swimming, it's the most important thing you learn here, because it's one activity you might not have a choice to do or not to do."

"I'm a really strong swimmer, I've gone swimming in the ocean with riptides."

Thinking of crocodiles... "You've gone swimming in the ocean with reptiles? Saltwater crocodiles? Sea turtles?"

"Riptides. Riptides."

"Oh, sorry, I was at the museum of natural history yesterday and have crocodiles on the mind."

She's too nice of a girl to have called me a lunatic.