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Notes and observations from a day at Seaworld.

A couple weekends ago, Amy and I both had the day off and a free ticket, so we headed over to Seaworld for the day. She apparently has been there a number of times, but this was my first visit and a great visit it was. [Update: My sister informs me that I did once go in California. This doesn't affect the following in the slightest.] No one thing constituted enough for an actual story, which accounts for the delay, but I figured I would share with you, in no particular order, a few random notes and observations:

• Scottish people, or (if you prefer less stereotyping) one particular Scottish couple, have absolutely no sense of personal space when standing in line. Even when, in an effort to guard both my rearend and that of my girlfriend, I deployed the BufferFoot™ (a foot unnaturally place further behind me that the rest of my body) they particular individuals were capable of repeatedly bumping us. Incredibly, at one point, she shoved me with her general rotundnesses while having moved forward enough to be straddling the aforementioned BufferFoot™. There was almost a fight.
• Dolphin shows are unmeasurable more fun when sitting in the midst of a virtual smörgåsbord of international tourists taking advantage of the cheap dollar. German to the left. English to the right. Swiss in front. Spanish behind. General crowd noises should always be in 10 languages. We should see about making this happen.
• Clydesdale horses are tall.
• Little did I know, I am extremely fascinated by penguins. Despite the fact that pretty much all they do is stand around in the cold, I find that all I want to do is stand there watching them stand there. I really want someone to go plant a video camera in some arctic field and pipe the feed to TV station so I can have that be my default channel.
• The lovely walrus couple are in need of a privacy curtain.
• Amazingly, multiple signs, painted warning seats, and audible warnings are not enough to get it through to people that they are sitting in a splash zone, and that if they continue to be in a splash zone, perhaps with their newborn child in their lap, they are going to get wet, and that water will be both salty and dirty.
• Dolphins are born with floppy fins. Their mothers thank them.
• Trained animals impress me. Trained animals that respond correctly when things go wrong impress me so much more.
• Puffin, when bathing, look something like a bird whose swollen tushy is making it hard to swim with its head above the water. Amy is deeply concerned about birds with swollen tushies that make it hard for them to swim with their heads above the water: concerned enough to inform the nearest Seaworld worker. It was cute.