Your Dennis-Kim Connection

If you were planning to catch a basketball game, who would you invite—Dennis Rodman or Kim Jong Un? I'll allow some time for the question to sink in.  (Pause) Apparently the pair caught a Harlem Globetrotter exhibition game together in North Korea. Do Rodman and Jong Un have anything in common besides the love of basketball? Regardless of what everyone else thinks, Rodman insists that he has found a new life-long friend in North Korea. Do opposites attract or do birds of a feather flock together?  What do you think about these pairings?

                                              http://youtu.be/AxYiLzWee84

“Hard to explain,” the announcer said. Another animal expert remarked that the animals fulfill each other’s needs. I agree with both statements. There has to be a common bond, an element that attracts two beings to one another. Yes, birds of a feather do flock together. So, where’s the Jong Un-Rodman connection headed? It started with basketball, but what else bonds them? I wonder if their friendship will deepen with Skype, texts, Facebook or long-distance phone chats?  How do you maintain a relationship with your best friend?  

At What Cost?

What’s the biggest, scariest bug you’ve ever seen? There are several countries I prefer not to visit because they grow their bugs large. One day I went to dump the trash out, but when I approached our entrance to go back inside, I saw it. On the front door hung a huge, scary bug essentially blocking my path and holding me hostage. Trapped! Once I finally summoned enough courage to move within a few feet of the door—I kid you not—the bug turned its head and looked at me. I could even see its eyes. My first thought was, “It’s watching me and it knows I’m here!” Creeeepppy!

During that time we were living in a big apartment complex.  I spotted a “neighbor” and signaled for at him to come over. I assumed he lived in the complex, too (there’s a lesson here somewhere). The man surveyed the situation.  I’m pretty sure he thought the bug was a biggie because when it moved, he jumped and he just didn’t tackle it with guns a-blazing like I had envisioned.  Did I feel slightly silly making a big deal over an insect and calling on a stranger for help? A little, but not so much after seeing this video:

Yes. That’s what trapped me outside—a preying mantis.  During a fight, they look like they’re strategizing, thinking and patiently waiting for right moment to attack. Don’t underestimate them. In this video, the snake underestimated the preying mantis and almost paid for it with its life.  Clearly, the preying mantis underestimated the snake’s determination to wiggle itself free. Who or what have you underestimated and at what cost?