Oh David - there's an ad on TV these days about a new phone/web service and the theme is "more cats on the internet!"

My first thought was that it would be your personal idea of hell.

Yeah, I've seen that commercial. I thought of me too and my personal hell! Though, I don't think I muttered anything wittier than a purely sarcastic, "Just the thing."

When I was about 7 or 8 my friends and I went to the park by ourselves for a picnic. A man came up with a little toddler girl--his own, I assume--and then proceeded to expose himself to us. So even parents in the park can be really fucking creepy sometimes.

[edited to add spoiler font just in case]

Yeah, the security theater aspect is what struck me. Most pedophiles are not strangers on the street (or the playgrounds), they're people within the social networks of the children they abuse. Refusing adults unaccompanied by children access to playgrounds doesn't actually do much (if anything) to protect those children, who presumably are already accompanied by an adult anyway.

Totally.

I don't think I ever thought he was going to pick up a kid and run. But when he entered the play area, I definitely watched him for a few moments. Intellectually, I think civil liberties are very valuable but the parent in me was thinking "seriously, dude, you have the entire park to do your thing in. This is a kid area."

The parent in me wouldn't have been bothered. My aunt metal detects. Young adults and kids in their late teens often go to playgrounds (or did, before the paranoia police state) and lose change on the swings. It's prime turf for fun finds.

Intellectually, I think civil liberties are very valuable but the parent in me was thinking "seriously, dude, you have the entire park to do your thing in. This is a kid area."

I've developed what I call the "acknowledge" body language in response to people/situations where I feel suspected by strangers for some reason or other. I'll glance over, just enough to convey, "Okay, I know you're there, so I won't run into you. Other than that, I'm ignoring you."

I used to look for change in the area by my elementary school where parents let kids off. Quite a bit of change intended for lunch money and the like ended up in the gravel.

I had an archaeology professor who was a classical archaeologist specializing in coins. His years of practice meant he picked up $200 to $300 in change a year on campus.

I should add, it wasn't the metal detecting that was weird. But the guy just sort of charged in to the play area, under the equipment, sort of displacing kids as he went b

To me, that story is an example of how I "know" something is likely fine, but I still "felt" I intruded upon.

Yeah, in that case, he's being a rudesby and requires a Glower of Doom and a pointed, "EXCUSE ME???"

Makes me wonder if he'd lost something, but STILL. An explanation would be good.

Horseracing pitutures from the NYT archives.

(I didn't know that once there was steeplechasing at Aqueduct - is there still?)

Horsetalkhas an entire page of links to stories about cloned horses.

I kind of like that there are places where adults must be accompanied by a child just because there are so many places where children must be accompanied by an adult.

Ugh. I've hit a wall getting meds again. This is so frustrating.