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Mon, Jul 14, 2025

6:01pm EDT

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Carrion Luggage

by Robert Waltz

Rated: 18+ · Book · Opinion · #2336646

Items to fit into your overhead compartment

Carrion Luggage

Native to the Americas, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) travels widely in search of sustenance. While usually foraging alone, it relies on other individuals of its species for companionship and mutual protection. Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, sometimes shunned, it nevertheless performs an important role in the ecosystem.

This scavenger bird is a marvel of efficiency. Rather than expend energy flapping its wings, it instead locates uplifting columns of air, and spirals within them in order to glide to greater heights. This behavior has been mistaken for opportunism, interpreted as if it is circling doomed terrestrial animals destined to be its next meal. In truth, the vulture takes advantage of these thermals to gain the altitude needed glide longer distances, flying not out of necessity, but for the joy of it.

It also avoids the exertion necessary to capture live prey, preferring instead to feast upon that which is already dead. In this behavior, it resembles many humans.

It is not what most of us would consider to be a pretty bird. While its habits are often off-putting, or even disgusting, to members of more fastidious species, the turkey vulture helps to keep the environment from being clogged with detritus. Hence its Latin binomial, which translates to English as "golden purifier."

I rarely know where the winds will take me next, or what I might find there. The journey is the destination.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Richard ~ Looking for Luck!

about 8 hours ago
In response to "Bug Out"

I think a horn rock band I played in back in the seventies opened for Porcelain Flea Bombs once ... but the seventies were a long time, and a lot of Jack & Cokes ago.

Stik to My Own Beat

about 22 hours ago
In response to "Bard to the Bone"

I should ask Laurence (the creator responsible for Lost in the Pond) if he's aware of this project at his alma mater. He was a linguistics major and did theater work during his uni days.

1 Like

Wordsmitty ✍️

Jul 12, 2025 at 1:03pm
In response to "Tip Top"

On most receipts these days, at the bottom is a "tip suggestion" that lists three options, anywhere from 10% to 35% (yes! I've seen 35% listed is a normal restaurant, not a fancy expensive one) depending on who setup the numbers. Even the electronic machine reciepts where you "touch" which you want mostly have this. Those also have a "custom" option if the 35% isn't enough for you big spenders or it doesn't have what percentage you want.

By the way, I got to the end and figured someone forgot to correct the last quote that there isn't common sense but, for here, we should be using common cents.

2 Like

Sum1

Jul 12, 2025 at 11:58am
In response to "Tip Top"

I'm with you on the excess tipping Bob. Especially #1. Having served tables for 15 years (to get off the couch and make a little extra money at night), I know how it can be. In the old days.... you know, before the massive minimum wage increase, servers in Illinois made far less than minimum wage (and still do, but it's more than it was). Their tips were meant to allow a server to at least make minimum wage. I also just double the total amount (unless we're talking about a $300 check, which is not something I do often), then I might tip based on pre-tax. Some restaurants include a percent increase automatically. I asked about it once. I was told it was to make up for lost earnings during COVID. Yeah, I don't dine at places like that once I see that. Not even when I was on expense account while traveling.

1 Like

🌖 HuntersMoon

Jul 12, 2025 at 11:26am
In response to "Tip Top"

I've been discovering the world of tipping... in Mexico. EVERYTHING gets tipped. The bagger at the grocery store (and you have to bring your own bags. Nothing is provided), the delivery guy if he unboxes and takes the trash, the coffee guy, the water guy (yes, we have water delivered. It's a service of the HOA). The good news? It's generally just $1 or $2.

1 Like

Lazy Writer est 4/24/2008

Jul 11, 2025 at 12:51pm
In response to "Blood Relation"

Very interesting and funny too. The ants under the skin part is making me itch!

Richard ~ Looking for Luck!

Jul 11, 2025 at 9:41am
In response to "Blood Relation"

"Of course it's a new blood type. It's only an antibody if it's from the Antibody region of France."

My favorite line, luckily, I had just swallowed my gulp of coffee.

4 Like

🌖 HuntersMoon

Jul 11, 2025 at 9:39am
In response to "Blood Relation"

Just can't leave well enough alone! Why isn't 8 (accounting for +/- Rh) sufficient? What are the odds that a screwy antigen is going to make a difference? I guess we have to keep the scientist employed and out of trouble.

2 Like

🌖 HuntersMoon

Jul 10, 2025 at 3:47pm
In response to "Mind Control"

@ Soldier_Mike That's because SkyNet hasn't evolved yet. Once it does, however...

For the uninformed, see The Terminator. Skynet, created by Cyberdyne Systems, will become self-aware and trigger a global nuclear war to bring humankind to its extinction. See any similarities to Grok and Starlink?

2 Like

Soldier_Mike

Jul 10, 2025 at 2:26pm
In response to "Mind Control"

My flip phone still works - it's the network that's gone dark.

2 Like

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