The Red Cross doesn't want my Gift of Life

The good folks volunteering at the MIT blood drive today gave me a thumbs-down for donating until August. You see, 6 months ago, I was Seoul for a conference, and my buddy Scott and I took a half-day trip to see the DMZ. Turns out we are at risk for malaria. That said, it was well worth the loss of donating privileges. The demiliterized zone is a 2 km wide swath of heavily mined ground that spans the width of the Korean peninsula. In addition to the intended result of preventing Koreans from killing each other, the DMZ has also given myriad birds and flowers a sanctuary to grow unmolested for 50 years. It's just about the only temperate preserve left on earth. I bet larger animals find it tough going though.

Welcome

I am planning to make some banana pancakes real soon, to celebrate this gloriously sunny Saturday morning. As a rule, no one wants to read about what I'm doing in a play-by-play sense, but I think it's fitting to make an exception when I make pancakes.
Mmmm bananas.