Congratulations, you've made it through the week!

First, a couple of quick updates. Happy Friday the 13 th , in October, no less: spooooky If you’re in Aotearoa New Zealand, make sure to vote! Fat Bear Week has identified a clear winner, with Grazer gaining the most votes . Like her name implies, she is very good at eating, but in previous years she had to feed a cub or two. This year, she had no cub to look after so she was able to pack on those pounds all for herself. Here’s her before-and-afters: Grazer looking quite svelte in early July   Grazer by the end of September:   Those beautiful manhole covers I mentioned last week? Turns out you can buy some of them . At least, you can if you live in Japan. I shudder to think of the overseas shipping cost if you order them from anywhere else…   Hokay, now Have a Happy Thought: Auckland Council recently published a report of the most (and least) common names for dogs, as registered in the reg...

Have a Happy Thought:   One time, when I was hiking a part of the Appalachian Trail, I came across a sign that just said: Look up! Admittedly, I had been staring at the ground, puffing and panting up a hill. And when I followed the sign’s instructions, I was granted a beautiful view over a river valley.     Today, though, I am reminding you that sometimes it’s good to look down, as well – especially if you happen to be walking city streets in Japan.   In the early 1980s, city governments decided that one way to get citizens interested in building, upgrading, and maintaining underground water systems (stormwater and wastewater – 2 of the 3 waters for those counting in New Zealand) was to put unique designs on the manhole covers. So each city/town government got to work designing something unique, and the results are quite beautiful. To the point that you may want to go Drainspotting on your next visit.   Some covers are subtle enough that you ...