this probably does not distress anyone but me

Laser eye surgery among Navy recruits is shifting servicemembers' career choices.

Perfect Vision Is Helping and Hurting Navy

More young midshipmen are going into flight, fewer into submarines. "Some people also might see submarines as a less glamorous service assignment," they say. HA! What do they know about it?

Okay, maybe a little bit. My eyes smarted when I read about the eye surgery--that stuff creeps me out, I could never consider having it done if I didn't absolutely require it. I guess I'll always be a submarine girl.

Unfortunate news from Chicago

Despite the freakishly cool weather, summer is still bringing out the worst in the city's criminal youth, as reported by a friendly watchdog in the city's far-north Rogers Park neighborhood. (Fargo is a great source for neighborhood news and pictures, which you should read if you're interested in a ground-level view of the city.) I work in this neighborhood from time to time, and I feel a little protective of it. However, it has the same problems that the rest of the city does.

Chicago is considering an ordinance to allow dogs in restaurants. Chicago is supposedly a quite dog-friendly town, and already we have a Take Your Dog To Dinner night, where the pooches get gourmet and the restaurants get fined for participating. The department of public health worries about contamination. A professor of animal science worries about dog obesity. I worry that after the LATimes readers hear the names of the dogs interviewed for the story (Princess? Star? Mitzie? Prada?), they and their pets will decide to spend their tourist dollars elsewhere.