Most Expensive Warplane Built So Far Taken Down By Tiny Bird

 I said years ago that the F-35 sucks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFo-5TBIRPI

When I tried to share the above video on Facebook, I got this:

How To Think Like A Machine

 

My Fort Gordon Alligator Encounter

 

I was stationed at Fort Gordon (now Fort Eisenhower) from January 2018 to May 2021. One night in April of 2021, I met with an alligator near the Leitner Lake campground. 

There is a big sign on a gate near the campground that says "WARNING: ALLIGATORS". The gate is on the boundary between Upper and Lower Leitner Lake. 

Late one night, I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk on the trail that loops around the upper lake. Bad idea, it turns out. I mistakenly thought that since alligators are cold-blooded, they are inactive at night. Oops.

It was just light enough that I could see, but not clearly. Not taking a flashlight was my second mistake. Seems it was mating season; the gators were out in force and ornerier than usual. As I walked around the lake, I could hear splashing noises that kept getting louder.

Suddenly, a large shape bolted out of the water and scampered into the woods. It was hard to tell how big it was, but it sounded big. It was at this point I decided it was time to head back to camp posthaste. I heard another loud splash, so I decided to fight fire with fire and let out an intimidating shout, a technique I learned from World of Warcraft. 

I walked at a brisk pace back to camp, periodically yelling and clapping my hands whenever I heard a splash or a gator bellow. 

I made several foolish decisions that night and was lucky to come away unscathed. My adventures in Africa gave me a false sense of security. After all, after you've eaten lunch a few feet away from a bunch of wild hippos. there's not much left to be afraid of.

"In the jungle you must wait until the dice read 5 or 8" - Jumanji