MLK Day - Random Thoughts

A woman walks past the Sheriffs standing on duty in the Metro station.  Some of them are part of the K-9 unit, and have their dogs with them.  A certain big dog jumps up at the sight of the woman, not because she's African-American but because the dog loves sniffing her bicycle wheels.  She pets the dog, chats a second with the officers, and continues on to work with a smile that only petting a loving, goofy dog can bring out.

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At the top of our hike in Griffith Park today there were some people in their twenties singing, playing music and dancing.  The singing was some simple, African-sounding chant.  The instruments included a tambourine, a gourd covered in shaking beads, and something that looked like a bow.  But the dancing...it wasn't so much dancing as a kind of  couples t'ai chi - slow, rhythmic movements including taking turns swinging a leg over the partner's crouching body.  The seeming leader was a white guy in khaki shorts and sneakers; he took turns dancing with another white guy, a black girl, then a black guy.  At the end of each session he gave his opponent / partner a lovely platonic hug. 

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A mattress store is offering specials for its Martin Luther King sale.

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Cockatoo is off work tomorrow for Martin Luther King's birthday, a national holiday.  Cockatoo will spend the morning watching President Obama being sworn in for his second term.