Ocean faceplant Jul 29, 2009
I was at the beach this past weekend, boogie boarding amongst some fairly large waves, when I happened to catch the wrong wave at the wrong moment.  This particular wave was about five feet tall, and it happened to hit me full force on the head and drive me down a few feet to the ocean floor where I landed directly on my face.  It all happened pretty fast, but I remember thinking, "Oh crap, I snapped my neck and now I'm gonna drown."  I quickly hopped to my feet and stood in the waste-deep water trying to figure out if my body was still intact.  I decided that since I was standing, my neck probably wasn't broken.  I couldn't hear for a few seconds, which allowed me some time to check out my arms and legs to see if there were any exposed bones.  I asked Wendy if I still had all my teeth.  I was pretty sure I permanently disabled myself because of how hard I faceplanted, but aside from some cuts on my face and some blood-spitting, I was fine.  My neck was sore for a day or two, and the cuts are finally starting to heal.  The worst injury is probably the abrasion on the inside of my bottom lip caused by rubbing my face in the sand.  Inner mouth cuts take forever to heal. 

I couldn't help replaying the experience in my mind later that night, and I'm surprised how close I was to dying.  I essentially did the drunk-person-dives-into-shallow-water thing, except instead of diving I was propelled by a wave.  But really it was the same motion, thankfully with different results.  The thing is, I'm not new to the ocean.  I understand how waves work, and I've been tossed around before and not been able to figure out which way was up.  This was like that, except quite a bit worse.  And the other thing is, I had been boogie boarding for hours up to that point.  The waves had actually calmed down a little because it was low tide.  So I don't know if it was the perfect combination of time and place, or if I just happened to get hit by the most powerful wave in the ocean.  But I'm thankful to have all my teeth and not need a wheelchair for the rest of my life. #sports
Backup purchase Jul 29, 2009
One time I found the perfect pair of sneakers, so I went back to the store a few weeks later and bought a second pair as backup.  Last summer I found the best sandals I've ever worn, so I bought a backup pair of them as well.  I do this with jeans and shirts and a few other things because I have peculiar and picky tastes and am often disappointed by the newer version of something I already own.  I'm obviously not in the running for any fashion awards, but at least I can satisfy my silly little need for regularity. #lifestyle
Recorded voice Jul 29, 2009
Popular Science answers the question of why you don't like the sound of your recorded voice: 
"When you speak, the vocal folds in your throat vibrate, which causes your skin, skull and oral cavities to also vibrate, and we perceive this as sound," explains Ben Hornsby, a professor of audiology at Vanderbilt University. The vibrations mix with the sound waves traveling from your mouth to your eardrum, giving your voice a quality -- generally a deeper, more dignified sound -- that no one else hears. Through a loudspeaker or recording device, you pick up sound only through air conduction.
Entertainers and public speakers have a knack for getting over this. #science