Status Update_ Today, I Learned About Blue Lobsters

Of course, when one mentions the word lobster, you either think of an overrated American chain restaurant (Red Lobster), Maine or the '80s New Wave band from Athens, Ga., the B-52s (pictured here).

But, until I read a story in the current issue of "Mental Floss" by Adam K. Raymond, I was not fully aware of blue lobsters. According to Raymond, one in every four million lobsters are blue. They are this color because of a gentic defect.

We tried to get a picture of a blue lobster up here, but they were quite difficult to hotlink.

If one wants to learn more about lobsters in general, I highly recommend Trevor Corson's excellent 2004 book "The Secret Life of Lobsters." Corson also wrote "The Story of Sushi."

Within a few days, we are hoping to let you know how far apart Portland, Maine, is from Altoona, Pa., in case you really, really want to know!

Silly Photo to Fill Space_ Big Lobster

Unlike my sister and brother-in-law who reside in a nice plush mansion in Provo, Utah (that is an in-joke), I can not afford to eat lobster every night. But, I'm not sure I would want to eat one quite this big. As author Trevor Corson said in his book "The Secret Life of Lobsters," when it comes to lobsters, bigger is not neccessarily better. Ahh, this brings back memories of my trip to Belfast, Maine, back in the summer of 2007. As one might expect, there are lots of lobsters up there!