I miss my beautiful, choppy Lake Monona more than I can even express, but, one of the nice things about paddling the Chain of Lakes, is that it is a chain, and so while one lake may be so wavy that you quickly realize you're a moron for not having a bilge pump, another lake is just a calm, reflective pool.

It's a nice combination, because when you're paddling in waves, you're literally just thinking about the waves and focusing on the effort it takes to navigate through them. It's an exhilarating way to clear your mind. Which is perfect, because when you return to calmer waters, your emptied mind is ideally positioned to wander. I thought I'd share some of today's paddling thoughts as launch pads for discussion:

• Don't you hate it when a song you love is used to promote a product you hate? In this case, I was thinking of Santogold's Lights Out, which is used in Bud Light Lime commercials. It's ironic, because Santogold is delightful & refreshing, while Bud Light Lime is...not


• When there's a great sale on a product you love, do you secretly worry that it's because it's being discontinued and you should stock up like it's the apocalypse or are you just content with your good fortune?


• How did the Germans become the adorable, fun darlings of the World Cup? Is it the influence of the Poles on the team?


• Does anyone else think that they can tell the month by the particular contrast between the blues of the sky and the water? I'm pretty sure that I can.


• Are you better off having short hair or a ponytail in the summer?


• One of my favorite things about one of my former employers is that I can look on Facebook and see that, for example, the Marketing VPs are friends with one of the maintenance guys and the cook in the company cafeteria. HR people want to use social media to screen candidates, but wouldn't it be nice if candidates could screen companies like this to get a better idea of the culture and personality of the company leadership?


• I always feel a bit depressed this time of the year because I feel like summer is half over already. Of course, it's not. But, when I was a kid and going back to school in mid-August it was. Will I ever fully adjust to adult time, rather than student time?


• I just bought some 100% DEET bug spray and now I feel vaguely guilty about it, but I shouldn't should I? I mean, the natural bug spray doesn't actually work. You've gotta go with DEET. As much as we many not like it, I'm convinced that there are quite a few things (antiperspirant comes to mind) where the natural product is just a waste of money.


• I saw a Jeep (estimated mpg 15-20) with a "FUBP" bumper sticker. You know, I'm pretty sure BP didn't blow up their oil rig (killing their own workers) just for fun. It was a horrible mistake, which I'd think someone driving a Jeep could relate to.


• Is there any holiday celebrated more perfectly than a typical 4th of July? You grill, drink, watch a parade and then blow stuff up. We often torture ourselves trying to decide what the Founding Fathers would think of our modern world, but I think we can rest assured that they would fully approve of Independence Day. And that's without even showing them the inspiring movie speech!