A few notes from here and there:

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I'll be in sunny Southern California later this week visiting my brother and his family. I'm using up my frequent flyer miles from the last two years of mission trips to Kenya! I'm hoping to do a photo feature when I return.

Speaking of mission trips, I am continuing to make plans to go to Bolivia this summer.

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The reports about this week's bomb scare in Boston have almost all gotten one detail wrong. The show which the mysterious electronic devices were intended to promote, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," does not technically air on Cartoon Network. Several years ago, Cartoon Network started a block of late-night programming aimed at adults. The programming block was called "Adult Swim." It became a huge success from a demographic and advertising standpoint because it was heavily watched by young men, college age or a little older. That's a demographic which doesn't watch much TV, so the shows those young men do watch are especially desirable to certain advertisers.

In order to take advantage of this, Time Warner split Cartoon Network and Adult Swim into separate channels for business purposes. That way, they could promote Adult Swim as one of the leading channels for reaching this coveted young-male demographic. Even though they are found at the same position on the dial, they are technically two different programming services. The Nielsen ratings list them separately. So "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" airs on Adult Swim, not on Cartoon Network.

I'm about 20 years past the intended demographic for "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," and I hated it when it first came on the air. I actually got to like it after a while, although I think it's gone downhill in the most recent season, becoming consistently vulgar for the sake of vulgarity rather than occasionally vulgar as a byproduct of being a surreal, cutting-edge comedy. There was one recent episode, which I can't really describe in a family newspaper, that really soured me on the show.

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I got serious about losing weight after a doctor's appointment in early December. I've been trying to eat better -- while still giving myself permission to splurge for special occasions. I have been staying away from regular sugary cola. I bought a regular cola by mistake last week, having meant to get a diet cola, and when I realized my mistake I actually poured out the remaining two thirds of it.

I also joined the Shelbyville Recreation Center in early January. I thought I would be bored to death, but I'm actually enjoying it.

Not that I'm complaining, but I am really surprised that the Rec Center isn't better-used. I think it's an excellent deal for the money, and new director Sylvia Pinson has big plans to make improvements to it. The indoor pool was out of commission for a while this month, but before that I was flabbergasted at having it almost to myself. On one or two occasions, I did have it all to myself. I felt almost guilty one day when the lifeguard, who was working on something in the pool office, had to come out and climb into the chair when I showed up.

By the way, I had to stop by the doctor's office on an unrelated matter last week and I had lost, in the eight weeks since my visit in early December, 13 pounds.

John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government and other topics. His home page is lakeneuron.com.