Mallory Square

"Jumping the Shark" is an entertainment term inspired by a later episode of the 70s sitcom Happy Days, when writers, desperate to hang onto a falling audience share, had Henry Winkler's character Arthur Fonzarelli, jump over a shark tank on a motorcycle -- for reasons that have been lost to time. Today the term is broadly applied to any form of entertainment that tries too hard. Of course, if jumping the shark were an actual form of entertainment, you'd probably find it at sunset at Mallory Square in Key West, and the guy or girl jumping the shark, would also be juggling fire. I don't know whether fire juggling is required to get a busking permit in The Conch Republic, but everyone does it. A guy on a unicycle limbos under a stick, juggling fire. A few feet away, a guy on stilts juggles fire. And across the square, a magician does card tricks and, . . . you guessed it. A troupe of trained six-toed cats . . . no, THAT really would be jumping the shark -- besides, cats don't have thumbs. The guy I feel sorry for is this fella, who trained his whole life to be a Key West fire juggler, only to discover, upon arrival, that he had to learn to play the bagpipes if he wanted to stand out. Personally, I'd have been more impressed if he'd juggled flaming bagpipes. That would  have been entertaining -- and noble.

The good stuff:

Circus supply stores

Afternoon naps

Dessert first

The way sportscasters' heads explode during the week that professional baseball, football and basketball seasons overlap.

Calliope tuners (who juggle fire)

Dueling dulcimers

Rain, out of season

Charity that begins at home, but spills over into the community

Flannel pajamas

Flan