I'm not positive that the temp* working at the front desk of my apartment building is wearing pants.

*The regular employees are at their holiday party.

I realize that we are on different ends of the age spectrum. But my wife and I were talking.. . we have a kid that is leaving for college, next year, so my wife, goes, matter-of-factly, "well there won't be much to to next year except have a lot of sex."

She said that while I had a mouthful of wine. . .the wine did not stay in.

I love you people.

I'm sorry occhi! I slid on a patch of ice tonight on the bikeway and busted my arse. No real harm done, it probably won't even bruise. I was laughing as I got up, and later I did a little math and realised this notable fact:

I have wrecked a bike on ice at least once every single winter since 1988. I'm not sure if that's any sort of record, or even a statistic to be proud of, but it does say two things.

1) I am truly hopeless, and perfectly at ease with that fact.

2) If I can't be an inspiration, at least let me serve as a horrible example. Really: there is nothing to be gained by riding a bicycle on ice. It never ends well.

Steve gets a new job in The Big City. He notices that there’s a revolving bar up at the top of his office building, so one day after work he decides to go up there and check it out.

As he steps off the elevator, he’s a little disappointed to see that the place is nearly empty. In fact, there’s just the very bored looking bartender and one in a blue 40’s-style suit with a whole bunch of empties in front of him. “Oh well”, Steve thinks to himself, “I’ll just get a quick drink as long as I’m here and then head home”.

When Steve orders his drink, the guy in the suit looks over at him for a moment, grabs his double scotch and moves over to the barstool next to Steve’s. Steve is a little unsure at first, but the guy seems pretty friendly. Besides, Steve doesn’t really know anyone in town and is grateful for the company. Pretty soon the guy in the suit is buying drinks and telling jokes and it’s been a couple of hours and Steve’s lost track of how many drinks.

The guy in the suit walks over to the window and says, “Hey Steve, c’mere. I wanna show you something.”

Steve finishes his drink and wobbles over.

The guy says, “Watch this”. He then climbs out on the ledge, turns and faces Steve, smiles, and steps off the edge. Horrified, Steve looks out to see if he can grabs his new friend in time, all the while expecting to see him plummeting down to the sidewalk below. Instead, he sees the guy sort of hovering about ten feet below the window ledge, and then slowly drifting back up. As soon as he’s level with the ledge again, he neatly drops down upon it, takes a little bow, and steps back inside the bar.

“What the hell was that?”, cries Steve.

“It’s something I figured out awhile back. I guess there’s an updraft from the building across the street or something. Hell, I don’t know how it works – all I know is, it’s a blast! You should give it a try.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely, my friend. You’ll be kicking yourself tomorrow if you don’t.”

And with that, Steve climbs out on the ledge. He’s a little nervous, but the guy in the suit gives him a “thumbs up”. Steve gives him a salute, steps of the edge, and plummets 39 stories down into the cold hard sidewalk.

The guy in the suit leans out to watch, gives a little chuckle and goes back to the bar.

The bartender shakes his head. “Damn. You're a mean drunk, Superman.”

occhiblu, may I recommend the jerboa video from Tuesday? I turned the sound off and have been watching the hopping section over and over.

Hop! Hop! Hop!

Small, cute animals who are completely indifferent to my problems. I love them.

Also- there's a very pretty crescent moon in the mist, though it'll be setting any minute.

Topaz is not happy to share her sweet potato with new intruder.
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Topaz is the wombat, Sesame the emu.

Baby eating squids
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NOM NOM NOM

Wombat! Jerboa!

Actually, the jerboa video's not loading for me. But the memory of the jerboa video lives on.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.

Really angry bunny
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Go to this post, and listen to the rendition of Goin to Acapulco from I'm Not There... a song which Oliver Wang describes as a "more erudite 'Margaritaville'." I don't know about that, but the song made my evening.

This is one of the stories I didn't think it right to relate in this thread:


My father used the names of me and my brother to get student discounts to magazines; when I became annoyed with this (WE weren't the one's reading them) he used the name of my dog. Daisy died sometime before a subscription to TIME ran out and was cremated. Apparently Daddy found a way he could subscribe more cheaply....we then started getting calls asking to speak to Daisy (last name). One day I picked up and REALLY wanted to tell the solicitor, "uh, she's in a can on the dresser".

occhiblu, why are you not in irc?
We could totally make you laugh there, I'm thinking.

hee, brujita!

Okay, here's mine:

With a recent Sunday newspaper we got a free National Geographic DVD that was an episode of their series "Is It Real?"

As I am prone to do, at some point I began to peruse the credits and other info on the back of the sleeve, then started laughing so hard, laughing, laughing, crying, laughing, that I could barely point out to my befuddled husband what had sparked all the hilarity.

It was the name of the producer.

Is it really that funny? No, it is not. But coming upon it all unexpected-like, it was an ambush - a joke ambush, I tell you - and readers, I succumbed.

This should be animated so the piece of grass gradually disappears into the animal's chomping mouth. I have no clue what this critter is, but damn, it's cute.
≡ Click to see image ≡

It's a Green-Tongued Munkchilla - cute but deadly.

or less fascinatingly, it might be a vole

Ah, apparently it's a Pika, or rock rabbit. If you're nice to them, they bring you flowers.

I want one of those immediately!!

If you're nice to them, they bring you flowers.

Wait 'til my husband hears that I'm weighing the notion of replacing him with a small rodent.

Pikas are on the list of North American animals I didn't know existed until I encountered them as a full-grown adult. See also:

Pine Marten
Kaibab Squirrel
Marmot

...and I did read National Geographic World gorwing up, so go figure.

Nice marmot, Miko.

Vole! With flowers!

Thank you all. I feel better today. Will read only happy news stories today, and I've got a bit of a break from counseling, all of which should help a bit with that whole "What the hell are we doing to each other?" feeling.

I will probably also go watch the kittens in the Macy's Christmas windows today, because that usually helps. Kittens!