by gekko at 9:14 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

For those who don't read May Contain Nuts (and why, pray, don't you?), you'll have missed this one. Seems some Chinese zoo keepers were worried about one of their chimps being lonely, so they gave him a television. He became addicted to certain programs and sat in front of the TV all day, even skipping meals to catch his favorite shows. They didn't want to take away the set, because they worried the chimp would get moody (they do not, apparently, believe in tough chimp love).

They recently found out a way to let the chimp exercise more by bringing a rabbit into its playground. It seems to be working well as the chimp keeps chasing the rabbit around.

Zoo turns lonely chimp into couch potato

'k, so who's gonna pay for therapy for the rabbit?

Of course, the ratings services and advertisers are totally going to want to know which shows the chimp is hooked on. I'll bet it's Mythbusters, for sure.

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by gekko at 1:12 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

She's 23 now and handling it with a beautiful matureness, but I could sense the panic of an eight year old in her voice when my daughter called me this morning.

She tried to shrug it off as one of the little twists of darkness life deals from time to time.

But, dammit. Not again.

When she was eight, she found an oddness in her beloved dog's eye. I captured that story, about cancer and putting a dog to sleep, here. That event marked her. She has ever since been fixated on black labs and the first thing she did when she moved into her own place was adopt a black puppy she swore would grow up to be a lab. Pringles is actually a border collie mix, rather than a lab. But he was her companion through many lonely nights at college, living alone for the first time in her life.

And when she discovered a very large tumor on Pringles this morning ... it was the eight year old child and her black lab all over again.

I just now got an update: The tumor is benign, easily operable, and nothing to worry about. Pringles, with love and care, will live to a ripe and energetic old age.

We can only hope.

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by gekko at 2:00 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

PJ's back

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by gekko at 12:06 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I'm not ashamed to say it, and I'm not sure why I need to express even that sentiment, and yet, oddly, I do.

The reason I feel compelled to make this statement stems from a comment I saw on Mark's blog. An excerpt from PJ's comment to there, quoted below, resonated with me. Not because my good friend PJ felt hurt by someone whom she admires and who chose to publicly whap her for being a guest blogger on that man's blog (well, maybe a little, because PJ in no way deserves any degree of scorn for being on friendly terms with a fellow human being). I comment primarily because what she stated resonated with me.

Obviously I'm now being judged because there are some rules I'm supposed to follow about who and who isn't deemed appropriate to associate with -- rules that I refuse to follow. I make my own decisions about who my friends are, and I make those decisions based on MY feelings, thoughts, and experiences. No one else's. Just my own.

It smacks of fifties-era small town Americanism. It smacks of high school. It smacks of childish petulance, the scorn some people exhibit when you're friendly with "the wrong sort."

But back to Mark. I like Mark. He's about as human as anyone else, which is to say prone to foibles, tempers, rushes to judgment, a human need to express opinions, share values. I don't always agree with Mark and, indeed, we've had our share of disagreements. And there are times when I shake my head and think, "Oh, Mark!" but move on because his kerfuffles are not usually my kerfuffles. As abrasive as Mark is -- and he is absofuckinglutely NO different than any of his detractors, hello -- he's also a genuinely sincere individual. He does search his soul and find where he's lacking, and he does attempt to make amends when he's decided he has done wrong.

I like him. In fact, I cannot think of a single person in the blogging world with whom I have interacted that I dislike.

So I don't understand this taking of sides, where to post on someone else's blog earns a person a derisive "I'm shocked to see you cosying (sic) up" comment. In addition to the derision, I see a level of anger I'd probably reserve for someone who caused real hurt, like libel that ruined someone's business or family situation. Exchanges of invective on blogs is just too superficial to cause much more than a quickening pulse for the moment.

An example? In the moldy past, Joe the Troll misunderstood something and smacked at me in one of my blog posts. I took him to task for it. I would've forgotten it, but then a few days later he smacked Mark for, among other things, misunderstanding things and reacting with invective. I posted a simple mild rebuke and Joe, so filled with his angst over Mark, blew it up into an All About Mark battle. Joe was quite certain that I was defending Mark, rather than merely smacking Joe for hypocrisy.

Months later, Joe called on all Right Thinking Peeps to excoriate Mark for his many sins. Something about wanting to fight Joe, and for changing comments on his blog.

I commented, simply, that I had enough real problems in my life to deal with that I didn't think playing gangfuck over blog issues was worth my time. Joe again brought up the "Oooh, I hates Markie so much I can think of nothing other than that you must be defending him, you lying bitch" routine. And, if you're not with me, you're against me.

I see that behavior. I know it exists. I know people think and feel this way.

I just don't get it.

Before someone gets all high and mighty and points out all of my real and serious flaws; Yes. I am a flawed human being. While I am being arrogant and superior with this post, and on this issue, I am fully aware I fall short in many other areas of life.

Oh, well. Those of you wanting to form anti-gekko cliques, line forms to the rear and please feel free to take turns kicking it.

But. If PJ happens to guest blog on lizarddreams, the first one of you to take her to task for it will have to meet me with pistols at dawn. Wearing lacy thongs.

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by gekko at 8:46 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

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by gekko at 5:31 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I ran out of anti-perspirant.

NO! Wait! Come back! There's more, and while I may be stinky, it ain't pit odor I'm talkin' about here ...

My "odorless" anti-perspirant, the kind that is not stunk up with some hideous chemical the makers claim smell like "spring rain" or "baby butt" or "ice hot spice" or whatever is what I ran out of. I did, however, have plenty of a smelly variety. This one was a freebie sample and presumably smells like "Botanical Silk."

I don't know about you, but I've never actually seen a "botanical silk", let alone sniffed one. Seeing the name, I imagined some scent akin to cloth and dead leaves, but apparently the makers thought that an overpowering mishmash of the sorts of floral arrangements found in funeral homes comprised "Botanical Silk" scents.

That, of course, clashes heartily with the fruity scent the makers of my skin moisturizer thought was a neat-o stink to put into their product.

As well as the Junior Chemistry Set Disaster scent of the hair spray I use.

I don't mind, really. It keeps people away from my office, so I do get to accomplish some work without too many live interruptions. It also kills mosquitoes, several species of vermin, and keeps rabid crocodiles at bay.

Meanwhile, Mark sent me a news clip where they demonstrate that your toilet has fewer bacteria than your cell phone does. After viewing the video, I rushed to swab my phone down with rubbing alcohol.

Sad to say, I accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet ...

... oh well. At least it's cleaner than it was!

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by gekko at 3:11 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I'm crabby.

I don't like being crabby. I mean, I don't like being perpetually crabby, and it seems like I am that. I don't mind being crabby every now and again, and using it to good advantage, but ... unceasing, chronic crabbiness is just not pleasant. Peeps will start seeking to avoid me, soon. That won't be good.

Today my crabbitude concerns this:

1. The company my company hired to handle its 401(k) and pension benefits stuff is structured so as to provide maximal pain when you have something you would like them to do. They'll fuck up legal documents, and then take forever to get back to you when you tell them to fix their errors, and then never leave call back numbers, but manage to call you when you're not around and leave messages that they tried to call you.

2. My cell phone company changed my text messaging options but did not tell me they were helpfully doing this for me. This made it impossible for me to get text message notification of voice mails left on my office phone -- something everyone else I work with enjoys, but not me because my cell phone provider helped me, see.

3. I bought a Bluetooth© module off of e-bay. I checked, before buying it, to make sure it was compatible with my car stereo -- the new one I just had installed. I triple checked. I got it in the mail. I scheduled some time off of work to have Best Buy install it for me. They wanted $70 for this. If I knew how to disassemble and reassemble the console in my car, I'd install it myself -- it involves plugging the module in, and routing the microphone. I took the car in. The guy called me 45 minutes later and said "your Bluetooth© module is not compatible with your stereo." Yes it is, I told him. "No, it's not. It isn't listed in the manual." It is compatible. I checked. He refused. I came back and picked up my car, which he hadn't even pulled into the bay to look at. He showed me where in the manual it neglected to list my stereo. I showed him where in the manual it indicated that newer model stereos that were compatible were listed on their website and told him that my stereo was made after this module, dur. He said he was out of time and had another appointment. He did not charge me for the 40 minutes of him scratching his ass.

4. I discovered there are too many screws holding the console molding together in my car, it's hot in my garage, and it's almost worth $70 to have some high school drop-out do it, but said drop out is apparently too stupid to deal with.

At least my dogs are cute.

[Update] No, I haven't killed the pimply-assed teen. Didn't even muss his hair. I did, however, locate a web site that provides installation instructions for a variety of in-dash items for the make, model, and year of my vehicle. The install docs contain detailed diagrams and instructions for disassembling and assembling the dash console, so, yay! Today I am less crabby.

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by gekko at 12:17 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Thanks to Mark, I found a hilarious site. Even more funny than Archer, Sour Grapes or May Contain Nuts, if you can believe that!

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by gekko at 4:45 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

There probably is a term for this person already. You can see her in various charismatic or fundamentalist-style churches, nodding enthusiastically when the preacher talks about the good stuff, and shaking her head when he speaks of sin. She says "Amen" and "Hallelujah" and "Praise God!" to punctuate the sermon at appropriate places. She is filled with tension, in the front pew, leaning forward, avidly gulping in every everlasting word.

She may also be a he.

So today I observed this woman. She was a she, and we weren't in church. She wasn't punctuating gospel. We were in a "Town Hall" type of meeting, where company mucky-mucks get up and talk about what we're doing right with the business, what we're doing wrong, and where we're presumably going. And she was there, up in the front row, a tight string of a person, nodding when the boss-man said good things, and shaking her head when he talked about the bad. She muttered -- not hosannas nor amen, but she would repeat a few of his words, at the ends of his sentences.

She nodded and bobbed. I expected her to fall to the floor and babble in tongues, nearly, when they started talking about better ways we could handle our vendors -- she's a project manager for third party software and equipment, so this was her area of expertise.

The Praise Be Woman made the otherwise dull meeting somewhat more interesting, but she didn't prove entertaining enough, I guess, for Snoring Girl behind me.

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by gekko at 1:23 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I dunno what it is about me today, but I am in a really crabby mood.

'k, more than usual.

I've been (more) snide and (more) snippy with (more) peeps today than I usually am. Full metal lizard.

I told off the head of a committee who probably outranks me. I did this not once, but twice today. Career suicide? Mebbe. I did offer to help by participating on a team to investigate more efficient ways they could operate ...

I sent a nasty diatribe to an ambulance company that's been harassing us. Our insurance company paid them in full more than 5 months ago, but they made a clerical error they've refused to investigate in spite of MANY communications from me, including proof of payment to them.

I got snippy with the manager of a test team because one of his testers made one of my developers do extra work to no avail.

I yelled at the Mobile Devices team because the calendar tool on my cell phone is crappy.

I think they need to form teams consisting of roving bands of hunters armed with blow pipes and tranquilizer darts around here. When I get like this, one of the hunters can stalk me and deliver some happy juice.

I could use a little happy juice.

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by gekko at 9:42 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

I've "known" Keera for years. She's a part of Usenet, where I cut my Internet teeth, in both the so-called "writing" newsgroup, and in a supportive froup for peri-menopausal women. So much of what she has to say resonates with me and always has. She's also in the blogosphere and we've interacted in blog-comments.

So I do not know why it's taken me this long to figure out she's got blogs, hello. And, of course, having figured that out, linking them.

Two new links, then, in my sidebar. Keera's main blog, and one that touched me and gave me lots of food for thought.

'sides that, she's got a very cool name.

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by gekko at 12:54 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

<crab>
Forget the frickin' twelve days stuff. Unless you strictly follow the Christian liturgical calendar, there ain't no "twelve days" of Christmas for you peeps.

So take your decorations down already! I'm totally sick of seeing the giant inflatable snowmen, Grinches, and Santas. People who put those up aren't exactly displaying much in the way of creativity, anyway.

</crab>

4 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 6:35 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I'd been hearing about it for months. My daughter had a friend in NY who was dying of some horrible cancer or other. She was going to take a trip to NY to visit the friend on her deathbed, hopefully before the friend kicked the bucket. My daughter would also roll in a trip to her favorite aunt, and showing her husband some of her favorite Manhattan sights and all, but the main purpose of the trip was to see the friend.

She'd never actually seen the friend before. This woman was someone she met on the Internet, in one of those on-line games. I cannot comment on that, since I've physically met many people I'd only previously "met" on-line.

The story continues.

My daughter's work schedule interfered. She rescheduled her trip, then re-rescheduled it, fretting. She'd never get to see her buddy! It'd be too late!

Then came the crushing news: the friend had died!

My daughter mourned. She mourned the loss of her friend. She mourned the lost chance to see this friend. She was very, very distraught.

Another mutual on-line friend had delivered the news via a phone call to my daughter. He, too, was distraught over the loss and the lost opportunity. He, too, had never actually met the sick friend.

But he lived a bit closer to the departed, and decided he'd go visit her family, and attend her funeral.

He called my daughter last night. Now she's even more upset.

Their friend hadn't died. Their friend did not even have cancer. Their friend was just a psychologically impaired individual who had a need to feel special, and lied about the whole thing.

My daughter wanted to know what kind of a person fakes a life-threatening illness and fakes their own death.

A fucktard, my dear. A complete fucktard.

And now you know to always take what you learn on the Internet cum grano salis. Or maybe a whole fuckin' ocean.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 6:18 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I don't blog much because I never have cool things to blog about:

Someone calls an ambulance, and fence-mom ends up with a cast, an amputated finger, and a shitload of Percoset.
--Ultrablog

See? Now that's cool. How come the moms around me aren't total fucking idiots? It just isn't fair!

6 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 8:48 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Go here today. Offer a pittance of time.

Then go hug a vet.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 11:37 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

It amuses me. People seem to have a need to feel superior about the places they choose to live.

"I could NEVER live in Arizona! It's HOT!" said the Floridian, beads of sweat rolling off of her as she sat in the shade in the humid, eighty-nine degree day.

I mentioned that it was presently 74 degrees, with 25% humidity, and breezy where I live.

"Yes, but those summers! You get to, like, a hundred degrees!"

One hundred fifteen, even up to 120, I corrected her. For a few days, at least. With 8 or 9 percent humidity.

"Oh, yeah. It's a dry heat," she sneered, as I further explained that her temperatures also get up close to 100, but with much higher humidity. As well, she gets to board up her home and flee to dryer ground far far more often than I do, in my dry heat. "An oven is dry heat, too."

Gee, I've never heard that one. 'course, I roast my meat at 375, not 110, and last I felt, there was a difference.

Never mind. There are the northerners who don't have hurricanes or sweltering 100 degree days the way Floridians do. They have sweltering 90 degree summers, yes. But, luckily, temps drop to a soothing 39 below zero as the snow mounds up against their doors and the ice forms on their walkways and driveways, requiring them to arise at 6 to plow themselves out to make it to work on time.

The Floridian paused in consideration. "I guess there's no perfect place to live, huh?"

I rather like it hot and dry. I dislike cold. Yeah, you can put on more layers when it's cold, and can only take so much off when it's hot before there's nothing more to take off (another thing I've never heard before), but I never seem to feel warm, when I'm in colder climes. My fingers and toes are always chilled. I adjust well to heat. I do not adjust well to cold.

That is why I live in Arizona, and not in Idaho, or Maine, or Michigan, or Vermont. I like that my sweat dries quickly, cooling me, in the desert, and so that's why I do not live in Houston, or Tampa, or Key West. I respect those who prefer the mold growing on the walls of their homes and the decay of their books and the rusting of their vehicles. I respect those who enjoy crawling around in dark holes beneath their houses to unfreeze the water pipes leading into their kitchens so they can have water. They like that stuff.

You won't catch me being a weather snob.

Now. 'scuze me as I slip into my swimsuit and do a few laps in the pool. Reading all these reports of snow and icy rain elsewhere in the country has made me feel all achy, and I need the exercise.

15 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 10:36 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

Soon as I heard she had them ready, I wanted one. I ordered several, and sent 'em to friends. My own copy is starting to get a bit tattered, so I may just get me a new one.

Each of the stories are heart-warming, and the recipes are all (so far) yummy. My all-time favorite is a simple one: the hot apple cereal. PJ dreamed that up as a way to get hot nourishing food into her kids with minimum fuss -- it's ready for 'em when they get up! I love it, because I am often rushed myownself and this will guarantee I can sate my needs on those hurried days.

Yay PJ! Go now and buy you one.

5 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 3:27 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

It seems to be a theme for me, last coupla days. Encountering more interesting idiots than usual, that is.

Today's Peep is dubbed "Cranky Babe," a woman who works out at the gym I go to.

We call her that, because she has the misfortune of having facial features that make her seem like she's always scowling, and she does not talk to anyone. Just comes in, scowling, gets on her machine, scowling, does her workout, scowling and intently, then leaves. Scowling.

Yesterday, she got on "her" machine and started working out. About halfway through, she stopped, cursed, smacked the display board of the machine a few times, punched furiously at the buttons on it, smacked it again, punched a few more times, then resumed her workout. I presume the machine reset. She repeated this exercise again, a little later.

Today, she got on "her" machine again, and started working out. About halfway through, she stopped, cursed, smacked the display board of the machine, punched furiously, and resumed her workout.

Ummmmm ...

There are three other machines just like it. None of 'em are in use.

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by gekko at 9:10 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

My turn to be a blog weenie. My turn to unlink someone out of anger, and spite.

When someone wrongly calls me dishonest, I do not consider them friends. I only link to people I consider friends.

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by gekko at 8:55 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

This is a certified maudlin, needy, empathy-demanding blog entry. If you're here looking for humor, try Paula, PJ, or Archer. If you're looking for politico rants or titty pics, try Wayne, Mark, or Asbestos Dust. If you're looking for pics of San Fran, head over to Towse's.

For more on maudlin, needy, cry-baby poasts you can check out Zenners'.

Observe the photo of the laughing baby. That picture was taken a little over 18 years ago. I am living in the house in which that picture was taken as I held that baby, keeping him from toppling onto the floor. I had been living in that house, as of the date of that snapshot, for 6 years. That gleeful child was conceived in this house, as had been his older sister. That chuckling cherub took his first steps in this house. He lost his first tooth when his wicked older sister convinced him to "just yank it out and you'll get money." He spilled from his bicycle just out in front of this house. He cried following his first break-up. I did not see that, but I know it happened all the same. He snuck out of the bedroom window countless times. And I just finished mopping up the splatters from the last soda he had been drinking near where his computer used to sit.

This past weekend, we packed up all the crap that young man had accumulated and moved his masculine, fuzzy ass out into a house he'll be sharing with four other young men as they all attend college this fall.

This house is too clean. Too quiet. Too barren.

9 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 7:05 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Several of my co-workers are from India, and are vegetarians. I was discussing vegetarian dishes with one. I described "Boca Burgers©", which are vegetable-based meat-flavored, meat-colored patties meant to, well, taste like grilled hamburgers.

They do a reasonable facsimile. If you're not paying strict attention. And don't mind the stiff, cardboard-like texture.

She told me about another co-worker, The Eternal Dieter. If there's a diet fad, TED will try it. TED got on a vegetarian binge, once, and found these soy chicken nuggets. She insisted my Indian, vegetarian friend try one.

"They're great!"

My vegetarian friend, who was raised on dishes that bore no resemblence to meat, tried a soy chicken nugget.

"I do not much care for this flavor."

Indeed. It's probably akin to my dog handing something to my meat-eating friends and saying, "Try it! It's made from soy, but it tastes just like poo!"

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by gekko at 3:29 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

To divert myself, to give myself time to let the tears dry, I cruised through my collection of favorite bloggers. First one I hit, because of alphabets and wot not, was "A Cool Change" and the post I read, the one at the top of her page was "Miss 'im."

How appropriate.

Yeah, the tears started afresh, but they're good tears.

Donna's Tank was a yellow lab and as breeds go it's tough to find better. As dogs go, I'm assured, Tank was tops.

Fifteen or so years ago we lost our black lab, Cinders, to brain cancer. She was only four and still vibrant and bouncy and it was a tough thing to let her go, but we did. A few months after her passing we adopted a dappled blue merle Aussie. Since he was just in time for Christmas, we named him "Bow" Jingles, only we spelled his name Beau.

Aussies are working dogs. If they don't have sheep to round up, if they don't have open fields to run and fences to leap, they get neurotic. Beau was not an exception -- he was loving, and did his best to herd the kids as they ran about the house, but he was never quite "right." Twitchy, nervous. Terrified of storms and televised sporting events. Would fall into the pool. Weird-looking, with hair that grew in all kinds of directions. Dumb as a knot.

One thing about him that was right, though, and true to his breed, was he was a one-person dog. He showed affection and loyalty to his entire pack, the gekko household, but remained solely devoted to only one person. That person was me, and his best quality of all was his pure, open, unswerving, non-judgemental and joy-filled adoration of me.

Even rude, obnoxious morphin' lizard women need unrelenting, focused adoration.

His being my dog did not, however, stop the kids from tormenting him, and he complacently complied with their playtime demands.

And his loving devotion meant I could also torment him, if only for the good of the family Christmas newsletter.

His best non-human friend, Chelsea (the golden retriever who raised him, seen in the first photo) passed on many years ago, and Beau missed her sorely. . Not even the Spousal Unit served as a replacement.

He's been failing, of late. Respiratory difficulties. A number of months ago he lost the use of his hind legs for a time, although over the course of a few days he regained the use -- but he's been on-again/off-again unsteady, increasingly confused, and, well, failing. He developed a croupy cough. His nose ran, non-stop. Medicines helped cover up the symptoms, but did nothing to fix him.

This morning, at 5:30 am, I was awakened by hearing Beau convulsing. We stroked him and calmed him and he got better, but his gait was lurching and he could not breathe well.

At 10:48, my son yelled for me to come in from the yard, where I was mowing the lawn.

"Beau is freaking out, mom!"

He was having another seizure.

I called the vet. The doc squeezed us in.

At 12:54 pm, Beau trotted happily over the Rainbow Bridge and he'll wait for me, his woman, there.

He was my dumb, shaggy, neurotic and not-very-beautiful dog, and he was mine and I love him and I miss him.

R.I.P. Beau Jingles 10/28/1991 - 6/17/2006

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by gekko at 6:36 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I have only one memory that disturbs me. I was about 5 years old, visiting my relatives. The whole family was there, including my grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa were put up on cots in the basement of the home and the rest of us were distributed throughout the house.

The basement was also the play area for us kids.

The memory is this: I was heading downstairs to play, and Gramps was there, changing.

Here's the really disturbing part: I saw his butt.

I saw my grandfather's naked butt.

He was so old and there was his old butt, right there, in front of my five year old eyes and I turned before he saw me and went back up the stairs and found something else to do.

As I reckon it, Grandpa was about 53 years old when that happened.

I am now 46 'nalf. Nearly 47.

These days, 53 year old naked man butt excites me.

Is that deranged, or wot?

5 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 7:13 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Grace's old blog, Tuesday's Child, is a bit fritzed for some reason or other (so don't click the link), but not to fear. Ms. Grace -- I mean Ms. Lily has herself a new blog at DragonflyDay.

yay!

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 6:53 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

Sorry, peeps. It's Peep Meeting time at work. This is where we talk to our Peeps, and tell them if they suck or walk on water. It's a busy time -- an hour per Peep, plus the prep time of getting the information together, telling 'em what they can do to improve if they need that, plus what they did well, and 'splaining what all that means with respect to their raises, bonuses, and promo possibilities.

That, and every mucky-muck in Chi-town has suddenly developed the urge to visit the desert and hold "Town Hall" meetings and "skip level" meetings where we, the low level managers, get to meet them and bring our "burning issues" with us to the table.

17 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 12:57 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

... those of you who know about the Blob. I asked you to not link. I guess it's okay to link it, if you wish.

7 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 9:58 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

I cannot leave comments on yer blog, Baby.

You need to twiddle with your thingie to allow "anonymous" or "other" types of commenters, not limit it to blogspot peeps.

Or not. :: shurgs ::

14 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 6:15 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

People let me tell you 'bout my best friend,

He's a warm hearted person who'll love me till the end.

People let me tell you bout my best friend,

He's a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy.

When the first person comments on my blog, the comment counter text sez "My new best friend just commented!" And my daughter and I often tease and joke using the phrase "You're my new best friend!" when someone has something we are hoping they'll share, like chocolate.

So I got to wondering ... what goes into making a real best friend? Hmmmm?

13 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 4:53 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Grace had asked, "This isn't the neurotic dog, is it?"

No.

This is the Neurotic Dog.

8 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 9:18 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I think I just saw Archer on tee-vee!

We were watching Super Size Me a documentary about Morgan Spurlock's thirty-day McDonald's only diet, see?

And in it, he interviewed some lawyer who was representing a pair of obese teens who'd been suing Mickey D's because they claim it was McDonald's's fault they were hippos-manque.

When Morgan, or whoever, asked the lawyer, who HAD to be Archer, why he was representing those girls, the lawyer said something like "You mean, besides the large amount of financial recompense? What, you want some kind of noble reason?"

I think I lurve that guy. He's so ... cynically honest.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 3:24 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Had breakfast with some old highschool buddies. Hard to believe we're all as old as we are, because when we got together, aside from having to catch up, it felt like we'd just gotten back from summer break and were still all the same as we were 28 years ago. They all looked the same, to me. Anyway, I'm posting this for them.

View image

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 5:59 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I am about to break something sacred. I am about to quote an e-mail sent to me:

> Wish you still blogged. At least that was a way to get my dose
> of your wit, warmth, and fun.

Shit. Damn you. Damn you shit. Damn you, you shit.

http://pjs-place.blogspot.com/

Your fault. You should be deeply ashamed.

Shit.

Damn.

PJ

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 9:21 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

So there's this brindly guy. Full of spit and fire. Probably tastes good on crackers, too. Since we've been having a few set-to's in around the blogosphere, it's only right and meet that I blogroll the dude.

Welcome, Mark of Knockin' On The Golden Door to the lizard's playground.

Behave.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 1:54 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Dorian is 6 and a half feet tall. Rama is 5 feet even. When they walk together, though, he looks to be twice her height. He's just lanky, and she so compact.

She takes two steps for his every one.

They are perfectly matched, though. Same gentle, easy-going attitudes. Same bright, happy smiles. Same sort of brilliant minds.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 9:22 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Doyle's having a party, and we're all invited!

Yay!

It was only a coupla weeks ago that Dal's mama had hers.

Damn, they sure do grow up fast, don't they?

5 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 1:39 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I like Grace's blog. I like her comment formatting, especially. So, tip a the hat to the lovely and talented lady.

Now, will someone please tell me why my gravatar stuff is so flakey?

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 11:08 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

They way people laugh can be uplifting, or it can drive you bugnutz.

The Count is a Peep© who sits nearby. He has a diverse team from all over the place, so he's on the phone a LOT.

And he chuckles. A LOT. He sounds just like The Count from Sesame Street. Remember him?

"One! Ar ar! Two! THREE! Ar ar ar! I LOVE to COUNT!"

Drives me bugnutz.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 6:03 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

New blog added to my blog roll.

by gekko at 12:52 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

It was three tiers, square not round. Yellow cake, thin layers with thick globs of chocolate mousse filling. Each slab was covered with thin sheets of dark chocolate. Not icing, mind. Chocolate. There were delicate sugar-candy flowers that looked like a fine bisque topping the cake and drizzling artfully down two corners.



It was some of the best damned cake I've had. And I'm not a cake person.

I'll post piccies when the damned photographers get them up on their own site.

2 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 1:49 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Good tears. Good joy. Good food. Good laughter. Good cake (!!). Good time. Good grief, I am fucking *exhausted*!

Ooh, got me one hot comment!

by gekko at 9:41 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

Please think kind thoughts, and send good vibes, prayers, and wishes our way. Bridezilla, aka "The Princess," aka "The Young Adult Unit" is a gettin' hitched.

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 1:24 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

Stan the blogless Man poasted this link on misc.writing:

And here's the info about my birthday. Please pay special attention to the number of (shopping) days left until my birthday, 'k?

You entered: 7/27/1959

You were born on a Monday

under the astrological sign Leo.

Your Life path number is 4.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2436776.5.

The golden number for 1959 is 3.

The epact number for 1959 is 21.

The year 1959 was not a leap year.

As of 6/23/2005 3:16:11 PM CDT

You are 45 years old.

You are 551 months old.

You are 2,395 weeks old.

You are 16,768 days old.

You are 402,447 hours old.

You are 24,146,836 minutes old.

You are 1,448,810,171 seconds old.

There are 34 days till your next birthday

on which your cake will have 46 candles on it.

Those 46 candles produce 46 BTU's,

or 11,592 calories of heat (that's only 11.5920 food Calories!) .

You can boil 5.26 US ounces of water with that many candles.

Your birthstone is Ruby

The Mystical properties of Ruby

Ruby is said to open one's heart to love.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewlers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Carnelian



Your birth tree is

Cypress, the Faithfulness

Strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, happy,content,optimistic, needs enough money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered,unruly, pedantic and careless.



There are 185 days till Christmas 2005!

The moon's phase on the day you were

born was waning gibbous.

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 8:58 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

I absolutely adore Father Luke's site.

Ooh, got me one hot comment!

by gekko at 3:20 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

So, like, now two peeps've asked me to be their buddy to help them lose weight. One is a cow-orker, and you'd think she'd know better. The other is an old high school buddy. She got a copy of my Christmas newsletter in which I'd put a family photo and in the photo I was skinnier than I'd been, well, the previous year. She e-mailed me and ...

This is Not Good. I am not a very good mentor type of person. I'm a bit too ... well, let's just call me blunt, 'k?

"Yo, fatty! Stop mashing that muffin into your maw and lissen up!"

This is just Not Good.

UV! Artichoke Cheese dip recipe! Now!

Ooh, got me one hot comment!

by gekko at 4:50 PM as a "Peeperie" poast

... she's so much cuter than your basic sheep!

According to a poast in misc.writing, Ms. Towse was at the annual AAAS meeting and happened across

[...] a session given by the folks who run SB&F, AAAS's

Science Books & Films: your review guide to science resources for all ages.

Maria Sosa, E-i-C was handing out copies of their Jan/Feb 2005 issue

with SB&F's list of Best Books for 2004.

[...]

On the Children's list, the first subsection listed was 001 Knowledge,

Data Processing. The "best" book for that section was _The Internet_ by

someone named Parks, Peggy J.

[...]

The next Dewey section listed (not all Dewey sections have "best"

titles, only the best ...) was 330 Energy, Environment, Natural Resources.

... and the winnah was _Global Warming_ by Parks, Peggy J.

3 comments make for a lot of heat

by gekko at 8:54 AM as a "Peeperie" poast

Tazo</