Everyone pull out your pictures and brag on your children!

This is Tribbles.


He is very fond of basil and strawberries.

See? Didn't I say he's cute?

Photographic evidence to be added at a later date!

Dennis and I went to Tupelo today and bought a guinea pig. Very cute, it has a faux-hawk.

Adopt a Squid!

I appreciate people who make a habit of donating to charitable organizations. It's good for the soul, and not bad for those who are receiving aid, either. But when retailers jump on the bandwagon (i.e. the current spree of designers cranking out red items), the spirit of charity gets marred by capitalism and materialism. The designer makes money, and the consumer gets a product. Instead of spending $50 on a red handbag with a tag that proclaims that a portion of the proceeds will go to help AIDS patients in Africa - lady, you don't need that red handbag ... it's pretty gaudy and you have nothing in your wardrobe that goes with it - why not just find an organization and write a check. At least then it's tax deductable, if you must have justification beyond the concept of "charity."
Above is a link for a website selling giant plush squid ... squids? For a minimum of $400, you can help tsunami victims rebuild their lives ... and have a giant plush squid! Granted, they are very large, and very well made (by hand, even!), but what would one do with an enormous stuffed squid? Make films that combine a plush fetish with tentacle porn?

Something witty and effortless

It is truly amazing how easily educated, reasonably intelligent people can be entertained. Deal or No Deal was introduced to the American television audience, and until a few weeks ago I remained blissfully ignorant of how exactly it worked. All I could gather through the brief moments I was exposed to while channel surfing was that money, screaming, and girls with numbered briefcases were involved. Somehow.
But in reality it's a game of chance and self-sabotage. No real skill involved. And yet it can be fascinating.
With "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" we could laugh at people for being stupid and missing easy questions about nursery rhymes or well known stories from Greek mythology. With "Deal or No Deal" there is a test of a person's character. Are they willing to take risks? Do they let greed cloud their better judgment? How do they deal with a relative whose advice potentially cost them tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars?
If you are interested in witnessing these phenomena, spend a few minutes watching the show. Just don't let yourself be dazzled by the sparkly outfits worn by the briefcase models.