• I went to a zoo for the first time in years and had a blast. Penguin feeding, elephant mahouts, humongous rhinoceri and ants feeding on a dead millipede in the parking lot were some of the highlights; but the most thrilling one happened at the lion enclosure. A male and his mate were enjoying a siesta when a completely clueless peahen landed at the other end and squawked loudly. Annoyed, the lion popped his head up and swiveled it like a periscope. What unfolded over the next several minutes was pure eye candy: a lion slowly stalking its prey. Step by step, it crept closer and closer to the oblivious bird, until it stood only a few feet away, with the peahen directly between him and us--front row seats in every sense of the word. After a few breathless seconds, the lion charged.
  
  Even though there was a ditch and an electric fence separating us, my brain automotically got its Primeval Panic button pressed. I must have blacked out for a split second, because try as I might I don't remember actually seeing the peahen take off--but it did, just in the nick of time. [pause] I saw a lion charging in real life.


• Another animal spotted at the zoo was a green ring-necked cockatoo. I mention this because one of his Wickersham cousins has been by us for the past three days while his owners (friends of ours) went trippin'. His name's Shrek ('cause he's green, which ain't easy) and his English vocabulary consists of "Shabbat Shalom", "Shrek", and "hello". We've also been petsitting their dog, which I can most certainly do without.


• Over at the ISS, I've continued to roll along, with a mockery of the "2 Girls 1 Cup" concept (and no, I have not seen the video) and a surreal article about anti-anti-hero Marc E. Nibbleshvitz, which I hope to turn into a running series. Watch that space.


• I'm way past the stage of ruing the day I randomly slapped that blowfish picture into the blog. Sure, it attracts hundreds upon hundreds of hits, but I really have absolutely zero idea why. This bugs me no end.


• Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets!


• The Jew, the elder statesman, the metalhead, the Three Professors (Dr. Texas, Dr. Deep South, Dr. Midwest), the Star Wars fanatic, the emo, the couple, the Twilight hater, the social antisocialist, the mathematician, the Wiccan, the radical Leftist, the New Zealander, the Lord of the Rings geek, the South American, and assorted members of Generations X and ZOMG all invite you to visit TitansGo.net today along with them!


• Wakka! Wakka wakka wakka. Wak wak. Wakka wakka wak wakka wakka wak wakka wak wakka. Wakka, wak wakka wak wak, wakka wakka. Wakka. Wakka wakka wakka. Wak wakka, wakka.


• Why all the writing? Well, it's precisely what I was forbidden to do during Chol HaMoed Pessach. Drawing, too. Now I've got a week's worth of pent-up words and images flowing out at a fantastic rate. I'm now busy not on one, but three separate fanfictions, and several illustrations. But not for the IsraTimes, until they resume sending me their issues, because I feel that some compensation is due for me.

TODAY'S BOOK: "Vixen 03", by Clive Cussler ((c) 1978)

Labels: baseball, biographical, random, the blog, wakka wakka