Touched by Silly Things

No, you perverts... No. Read this article and your little bleak hearts will warm. Obviously for me this is particularly sweet in light of my flock. This morning MrNewburg (see previous post for picture) made first nice contact on his own. As I sat sipping my obnoxious morning yogurt frappe, Newbie scuttled down his cage and delicately moved to my shoulder. I pretended normalcy. He then undid my hair clip, (at which he is amazingly agile - rather like those guys who can unhook your bra by merely brushing their hand across your back), preened my left ear and straightened a few errant locks of hair. We communed for a few minutes and then he was back to his cage to ransack his new toy.

Obstinate animals that befriend us rekindle our ancestral/primitive instincts. And for a brief moment allow us to catch a glimpse of a simpler, less-polluted and more wholesome existence.

Found...GUILTY!

You would think I am Jewish I have so much guilt. If I don't post - GUILT. If I eat meat - GUILT. If I don't shave my legs for the pedicure lady - GUILT. Where did I get all this guilt? Why, after counseling, therapy and familial support, can't I shake this guilt-monkey? I read my daily affirmations, sometimes I even chant them to myself while driving. I try to practice "being in the moment" and letting history and forecasting be damned. Yet still, this lurking perverted guilt that stains my psyche. I know people who seemingly have no guilt. They amaze and disturb me. Guilt makes us humble, neurotic and human. I think we should have USDA recommended daily allowances for guilt. That way I could wake up, get my enormous quanitites of guilt quickly put away, and saunter saucily through the rest of the day. I might even find myself skipping, humming, chatting gaily with strangers.

Oooooo, the possibilities are endless...

Armchair Activism

I figure better to support my passions while lolling on my Gaiam exer-chair, than to not do it at all... So, in support of the Ocean Conservancy, celebrate Earth Day.

"Made Up" Makes it In

Browsing through my morning reads, I stopped at Nature to find this article on catfishes that can hunt prey on shore. Within the first couple of sentences, I was all a-giggle when I read that this erudite pubilcation had chosen to describe the catfish as having a "bendy neck". Well, now I've been saying "bendy-this" and "bendy-that" for years and now I can proudly use it in intelligent conversation.

Thanks, Nature!

A Clever Plan

Swiped from boingboing.net, this lovely use of odious chocolate is almost as funny and riveting as the infamous scientific peep studies. So many clever folks out there...

I'm a Sucker!!

Everybody has their weak-spot and I am no exception although I DO like to kid myself that I am exceptional. Anywho, animal stuff makes my heart squeeze up tight and my maternal instincts go on high alert. The mistreatment, abuse and neglect of animals, specifically those used for commercial purposes, is abominable in light of the gluttony, obesity and greed that this world thrives on. So, in my little way, I do what I think may contribute, and part of that is signing these little petitions. I don't know if it makes a hill of beans difference in general but it assuages my little mind to a certain degree.

All of this to say, if you get bent when you encounter chickens with amputated beaks, cows penned into muddy, feces invested feed lots, or dolphins entangled in the unkind drift nets of the Japanese, this may help you feel like you can help.