I’ve been working on some WordPress websites for some clients and I’ve noticed a distinct improvement in themes since I last perused them. So I’ve decided it’s time to update my theme. Right now it’s fspring with minor mods. The picture at the top of the paper maple is mine. So don’t be surprised if the look changes from day to day and you see changes within in a theme.
Year: 2009 (Page 5 of 11)
I was driving home from dropping the dog off at the groomer. I’d gotten on to Via Soledad when I saw this big lizard crossing the road. OMG that’s a Gila monster. I stopped and pulled over. Got out my iPhone and got as close as I dared to take a few snapshots. I’ve cleaned and cropped these images below. Click on image for larger version.
You don’t really get a sense of scale from this image. This lizard was at least a foot long maybe 14 inches. They can grow as long as two feet.
They are venomous but slow. So long as you give them a wide berth they won’t bother you. It didn’t care too much for me taking his photo. I got as close as four foot away. It stopped, turned it’s head towards me and opened it’s mouth at me when I got too close.
Even though they are venomous, it’s not fatal but very painful from what I’ve read. They don’t leap seven feet in the air, they don’t drop out of trees (or giant saguaro) onto your head, nor do they don’t spit venom. But if anyone asks you can add “as far as I know”.
And one more wildlife note. I saw my first bats last night. They were flying under the back porch overhang. I saw three or four swoop in like they were strafing the table. I still have not seen any rattlesnakes or coyotes or javalinas yet. Not in any hurry to see those.
OK. I thought I’d give it a try since I saw shadowhelm posting her tweets on LJ. Though I’m not using the same service. I’m doing copy & paste and I’m not posting all of my tweets for the day, just the ones I feel like.
Gauguin’ cut off Van Gogh’s ear? http://tinyurl.com/dyqepx
I’m being followed by @EthelTheFrog. We’ll see how long that lasts since frogs are going extinct.
Joe the Plumber: Republican’s expired jar of Baconnaise or freezer burned Jimmy Dean’s Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick? Bush-Cheney Regime epitaph: Never has so much been taken from so many by so few #p2 #tcot #jebus Special thanks to Phil Gramm
From the time I received the email that @ezMoneyMaker was following me on Twitter until the time I blocked it was 12 seconds. A record.
@cashewredneck you know how you can tell which Okla senator, Inhofe or Coburn, is more embarrassing? The one that’s talking. #p2 #tcot
RT: @MistaBell: Want To Avoid Swine Flu? There’s An App For That Too: http://bit.ly/udL3u
It’s #StarWarsDay. These aren’t the tweets you are looking for. Move along.
Just read in the paper this morning that the first cases of The Formerly Known As Swine Flu have been recorded on Tucson, AZ. They’ll announce actual numbers at a press conference later today.
I’m not too concerned.
Posted via LiveJournal.app.
Update
Have people gotten dumber? You cannot get swine flu from eating pork. I knew this way back in 1976 when I was in the 6th grade. Flus are named based on their origins either location or animal. Since it’s really a hybrid flu, perhaps they should have called in Mexico City Flu.
I see two upsides for me from this outbreak. I’ll be able to get better travel deals and discounts on bacon.
I got an iPhone for Christmas and one of the cool applications I downloaded was Griffin iTalk. It’s a voice recorder. You can download what you record via an application you install on your computer. I’d intended to use it to record podcast interviews. Well the microphone is pretty darn sensitive and I have on occasion recorded animal sounds in the neighborhood. This is the first one that came out really well. I’m not going to id it till later because I wanted to give you all a chance to see if you can identify what kind of animal it is. I did process it a bit. I amped up the animal sounds and deamped everything else. It’s 42 seconds long.
I’ll give you a hint. The very last noise it makes will help you narrow it down. Enjoy the animal sound.
I heard it this afternoon about 4 pm. I knew it was coming from the center median. There’s lots of cacti, brush and trees in the median. Anyway, I couldn’t see it. I started recording and walked towards the sound. Eventually I spotted it but then the creature had moved on.