My Next Pet?

Upon reading about my newly acquired title, my friend JS suggested that my next pet perhaps should be a "Jesus Lizard". I didn't know what this was so I looked it up. Here's what Wikipedia has on this creature.

Common basilisk, Basiliscus basiliscus, (or simply the basilisk) is a lizard found in Central and South American rain forests near rivers and streams. It has a diet consisting of insects, flowers and small vertebrates like snakes, birds and fish. The basilisk has numerous predators including large birds of prey, snakes, fish, other larger reptiles, and mammals. The basilisk is not endangered.

The basilisk's maximum lifespan in captivity is around 7-8 years, but in the wild most die much sooner. Females lay about 2-18 eggs, five to eight times a year. Eggs hatch after about three months and the young weigh about 2 grams. Their outstanding camouflage allows them to remain undetected when they remain motionless in the undergrowth. They have long toes and sharp claws, and their head is adorned with both a crest and a coloured dewlap. Most are under 25 centimetres (1 foot) in length, but some may grow up 75 centimetres and usually weigh between 200-600 grams. Like most reptiles, basilisks are active during the day.

Ability to walk on water

The basilisk is part of the iguana family. It, along with the Brown basilisk, has the nickname the "Jesus Christ Lizard" or "Jesus Lizard" because when fleeing from a predator, it gathers sufficient momentum to run on top of water for a brief distance. Basilisks have large hind feet with flaps of skin between each toe, much like the webbing on a frog. These are rolled up when the lizard walks on land; but if the basilisk senses danger, it can open up this webbing to increase the surface area on the water relative to its weight, thus allowing it to run on water for short distances. Smaller basilisks can run about 10-20 metres on the water surface without sinking, and can usually run farther than older basilisks.

So, now you know all that I know about this creature. Being a lover of dragons, I'm attracted to it's dragonish crest. Very attractive! If it can walk on water perhaps JS is right. It just might be the perfect pet. Good call, JS! (G)

Response to Sandi's "Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette"

That was one great post Sandi did. I loved that she is supporting good health and decrying a seriously addictive and unhealthy habit. Even more, I loved the trek down memory lane that her use of the song lyrics took me on. When I was attending San Marcos Academy and in my senior year, all the seniors would go over to the headmaster's house and have social gatherings. One of us was really good at the piano and would play popular songs for us to sing. I'm sure Headmaster Doncaster and his wife liked it as much as we did. One of our more popular numbers was the song, Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette" which was made popular by Tex Williams. Since Sandi brought the lyrics up I thought it might be nice to let you all hear the whole song. So I culled it from YouTube. Enjoy! And if you smoke, please stop!

Removing Powercells to Empower Freedom

Over at authorblog, David McMahon has asked the question: How efficiently (or inefficiently) would your household function without batteries?

There used to be a comic, repeatedly published or recited, about how people get fat from using remote controls. Well, my life would be more active if I rose from my chair to go across the room to change the channel on the TV. It would be more poetic as I lit candles during blackouts instead of reaching for the flashlight. I find candles soothing so I'd enjoy that. It might be in a different location as lighting those candles is strictly forbidden in my lease. I might enjoy being in a different place too. Cables would attach the keyboard and mouse to the computer thus making them more reliable and less expensive to replace. Phones would also be wired and I'd probably be dragging those long extended cords around as I moved from place to place talking. This might cost less. We've had that kind of technology around for years. Less expense means I'd be richer or able to afford a bigger place. Safety might be an issue because smoke detectors run on batteries too. My cell phone contract might get dropped because I keep one for safety and have used it to call the electric company when the lights go out.

Outside, I use batteries in my car. Well I guess if we didn't have batteries we would have electric cars or some other form of power and the world would be a greener place. The land fills would be smaller and less hazardous. Planning trips without the cellphone to call for help might mean that I'd know the area better and people might be more ready to stop for others in case they needed help someday. Singing, whistling, or silence would accompany me when out on a walk instead of one of those portable CD players. We might all know our neighbors better because we would need the resources of having friends everywhere instead of carrying flashlights and tasers. Or more of us would have dogs with us on leashes so that our protection went with us. That might be nice, fewer stray dogs because they were valued more, less garbage strewn around the neighborhoods. Less stress because having and caring for animals is a known stress reducer. The world might be a friendlier place.

You know, I can see some real benefits from going without batteries. I can also see one not so great thing. David's camera and flash wouldn't work so we might not get as many great shots. (g) And that would be a real shame.

Denim to Wander the Weekend In + Muttering

The question posed by David McMahon in his Weekend Wandering post is: Do you wear denim?

The answer is: Every chance I get! That isn't as often as when I worked the night shift. Also still have some old comfortable ones which I've had for I forget how many years (more than 10).

I think my first set of jeans were bought when I was around 8 or 9. This pair didn't soften quickly in the wash as today's do. They felt stiff and uncomfortable for several wearings. As I recall they were an off white.

Did I wear jeans to church today? No, it was too cold for jeans. We had temperatures below freezing when I left for church so I did what any sensible human would do. I threw on animal skin in the form of a nice pair of leather pants. I don't wear my leather often. It would cost too much to clean them. But I pull them out every time the temperature goes below 32 and stays there for most of the day.

Would I rather have worn denim? Well yes, but I think I'd better get some of those flannel lined ones first.

What is the most I've ever paid for a pair of jeans? Well for myself probably not much more than $30 or $35. For my ex, some of his ran to $60 but he was a really big man and needed the extra thigh room that the Levi's in that price range had.

And that's about all I can think of to say about me and jeans except for the fact that I'm a Texan and what would a Texan be without their jeans? Heck, we even wear 'em to swim in!

Now on to the muttering part: When I tried to do a backlink to David's post I couldn't find the little icon to use. I tried every way I could to locate it. I even went back and checked for it on my own blog. Nope, not there. I do know that if I publish a link to another blog in this post it will show up as a link back on their blog as soon as the system has had time to notice. So, maybe they removed the function. Nice, and after David and I asked Terry, who did all that experimentation, to figure it all out for us.

The Best Christmas in Quite a While

Two weeks ago, David McMahon of authorblog asked in his Weekend Wandering, "What was the best Christmas present you ever received?" I didn't have an answer then, but I do now. This Christmas is the best gift I've had in a long time. And the thing that makes it the best Christmas are the gifts that have nothing to do with wrapped packages and everything to do with family and friends.

For many Christmases I've had a pretty solitary time. I didn't travel anywhere. My family is lives elsewhere. I got checks and gift certificates in the mail from my family instead of wrapped presents. Sometimes I had nowhere to go on Christmas day. This year, that has all turned around.

The biggest and best gift, one I listed on my wish list last year, is that my sister is flying into Texas to see our parents and has asked me to come down and share a room with her. This is really exciting. I envision it being similar to when we were teens and bonded closely after both being away from home at different boarding schools. Even better, she is bringing my niece and nephew with her.

Spending time with my folks is gift number two. Especially the time with Mom. She and I were always really close when I was young and still are. She is the one I call every Sunday.

Gift number three is also coming from my sister. She has offered to buy me a digital camera. I've asked for a Canon PowerShot A570 IS. I hope she can find it at a good price.

Gift number four is coming from God through friends. I've suddenly got a Holiday social life. My church has formed groups labeled "Dinner for 6 to 8" and my group is gathering tomorrow night. The next Friday my Cursillo reunion group will be getting together at one of our houses to have dinner. Even David is having an Aussie Christmas Bash and it starts the day after I get back from seeing my family. Last but not least, two weeks ago my newfound friendship with San Meredith of A Life With a View moved beyond cyberspace with a phone call.

One more very special gift is that for the 3 Saturdays leading up to the holiday I'm scheduled to officiate at Morning Prayer. Looks like God is keeping me close this season!

So, while I've had other good Christmases in the past I've not had one so filled with God, family, and friends since I was a child. And that's the best gift of all. A happy, shared holiday season. I'm counting my blessings every night.

Merry Christmas all!

Don't Blame the System. Blame the Part.

In his latest Weekend Wandering, David McMahon asked the question: Have you ever sworn at a computer?

My answer David's question is, "No. I've worked far too long in the IP industry to ever cuss at a machine for mistakes that were the result of something other than its functioning." You can stop here if you don't want to read a litany of things that can go wrong in computer systems and why it isn't the machine's fault.

Computers today are a collection of systems, part mechanical, part software, and part human operator. A computer traditionally is just the hardware, useless without the rest of it but still, just a machine. Something other than its mechanical functioning is what most computer mishaps are. If the system crashes it is most likely the software design and not the equipment. If the browser crashes after opening a webpage it is most likely a bug in the browser that doesn't work with something on the webpage, again, not the computer's fault. I don't want to think about how often Firefox has crashed after I viewed one of CNN's videos.

Or it could be my fault. If my work gets lost because of a crash this was not the machine's fault. It was mine because I didn't save it early or frequently enough to protect myself. If I get a bug, worm, or virus and whatever else there is out there today it might be because I didn't take proper precautions or opened an email without thinking. But it might also be something new or a trusted friend who accidentally sent me the little nasty.

What a lot of people choose to forget is that computers aren't smart. They are very dumb, fast machines that need specific instructions to do what you want them to do. If I tell it to do something in a way it doesn't understand I can almost guarantee you that the machine will give me an error message or, thanks to the OS designers, ask for more instructions.

Yeah, I know, Microsoft bashing is a popular sport these days. But, for all its problems with security, Windows designers are first and foremost programmers and they know so much more than the rest of us about how to protect themselves that they have forgotten more than we will ever know. They are also human and get used to having those protections in place which is probably why they forget to give them to us. They also know how often they have to recode a piece of software which is why they put in so many "are you sure" and "give me more info" messages that pop up all too frustratingly at times. They were trying to be kind to the novice and even the intermediate computer literate when they did that. If we really hate the company we should probably stop supporting it with our dollars and change machines or the OS. There are other options out there.

All of the above doesn't mean I haven't cussed at a situation I found myself in because of something that happened with the computer. I just know better than to get mad at the dumb machine. Chances are it was that old infamous, "operator error" in the first place. This means, "I'm a dummy too."

Weekend Wandering Response: Answer My Cellphone Where?!

David McMahon, in his Weekend Wandering post asks the following question: Have you ever answered or made a call on a cellphone while you were in a toilet? (Or even wanted to and thought better of it!)

My first thoughts were, why the cellphone? You can do this on regular portable home phones too. But perhaps it was asked about cell phones because they have a much better pickup on their microphones since they are often used in noisy areas like airports, restaurants, or moving cars. Then I wondered why he'd ask something so personal. Maybe it was a guys question? Whatever the reason, I don't spend that much time on my cellphone but as a subject for a discussion on phone etiquette it is excellent. So, here's my answer.

If it is a business call it won't last long enough for this type of incident, and I certainly wouldn't pick it up unless I was headed out of the necessary. Just call back quickly and apologize, explaining you were busy. If it was a friend I'd also decline to pick up until I was headed elsewhere, this is assuming a public location. If I'm at home however, it's a different case. My best friends tend to call and talk for a really long time, sometimes two hours or more. If I need to do that kind of thing, especially if it is their dime, I just discretely let them know or find a way to let it not be known. They've certainly done the same thing to me. I'd rather embarrass myself by acknowledging a bodily function than to be rude to a friend who'd called and ask to interrupt our conversation.

And now I'm going to try that method Terry told us about to make a backlink. If it works this will be all the notification you get. If it doesn't I'll have to comment elsewhere. Update: It worked! :) Yay, Terry!!!

Peace!

Response to Weekend Wandering

David McMahon of authorblog asks the following question: How would you cope if you had no way to use the Internet for a week?

You mean after I went frantic? The web is my chosen tool for communication, banking, bill paying, appointment setting, entertainment, and encyclopedia. Sometimes it is even my muse in that it gives me ideas on what to write about. When my computer goes down I rush to get it fixed. This isn't as easy as it once was. My favorite computer guru is often too busy to deal with my problems anymore. Thank goodness I have a nice stable machine.

If I couldn't do the things I do on the web I'd have to revert to the old fashioned methods. I'd pick up my phone and call people, maybe drive over to see them face to face. I'd pay bills by check and postage. I might have to go to the store to buy things I needed. Life wouldn't be as quickly accomplished as it is now. Things might slow down. I'd have to plan ahead more. Paying by web is instant, by snail mail isn't and you have to trust the generosity of companies to honor the postage dates. Thankfully most companies still honor those. To get entertained I'd have to read, something I do anyway, or watch TV. It used to be considered graceful and gracious to communicate by hand written letters and cards. In many cases it still is. I'd miss the frequency of emails from friends so I think my phone bill might rise or my calling hours would change (cell anytime minutes).

Would I like being webless? No! Could I manage? Yes, I was born when there wasn't any web. Would I be happy? That's hard to say. I worked for many years in the Information Processing industry. Some of my friends use me as a resource to tell them how to do things on their computers that I learned many years ago. Its a source of interaction but not our only one. My friend might be just as frustrated as I would be. Conversation would probably focus on the sudden lack of web.

Mind you the question was only for a week. If the webless state extended beyond that the communications industry might have to step into the hole and create the ways of using technology that we now take for granted. Imagine AT&T providing camera phones when we are used to doing that for ourselves on our computers. Video calls would be very expensive. The world might have to get innovative with other forms of technology...satellites might get more usage than they do now. Would TVs get cameras? In all of the technology questions this is raising in my mind one thing that has nothing to do with technology stands out. Would people be more polite to each other if instant gratification through the web was no longer available?

Peace! Hope! & Joy!