Where's My Head?

Back in early summer, we had to have one of our dogs put down due to kidney failure. He was our largest, and therefore most intimidating, dog and SWMBO has missed the sense of security that having a large dog around gave her. In addition, one of our other dogs has a (we're pretty sure) brain tumor and we have no idea whether it will significantly shorten her life or not. Our third dog is very attached to her and we wanted to reduce the impact of her departure if and when it happens.

All that leads to this: we now have a white German Shepherd that currently tips the scales at around 120#. [Click the image for a full body shot.]

After an initial uneasiness, the other dogs got along with him right away. The cats, however, don't find this whole thing amusing in the least.

Todays brings 3 very diverse video versions of a classic Christmas song.

It's amazing when a simple mistake just takes on a whole new meaning because of the context of the moment. We were playing a game with some friends last night and one guy gave the clue of "It's a type of salami."

His wife blurted out "Promiscutto" (we can only assume she meant this) but we laughed for the next 5 minutes. The made up word was humorous enough but coupled with the idea that it was about salami, it added a new level that we could pick on her about.

I stumbled across a link that showcases 25 Photographs Taken at the Exact Right Time. Some of them are humorous. Others are simply amazing. Still others are potentially painful in that vicarious, ouch-that's-gonna-leave-a-mark sort of way.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, from there I found 12 Excellent Examples of Great Time Lapse Imagery. Oddly enough, while I enjoy looking at the actual time lapse movies, my favorites are the still images of the tree and the city.

Tractor Square Dancing is one of those.

I live in the country but I've never seen anything like this.

Apple announced the other day that it would only accept credit cards at it's stores for iPhones. Plus, they are limiting purchases to two. And now, having apparently seen the loophole in this stunningly stupid and short-sighted policy, they refuse to accept their own gift cards for them as well.

I know I'm behind the curve on this but, oh well. You get what you pay for, eh?

Seems that Hasbro has become the Junior Marketing Division of Visa with the latest version of The Game Of Life. Seems that the Twists & Turns Edition replaces cash with a Visa card.

This is on the relative heels of the new Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition which uses a Visa debit card in place of the cash. So much for using game play to reinforce your kids' math skills and teach them how to make change. Now with the new Life, you can teach the little nippers how to incur a bunch of debt.

Luckily, the original versions are still around but I can't say that I like this trend. I suppose you could always order your own Monopoly money if you want to. Ironically, however, you'll have to pay for it with a credit card.

This stuff sure beats the hell out of the innumerable sets of stairs and lousy attempts at words that I did when I was a kid.

Kudos for this guy for taking the time to work this stuff out. Or maybe he just needs a date...

[And yes - I stole the headline off his site. Sue me...]

From right here in my lovely state comes this story in which people with absolutely no common sense are rewarded for displaying that fact for all the world to see.

In a story that touches me on a deep, personal level, Mars, Inc. has announced that it does not support the proposal to redefine the legal definition of Chocolate and will not use any substitute ingredients in its manufacturing.

Thank you, Mars, for standing up for the quality of your product. Although that picture on your website with a package of M&Ms next to a bag of Whiskas is a bit disturbing...