Hakuna Matada

One's appreciation of the beauty found in the "Circle of Life" may be directly related to one's relative position in the food chain ....

This is a Red Tailed Hawk dining on a squirrel yesterday morning. The Hawk was called in as "injured", since it didn't fly off when someone walked by. I left it alone, since it was fine and just doing what it's supposed to do. I have had people call stuff like this in and want us to "make them go away" so they don't have to see any carnage in their upscale neighborhood.

Makes me want to show up at their house one morning, slap the breakfast out of their mouth, and see how they like it :)

Remember when...

My Daughter and the Son-in-Law are over at a friend's deer lease this weekend, so we got to keep Bailey while they are gone. The weekend of Thanksgiving is always our time to decorate for Christmas at Castle Paladin, inside and out. It was nice having Bailey here to help out, not the least of which because she reminds us of what we may have forgotten about the Christmas Spirit as we've gotten older.

 

Remember when you didn't worry about Chrismas bills, or crowded shopping malls, or working out hectic Holiday schedules?

Girl Friday - 11/25/2011 - Kang Yui

This week's Girl Friday is a Korean Model whom I know zip, zero, nada about....

Kang Yui

Hit the jump for more...

As God is my Witness.....

I thought Turkey's could fly....




Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!

Chillin'

My Daughter sent us this pic of Bailey the other day. Seems she's caught my Grand Daughter calmly sitting in the refrigerator several times now, just checking out the contents of potential snacks. At least she brings along her Blankie so her legs don't get cold. That shows forethought and a good Prepper attitude!

Its odd, the nicknames kids give their blankets. Bailey calls hers her  "Monkey", for some unknown reason :)

New Diversion

A while back, my local Public Radio Station began running an hour long show on Sunday nights called "RadioLab". I fell in love with the show from the very first episode. It's sort of similar to This American Life, if you are familiar with that show. I have my own problems with Public Radio in general, but there are some gems among their lineup if you sift through the chaff.

Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich host the show, which consists of several short segments circling around a (more or less) central theme. I've found it very enjoyable and interesting to listen to, even on the occassions when I might not agree with some of the content. My problem was that the show starts at 7pm our time. I get off work (normally) at 7, and I'm usually home by 7:30. Then I'm into the house to fix dinner, play with the dog, and smooch with Mrs. Paladin (not necessarily in that order). I'd miss the last half of the show unless I had to work late.

I'm pleased to find that the show episodes are available online at their website: Radiolab. I highly recommend it.

Like I needed another reason...

I don't generally need another reason to look kindly upon Actress Mila Kunis... She is a Girl Friday, after all. But it's nice to have one anyway. On the heels of Good Dude Justin Timberlake attending a Marine Corps Ball with Marine Cpl. Kelsey De Santis, Mila accompanied Sgt. Scott Moore to the Marine Corps Ball in North Carolina.

I like this very much...

And there wasn't a big "Hey!! Look at me!" aspect to it either. Her publicists didn't promote the event or even release pictures from it. The two pictures above were the only ones released and were taken by a friend of the Sgt. 

Girl Friday - 11/18/2011 - Joan Leslie

This week's Girl Friday is a Hollywood Legend:

Joan Leslie

Hit the jump for more....

Seeing through the Mist

Dallas Zoo - 11/12/2011

Life, and the world, or whatever we call that which we are and feel, is an astonishing thing. The mist of familiarity obscures from us the wonder of our being. We are stuck with admiration at some of its transient modifications; but it is itself the great miracle.

—Percy Bysshe Shelley

Dallas Zoo - 11/12/2011

I just called... to say.....

...you suck.

Warning: The following sound file contains profanity. NSFW. Listener discretion is advised...









This was a voicemail left for Animal Control last week. I bleeped out the case specific stuff. We get "drive-bys" like this in Animal Control from time to time through voicemail and email. Especially when its a slow news day and we've had to take enforcement action against someone that they don't like. That's what spurred last week's rash of hatemail and unimaginative anonymous voicemails. The local news ran a piece that portrayed us in a bad light - in spite of the actual facts of the situation. It comes with the territory.

Logically, you'd think people would realize that if they disagree with current laws that  Animal Control is obligated to enforce - then they should maybe Oh, I don't know... change the laws instead of expending so much energy trying to kick us in the balls for doing our jobs. Then again, that would be implying that idiots like brave Mr. Anonymous on the voicemail above have at least two brain cells to rub together.  In this particular instance its not even something as lowly as a City Ordinance we're talking about. Its a State Law that is in place to protect human lives.

Stuff like this doesn't really bother me that much. Its easy for people to get "Internet Balls" or "Testosterphone" and rant their brains out. Does't affect me much. Sometimes people will get a wild hair and act like this face to face, although that's more rare. It takes the same amount of stupid, of course, but considerably more guts to talk that way to my face.

When it does happen, I'm perfectly capable of handling that too.

It's the response from the Suits Upstairs that really causes me irritation. After careful review of the actions taken by the Officers involved in this specific case (I was not one of them), Management was not able to find one single thing that they did incorrectly. Zip. Zero. Nada..... We did everything right. Open and shut case.

So the natural response by the courts was to dismiss the citation issued to the Violator by Animal Control, without even so much as consulting with the Officers involved to learn the facts of the case. No explaination given at all. The only comment from the Prosecutor to the Officers who showed up at court (only to be ignored) was "This is going away".  Then our own Management, in a gutsy move to show how they back up their people, announced to the press that the Animal Control Department would be undergoing sensitivity training.

I'd feel better if they just came out an told us we were being thrown under the bus. At least I could respect their honesty. Now I'm going to have a Mandatory Sensitivity Training notation in my jacket, for a case I had nothing to do with, in a situation where nothing was done wrong.

Perfect.

I'm thankful every day that I have a job. I'm just not specific in my thanks for this particular job.

Girl Friday - 11/11/2011 - Taylor Cole

This Week's Girl Friday is a native Texas Gal.

Taylor Cole

Hit the jump for more, including a music video featuring Ms. Cole - in the spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith...

Semper Fi

Happy Birthday, Devil Dogs...

Helpful Hint

I've heard the same news sound byte over and over on the radio the past couple of days. Some government official commenting on the thousands without power in the Northeastern US after the early snowstorm. Paraphrased quote after the government fails to take care of everything:

"We will make sure that this never happens again!"

Yeah.... you hear that from the government over and over these days, don't you? Something bad happens, the "suck" envelopes everyone that isn't ready for it, the unprepared masses panic and become angry, and some talking head from either political party stands in front of a microphone and proclaims that they shouldn't worry..... the government will ensure that this (whatever) never happens again. Relax.... They are on top of the situation, so all you folks just rest assured and go back to your mindless dependence.

Here's a tip: The Government will not ensure that whatever happened to you won't happen again. They'll be happy to take your money, your votes, and your liberty. However, bad shit will continue to happen on a regular basis and there is nothing they'll be able to do about it.

Your job as a human being is to ensure that you learn your lesson from the experience and prepare so that you can take care of you and yours when it does.

'Cuz it will happen again.

I would crap myself....

... precisely at the 0:15 second mark.

Fall day at the park

Friday was the perfect Fall Day. Sunny skies, reasonably calm breeze, and cool fall-like temps. Took the new camera with me on my walk with Gunny and experimented shooting pics of some of the birds around the park lakes.

Great Egret.

We also have "Cattle Egrets" around here, which are much smaller. Trivia: Great Egrets have the ability to compensate for light refraction when looking at prey swimming under the water. Cattle Egrets don't have this ability, and that's why you seldom see them hunting near the water's edge.


Mallards

Geese.

The ones at the park are pretty good natured. If you've ever been attacked by an angry goose you realize how important that point is. They honked at us, and Gunny didn't show any inclination to investigate further :)

An Anhinga - better known in these parts as a "Water Turkey".

Girl Friday - 11/04/2011 - Syliva Sidney

This week, Girl Friday is going back for another look at one of my favorites from the past:

Sylvia Sidney

Hit the jump for more....

GPOMD

Dog is my Co-Pilot....

Gunny is 18 weeks old today. A little young for the moniker "Noble", but that's what I think of when he's intently looking at something and he's all squared up.

In this case, it was a passing ice cream truck :)  It's said that dogs become more similar to their owners over time. Gunny is getting a head start.

Whining burns a lot of calories....

Remember when people did real work, and consumed real food to give them the energy they needed to do that work?.....

I guess in a slacker age, we have to have slacker sustenance.

Maybe the OWS folks could use this so that they can maintain their vigorous tweets of outrage over the unfairness of (insert whatever area of life they've failed at here) .  Of course, it does cost $18 +shipping for a six pack....

Damn the Man and his expensive corporate status drinks!

H/T Geekologie