Michele and I were discussing the vagaries of pinging weblogs.com this afternoon (my time).

Propagandhist: do you use MT to ping?
Propagandhist: I do it by hand. MT never works for me.

[Note that this was not a one sided conversation. Michele just had all the funny lines]

Have you pinged today?

The background: grocery shopping with Alpha and Gamma at the poshest local supermarket. Gamma insists on pudding, which she clutches to her chest the rest of the time in case we change our minds. We go through the checkout with an incredibly full shopping cart. Lots of cat food, lots of stuff for the weekend, etc.

The realization: upon loading groceries and Gamma into roomy Fiat Doblo in the parking lot, I realize Gamma still has her pudding container clutched tightly in her hands. Check receipt: no pudding listed.

The question: should we have taken a second pudding for her big sister Beta, too?

Gamma: “Let’s go look at the cows.”
Miguel: “Okay.”
Gamma: “Put me on your shoulders so I can see in the window.”
Miguel: “Sure.”
Gamma: “Look, one cow is peeing and the other one is drinking it! Hah!”
Miguel: “She’s just tasting it.”
Gamma: “What are those next door?”
Miguel: “About a hundred white turkeys.”
100 White Turkeys: [stare out the window at Miguel and Gamma with dumb fascination]
Miguel: [to turkeys] “Gobble gobble gobble.”
100 White Turkeys: [in unison] “GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!!!!!”

The real Blogger’s Manifesto.

Well, the results are in for the first Annual Feral Living Feral Valentine’s Limerick Contest. It was a very close decision, and a hotly-contested contest. Every winner receives a beautiful hi-gloss Miggie statuette.

And the winners are:

Continue reading →

Just got home from my weekly cello lesson.

My teacher told me to stop moving around so much when I play.

Valentine’s Day is big at Feral Living, as you can tell. Not only do we have a Feral Limerick contest (winners to be announced later today): we have also conducted the following research for your amusement.

In short, the study tests a hypothesis put forward by Dr. Sheila in a recent AIM conversation that men respond more to visual cues while women respond more to voice and tactile cues.

Test one: male response to visual stimuli
Subject: 42 year-old male.
Location: UN entrance gate in Vienna.
Subject approaches gate in embassy vehicle. Holds identification badge to window, expecting wizened male guard who is usually at that gate to emerge from guardhouse, view badge and activate gate mechanism to admit vehicle.
Instead, The Pretty Guard emerges from guardhouse! And, whoa! She’s added blonde highlights to her black hair! Looks good!
Subject’s reaction: fumbles, drops identification badge. In process of recovering badge, stalls vehicle, greatly amusing The Pretty Guard.
Conclusion: strong male response to visual stimuli.

Test two:
Subject: Alpha
Location: Miguel’s house.
Subject given Valentine’s Day gifts of flowers, fancy sunglasses and a letter which among other things explains why the sunglasses are appropriate (thanks Michele). Tactile stimuli: flowers, letter, designer accessories. Voice: both voice of researcher going “blah blah Givenchy sunglasses blah blah” and voice in written form in the letter.
Subject’s reaction: positive, happy, and friendly.
Conclusion: inconclusive, although significant female response to tactile and voice stimuli. Further research required.

Test three:
Subject: same
Location: same
Researcher: “you’ll have to wear those next time we have sex.”
Subject: [modeling sunglasses with big smile on face] “who knows if I’ll still like them 5 years from now.”
Conclusion: inconclusive. Further research necessary.