end of the world

(except for those in CA apparently).

Very funny flash animation if you don't mind profanity.

F**king kangroos.

quietly raises hand

Umm, this is a bit weird. I've now seen it on a couple MSM sites. The BBC's story has more information.

So they think they can use a rib bone to determine if it's Joan of Ark.

The BBC article admits that the family tree is probably false. And being burned at the stake at 19 probably didn't leave a lot of time to have a child. So the best they can do is carbon date and determine if the DNA is from a man or woman.

Yeah, I'm real exicted about the confidence here. "We found a rib bone from a woman dating from 1380-1460. It must be Joan of Ark."

*yawns*

Valentine's Day gripe

I'm so trying to think this is just another day on the calendar. But I haven't turned my desk date thingie to February 14 (I'll set it to the 15th tomorrow).

Boyfriend is still in HI, and will be there until March something. So we've talked about the dead flowers thing, and the obligation to buy a gift because it's a day on the calendar is stupid. For the most part, I agree. I said I'd just be happy if I could see him and hold him - but that will have to wait a few more weeks.

My biggest gripe is that I could have bought a card. There are plenty of cards that are friendly, funny, and don't say the "L" word. But I didn't want to be too obvious by having to ask for his address there.

So I thought that an e-card would be a decent (albeit lame) substitute. I haven't found anything close yet that's funny, whitty, and lacks the "L" word.

Why do I care so much about that one word - because we've been going out for seven months now. The best he's been able to do is say "I really care about you". I don't want to put pressure on him or freak him out with the "L" word.

The type of relationship we have, that's fine. I don't except love to happen with the distance we have between us most of the time. But darn it, find me an e-card that doesn't use the "L" word!!!

Funny stuff

I gotta start watching "The Daily Show" more often.

Here's their take on the incident about our vice president on his latest hunting trip.

Fair warning - it's slow. I am trying to get it setup on my account, but keep getting 403 (even though the permissions are set correctly as far as I can tell). If I get that figured out, I'll post the link to it on my account.

Happy birthday Arizona

Might as well say it since it's being mentioned in the local news here.

94 years ago today, Arizona became the 48th state of the union.

However, even they get it wrong here:

Capitol a 'disaster' area
Growing lament about Mall: It's crumbling, fading, uninspiring
Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 14, 2006 12:00 AM

Arizona turns 94 years old today, and if you need proof, just look at the Capitol.

The buildings are aging, the grass is dead, and some of the monuments are crumbling.

While state officials celebrate Statehood Day, a growing number of civic and academic leaders are lamenting the condition of the Capitol and its surroundings.

94 years ago, Prescott was the state capitol, NOT Phoenix.

Guess good old Casey hasn't lived here that long. I've been here twenty years, but think it wasn't until about five years ago that I learned that Phoenix wasn't the original capitol.

UPDATE: I stand correct. Prescott was the capitol when Arizona was a territory. Phoenix became the capitol in the 1880's, but didn't officially become a state until 1910. Thanks to Arizona State History.

Kitty wake up call

This doesn't invovle claws either!

Just like Monday morning, just as I peek at the alarm clock (usually a half hour before I get up), Adira will come to make sure I don't go back to sleep. By this time of the sleeping pattern, I'm on my right side with my hands on the pillow.

Adira will do a walk around, purring. Weird, but not offensive.

Then she sits with her front paws on my hands (which are on the pillow). Nice to have soft fluffy matter on my hands.

Then she'll give me a couple slurps on my face.

Okay, I'm up!

The road to nowhere

*yeah* to me. I got myself back up the 3.7 miles to the end of the main Sabino Canyon road. For the most part, it's a gradual uphill, with the last 0.7 miles being a real uphill bitch.

So I sat there at one of the rock benches for a while. I had brought a snack, so I had that with the water I had been carrying in my backpack.

I then did some bird watching. I think I saw a hawk (harris maybe), but I couldn't be sure. It was a big bird, but kept under the trees, making it difficult to identify. Cardinals are neat (especially when the male sits in a palo verde). There were a couple birds I had never seen before, but my Dad might be able to figure them out.

When I was walking back from the trash can, I saw an informational sign that I must have missed the last time I made it up there. Sabino Canyon was built in the mid 1930's as a Depression CCC project. The sign was explaining why the road ends at this place (nowhere). Apparently, the funds ran out after the 3.7 miles, and just abruptly ended. Interesting bit of trivia I suppose.

The good news is that if you make it all the way to the end of the road, it's mostly a downhill trip back. It took me one hour and fifteen minutes to make it to the end, but only one hour and ten minutes to get back to my car.

I ran into a biker at the end of the road. He had a hole in the back tire that went into the tube. He was trying to patch it and reinflate it. Otherwise, it'd be a 3.7 mile walk back with his bike (and he was wearing bicycle shoes). Guess he never got it reinflated because he never did pass me on the trip back. That sucks.