This Happened

Click here.

I like this last one 'cause it reminds me of the climactic scene in Pete's Dragon.

Sigh. I Totally Fell For The Fearmongering

If you're thirsty, stop by.

Alligator and I completely safe. And now I have to Windex.

The worst of it.

Dang you, stupid Fearmongerers. I always fall for it.

What? Debbie Gibson's Schedule Was Full?

They sure do make a lot of these movies. God Bless 'em for it.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Foreigners Sing The Darndest Things

I forgot all about Amanda Lear.




Where was she when we were driving to the outlet malls?



God Bless those Foreigners. Every one.

Das Eilend of Lost Toys

So in a few short weeks I'll be off to Germany, and what will I do there?

Well, talk about books a lot, but I will have a fun weekend, Berlin-Style, so hopefully I can find these toys to bring back for every for everyone on my Weihnachten List.

Apparently, they are designed as educational toys to teach about mental illness. Whether they're for children learning about illnesses or patients, I'm not clear. Either way, they're sure to provide me with hours of fun!

There's Dub, eine Schildkröten suffering from das Depression.

Kroko, eine Alligator with Gestaltzerfall. And a cute pillow!
My favorite though is this sweet slow Flusspferde. Lilo here has, according to the website, been focusing exclusively on this jigsaw puzzle for months now and has not been speaking to anyone. He needs meine Hilfen!
God Bless You, nutty Germans. I'm excited for all your toys.

Bedtime Is For Friendship!

A True, Great, White

Recently, someone said to me "So why do the kids like Betty White so much these days?" I assume this question was meant as, why is it that all of a sudden her star is shining so bright, rather than 'what is there to like about her?'

I first met Ms. White back in my early childhood, when I would go and stay with my Nana and Papa. The Mary Tyler Moore show was in reruns, and Nana and I would enjoy that together. Her Sue Ann Nivens was brilliant. White herself credits this improv bit with the kick to the oven as one of the ways in which she turned this one-time guest spot into a recurring role.

As they were creating the part of Sue Ann Nivens, Mary Tyler Moore said "we need someone who on air is sickeningly sweet, a real Betty White type." Zing! It sounds rather apocraphyl now, since I've heard that story before (in casting Dorothy Szbornak, they supposedly said "We need a real Bea Arthur type," but we'll get to the Golden Girls in a moment).

Where'd she get this reputation for niceness? Well, she started in television in the late 1940s, when most of our parents were just being borned. I like watching Life With Elizabeth, in which she plays a loveable housewife in a show that sometimes is a bit on the mysogenistic side, but often funny (who says we can't have both?).

Here's a clip from that:

Sometimes she'd even sing!

Anyway, of course we all remember her from The Golden Girls. From 1985-1992, every Saturday night I would babysit for my little sister while my parents went out. I would drink root beer from a wine glass, eat a whole bag of Doritos, and watch Golden Girls.

But then? That program eventually went off the air. White was busy with lots of guest appeareances, including this amusing one from The John Larroquette Show:



I think one of the things that kick-started her 'comeback' was her dirty-mouthed role in Lake Placid in 1999:

People liked that, and then she was on Boston Legal with William Shatner, and THEN she had that dirty mouthed bit on Bill Shatner's roast, which I blogged about at the time (it keeps getting taken down).

This lead to the bit in the Proposal, the superbowl ad, and all the other things I've blogged about.




Here's a lovely little clip that sorta sums it all up:

Anyway, that's my story of Betty White and I'm sticking to it. God Bless, Betty, White.

It Takes All Kinds

Sometimes I get things in the mail. This is one of them, a cutie little wooden postcard of an Alligator and a Monkey.

I like to think it's a nice Friendship Tale, like when the lion lays down with the lamb.

2009: And There It Goes

I made this using Technology. And Friendship. (And also Pearl Bailey and Kitty Cats.)

In Which A Crocodile Gets It Right In the Peppercorns

Here's life in the Animal Kingdom. They always say, Hippos kill more than all the other animals combined.

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Like Uncle, Like Nephew

Baby Zach takes after me with his love of Alligators.

Morning View: Boudoir Puss

Ooh la la!

Packing Up, Canada Style

Heading to Canada this afternoon for another 24 hour jaunt. This is what I'm taking (minus Alligator, who is helping me pack). Wish me Bon Chance!

And Then This Happened!

What a week! It was filled with Foreigners, Books, and some Friendship.

Also, some other stuff happened.

Mysteriously, my nephew met a pig.

Some kid in Texas - not my nephew - shot a gator.

I found these lovely Smiths embroidery thingamajigs

A pygmy hippo - or nijlpaard - was born in a Dutch zoo.


Oh, and I discovered this.

Charleston! Now With Serpents!

Boy Meets Bed (and also Cat Meets Bed)

Thanks You For Being A Friend

Wow. This blog is awesome. It's all pictures of different animal buddies.

Some are famous, like Owen and Mzee, who found each other after the Tsunami.

Some are about Big And Small pairings, notably these of kitty cats and their chums:

Here's Monkey & Pooch:

Two of Amber's buddies, Hedgie & Squirrel Nutkin:

I like this one of Pooch & Puss:

This is probably my favorite, of the Kitty & His Buddy.

As for my own collection, I think Zach's relationship with his BFF, Alligator, has been well-documented on these pages. In this shot, they appear to be watching the same fascinating program:


And here's one of him recently with a Monkey Hop-On.


Friendship is a beautiful thing. Thanks, Internet!

Friends-Ship

Yesterday was a stinker. It sure reminded me of the beauty of Friendship.

Sometimes Friendship means you go to your chum's house after work and she pours you the big share of the last beer.

Sometimes it means your old co-star comes to your new Broadway play. Stritchy Alert!


Sometimes it means you have someone to snuggle with at bed time.


And sometimes, Friendship is made up of real talent. Now THAT, is coffee. Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Peggy Lee.

Also? Bedtime Is For Friendship

Comics, Cons, & Good Times

If you were looking for me on Saturday, you could have found me at the Javits Center, at...COMIC CON. Comic Con used to have a "nerds & trekkies" stigma, but now it's super cool to go, and it makes you nifty.

Here are some of the friends I met along the way.

I saw this cool toy of Hawkgirl, perhaps my favorite member of the Justice League:


I met this Cylon buddy, who is in this new program called "Battlestar Fantastico" which I just discovered and am teaching Amber all about.

I saw this Albino Batman, which reminded me of the Albino Alligator that Sarah I and saw in San Francisco.

This toy was perhaps my favorite. They didn't have a doll for Six Million Dollar Man, but they did for Six Million Dollar Man's Boss. How disappointed would you have been in 1978 to find this under the Christmas tree?

My favorite part? Well, it might be meeting this person, whom I was only 80% sure was a drag queen. She was in a weird space suit with a fish tank on her head, and had a long line of people waiting to meet her. Maybe she's famous? I dunno, but it was nice times anyway.

Thanks for the memories, Comic Con!