Everything is......pink!
It's all new and scary....
...and pink!
*curls up in the fetal position, starts sobbing like a little bitch who missed the cut @cheerleading tryouts*
*slaps self in face*
Ahem...
...sorry you had to see that.
Now then!Hi kids! It's another update from your Friendly Neighborhood Freak.
If you read the above, you either pity me, are laughing your ass off, or have ascertained that the update took me by surprise.
I seem to be unable to change my profile pic though, for some reason...
Well, I would like to pose a question for you all...
How was your weekend?
How was mine, you ask? Well, thank you for asking!
In the wee hours of Saturday morning (roughly between 1 and 3:30, intermittently) I was walking for my work's team @the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.
Two reasons:
1. I like to volunteer, and have a small level of guilt, being a smoker.
B. I enjoy the atmosphere.
Saturday and Sunday was spent w/Heather as we traveled to Worcester (or, for you fellow Massholes, Woostah) to hang out w/our friend/co-worker Kit and her man Keith for her b-day party. Drinking and playing nerd games and barbequing were had by all.
I'm glad the WEATHER is finally turning around here. I'm getting awful sick of the several days of rain and clouds. A co-worker just came back from vaca in Jolly Ole England Town, where (according to him) it was mid 70's and sunny the week he was there.
In ENGLAND.
Yes, all my UK friends, I ♥ ya, but DAMMIT I'm bitter towards your nice weather-havin' "cheeky arses".
*scratches head*
Ah, speaking of Heather, for those of you that have asked...
Heather is doing well, but after a Dr.s app't was told she had to make some changes, including quitting smoking (which she started today) and going off her hormones (so she can take some different ones. Plus, she had to go off of her birth control for a month so they could put her on a different birth control.
We're not bumpin' uglies for a month.
She's a cranky Heather.
I suggested "Plan A", if you catch my drift. She didn't bite.
Basically, she had both a hemiplegic migraine (the one that mimics a stroke) and a basilar artery migraine (which made her unaware of her surroundings), and she's @greater risk of a stroke. However, she's been in for an MRI, and will be in for another, and once they get her on new meds, she quits smoking, gets on different hormones/birth control, and gets on a daily regimen, they can severely limit (though not completely eliminate) the chances she has any future medical problems of that category.
I'm glad you guys were asking about her, because it shows you care. I'm sure she appreciates it as well. I'm confident that things will be OK from here out, but I still worry about her from time to time, especially when she quits smoking. But, I worry because I ♥ her.
If you happen to read this hun...
Now, to lighten the mood a bit, I offer you yet another installment of the journal segment that is a worldwide sensation!
And this un's right up your alley, Attack_Macaque.
KNOW YOUR MONKEYS
Barbary Macaque
The Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is a tail-less macaque. Found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small, possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that live freely in Europe. Although the species is commonly referred to as the "Barbary Ape", the Barbary Macaque is a true monkey, not an ape.
It is yellowish-brown to grey with lighter undersides, growing to a maximum of 75 centimetres (30 inches) in length and 13 kilograms in weight. Its face is a dark pink and its tail is vestigial. The front limbs of this monkey are longer than its hind limbs. Females are somewhat smaller than males.
Dwelling in forests of cedar, pine and oak, the Barbary Macaque may frequent elevations of 2,100 metres or more. It is a diurnal animal, dividing its time more or less equally between arboreal and terrestrial territory. Mostly herbivorous, this monkey feeds on leaves, roots, and fruit, but will also eat insects. By day, the Barbary Macaque patrols a territory which may span several square kilometres; it peacefully co-exists with other primate species, sharing watering holes without incident. The Barbary Macaque moves about energetically on all fours, occasionally rising erect on its hind limbs to survey for threats.
The Barbary Macaque is a gregarious monkey, forming mixed groups of several females and males; the troop of 10-30 individuals is matriarchal, with its hierarchy determined by lineage to the lead female. Unlike other macaques, the males participate in rearing the young; much time is spent playing and grooming with them. In this way, a strong social bond is formed between a male and his offspring, both the male's own and those of others in the troop. This may be a result of selectiveness on the part of the females, who seem to prefer highly parental males.
The mating season runs from November through March. After a gestation period of 147-192 days, typically one baby per female is born; twins are a rarity. The monkeys reach maturity at 3-4 years of age, and may live for 20 years or more.
The habitat of the Barbary Macaque is under threat from increased logging activity; they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Local farmers see the monkeys as pests worthy of extermination. Once common throughout northern Africa and southern Europe, there are estimated to be just 1,200-2,000 Barbary Macaques left.
The last population in Europe is that of Gibraltar, which unlike that of North Africa is thriving. At present there are some 300 animals in five troops occupying the area of the Upper Rock, though occasional forays into the town result in monkey mayhem.
Learn more about barbary macaques on Wikipedia
I still have to read journals (and find my way around this new friggin' thing) so I'll end things here. As always, I wish safety and happiness for all of you.
Stay tuned...
-TM
To My Favorite Heat: Get well soon and don't scare us like that again!!!
I miss you, Holmes. I gotta call your ass soon.
I love your avatar!