Independence Day and Zoo Pictures.

July 4, 2009:

Becky, Janet, and David celebrating Independence Day on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
Here I am representing Michigan.


July 5, 2009:

The drive back to Little Rock involves passing through Transylvania.
In the background you can see one of the many prisons between New Orleans and Little Rock.

July 19, 2009:

The aardvark at the Little Rock Zoo.
Can you see what's hiding behind the foliage on Becky's right?

He looks as pissed off as Sam the Eagle.
Ellen and Mary throwing dust on themselves.



Ellen using the fence as a trunk-rest.
Surprisingly, the zoo keepers brought the elephants out of the enclosure and let people touch them while they ate. It was the first time I ever touched an elephant. They have rough skin and wirey hair.
Cats are all the same whether they are house cats or jaguars. They nap...
...use the scratching post...
...and play.
Becky figuring out what to go see next.




These guys kept tailing us. I think we were about to get mugged.

Little Rock

March 27, 2009.
Heifer International headquarters is in the background.

That dog is a male.

The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library. It looks like a giant trailer parked next to the abandoned railroad tracks and the river. The grounds are pretty though.


Me and my Dad.


Me and Becky.


This is near the visitor's center at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.


The view from near the visitor's center.


The Arkansas River.


May 16, 2009.
Skunk enjoying her spot by the living room window.


May 17, 2009.
Brooke, Ben, and the back of Becky's head on the Big Dam Bridge.


The view of I-430 from the Big Dam Bridge.


The view towards Little Rock.

March Beach Trip

Here are some pictures of our trip to the beach from March 18 - 22. We split a condo near Seaside, FL with Becky's sister. I think it was Seagrove, FL. It was a fun trip and a great way to say goodbye to the freedom of joblessness.

My long-necked friend is a Saints fan.


The view from the balcony.


A cool looking beach house.


Another cool looking beach house.


Sunset on Day 1.


"It's not that hot."


A skim-boarder at sunset.


The military invades.


Another balcony shot.


Going, going, gone.


On this day Becky and I took a walk from the condo to "downtown" Seaside. This is a "hidden" public access path to the beach. The picture doesn't really do it justice. It was surprisingly beautiful.


Self-portrait.


Interesting houses on the walk.


Proof that your house doesn't have to be fancy to be on the beach.

Yeah yeah, I should be working...

I just took the Pew News IQ Quiz. Here are my results:



How did you do?

Great Minds Think Alike.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who saw a parallel between the swine flu epidemic and a zombie outbreak.

Check out this Reuters article.

The "swine flu."

A couple of months ago I read World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War mostly because a friend of mine read the jacket and asked himself, "When did this happen? I'm a well-read individual. I keep up with current events and know a thing or two about history. How come I never heard about this?"

That still cracks me up.

Anyway, I came across this book in the library and decided to give it a read. I was surprised at how much I liked it. I was never a big fan of horror or zombie movies. I did like Dawn of the Dead (2004), Shaun of the Dead, and I Am Legend (of course) but that was the extent of it. After reading this book however, zombie stories now intrigue me. I have always been a fan of stories that take place after a cataclysm and how people struggle to survive. Zombie stories seem to put a fresh twist on this genre for me. If you haven't read it, I recommend you pick up a copy and give it a go.

I am currently reading The Zombie Survival Guide by the same author, Max Brooks. It's pretty good so far. I like that it puts some logic behind the whole fantasy of zombies. It reminds me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual which does the same thing for the Enterprise.

Since I've had zombies on the brain recently (no pun intended), I can't help but see the parallels between the current swine flu outbreak and the impending zombie apocalypse. I recommend mentally switching out the words "swine flu" with "zombie plague" whenever you come across it in the news. It puts an interesting twist on things.

Remember, containment is key.

Do you remember these cartoons?