Wise words for a #SacredSunday.

Image swiped from:
http://i4.minus.com/ipmrdMXyAFlxy.jpg

I was hoping to share some porn for cats tonight, but the technology in my life is being distinctly obstreperous.  Thanks to +Tren C, you get this instead.

Image Source:
https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6411021568/h13A28CE5/

This made me laugh, despite the sinus headache pain, I hope it gives y'all a giggle too!  Sources are at the bottom of the post.

Overview: I had to take my son's lizard to the vet.
Here's what happened:
Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was "something
wrong" with one of the two lizards he holds prisoner in his room.

"He's just lying there looking sick," he told me. "I'm serious, Dad. Can you help?"

I put my best lizard-healer expression on my face and followed him into his bedroom.  One of the little lizards was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do.

"Honey," I called, "come look at the lizard!"

"Oh, my gosh!" my wife exclaimed. "She's having babies."

"What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!"

I was equally outraged.

"Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce," I said accusingly to my wife.

"Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?" she inquired
(I think she actually said this sarcastically!)

"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!"

"Yeah, Bert and Ernie!" my son agreed.

"Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, you know," she informed me (Again with the sarcasm!).

By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it.

"Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience," I announced. "We're about to witness the miracle of birth."

"Oh, gross!" they shrieked"
We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later.

"We don't appear to be making much progress," I noted.

"It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified.

"Do something, Dad!" my son urged.

"Okay, okay." Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gentle tug.
It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results.

"Should I call 911?" my eldest daughter wanted to know.

"Maybe they could talk us through the trauma." (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)

"Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly. We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap.

"Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged.

The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass.

"What do you think, Doc, a C-section?" I suggested scientifically.

"Oh, very interesting," he murmured. "Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.

"Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked.

"Oh, perfectly," the vet assured us. "This lizard is not in labor. In fact, that isn't EVER going to happen. . .

Ernie is a boy. You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity,
like most male species, they um . . um . . .masturbate.

Just the way he did, lying on his back." He blushed, glancing at my wife.

We were silent, absorbing this.

"So, Ernie's just . just . . . excited," my wife offered.

"Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood.

More silence. Then my vicious, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then even laugh loudly.

Tears were now running down her face. "It's just .that . ..

I'm picturing you pulling on its . . . its. . teeny little . . "

She gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more.

"That's enough," I warned. We thanked the vet and hurriedly bundled the lizard and our son back into the car..
He was glad everything was going to be okay.

"I know Ernie's really thankful for what you did, Dad," he told me.

"Oh, you have NO idea," my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.

Two lizards: $140.

One cage: $50.

Trip to the vet: $30.

Memory of your husband pulling on a lizard's winkie:

Priceless!

Moral of the story: Pay attention in biology class.

Lizards lay eggs!!

Image source:
http://www.illustrationsof.com/royalty-free-lizard-clipart-illustration-1049119.jpg

Joke source:
Via a good friend on FB (SW, if you're out there, you know who you are), by way of a jokes page I couldn't find listed here (V's Jokes, here:
https://www.facebook.com/vansjokes )
(Edited only for line wrapping and mild formatting.)

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Just in case the last two posts were too serious for you, I present to you a scientifically sound article on cooties, thanks to +David Foster.

If I ping you on this post, you now have cooties.

♥♡♥

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It makes me regret I got my shots.

While I should be thinking sleeping, I felt the need to put this out there before trying to go lay down again.

A while back, I was running semi-regular posts titled "The Getting to Know You Game", hashtagged as #MaausGame  for those interested in looking up the series.  

I've been debating starting them up again.  The game is this:
I take a person from my circles, with a small following (based on my perception) and I introduce them in a post to you, with a couple facts that I know about them, and I invite all of you to ask them questions.  Note that these are heavily moderated posts, and if, at any time, the featured person is uncomfortable, the post will be locked down.

The intent is to provide a platform for getting to know people you may find interesting to circle.

So, my question for you is this:
How much interest is there in my bringing the game back to life?  And if so, for those who haven't already volunteered to be featured, would you like to go on the list?

As a secondary question, if you were to open a service establishment, what would it be, and what kind of theme would it have, if any?

Source Image:
http://www.flavorwire.com/351297/the-most-amazing-bars-in-the-world

Finally!

It's only taken me two weeks to catch them, in demi-daylight, in the act of being cuddly.

This one I post especially for the #FontAfficianados out there.

#ElephantJokes

Ok, so, this is the promised revision of a circle I threw together in about 5 minutes for +Pierce Arner. I know, it's been at least a week or two since I promised to update and post it, and I'll be honest, my editing of the circle has been about a 15 minute affair, because I finally realized it will never be as perfect as I want it to be.

So, if you're getting a notification, you're in the circle. There's another 30ish folks I'll tag in comments, so they're aware of it. Yes, I've lost track of the originating post. Sorry.

As for the edits, well, I mostly rounded it out a bit. The original request was for sci-fi geekery, and I've thrown in some photographers I like, and some humourists, and a few random other folk.

If you're not in this circle, don't be offended, it was built with an express intent, and I've been pretty scattered, so I expect I'm missing a good chunk of folks. Unfortunately.

You can always make future edit requests on this post.

Thank you for your time, and patience, and excellence!

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My head is spinning now.

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Seems legit, I think....

Just for you, +Scott Cramer, a profile photo showing the real me.

One day only, for #HappyBirthdayScottCramer   #ShowUsYourBuns   &  #MyFavoriteScottCramer!

Thanks to +Mary C. for the fabulous photoshop!

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By virtue of +Lise Bjerregaard Nielsen ...







Bahahahahaha!

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By way of +Pierce Arner and +Sean Green, does anyone know where this statue is located?

ETA:  By Leigh Dyer  
http://metal-sculpture.blogspot.com/
http://www.incurva.co.uk/
Located in Hastings, England
(Thanks, +Greg S.!)

Even better, have any of you seen it in person?

#Tentacthulhu  

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Octopus playing chess by Leigh Dyer.
#Sculpture #Tentacles #Octopus #Metalwork  

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I had to reshare. Begemott is one of my absolute favourite artists on dA.

All my ♥♡♥s.

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Update: Alex Panagopoulos (*begemott) explains how his wildly popular image evolved into being Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new project!

The Verge: http://bit.ly/WAhaB7

Artwork: Blow out the candles by *begemott http://bit.ly/WAhgbW

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I admit, I laughed.

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A man is driving along a highway and sees a rabbit jump out into the road. He swerves to avoid hitting it, but unfortunately the rabbit jumps right in front of the car.  The driver, a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulls over and gets out to see what has become of the rabbit.

Much to his dismay, the rabbit is dead.  The driver feels so awful that he begins to cry.

A woman driving down the highway sees the man crying on the side of the road and pulls over.  She steps out of the car and asks the man what's wrong. 

"I feel terrible," he explains, "I accidentally hit a rabbit with my car and KILLED IT."

The woman says,"Don't worry." 

She runs to her car and pulls out a spray can. She walks over to the limp, dead rabbit; bends down, and sprays the contents onto it.

The rabbit jumps up, waves its paw at the two of them and hops off down the road.

Ten feet away it stops, turns around and waves again, it hops down the road another 10 feet, turns and waves, hops another ten feet, turns and waves, and 
repeats this again and again and again and again, until it hops out of sight.

The man is astonished.  He runs over to the woman and demands, "What is in that can?  What did you spray on that rabbit?" 

The woman turns the can around so that the man can read the label.

It says "Hair Spray:  Restores life to dead hair, and adds permanent wave."

Image source (and a darned good story in its own right):
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/electric-pink-bunny-slippers

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Swiping, and modifying, a comment on +Matthew Graybosch's post:

I used to be a hot adventurer elf like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee vital organ

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LOL... thanks to +David Cooper for sharing this one this morning to help drive home a point (so to speak).

#womeninreasonablearmor  

One of my favourite artists (among a list of many) to follow on deviantArt is theCHAMBA.  They do a variety of works, but what I'd like to showcase today is their fan art.

However, I highly suggest visiting their profile here:
http://thechamba.deviantart.com/
And taking a peek at all the wonderful works they have.

#Creative   #Art  

Super Mario Brothers Eggs!

These would make an excellent project for blown out eggs, as once you apply acrylic paint to an egg, its contents should be considered inedible.

The how-to:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Awesome-Super-Mario-Bros-Eggs/
To blow out eggs:
http://www.wikihow.com/Blow-Out-Eggs
Via:
http://www.obviouswinner.com/obvwin/2013/3/16/super-mario-bros-easter-eggs.html

#SuperMarioBros
#EggPainting
#Creativity
#ItsCrafty

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Ayup.

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Edit:  I'd like to stress that I am looking for ANYONE who is wanting to promote their work, be it for fun (think Hyperbole and a Half), sales (+eric orchard as an example) or otherwise.
But please, I would like to avoid the scammy stuff.

I am pausing for a while.  I really should focus on some reorganization for a while, and I'm terribly grumpy to boot, so it's a good time to make myself grumpier by forcing myself to do some of the things I've been avoiding.

Email if you need me.

Whilst I'm gone, I would love it if you could do me a favour.  One of my long-time back-burner projects is to put together a directory of Plus artists, musicians, authors, photographers, <insert other types of businesses here>, etc.  Specifically, ones that don't necessarily get a lot of attention, but in saying that, I don't want to exclude anyone.

If you could, pretty, pretty please, list your favourite G+ businesses in the comments below (including a category would be lovely, too), I would greatly appreciate it.

Pinging +Sean Cowen, as it was one of his posts that reminded me I've sat on this idea for far, far too long.  If I had finished all this reorganization, I'd be able to ping my budding Plus Businesses circle on this too, but there you go.  So instead, I'm pinging those of you unfortunate enough to be in my "give lots of attention to" circles (not that you could really tell lately, but hey!).

I'll be around, but not necessarily "active", since most of the reorganization is background type stuff.  So I trust y'all to be polite in the comments.

Then again, I may get fed up in 2 hours and be right back.  Which would be sad.  I really DO need to get those dishes done, and my circles finished, and a few long write-ups done (including the Circle Dirk Recipe Book, +Dirk Puehl) and figure out what the heck to do with that blog, and then there's vacuuming, and taping the cats to the ceiling so I can de-fur everything, and and and...  Oi
!

So, if you feel you have nothing else to do, I always recommend the Foglios.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/

Austin Vintage Creations

While browsing for something completely different, I ran across this profile on +deviantART:
http://artisme.deviantart.com/
The owner runs an Etsy store titled Austin Vintage Creations, located here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TandBDavis

The first stunner was the complex use of beautiful, vibrant colours, and the amazing amount of detail.  

The second stunner was the range of amazing photographs artisme has in their gallery.  So many different subjects, almost all of them atypical views (IMO), and every one I looked at was gorgeous.

Artisme's duck sculptures, of course, were my gateway drug, but I must strongly suggest you check out all the other work as well, and if you're interested in purchasing, I've included the link to their Etsy store.  They indicate they do custom orders as well (hint hint, nudge nudge).

#Duckathon  
#deviantART  
#SculptureArt  
#Steampunk  

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Ayup.

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Another silly #Baturday  because I can't be required to post anything too serious while I feel like this. 

As proof I've had way too much chocolate, I present this little piece of awesome.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/GimmCat?page=1

The Pinkie Pie wig and tail are so adorable!

+Mary C., +Mar Mai:  There's a matching Rainbow Dash tail, too!

For what it's worth, I was looking for black tiaras, and found this Etsy store via here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/99017558/princess-luna-costume-wig-my-little-pony?

I'm quite sure this qualifies as productive, I just haven't figured out how, yet.

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I can support this kind of logic.

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WolframAlpha + Monty Python =

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I had my suspicions...

#SparkleScheisse  

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“How To Survive the Apocalypse”
You can’t just go with any plain old unicorn. It has to be a badass unicorn. Many people have made this mistake.

I Smell Like Krylon.

Wait, you mean that isn't normal?

Ok, so, seriously.  I had thoughts to edit, at least crop, these photos, and I wussed out on it.  Yes, I know I need a real lightbox for taking such photos, but honestly, until I have a room I can shut the cats away from, that isn't realistically going to happen.  Anyhoo, on to the details.

This is The Traveler.  She's preparing to go on a trip with a friend overseas.  She's almost finished.  In these photos, she is drying from her last Krylon clear glossy stinky coat.  Which my very graceful self managed to get all over the non-spraying hand.  Did you know Krylon eats regular nail lacquer?  Now you do.

There's 3 special little charms that will be attached to her bouquet before she is mailed out, which I have no intention of attempting to do until she's fully dried.  Keep in mind that this is my first Sculpey model in close to 20-25 years, and definitely the first time I've painted a model to completion in an awful long time.  She's wearing water-based acrylics, and both fine and medium craft glitter in various places.  She's a bit uneven, I know, but somehow, every time I thought to try to correct that, she gave me this look, and said she liked it that way.  No, really, she did!  She's very opinionated.  I can't imagine where she got that from.

Considering how long each step took, she really should have been finished earlier last week, but I will admit to having to overcome some bits of fear as I embarked on each successive stage, worried that I'd find a way to screw her up beyond repair.  Somehow, magically, I managed.

I'll post the final photos (as well as the in-progress previous photos) when she's been successfully received by her new companion.

#Creativity   #Sculpting   #SacredSunday   #TravelAndFriendship  

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Dem ears!

#dropbears #cutenessoverload

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WIGGLE WIGGLEY EARS!


aaaaaand bedtime for me!

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Rakes are deadly weapons, not to be trifled with!

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Because I had to. The adorable made me do it!

#ItsCrafty
#Tentacthulhu

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My brain is mush - it's a long story involving bad directions, 3 craft stores, and a lot of clay

I've been making sculptures all day to fill the bevy of orders that came in when my little steampunk cthulhu went viral on facebook and spread to several other sites.

I'm probably going to dream about green clay

Here, have some 'thulhus!

(these are listed in my store for the moment, maybe it will have calmed down a bit today!  http://www.etsy.com/littlefatdragons)

Via a lovely little birdy in my circles ♥

http://kitchenoverlord.com/2013/04/08/edible-art-cthulhu-pot-pies/

#Tentacthulhu #FoodPorn

I have this cat. (I know, right? What a shock!)

She has been with me for 13 months now, and still finds new, surprising methods of vexing me.

For context, the box she is sitting in is full of the as-yet unopened packages of Sculpey clay. The same stuff she loves to chew on.

That box sits on the top of a 6 foot tall bookshelf. With no nearby take-off points.

I think Vexatious Kitteh levitated up there.

#TribbleTheCat
#TroubleWithTribble

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Here is a happy for today. <3 +mary Zeman

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Earworm of the day:

What is love?
Baby don't Herd Me
Don't Herd Me
No Mow.....

I don't know why ewe aren't there
I give ewe my yarn but ewe don't care
So what is knit and what crochet?
Give me a sign...

What is Love?
Baby don't Herd Me
Baby Don't Herd Me
No Mow.....

(I had to do it.  I'm cracking myself up here...)

I, Cthulhu, like a sir!

In the ZOMG so cute! category of ... well ... everything, here's a fabulous 3 inch high crafted Cthulhu with some amazingly detailed props to go with!

The creator's post about I, Cthulhu is located here:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=386039.0

#CutenessOverload   #Cthulhu   #ItsCrafty   #Steampunk  #Tentacthulhu

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Via +Charles Moore, IIRC, who had an awesome commenter. Whose name I cannot recall to tag.

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I found this to be quite an arresting and stunning piece of art. Please direct your appreciation to the original post.

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why do people dream? 

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Presented without comment.

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What does Cthulhu nom for breakfast?
http://www.geeknative.com/35728/lovecrafts-cthuloops/

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This is +mary Zeman's fault.

=>.>=

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runs

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Presented without comment.

Special ping to +Damian Sanchez +Scott Cramer and +Keith Cramer

Reshare courtesy of the lovely +Paul Snedden

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Yes it's a #Dropbear with a #Lightsaber.

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+Greg S. shares the #DisturbinglyCute today.

I might have to call off the rest of the day if I cannot stop squeeing over this.

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Tree Frog enjoying a Light Snack

This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in photographer James Snyder's backyard in southern Florida.

How and why he ate this light is a mystery. When he took this photo, Snyder thought this frog was dead, having cooked himself from the inside.

After a few shots the frog adjusted his position. So after Snyder was finished shooting him, he pulled the light out of the frog's mouth and he was fine.

Photographer James Snyder ~ http://goo.gl/hZFAI

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EDIT EDIT: Amazon now has the book listed as free. Have at you!

EDIT:  PS:  There appears to be some issue with Amazon not updating in a timely fashion.  I will provide updates on availability here.

Come 9 minutes from now, the book referenced below will be available for free download from Amazon (link provided).

Requested, if you download the book, are reviews of the work, and +Mar Mai is offering, for the first twenty reviewers (that's 20), a free banner and profile pic drawn especially for you.  Come get in on the action!

Yes, I am notifying a good chunk of you.  Free stuff with a time limit!  Hop to it, folks!  (Unfortunately, the circles I most want to notify, Plus isn't letting me notify.  Sorry, guys!)

#Halloween   #MarMaiComix   #TicTokBooks   #TicTok  

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Hello Everyone!!

Time for a shameful plug of AWESOMENESS! Because my ebook, The Dragon Tutor, is FREE from Halloween through November 1st 2012!

LINK> http://goo.gl/FsmJD

(It's scheduled to start at 12:00 AM Pacific time, about 30 minutes from the time of this posting)

+Lacerant Plainer *is absolutely right* when he says I'm usually too shy to promote my own work... the only reason I'm doing it THIS time is because it won't cost you a dime to get it! :D
 
It's a win-win, because you get to read my AWESOME book, The Dragon Tutor (shameful plug of awesomeness!!) and as you'll read in the comic below, my book will get higher in Amazon's ranking system!

But also.... I need reviews! O.O
Reviews are another thing that bring authors up on the ranking system but they're tedious to write! Knowing this, I have sweetened the pot! 

The first 20 people to write a review (and tell me about it) will get a full color profile pic and banner from me!

This is my way of thanking you for being awesome! And my way of getting reviews too! Shameful plugging initiated!!

In any case, please download the book and enjoy! I would love to hear what you think!

P.S.

Thanks to my wonderful, lovely assistants, +Damian Sanchez +Halfdan Reschat and +Chris Mallory 

You are the BEST assistants EVER!! 

And amazing glomp hugs to +Dirk Reul and +Lacerant Plainer who started all this and are simply AMAZING!! I got something special coming for you!!

#halloween  #marmaicomix   #TicTokBooks  #TicTok  

Instead of feeling this calm, cool, and collected on a Friday afternoon, I am utterly exhaustimucated.

Y'all could tear it up and paint the town pink for me if you're so inclined.  Myself, potentially not long for this conscious thing.

PS:  Velinov has some amazing work.  This piece though has stuck with me for the last 26 hours straight.

Image Source:
http://velinov.deviantart.com/art/Gothic-innocence-38886627

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This never gets old. Right, +Eoghann Irving?

Courtesy of the demon gatos and +Nick Shvelidze's share, my question for you today: What is your favourite Monday horror story?

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#cthulhu

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+Kevin Lovecraft is a professional #Tentacthulhu spotter. Do try this at home (and then post pictures and let me know how it went. Is your village still in one piece or busy being mulched?)

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Stolen from +David Blunt.

Totally worthy.

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There are so many of you that might enjoy getting to know +Dan Baker, seriously, look at that R2!

#StarWars
#Geekery
#NewCritters

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Meet Dan Baker

I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is +Dan Baker. He's someone I know in real life. Imagine that. He's made a life size R2-D2 that moves, beeps, and generally acts like R2. I don't think he's managed to develop the hologram display yet though.

He describes himself like this: "I'm a graphic designer, prop maker, gamer, computer nerd, droid builder, and all around geek-for-hire."

If you look at his profile, he's posted a bunch of pictures of R2 from different events. Add him to your circles and say hello. 

He's just started using Google+. Let's make sure he has a good experience here and that show him how awesome this place can be.

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I have always found swords to be beautiful, for a variety of reasons. Yes, they can do ugly things, but it can be a lifetime of training to learn how to use them well, and some of the practices are starkly beautiful to watch.

That said, +Lilith Dark, go get 'em!

One of these days, I'll get around to buying, and learning to wield, a broadsword taller than me, just to say that I can.

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Yeah!

When a virtual server and its host machine love each other very much...

They will obviously turn off the packets at every opportunity so they can have "alone time".

Because, you know, every host machine I get needs to have some sort of hardware issue.

#Eyeroll #OhBehave

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Not that I'm trying to instigate anything, but to balance out +Mark Smith's peas (giggle), here's +Andrij Harasewych's ... felines (falls over giggling).

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Look, Pokémon babies! No, just kidding. These are kittens of the caracal cat, also known as the desert lynx. They're found across Africa, central Asia and southwest Asia into India.
Check out the tuft of hair on top of their ears - as adults, it's a full 50% the length of the ear itself.

#felinefriday   #caturday  
via fb.me/ifeakinglovescience

Dear heavens help me, I'm in a Michael's craft store

Alone.

Ahhhhhhhhh! The sparkly!!!

+Dede Craig King informs me that rage-quitting is all the ... rage.
Ahem.

So, for the sake of "this is blessedly funny after several days of not sleeping", I am here to rage-quit in the cutest manner possible!

Once I figure out how to rage-quit, of course.

So... ummm... hey look! A porcupine!
"Teddy" the porcupine has WAY TOO MUCH corn on New Year's

Flounces off stage in a sneaky huff, trying not to giggle

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Blue, when done well, is a wonderful hair colour. Fabulous job, +Kostika D!

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I've gone blue!

Proof, yet again, that I'm a bit slow on the uptake.  The past two days, I've been naming all my Necroa Virus plagues in +Plague Inc. after the Seven Deadly Sins (Gluttony is especially fitting, I find), and I just now realized the comparison to the Seven Dwarves.

So, of course I had to GIS for "Seven Deadly Dwarves", and here you go:
http://lolwutartblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/yale-record-deadly-dwarves-or-sins.html

ETA:  Relevant story located here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/115687178185726009185/posts/2CUJukNxmsM

#SacredSunday   #Creativity

The Trouble with Tribble - Black Spoon Redux
Bitsen Finds His Own Spoon

Shortly after I got &Bits, Tribble-the-Cat stopped playing fetch, as every time I would throw her spoon (or any other toy), Bitsen would tear after it, beat her to it, and promptly return it to me to throw again.  As a consequence, Tribble has been mostly hoarding her black plastic spoons (yes, she has a collection now, at least 3!) where Bitsen cannot get to them, and making her displeasure known when he DID try to play with them.

(If you didn't get to see Tribble's Black Plastic Spoon, the original post is here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/115455415607748247711/posts/aVh7qVGicmm )

Well, today, all of that changed.  Bitsen showed me this morning that he had found his OWN plastic spoon and, I cannot make this up, it's white.  He has been playing with this spoon all day long, and it shows the wear and tear of his little 6 month old teeth, but the fetching has been grand, glorious, and long.

So, today's #SacredSunday , for me, belongs to my two lovely felines, their inherent yin/yang-ness, and their love of plastic cutlery.

I do hope y'all have had a brilliant one, and find the coming week starting gently for you.

#TribbleAndBits   #TroubleWithTribble  

Posting this now, instead of when I have time to edit the photos (hey look!  More crappy photos!), as I want to catch +Abigail Markov before she goes to sleep.

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Thanks to +Sheila Nagig for this most awesome find! It should be interesting to see how the rest of the elements come out.

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http://kcd-elements.tumblr.com/

I love this series. The artist has created characters for the elements in the periodic table. She's obviously a genius.

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I refuse to try to be intelligent any more today.

Here, have some really, really little squees instead.

Courtesy of the lovely +Paul Stickland.

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Really tiny crocheted animals!

etsy.com/shop/suami
#dogs   #reallytinydogs     #pug  

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Via +Kyla Myers, a beeeeaaaayooootiful cake by Karen Portaleo out of Florida.

Relevant blog post:
http://specialsugar.blogspot.com/2011/05/time-for-octoblog-so-get-kraken.html?m=1

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OMG!!!!!!!! I want this cake!!!!!!! 

I'm taking full ownership of the fact that +Kimberly Chapman called me a danger to non-sparkling things (or something something glitter something), +C. Corey Fisk considers me a danger to her colour palette (because pink is awesome, and infectious), and +Rugger Ducky said I am "terrifying".

I'm also swiping the gif from +Kimberly Chapman, because I'm adorable like that.

=<.<=

What? She posted it at me first!

=>.>=

So, what are you taking ownership of today?

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Dear Hardware:

Please be advised that I will be arriving armed. You'd best be working when I get there.

Sincerely,
Crazy Cat Lady

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"Catgun", art by Mihail. http://glooh.deviantart.com/ #Caturday  

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These are positively gorgeous! You can find more, including a link to the artist's store, here:
http://www.maryomalleyceramics.com/index.html

#Tentacthulhu

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Cthulhu ceramic crockery

http://www.geeknative.com/39544/cthulhu-ceramic-crockery/

A collection of tentacles for your tea service today, perhaps?

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Second picture is best picture.

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Miles, what do I do? I don't fit in the [gender] box?

You get a two-fer today, and I'm (roughly, sort of, DON'T JUDGE MY GRUMPY-DAY MATH!) splitting the difference between their respective midnights (I'd post at UTC midnight, but I will most likely be standing in line at a government office at that time, becoming even MOAR GRUMPIEZ).

So, happy birthday to two very wonderful folks, +Dirk Reul.  His fabulous t-shirts can be found here:
http://www.cafepress.com/deseano
And +Ashlan Nathens.  His scribbles are located here:
http://www.scribblegraph.com/
http://www.scribblegraph.me/

Together, they are a wonderful combination of geeky creativity, and almost always capable of brightening a day.

Though, nothing shy of seeing #Reuleks invading the DMV (after we get the IDs we need, please), or little mice tinkering around trying to fix things, would brighten today.

#OhHaiDirkachu!
#OhHaiOneUpMause!
#HappyBirthdayDirkReul  
#OneDirkToReulekThemAll  
#HappyBirthdayAshlanNathens  
#HappyBirthdayScribblegraph  

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=>.>=

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Even science has a place on #punday  

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This gave me giggles.  To add to the laugh, I got this from the comments (copied with permission):
+James Mayes 
Sort of related, my 5 y.o. son is the ring bearer on my sister-n-laws wedding.  I told him at practice it was his precious, and to say that all the way down the aisle and give people angry looks.

He did, saying "My precious.  My precious."  the whole way.  Needless to say, that didn't go over well with everyone, but I sure got a laugh out of it!

That was practice last night.  He was told NOT to say that by mom, but I'm pretty sure he'll listen to me when he goes down the aisle today.  I just asked him what he's supposed to do today, and he lowered brow and lowered his voice to a growl and said, "Oh my precious!"  This is going to be interesting!

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If You Like It Don't Put A Ring On It - Middle Earth PSAs

Dorkly has several cool Middle Earth inspired PSAs. This is my favorite but check out the others: http://www.dorkly.com/article/49077/middle-earth-psas

They're wrong about Elevenses though. It's not the same thing as brunch at all.

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By way of +Dryade Geo, am now going to finish dying of cute.

Obvious animated gif reshare is obvious.

#DropBears

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#gifsanimal   #koala  

http://iwantyoutowatchme.tumblr.com/post/37976836961

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This reminds me of someone, but I can't quite recall who...

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#punday  

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shifty eyes

I was nowhere near there, I swear!

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Pink Pink everywhere...!!
Taiwan.

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So, this is very promising. Epilepsy is a particularly nasty beastie, even in mild cases, due to the inconsistent control one can exert over it.

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Epilepsy Cured in Mice Using Brain Cells

Epilepsy that does not respond to drugs can be halted in adult mice by
transplanting a specific type of cell into the brain, UCSF researchers have discovered, raising hope that a similar treatment might work in severe forms of human epilepsy.

http://www.psychology-world.com/2013/05/epilepsy-cured-in-mice-using-brain-cells.html

#ScienceSunday  

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The LEGO koi are amazing.

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Sean Kenney is a Lego master who brought his work to the Lauritzen Gardens.  500,000 Lego bricks, 27 sculptures.  Just gorgeous work.  A few live plants and koi thrown in for good measure.  For more information about the artist, check out http://www.seankenney.com/

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Cupcake?

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WAAAAAAAFFLES!

(via tumblr: http://tattoos-and-teatime.tumblr.com/post/36984246015)

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Via +Sophie Tate, I need this as a wallet card, so I stop confusing people by calling things the wrong name.

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Helpful computer ports infographic

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Snarf.

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This is the most science-y thing I've posted in months.

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There. It's not so bad now, is it?

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This Valentine's Day

http://www.geeknative.com/37741/valentines-i-dont-hate-you/

... I don't hate you.

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Look, +Dede Craig King!  It's Cat #Badku!

Thanks to +Dryade Geo for the tip-off!

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This is so familiar to me, I simply cannot imagine why!

(Also, internet outage that's an actual, documentable outage?! Be still my heart!)

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True...

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Looking for something brutally cute? Then I highly recommend checking out +Kelsey Swanson's Etsy store here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFatDragons

Her dragons are amazingly adorable too, especially the new #Steampunk one.

#ItsCrafty #Tentacthulhu

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In Rl'yeh the devourer of your immortal soul is sometimes bored and needs to devour knowledge instead, and what better to nom upon than the necro-NOM-icon?

Do you suppose Cthulhu was a mathematician?

Image source: http://www.neatoshop.com/product/My-Little-Cthulhu

Because I couldn't find an underused image of Cthulhu as the Thinker, so we get adorable and glow in the dark!

#Tentacthulhu

ETA: As a secondary thought, does mathematics evolve on its own without outside influence?

Is "God" an allegory for the maths that run the universe?
#Philosophy?

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Well, not yet, but soon. Once I get past the urge to make white fur slippers.

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Put on your thinking cat

Image from http://goo.gl/vhL6a

#Caturday  

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Resharing the gorgeous Steampunk sculpture love.

I hope y'all enjoy!

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Austin Vintage Creations

While browsing for something completely different, I ran across this profile on +deviantART:
http://artisme.deviantart.com/
The owner runs an Etsy store titled Austin Vintage Creations, located here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TandBDavis

The first stunner was the complex use of beautiful, vibrant colours, and the amazing amount of detail.  

The second stunner was the range of amazing photographs artisme has in their gallery.  So many different subjects, almost all of them atypical views (IMO), and every one I looked at was gorgeous.

Artisme's duck sculptures, of course, were my gateway drug, but I must strongly suggest you check out all the other work as well, and if you're interested in purchasing, I've included the link to their Etsy store.  They indicate they do custom orders as well (hint hint, nudge nudge).

#Duckathon  
#deviantART  
#SculptureArt  
#Steampunk  

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For a feel-good Monday moment, +Paul Drinnon reminded me of this Puttin' on the Ritz flashmob: Цекало и Puttin` отожгли на Воробьевых горах

Reshare courtesy of the beautiful +Dryade Geo!

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Infant Cthulhu steppin' out
#octopus  

Star Wars Matroyshka Dolls.

Edit:  As far as I can tell, these are from a series called "Star Wars Chubby Nesting Dolls".  Most of them do not appear to be available, but I've found a few sets on Ebay, and some are on Amazon as well:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=star+wars+chubby+nesting+dolls

For all of your nesting fun!

http://walyou.com/star-wars-nesting-dolls/
#StarWars   #Matroyshka  

Alternatively, there's this set:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=285670.0

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Via +Moueska Tonelicci, There's this fabulous album.

You can see more of his work here:
http://www.joebenitez.com/mechanika.htm

#Steampunk   #LadyMechanika  

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A little Steampunk to start the day..."Lady Mechanika" by Joe Benitez.

It occurs to me that perhaps part of the reason why Tribble spends so much time licking Bits clean, is that she thinks his fur must be dirty.  

Besides the obvious part where it usually is, because he's been doing donuts in the litter box.

It would also explain why she licks my hair so often, too.

#TheTroubleWithTribble  

Bet you can't guess what my original search term was!

Want to know how to get edible googly eyes?  Then go here:
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/one-hundred-percent-edible-googly-eyes/

In the meantime, sushi photos were found here:
http://www.allgoogly.com/2009/05/rancho-sushio/
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/383904924_4d720a4696.jpg?v=0

Loki came from here:
http://www.vunie.com/wp-content/uploads/best-funny-pictures-loki-with-googly-eyes.jpg

+Geek Native has this awesome pictorial:
http://www.geeknative.com/38161/this-is-what-happens-when-you-take-giant-googly-eyes-to-a-convention/

And Archie McPhee's current selection of googly eyed products:
http://mcphee.com/shop/catalogsearch/result/?q=googly+eyes

#GooglyEyes  

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Via +Peter Schmidt - #SpiderBuddy

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This made me all sad and stuff.

Via a comment by +Brittany Constable on +Katey Springle Lempka's reshare of that adorable Princess Hulk +Kyla Myers shared (https://plus.google.com/u/0/113896907556049130248/posts/gKZZ67Dzb94), I found these.  There's more than just superhero costume tutus at the store (Pirates are superheros!  Work with me here!).  You will find dragon tutus, traditional tutus, and some truly adorable crowns, perfect for any child (as I didn't see any adult sizes, but maybe it's worth asking for a custom commission?  The owner DOES state that they will make any size!)

The site:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/goodygoodytutus

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+Scott Cramer, weren't we trying for a stealth landing this time?

+Simon W, I think his tuneup went a tad awry...

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Meteorite Landing in Russia
#RussianMeteor  

Here's more info about this amazing phenomenon from +Pamela Gay :
https://plus.google.com/109036978092446954908/posts/8AvWNzJWoBK

It's that kind of day.

That moment when...

There I was, almost asleep, one large cat sleepily purring at my side, one small cat perched on my lower back, when I feel this cold squish moving around on my rump.  

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!  The startlement is immediate. And panicky.

Slowly, logic kicks in.  Bits, did you chew a hole in my pajamas or something?  So, naturally, I gingerly reach back to see what it is, hoping it's not a case of kitten-vomit.

Nothing.  My hand finds a small damp spot, but no root cause.  Determined not to roll over until after it's time to wake up officially, I try to fall back asleep.

Cold, damp squish on the middle of my back.  What the... no, wait, now it's on my shoulder.  Ew, it just brushed my neck!  

I stifle a yelp as it hits the back of my thigh, just below my shorts, and finally manage to isolate the cause.  There, at my fingertips, is &Bits' favourite mousie, dunked in his water dish for all those Extra Mousie Flavours. 

He noses my hand, picks up the mousie and drops it back into my palm.  Ahhhh, how wonderful!  He has discovered a new way of asking me to play Fetch in the middle of the night!  I can hear Tribble-The-Cat laughing at me behind her whiskers.  Which means she's probably hidden her Black Plastic Spoon where I won't find it until morning, embedded in my side.  Again.

Oi.  Life with cats.  <3

Perhaps it's time to pay them back by opening up the boxes of packing peanuts?

Image Source:  http://wallpapers.jurko.net/pic/1564/

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There, +Carrie Canup, I will admit to being a nerd.

<3

And sometimes, a dork too.

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I'm a #nerd, how about you?

http://dftba.com/product/12e/Nerds-Like-Us-Poster--Black via https://www.facebook.com/EpicLabTime
#science   #sciencememe  +Memetic Engineering +Mz Maau +Feisal Kamil 

So, here I was, feeling lousy, gobbling ibuprofen, and in general, pretty miserable and irritated with the world in general, when this showed up in my inbox.  Hat tip to the amazing woman who always seems to know when to make me laugh so hard I can't breathe.  <3

Puerile sense of humour FTW!

*****************************************
Like everything in life, farts have a time and place. However, I never realized that in the wrong time and place, flatulence had enough power to alter my course in history. Well, it can if it’s the third date with the man of your dreams. And, if it makes his eyes burn. If God destined us to be together, I was one SBD away from foiling His plans (that’s “Silent But Deadly” for you prudes).

It was about five years ago. I was trying to lose a few pounds so I was staying away from carbs. That’s when I met my husband, Rob. On our first date, he booked the next two. He liked me. I liked him. Things were looking real good.

He picked me up in a Cobra, Mustang and his pathetic attempt to win me over with a car totally worked. I’m not shallow, but since I spent most of my twenties picking men up because I didn’t want my hair to frizz in their non-air conditioned jalopies on 3 wheels and a 15 year old spare, I welcomed his fancy sports car with open arms.

We arrived at the restaurant and Rob was ordering food I hadn’t allowed myself to eat in years. I didn’t want to be “that girl” so I ate, drank, and oh, was I merry. Later we shopped a bit. Rob surprised me by buying an expensive pair of shoes that he caught me eyeing. Was this love?

That’s when it happened. Gas strikes in two different ways – uncontrollable toots or sharp, shooting pains that feel a lot like dying. I thought I was dying. Not to make a scene, I told Rob I suddenly wasn’t feeling well and probably needed to head home.

On the way home in his Cobra, he tried to hold my hand and ask me lots of questions, but I wasn’t having any of it. The pain was so bad it felt like I was being stabbed with a bunch of tiny forks. Then I realized …

My God, help me. I have a horrendous fart on deck. I’m in trouble. Big trouble.

The more I held it in, the more pain would shoot through my stomach and down my legs. I was even having to raise myself off the seat, gripping on to my door and the dashboard.

“Seriously, you need to hurry – I’m in a lot of pain.” I managed to say through gritted teeth.

“Wow, it’s that bad? What’s wrong? Do I need to take you to a hospital?”

How do you tell a man you just started dating that the reason you’re writhing in pain is because you have to fart?

Well, you can either tell him, or like me, let the fart speak for itself.

People, hear me. There was nothing I could do. As impressive as I am with sphincter control, this was out of my hands. Slowly, it eeked out. The more I tried to stop it, the more it forced it’s way through the door. However, to my pleasant surprise, there was no sound. I sat silently, sweat accumulating above my upper lip. Ok, maybe I got away with it. Maybe I’m home free. Then it hit me. Not an idea, a cloud. A horrific, fart cloud. Not in a, “am I smelling something?” sort of way. More like a “is someone dead and rotting in your trunk and am I in hell?” sort of way.

Suddenly, I panicked. “Roll down the windows!” I screamed (yes, I literally screamed it like I was in a horror movie).

“What? Why?” Rob asked, starting to freak out because I was freaking out.

“I can’t roll down the windows, unlock it! UNLOCK IT!”

“What’s going on?” Rob yells back to me, “Why are you …” then it hit him. I could see it in his eyes. Was it surprise? Horror? Water started to accumulate at the base of his eyelids, “Oh my God, I CAN TASTE IT!” he screamed.

“Roll down the windows!” As I screamed, the toots started to flood out uncontrollably. I scratched and clawed at the window like I was being kidnapped. Rob, unable to see either by fart cloud or panic, kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of unlocking the window.

It was chaos. We were acting like we were under siege by gun fire. We were under siege alright, just not by gun fire.

Finally he was able to hit the right control and he rolled down our windows. We both gulped in fresh air. I was horrified, yet happy to be alive, then remembered I just farted on the man of dreams, then sorta wished I was dead.

We sat silently for the rest of the way home. Although the shooting pains had subsided, I now desperately needed to use the bathroom, in an urgent, explosive kind of way.

He pulled up to my apartment and before he could come to a stop I had already jumped out, “Ok, thanks for dinner, sorry about the fart, love the shoes!” and ran in to my apartment like I was running from the cops.

I burst through my door and ran straight for the bathroom, where I was finally able to unleash and make noises that no one should ever, EVER, hear coming from another person.

Then I heard it. Rob’s voice. Right. Outside. My. Bathroom. Door.

“Anna? You left your shoes in my car and your front door was open. Where do you want me to put them?”

“Get away from the door!” I scream like Reagan from The Exorcist.

“Ok, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

toot toot splatter ungodly noise

“I’m fine, Rob – just leave the shoes there. I’ll call you later okay?”

“Okay, are you sure you’re …”

“I’m fine! Get away from the door!”

This man! I mean, I love him, but take a freakin’ hint!

Finally, I heard the front door shut, and the Cobra engine zoom away. I thought that was the last I’d hear from him. I didn’t think it was possible to ever see a man again after he screams he can taste your fart after only knowing you for 48 hours.

But, to my surprise, I did. A couple days later, actually. Now we’re married and he’s laying on the couch while I type this … “It was your rack that saved you,” he just lovingly reminded me.

Well, thank you boobs. You saved us. You saved our destiny.

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This made me grin a bit.

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"Run Away! Run away!"

#peanuts   #montypythonandtheholygrail   #holygrail   #geek  

(sauce=http://missqueenmob.deviantart.com/)

Via +Jeff Godun on an extended share, here's an interesting little article about octopi.  (Octopodes?  Octopuses?  Your choice!)

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2013/apr/30/octopus-footed-void/

There's a lot of good in this article, though I might highlight this section the strongest:
The Vampire squid—which is actually an octopodiform and not a squid, and looks like an apparition from an impossibly ancient dream—is harmless to humans. But the tiny blue ring octopus, which lives in shallow waters around Australia, is one of the most venomous animals in the world despite being only a few inches across. The mimic octopus, which was only discovered in 2005 in shallow Indonesian waters, can rapidly morph its body to resemble a flounder, a sea snake, a lionfish, and almost anything else it sees. Its cousin Wunderpus photogenicus, discovered in 2006, is not so flexible but the contrast between its white stripes and the rich red-brown background of its body is nature’s answer to the op art of Bridget Riley.

Compared to this reality, our cultural imagination is massively impoverished. Octopuses are more likely to appear as an item on the menu, as a scary monster in a creaky horror movie, as a participant in Japanese soft porn, or as an item of World Cup infotainment. Appetite, loathing, and lust have certainly played big parts in human imaginings of these beasts. But we should take a cue from the Minoans who portrayed them in images that, even after 3,500 years, almost sing out loud in celebration of their strangeness and beauty.

Octopi are but one of many brilliant, sometimes "strange", creatures on this planet.  IMO, all living things deserve a good chunk of respect and appreciation, just for the amazing path that led to their existence.  If we want to thrive among the stars, we would do well to learn that you do not need to be humanoid to be important or special.

/ranty-rant-rant
#Tentacthulhu  

Per +Michelle C's limited share, life is a piece of cake, so choose your weapon wisely!

Me, personally?  I'm opting for several cases of each, and at least one trebuchet for launching.  I know right where to put it, too.

#ItsAHardCakeLife  

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Your #TentaCthulhu  of the day arrives by byakhee +Scott Anderson.

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ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

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I'm so here.

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Oh oh oh! One last one and then I'll leave you alone for a while.

From +Steampunk Jewelry (they have so many neat things) comes this #Steampunk #StarWars AT-AT

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Victorian Steampunk Walker
#Steampunk #Starwars

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I know a lot of you will enjoy these as much as I have.

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"We fall in love when our imagination projects nonexistent perfection upon another person. One day, the fantasy evaporates and with it, love dies." (José Ortega y Gasset)

Yes, I am in a positively Anti-Valentinian mood, sorry to bother you with that, but when I saw those

Puritan Valentine's Day Cards

in +Bill Collins's stream... sorry, got the better of me...

More cards on:

http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6870031/puritan-valentines-day-cards

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I have to say, this is awesome. The costume came out very well, I'd be curious to know how much was handmade versus purchased props (I've seen at least one maker-type who was demi-specializing in custom-sized Slave Leia 'metal' costume pieces, I'll have to find their website again).

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Une Leia qui a oublié de s'épiler !!!

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Thanks to +Melissa Bryan, I now know I want the Companion Cube heart.

Oh yes.

Noms!

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Anatomically Correct Steampunk Hearts!

I have fallen in love with these necklaces.  And how appropriate with Valentine's Day right around the corner.   :p   They are fantastic!  *squee*

Weighted Companion Heart - http://goo.gl/OcIwX
Mechanical Zombie - http://goo.gl/k6aXV
My Heart Ticks - http://goo.gl/xWcRg

Or just visit the shop.  It's full of awesome: http://www.etsy.com/shop/monsterkookies 

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I know y'all can be frightfully creative, when you want to be, after all, y'all helped me name the little guy.

So, would any of you be interested in assisting with further developing Ermi's backstory and abilities?

Thanks to +Mar Mai and +Mary C., we've got what I feel is a great beginning.  What do you say?

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Introducing +Mz Maau's cuter than heck pink friend Ermintrude Oishii McSparklepants, the Stoliphant with Pachydreams  drawn by the awesomely talented +Mar Mai (authoress of The Dragon Tutor http://goo.gl/8Ws1u ) who also drew a small little comic of Mz and Ermintrude's first meeting the other night --> http://goo.gl/gxFx3 

Mz asked if I would be so kind as to add a few small items for Ermintrude (mustache, cane with a hidden black titanium spork and a spiked collar) and place it into a Character/Model Sheet combo of sorts.

So here it is, hope you likes it +Mz Maau!! <3 ^_^

ZOMG.  +Charlie Hoover, how could you share tentacle USB sticks and NOT share this?!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ef4f/?srp=6

Whimpers

Edit:  Source:
http://www.tentaclekitty.com/
http://tentaclekitty.deviantart.com/