Wild Creatures and the Pimento Cheeseburger

I went to the Birmingham Zoo for the first time in a million years yesterday. I'm always on the fence about the zoo. I always feel that the animals would be happier in their natural environment, but also feel that if they are going to be kept in captivity anyway, people should support the zoo financially.

Aside from the ethics of the whole thing, we had a really good time. I was particularly impressed by the gorilla, who I swear seemed almost human. No, I'm not going to discuss the Theory of Evolution now. It's just that you can look into their eyes and see the wheels turning. It's really quite amazing.

After the zoo, we went to Jim 'n Nicks. I had been there several times, but had never ordered the Pimento Cheeseburger. Let me just say that if you are a pimento cheese fan, this burger will rock your socks off. Pimento cheese on a burger is a perfect combination. Why did I never think of this?

Rude Awakening

Is there anything worse than be jolted out of a deep sleep by two cats acting as if they are going toe to toe in MMA battle? Of course there is, but this is still an unpleasant situation. Pets are like people. They don't always like each other. Imagine being forced to live in a house with people that you truly cannot stand. I do believe that in some cases, pets get the short end of the stick.

Though I work seven days a week, I do allow myself to sleep later on Saturday so that I will have plenty of energy to make it through one or more exciting football games. Today there are two one the slate, and I must be prepared for an emotional roller coaster that will last from 2:30pm until 10pm. My 6am wake up call certainly will not help. Add in beer and football food? I'm a goner.

Wild and Wacky Weather

The temperature gauge in my car read 87 degrees when I went to the store a few minutes ago. The temperature tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid-80's as well. Wednesday? 50's. Many times over the years I have had my A/C on during the day, only to turn the heat on at night. Alabama weather is not for the faint of heart, my friends. If the tornadoes and humidity don't do you in, the case of pneumonia that you catch from crazy temperature changes just might.

Nothing extremely exciting to report, other than Alabama beating Ole Miss into the ground. I had a feeling that it was going to get ugly after the Ole Miss quarterback made the mistake of talking smack about us during the week. Bad move, small fry. You made us have to smack you around. Tennessee is up next. The "3rd Saturday in October" is always a big deal, even when Tennessee has a less than stellar team.

In other news...

*The dog is addicted to acorns.
*I'm addicted to jalapeno poppers.
*Mrs. Leslie is addicted to reading articles about pet food.
*The girl child is addicted to anime and spaghetti-o's.

Clearly, we all have our demons to face down. However, I do not believe that therapy is in the cards. These things have a way of sorting themselves out over time.

Carrie Makes No Sense

The girl child and I watched the Stephen King movie, "Carrie" last night. Being a fan of all things horror, I had seen it many years ago. Though I remembered the premise, and remembered the high school gym "kill 'em all" scene, I could not remember how it ended.

I semi-understand why the mother wanted to kill her, and fully understood the need for Carrie to kill her mother. What I did not understand at all was why the house basic imploded. Maybe I am just too naive to understand, but from what I gathered, Carrie was basically a good person. Sure, she killed all those teens, but didn't they have it coming? I just do not get it.

The "13 Nights of Halloween" is about to kick off on several channels. This fact is much to the dismay of Mrs. Leslie, who prefers to never watch the same movie twice. I, however, will watch some horror and Christmas movies over, and over, and over again. I've probably watched each of the "Halloween" movies 10-15 times. Before I meet my maker, that number will have greatly increased.

Though she does not like that I insist on watching these movies repeatedly, Mrs. Leslie is slightly less lippy about it now. After living together for almost four years, she has learned what she can or cannot change. I do try to even the score by allowing the occasional "House Hunters International" marathon. This is likely what makes us work. My set ways are accepted, so long as I am willing to bend just a little.

Examining My Underwater Camera Choices

There are few things as interesting to me as the thought of being able to take underwater pictures. With our move to Florida coming up in a few months, I have been taking a closer look at my choices. It seems that there are actually two basic options.

The first option would be to purchase one of the underwater cameras that do not need a case. These are good up to certain depths, and this depth varies by specific model. Most of the choices are suitable for shallow waters, typically ten feet deep or less.

In order to take pictures in deeper waters, a waterproof camera case will be required. Obviously, these cases are also used for simply protecting a camera while at the beach, or in rainy conditions. The benefit of this option is that I may be able to use my existing camera to capture underwater shots.

I will likely opt for both the underwater camera and case. This will allow me to have the option to take shots under different types of conditions, depending on where we are, and what we wish to do at any given time. Covering all my bases always tend the be the best decision, and leaves me with no regrets!

In the Spirit

I love October, and I love Halloween. I'm always disappointed that we don't have 500 trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. However, I still make the most of it by cramming in every scary show and horror movie that I can. The old adage is, "write what you know" and I have done just that on several occasions. Below are a few of these articles...

Five Dumbest Horror Movies of All Time

Top 5 Scariest Ghost Hunters Episodes

The Best Ghost Shows on Television

Horror Movie Life Lessons: Avoiding Death at All Costs

Five Scariest Little Known Horror Movies 

 

I'm Trying...

I try to update this blog as frequently as possible, but have been so busy. Good busy, not bad busy. Fall is always a busy time for me, with football season in full swing, and the holidays coming up. These are good things, and the fact that my business is finally starting to take off is a good thing as well.

I've been working to bring in new clients, and it is working. It seems that this task was not as daunting as I originally feared. A few eBay listings have already resulted in new business. I wish I had thought of that earlier. I will continue to use this to build my client base, and hopefully will soon find myself with more work than I can even complete on my own. Though I am near that point already. I have lots of bad traits. However, lack of ambition is not one of them.

Alabama stomped Florida last Saturday night, much to my delight. My fantasy team won as well. This win was bittersweet, as my team was playing my brother's team. He needed a win in the worst way, so I could not overly celebrate. Currently I am 3-1, but after losing my top receiver to injury, who knows what will happen.

Life with our dog, Sebastian, continues to be interesting. We dress him in baby clothes, (yes, I am THAT person) and have plans for purchasing him an entire wardrobe. It's hard to believe that a full grown dog can be so small. I'm always worried that I will step on one of this legs, which are the size of a chicken leg.

He is a stinky dog, and does have to have baths. He does not, however, have stinky dog breath. He does not fart, but does burp quite a lot. You take the good with the bad, I suppose. Even if he does get gassy with time, and gets wicked breath, we're keeping him.