Back to the garden A visit with Joni Mitchell

Opium Made Easy: One gardener's encounter with the war on drugs.

Victor the Talking Budgie [caveat: credulity factor in the interpretation of the audio files] In the fall of 2000, I was the guardian of an remarkable parakeet named Victor. He had a vocabulary of over 1000 words and began to talk in amazing context. He was the first parrot in the world to prove they could speak in sophisticated conversational language.

Kryptonite takes one for the team. In response to the recent revelation that anyone could pick your bike lock with a pen, the lock manufacturer has announced a lock exchange program. more inside

Put Away Your Hankies. "If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win!" more inside

chai "Chai is a wonderful spice milk tea from India that is being discovered by contemplative beverage drinkers around the world."

A bit of California nostalgia Way back in 1996, I found this via Yahoo! Surfers' Picks, which no longer exists. While it centers around suburban Los Angeles memories from the 1960s and '70s, I think the teen age angst and semi-loony parent themes might spark some recoginition in even the youngest of our Monkeys. more inside

Australian Primal Quest Endurance Race member loses his life during the trekking/orienteering segment. A sad day for those on the AROC Team, who were in the lead at the time. Lack of sleep part of the problem? more inside

A Swedish groupie's choices, ca. 1974.

A Shoggoth on the Roof.

Children's TV with a heavy dose of adult innuendo. A hilarious video clip (and script) from a retro kids' TV show, Rainbow. I haven't stopped giggling yet.

Bush Yoga

Sexy Candy Wrappers? Students at a Catholic school complained about new Haribo sweet wrappers which they claim portray fruit having sex. (via ananova)

Too much work to do? Want to put it off a little longer? Make your own paper airplane with flapping wings. Impress your co-workers and annoy your boss. Get nothing done, procrastinate more!

What was the #1 hit on the day you were born? more inside

Man Shoots Wife, Mistakes Her for Monkey

Russ Meyer, 1922-2004 The king of sexploitation is no more.

O T O more inside

Curious George: Vandalism as Political Expression? Mentioned in this topic, but I was curious. I had a Kerry/Edwards sign in my yard until yesterday, when I found it ripped and lying in my yard. I picked it up and mended it, and the next morning it was gone altogether. Now, chances are it was some punk kids. But then I realized another K/E sign that had been in a neighboring neighborhood has also gone missing. more inside

Giganticus Headicus -- just one more reason why I love "The Mother Road," Route 66.