MORE COWBELL!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Last night after meetings, I went over to Filly's house and basically we played Rock Band, watched some South Park (yes, including Guitar Queer-O), and ate pizza. It was good clean wholesome fun...except for Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo. Other than that, not really much to tell. Today, I have the day off so I was going to get some stuff done around the house...then Bubbles is in town, so we'll probably hang out & have a few drinks (shocking, I know) but really no plans or anything. She does know that I work Friday & Saturday nights though...and she's a little bummed...but she'll get over it...and I'll be off at midnight. Well, according to the Classy & Fabulous Katie's blog, today is Air Conditioning Appreciation Day, Compliment Your Mirror Day, and Independence Day...for Belarus. I've already complimented myself in the mirror (every day in my world), going to appreciate the AC in my car, and congratulations to the Belarusians. Enjoy the sweet savory taste of Freedom. Anyway, here's some real news...

Panda Update - South China may get its first panda breeding centre, taking over some of the animals driven from their home by last month's powerful earthquake in the country's far southwest. The Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, is applying to the State Forestry Administration for permission to breed the endangered animals. "The park has all it takes for panda breeding ... with the state-of-the-art infrastructure and our rich experience of taking care of rare animals like pandas, koalas and golden monkeys," said Zhang Delu, a park official. Currently only Beijing, Fujian province in the southeast, and Sichuan province in the southwest have panda breeding centres...and of course, the one in the Sichuan province was damaged by that May 12th 8.0 earthquake and millions in the area are homeless...so their attention is elsewhere. Best of luck, Xiangjiang Safari Park!!!

Madagascar 2: Marty & Alex Go to Amsterdam - Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a traveling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage. The animals were back at the circus later Monday after being rounded up by police and circus workers with the assistance of dogs. Aben says neighbors fed some of the animals, which he said was a bad idea, but they were tame and nobody was hurt. Says police spokesperson Arnout Aben: "You have to imagine somebody rubbing his eyes first thing in the morning and saying, 'Am I seeing things or is that 15 camels walking past?'" See what happens when you shrink the Red Light District? The animals see weakness...and smell fear. "Ah-ha, they are intimidated by our styles once again!!! Now is the time to strike!!! Llama infantry, ATTACK!!!" "Yes General Jaffe (because seriously, what else are you going to name a giraffe?)"

Does the Earth Cry? - Astronomers have discovered that Earth emits an ear-piercing series of chirps and whistles that could be heard by any aliens who might be listening. The sound is awful, a new recording from space reveals. Scientists have known about the radiation since the 1970s. It is created high above the planet, where charged particles from the solar wind collide with Earth's magnetic field. It is related to the phenomenon that generates the colorful aurora, or Northern Lights. The radio waves are blocked by the ionosphere, a charged layer atop our atmosphere, so they do not reach Earth. That's good, because the out-of-this-world radio waves are 10,000 times stronger than even the strongest military signal, the researchers said, and they would overwhelm all radio stations on the planet. This flat beam could be detected by aliens who've figured this process out, the researchers say. The knowledge could also be used by Earth's astronomers to detect planets around other stars, if they can build a new radio telescope big enough for the search. They could also learn more about Jupiter and Saturn by studying AKR, which should emit from the auroral activity on those worlds. Now, when I listened to it, I thought it was a lot like the sounds from the Transformers movie (and probably was used for it) but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of importance to it. If aliens were able to hear the noise, it would be like them hearing wind blow through the trees...only a LOT less calming. Then again, what if the Earth is talking to us...or aliens...and this is their SOS signal? Yeah, probably not...but I'm just trying to make this interesting to somebody else other than me.

Sherlock Holmes Movie - Speaking of things that may make the Earth cry, "Talladega Nights" trio Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Ferrell and producer Judd Apatow are re-teaming on an untitled Sherlock Holmes comedy for Sony Pictures. Cohen will play detective Holmes and Ferrell will play his assistant Watson. Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales, the plot is being kept under wraps but the article was quick to point out that the film has nothing to do with the proposed 2010 Guy Ritchie-directed Warner Bros. Pictures drama "Sherlock Holmes". Really? Wouldn't have guessed that with Borat playing Sherlock Holmes & Ron Burgundy as Watson. For some reason, I don't see Guy Ritchie getting involved with that. It may be a funny movie...but I'm still waiting for the announcement of the Will Ferrell biker movie costarring Martin Klebba.

Anyway, that'll do it for today. I'll catch up with you on INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! Fireworks, hot dogs & burgers, cold beers, and...oh yeah, 8 hours of work during primetime for that stuff. Why did I decide to work that shift? Honestly, I was planning on being in Vegas by this time, remember? Funny how things work out. Have a great day everybody!!!