Amor tussisque non celantur

If one is into Blue Haiku, one might get the hint that I am engaged, but one might still not know who to. Her name is Elizabeth, and I love her. The wedding is being planned for this July.

Ignorant Bias, Reveal Thyself!

So, I'm sitting at a school assembly the other day. We were in back, because I forgot about the assembly, and didn't get the kids moving until one of my teacher friends called me from the Multi-Purpose Room and reminded me.

We arrived to the sound of music, a very tight brass quintet playing the theme from Pinky and the Brain. Just as they ended the piece, I sat the kiddies down on the floor, and plopped myself in a steel folding chair against the wall.

Overall, it was a great performance. The musicianship was super solid. But, the in between monologues by the musicians, in which they attempted to teach the kids about the details of instruments and music, left something to be desired.

One statement really stuck in my head. It was the french horn player. She was prepping the students and getting ready to describe the origins of the french horn and why there are so many tubes and valves and why it is all curled up into a big mess. So she said something like this:

"So...back in the days before playstation, and tv, and baseball, and refrigerators,....people didn't have all these cool fun things to distract them, so they invented things." At that point, I stopped listening. So basically what she was saying, was that the modern world didn't invent things anymore. And, obviously, that's not true. Everything she described about the modern world was/is and invention. We invent tons of crap!

But, that's just it. She thinks it's crap. Or at least, the implications of her thought process implies that value judgment. Old inventions like musical instruments are valuable, but modern technology is a horrid interference in her idealistic vision of the world. Let's go back to the 17th century!! But, don't forget to leave behind the novicane! And, the modern flushing toilet. And, rescue helicopters.

I used to be a bit of a luddite myself, but as I've gotten older, I've gotten used to the comforts of life. Like fleece jackets. I say, keep the old, but don't reject the new. Don't worry. The playstation you hate today, will be the cool retro record player of tomorrow. Cheers to the modern world!

Be Glad You're Not a Reptile

Heck ya! My dragon rocks! 27 eggs laid in one clatch. Yes...clatch is the word used to talk about bearded dragon eggs that are dropped in one batch. At least, that's the word the lady at Exotic Reptiles used.

She also highly recommended getting a male in the near future. It sounds like a great idea, but 27 little bearded dragons running around sounds a little overwhelming!

I guess I could sell them or give them away. It's just that bearded dragons need the right environment to stay healthy. A big cage and about 100degree temperatures with a gradient down to around 70degrees. It's rather specific. It cost me about $250 big ones for my set-up. so, these little guys are not something I can give to just anybody.

The lady at Exotic Reptiles did say that they sometimes buy the little critters. Plus, they will incubate them for a percentage of the eggs.

It's a cool idea, but not something I am going to rush into too quickly.

I Guess She IS a Girl

I came into my classroom this morning and found a surprise. There were some funny looking white oblong objects in my bearded dragon's cage that weren't there the night before.

I thought they might be dried up grapes or something. But, then it hit me! Eggs. They might be eggs. After all, Thistle Blink is a girl. Well, at least that was what the guy at the reptile shop told me. He might of been wrong. It's kind of hard to tell with lizards, or so I've been told.

So, Google images to the rescue! I typed in "Bearded dragon eggs" and pulled up some pictures that looked just like the ones in my dragon's cage. Verification!

So, yep! She's a girl all right. Now I just need to get a guy dragon. They could make some pretty cute ugly lookin' babies.