i'll start off by telling you this. our housecat (whom i affectionatly call "nut-head," as well as a variety of other spur of the moment inspirations) is somewhat quirky. the perfect example is that if you turn on the bathtub water just enough to allow a slow drip to escape, nut-head will proceed to sit in front of the drip and use the top of her paw to catch the water. she will then lick the water off of her paw, and repeat the process over and over until she wears herself out or feels hydro-satiated (i guess).

so, at about 1am last night i went in the bathroom to brush my teeth. there was nut-head sitting on the edge of the tub, waiting patiently for someone to turn on the magic dripper. i turned on the water and chuckled to myself, went about my business, and kept my eye on the process. drip. lick lick. drip. lick lick lick. drip drip. lick lick. drip. lick..... after a good chunk of time she decided to change her drip-catching paw from the right paw to the left paw. this made me wonder... do cats have a dominant paw? or are they ambidextrous? if they do have a dominant paw, were they born with it or did one paw become dominant simply out of habit? well, this morning i thought, who better to ask than google? and what did i find? this sweet research.

the conclusion? cats are what they are. who really knows what goes on in the mind of a cat? who really knows whether or not cats are ambidextrous? and quite honestly, who really cares (besides me and other ailurophiliacs)? cats will use whichever paw the use... and if they only have one paw, they'll probably use that one.

regardless, if you ever come to visit and find yourself in the bathroom with nut-head staring at you expectantly, feel free to (as eric puts it) "water the cat."

Dear customer number 53298 whom we will refer to as Mr. Neal C as to retain your anonymity. Your order for the delux super-dude hair piece has been recieved and collected. Please wait 10 buisness day before delivery. Here, for your assurance and piece of mind, is a post-crainial-shearectomy photo taken of the doner. We hope you enjoy the new sexual-prowess and warmth your mail order hair piece will allow. Please don't hesitate to contact us again here at Hair 4 You tm. And remember we are always "hair" for you!

Post Script: *Your Funky Freash Rastafari Dreadlocks set is still being processed.*

you know that its the start of a great weekend when at 3:45pm on a friday afternoon, the song "magic man" by heart gets blasted on the radio belonging to the men building a house in your backyard.

I learned a lot about Soccer this month.  Specifically:

• If your team is playing soccer while the opposing team is playing football, your team will look ridiculous.
• If you ever have an opportunity to fake an injury, there is nothing in the world that should stop you from taking it.
• Ghana is the greatest team ever.
• "Not scoring ever" is a poor strategy in World Cup matches.
• I can play soccer better than Landon Donovan (I was completely surprised to learn this).
• Bruce Arena: blind.
• Team USA would be pretty good if the goal mouth was about 9 inches wider.  (and 180 feet tall).
• If an opposing player is faking an injury, you are required as a gentleman to stop playing until he is done faking.  This mutual respect between the faker and the other players is what makes the game so pure.

play me!

oh yeah, hi score 11883.  deal peeps.

you know why columbus is cool?

hello from your very own northwest! yes, its true. we are back, and it is great. our travels after leaving new york were fun, relaxing, and downright enjoyable. after a quick jaunt to south carolina, we took our sun-starved bodies to the great city of san diego and met up with some folks (casey & renee, martin & kim, and gene) from around the country (new mexico, texas, and new york, respectively). we then took the trolley to the border, a bus to ensenada, and a taxi to punta banda. with a little bit of getting lost (with awfully sub-par directions), i managed to worry all 6 of the other passengers in the taxi. but just as the sun set, we found what would be our "casa" for the next four days. overall, the trip was awesome, and we'll definitely be going back in the future.

neal and martin on the couch, looking at the ocean:

pretty flowers in the courtyard:

the sweet door that protected us from the "bad guys"... you know the ones:

our "casa"... the one with the power line pole directly above it:

neal and his breakfast on the beach:

post-breakfast cute picture:

post-breakfast regurgitation..... just kidding:

me, my foot-burn, and my sideways foot-hop prints:

the pretty sunset:

gene and neal enjoying the last few moments of the sunset:

neal gets busted for mis-pronouncing "frijoles" on the street corner:

the group at the fish market, just before we enjoy some tasty fish tacos:

downtown ensenada:

we enjoy a refreshing beverage and a laugh with the waiter as we wait for the last two members of our group:

casey enjoys the final moments of sunlight via his patio recliner:

we enjoy it next to the ocean:

neal likes the water the most:

will we be, do you think, who we are or who we want to become? or are they the same thing? or does it matter?