Should I be concerned?

Last year, my office mate and dear friend, Stubbie, passed away. But, Stubbie has left us only in spirit to go to the Pearly Gates, for he is still with us in body.

Lately, as I was sweeping Stubbie's crypt, I noticed some yellowish/moldy goo peaking out from the soil. This was a month ago. So, I thought I needed to change out the soil, which also meant ditching Stubbie. That I really didn't want to do. When I dug into the soil, I only saw yellow goo on the upper levels, so I thought I could fix the situation by replacing the upper level of the soil without having to remove Stubbie's body. That was two weeks ago.

Well, yesterday, I came into the office and found a bright yellow form emerging from the soil. It looked like a mushroom to me, but I couldn't be sure. So, I consulted Cl. Panic who found the situation interesting. Today, you can definitely tell that it's a shroom.

So, should I be concerned? For those of you who are "familiar with shrooms," is this thing going to start spewing toxic spores? If so, when? Because I want to keep it around for a couple more days just to see what it does.

3/10/2009:

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My New Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

Mr. Nonny Nu will hate me for this because he hates cherries, but I love cherries and my favorite ice cream flavor is Baskin-Robbins' Cherries Jubilee. Coach Nelson and I went to get some dumplings for lunch today and, as is our custom, we visit the local BR for dessert. I'm not much for chocolate and definitely not for white chocolate, but I love me some fruit. In the past, I have stuck with the sherbets. The last time I went, I got the Very Berry Strawberry. But, this time, I wanted something different. I had always shied away from the Cherries Jubilee because of the hint of rum (as you all know, I don't do alkeehall because I'm allergic), but I went for it today. It was great! Chock full of plump cherries! Mild cherry flavor in the ice cream itself. Loved it. I'm gonna order that again next time.

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Desperately Seeking Nonny

An Open Letter to Nonny Nu; Nu, Nu & Nu, LLP; Family, Friends, Colleagues and Associates of The Nus:

Man from U.N.C.L.E. (that would be me referring to myself in an affected third person) has been checking for updates to TWoNN for over a month and has not observed any changes to the blog since January 19th, and he is beginning to be desparately worried. Since he is not privvy to all the Sillycone Valley happenings (even with his vast links to the underground) at Nu Headquarters, and is often in a remote location doing what he does (and that activity is very murky) some Nu News would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, before silence fell over TWoNN like a drunk to the gutter, there was hasty mention of newly ascribed territories and expansion of the Nu Empire - but no formal announcement, press release or even Sluggy Gossip has been forthcoming. There was also brief discussion of malaise and health, but Man from U.N.C.L.E. would pray to think that silence was related more to the former than the latter. He hopes that All is well with the Nus.

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Happy Birthday to MonkeyPig!!

Another year, Piggy, another year. Locations have changed, but you are still up to the same thing:
What do you have to say for yourself?

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Go, Cards!!!

61 years, people! Arizona has waited 61 years to get to the NFC Championships. The bird has matured--it might have lost that insane "That's it, now you've gone too far" glint in its eyes, but it is replaced by a reasoned determination.

OMG! TOUCHDOWN CARDINALS!!



UPDATE:











(artwork by Nonny Nu, copyright 2009)

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The Most Dangerous Thing About Rabbits...

...is that they like to silflay. Here is an account of what happens when kitties are removed from the environment and rabbits are left to silflay without interruption:

(From Yahoo!)

Removing cats to protect birds backfires on island

By MICHAEL CASEY, AP Environmental Writer Michael Casey, Ap Environmental Writer Tue Jan 13, 9:18 am ET

BANGKOK, Thailand – It seemed like a good idea at the time: Remove all the feral cats from a famous Australian island to save the native seabirds.

But the decision to eradicate the felines from Macquarie island allowed the rabbit population to explode and, in turn, destroy much of its fragile vegetation that birds depend on for cover, researchers said Tuesday.

Removing the cats from Macquarie "caused environmental devastation" that will cost authorities 24 million Australian dollars ($16.2 million) to remedy, Dana Bergstrom of the Australian Antarctic Division and her colleagues wrote in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.

"Our study shows that between 2000 and 2007, there has been widespread ecosystem devastation and decades of conservation effort compromised," Bergstrom said in a statement.

The unintended consequences of the cat-removal project show the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem — even with the best of intentions — without thinking long and hard, the study said.

"The lessons for conservation agencies globally is that interventions should be comprehensive, and include risk assessments to explicitly consider and plan for indirect effects, or face substantial subsequent costs," Bergstrom said.

Located about halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent, Macquarie was designated a World Heritage site in 1997 as the world's only island composed entirely of oceanic crust. It is known for its wind-swept landscape, and about 3.5 million seabirds and 80,000 elephant seals arrive there each year to breed.

The cats, rabbits, rats and mice are all nonnative species to Macquarie, probably introduced in the past 100 years by passing ships. Authorities have struggled for decades to remove them.

The invader predators menaced the native seabirds, some of them threatened species. So in 1995, the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania that manages Macquarie tried to undo the damage by removing most of the cats.

Several conservation groups including the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Birds Australia said the problem was not the original eradication effort itself — but that it didn't go far enough. They said the project should have taken aim at all the invasive mammals on the island at once.

"What was wrong was that the rabbits were not eradicated at the same time as the cats," University of Auckland Prof. Mick Clout, who also is a member of the Union's invasive species specialist group. "It would have been ideal if the cats and rabbits were eradicated at the same time, or the rabbits first and the cats subsequently."

Liz Wren, a spokeswoman for the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania, said authorities were aware from the beginning that removing the feral cats would increase the rabbit population. But at the time, researchers argued it was worth the risk considering the damage the cats were doing to the seabird populations.

"The alternative was to accept the known and extensive impacts of cats and not do anything for fear of other unknown impacts," Wren said. "Since cats were eradicated, the grey petrel successfully bred on the island for the first time in a century and the recovery of Antarctic prions has continued since the eradication of feral cats."

Now, the parks service has a new plan to finish the job, using technology and poisons that weren't available a decade ago.

Wren said plans to eradicate both rabbits as well as rats and mice from the island will begin in 2010. Helicopters using global positioning systems will drop poisonous bait that targets all three pests. Later, teams will shoot, fumigate and trap the remaining rabbits, she said.

Some of the earlier critics are now behind this latest eradication effort, saying it should help the island's ecosystem fully recover because it would remove the last remaining invasive species.

"Without this action, there will be serious long-term consequences for the majestic seabirds which nest on the island including the four threatened albatross species, and for the health of the island ecosystem as a whole," said Dean Ingwersen, Bird Australia's threatened bird network coordinator.

"We believe that the process they are going to follow uses best practice for this type of work," Ingwersen said. "And that all possible ramifications have now been considered."

(emphasis added)

tsk tsk...

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What's going to be in Nonny Nu's office?by Cl. Panic, guest blogger and bearer of gifts

Our friendly rabbit isn't usually one to brag. But over a Nu, Nu & Nu, LLP, she was recently promoted to Grand Moff of Sector Group Delta. Along with the distinction comes the promise of long hours and Cup-O-Noodle feasts.

To recognize her achievement, and since she'll be in need of companionship, I intend to present her with this gift on Wednesday at noon (GMT-8).

But since everything on TWoNN requires a twist ... the TWoNN community is eligible to steal the package (white elephant style) by guessing its contents (in the comments) before Wednesday.

食粥食飯睇你.

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Rotten Robbie

I have a question about the Rotten Robbie gas stations. Is this a major brand name chain or something? Because I've noticed that they charge even more than, say, Shell or Chevron. Check it out.

Exhibit A
There's a Rotten Robbie on Saratoga that's just down the street from a 76 station and a Chevron station. The 76 and Chevron stations are both in the heart of a busy shopping center, yet Rotten Robbie is selling their gas for 4 cents more per gallon than either the 76 and Chevron stations.

Exhibit B
There's a Rotten Robbie on DeAnza with a Chevron just a block away. Chevron has a carwash where actual people hand wash your car for you. Yet, Rotten Robbie is again selling its gas for 4 cents more per gallon, even though it is farther away from the 85 than the Chevron. Sure, there are the Arco and US Gas stations that are selling the gas for $2.05 (6 cents more per gallon) than Rotten Robbie, but they are right off of the 85.

So, how is Rotten Robbie getting away with this and why would people go there instead of the cheaper Chevron down the road? Do they offer massages while you wait or free tote bags? What gives?

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Random Stuff (courtesy of Mr. Nonny Nu)

If you work at Nu Nu & Nu LLP, and if you walk past my door, you will sometimes hear me laugh out loud. The reason is because I receive stuff like the photos below from Mr. Nonny Nu.




OMG, cute sloth!

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Secret Project: Girl Name

Okay, I need a girl name. Choose one from below or choose the "other" option and suggest one in a comment. The girl name has to be of a girl that I don't know. The only exception is "Carrie," but I like that one.

Poll closes Jan. 13, 2009 at 12:15 AM (PST).

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Calendars

It's time to create the calendars. I need twelve nouns. You can post one noun per comment, limit 2 nouns per person. Go.

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Chinese Idiom of the Day V

Other editions of Chinese Idiom of the Day:
Chinese Idiom of the Day I
Chinese Idiom of the Day II
Chinese Idiom of the Day III
Chinese Idiom of the Day IV

Chinese New Year is January 26. In honor of the occasion, I will be posting a Chinese idiom each day until CNY in the scrolling marquee at the top of the blog. I've done the first one (畫蛇添足) and provided the literal translation (Draw snake, add legs.). I have also provided the meaning (You are being unnecessarily extravagant and spoiling the whole thing in the process.).

Now, it's your turn--guess its meaning! (Good luck to the non-Cantonese speakers out there, mwahahahahahahahaa!!!)

P.S. There will be a "click me" link in the marquee that will bring you to this blog entry.

Sample: 畫蛇添足 (Draw snake, add legs.)
Meaning: You are being unnecessarily extravagant and spoiling the whole thing in the process. (credit: Nonny Nu)

Jan. 5: 食得鹹魚, 抵得渴 (Eat the salted fish, stand the thirst.)
Meaning: You've made your bed, now lie in it. (credit: Freelance Midget)

Jan. 5: 等你, 蛇都死 (Wait for you? Even a snake will die.)
Meaning: ...take a long time... (credit: Mr. Nonny Nu)

Jan. 5: 我食鹽多過你食米 (I eat salt more than you eat rice.)
Meaning: I have more experience than you. Or sadly, I am older than you. (credit: Q-Ma)

Jan 6: 塞錢入你袋 (Put money into your pocket.)
Meaning: Give someone advice or tip. (credit: Cl. Panic)

Jan 12: 過橋抽板 (Cross bridge, pick up and retain board)
Hint: This refers to a bridge that consists of a single board.
Meaning: To abandon or screw over someone. (credit: Q-Ma)

Jan. 15: 先斬後奏 (Execute first, and then notify the king.)
Meaning: _____

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Update on the Non

I'm sure you're wondering what the hell has happened to the rabbit, aren't you? Well, I've been wondering whether I should talk about it on the blog because you people actually know me. But, I'm secure enough in our friendship that I've decided to come out with it.

I guess I'm a bit bummed. Have been for a while. Not sure why. It's just a feeling of being lost and a failure and a fraud. A general feeling of malaise. Last night, on The History Channel, they had a thing on the Seven Deadly Sins and the one I'm committing right now is sloth, btw. Anyhow, there you have it. That's why I haven't been writing. I am normally a very optimistic person, and even when I have slumps, they usually disappear within 3-4 hours. A day, max. But, I'm just not sure why I am not shaking this.

Mr. Nonny Nu says that I should make an effort to actually make this a new year, a new beginning. I'm trying. But all that is just reminding me of how old I am and that time is marching on.

I am betting that you've all heard of Twilight (the movie) and have also heard of the Twilight series (the books). (Wow, I'm really spilling all my guts now, but that will be my New Year Resolution--to be more truthful and write more about my feelings this year on the blog.) I have a very rich imagination and the only thing I have not been able to fantasize about are married and unavailable men (I just don't feel right doing that). I'm talking about the innocuous fantasies like when Christian Bale opens the door for you or has dinner with you. Get your minds out of the gutter. The girls will know what I'm talking about.

Okay, back to the story. So, Midge and I went to see Twilight in early December. I had low hopes for it, thinking that it was a teeny bopper flick, which it was. But, the story itself was so interesting, that I bought the book that night and finished it the next day. I then finished the entire series in the next week (three additional books).

Alright, don't laugh, but I'm gonna let you in a ridiculous secret. I am not waiting for some vampire to bite my neck. What is troubling me is that I can't even imagine myself in that storyline because those characters are so dang young. I mean, I feel completely ridiculous. Wow, that has never happened to me before, not being able to put myself in a storyline, no matter how removed from reality it is. And because of what? Age. I'm 33.5, and absolutely nothing exciting has ever happened to me. No hostage situation, no bank robbery, no nothing. I can't even say it's going to go downhill from here because there is no lower score on the Excitement Scale than the one my life has right now. And, no, I'm not talking about my life at this point. I'm talking about my entire life.

Kill me now.

On a lighter note, I am starting a new project and will be running some polls throughout the next several months to ask for your opinions on the project's direction. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

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Munchos

These are my all time favorite chips. Yes, siree bob! Unfortunately, my usual local distributor (Walgreens) has stopped stocking it so I have to find another way to take care of my fix. I even checked out 7-11 but they have stopped carrying it, too!

Oh, my dear little Munchos, where have you gone?? I miss your salty, oily, crunchity goodness...

*cries to the heavens*

Anywho, in searching for a pic of Munchos, I discovered that I am not alone, and that Munchos has quite a fan following! It even has its own Wikipedia entry. Look at those Yahoo! hits! Apparently, they are from the 70's. I knew I loved that decade!! Too bad most of my life during the 70s was spent in Vietnam and a refugee camp in Malaysia where they didn't have Munchos. And, the part that was spent in the US was during a time when chips were a luxury. I remember 3-fish picking me up from school when I was small and walking home with me. She'd buy me a small bag of chips (not Munchos--I didn't discover Munchos until 1995) and I'd have to suck on the chips instead of bite on them (to make them last longer). Oh! Wah Toh used to drive me to school when I was younger in the morning and she'd buy me a single McDonalds hashbrown and I'd nibble on it slowly. Fun times!!

Okay, back to Munchos. So, I didn't have the pleasure of personally meeting Munchos until 1995. I remember the day. I was driving from Cal-Poly, Pomona to North Hollywood to see Mr. Nonny Nu (this was before we got married). It was quite a long drive, nearly 40 miles, so I decided to stop at an Arco AmPm foodmart to get something to chomp on while I drove. I had seen that shiny, orange bag before, but I never bought it because, well, it looked not appetizing. But, I thought I'd just give it a try. So, I bought a bag of Munchos and a bag of BBQ Ruffles as back up. When I wrapped around my lips around that first Muncho, OMG, it was pure food ecstasy. I could feel the salt and oil seeping into my blood stream. Yes, it's that salty and oily. I've been hooked ever since. Did I also eat the Ruffles? Yes, I did, but that's beside the point.

OMG, those bastards at Frito-Lay... I just looked up Munchos on their site and the nearest place that carries them is 42 miles away. Grrrrrrrr...


Hang on. I have to mourn for a moment.

...Hold, please...

Okay. It's okay. I might be able to get them on Amazon!! And, yes, I'm getting the box of 64.

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OMG, VH1, really? REALLY??

If you haven't noticed already, I think that Charm School is a pretty neat program. It combines the trashiness of reality TV with self-improvement. The premise is: take a group of trashy girls from previous TV dating shows and try to teach them some manners. The thing that is different about this show compared to most other reality shows is that the winner should have improved themselves more than the other contestants. It's a show about improvement. (So is Celebrity Fit Club, which I also love.)

This season, the headmaster is Sharon Osbourne, who I LOVE LOVE LOVE!! She is the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne's ex-manager, and she actually got into quite an argument with her dad when she fell in love with Ozzy and married him. Her dad naturally stopped managing Ozzy, and Sharon took the reigns. Well, the rest is history. I think of her as a very astute woman who is able to see through "women's wiles." (You know that she has handled a few groupies in her time.) So, when they announced that Sharon Osbourne would be the headmaster, I was head over heels because I thought that these girls wouldn't be able to pull anything over her eyes.

But, the most recent episode has started me wondering. There is a troublemaker on the show by the name of Lacey. She gets into others' personal space, and when they react by pushing her off of them, she accuses them of hitting her. She does this to various people, but her main target is a girl named Dallas. On Rock of Love, Dallas was kicked off the show because she pushed Lacey very hard, causing Lacey to bump her head on a kitchen counter. But, this was only because Lacey was on her like white on rice (see, e.g., photo above). Well, on the most recent episode of Charm School, Lacey pulled the same thing, except she actually splashed a drink on Dallas. Through it all, Dallas kept her cool and did not initiate any physical contact with Lacey.

Unfortunately, Lacey and Dallas were shortly after paired as a team to create a PSA. Dallas was understandably upset, after being recently assaulted and battered by Lacey. It was no wonder that she gave less than 100% to their project. At elimination, Sharon Osbourne completely disregarded all testimony (not just from Dallas) of Lacey's behavior, and instead kicked off Dallas based solely upon her failure to give 100%.

Now, the rules do not require the headmaster to eliminate a contestant based solely upon the contestant's performance on the weekly project, which seems to be what Sharon did. So, I'm now really disappointed that Sharon bought in to Lacey's BS. But, did she? Or, was Lacey kept on for ratings?

(OMG, I can't believe I just blogged about this. But, it's too late now. I wrote the whole thing already and I'm going to post it.)

So, what do you guys think?? I think I'm going to be crushed if Sharon Osbourne gets duped by this chick.

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