Acrophobia

This is probably the most common phobia of all. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. Why we fear heights is unknown to me. We evolved from animals that lived in trees, so we should be naturally comfortable in high places. Our ancestors took to trees when predators threatened, and when they wanted to pluck fruits from the branches or leaves. So retreating to high places provided ancient monkeys and apes with places to live, sleep, eat and protection. But there were also dangers attached, the danger of falling. Falling often meant serious injury or death. Though most monkeys and apes can travel through the trees with little or no trouble, there is always a danger of falling even for the most agile species.

For some people, the fear of heights is so great that for them to stand just a few feet from the ground is terrifying. For others, it'd take much more than that, but I've seen grown men squeal to their knees at the sight of high places. My father is scared to go up in an airplane and he's usually not scared of anything. Fear of flying is often associated with acrophobia as well. Since 9/11, many people have become afraid of flying in a plane, and I cannot say I blame them. It was a very scary point in our history.

People who suffer from acrophobia often experience sweating, shortness of breath, sometimes tremors, I often experience a sharp shock going up my back. Yes, I am one of those that is scared to death of heights. Though the fear kinda comes and goes on me. When I was a teenager, the one thing I enjoyed most was going into my own backyard, and climbing up my favorite tree and sitting on the highest branch I could get to, and just watch the World go by. It was always so peaceful up there! I became a darn good tree-climber because of that, which led to my second passion as a young adult, mountain-climbing! So that's why my fear of heights is not really that intense. But since I've gained weight, I don't trust my balance anymore! My center of gravity shifted somewhere along the way, and I just don't want to take the chance anymore.

Sometimes, just looking at pictures of high places makes my palms sweaty! Like these:

I don't want to be this guy!!

How'd you like to fall down this cliff?

If you suffer from acrophobia, you are not alone. You are one of half of the World's population who have this intense fear of heights.

Arachnophobia

I thought I would discuss things that terrify me. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Of all the animals in the World, none terrifies me more than these 8-legged beasts! I first noticed I was scared of spiders when I was 15 years old. Adolescence is usually the time when most phobias set in. I was lying on the floor of my bedroom listening to my boombox. I had stopped to fast foreward to a favorite song. All of a sudden, this big, black, hairy-legged spider appears from behind my boombox and crawls along the side of the wall. I let out a shrill, froze, then when I recovered I knew I had to grab something and kill it. I grabbed my tennis shoe and bopped it on the wall. This was my earliest memory of being so terrified of spiders. I was never afraid of spiders as a child. In fact, I used to actively go out and capture them and put them in glass jars and keep them as miniature pets. But apparently that all changed when I was a teenager.


In all realness, people should be more afraid of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have killed more people, through the many diseases they carry, than any other living animal on Earth. Spiders are beneficial in that they kill and eat harmful insects like mosquitoes. There are however, several spider species that are known to be venomous enough to kill people. Tarantulas are venomous and if you are bitten by one it can cause cramping and sickness, but usually is not fatal. Whether it is this fact, or the sight of one racing across the floor or images like these:




That makes us terrified of spiders, the fact still remains that this is one of the most common phobias there is. It's among the top 10, and with good reason. Here are some of the most dangerous spider species in the World.



This is a common garden spider. Quite common in the USA. You probably have about a dozen of their webs around your house right now. Their bite will make you nauseous, though it is usually not fatal. It still packs a whollop though.



This is our old arch-enemy, the black widow spider. They are found throughout most of the USA and their venom is well-known for being harmful to humans. Black widows also have a relative in Australia, the red-backed spider, that causes the same problems down there.



Another familiar species known to cause trouble is this brown recluse spider. It is tiny, but one bite from this little monster and you could suffer a condition called necrosis, which causes your flesh to rot away and could take months to heal.



One of the most dangerous spiders in the new world is this Brazilian wandering spider. Though they look like tarantulas, they are in no ways related. Their venom is powerful enough to kill an adult human. These have often been imported into the US unintentionally by way of crates full of bananas. They don't eat bananas, but in their home land of Central and South America, they do like to roost in banana trees.



This is the Sydney Funnel-web spider. These spiders not only pack a highly potent venom, they are also the most aggressive spiders. Whereas most spiders will flee from people, funnel-web spiders will stand and fight. Their fangs are so long, they've been known to pierce through leather boots.



Last but not least, this is the hobo spider. Originally they were only found in Europe, but now have been imported into the USA. Particularly in the northwest. Like the brown recluse, the bites from these spiders will cause necrosis and it could take months for a victim to recover.

Now that we've seen the spider's bad side, there is one family of spiders that simply look scary, but pose no threat to humans at all. They are the jumping spiders. Though they look scary, and they have been known to bite, their venom is not potent enough to affect humans. Their venom only works on insects and other such tiny creatures. Though most of us have seen jumping spiders that look like this:




There are some very highly attractive species. Most of them found in the Orient or in Australasia. Here's a very colorful species found in Malaysia:





Here are some more very colorful representatives of the jumping spider family:




But if you are an arachnophobe like me, this makes little difference. For I will not go near a spider, no matter what. For me, though I know there are those that will not harm humans, I'd rather not take any chances. If you suffer from arachnophobia, you are just one in about 5 million sufferers in the World.

Chiroptophobia

This is an interesting idea I had this morning to celebrate the coming of Halloween. I thought I would talk about interesting phobias between now and the 31st. There are so many different kinds, some are common (like mine, I have a severe case of arachnophobia), some are rare, and some are just unusual. This one is actually quite common. Chiroptophobia is the fear of bats.


Many people fear things that move about at night. That's because we are not night creatures, so we do not understand nocturnal animals. Bats are no exception to this rule. Bats are one of the most beneficial, successful and misunderstood animals on the planet. Most people know more about outer space than they do about bats. And a lot of the popular knowledge we do know about bats is mostly fiction. For example, bats are not blind. It is proven they can actually see quite well. They do not have miracle vision though, so they evolved the wonderful ability to echolocate, which allows them to find small prey, like mosquitoes, in the dark.

Another common misconception is that all bats carry rabies. This is also mostly untrue. Only about 0.05% of the bat population has rabies. Many people have been bitten by bats and have suffered no ill effects. Another very popular myth is that bats will fly into your hair and get caught. According to Peter August, a professor of natural resources at Rhode Island University, this is totally a myth. There has never been a reliable reported case of a bat getting entangled in anyone's hair. If a bat flies close to you, it's most likely because your movements have stirred up insects, or insects that are attracted to carbon dioxide omitted by all warm-blooded animals. But I have had bats fly close to me before and I've never had any get tangled up in my long, flowing hair. Not even close!


Now, I admit I do not like vampire bats, but vampire bats are only of 3 species, and they live in Central and South America. 3 species out of more than 1000 does not necessarily constitute the fixed stereotypes most people have placed on the family of bats. Some bats, in my opinion, are very cute!! Check this handsome guy out:





This is a greater flying fox (Pteropus giganteus), from a family of bats I simply refer to as "pteropods". The common collective name is "flying foxes". It's not hard to see why they are called "flying foxes", the face is almost dog (or even deer) like. Definitely not what most of us see when we think of bats. These animals are gentle, and feed on fruit, and their large eyes provide them with vision that rivals our own. Even when caught wild, they have never been known to bite, and these bats will never get tangled in your hair.

One of the most endearing bats I've ever seen is this one:





This is the Dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea), and it has probably one of the cutest faces in the animal kingdom. It's in the same family as the flying fox above, but these little guys are smaller and have semi-long tails.


Just for the record, here is a vampire bat. Notice the difference?



There are only 3 species of vampire bats, and they are in a seperate family of new world bats called the Desmodontidae. None of these species live in North America.

If you have a fear of bats, you are not alone. More than 20,000 people also suffer from Chiroptophobia. As time moves on though, and more people become educated about the ways of bats, it's going to seem pointless to carry on with this fear.

45 Lessons Life Has Taught Me

I received this in an e-mail, and I am posting this here because these are good lessons learned for all of us! Most of them I've already learned myself. Which is why I always have this "devil-may-care" attitude that no one can talk me out of. Some of these I know, and still need to work on. I don't know if the story is true or not, but the list of things life has taught this person are definitely things to remember.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. (one of those things I need to work on)

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. (I wish more people took this attitude)

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. (I've given up resistance too!)

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. (I cannot tell you how many times I said this to ma before she let us meet John!)

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. (I still have my dogs and my Timmy pics! The 2 "things" I enjoy most)

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. (some nosy-bodies always insist on interferring with this!)

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. (I'm living proof of that!)

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything. (Another thing I know I need to work on)

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

RIP Kanye West

Is it true? Naaaaaaaah! People like Kanye West never die!! They always live to be 100 years old, reining terror on those who make it big in the music awards with his own views about who should win and who shouldn't!! Nevermind that the person he thinks shouldn't win is a good singer! No. The world has to turn Kanye's way, or no way at all. Stupid jackass!! But I did see on the internet what I think was a spoof article that Kanye was involved in a car accident with another luxury car in LA. But I don't think it's true! Though Kanye has plenty of reason to want to kill himself I'm sure. He really displayed a big chunk of his stupidity to the World when he stole the mic from Taylor Swift on her moment of triumph, because Kanye thought Beyonce should have been given the award. I'll tell you that act is still being talked about a lot. Even by MC Hammer on Twitter, one of the few people I am following! I'll tell you if I were Kanye, I'd want to kill myself right now!!

It's sort of ironic that people like that go on to live forever! That's why the World is going to Hell! It's always the best people who die first. The shitty people are the ones still going on. Before you know it, the whole World is going to be nothing but shitty. But this article apparently is leading to a surge of tweets about this subject. I did hear Kanye went into hiding, but I don't believe he is dead. I don't blame him a bit for going into hiding! It's what he deserves. He should have sat down and kept his mouth SHUT and let the awards show go on the way it was supposed to!! But I know how this feels. I went through the same thing when I had that bout at the AcmePet site! I felt bad because I somehow felt I had to lie just to get a bunch of losers, who didn't matter to me anyway, to like me again! It was the worst feeling in the World!! It wasn't until I said a little prayer and apology to GOD that that feeling was finally lifted! And I swore I would never allow myself to go through that again! No matter how bad the opposing side gets!

Of course I believe Kanye has a right to his own opinion, but he has no right whatsoever to steal the mic out of someone else's hands and get up on stage and announce to the World who he thinks should have won! Especially when nobody asked him!!! That's the difference between my situation and Kanye's situation. I was ASKED for my opinion on AcmePet. Those people may not have liked it, but I was indeed asked for my opinion! No one asked Kanye for his opinion!! He just did it to be rude!! Or who knows? Perhaps he wasn't thinking. No one really knows but Kanye. But I do know one thing, his music will never fill my halls, especially after that act he pulled that night!!

Vultures or Buzzards?

I thought this would be a nice Halloween-based subject. One mistake people typically make is calling a vulture a buzzard. And I just want to set the record straight. A buzzard is not a vulture!! Buzzards and vultures do share the same family, a family called the Accipitridae. The same family that contains hawks and eagles. But buzzards are very different birds. Buzzards are typically birds in the genus Buteo. Buteo is a genus that also contains the familiar red-tailed hawks. "Buzzard" is the name given to the smaller specimens in the genus. Here's some pics of buzzards. These are all birds that can truthfully be called "buzzards".

This is a Lizard Buzzard.

This is a Honey Buzzard.

This is an Augur Buzzard.

Get the picture? Don't worry, this is a mistake made by a lot of people. We've been brainwashed by old movies, TV shows and cartoons to believe buzzards are the birds with the long, naked neck and head. But it is not so. Those are typically vultures.

Vultures are regarded as omens of evil and seen by most people as possibly the world's ugliest birds. Personally, I like vultures! They have an inner beauty that so few of us actually see. But they are the ones that have the almost prehistoric-looking heads. They are designed that way for a reason. They feed on large, already dead animals killed by other animals, or by disease. Vultures are virtually immune to anthrax, botulism, and all those other nasty little diseases that contaminates dead animals and the environment. This is why I see the beauty in these birds that others do not see. If it weren't for them, our world would be crawling with all kinds of nasty germs!! The heads of vultures are designed to dig deep into carcasses and not get their plumage too dirty.

As for vultures being evil, I don't agree with that either. Vultures are a lot less vicious than their relatives, the hawks and eagles. They don't even kill their own prey. They rely on the success of other predators. And unlike scavenging mammals, like lions and hyenas, vultures are not apt to steal kills. This Red-headed Vulture is actually the bird that many of us have come to know as vultures:

But there are actually several forms. Check out the hair-do on this Egyptian Vulture:

And I think even the most discriminating person would be impressed with the colors on this King Vulture:

IMO, they are beautiful birds in their own way. But now you know the difference between buzzards and vultures. Though they are closely related, they are not necessarily one in the same.

I Hate Animal Abuse!!!

I'm surprised at this though, I never heard of a cat defending it's loved ones. Usually I've only known of cats saving their own selves rather than risk their lives for their owners. But there is this story of a cat named Oreo, who defended it's owner, a 9-year old girl, against her father who was sexually abusing her. Both animal and child abuse pisses me off, which is why this kind of a story caught my attention in a big way. This cat not only tried to defend the little girl from her maniacal father, it even reported that what the girl was saying about her father was true. And in a fantastic way. You have to read the story to believe it. Here's the link:
http://www.petside.com/petsideblog/2009/10/animal-and-child-abuse-the-lin.php

I'll tell you that even surprised me! This is one of the pages on Facebook that I subscribe to. Though I rarely comment there. Why people like that are even allowed to have kids, I don't know. But it makes me realize that I didn't miss out on anything by not having kids. When I was a kid, that was all I thought about. As an adult, I heard if you don't reproduce, you're a zero in the evolutionary sense. Though I think the Age of Man is coming to an end so it doesn't matter really. But the truth is ANYONE can have kids! Even people like this guy who are worthless! So I guess having children is no real big deal. Good people these days are hard to find anyway.

I've been having fun on YouTube learning all I can about different kinds of snakes, lizards and frogs. So far, my favorite channels are SnakeBytesTV and another guy who calls himself ViperKeeper. SnakeBytesTV is good enough to appear on Animal Planet! ViperKeeper is kindof a smart ass, but I like how his vipers seem almost tame. Though no snake is really tame, venomous snakes even less so, but this guy's vipers just seem to know and recognize him really well. I'm not going to get into venomous snakes myself, though it'd be interesting for a far future project. I haven't experience enough to get into that now. I have to get in good with the non-venomous species.

Falling Teeth

This is outrageous!! Last night, I had the dreaded "falling teeth" dream. Usually, this kind of a dream portends trouble of one sort or another. In my dream interpretation book, to dream of your teeth falling out means that there will be death, famine or an accident of some kind in the family. When I woke up, knowing what those kind of dreams mean, I was terrified!! It being Saturday, my ma and stepfather like to spend the day out together. My dream had taken over my mind! It was hours before I could really compose myself enough to turn on my computer!!

I remember the last time I dreamt my teeth were falling out, it was the day before I received word that my grandma had died. Well, I came awfully close to calling my ma and stepfather and telling them not to go out today!! I wish I had! Because I'd now just got a call from my ma and she said she was in an accident!! Some elderly man had rear-ended her on the road. My heart sank when I heard that news! I feel worse now because I didn't tell them to stay home. The only reason I didn't was because I was afraid they wouldn't take me seriously. John gets so angry sometimes too. I was also afraid he would get angry at ma for staying home on little more than my say-so. I'm not too sure if John knows how powerful dreams really are.

Well, ma and John will be OK. Thank GOD!! But I don't know if I will recover, knowing I should have told them to stay home and didn't! I hope their car isn't too banged up!

Juvenile Delinquents

Well, I haven't heard from yankovic1234 in almost a week! On Monday he really flipped! Sent me messages every hour, and they weren't sweet messages. I swear, I feel bad for his parents, if he has any! If he was my kid, I'd have slapped him shitless by now. If I had spoken to adults the way he does when I was a kid, my ma would have skinned me alive!!! He needs to be taught some manners. But first he needs to learn the consequences of his own actions! I'm just the one who could teach him too. If you recall, I used his own words against him on Monday. I always do! LOL! On my last post, I was saying how I had plans if I did hear from him again. Believe me, I did not want to do them!! But I was going to if he bothered me again! Well, he hasn't bothered me in a week so I haven't had to carry out that plan. But let me tell you, he is a FAT little porker!! LOL!! I think that's rather ironic. Check out this message he sent me, one of several he sent me last Monday:

"YOUR SUCH A BITCH I AM ONLY 12 YEARS OLD LOOK AT MY VIDS DO I SERIOUSLY LOOK 15 OMG YOU ARE THE FATTEST RETARD ON THIS PLANET WHO SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I WAS REALLY 15 YOU BITCH AT LEAST IM NOT A BEACHED WHALE! LOOK AT MY VID DO I REALLY LOOK 15 YOU WHORE"

Especially pay attention to the line where he says "at least I'm not a beached whale!" But believe me, he IS!!!! LOL!! I saw his videos, and yes, he is fat. In fact, he is a lot fatter than I was at his age!! So no doubt he's going to be beyond where I am when he's my age! Actually, to call him a whale would be an insult to whales everywhere!! People love whales. No one loves Yankovic1234! I saw his profile, he's been going all around YouTube mouthing off to everyone! Definitely a juvenile delinquent if ever I saw one! He'd better consider himself lucky that I am not his mama!! Some kids really need to be returned to the days of corporal punishment and this kid is among those that do! If he is the same to adults in real life as he is to adults on YouTube, he really needs to be set straight! Then he uses his age as a scapegoat for his rude behavior. Remember when he said to me "You are a 35 year old picking on a 12 year old" never even thinking that he was the one who mouthed off to me first! So that is why the last time he wrote to me, I basically just used his own words against him. Except my last message, where I informed him that that is what I was doing. Also ironic is how he said how retarded I sounded. LOL! Well, since I used only his words and none of my own, if I sounded retarded, then he sounded retarded!! LOL! That's why I like to turn peoples' own words against them, to get their honest reactions about how they really sound! LOL!

Believe me when I say I did NOT want to do to him what I was planning to do! I hate to appear as someone who hassles children. That's not who I am. But he needs a lesson in manners! In my last message, I said to him, "I was just using your own words. It doesn't feel good when someone is rude to you, does it? But if you want to go on with this, I can carry through as long as you can and never flinch an inch!" I haven't heard from him since. I'm hoping perhaps he gave up, or at least stopped to look at what he was making himself out to look like. But I am saving my plans for if I ever see him again and he decides he's going to start up again with someone bigger, tougher, and smarter than he is! LOL!

Its kids like yankovic1234 that makes me happy that Tim is in this golf competition charity event to get kids off the street and prevent them from becoming juvenile delinquents like this kid! To be honest, I probably won't ever hear from him again. So, I blocked him. That's the better plan!

Scary to Become Famous

I was reading this morning about Leona Lewis's brush with an angry "fan" in the UK. Some dude who lost the X-Factor competition to her, after all these years is still angry because she won and he didn't! So what does he do? He goes to her book signing and waits in line for an unbelievable amount of time (for a pissed off fan) and approaches her and punches her in the face in front of all her real fans!! What an asshole!!! As if she really had something to do with his losing the competition. It's nothing more than sour grapes! But Leona was so shook up that she stopped the booksigning and also cancelled a gig that was scheduled to go on that night. Well, I read up more about Leona, and the fact that she is a PETA supporter made me say "oh well, screw her then!!" But still this is still scary!!

In some ways I am glad not to be famous yet (I'm still planning a promotional tour for UMG Productions) because you face a lot of flack from angry or jealous people when you become famous. Believe me, I have a lot of people on here who are pissed off at me. Some may be just a little bit jealous, but many I know probably would attack me if they saw me! LOL! But if I do become famous, it'll be due to hard work and determination. Not because I pussyfoot around on the internet or any of that gibble-gabble. Then when we go on this tour, I'll just have to hire a shit load of bodyguards! When you become famous, surely you're going to have fans, some will be good and some will be bad. You have to thank the Lord for the good ones and pray you never meet the bad ones!

Now, I love Tim Farriss. He's my favorite celeb of all time. The only one who comes close is Harpo Marx! hehehe! Some people say I'm delusional, I've even been accused of being "scary" because of it. But I have no problem admitting that Timmy is my most favorite celebrity! If to some people that seems "scary", then so be it! Let's change the whole meaning of the word "scary". But one of the things I would never do to Timmy is anything that would hurt him! I've been to an album signing, and it was FUN!! I didn't even touch Tim until he held out his hand to me and said hello. Then I just shook his hand. I didn't punch him in the face, nor would I ever do that to him or any of the guys! Besides Tim is so tough, he'd probably punch me first. LOL! Just kidding there!

I saw another recent pic of Timmy and I think he still looks very handsome!!!! I don't say much when I meet new people, including someone I like as much as Tim. After I say hello, I'm all cliches. That's just how I am.

Golf Skins Challenge

I've just received word that Tim Farriss will be competing in the Australia vs. New Zealand Golf Skins Challenge for 2009. WTG Timmy!!! I am definitely rooting for him! He will of course be competing for Australia, along with many other celebrities, brought together by Streetworx, and it is a charitable event. The money raised will be going to different charities, including youth charities, in Australia and New Zealand.

Streetworx is a charity that helps the disadvantaged youth that would otherwise turn to the streets for activities. It helps children see how important education really is. Though I sometimes find it very hard to like today's children, if there is a program that in any way keeps kids from becoming delinquents, I'm all for it!!! And I take pride in saying my favorite celeb of all time is helping to raise money for this event!

If you want to learn more about the celebs competing in this event, you can view them all here. Tim will be playing against Jimmy Barnes, a man who I believe he is also very good friends with. Click on the images to read more about each competitor. I love Tim's description, it describes him to a T!! It says "A guitarist of considerable skill - and a man with wit and wisdom to match - Tim is the heart of INXS in many ways." That's the Timmy I know and love!!! And ohh! He looks so damn CUTE in that hat!!!!!!

INXS vs. Duran Duran vs. U2

Why is INXS my favorite band, and I totally ignore similar bands like Duran Duran and U2? Well, one reason only: No other band has Tim Farriss!! Timmy is, without a question in my mind, the most handsome man ever in rock n roll history!! IMO, sexual charisma is all half of what makes a band successful, and Tim is in no ways lacking in that department! So that is why I remain an INXS fan to this day, despite the fact that INXS may or may not do another tour again!

What brings this up is I was looking around YouTube (got sidetracked again) for more INXS vids, specifically profiling Tim Farriss. I happened to stumble upon a video that profiled Jon Farriss and Simon LeBon (of Duran Duran). Jon is a very handsome man, in fact I think he's almost as gorgeous as his big brother!! Simon LeBon on the other hand, not at all as handsome as Jon! In fact, I think he's downright HOMELY compared to Jon!!! But then I am not a Duran Duran fan at all!! I only like 2 of Duran's songs, and both of those are from an album from 1993. Shoot! I like more songs from Michael Jackson than I do from Duran Duran!!! So in no way am I a Duran fan! A lot of people think I should be a Duran fan, but no. I just do NOT like them!! I won't say I hate them (the 2 songs of their's I do like saves them from that fate) but for me to spend money to see a Duran concert, or to purchase one of their albums, it'll NEVER happen!!! Not unless I go deaf and blind or am seriously desperate to attend a concert (or unless I really have to attend, like my arms are tied behind my back and someone puts a gun to my head). hehehe! I don't think I'll ever be that desperate though! I don't think that level of desperation even exists at all!

Then there is U2. A nice group. I like some of their songs, mostly from the 80s, not really anything from the 90s. I've never been to a concert of their's but I have seen some live performances on TV and YouTube. They aren't bad. But to compare Bono to Timmy, I dunno. Compared to Tim Farriss, Bono looks more to me like he should be barking behind the bars in a dog pound!! I know that sounds cruel! I've actually chatted with the man before in a chat room, and he seems very nice. But he's just not as good-looking as Tim is!! I remember there was this guy named Nick who used to get into the old INXS Web chat room, and it used to drive him CRAZY that I was not as big a fan of U2 as I am of INXS. He was always comparing U2 to INXS, saying how U2 had recently put out a top 20 album at that time. I said "Well, I wouldn't use that as a comparison!" I never cared what the rest of the public thinks as far as top 10 bands goes! I only care what I think and what I listen to as far as that goes. I've heard good songs from bands I wouldn't normally touch! And I've heard some songs from INXS that I wouldn't touch at all. For example, I think I'm the only INXS fan on the planet that does not like the song "Never Tear Us Apart". I love INXS to pieces, but I HATE that song!!!! It's far too slow for me! But then INXS are entitled to have a slip-up now and then. But I don't let that sway my interest in INXS. Because for every bad song they've come out with, there are literally dozens more that I truly LOVE!!!!! I think there's like 3 songs that I can put my finger on right now from INXS that I can honestly say I do not like at all!! I barely like Need U Tonight! The main reason I love that song is because of Timmy's riffs!! That and the fact that whenever they play that song live, I love how Tim nods and then shakes his head!! LOL!! That always brings a smile to my face!! Though I haven't seen him do that since Michael died, which leads me to believe Tim has still not recovered most of his spark and fire. I miss that! But I still love the man to death!!!

I also looked on some other threads and there is a person, who is a fan of Air Supply, saying that Air Supply attracted more fans than INXS did at a concert in Australia! Hey! Woopie for them! I don't care for Air Supply myself (they did an album how long ago? And how many top 10 hits?) but again, I could never compare Air Supply with INXS. Air Supply does not have Tim!! And have you even seen the men of Air Supply?

I'd swear that's Lorne Greene on dope sitting there on the right!! LOL! Neither one looks as handsome as Tim Farriss! You think I would pay money to see them? Nooooooooo!!!!

Live-Feeding Vs. Frozen/Thawed

Now back to what I've been studying all this time. Herps again! The thing I am still on the fence about is whether to feed my animals live or frozen-thawed rodents. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I used to always feed live because I felt it was always good for the snakes to take in fresh, warm prey. Don't worry, there's no "Safari Syndrome" here! I would put the prey animal in, watch so it didn't hurt the snake, but I didn't make a film of it, or do it for my entertainment! But then the prey animal can turn on the snake. I never had it happen before myself, but there is no doubt it could happen. Then there is the "suffering" that the prey animals endure being squeezed to death by the boas and pythons. Animal-rights activists will argue that the prey animal goes through emotional terror before it is consumed. It may just go through that, but it doesn't last long! And really those who do not like it do not have to watch it.

Then there is the frozen-thawed issue. Surely an already dead rat cannot turn and attack your snake or lizard that is attacking it. But I do not want to keep dead rodents in my freezer!! And I don't want to have to put it in my microwave to thaw it out. Since the nearest pet shop is 100 miles away from where I live now, the best idea is to breed my own feeders. I could put them in a plastic bag and freeze them myself. But again then I have to deal with rats in my freezer, which I don't want! And there is still suffering involved, and it is even more prolonged suffering than what they would endure just being fed live to a snake or lizard. After all, the rat is freezing to death. How would I like to be stuck in a freezer, slowly freezing to death? It wouldn't be good! IMO, that's the worst kind of suffering!!!

Another good idea I've seen some other herp-keepers doing is what is called "stunning" a rat. Not sure I can do it myself!!! But it involves taking a live rat, and either gently, but firmly, stepping on it's head, or hitting it on the head against a wall or something and it stuns the animal. But I love rats and mice!! I cannot see myself doing that!! But then at least the rat or mouse is still alive, and warm, slightly moving, but too stunned to fight back or to feel anything. Another quick way of killing fresh prey animals, I've seen where some people built CO2 tanks and suffocated the mice that way. It's quick, painless, and I could still feed the snakes a warm supper. The mice didn't even know they were being suffocated! So they didn't feel anything, no terror or pain involved for the mouse. I might just try it that way if I can get a CO2 tank!! There is a video on YouTube that shows you how to make a gas chamber for the mice. It's not too hard.

*************Edit to Add********************
It is 10:00 PM now, and I just finished watching the finale of Hell's Kitchen. Every season so far, before we turn on the television to watch the finale of this show, Anna and I always sit and discuss who we believe is going to win. Her guess was Kevin, my guess was Dave. But both of us knew Ariel would not last the night. In fact, I was surprised that she even lasted this long on the series!! She has tried to send out raw meat twice that I can recall throughout the season. In previous seasons, that kind of a mistake got other contestants eliminated immediately! But it seems that Chef Ramsay has been too easy on Ariel. Why, I don't know!

This season's contestants have actually been the worst I've ever seen on this series! Remember the jerk who got eliminated at the beginning because he challenged Chef Ramsay??? Oh my F***ing GOD!!!! I'd be shocked if he could get any job anywhere after that!! They ran some bloopers at the end, and it seems Chef was mocking that guy after he kicked him out for being disrespectful. That guy's (I don't remember his name) last line was "I'm not gonna be your bitch!" So Chef was joking with the remaining contestants "You're all not going to be my bitch!" LOL!!! I'm glad that he didn't come back tonight! I knew he wouldn't anyway. He was too disrespectful!!!

I'll tell you, I don't like Robert, the fat guy who was there last season, and reappeared this season!! I'm glad he didn't win!! He tried to sabotage Dave's service tonight just because he couldn't have his way! UGH!!! Seems that's his whole M.O. Can you imagine a guy like that running a major restaurant and tourist attraction!!!??? I can't!!

But anyway, my prediction was right! I knew tonight Dave would win! At first, I didn't think he'd even make it to the finals. I knew Kevin would, but not Dave. But despite his handicap, he made it well!! I felt bad for Kevin though, he was disappointed he didn't win. But I was so glad, for the sake of his little boy, that he proved he was a good sport! BTW, he has an adorable little boy!!!

Nooooo Anna You Missed My Point!!!

So I go to one of my subscriber's blogs, Anna, my sis. I notice her trouble on Facebook with some 20-year olds. I know Anna hates teenagers and 20 year olds, but I think she missed my point in my last post. I told her that the most fun I've had on the internet to date is the argument between myself and GERUSA. I am very proud of myself that I did not lose my head and start calling him names or cuss at him or generally get all irrational. I put that all on his shoulders!! Remember what I said about opening your mouth and looking like an idiot? It's better that they do it, not me!! I was hoping Anna would have learned something from it!

Despite the fact that some years ago, I would have cyber-bitch-slapped GERUSA for his remarks, last night I was able to stay calm and civilized. It makes me feel good to know that now. I feel like a better person for it too! I'm still a long way from being able to join any forums or anything. I want to make sure I can keep up that coolness and calmness without ever losing my tenacity. I have a great deal of training ahead of me! But last night with GERUSA, it was very good practice. It gave me the confidence I need in case I meet up with someone like that again.

I heard from yankovic1234 again. He's really lost it!! LOL! Anyway he told me that he is 12 years old. I threw some of his own words back at him just to show him again what a jackass he sounded like. That's my M.O, hit them with their own words!! And it's FUN!! It's kinda like making them feel what the reciever of their comment feels, and nothing more. He didn't like it! Just as I had suspected!! LOL! It is totally amazing to watch how people react to their own words when it is thrown right back in their faces. Especially teenagers! I told him today after he called me every name in the book, that this "fat, retarded" person is the kind of person he only wishes he was. I told him I can go on with this argument as long as he wants to and never flinch an inch. I saw one of his videos and I'd like to tell you, well, I'm not going to say anything until I hear from him again. I'm giving him a chance now to back-off. I'll keep you all posted in how it goes. Either he'll back off silently, or he'll give me more rope to hang him with.

So Now To Day 2

Well, last night's bout with GERUSA continued, as you may have guessed. I knew it would go on. LOL! But as figured, I still kept my cool. I didn't lose it at all. So it became a battle of the wits, and he thinks he won. Typical man!! LOL! Oh he went so far as to threaten me with violence, he said all kinds of wierd-ass things, but I never broke. Well, not totally. At one point I did threaten him, but I immediately took it back because I think it's so stupid to threaten someone on the internet. More about that later on in this post.

Ya know, it's actually a shame GERUSA hates Latin Americans so much. To be honest, I looked back to his earlier posts on that thread, and in some ways he does seem like a nice person. I just think he's a person who was hurt really bad. Someone on the thread said his mama probably married a Mexican man when he was a young boy who beat the shit out of him a lot. It makes sense! Or perhaps something similar to that happened to him. Personally, I've had many bad experiences with many different kinds of people. I remember after 9/11 happened, even I was saying I'm never going to trust middle-easterners again! But I learned that the best revenge is not to hate all of them, but to pity the ones who perpetrated the act and treat the good ones with kindness and respect. I used to have ICQ (I should get it back!) and I had some Islamic buddies on there. One of them I think had the hots for me!!

Anyway, back to the original subject. When we left off last night I had asked GERUSA what it was I had to envy about him. This was his response to me:

The better question would be better stated "what do I not have to envy ?" So if you can't understand proper English... I really have nothing more to say to you. And if you feel sorry for mee... you're fucking stupid. I bet you're just some wetback spic, trying to defend your "honor" and "pride". Fuck off, cunt... you'll never change what I have witnessed from you maggots.

I remembered him saying on his profile how he's a bartender and likes football and stuff. My response went as followed:

Well, in all honesty, if I did care about football and beer guzzling, I *might* envy you. But since I don't, I don't see where I should envy you at all.

" you'll never change what I have witnessed from you maggots."
Where do I say I'm trying to change? But since you brought it up, how about the savagery that your folks have put on others? Yes I do feel sorry for you. Very sorry.

"you're fucking stupid"
That's kinda hysterical, your IQ is 135, and mine is 139. KWYTA! LOL!

For the record "KWYTA" means "Know what you're talking about". Since YouTube only allows 500 characters per post, I have to hold it down to a minimum. I had to add this in another post:

"Fuck off, cunt"
Drawing from words that were previously your own:
"And fuck you... I'll never "Fuck off" until scum like you is cleaned off of the planet."

LOL! Though I'm really too smart and articulate to use most of those words, hehe! I think it well applies in this case.

My whole point in using his words instead of my own, I want to show him that he's the one acting like a jackass. Just in case he tries to throw the "all Mexicans are mean and hateful" argument at me, like he did to someone else earlier in this thread. Or in case he decides to use the "You don't know me" argument again. hehehe!

So now, GERUSA is compiling "facts" that he believes tells him everything there is to know about me. But let me tell you, I'm FAR too complex of a person for him! LOL! But I like to entertain people in his position. But that is what these so-called "clues" of his mean that he has now taken to collecting.

Wow... pulling quotes and elaborating on them : Clue #2 that indicates you being a trashy, wetback spic. Get a life, skank. Clue #3 Never shutting the fuck up. But what more do I expect from a 3rd world cunt ?

So naturally, I decide to correct his way of thinking. I could practically "see" the flecks of foam spewing from his mouth as I once again prove him wrong:

Sorry to disappoint you dude, but I'm American born and bred. I stay out of third-world countries. I hate their mosquitos!! And in case you get any ideas, I do NOT mean the people!!!

You want me to shut the F up? How are you going to make me? You said yourself you're never STFU until all scum is wiped off the face of the Earth, so don't look at me. I'm just following your lead. LOL!

Get ready for a flashback! GERUSA quotes something perhaps from his own childhood in this statement:

Wow... back to the school-yard "make me" tactics. I could care less about making you do anything. You came to me looking for a debate... Clue #4 that you're just a low-life scumbag. What's the matter ? Did I insult your roots. And I doubt your I.Q passes 100. Beaners have an average of 87, which is below the point of stupidity. Keep up the good fib-work, though... just another clue telling me you're nothing more than a spic loser.

As you all know, I'm not an average person! I love being different. If that hasn't been proven by now, it never will be proven. Particularly not to hard-heads like GERUSA. But I filled him in anyway, he might as well know the truth:

I guess I'm not like "average beaners". LOL!! My IQ was measured by an official source, the school I went to, and my job. Each time, the number came up the same. So what was your's measured by? An internet IQ test?

"Wow... back to the school-yard "make me" tactics"
Well, what ARE you going to do about it? This is the internet. My point is a person looks kinda silly telling another to shut up on the internet.

Actually the test my job gave me measured my IQ at 140. But to be on the safe side, I prefer to tell people that my IQ is 139. I don't want to seem overbearing! LOL! I don't always act like it, I know! Because half the time my brain snoozes. I also added this message to anyone reading this debate:

And you all notice, he still hasn't answered my first question! LOL!

The initial question being what has he accomplished being a jerk, which I believe he is still trying to avoid answering. This was his response to that. Notice how he resorts here to threats of violence:

And you all notice, I have no need to answer your first question. You are scum. Trash. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with a worthless moron like you. You're lucky this is Youtube... or I'd smack the fire outta your mouth for eventhinking about talking trash to a superior being. Must have gotten beat on a lot by an ex-boyfriend, and now needs to stand up to a man to get some of your ego back. Laughable. Poor slut.

I really wasn't sure whether to hop a bus to his place, call the cops, or wet myself laughing! I chose to laugh, though without wetting myself! LOL!! Especially funny was the part where he says "I'd smack the fire outta your mouth for even thinking about talking trash to a superior being." And as for the boyfriend beating me up a lot. Nope, never happened. I wouldn't allow myself to be seen with a boy like that. Besides, he'd be too crippled to support me and all my needs. Because the first time he'd strike me, I'd break off his arm so he could never strike anyone again. I wanted to tell GERUSA that, but again, I think threatening anyone on the internet is retarded. Forgive my language there!!! I posted the post, but I deleted it immediately simply because of that. Instead, this was my response to him:

Nope. Never been smacked by any man. Sorry to disappoint you again. I bet you couldn't even take me on.

You might as well answer my question sooner than later. I'll keep bugging you until you do, for as long as you are on this thread.

I had to remove my last comment. To make threats of any kind on the internet is just sooooooooo NOT me!!!!

I thank GOD he didn't see that post where I threatened to flatten him if he had ever touched me! I don't believe he did, because this was his responding post:

Bugging me ? No... you're just strengthening Clue #3. And what could you possibly threaten me with ? Gonna have a thousand of your cousins hop the border to fuck up the U.S economy more than it is ? Report me ? OOOOhhhhh. I'm sooooo scared. Takes me about 3 minutes to make another account.

Like I said, I just don't like making threats over the internet. I really don't like making threats at all. Sometimes warnings are necessary, but I prefer to act rather than speak. I don't want to tell someone what I'm going to do. I prefer the element of suprize!! Anyway, here is how I responded to him:

Yes, I believe I am bugging you. But if you make an opinion like the one you made, you should have no trouble backing it up. I never do. I could go on about clues that make you what I believe you really are, but why bother. It's here in black and white for all to see.

"Takes me about 3 minutes to make another account."
Make 10 more accounts if you want to. It won't hide nothing.

So poor GERUSA drones on about these "clues" once again that he thinks tells him all there is to know about me. But either he is putting it wrong, or he is missing the point in my posts.

Another clue: takes pride in being annoying. Sad.

So I decide to correct him once again (I know I can stop at any time I want to). This was my response to him:

I take pride in who I am, yes. If being honest makes me annoying, then so be it!! If standing up for what I believe is right is annoying, so be it! At least I can do both without sounding like a jerk. Something you should learn someday. :P

So now, let's go back to the post where I dared him to make me shut up. This is the best one of all. This is the one where there is proof he's not smarter than me.

LOL. I never told you to shut up, you trashy bitch. And I too, took my I.Q test from a reliable source. I even took one on the internet afterwards, just for kicks, and it came up 142. And I could care less if 1 convo with another person made me sound like a jerk. I know, and everybody that REALLY knows me will say that I'm not. And what I said about making a new account had nothing to do with you holding back anything... it has to do with mongrels like you how report people. Stupid bitch.

Just for the record, I took an internet IQ test this morning just for kicks. I don't ever count those because IMO they are as useless as internet video games or internet surveys. But even then, my IQ score was higher than his!! LOL!!! Mine was measured at 145!!! And that was with my brain half asleep!! So no matter what, I'll always be proven to be smarter than GERUSA. He can keep calling me stupid until the cows come home, but I prefer to let the numbers speak for themselves. LOL!! It is truly better to sit back and let people think you're an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it. GERUSA really adds truth to that old saying. But then that all really goes without saying because:

1) I have not called him any names throughout this debate.
2) I never had to use cuss words to get my points of views stated. Though I still don't believe they got through. LOL! But that's his problem, not mine! :P
3) I treated him with respect, even though he really does not deserve it.
4) I respected his right to have his own opinion.

This was my response to him:

Well, so far I haven't reported you. Because I don't think you're really that terrible. But I do find it interesting that you automatically think that everyone is going to turn you in to the staff of this site.

Believe me when I say I've seen worse!!! I've been in several debates on Youtube. Never once have I reported anyone. Because I usually believe everyone has a right to their own opinions and no one should be silenced for that. So here's more proof that little mister GERUSA is short-sighted:

And you're not being honest, being you know nothing about me. You just got angry for what I said about your shitty race of inbreeded maggots. I know your kind all too well. You are trash. You're nothing. You will die a miserable beaner. You feel you have something to prove to the world. You maggots born in the USA are so vrainwashed to think that being from mexicaca is an honor, when really it is the armpit of North America.

Wait a minute here! LOL! So he thinks he can go around and judge everyone else on very little basis except his own prejudice, but then he's going to turn around and shit his pants and give me the "you don't know me" speech, when really I haven't even done the same to him. Very sanctimonious of little mister GERUSA. And this is a first, he uses the word "inbreeded" and he's a language teacher???? LOLOL!!! Oh my GOD that is hysterical!!! No wonder his IQ is not as high as mine is!! Maybe he should go back to school and learn the word is "inBRED" and I should be his language teacher! That would be funny!!

This was how I responded to him:

Nope. Again, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not angry at all. I still feel sorry for you. A person who does what you're doing is definitely a sad person. You're angry though that I haven't been broken from your comments. Don't take it personal, but I am a confident person. Have been for ages! It'd take a Hell of a lot better person than you to bring me down. Believe me! :P

And what makes you think I wasn't being honest? Since you yourself admit, you don't know me! LOL!

Well, this was GERUSA's closing statement on that thread:

I know you peasants always have the need for the last word. It makes you feel as if you have accomplished something, when in reality you haven't. So you can send the last comment if you wish... it proves nothing, and you will die a worthless maggot. I am superior just for being a white American. You are rubbish. I have said all that there has been needed, and I am not going to waste more time nitpicking with 3rd world garbage. So chinga tu reputisima madre y a la verga con mexiCACA !!!!!

This should give him clues to me never having been to Mexico, I don't even know what he said! The only word I recognize is "caca". LOL!! I never studied the language. Funny eh? You'd think I'd know the Spanish language very well, seeings my father is Spanish. But no. All he ever said in Spanish was cuss words. But if you ever need someone who can translate Mexican cuss words, I'm your woman!! LOL!!

Well, this was my closing statement to him:

"It makes you feel as if you have accomplished something"
So this is what your game is!! LOL! Well, to put the conclusion in your own words, in reality you haven't!

"and you will die a worthless maggot."
I'll be worth more than you. Sorry to say.

"I am superior just for being a white American."
I am superior because I treat all people with respect. Including those who aren't worthy like you. And I'm better because I don't open my mouth unless I have a reason for my opinions.

Well, I say let him wallow in his non-existent tub of his own self-worth. It looks like that's all he has. I will always be a smarter and much better person than him. And yes, I do feel a sense of accomplishment. But not in a manner he is thinking. I kept my cool! It was the goal I've been striving for all year!!