I saw the most irritating bumper sticker the other day. It said: "I know people who love..." Verbatim, complete with the ellipses. There was also some sort of double circle drawing -- a representation of a couple of earth globes or something, I couldn't see well enough (I was in traffic) to confirm. What was irritating about it was the gooey, open-ended, inconclusiveness of what I could only guess was the slogan's feel-good intentions. "People who love..." what? Whales? Unborn fetuses? Everything in the whole world including that crusty stuff that gathers in the corners of your eyes when you sleep? Republicans? There was something else printed on the bottom of the bumper sticker, possibly the manufacturer or sponsor -- "Brought to you by the World Council of Whale Fetus Worshippers" -- but as I was looking at the back of a car in heavy traffic from at least ten feet away, I have no idea what it actually said. So it remains a nagging mystery, if something so inconsequential can be dignified with such a term.

I went to a local park a few days ago and painted the above watercolor (it looks better reduced to a gif), in my ongoing plan to work on my so-called artistic skills. Naturally, on a day when I had no film in my camera, I saw all sorts of photographable wildlife in perfect National Geographic poses: a family of white ibises, a duck couple (the male had a shiny green head), a hawk (I believe it was a red-shouldered hawk), and so forth.

My cat has scattered my magazines far and wide across the carpet, and is now resting, no doubt feeling a fine sensation of accomplishment. I must be a great thing to be a cat. Every now and then I pick her up and swing her around a little, just to remind her who's boss. (Not by her tail. Get thee away from me, PETA!)

Speaking of animal rights, the Humane Society is protesting the slaughtering of a pig on Survivor. Well, how else were they supposed to eat the thing? I gather this season's episodes are set in the Australian outback, which is not exactly crawling with Denny's. I guess the big deal is that they did it on network TV (I wouldn't know; I never watch the noxious thing). Now parents won't be able to tell their kids that bacon grows on bacon trees anymore.

Speaking of network TV... no, let's not. It's just too depressing. I still have to put together my X-Files rant, as in "Why I don't watch the X-Files Anymore." Just watch the first season, some of the second season, maybe a smattering of third-season episodes, and junk all the rest. Never mind; I'll get into the whole soul-crushing, life-sucking mess later.

To buy a video-camera, or not to buy a video-camera? (A little one, for the computer.) That is the question. Actually, I saw a $199.97 Samsung laser printer at Compusa, and am wondering if the savings are worth it, or should I just save up the $400 or so that the nice, reliable HP model that I've used at work places for years costs. Or should I just save up for a new car. According to Adam Smith in his 18th century tome Wealth of Nations, human beings are acquisitive by nature. So I'm just following human nature when I lust after all these things I can't possibly afford.

Hmmm. Denny's website is much too elaborate for the simple service it provides; fancy Flash effects, a game, and javascript errors. They used to have free web-page backgrounds, but these are gone. (Yes, I have them on a floppy somewhere.)

My new favorite term-to-hate: "faith-based" anything. Why can't they just unclench their jaws and spit out "religious?" Come on, say it: "Religious charities." There. Was that so hard?