This morning, I checked out of the glitzy Pfister Hotel....
... and rolled the dust of Milwaukee off Silvio's wheels. Amazing how many more flowers and leaves there are here in Madison than when I pulled out the driveway Sunday afternoon.
Oh, but what's this?
Right on my doorstep! What does it mean? Just think how freaky this would be if there were a big spider on it -- after this post, yesterday. Could I resist paranoia?
There was no spider... and yet...
Ants. Is the eye an ant delicacy?
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36 comments:
Ants like human eyes too, and you don't have to be dead:
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1834749,00.html
Delicacy? Not so much a delicacy as it's a weak spot that is vulnerable to attack to weak jaws. Cats and dogs as well go for the lips, nose, and anus. The larger dogs might go through the belly, but usually it's those weak spots.
William the Coroner
Dr Zeus' Forensic Files
All I know is that if you find ants crawling on a human ear in the grass, don't go to the police, don't go to that lady Dorothy's apartment, don't hide in her closet, and, for God's sake, remember that Pabst Blue Ribbon is the best beer in the world.
The bird really reminded me of this
You named your car?
Ahhhh... the Redbuds.
I found it weird -- readers can't see it in the pic you posted -- that the hotel had "salve" emblazoned above the exit. My recollection of high school latin is that "salve" means "hello," not "goodbye."
Carrion, Ann!
The eyes are soft and the easiest thing to eat. From my days as a Body Farm research assistant, I can tell you that's what the bugs always go for first.
It's an Ovenbird! An ex-Ovenbird. Their song goes: Teacher, Teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER!
Well, one good thing -- the little bird wasn't turquoise.
I think the neighborhood cat likes you and left a gift
You named your car?
We did too. Its a Toyota Echo, real stinker first time we ran it on the highway. Obvious name was Pepe [the Disney Skunk]. We even added a Pepe sticker and a suffed skunk on the dashboard [yah, we got carried away, but it was fun]
Silvio knows Silviaggioia
Fen,
Pepe wasn't a Disney character.
Simon, you are correct. Generally, salve was a greeting, while vale was a farewell.
It's a form of salvere, which meant to be safe or to save, to be in good health, or to heal. Vale, on the other hand, comes from valere, which means to be strong.
So really, either could technically be a greeting or a farewell. "Be in good health" versus "be strong." Roughly speaking.
Great comments!
Blue: I thought of that too (but couldn't bring myself to link to it).
William: Are you really a coroner?
Madisonman: Great cartoon! I can see why you remembered it.
Cyrus: Your comment isn't great.
RJ: I'm impressed!
Paul: Thanks! I'd never even heard of an ovenbird. I looked it up on a website and it said it was a "small, ground-dwelling, insect-eating bird." Now, it's small, ground-dwelling, insect-eaten bird.
Galvanized: Yeah. I know! (You made it in with the "Ruth Anne" comment.)
Fen creates an opportunity for another "Ruth Anne" comment.
Fraulein Doctor Althouse: are you sure those are ants and not baby spiders? Have a great day
There is something creepy about posting pictures of dead beings. I guess that if you call it "art" then it isn't tasteless.
A social worker who was at my partner's funeral brought me pictures of his corpse at the wake. I think she thought she was offering me a gift. In a sense, it might have been. It was a very personal gesture.
Funny how blogs create a false sense of intimacy that a skillful blogger can exploit to run up the hit counter. I'm not sure I like that.
Ann wrote:
Cyrus: Your comment isn't great.
Hmmm. I guess your mother didn't teach you that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. I'm terribly wounded.
But it's okay, Ann, I'm going to let you make it up to me... Tell me what names you've given to your toaster and washing machine, please.
People do hire professional photographers and even videographers for funerals and wakes. Here's a collection of anecdotes on the practice from some pro photographers. According to this photographer, some cultures do this a lot, others not so much.
I have never named any of my cars either, but I kind of like Silvio for that thing.
I have, on numerous occasions, hurled certain names at my various cars, but none that I can repeat here.
Scott: "Funny how blogs create a false sense of intimacy that a skillful blogger can exploit to run up the hit counter. I'm not sure I like that."
It's a dead bird. I suppose you find this picture to be in terrible taste.
Ann wrote:
It's a dead bird.
Have you named it yet?
"Have you named it yet?"
Yes, I've name her Aunt Smorgasbord.
Fen, Pepe wasn't a Disney character
My bad, he was with Warner Bros.
Silvio->great name for this car!Silvio is derived from Latin "silvius...taken from silva(forest/woods) and actually means "inhabitant of the forest"..sooo how fitting that it's parked among the trees!
Oh, alright, point taken. A picture of a dead bird is more tasteful than one of a dead human.
Maybe a picture of a dog poop would be more tasteful still.
Now your evaluating your commenters?
I will try really hard to be interesting and witty from now on.
I actually liked Cyrus comment.
It would be somewhat interesting to know who your favorite commenters are.
Would you ever consider having a contest to determine "best in class commenter"?
You could also break it down into categories: liberal, conservative, hateful, loving, fabulous, boring, etc.
boston: I have a lot of favorite commenters, and I bet regular readers have favorites too. Isn't it a good idea to encourage commenters to raise their game? We have this new guy, George, who's trying very hard to make a big splash, and you know there are some great old regulars, like Ruth Anne. It's a worthy enterprise, being a top notch commenter.
For the record, boston70 is my favorite commenter.
I am seeing the birdie picture as a message from God, that it was really dumb for me to start a blog this time of year, when I am too busy to even post comments. Blog name.....http://sparrowdown.blogspot.com/
The picture even looks a little like my artwork, except for the ants of course!
Ann
Yes, I am. It's a living. And I really wanted a job where people would be dying to see me.
I think it's a cool job, William. I've read some interesting books and essays on the subject. Do you blog about it somewhere?
When I was a kid, we had a car named Deuteronomy. Occasionally, I slipped when talking to someone outside the family, and referred to the car by name. I got some really funny looks, especially from the nuns at school.
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