Just when you thought the Namib was devoid of carbon-based lifeforms...
Coming home from Dead Vlei, we spotted this family of ostriches (Struthio camelus australis) surfing down a sand dune.
Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) at sunset.
Beetle bug in sand. Damn those bugs. They're going to outlast us all.
Hey look what we found! Acanthosicyos horridus, commonly called the Nara plant! Protected by horrific sharp spines (2-3 cm), the succulent Nara melon (approx. 15 cm in diameter) is an important source of sustenance for wildlife (eg. Gemsbok) and people (the indigneous Topnaar) alike. This particular melon is a bit raw still and caused a horrifying burning sensation in my mouth. Holy forbidden fruit, my friends...
Ok, I had to sneak in another dead tree picture. I love that one in the background.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Namib Poo Purri of Pix...
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
1,000,000 little calgarians or bottles of beer on wall...
an apple pear in portland courtesy of my sis.
happy millionth citizen, cowtown...
ahhhh... mayor bronconnier's on the boob tube announcing a newborn baby as calgary's millionth inhabitant. how glorious!!! how the hell does he know this particular baby is the lucky millionth? it could have of been some guy from lebanon just stepping off the plane. i was confused until my bro pointed out the bronco's PR ploy of exploiting this poor cute infant.
why would he need to pull off a PR stunt like that? i dunno. unless he wanted to hide the fact that the population explosion has resulted in unmitigated suburban sprawl (which he denies to this day), huge taxes, out-of-this-world real estate prices, massive construction, and billions spent on more roads/overpasses, and above all, dilapidated bike paths.
i'm all for living in a vibrant, exciting calgary but c'mon it's outta control.
i guess i should just feel lucky that i live in such a fantastic city. can't wait to read the first comment telling me to get outta town, eh.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
revenge is best served cold is not a klingon phrase...
NHL playoff report...
no big surprises so far...
a little worried about your calgary flames before tonite. i thought if the flames played their finest hockey in the first two games they'd be in big trouble. the second game was particularly bad for the flames. however, i thought they really picked up their forechecking game and overall aggressive play tonite. at this rate they could end this series early, especially if anaheim keeps giguerre in goal. i still predict a long series, however.
detroit red wings vs. edmonton oilers... edmonton is giving it the ol' college try. playing the trap is a smart idea. well, they just won game #3. much has been said about the red wings, the veteran-filled team that they are, not panicking in tough situations. perhaps they ought to start worrying now before they go the way of the dodo bird for another year.
montreal canadien vs. carolina hurricanes... i still can't figure out why the hell carolina (south or north?) has a hockey team. series is on schedule... hope montreal doesn't open up their game at home. huet looks good. look for cam ward to start goal for the 'canes in game #3. gerber really sucked.
other observations: the cbc coverage just sucked on opening night. in the detroit/edmonton game they didn't even have a on screen powerplay clock... not often i sympathize with edmonton fans, but the cbc commentary (mark lee and john garrett) for their games really sucks.
movies....
in between hockey games there is still time for a couple of movies.
slapshot.
how appropriate, eh?
oldtime hockey. that's what it's all about, at least in slapshot.
in summary, i wanted more oldtime hockey, more hanson brothers, more brawls, and less off-ice stuff.
interesting, it takes americans to make good hockey movies. i saw a few seconds of the cbc dramatization of the '72 summit series the other night and turned the channel.
for a good time i recommend this movie. if you're not into hockey, you'll get a kick out of the 70's wardrobe ensembles and disco soundtrack.
kill bill, vol. one.
usually i can't stand gratuitous violence. But if it's used in conjunction with revenge, it's great. let me tell you there's plenty of revenge in kill bill.
in summary, uma thurman was hot, lucy liu was hot (usually i think opposite), the girl in the school uniform was hot, the kung fu was great, there wasn't enough bloodletting, anime clips were funny.
that quentin tarantino is one warped dude, eh.
excellent movie.
dudes, it's time to rent out pulp fiction... yah, i haven't seen it yet. i was fighting along side my fellow maoist insurgents in nepal at the time it was released.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
my arms really hurt...
len, good guess on mystery photo #41. i'll give you this clue...
election report 2006.
more silly media stuff:
the use of the Survivor theme on Calgary's channel 2&7 news, where "normal" people vote party leaders off "the island", is kind of silly. i won't tell you who usually gets voted off.
i guess it's an innovative and fun segment. instead of shamelessly flogging "Survivor" they should of used an Apprentice theme instead where participants fire paul martin while donning really bad hair pieces... oops, did i say paul martin?
the cbc news had another brilliant idea last night. they invited hacks from each of the parties to "produce" a 3 minute "investigative" segment. not surprisingly, i couldn't tell the difference between these clips and the usual cbc election spin coverage.
