ThinkingSkull.com

Apparently this isn’t as rare a phenomenon as I’d thought, but it’s still cute and gave me an excuse to film my cat, Cinders, showing off as usual. For everyone who’s met her already or hasn’t, here’s a quick glimpse of her show biz prowess.

I keep tweaking that new header image up there, so it’s not your imagination. And I’ve finally got more than a few buddies using Twitter now, so I’ve integrated a new toy in the sidebar to watchdog all the Twitters I’m following (and on Facebook, too). Any other suggestions out there?

I know plenty of people who remember that today is April Fool’s Day, but in my house growing up, today was treated like a national holiday. Part of that was in no small part due to being my older little sister’s birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Sis, and for everybody else, good luck… we’re all counting on you.

For some reason, I can’t find this during a regular search, but this should fix that right now. Larry Ranson (aka Al Ranson or Big Al) got his picture snapped for USA Today. Cool, huh? Yeah, he couldn’t wait to tell me and my sibblings about it, either (you would, too).

Everyone has seen those”truth” ads on televsions; even the manufacturers of cigarettes are “trying to help” (if it’ll save ‘em a few bucks in the long run). The message is clear that smoking is bad for you (and overeating, and drinking too much whiskey, etc).

Yet there are still these people who seem to get away with abusing themselves (like Wolverine from the X-men comics), people who do whatever, eat whatever, and drink whatever, somehow with the foresight that technology will miraculously stay just ahead of their health. Is it irresponsible to abuse yourself and remain overconfident that someone will be able to put you back together just so you can keep doing it?

My father appears to be one of these people; when asked about his soon-to-be triple-bypass heart surgery, he mumbled something about, “and maybe a little more than that.” Well, the operation went as planned (thank goodness) and he’s out, reportedly about to give up his habit (which we’ve all heard before).

Still, I guess it’s really true: “The Cigarette-Smoking Man” never dies.

No, not in the mafia sense of the term. Sheesh!

The operation appears to have been a complete success, so Neener is in ICU under a close watch (just in case) and will soon get to have visitors in her comfy $5000.00 per night room.

The operation is over, but the hospital stay still sounds (expensively) scary!

Imagine having a hole drilled in your head and soft tissure stuffed in so your cranial fluid doesn’t leak down your spine… well, hopefully you’ll be unconscious when that happens.

A friend of mine, Neener, who’s online journal is called Neenerpants, has a Chiari Malformation, which is a funny way to say she has a hole in her head (which many of us have accused her of in the past and now we all feel bad because it turned out to be true). As it turns out, a small percentage of the population have the condition but rarely know of it unless there was a reason to have an MRI; on a whim because of a back problem, the test revealed the unknown malady, which may also explain any number of other weird little problems she has encountered.

But the real story is this: I’m worried for her, as I’m sure everyone else is. But Ace, Neener’s ever-faithful husband, is the one with the most pressure for all the obvious reasons and a few that no one else could probably understand right now. Brave lad, that one.

So, tonight, she will have her head shaved surrounded by friends in a ritualistic manner befitting someone about to go through an ordeal such as this. If ya gotta do it, why not make a production of it, right? On Thursday, everything should turn out fine, and after she recovers she’ll be good as new. To paraphrase Neener herself, it’s worth the risk because having no strength to do the things she loves with people she loves “sucks,” and that’s all there is to it.

Say a prayer to whatever higher power you worship and let the ritual begin!