But the sleeping lizard was cute ... I have to ask - how did she react if you stroked her tummy while she was sleeping?

Well, she slept on her stomach, like in the picture, so we didn't dare try to flip her over. Or approach her without a tank between us.

health~ma for vw's dad.

There was other stuff I was meaning to say, but ability to brain got wiped out by cats sharing window perch meant for only one cat at a time.

Teh cute is mightier than the gronk.

Okay, I *have* to share an amusing in-your-face story from work this morning.

You know how I've mentioned that some of my co-workers behave like monkeys at the zoo, and literally BEAT ON THEIR DESKS many times throughout the day? (These are the same co-workers who also APPLAUD any time anyone walks in their area....I remain unconvinced that they haven't been drinking paint thinner.)

They've been doing this thing for about a month where they call each other "Shiz." Like, person shows up in the morning: [applause, probably beating on desks] "Hey, it's the Shiz!!! How you doing, Shiz??"

No, I'm not even remotely kidding.

When I first heard them doing this, I got those big cartoon saucer eyes that pop out of one's sockets, and looked at Chatty!co-worker and asked, "Are they saying what I think they're saying?"

Him: "Yes, they think it's 'hip' to call each other 'Shiz'."

Me: "...."

Me: "Do they KNOW what it means?"

Chatty did some reconaissance, and found out that they thought it just meant, like, hey you cool person.

No, REALLY.

And so this sent me into gales of laughter. I told Chatty that my new goal was to see if I could get them to start saying "bugger."**

So I come in today, and Chatty informs me that he finally cracked and went over and told them what Shiz really means. The response of the ringleader: "Not in South Carolina!"

(Uh. Your point? We're in Ohio, O Thou Shiznit.)

They had NO idea. Needless to say, they've stopped. Granted, I fully expect that they'll have a new catchphrase before the end of the day, possibly even before lunch.

And yet, I'm enjoying the unawareness of the meaning of, and subsequent demise of, "Shiz" WAY too much.

**(In the course of getting my mom to watch Buffy and then Angel, she -- of course -- became a Spike fan. And she picked up "bugger" from him. Which my stepdad started saying, too. Finally one day I asked, just to check, "You DO know what 'bugger' means, don't you?"

Mom: "Like, 'damn,' or 'shit,' right?"

Cue my gales of laughter. When I told her, her eyes did the aforementioned cartoon-character pop-out-of-socket thing, but then *she* dissolved into gales of laughter at the idea that she had been walking around using it liberally without quite knowing what she was saying [often to other people].

She still uses it, BTW, and just as often, now that she knows what it means.)

Sox, I am indeed available for teh phone.

Random lizard picture: this is our (ex-) Guest Lizard, and this is how she slept every night -- check out the way her arms are positioned:

Aw, I also thought that this was gonna be Rebecca news! Heh.

The Taz is at the Kitty Hospital getting his (planned and pre-arranged) surgery. Poor guy! Any cat~ma lying around would surely be appreciated by Taz, and Tom, and me!

Tep, your coworkers are hilarious. To watch. From a distance. As in a zoo.

(Try to sell them on "Fap" next. We almost had a program called FAP, until one of the few hip coworkers pointed out to them that it might not be the best name for a program that's essentially a big circle jerk.)

I am also unhip.

I thought Tep's co-workers were Wicked fans.

I am also now earwormed.

My cats send catloaf~ma in Taz's direction.

Oh, Ginger- insent (I had a lot of fun assembling that list, as you can imagine!)

Also, vw- does this mean that your afternoons are free for lunching again? Also, {{{vw bug}}}

I thought Tep's co-workers were Wicked fans.

That was the first thing that popped into my mind, and then I realized they were doing the truncated version of Shiznit, and it was all downhill from there.

(I would bet good money that they have never even heard of Wicked.)