Kay....do you do ink blots and clouds readings as well? :wink:

Gimme a bottle or two and I'll be more than happy!

:wink:

oh, DEAR!

now look what you've gone and done!

Kay skips off, singing:

Well you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved and one of them was me
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee

:D

ahhhh, the ol' tongue loosener!

*passes an icy-cold Belikin (the beer of Belize) over to Gazelle*

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/5636/img0891ci4.jpg

:D

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
but still somehow........

Pass me some Belikin please. (Dang clouds in my coffee this morning, mumble, mumble, mumble)

I really prefer Baileys in my coffee!!

it's kinda hard to find Baileys in the jungle, lol...

I've got a very talented dear friend who makes liqueurs at home.

he's created this STUNNING little item he christined Tiara Mariah (Crown of the Wind, as in, "The rain is Tess, the fire's Jo, and they calllll the wind Mariah") which is his little joke on Tia Maria...

it goes most excellently in coffee... especially fresh-ground Guatemalan.

here's my attempt to put this thread back on topic, after I totally derailed it (sorry):

coffee with Kahlua, Baileys, or Tia Maria (or even Tiara Mariah!) after one of those gnarly lumbar punctures, hey, that sounds like JUST the ticket!

:D

Well, lots of caffeine is recommended following an LP. I'm sure the docs just forgot the part about adding the liquor to it.:D:p

sorry u had such a horrid experience, have had 4 lp's and did not enjoy any of them, pretty sure its safe to assume lp's sucketh

naw, Kicka, I think you might like the brewery's *other* beer better, a nice lil thang called Lighthouse...

:cool:

*reaches into the fridge, hands one over*

Belikin? I've never heard of that. Hmmm.... I'll have to try it. Is it light or dark beer? I'm a stout drinker generally--Guinness is my fav, but I'll take Murphys too. Boddington's not bad, Smithwicks pretty good, and if you get me near sand and sea, I crave Red Stripe, which is totally weird, but guess that came from a great vacation in St. Maarten once. I'll drink Yuengling lager too. And I'll try just about any microbrewed beer. Some of them are great.

Cayo, your friend sounds like a treasure! Wish I had me one of them who home brewed like that. *sigh* My dad used to sing me that song when I was a kid. Brings back memories "....they got a name for rain and wind and fire...."

Baileys in coffee. Mmmm..... Generally I don't put anything in my coffee. Drink it black and strong. Makes me have to pluck my chest, but hey, good coffee's worth it just like good ice cream is too. Got a fav memory of drinking Baileys which involved a snowstorm that'd dropped about 30 inches of snow and the neighbors came out to shovel the street and sidewalks together. My one neighbor and I plopped a huge bottle of Baileys in a snow drift, got two glasses, and killed the bottle as we shovelled. It was loads of fun and I can say that we were quite tipsy when we were done and never got cold, even though we were out for about 3 hours shovelling. (Pre-MS) Now THAT's NEIGHBORLY! :D

Woman, ITA. I'm not sure that I will believe them because I'm having a hard time now after going back and forth so much.

Somewhere I've lost that peace. I need to find it again. Sucks when you remember where it was and all that's there is a dry space with a few dust bunnies skulking around in it.

I'll take your advice and let it sit undisturbed for a while. Easier said than done, but I'll try. Best I can do, right?

When you get introspective, you're too much like me. ;)

Bowen brews Guinness here, under special license, as well as the Lighthouse (pale ale), and Belikin (which comes in Stout, Premium, and Reg.)

the only other beer available here is (ta da!) RED STRIPE, which I fell in love with when I went to Jamaica many years ago.

but, Gazelle? good luck *finding* Belikin in the US... I hand-carried an entire case (it only comes in glass bottles) to some thirsty fans last time I visited the US, back in 2005.

but I gotta say, if ya like Red Stripe, just sip a tall icy Belikin under the palm tree shade, and life will never be the same!

:cool:

LOL, OK what does it say about us that most of our treads here we end up talking about alcohol, LOL. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ky/biggrin.gif

:D

as long as it's in moderation!

I find I can't have more than two beers... it sorta accelerates my symptoms like word-mixing, and walky-weaving.

so, those two gotta be GOOD beers...

:cool:

:thud:

Astounding! You've just put another location on my "to visit" map. And I have my passport (got tired of paying the coyotes).

So, can I come visit? Maybe next year? I'm already going to another country this year.

:partytime2:

And can bring a board friend or two along with me so we can get thrown out of your country?

Um.... otherwise, if I tell you I love you, will you bring some back for ME the next time? :D

Mom , :D Yeah, you're right.

Cayo,

Which is why I drink GOOD beer! And God forbid that I'd smoke anything funky cuz it does the same thing too. Life is SO unfair!

the more the merrier!

let's have a TWO-beer-each PAR-TAY !!

we can discuss LUMBAR PUNCTURES in hideous and agonizing detail!

and giggle at each other's word-mangulation, tip-of-the-tongue forgetfulness, and silly staggering after a few sips of brew...

:cool::p:cool:

but it's pretty hard to get thrown outta here, lol:

First Chapter - ‘The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw’

By BRUCE BARCOTT - Published: February 17, 2008

If you feel a need to escape the law, elude creditors, hide assets, or shed the skin of your humdrum life, you could do worse than run away to Belize. Belize is a tiny nation tucked between Guatemala, Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. It's firmly attached to Central America but considers itself a Caribbean island, like a chicken that thinks it's a duck. For more than a hundred years Belize was known as British Honduras, one of the most remote outposts of the British Empire, which explains why it's the only Latin American nation to embrace English as its official language.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/bo...pagewanted=all

(free reg. req'd to read NYT)

Yes, you do! :Security: Yes, yes, indeedy you do.

Hmmm.... my kind of place. You can be as "YOU" as you want.

And now I get the "chicken that thinks it's a duck." Hey, my Hairy Chicken would do just FINE there! :D

The Zoo Lady sounds like a particularly interesting woman. Anyone who likes animals that much is ok by me.

So what's the worst kind of poisonous animal/insect you have there?

Sharon's really nice, I've met her... (lol, this is a SMALL country!)

well, since it's YOU, (the thread-starter) asking, nobody can SPANK me for hijacking.

the worst critter in Belize is the Fer de Lance a fatally venomous snake...

I AVOID going outside at night, seriously.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9...delancewj0.jpg
(illustration by Christopher Montero)

http://corinalogan.com/chris/

the locals call it a Yellow-Jaw Tommy-Goff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothrops_asper

DON'T click the above Wiki link if you have a weak stomach, there's a photo of an injured child.

:eek::(:eek:

Thanks for that Kay. I was so engrossed with reading it, that I got quite peeved when it suddenly stopped! . :tongue:

Looks like I'll have to buy the book now so I can read the rest. :D

Thanks for the warning Kay. I'd have looked otherwise, and I'd most certainly have been upset.

Me too, but I'll get it from the library. ;)


Oh boy.... the Fer de Lance. Yep, that's probably one reason I'm avoiding going to Australia--they have so many poisonous things there. My favorite there is the funnel web spider. Whee....

Knowing my luck, I'd run into every poisonous thing in Australia. And I'd certainly run into a Fer de Lance in Belieze. Grace is NOT my middle name and the weirdest things happen to me ALL the time.

That picture was gross. Poor kid. Why the heck do the snakes have to be so venomous? I mean seriously, what was it that caused them to have to have venom that powerful? I know that mongoose like to hunt cobra, but does the Fer de Lance have natural enemies like that? Sheesh...

I don't blame you for not going out at night. I wouldn't either. Do they manage to come inside like the cobras do?

yesterday I ordered Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw

it'll be here in about three or four weeks, and I can hardly WAIT!!

it's cool that the NYT printed the whole first chapter, though sort of a major TEASE...

:cool:

the Scarlet Macaw is an incredibly gorgeous bird, and there's VERY few left in the world:

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9...z090901wo7.gif

I have a huge fabric mural hanging of the Scarlet Macaw on my wall (plus Toucans and butterflies).

http://www.geocities.com/kayl3on/pictures/DSCN2312.JPG

here's a "found online" photo, as I've never seen one (yet) in person, in the wild:

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/7...picturece0.jpg

our house is VERY well sealed, and the window screens are double thick!

:cool:

They're BEAUTIFUL birds. I had a friend whose Aunt had one. Spent a week with it in St. Maarten. She used to wolf whistle at my husband. Fell totally in love with him.

As it's your thread Gazelle I hope my post will not be classified a a hijack, but I thought this might interest you.....

Here are some things for you to ponder.

Australia has approximately 130 land-dwelling snakes, 70 of which are venomous. Of those 70, 25 snakes are capable of causing death and these rank amongst the most dangerous of the venomous snakes in the world.

The Red-back Spider and the Funnel-Web are our 2 venomous spiders, while other nasties are the Australian Paralysis Tick, The Box Jellyfish, Blue-ringed Octopus, Puffer Toadfish, Stonefish, Blue Bottle or Portuguese Man-o-War and the Coneshell.

When should we expect to see you here in Australia Gazelle? :Scratch-Head:

The rivers are full of crocodile nasties
And He who made kittens put snakes in the grass.
He's a lover of life, but a player of pawns ---
Yes, the King of the sunset lies waiting for dawn
To light up His jungle, as play is resumed.
The monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune.

Jethro Tull - Bungle in the Jungle

;)

:)

But, but..., but..... I LIKE most snakes (even dated a few), Beasties that they are. The Fer de Lance is more like a War Child, Stormbringer, portender of doom.

Nor snake nor slowworm draweth nigh her...

Ogden Nash

But I, like the Fairies, wear boots and try to protect myself. Thigh high leather hiking boots, a bit of a pain in the neck, but a real fashion statement. :D

Yeah, fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me
Yeah I saw it, I saw it, I tell you no lies
Yeah Fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me
I saw it, I saw it with my own two eyes

Black Sabbath--Fairies Wear Boots

And lived to tell it.

Hijack? Hijack? I've hijacked my own thread. Nothing more fun to do than THAT! (ok, actually I can think of several things that are much more fun to do, but you know what I mean)

No!!! I really DO want to go to Australia sometime.

Actually, snakes fascinate me. And I love salt water fishies and the like, having had a salt water aquarium for quite some time. Don't like jellyfish or man-o-war, however. A lot of snakes in Australia don't envenom on the first bite. Still, I wouldn't want to get bitten in the first place. Why tempt fate?

Snakes in Australia are being studied by scientists to see if the effect of their venom can be of benefit to humans. For example, they've found that snake venom targets only certain cells, so its action would be beneficial to killing cancer cells. They want to find out the action so that they can duplicate the substance artificially.

Have you ever seen the movie Duma? It's pretty cool. You learn a bit about cheetahs and their habitat. Rabbit Proof Fence was really good also.

my favorite tidbit is about the vampire bats found here in Belize.

scientists isolated an anticoagulant from vampire bats, called Draculin, and it's being used for medical purposes now, to thin blood after strokes and heart attacks!

Draculin is a glycoprotein found in the saliva of vampire bats. It is composed of 411 amino acids. It functions as an anticoagulant, inhibiting coagulation factors IX (IXa) and X (Xa), and thus keeping the blood of the bitten victim from clotting while the bat is drinking.

http://www.wikimirror.com/Vampire_bat

slurp, slurp!

:cool:

here's a baby boa constrictor, caught between the two screen layers of my front door:

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1442/dscn3407gq6.jpg

the HOLES in the screen are from my kitty's claws, lol, she thought the snake was a new TOY!

:D

Poor little guy! All coiled up and nowhere to go. Dang, a thing like that could spoil your whole day. ;)

That's one persistent kitty. Sheesh... But the holes remind me of my back door screen. One of my dogs knows how to let herself out. The other, my boy dog, knows how to let them back in. He's the culprit for the holes. They both hate loud noises, like fireworks. So she let them out into the backyard and then a firework went off and he panicked and let them in after trying a couple of times to get the door open!

And I definitely see why you have two layers to your screens.

Let me ask you this: Why are the outside ones BIGGER holes than the inside ones? What is it that tries to get into your house that requires bigger holes and stronger metal? :eek:

Draculin? That's way cool. When I worked in the hospital I often worked midnights and I always wanted to go in on Halloween dressed as Dracula. I'd have to check oxygen twice a night (midnight and 0400) and could just imagine me leaning over a bed dressed as Dracula and having a patient waking up and seeing me in a black cloak with fangs on. Oh my... the heart attacks I could have caused. Still, it was a fun thought each year!

Oooh pick me!! I have always wanted to go to Belize. You seem like someone I could definitely travel with.:p

Me too! Besides, Brain and I live close to each other - we could travel together. Wonder if we would get kicked off the airplane.....

So, what you are saying is that you have Murphy's Law written all over your life? If something weird is going to happen to someone in a group, it will usually be you?? I'll bet you are one of THOSE people who always end up with foreign objects in their food.:eek:

:holysheep:

If I had opened the door and saw that you'd have had to peel me off the ceiling. . . . .:rocket:

Holly, of COURSE you can come. After all, you, me, and Brain have to build the treehouse and Cayo is going to outfit it with really good screens. We'll all huddle together and watch the beasties come out in the night.

Hope you have a 'chute so if/when you DO get kicked off, you'll have a nice, safe landing. Oh... hope all 3 of us have chutes cuz we'll probably be together.

Oddly enough, I AM one of those Murphy's Law/Rod Serling Twilight Zone people whose life seems totally unbelievable until you hang around with me and realize that breadties and toothpicks are another food group and a natural part of my diet. Yes, if it can happen, it'll happen to me. Beware. :D

Herekitty, you'd have made an interesting ceiling decoration. So, I take it you're not a fan of decoupage?

great, now I'm picturing you with fangs!

the outer heavy-gauge screen is to slow down the 6 inch wide moths, and the bats, and the gigundous flying beetles that flock in June.

the inner screen is to block the termite swarms, mosquitos, and the gnats and stuff.

the heavy wooden outer door is in the bodega, and only gets affixed during hurricane season... rest of the year, the whole kitchen is just screened walls, with a wide-overhang roof to catch the rain, and shade the room.

that pic was taken at 3 am after Morda woke us yowling in frustration: (MRRRRROOOOOOWWWWW!!)

I couldn't go back to sleep, so I did the ol' google-identification thing, trying to figure out what kind of snake it was... and learned that if we had ONE baby boa.... (*shudder*) there were likely DOZENS more in the immediate area, as the mama can birth up to 50 at once (*mega-shudder*)

we repaired the tears with duct tape... but I didn't use it all, as I wanted to have some left over for Empathy Man.

:D