white men can't jump. but small brown toads can.

So early last summer I came home one night to find something that has now captivated me for over a year.

Got home late one night, a toad was waiting for me on my front porch. Waiting for bugs to drop from my porch light for a nice snack. No big deal, right? It would not be...if my porch did not have 4 brick stairs leading up to the porch. This toad is probably 2 inches long, if that. The stairs are exactly 6 inches tall. 4 of them. He/she has to get up these in order to get to my porch. This is equal me jumping up onto the top of a 2 story house. 4 times.

I probably found Mad Hops (that's right, Mad Hops, holmes) waiting for me a dozen times before I finally caught it in action last year. Basically, it jumps up and grabs the stair with its front legs. Then pulls itself up, kinda pull-up style. Quite a sight.

I had not seen it since late last summer, friends have been asking if I had seen Hops. I thought maybe it was an owl's dinner, or run over by the landscaping crew.

The picture above is at my front door from a few nights ago. Mad Hops is back! It comes from my back yard, across the walkway, scales the stairs, comes to the front door ledge, turns around and faces the street, and waits for dinner to drop. Does not flinch when I unlock the door and step over him. It has seen me so many times it knows I am not a threat.

I just get a big kick out of this. Web says they can live 4-20 years. Hopefully it's around during my stay here.

in rainbows

For 15 years I have listened to what I think may be my favorite band...Radiohead. I have all but one of their albums. I listen to The Bends, their second release, once a month, at least. They are currently one of the hottest bands touring...they made history with their current release, In Rainbows, by offering fans the option to pay what they wanted for the download of their new album...Thom Yorke was on the cover of Rolling Stone a few weeks ago...and the their first US Tour in like 900 years is getting very solid reviews.

AND! On May 9, 2008, I finally had the opp to see them in Charlotte. With my friends Marc, Robert and Pat. It did not suck. We were deep in the lawn, but a wacky lightning storm, huge shooting star and incredible light show complimented their music nicely.

A girl asked me a few days ago who they sounded like. I said, "Radiohead". There is no band to compare them to. They are one of most talented and unique bands ever, or at least in my lifetime.

Radiohead 5/9/08 Charlotte, NC Set List

Set #1: All I Need, There There, Airbag, 15 Step, Nude, Sail to the Moon, Weird Fishes/Apreggi, Myxomatosis, Idioteque, Morning Bell, Videotape, Optimistic, Where I End and You Begin, You and Whose Army?, Everything in Its Right Place, Bangers & Mash, Bodysnatchers

Encore #1: Go Slowly, Talk Show Host, Exit Music, Planet Telex , House of Cards

Encore #2: Paranoid Android, Reckoner

(thanks to Scott E of http://silenceisoverrated.blogspot.com for the pic)

Gonzo El Rojo

I now have a roommate. Meet Gonzo El Rojo, a male Beta Fish.
Been wanting a dog, but it's not sensible right now, I'm in and out of town so much. "Zo" should be simple to take care of and won't break the bank. He eats about 6 little pellets of food a day and the $3 food canister I bought has about a million pellets in it. He is in a 1 gallon, "stemless wine glass" shaped bowl, which is about 5 times the size of the spit-cup he was in at the shop. Lifespan is about 2-3 yrs, let's hope he sticks around that long.

Feliz y Verde Ano Nuevo

If you are reading this, it is most likely because a photo of your family or your kids arrived in my mailbox and made it to my fridge for the Holiday season! Thanks for the card and picture. Very nice to see the crumbsnatchers growing and how good lookin' my friends kids are!

Hope your vacation went well. Consider this my Holiday card in return, wishing you a safe, prosperous and earth friendly 2008.

One thing to put on your to do list is to continue to make the planet a better place for your kids. So...recycle, compost, reduce the"stuff" you buy (especially plastics), turn off your lights, vote green, understand global warming, purchase local made goods and foods, add CFL bulbs, bookmark green websites, read a book on living green...all these things go a long way now and down the road.

Hope to see you all soon. Peace.

~Sam