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Toonbots message board: Guy with a bird on his head, $13.95 with delivery

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Michael Tue Oct 12 22:37:15 2004
Guy with a bird on his head, $13.95 with delivery

Lookee lookee, I picked up a loose thread!

I told myself I'd debug everything in the publishing system before I started on SCUMF. Guess what: everything in the publishing system is debugged. I really don't want to jinx this by crowing about light at the end of the tunnel, so I won't. It'll be done when it's done, but maybe it'll get started now.

I took another day off today. Took a boat ride out to a little beach island off the coast. Got mosquito-bitten on an abortive hike up the hill (next time we bring Off!), played in the surf for about four hours, saw some baby sea turtles the park rangers had gathered the night before -- they feed them for a few days after they hatch, then release them; it's helping the population recover. They sure are cute little devils, about an inch across the shell. In a year or so, they'll be three feet across and swim as far as Africa (documented: turtles from Puerto Rico do indeed swim to Africa). But Africa isn't as far from here as you'd think; look at the map -- I always thought PR was kind of south of Florida a little, since it's "right next to" Cuba. But (1) Cuba is *big*, and (2) "right next" kind of skips Hispaniola, which is also a honking big island, big enough it needs two countries to cover it. Anyway, turns out I'm about as far from Miami here as I was in Indiana. And Miami is damned far from Indiana, as one discovers to one's chagrin when one attempts to drive it in any reasonable number of days.

I'm free associating again. I think I need to go to bed now.

Emsworth Wed Oct 13 02:03:22 2004
Re: Guy with a bird on his head, $13.95 with deliv
May I enquire as to whether the chap with the avian on his noggin is your own free-hand artistic rendering, or clip art from someplace else? (Also puts me in mind of the wiseman in Henson's classically trippy Labyrinth).
Amazed by the (momentary) resumption of continuity, but too tired to spout much further upon the subject. Still, jolly good show, Michael! (If you decide to update again in less than 15 days, my birthday's the 23rd.)

Jenn Wed Oct 13 07:51:44 2004
Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with deliv
You know what I thought?
It's Emsworth! With a bird (well, okay, first I thought *maaaaaybe* it was a wolverine...cause see...not only would that accomplish continuity, but also fulfill the long awaited 'Next: Wolverines!') on his hat! Yay!

gopher Thu Oct 14 12:29:55 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> You know what I thought?
> It's Emsworth! With a bird (well, okay, first I thought *maaaaaybe* it was
> a wolverine...cause see...not only would that accomplish continuity, but
> also fulfill the long awaited 'Next: Wolverines!') on his hat! Yay!
Man, Emsworth gets all the good stuff. Toonbots appearances, petroglyphs that resemble him. It's not fair.

Michael Thu Oct 14 16:18:52 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> Man, Emsworth gets all the good stuff. Toonbots appearances, petroglyphs
> that resemble him. It's not fair.
See, that's because "gopher" isn't as evocative a name as "Lord Emsworth". I did an icon for Emsworth, but ... wait, didn't I do a gopher as well? ... Indeed I did. Well. That certainly is a kettle of fish of a different color. Heh, heh, heh.

Lord Emsworth the Literary Thu Oct 14 18:44:14 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> See, that's because "gopher" isn't as evocative a name as
> "Lord Emsworth". I did an icon for Emsworth, but ... wait,
> didn't I do a gopher as well? ... Indeed I did.
You did, but you never used it (said it was too rough). Our poor high priest had seemingly been slighted.
>Well. That certainly is a
> kettle of fish of a different color. Heh, heh, heh.
TROUT!

gopher Thu Oct 14 18:57:15 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> See, that's because "gopher" isn't as evocative a name as
> "Lord Emsworth".
meh. Some us are destined to follow British wartime literature, and some us are just stuck with our drugged-out high school friends lay before us.

mouse Fri Oct 15 18:23:56 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> meh. Some us are destined to follow British wartime literature, and some
> us are just stuck with our drugged-out high school friends lay before us.
they laid gophers before you? you _did_ run with an odd crowd....

gopher Fri Oct 15 23:23:32 2004
Re: Emsworth w/ a bird on his head, $13.95 with de
> they laid gophers before you? you _did_ run with an odd crowd....
Actually, they kind of did. They're the reason that I have one of those dancing caddyshack gophers. Go figure.

Michael Wed Oct 13 08:54:12 2004
Re: Guy with a bird on his head, $13.95 with deliv
> May I enquire as to whether the chap with the avian on his noggin is your
> own free-hand artistic rendering, or clip art from someplace else?
Neither. He's a Taino petroglyph -- the Taino were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida when the Spanish came and killed most of them. They carved the coolest symbols on rock. The guy with a bird on his head is actually a very cleaned-up photo of a petroglyph. Nobody's 100% sure what the bird is supposed to mean, but the going theory is that it represents a hallucination (making it perfect for Toonbots.) The Taino drank nicotine stew until they vomited in order to hallucinate to tell the future. So the bird symbolizes wisdom, and that makes the guy with the bird on his head a shaman.
I've got more petroglyphs, including one that looks like a bunny rabbit. I'll be sprinkling them into the toon as time goes on. If I can get a picture of the sun monkey from Tibes (the Taino ceremonial ground here in Ponce) I'll use that, too.

mouse Wed Oct 13 18:03:40 2004
Re: Guy with a bird on his head, $13.95 with deliv
oooo- bunnies!
i sort of wonder if the people making the petroglyphs weren't hallucinating. i mean, do you know how long it takes to chip something into a rock? i would have to be high to do that....