Rat thoughts

Oh hai, I uprgaded ur antenna.

Yes, they're supposed to point in different directions (though the one up top needs to be reoriented slightly)



Steiff Jolly Hase plush puppet.

Is it me, or does this kind of look like one of the rabbit masks from Bioshock?



Get a brain, Morans!



Walmart brand dog food?  It's not so good, actually.



The soy has turned brown.  The farmers can't start the harvest until the soy beans are sufficiently dried.


 
Center pivot irrigation is fairly rare around here because this area usually gets enough rain for growing corn and soy. 

A long pipe, equipped with sprayers and supported by wheels is connected to a water supply at one end.  An electric motor slowly drives the pipe around the center pivot, watering all the crops in a giant circle.  Some center pivot systems are a quarter mile (400 meters) in length.  You can easily spot center pivot irrigated fields from the air; they appear as giant circles.



Rudolph out for a drive.  The next day I was talking with a Costco employee who mentioned she saw someone driving around with a Rudolph plush in their car.  That was me!  :)



Now it's a party!

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Bunnies.

Cat Shit One, the Animated Series is finally finished!  It features the most adorable bunnies ever, shooting and blowing the hell out of terrorists.

See it at http://www.anime44.com/cat-shit-one-episode-1

I didn't set this up.  I walked into my bedroom and found one of my plush bunnies at the foot of the bed, peeking out the window.  I took a few photos.


Dark version


Light version


I think I prefer the dark version better (it's more moody) but my SO prefers the light version (it's clearer).

Lapism isn't a religion in the usual sense, there's no specific deity to be worshiped, no teachings on the afterlife and no divinely inspired holy book.  There is no clergy, no idols or icons, no proselytizing, no tithing and no formal prayers.  Rather it's a form of transhumanism, a movement that uses science and technology to improve humanity.  Lapists have their bodies genetically transformed into anthropomorphic rabbits.  The alteration isn't merely cosmetic, the changes include modifications to the brain to reduce aggression and increase sociability.  The rabbit form also acts as social reinforcement; people expect a rabbit to be peaceful and gentle so that stereotype and peer pressure help insure that this remains true.  The transformation is quite expensive (the actual price isn't mentioned in the stories, but from various comments I'm guessing it's in the $100,000+ range) and while it is reversible, the process to be returned to human form is substantially more expensive.


Now the question I put to you, dear readers, is would you undergo such a procedure?

You would have a new body, shaped like a humanoid rabbit, with fur and claws and buck teeth, with increased strength, speed and agility, improved senses of smell and hearing and faster reaction times.  On the other hand, your brain would be altered, slightly tweaking your fight-or-flight response towards fleeing and increasing your need for physical contact with other Lapists (hugging, snuggling, etc).  You would also be strictly limited to a vegetarian diet, the mere thought of eating meat would make you ill.  You would also likely be forced into considerable debt to pay for the transition.  You would then have to wear this new form for the rest of your life, with people stereotyping you and judging you and your actions based on it.  You'd even be expected to take a new name.  And it's lapine only, you'd have no other choice in species.

Would you go through with it?

This afternoon, I let the roommate's dogs out to do their business as usual.  A baby rabbit suddenly darted out of the tall grass near the house, right in the direction of the Dane, who scooped up the poor bunny in her mouth.  I started yelling at her and brandishing my golf club and she quickly dropped the rabbit.  I chased the dogs away and turned my attention to the bunny.  It was still alive, but it looked like it was having trouble getting around.

Initially I thought it might have had a broken leg, so I scooped it up and brought it inside.  My SO and I examined the bunny, and its leg appeared to be OK.  He says I shouldn't have messed with it, but I honestly thought the poor thing had a broken leg and I didn't want to leave it outside like that.  I guess it was just freaked out and panicking.



We locked the dogs in the other side of the house, then I took the rabbit outside again.  I sat it down near a small pile of sheep snacks, but it just sat there, totally tharn.  I took the opportunity to get a few more closeup photos, which probably didn't help the poor bunny's psyche.  Then I backed off but kept an eye on the bunny.  After a few minutes, it regained its senses and hopped off into the brush.  I do hope it's OK.

The whole thing had me terribly stressed; I wasn't feeling too great for an hour or so afterwards.  I wanted to get closer to the bunnies, but not like that.

They're letting me get closer.  It would be nice if they'd let me get close enough to pet them.



I've never seen them stand like this before.  Gives a nice view of its tail, though.



Lots of bumble bees in the clover this afternoon.  They are so heavy that they bend over any flower they land on.

As always, clicky for full size.


You can't see me behind this dandelion!



Hiding in a pile of branches.



God, I just want to cuddle them!



Up periscope!



Licky bunny!

Did someone say bunnies?!



I see what you did there.


I finally managed to catch a squirrel outside, but the light was poor so I wasn't able to get a usable photo.