Well this morning could not of been any more entertaining. I would like to first mention that I have been collecting a lot of metal materials like aluminum cans and other aluminum items so that I can take them into the recycling center and make some money. Well I have managed to hold on to about 26lbs of cans and about 108lbs of aluminum thus far. Well after getting it all to fit in my Camry I headed out to the center - along the way I happened to meet an interesting character. The character would be an unnamed rock/boulder - it made a really close introduction by scrapping under my car and causing what was a small gas leak turn into an all out gas leak. There I was trying to dispose of all this aluminum and the smell of gasoline can be picked by everyone there which of course had to inform me that I had a leak. DUH! I finally got the cans in one bin and the other material in another.
The cans were 26lbs for a huge payout of $10 (sarcastic face of course)! The other material was not processed because since most of it looked the same the center was cautious and asked me to get a letter head from my employer (they gave me the scrapped pieces) and bring it back so that I can get payed. Now here I was with a slip to fill out and a pocket with a fresh scented $10 bill in it and a huge concern if I was going to make it to the gas station or was I going to have to hike it to get some gas. Well the car did make it to the station but not before giving me some scary moments. That's right, the car stalled twice - once at a light and the other was right before I pulled into the gas station.
I managed to coast it in right up to a pump. The smell of gasoline was of course with me when I got out to pay for some more. I put in five bucks worth in hopes that it wouldn't be on the road immediately - I was able to drop it off at Doug's Automotive on South Avenue in Toledo. There the car sits until Doug looks at it tomorrow. So what started out to be a money maker ended up being what might be a large expense. Moral of the story - don't meet any strange "characters" on your way out because it will cost you one way or another. Your best bet is to swerve away.
Showing posts with label rocks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rocks. Show all posts
4/26/2007
When Penguins Rock...
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- They're the rock stars of the bird world these days, the Rolling Stones of the feathered set.
But the penguins at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium are showing it's not all film premieres -- think "Happy Feet" and "March of the Penguins" -- and sushi. It's rocks. Real rocks a bird can build a nest out of.
On Wednesday, the keepers at the Shedd started rolling out the rocks for the Gentoo and Rockhopper penguins who call the aquarium home. For these types of penguin, nothing says romance like a pile of rocks.
"What's going on here is a very exciting day for the penguins," said Gretchen Freimuth, senior marine trainer at the Shedd. "This actually cues the birds to start pairing up and building those nests."
Freimuth acknowledges that some birds didn't wait for keepers to throw down the rocks to let them know it's time to do something besides swimming and eating. But she said, "Once the rocks are put out, we will see a lot more of that activity."
The process isn't something the birds cooked up at the aquarium; it happens every year back home in the Antarctic, according to the Shedd.
Freimuth said the love nests range from simple affairs of about 15 rocks to bigger nests made of big piles of rocks. The penguins will go after a rock they like even if it's already part of another penguin's nest.
"They will steal from one another," she said.
The staff will put out rocks for about a week, according to Shedd spokeswoman Melissa Kruth, pointing out that both males and females participate in the nest building.
After that, the mating begins in earnest, and eggs start to appear about 23 days or so later.
All I can is I'm glad I don't visit much aquariums now a days. This kind of behavior may seem odd to the average person but I've actually seen this happen before when I used to visit an aquarium in Mystic Connecticut when I was younger.
But the penguins at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium are showing it's not all film premieres -- think "Happy Feet" and "March of the Penguins" -- and sushi. It's rocks. Real rocks a bird can build a nest out of.
On Wednesday, the keepers at the Shedd started rolling out the rocks for the Gentoo and Rockhopper penguins who call the aquarium home. For these types of penguin, nothing says romance like a pile of rocks.
"What's going on here is a very exciting day for the penguins," said Gretchen Freimuth, senior marine trainer at the Shedd. "This actually cues the birds to start pairing up and building those nests."
Freimuth acknowledges that some birds didn't wait for keepers to throw down the rocks to let them know it's time to do something besides swimming and eating. But she said, "Once the rocks are put out, we will see a lot more of that activity."
The process isn't something the birds cooked up at the aquarium; it happens every year back home in the Antarctic, according to the Shedd.
Freimuth said the love nests range from simple affairs of about 15 rocks to bigger nests made of big piles of rocks. The penguins will go after a rock they like even if it's already part of another penguin's nest.
"They will steal from one another," she said.
The staff will put out rocks for about a week, according to Shedd spokeswoman Melissa Kruth, pointing out that both males and females participate in the nest building.
After that, the mating begins in earnest, and eggs start to appear about 23 days or so later.
All I can is I'm glad I don't visit much aquariums now a days. This kind of behavior may seem odd to the average person but I've actually seen this happen before when I used to visit an aquarium in Mystic Connecticut when I was younger.
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