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Happy Sunday morning everyone! Or Sunday afternoon, depending on timezone. Attempt #1 at making oatmeal in the slow cooker has failed. I guess you really can't use Old Fashioned oats. (I thought maybe the recipe's writer just had a thing against Quaker.) It's okay though, I know how to make oatmeal the Old Fashioned way, breakfast is saved.

Last night I dreamed I was commissioned to build a better duck. It's one of those utterly surreal dreams that in the moment is serious effing business, building a duck. I don't even know what my criteria were for how to "improve" duckhood, but by god I was going to give it the old college try.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article on coyotes in Chicago yesterday, proving they know what's what, and they appeared to be the first to make an actual narrative out of it, complete with the anti-coyote Mr. Fath, who believes they should be removed from suburban areas.

*ominous chord*

Opposite Fath stands Stan Gehrt, who is basically the rock star of midwestern Coyote research -- read any article on urban coyotes in Illinois and there he is, ready to kick ass and take coyote names. If you're unconvinced, check out this slideshow which includes coyotes chillin' in dog parks, Gehrt's awesome jury-rigged truck-top swivel antenna, and The Hunt For Coyote 498. Unlike ducks, coyotes actually are serious business. I am sorry to have dragged you all into coyote fandom, but I personally am rooting for the coyotes.

When Holly gets released in the spring we're gonna have a party on this journal. I'm warning you now.

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Once upon a time, yea these many years ago (no seriously, like, six years ago) I used to do photo updates with icons. I don't think I've done one in about two years, but today I found myself with both photographs and icons to share. So.

Icons behind the cut! Lots of cats, and spoilers for the most recent White Collar episode, Forging Bonds. Teasers:


( Here be icons. )

As for photos, well, I don't have many, but scope out this Wrigley Building Sunrise, and the wee hours of Michigan Avenue (that tall tower is the Tribune Building).

I've been obsessed, lately, with Life.com slideshows. I discovered them while looking for an image of the Uncle Sam Diamond, and they cover everything from Steve McQueen to Christie's Auctions to serial killers. They're informative and entertaining! The thing is, Life has about a million safeguards in place to prevent you from nicking their photos, all of which I managed to circumvent so I could direct link you to

a) Gyles Brandredth with the original Fozzie Bear muppet and

b) a display of Harry Winston's jewels (lol). If you look between index and middle finger, that's the Hope Diamond; that giant sapphire near the thumb is the sapphire of Catherine the Great.

And finally, I scanned in the photo I mentioned yesterday, the one marked "Me" where I have no clue who Me is but whoever he is he looks entirely miserable. If you know the uniform or era, sing out! I'm pretty sure, given it's my family, he's either Canadian or British Royal Navy.