Job Title:  Web Designer Monkey

Hometown:  Roswell, NM 

Talents:  Expert Slinky Slinger, Skating in Circles

Favorite thing about your job:  All the cool toys

Who inspires you?  “Francois.  He is hanging from a cabinet in my cube.”

Your family:  “Leave them out of this!!!”

Anything people might be surprised to learn about you?  “I’m allergic to cantaloupe - and latex (found that out the hard way!)”

Favorite food:  “Cantaloupe.  Ironic, isn’t it?”

Favorite book or magazine:  Still Life With Woodpecker (Tom Robbins)

Favorite saying:  “…by attrition he reaches a state of inaction wherein he does nothing, but nothing remains undone.”

Biggest challenge:  “Coming up with stuff for these questions.”

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the grounds behind the R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport.  I went there yesterday (Hazel and Jimmy couldn’t go because of their allergies) and was stunned at the changes.  These pictures I took don’t come close to what you’ll experience.  Go this week if you have time.  The azaleas are in bloom right now.  It’s unbelievably peaceful.

Click here to get to the site.   

A San Francisco man was sentenced to two years in federal prison for selling endangered fish on the Internet.  Click here to read the story in The Chronicle.   It’s an Asian arowana fish and one of them can sell for $3,000. 

Some things to think about while you’re fishing today:

I was almost frightened to post a picture of the fish here in case I was in violation of some federal fish posting law of which I’m unaware. 

Wouldn’t want to be this guy in prison, having to answer to other inmates about why he’s locked up. 

These guys who write laws for these fish are amazing.  What do you think it would take to get the wildlife and fisheries people to write some stuff down for the protection of our children?

“There’s video of the woman on the toilet?”  –Gerry May  03-12-08

Ed: “Clay, have you ever been fired in Texas?”  Clay: ”No, why?”  Ed: ”I need to know the unemployment there.”  Clay: “Why don’t you call your mama and ask her!”  03-13-08

Trish:  “What are you lookin’ at me for?”  Sherri:  “I don’t have anything else to do!”  03-18-08

“Is it my imagination, or do I hear sawing in the breakroom?” –Sherri Talley 03-19-08 

“It’ll be hot enough tomorrow to melt the paint right off that cat.”  –Joe Haynes on air 03-25-08

“I get on my own nerves all the time!”  –Jody Lowery 03-26-08

“Just like there’s no crying in news, there are no ladies in news.” –Stephanie Samuels 03-27-08

“Man, if I fell into a grave, I think I would have a heart attack!”  –Clay Kirby  03-27-08
 

Blue, Sparky, Spider Monkey.  Hilarity ensues when someone is paged at KTBS.  Especially when the page is made by Mike Martindale, the voice of KTBS, who is also an actor.  Gary Newell has paging talent as well.  He’s a local deejay.  There’s usually an accent or impersonation involved in the page, and when coupled with the nicknames, it can sure break newsroom stress and tension.   

Sparky has several nicknames.  Nonetheless (one of my fav words), everyone knows who you’re talking about if you say Sparky, Sparks or Sprinkles.   

Let’s hit favorite pages and nicknames.  And while you’re at it, how those nicknames came to be. 

To reference you as commenters seems so…well, not you.  What would you like to be called here? 

One of our commenters, Sparky, is 29 today.

From stray Mexican Roping steer to wandering goats, a occasional news release on the subject will come our way from a parish sheriff’s office. 

Sometimes loose livestock can present a real hazard to motorists.   But many times, these news releases announce a single small farm animal on the run.   And sometimes an agent is commended for rounding up this loose livestock.   (I’m not judging the livestock here.  I know nothing about their social/personal lives. )

Seriously, what if? 

“In other news, there’s a donkey on the side of the road on Highway 175.  If you know who it belongs to, please call the sheriff.”  Or, “Farm Bureau agent Joe Blow successfully gathered two chickens and put them back in their pen.  Agent Blow, who has 22-years’ experience as a livestock agent, made the roundup with his bare hands.” 

How do you think we, as a news organization, should handle this information?    

I just discovered five comments awaiting moderation.  These are comments with none of the magic FCC 7.  Really, they’re nothing Richard Pryor or Fletch would say on the air (Ha…ask Fletch about the sports figure with the first name of Butch.  Ask Fletch what he accidentally said instead, with conviction, live at 10).

What I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry.  I just now saw them. 

I just got a super duper eCop, courtesy of Brad and Steve (you’ll meet them in a future Team Nation).  I’m not used to checking for security here.   

Blog on.