Praying mantis

More praying mantis pics here
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Pathology must be crap

Flooded street

We had a downpour yesterday that put big puddles in our backyard, local park and at the end of our street.

Extra strong knob

Go on and snigger.

Top 10 posts in 2010

Here's a list of the top 10 most-visited blog posts in 2010 from my other blogs:

10. http://blogspots.com/2008/05/storm-off-valla-beach.html
9. http://blogspots.com/2007/12/mike-patton-with-mr-bungle.html
8. http://blogspots.com/2008/12/epic-battle.html
7. http://blogspots.com/2010/04/mystery-bug.html
6. http://blogspots.com/2008/04/big-rat.html
5. http://blogspots.com/2009/06/rat-skull.html
4. http://blogspots.com/2010/10/wired-lab-workshop-with-stephen-omalley.html
3. http://blogspots.com/2010/06/pedal-board_26.html
2. http://blogspots.com/2009/06/wired-for-sound.html
1. http://blogspots.com/2009/06/zombie-attack.html

The top five most-visited blog posts in 2010 for this blog are:

5. http://showcasejase.blogspot.com/2010/04/hardcore-galapagos-tortoise-style.html
4. http://showcasejase.blogspot.com/2010/08/after-watching-inception.html
3. http://showcasejase.blogspot.com/2009/06/mr-goatse.html
2. http://showcasejase.blogspot.com/2010/05/goatse-by-hand.html
1. http://showcasejase.blogspot.com/2010/09/kimchi-recipe.html

This record

Great cover art. Obviously a very cool record.

Leeton Christmas lights

Locust says hello

Droughts and flooded drains

The park at the end of our street flooded today. While taking the kids to have a look, they were attracted to the snails that were making the most of the rain.



They liked the snails so much I joked to my partner that it was as if they'd never seen them before. She pointed out that they hadn't seen many snails, through drought and where we've been living.



The kids brought home snails and gave them names and thought they were pets.

Two tweets on the internet

These blue birds remind me of the Twitter logo, so the crocodile reminded me of the internet. Two tweets and you can be eaten.

Wagga Wagga

Mock story

A mock story on a mocking news website?



Some more here

A plague comes to town

This photo is from my last locust plague, it was 2008. I was surprised when they first hatched because you could see a group of them hopping across the ground but not really identify what it was. Like the dirt was shifting in places.

This year's locusts started arriving in Leeton on the weekend. I was walking to the collect my newspapers when a bird dived on one near me.



Locust numbers have been increasing but nothing like the photograph below from BoingBoing.net

Join the dots

I'm wondering if my kids would recognise this as a telephone.

I suppose it still looks like one from an old movie.

Basin Plan graphic design

There doesn't seem to be a credit for the design of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's first volume of the Basin Plan but I believe the graphic designer has done a remarkable job because the proposed Plan will tear stripes off regional communities. Just like what's shown on the cover.

Another curious review

Another fine fuck-up in Sydney Morning Herald's Spectrum section. Cee Lo's expression in the photo seems apt.

This was the last wordless album review I saw.

Under the boardwalk's spell

Had a walk around the National Botanic Gardens today. I've spent a lot of time there over the years, my mum loves it and my partner does too.

If you plan to take kids there, it's important to pack spare clothes. Last time we went my three-year old fell into a stream, today my toddler had barely left the car park when he tumbled into a pond.

One addition I noticed today was a bunch of water monitors, who posed for many photos.

Anyway, one of the things I was musing on while strolling through the rainforest on a raised platform is the appeal of boardwalks. I wondered if part of their appeal is the way they let you walk on water.

Playing a fairy

Sharkboy lost his first tooth today.

Tonight will be my first experience as a tooth fairy.

120 Days of Simon

Simon Gärdenfors is a Swedish cartoonist/rapper who undertakes to spend four months couch-surfing and document the result. It took maybe an hour to read and I really enjoyed 120 Days of Simon.

The graphic novel format suits the Kevin Smith-esque narrative. Gärdenfors' gonzo reporting is totally understated by the Astro Boy-style visuals though, it ain't for kids.

Geesed lightning