Easy as Dell and an Icky Thing at a Happy Place

Tonight I was on the phone for a loooooong time with a tech support agent at Dell. He did such a fine job diagnosing and solving my issue(s) that I'm still awestruck by the depth of his knowledge and the massive amount of assistance I got that I didn't even expect. He saved me a lot of money, too, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

Thank you, SHAILEN 01115972, for excellent customer service. You really did make it "Easy as Dell."

The situation at the Vacaville outlet mall kept me awake the other night. Only tonight did I start to feel better after receiving a few comments from other Flickr photographers who commented on my situation. Yes, Gary, I think we should converge on that stupid mall with video camera, tripods, cameraphones, Brownies (the camera; but fudge would be good too), and a KUTV Channel 2 news crew complete with reporter, cameras and a satellite link. Bastards. And no, I haven't heard anything back from management yet. Do you think I will?

At the zoo yesterday (July 4th) I witnessed something kind of icky. It was unexpected and violent. The zoo is supposed to be such a happy place and we forget that in nature animals eat each other all the time. Well, what I witnessed wasn't quite THAT bad but it was a bit shocking. So I've decided to mention it here and include a photo so that you, too, can enjoy life at the zoo.

Everything was lovely late in the afternoon. I was doing some "Primate Patrol" keeping the crowds under control around the chimps and the gibbon and siamangs' islands. Across from them the two pairs of blue and gold macaws were sitting in their shacks grooming each other and playing kissy face all day.

I noticed a squirrel jump into their exhibit and examine some of the stuff the keepers left out for the birds to bite, shred and play with. Then it headed for the inhabited shacks where the food is. There was a very loud shreek, a flurry of activity and the squirrel came running out again but not before suffering a bite to the left foreleg.

So of course I took some photos. Most of them didn't come out right because my settings were wrong but I got one good one of the poor fella just before he returned to the shack for another raid.

You can clearly see the wound.

I feel bad for him/her but to go back and risk it again left me quite astonished. It's leg was obviously useless. And the second time the macaws just let him take their food.

Strange.

Everything's new to me. I reported it to someone later and she said "they do that all the time." Really! I should carry the video camera too for some really entertaining reports.