Hollywood Pigeons Being Put On The Pill

It's about time someone came up with a humane way of treating overpopulation. I don't remember where or when I heard this, but I'd heard people were given permission to shoot "excess" squirrels or pigeons or some animal they believed need to be shot. I guess I should really be in PETA, but I'm not.

LOS ANGELES -- Pigeons living in tinsel town are going on the pill. Hollywood residents believe it's a humane way to reduce the pigeon population and the messes the birds make.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups approve of the measure.
If you want to read the full article, go here. That way, I am not actually re-publishing the article LOL. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.

Looks like someone has a case of the Mondays.

Well, maybe not, but it was a funny enough title.

Aww! I checked my site stats, like I do every once in awhile. I'm so excited that I actually am starting to have return visitors!

I'll update my 101 in 1001 stuff sometime tonight. Not much new to add except pictures & whatnot, which are right here!

Long overdue money in the piggy update: $16.42 (which is now extra $$ for Gatlinburg).




D and I stood in line Friday afternoon during lunch break to get a ticket for the Harry Potter midnight book release that night. For book 6, Josh and I were approximately #1300-something, maybe worse. This time, we were there at the beginning of the ticket-giving-out time, so we were #130! We took his parents out for dinner (late birthday present for his mom) and came home later to meet D, who went with us to Barnes & Noble at about 11PM.

We got there and were surrounded by 1500-2000 people (of course, mainly children). Actually, we couldn't have arrived at a better time. Ten minutes after we walked in, they started telling people where to stand. We were in the 3rd group, and 3 groups at a time got called, so that put us in the first combined group. We were only there until 12:30 this time (compared to 2:30ish for book 6 - horrid!!). I went home and read a chapter before I even went to bed. Ha! Now I'm at page 350 or so.

I also want to read a little before I go to bed, so I'm off. Night!

Puppy Cuteness

(update 8-2-07: Josh and I look at this video almost every day, at least two or three times in a row - we just can't stop!)

This is from gigglesugar.com - I couldn't help myself.



Puppy Whistle - video powered by Metacafe

scared kitties

Our city has an outbreak of Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPV) - basically feline distemper. Scary thought that my babies might get that. Luckily, they're not outdoor babies, so unless I took them out, they don't have a risk. It's mostly killing kitties who haven't been vaccinated. I got worried b/c I'm taking them in a week & a half to get their yearlies again (what they lovingly refer to as "being poked in the butt"). I am NOT taking them out of their perfectly healthy environment just to get sick. My ex vet-tech friend, though, called up her old boss and asked if there was a risk to vaccinated cats. We're ok!

Sigh... I don't need scares like that. :)

Do you really want these two cuties to get sick for no reason? Note cuteness below.

new pics

Today's Carri pic (#2). I've lovingly named it "Kilroy Carri," from the blurry period. This is what happens when coarse-hair girl gets out of a chlorine pool.

I call this "The Insolent One." Laying on my clean clothes... bad piddy.

"The Tired Hubby"

#79 - IMDBs top 250 movies

Here is a list of the movies I have watched so far. 53/250
I'll just keep updating this post when I watch something new.
Updated 7-16-07

The Godfather (1972)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Schindler's List (1993)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Star Wars (1977)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Memento (2000)
American Beauty (1999)
Se7en (1995)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Alien (1979)
The Shining (1980)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Aliens (1986)
Sin City (2005)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Jaws (1975)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Batman Begins (2005)
Braveheart (1995)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Back to the Future (1985)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Green Mile (1999)
Crash (2004/I)
Gladiator (2000)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Snatch. (2000)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
The Exorcist (1973)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Mystic River (2003)
Cinderella Man (2005)
Shrek (2001)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
The Lion King (1994)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Total Loss of Internet

Meanwhile, while I am updating another 101/1001, here is a video.


Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

#1/#36

So far, I have seen 16 of AFI's best 100 movies. They are as follows:
The Godfather
Gone with the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Schindler's List
Star Wars
ET
The Godfather Part II
West Side Story
Jaws
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Sound of Music
Fantasia
The Silence of the Lambs
Forrest Gump
Rocky
Pulp Fiction

Next up is the creep-me-out "A Clockwork Orange" and Amadeus, the story of Mozart. I am thinking about getting a Netflix or Blockbuster online account. Then I can just have these titles automatically sent to me. LOL. This is going to be a fun task.

Oh, before I forget, here is my #36 for the day (a pic of myself everyday). It really helps if one grooms oneself before snapping said pic. However, I am being "real" and taking pictures on an as-is basis. So there.

101 in 1001

Here it is - my 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days list! This was actually an easy list to make. I thought it would take forever, but it really didn't. Here is the main page for other peoples' lists as well. 101 in 1001

My start date is 7-15-2007 at 1:07:00 AM.
My goal date is 4-11-2010 at 1:07:00 AM.



1> Watch American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies. (17/100)
2> Read the entire Bible.
3> Read Shakespeare's complete works.
4> Light a candle every day for 100 days. (1/100)
5> Put together scrapbooks of our wedding, the kitties, and my family.
6> Work up to 100 pushups.
7> Work up to 100 situps.
8> Reach my goal weight of 140.
9> Have our own house.
10> Have children.
11> Run a mile.
12> Color an entire coloring book.
13> Recite the Greek alphabet from memory.
14> Learn elementary Latin.
15> Learn elementary Gaelic.
16> Take a photography class.
17> Learn a new instrument.
18> Take my older niece out for girlie time once every 3 months.
19> Send a care package to a soldier.
20> Get a passport.
21> Contribute to a savings account every paycheck... indefinitely.
22> Submit an entry to PostSecret.
23> Go to RenFaire.
23> Go to Medieval Times.
24> See another Broadway show.
25> Do something nice for a stranger.
26> Volunteer in Habitat for Humanity.
27> Help someone in need.
28> Grow a plant that actually blooms more than once.
29> Watch a sunrise and a sunset.
30> Learn 25 new meals and cook them all at least once for hubby.
31> Eat 20 new healthy things I have never tried before. Stick with five of them.
32> Work up to 40 minutes a day on my elliptical trainer.
33> Learn a new word every week and use it three times in everyday language.
34> Host a real get-together for my friends (not just a candle party).
35> Learn how to use Photoshop.
36> Take a photo of myself every day of the 1001 days.
37> Write a haiku.
38> Go to sleep on time or earlier for 1 month; track results.
39> Give up a junk food.
40> Entertain in a retirement home.
41> Stop swearing.
42> Read 10 banned books.
43> Finish my Sudoku book and the Sudokus in my Nintendo DS.
44> Backup my important files on my computer.
45> Find time to go camping with hubby. Go camping.
46> Create a property will and a living will.
47> Buy our burial plots.
48> Attend a poetry reading.
49> Pay off my car and finally own something.
50> Really clean out my closet and donate everything I clean out to local battered women's shelter.
51> Give 20 undiscovered bands a listening chance.
52> Grow a small herb garden; keep alive until I have harvested something I can use in the kitchen.
53> Have one of those western pics taken with hubby.
54> Take a picture of something different every day for a month, twice. Review.
55> Volunteer at an Animal Shelter with hubby.
56> Dress up as something horribly scary for Halloween.
57> Spend 10 minutes in silence each day for a month.
58> Read all books we currently own.
59> Foster a rescued animal.
60> Have a picnic 5 times with hubby.
61> Say yes to something I would normally reject.
62> Go to an IMAX theater and not get sick.
63> Drink only water for 3 months.
64> Have flowers delivered to my Mom for no reason.
65> Dig for fossils.
66> Drop money where only a child can get it.
67> Have my teeth whitened.
68> Put together my Disney puzzle.
69> Read/reread all 7 Harry Potter books.
70> Do something crafty that requires mosaic stone.
71> Make a blanket from my old marching band/college t-shirts.
72> Get certified in Adult & child CPR.
73> Buy a lottery ticket.
74> Watch 10 movies I don't want to watch.
75> Choose an affirmation and say it each day for a month, changing every month for 6 months. Continue if it makes me happy.
76> Stop twirling my hair with my right hand.
77> Read the 100 Best Novels.
78> Beat hubby at chess 5 times in a row.
79> See all of the IMDB's Top 250 movies I haven’t seen yet (53/250).
80> Send 25 e-cards.
81> Send snail mail birthday cards to all of my family members.
82> Donate platelets 15 times.
83> Have BBQ at 10 new places (list to follow!)
84> See 'Shakespeare in the Park' in Cleveland Park.
85> Attend Main Street Jazz next year.
86> Learn how to play Flight of the Bumblebee on my piccolo.
87> Have professional photos taken with hubby.
88> Get my name fixed on my SS card.
89> Attend a first time home buyer's class.
90> Pay off NordicTrack.
91> Increase 401k contributions by 2% every time I get a raise (constant).
92> Go to a play with hubby.
93> Complete Christmas shopping early every year. (0/3)
94> Watch all the DVDs we own.
95> Visit Crissa's grave once every few months and on Memorial Days.
96> Attend Greenville Symphony performance.
97> Go without fast food for a month.
98> Clean out storage room.
99> Learn to recognize 10 constellations. (1/10)
100> Do my Mindleaders course at work for 30 minutes every week (starting in two weeks when it's available again).
101> Make a new list!

At the end of my 101 things, I will donate $2 to an animal rescue charity for every completed task, $1 for each failed task, and start my new list of 101 things in 1,001 days! This will be re-posted with updates once a month.

Latest Dentist Trip

Y'all, I have to tell you about my latest trip to the dentist on 7-9.

As one who consistently reads my blog, you'll know that I have had a helluva time with fixing a dental issue that another dentist created. Therefore, you've read a lot about my dental history. This is just another tick-mark in that plane of my existence.

So, I go for a regular six month appointment, which I had to cancel once before since I didn't have any time off left at work. I'm finally in the chair, relaxing with the chair massager. I love this dentist. He makes it so comfortable for his patients. His philosophy is basically that I'm not paying him to make me uncomfortable.

Based on that theory and the fact that I have really temperature-sensitive teeth, I am able to use happy gas (nitrous oxide, if I remember correctly) during cleanings since the water is cold and I have to keep my mouth open so long. This time, though, I seriously hallucinated. I swear I thought I was somewhere else. All drug-high descriptives aside, let's just say I was happy on the happy gas. Then I felt sick. I don't know what was so different about that time than any other, but I came out of it and that was it for the gas. I was queasy for the rest of the day. At least I didn't have to go back to work; I was off for the day.

101 in 1001 update: I have finished my list, and will be starting it as soon as I post it and find a good countdown ticker. I really think it's doable. Yay - I'm excited!

CRON

I just stumbled upon this. CRON, or Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition.

I've always thought that calorie intake, obviously, is the key to better health and a better body. I think I might give it a shot the way it's described here. I'm not stupid. Proper nutrition means a healthy life. I'd never let myself get to the point where my body is eating muscle to live.

Other links:
Easy CRON
CR Calculator
One person's experience with CRON
Civilization's Exploding Killer Disease
Calorie Restriction
CR Diet
CR Society
Wikipedia Info
4 Corners of Optimal Nutrition
Pure Reflection

Smart 6 year old

Anyone who knows me knows I am very serious about education and the sad lack thereof in some cases. Here is a bright spot in the education universe. Plus, she's such a cutie!

In another video, I watched her recite part of Martin Luther King's famous speech at age three. This girl has a fabulous memory. It's obvious that she not only has a wonderful raw talent, but her parents have really cultivated her mind to its highest potential.

Harry Potter V

I have come to the realization that I like Firefox SO much better than Internet Explorer. Every time I update my page in FF (which is the norm), I have to redo it for IE. Grr... grumble... piss/moan...

We saw Harry Potter five last night - I loved it! A lot was left out, of course, as is the norm. Nothing was skipped that would have meant the demise of the movie for the book readers, but I wish certain things had stayed in. For one, I wish they'd kept in how hard it was for them to get into the Department of Mysteries' prophecy room. All they did was walk in and it looked it it was just right there with an open door, inviting all to join. I mean, if it'd been that easy, why wouldn't Voldemort have just walked right in and gotten his own dang prophecy? I loved the twin's exit scene. Very well done. Plus, the soundtrack was, as always, spectacular.

The movie was 138 minutes long, but it felt shorter than that. I guess that's a testament as to how easily it flowed into the storyline. Apparently, it's breaking some records for yesterday's opening day... making something like $44.8 million just yesterday. $12 million alone came from the midnight showing. Good Lord, JK Rowling's richer. $27 richer from my wallet alone as demonstrated below.

Parents, y'all need to know this!

Here are some online acronyms parents really need to learn. this is how kids get away with talking about things they know you don't like. Examples are PAW, or parents are watching; LMIRL, or let's meet in real life; and ADR/addy, or address.

Go to: http://www.netlingo.com/top20teens.cfm to get the whole list.

And here I thought LMFAO was risque'. I guess that was an EBKAC on my part.

Living Tips

Like everyone else, I get these random forwards at work and home. Most of them are crap, as in misleading, fake, etc. This one, I liked.

• Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
• Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
• Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
• When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
• When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
• Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
• Believe in love at first sight.
• Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
• Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
• In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
• Don't judge people by their relatives.
• Talk slowly but think quickly.
• When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
• Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• Say 'God bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
• Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
• Spend some time alone.

For some reason, I like these things

Yeah - I stole a personality quiz again... this time from It ain't safe NOWHERE!. Being fellow "The Color Purple" fans (this will also slowly start to give away my future girl chillun's name if you catch my hint), I appreciate this woman's humor.

1. How tall are you barefoot? 5'4 1/4" (have to count the 1/4, you know)

2. Have you ever flown first-class? No

3. Your favorite books when you were a child? Charlotte's Web, The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, Where the Sidewalk Ends

4. Good restaurants in your city? Fatz Cafe', California Dreaming, Outback, Zaxby's (yeah, well, that one is semi-fast food, but it's only in the south)

5. What is your favorite small appliance? toaster oven, there isn't much I can't bake in there. Oh, and my ice shaver, of course!!

6. One person that never fails to make you laugh? My husband

7. What’s your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

8. What was the first music that you ever bought? Madonna cassette tape

9. Do you do push-ups? No - ow.

10. What were some of your favorite board games as a child? CandyLand, Connect Four, Monopoly, Checkers

11.What is the one thing that you cook that always receives compliments? My "cocaine brownies" as my co-workers put it, and my lemon pie

12. When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an astronaut. Then I turned 13 and wanted to be a band director.

13. Your favorite Soup of the Day? Loaded Baked Potato from California Dreaming

14. What in your life are you most grateful for? My health, my husband, my entire family, my kitties

15. Have you ever met someone famous? Drake Hogestyn from Days of our Lives, entire Atlanta Falcons team a few years ago (they had football camp at the college nearby and they all came bowling at one time. I was around Michael Vick most of the time. They have some serious appetites!!)

16. Date Of Birth? 10-23-1976

17. Top 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1) I hope we get a house soon. 2)I love my DVR. 3)I love my hubby.

Why is there no 18?

19. Name five drinks you regularly drink: Water, Sprite, Slushies, Strawberry Smoothie from Liquid Highway, Countrytime Lemonade

20. From what news source do you receive the bulk of your news? wyff4.com, fowxnews.com, courttv.com

21. Current hair? same as I've always had - auburn, almost shoulder-length

22. Current worry? getting a house, losing weight, going to the dermatologist to have two moles looked at (dang red-head non-tanning curse, we just burn, freckle, and get scary skin tests)

23. Current hate? I know it sounds cliche, but I really don't hate anything. Things get on my nerves and I feel like I could ring some necks (especially at work lately LOL), but I'm overall content.

24. Favorite place to be? geographically, I guess it would be Virginia Beach

25. Least favorite place to be? in traffic, or on any busy road (Woodruff, Pelham, Pleasantburg right in front of Pecknel Music), I REALLY need to control my anger on the road. I'm not a rager, and I would never cause problems, but dang, do I ever internalize it.

26. Do you consider yourself well organized? organized chaos LOL, although I am working on the chaos part!

27. Do you believe in a afterlife? yes

28. Where do you think you will be in 10 Yrs? watching my nieces continue with school, playing with my own future children, enjoying a 13th year of marriage

29. Do you burn or tan? burn, big time.

No 30 either?

31. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Optimistic

32. Last time you had an alcoholic drink? a month or so ago. can't remember exactly when. i make the best frozen midori sours. :)

33. What songs do you sing in the shower? yakkity yak

34. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a kid? whatever was in the closet, cows

35. What’s in your pockets right now? nothing at all

36. Last thing that made you laugh? my hubby

37. Best bed sheets you had as a child? My little pony

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? an ankle sprain or two, never broken a bone in my life!

39. Favorite song? SO many. I'll make a separate list for this later!

40. How many TVs do you own? 2

41. In the last calendar year, how many people have you told that you love them? Not sure - I have a BIG family!

42. Last thing that made you blush? When I overheard my PaPa tell my MomMom that I have a natural beauty.

43. Best Compliment received? when my hubby told me I made him want to be a better person.

44. What song is in your head? Theme song from Charmed; that's what I'm watching right now.

45. What is your favorite book? Harry Potter series right now.

46. Last meal you cooked for the opposite sex? can't remember, we've gone out a lot recently!

47. What songs do you want played at your wedding? Been there! Just wanted classical music. We didn't have a DJ, so I made a compilation of all of my favorite appropriate songs to play at the reception.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Not sure. Haven't really given that much thought. Is that mandatory?

49. What were you doing at 12 midnight last night? surfing the internet (I love firefox)

50. What would you like to accomplish with the remaining years of your life? Actually, this requires another list as well. See a future post called 101 in 1001 for details.

Dog's Prayer

I found this on Everything Eli and thought it was appropriate for my past few posts.

A Dog's Prayer

When I am gone, release me, let me go-
I have so many things to see and do.
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you have each shown.
But now it is time I traveled alone.
So grieve awhile for me if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust,
It is only for a while that we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart,
I will not be far away, for life goes on,
So if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you can not see or touch me, I will be near.
And if you listen with your heart, you will hear
All my love around you soft and clear.
And then, when you must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile and "Welcome Home".

quiz 11

100%The Movie Quiz

FilmCritic.com - Movie Reviews

quiz 10

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 8 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Doggies/Family get-together

New update on the doggie situation: We went with D to have the big boy put to sleep. I'll tell you, I've never done anything like that before. If you haven't witnessed euthanasia, know that I am not kidding about the 'going to sleep' part. He really just laid his head down and fell asleep. Soon after, you could tell he was gone. We all just cried. Even the vet was misty-eyed. he was the one who saved his life over a year ago as a stray. Eventually, I noticed he wasn't breathing anymore. Honestly, I hope I go like that... so very peaceful.

When the veterinarian was putting in his IV, I began to wonder if it was really the right thing... ending a life before God takes it. I couldn't have done it (the doctor's part, I mean. I don't want to think of any of my pets in that situation right now). I knew right there that I could never have become a vet or a vet tech. D was very brave; she kissed him goodbye (we all did, actually), and told him 'bye, baby.'

He was going to be buried in her backyard, but at the last minute, one of the other girls decided to pay for the cremation. Another girl and I are going in 1/3 as well.

We had a family 4th of July pool party at my brother's house yesterday. It's the first time I've been in a pool in over a year - I'm so pale! I've decided that even if I am overweight, I am getting in the apartment pool so I can get a little bit of a tan. At least enough so that I won't glow on my own.

I got to hold my 11 month old niece in the pool. She's so cute! I love her tiny pot belly!

time off

I have been sick for the entire past weekend. I stayed out of work yesterday, and to tell the truth, I felt like doing so again today. Luckily, I was already getting off at 3 today, so I stuck with that. Plus, my work was WAY behind when I got in today.

Today I am getting off early to help my friend with her dog. She is putting him to sleep today. He's such an old man; he can't get up by himself, has arthritis, and is in constant pain. As of now, she's agreed that she is only keeping him alive for her, not for him, and has made the decision to put him down. I didn't want her to be by herself, so I am going with her. Josh and his BF are coming over later to dig a place in her backyard, his favorite spot, under the azaleas. He's such a sweet doggie, and he will be missed. I took some really good pics of him and her last night; I'll post them after I crop them and send to her.

Tomorrow, we have a pool party at my brother's house. The WHOLE family is invited, from grandparents down to 2nd cousins. This is going to be our normal holiday crowd, though, just somewhere different. Their poor black lab, Ben, isn't going to know what to do with so many people there! Hopefully, fireworks and much carefree abandon will ensue.

Ducks!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of rubber duckies, so when this story came out, I was thrilled to hear about it. I love that there are thousands of ducks floating in the currents around the world!

Long-Lost Rubber Duckies Head for British Beaches (found at http://www.foxnews.com /story/0,2933,287759,00.html)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
By Simon de Bruxelles

A flotilla of rubber duckies, washed overboard from a container ship in the North Pacific in 1992, is about to invade Britain, according to an American oceanographer.

For the past 15 years Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been tracking nearly 30,000 Chinese-made plastic bath toys — yellow ducks, green frogs, blue turtles and red beavers — that were released into the Pacific Ocean when a container was washed off a cargo ship during a storm.

Some of the bath toys, marketed in the U.S. as "Friendly Floatees," are expected to reach Britain after a journey of nearly 17,000 miles, having crossed the Arctic Ocean frozen into pack ice, bobbed the length of Greenland and been carried down the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Ebbesmeyer, who is based in Seattle, said yesterday that those that had not been trapped in circulating currents in the North Pacific, crushed by icebergs or blown ashore in Japan were bobbing across the Atlantic on the Gulf Stream.

Any beachcomber who finds one of the ducks or their kin will be able to claim a $100 reward from the toys' American distributor, The First Years Inc.

The ducks began life in a Chinese factory and were being shipped to the U.S. from Hong Kong when three 40-foot containers fell into the Pacific during a storm on Jan. 29, 1992.

Two-thirds of them floated south through the tropics, landing months later on the shores of Indonesia, Australia and South America.

But 10,000 headed north and by the end of the year were off Alaska and heading back westwards.

It took three years for the Friendly Floatees to circle counterclockwise east to Japan, past the original drop site and then back to Alaska on a current known as the North Pacific Gyre before continuing north towards the Arctic.

Many were stranded as the currents took them through the Bering Strait, which divides Alaska from Russia.

Ebbesmeyer predicted that they would spend years trapped in the Arctic ice, moving at the rate of one mile a day towards the Atlantic.

In 2000, eight years after their journey began, the ducks were reported in the North Atlantic. In 2003, when they were expected to wash up on the American eastern seaboard, The First Years announced the reward offer.

By that point the Floatees had been bleached white by the sun and sea water.

Sightings in the past two years have been scant, but oceanographers believe that their next port of call is southwestern England, southern Ireland and western Scotland.

Simon Boxall, of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, England, said that the ducks offered a great opportunity for climate-change research.

"They are a nice tracer for what the currents are doing as they travel around the world, and currents are what determines our climate, and cycles of carbon," he said. "I would ask [vacationers] to keep an eye out, as they might be very few and far between by now. It's a real adventure story and the plastic should last 100 years, so we hope it will continue."

The landfalls have all been logged on a computer model called the Ocean Surface Currents Simulation, which is used to help fisheries and find people lost at sea.

Two children's books have been written about the saga and the ducks have become collector's items, some changing hands for $1,000.

video

This is just funny. This guy plays Bohemian Rhapsody on his hands.





Same guy doing Mario Bros. LOL!!!