My cute little ears hear a cry for help...

Report from ER to our unit upon admit: "Patient is a bricklayer by day, Ultimate Fighter by night".

He zooms through the sky,
smarter than a speeding bullet,
furrier than a powerful locomotive,
able to leap tall sandwiches in a single bound!
Is it an eggplant? A meatball?
NO! It's SUPER-GROVER!

Evidently not a real vigilante fighter of crime, muppet, nor an evil villain. He doesn't have a crazy alias name (I made his nurse go ask)...at least no alias that he'll admit to... There was also no dramatic theme music, smoke, or lights when you walked into his room. No side-kick either. And no spandex, cape, or mask. He really is just an "Ultimate Fighter". Evidently it's not like WWE, but more like hard-core martial arts and REAL fighting (not staged). I don't know if it's like those cage fighters or something? He did have cauliflower ears, though. Very nice guy, although tough looking. The doctor said, "In his profession, he gets knocked and thrown around on those mats a lot and very hard. So, if he is complaining of being in pain, believe that he really, really must be in a lot of pain". They truly have this kind of stuff in Madison? Sheesh. I guess the next big event is at the Alliant Center on Jan. 13th. You know me, I'll be right there in the front row...

Joe Biere de Garde

Come one, come all to JT Whitney's to try a *fantastic new beer on tap. Recipe written by and brewed by the best new brewer in the business: Mr. Joe Walts!

His new beer is a "Winter Biere de Garde"--a dark, strong beer made in the tradition of French farmhouse ales.

*Disclaimer: I'm sure it is wonderful, although I haven't actually had a chance to try it yet. Drinking on the job at the hospital or right before work is frowned upon. Unfortunately, it's only available if you visit the brewpub. However, if you've been a good little Michigander (or friend or family member of one), you just may get to try some over the holiday.

Kong

Joe and I saw Peter Jackson's King Kong last night. It was an absolutely amazing movie! I didn't go into seeing the movie thinking it would be that great. The story, characters and effects were all spectacular. I can't believe how perfectly they did the gorilla too. As a person with an anthropology-zoology background and a love for studying animal behavior, I was very impressed. Andy Serkis (aka Gollum) studied Gorilla behavior in Rwanda in order to perfect the actual movements, actions, and body language of Kong. The gorilla and his social interactions with everyone in the film seemed pretty darn real to me. Parts are definitely not for the weak stomached (quintessential Peter Jackson style...if you've seen his earlier horror films), but an amazing epic story (like that of his Lord of the Rings films). There was even references to the "Sumatran Rat Monkey" from his 1992 Braindead movie. The length of the movie is long (3 hours 10 minutes). However, you can't complain when you're kept entertained the whole time.

Bird Watching

Joe, Sara, and I took advantage of the snow and sunny weather and went cross-country skiing at Cherokee Marsh. To our delight, we saw and heard a Pileated Woodpecker! I always thought of them as this almost mythical bird that you only see once in a lifetime. I guess they are popping up a bit more near some city limits, but they are generally very shy, elusive birds. I always hoped to come across one when I was in Northern Wisconsin or Minnesota when I was growing up. Next to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which may no longer be extinct, it is the largest woodpecker in North America. It was really exciting to see one finally! And on the edge of Madison no less. Usually this is considered out of their range. I love coming across the unexpected when I'm on an outdoor excursion.