I'm Back

I realized just how sad and pathetic dorky I really am. Over the past few days, it has been driving me crazy that I have not been able to get on my computer to post videos, post photos, read blogs, answer some emails, etc. Crazy! I had a serious hard drive malfunction, but thanks to Eric's mad computer skillz, I'm up and running again with a new hard drive.

As I mentioned before, Ami was the big winner for the Syrian ("teddy bear") hamsters in last Saturday's Hamster Ball Derby. I don't think he really won, but oh well. It was a bit chaotic and they were doing all these run-offs (roll-offs?). In the midst of the activity, I believe Woodstock, clearly the fastest hamster in town, was left out of some of the final races. He probably should have won, but that's life. I didn't even realize it until after the fact.

Ami won a Critter Operated Chopper, aka hamster motorcycle. Since he already has one, I gave it to another participant and she gave me the bag of hamster chow she'd gotten as a consolation prize. One of the store workers thought it was cool that I'd done that and let me pick out a new hamster ball. I got an orange one.

Here is some video I shot at the event. None of it is great and Ami is only in one of them. I kept turning my camera off, accidentally, in all of the excitement.

2006 Hamster Ball Derby at Petco in Burbank, CA

Our friend Bandito is the hamster on the far left. Bob is on the right.

These dwarf hamsters just weren't that into the race!



In this heat, Ami came in second to Rocky, a dwarf hamster that got a 10-second head start. She did a proud run right back to me too!

Now, let's see how long I can go without doing another hamster post. I am very excited to have a ticket to see An Inconvient Truth tomorrow night. I tried to see it at Sundance, but got shut out. I just wish I could get some of my SUV-driving co-workers to see it too. Particularly the ones who are single and have no kids or big dogs and aren't in a band.