From the desk of Felix Furlow, WMD
Executive Director of Mad Psyence Laboratories
The Fifth Temple of SKIPPIKS

05.02.97 - 9:00 P.M. CST

The Eve of May has come and passed. I spent the final day of April reuniting with old friends and mingling with the wonders of nature. Strawberry Grrl, visiting from her home in Kansas City, Missouri, Amber Waves of Grain, and I met for an afternoon at the Dallas Zoo. I would have to say the most exciting event of the afternoon - at least for me - was being the focus of a rather grumpy lioness attempting to relax after a long day of being ogled and yelled at by excited school children on field trips. She was lying on her stomach, head up, just behind the fencing at the front of her cage. The distance between the front of the cage and the safety railing along the sidewalk is only about 8', so it was the perfect opportunity to get a nice close-up portrait of the big cat. There was an odd arrangement of three short logs, each about 2' long and 3" in diameter, propped against the fence in front of her. It reminded me of the symbol for pi. It would also make an interesting frame for the photo, I thought. I bent down to brace my arms on the railing in front of me and pointed my long zoom lens towards the lioness to frame the shot. In the blink of an eye, she let out an angry roar and lunged at me, impacting against the fence. I must admit, it was a bit startling. However, not wanting to miss the opportunity to photograph the facial expressions of an angry lioness, I resumed my framing and focusing at the rail. The lioness had settled back down into her previous posture, but continued to express her ire by snarling and revealing the tips of her fangs.

The commotion had drawn the attention of a zookeeper and I could see her approaching as I waited for the perfect moment to capture on celluloid.

"I suggest you get your photo and move on", the zookeeper said in a sardonic tone. Well! She seemed to think I had done something to provoke the camera shy cat. So... I opted to pack my lens and move on to the Snow Leopard cage.

Later in the evening, Lobster and Toenail dropped by for a visit to Mad Psyence Laboratories. And even later still, Amber Waves and Strawberry Grrl came by to pay their respects. And the rest of the dark hours, I spent with my freakish comrades on the IRC.

Now on to more pertinent matters. I managed to add 8 new photos of miniatures to The Realm of the Wee Ones, and add a few more selections to Studio A. I've also updated some of the bios in The High Clergy area with photos, and will be adding to this area quite a bit in the coming months.

Well if there IS anything left, I can't remember it, or I don't think the time is right for revelation. So until next time... keep your butt out of the clouds and your feet in good shoes.

Your fiend and prayer partner,
Felix Furlow, WMD