Bears Are My Favorite Animal

Let me tell you how awesome our trip to the zoo was this past weekend.  BIG, FAT, KODIAK BEAR AWESOME.  I'm telling you, like, small sedan bear.  A bear that was a cute as he was nasty, as cuddly as he was strong, and as pissed as he was happy. 

If you have been to the Pittsburgh Zoo then you know to whom I'm speaking.  I'm not even sure of his name - or if he is actually a HE.  It doesn't matter, he/she's unreal. 

You forget just how massive this mammal is until you see one up close.  Bears are all so often portrayed as fun and harmless, and from 30 feet away he played the part. 

The most popular children's stuffed animal? A teddy bear.  Winnie the Pooh?  A bear.  Yogi.  Baloo.  Honey jars.  The Cubs, Grizzlies, Bruins, and, well - the Bears.  Sports mascots are not intended to be frightening, but this guy is:

Frightening does this picture no justice!  Are you kiding?! Look at him/her!  Just try to stop him from taking your pic-i-nic basket - I dare you.    

The bear at the zoo is old.  There was a sign that stated "under veterinary care."  You could see sores on his legs and could tell he was suffering from artheritis.  He is an old man, probably enjoying the last few years of his life as he is fed and groomed like only a select few of his kind.  

If he could talk and if he didn't want to eat me I'm sure he, like any old man, would have wonderful stories to tell.  I wish I could have a beer with him, and then fight him.  

I normally feel sad for the animals at the zoo.  Both the Black Bear and the Polar Bear were attempting to escape their stone structures by banging their heads against the metal gates that led into the neather-regions of the zoo.  Is there food back there?  A female/male bear ready to mate?   Honey?  Probably not.  They want out of there.  You live your entire life in a 300 square foot area with numerous yinzers staring at you and tell me you wouldn't be doing the same.  

But Kody (I named him Kody) was just hanging.  Eating vines, scratching himself.  Looking at Little Winger and I.  I guess when you become an old bear/man things are a little different.  Maybe he is at a level of comfort that only he and other old bears can understand.  

As much as I dislike animals being caged, Kody showed me that it's not always as bad as it seems.  Sometimes you're going to love where you're at - most times you're not - but it's what you do with all of the other time that defines who you are as a bear.  Or a human.  And that's why bears are my favorite animal.  

I'll post some sweet pics of Little Winger, Kody, and myself in the next few days.  

Keep it real bears. 

Happy Birthday to Pops - the only man I know that would have had to carry a handicap in a fight with a bear.  He would have been 53 today.           

   

Get the eff outdoors Volume 2: Moraine State Park

Moraine State Park is Butler County's largest public park.  It spans 16,725 acres and houses the largest body of water, Lake Arthur, in the county.   

From the obvious fishing and boating, to the many bike and hiking trails, to horseback riding and camping, to the use of picnic shelters and swimming beaches - Moraine has a little of everything for everyone. 

I used to frequent this park as a child and as a teenager, but our relationship has since deteriorated - until of course, Little Winger and New Edition are beyond toddler stages.  I'm sure when that time comes we'll be at the park riding bikes and swimming in the clear, cool water.

So check it out.  Take a dive, a ride, or a hike to Moraine State Park - Butler County's great lake. 

Here is the link from the Pennsylvania DCNR website: Moraine State Park. 
Here is the Wikipedia link with all of the fun facts: Moraine State Park

Keep it real.

What The Eff Can I Do With All Of This Hair?

My hair is long.  Long enough that my bangs are below my chin and the back stretches about 4 inches down my spine.  It's also thick.  I mean THICK.  And wavy.  Long, think, and wavy - which may or may not be the title of a 70's porn.  Anyway, those of you that have had long hair in the past can attest to the fact that a lot falls out on a daily basis.  A LOT.  When Super Greeny and I finish our showers in the morning it looks as if Expletive coughed up a mouse - with a mullet. 

We have a hair trap so it's fine, we aren't clogging up the plumbing.  It simply gets thrown in the trash, and therein lies the reason for this post - isn't there anything we can do to reuse all of that hair?

It seems wasteful.  For as long as humans and animals have coexisted, humans have made use of animal hair.  It's very versitale and in almost neverending supply.  I'm sure in centuries past there were civilizations that took advantage of human hair as a commodity, and I'm sure there are currently civilizations that do the same.  But not in America. 

I mean, gross.  Just thinking of a coaster made of hair from an unkept hillbilly is (almost) enough to make me never want to drink again.  So there's that to deal with.  Also, there are certain diseases that can indeed be transmitted through human hair.  So it would have to go through a vigorous cleansing process in order to hit the shelves.

Without the time to do much research (I'm at work) I did find one site that lists 10 Strange Uses for Human Hair.

I'm in agreeance with the wig and test wig making, and even the food growing and artistic uses - but where I'm focusing on is the "clean up oil spills" genre.  Practical, humane, world saving, uses with very little human interaction on a daily basis.

Here is a link referring to the horticultural uses, or SmartGrow.

Here also is an article referencing the use of human and animal hair to clean up oil spills - it's called Matter of Trust.   

And here and here are articles about composting your hair and then yes, using it to grow food.  "MMMM, my potato tastes so think and wavy."

Now that's what I'm talking about.  Put it to good use without being creepy.  With so many great thinkers in this world you would assume there would be a recycleable use for just about everything.  I'm sure that there is - it's just a matter of 1) discovering those uses, and 2) getting everyone on board.

The best use that I discovered that is still in it's infant stages, is the use of human hair as a solar conductor.  Unreal!  How effing awesome.  This teenage kid from Napal that probably has less money than we make in a few days has successfully created a human hair solar panel that creates electricity.  If you get the right people with their minds in the right places you're bound to have amazing results.

What's next?  Toe-nail based fuel, ear-wax fertilizer, shampoo made from....woah, this is a PG13 site.  Life is a cycle on all accounts, so REcycling those natural and man-made things we normally disregard actually makes a whole lot of sense.

So next time you're throwing something away, remember - what you do with that trash could change the world.

Keep it real wavy.


Here are a few places where you can donate your hair for good causes, but with stipulations:
Locks of Love
Wigs for Kids

Joke of the Day: Pittsburgh in Top 25 Fittest Cities In US

Actually...this is so for reals.  Men's Fitness released their 2009 survery of the fittest and fattest US cities, and surprisingly Pittsburgh fell in at # 25! 

A few posts back I mentioned how at one point approximately 10 years ago there was a study released that labled Butler County (which is just north of Allegheny County) as the second fattest county in the nation.  Alarming as it was, surprising it was not:

Then this article is released and we're all like "Woah! What!? Seriously? Nah...no shit!"  Apparently the rebirth of the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities has spread to the civilians as well.  

Putting things into perspective it's really not THAT alarming.  The city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have worked very hard to bring in young professionals to the Higher Education, Tech, and Medical fields.  The "workforce" in the city is no longer aging mill workers and restaurant owners eating only kielbasa and pierogies.  

Pittsburgh is now known as much for their great cultural scene as they were once known for lack of visibility.  Creativity and forward thinking on the cities behalf lead to bringing in more of the same thinking individuals.  The city is now smarter and higher educated and people are aware of benefits and repercussions of exercising and eating healthy. 

These facts and more also contribute to the naming of Pittsburgh as the most liveable city in the US for the past two years.  This is no longer your parents' Pittsburgh - it's ours, and it's sweet. 

        Yinz' keep it real.