Saturday, July 1, 2006 - Today, Yuoo watched a very sad movie called The Pianist. The movie made him cry.

Earlier that morning, Yuoo went to Mortar Abbey to spend most of the day meditating and praying about the land of Mexico. This place will be having their national election tomorrow, and Yuoo has been praying for safety and fairness.

Yuoo will be celebrating Independence Day of his own country in three days. Today, he wrote a letter to the leader of his country, an elephant named Brush. In his letter, Yuoo thanked Mr. Brush for several things and made a respectful petition about a certain issue.

Sunday, July 2, 2006 - Yesterday, Yuoo trimmed his fur by himself. Most creatures in Yuoo's world periodically go to a barbershop or a beauty salon to get their fur trimmed, their feathers manicured, their scales exfoliated, or their exoskeletons polished (depending on what species you are). Yuoo is not extremely concerned about fur styles, so he usually visits the barber shop every 45 to 60 days. Yesterday, Yuoo decided that he wants to learn how to trim fur by himself, so he went to Wal-Mart to buy a barber kit. There were so many models to choose from: the Woolmaster 2000 shearer, the Dandy Downfeather molter, the Snakewell 5000 exfoliator, and the Just-Like-Lassie trimmer. After careful comparison, Yuoo eventually bought the Just-Like-Lassie deluxe trimming kit (with convenient carrying bag).

That evening, after watching a very sad movie, Yuoo decided to try the trimming kit out. He watched the introductory video several times. He cautiously tried it out, and the results were... not bad, not bad at all! You see, Yuoo figured that the main way to ruin a fur-trim is to cut it too short, so Yuoo only used a large #6 trim guard, as opposed to the smaller, recommended #3 trim guard. (#1 is for chihuahuas and #8 is for sheepdogs.)

Today, Yuoo brought his trombone and played it for the residents at his favorite assisted living home. After watching the sad movie yesterday, Yuoo realized what a blessing it is to use one's gifts and talents. Despite his faith in Aslan, Yuoo has a secret fear of mortality. It's not so much a matter of death as it is growing old and frail. However, Yuoo is learning that growing old is a gift and a blessing too.

Today, Yuoo got up a little bit earlier than usual, and he rode his bicycle to work. Along the way, he approached a railroad track. He could see a train in the distance, but it was far enough away that the crossing-guard arms had not yet begun their descent. (no flashing lights or bells yet either) Rather than making a quick crossing, Yuoo decided to wait and watch the train pass by. Since Yuoo will be celebrating Independence Day tomorrow, he has had a more thoughtful, nostalgic look at things. As he sat by the curb, watching the train pass by, he thought about prosperity, about hard-working creatures making a living with one another.

Saturday, July 8, 2006 - Today Yuoo watched a movie called An Inconvenient Truth. It's a documentary film explaining the dangers of pollution and the great need for cleaning up the environment. Yuoo thought that it was a very good movie. The movie was made by a politician named Al Gator, who ran for President in Yuoo's nation six years ago.

This election was a very close one, and Al Gator almost had a complete tie with his opponent, Mr. Brush. Yuoo's home, called Loblolly, was the place were the last few votes were being counted when something very bad happened. An election official was carrying the very last box of uncounted ballots, but this person tripped and fell, and all of the ballots fell into a big mud puddle. Al Gator claims that Mr. Brush intentionally tripped the election official, and likewise, Mr. Brush claims that it was Al Gator. It was a big muddy mess. Eventually, a decision was reached, and Mr. Brush was declared the winner. Yuoo is happy that Mr. Brush was declared the winner, since that is who Yuoo voted for, but he also feels sorry for Al Gator, too. What if Al Gator is right? What if Mr. Brush really did toss those ballots into the mud?

To help answer this question, Yuoo watched a movie by Michael Moose. Yuoo did learn a few things from this movie, but he wasn't really convinced by its arguments. Since that time, Yuoo has put an uneasy trust in Mr. Brush, not wanting to believe the accusations yet wondering if they really are true.

Well, getting back to the subject of this diary entry, today Yuoo watched the documentary by Al Gator, and he thought it was a good one. This movie wasn't filled with anger, like Mr. Moose's, but it argued for a cause that Yuoo believes in: working harder to make this world a cleaner, prettier, healthier place. Like all persuasive messages, this movie made a few claims that not everyone agrees with, but Yuoo thinks that Al Gator made these claims in a fair, nice manner.

Regardless of what really happened with those ballots six years ago, Yuoo is glad that Al Gator is taking his disappoitments and applying it toward something important and constructive like making the world a better place. Yuoo now has an admiration for Al Gator because of this.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

This is from an exhibit Yuoo attended yesterday. The machine uses a burst of electrons to instantly pulverize rock and mineral samples into the finest powder, which scientists can analyze.

Today, I went to the pet store and bought a couple of pet rats. Their names are Ben and Jerry. They're white rats with cute red eyes. (At least, I think they're cute. My previous roommates probably wouldn't have cared for them.) I wanted them to have a nice big cage for them to scurry around in, but the cages at the pet store were so expensive, so I went to a Goodwill second-hand store and bought an old 50-gallon aquarium (190 liters or 850 cubic centimeters).

At first, I couldn't tell the two of them apart, but I've noticed that Ben is slightly larger but very timid, with a slight yellow tint to his fur. Jerry is smaller, but he has lighter fur, and he's a lot more adventurous.

Oddly enough, when first got them, I was under the impression that they were females. (It was a mistake by the store salespersons.) Thus, the original names of my two rats were Josephine and Florence (Jo and Flo). However, once I found out that the store clerks made a mistake, I changed my pets' names to Benjamin and Jerold. I did call the store to tell them of their error, but this was only friendly advice. I wouldn't have the heart to return Ben and Jerry to the store for an exchange. (All the other rats would laugh at them.)

I probably won't include them in my stories about Yuoo. After all, in Yuoo's world, they wouldn't be kept as pets. They'd live in their own houses, drive their own cars, and work at their own jobs. (The two of them would work at an icecream parlor, of course!) :-)

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