marko_the_rat | How to hypnotise a kangaroo

I was supposed to take

aldi and

ozkangaroo to Australia Zoo today. (Of course, it would have helped if I'd been told a few hours earlier.) We made a brave effort, but lost heart when we saw the marchers for Australia Day. Our spirits broken, we decided to settle for that old stand-by Lone Pine instead. How very lucky that we did!

Oz showed Aldi and I a new trick: by scritching a certain place on the neck and pushing down on the head, he was able to make a few kangaroos fall asleep, at least for a little while. Neither of us could do it, and we bemoaned the waste of this talent on someone who wouldn't appreciate it. (Of course, the real reason was that we were jealous!) We found a kangaroo that looked like she was drugged we had a lot of fun getting her to pose with cameras and phones and then with Aldi and I as we laid down by her side. She was endlessly patient through all of this, and we thank her for her good nature.

Even though Aldi and I are different in other ways, it's great to find someone who really understands my appreciation for kangaroos; a kindred spirit if you will. Or a partner in crime, to those who may be predisposed to take a less charitable view of our dealings with an animal that we both love very much.

ristin has a new home away from his parents. Free at last! Or is he? I fear the demands they may make on his time, and their expectation that he continue to be a house servant for them. My raccoon needs much love and support to realise his full potential. He is so deserving of my love, and I have so much to give him.

I am told that there are several people who have declared their love for Byron, but he does nothing about it. Of course, all of these people are online (Muck-based) loves. Ristin tells me the difference between online love and real life love is that online there is no commitment. Until you commit, it's all just a game, safely coccooned behind a computer screen. Maybe Byron is right to ignore these offers of love, but I hope he does not do so in my name? I think part of the reason why Byron could never love me was because until after I'd given up on him, I was never "real" to him because I would never go online to play in his world. In spite of all my efforts, I don't think he's able to form an emtional attachment except online. He deserves my pity, but nothing more.