Tough Mudder - Tri-State 2011- Englishtown, NJ

Everywhere we go

People Want to Know

Who we are

So We Tell Them

We are the Hotties, the Jalapeno Hotties!

I didn't pick the name.  I just tried to make the most of it.

My fellow Jalapeno Hotties and I paid a good bit of money, over $100, to beat the hell out of ourselves over the course of 12 miles.  From the the picture above, you can see it was a rough three and a half hours.

 Here's me up close and personal after I got home from the race.

I searched through the majority of photos that Brightroom Photography posted on their website and there was not one where I wasn't looking at the ground as a I ran.  At least I'm looking into the camera in these photos.  I doubt the women who look at these photos think they might not look good.  You all have a fan in me.  You're all covered in mud and you look exhausted and HOT!  Keep up the good work!
Is that weird?
Not sure, hut this definitely is.
In case you don't know what the Tough Mudder is, you should definitely check out their website.  (The video that comes up, definitely gets me fired up.)  So does this one.  The Tough Mudder is The Warrior Dash's big, bully of a brother.  It's more than 3x as long and about 10x as a mean.

You freeze your ass off at the beginning.

You get electrocuted by 10,000 volts at the end!  

That wasn't me, but that's a very good representation of my experience.  I caught a wire in the back of the head and definitely bounced my head off the ground.  I thought I might have had a concussion or broken nose.  At least my nose wasn't broken.

So that was the beginning and the end, but the middle....well, I'm not sure I can adequately describe the middle of the course itself.  I ran 12 miles through it covered in mud, there is a good chance I just forgot some of it!  A week later, my bumps and bruises are mostly gone.  The memories are a little hazy.  There definitely was a lot of mud and I know at one point I compared it to the Swamp of Sadness from the Never Ending Story.  Luckily, I didn't give up like Atreyu's horse.  God, that was a fucked up movie to be targeted at kids. There is no succumbing to the sadness at the Tough Mudder.

You can search the internet for how the marathon is a 'Triumph of the Human Spirit'.  Check out some quotes about running 26.1 miles. Having only run a half-marathon, I can only half relate to what that means.  Sure, there are races that are longer and more difficult.  I suggest Born to Run by Christopher MacDougall if you want to hear about the people who do them.  A marathon is the absolute farthest any portion of regular society will ever push themselves to go.  It's linked to mythical celebration of victory in Ancient Greece and it's name is used to describe any long, difficult task that tests the will of its participants.  On an individual basis, there is not an event that will test the will and spirit of the average person.  (Since I can't swim very well, I won't include an Iron Man Triathlon because I assume I'm at least close to average). 

The Tough Mudder on the other hand tests the individual as well as its participants as a group.  If you tried finishing the Tough Mudder or a marathon without being in at least decent physical condition you'd probably fail.  Unlike a marathon, unless you are an elite athlete, you are not going to be able to finish the Tough Mudder by yourself.  A marathon will test your will, but if you just keep moving your feet you'll finish.  However, climbing over the Berlin Walls, scaling the quarter-pipe known as Everest, climbing under the Devil's Beard, scaling the muddy hills of the Muddy Mile, or climbing through the Boa Constrictor is not possible without help from your fellow Mudders.   Other Tough Mudders pushed and pulled me and I pushed and pulled fellow Tough Mudders over and through numerous obstacles that might not have been possible without each other.  There is something special about helping both your teammates and people you don't know outside of climbing through a huge mud puddle through what could be compared to a gym class from Hell.
That's not something you get many other places.  The Tough Mudder isn't about who finished first.  The Tough Mudder is about everyone finishing!   The event raises money for the Wounded Warrior Project and was designed by the British Special Forces.  Before we were allowed on the course you take the Tough Mudder Pledge led by an MC who said Hoorah! a lot and also told us to take a knee.

Someone wrote on the comments on the photo page 'They had me at take a knee' and I can't help but agree.  Flashbacks to football camp and the brotherhood that I felt in high school and college immediately ran through my head. I won't exaggerate and claim my fellow Tough Mudders are now my brothers and sisters, but for those three + hours there was a definite sense of shared purpose and community.  As great as the sense of accomplishment was for me personally finishing, it felt just as good to know I helped other Tough Mudders complete their own journey.
Will I try the Tough Mudder again in 2012?  I hope so.  It won't be just for the group hug feeling I described above.  There were 2 obstacles - rope drag and Funky Monkey Bars - I'd like to try over again because those were essentially individual obstacles that I could not finish.  My effort and preparation are two things I can control and I'd like to prepare more and try those again.  Maybe I could be one of those elite athletes.  So look for more of these finisher badges in the near future.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - State # 50

In case you missed the previous post, I hit up Oklahoma and the description on my profile became inaccurate.  Approximately 29 years, 11 months, and 1 after I was brought into this world, covered in blood and screaming, I made it to the 50th state in the Union. 

I've been to all 50 states, bitches!


Having visited the Sooner State, there is no doubt the wind comes sweeping down the plains in Oklahoma.
There is not a whole hell of a lot to stop the wind in Oklahoma. 
Quick, name 3 things to do in Oklahoma you can't do anywhere else on Earth. 
You can sing Oklahoma anywhere. 
Here's what I did to make my 50th state memorable. 
1. Dinner and beer at the Bricktown Brewery, followed by more beer at the Tapwerks, followed by even more beer at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar. That might sound like a lot of beer. Really, it only means I had at least 3. Given how full of nachos, ribs, and decorated cheesecake I was, I could not force many more beers down.  The nachos and ribs were good enough for me to keep shoving down my throat.  I may have just been hungry, too.

Spelling isn't their strong suit in the kitchens of Bricktown Brewery

The cake was all thanks to KwaK.  Apparently, the confused look on the face of our waiter when she asked him to write Happy 50th on the cake was priceless.  Even with my current beard, I'm pretty sure I don't look 50.  That confusion apparently carried over into the actual preparation of the cake as well.  Happy 50st?  It got a lot of laughs on facebook.  All of that is part the reason I put on 6 lbs over the course of this trip. And while I do have a nice beard my neck is not tired enough to make me think I have an extra six pounds hanging of hair off of my face. The beard is in memorial of past playoff beards and a jump start for Movember.  But could you imagine 6 pounds just hanging off your face? That's a hell of a lot of beard.

This beard's density is increased by sheer bad-ass.  It's probably close to 100 lbs.

I grow hair just about everywhere but where I want it to grow and I don't think all of that adds up to 6 pounds. I really can't get past the thought of that much hair.
We've been down this road before with dirt.
2. If you find yourself nearby, you should visit The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.  We here at PoMiFoS know this blog is not the go-to source for anything outside of knowing where Kyle visited a few months ago.  Given the lack of effort put into updating, and/or editing put into this blog, it should never be used for any source material.  Steal any and all jokes that you want.  The good ones were probably ripped off from somewhere else!
The point of all of this blogging self-deprecation is that my trip into The OKC Bombing Memorial Museum was an intensely emotional experience for me and my companion, KwaK and I eschewed having my photograph taken on the grounds.  The memorial itself is a beautiful tribute to the 200 lives lost in what seems to be an American tragedy that is too often overshadowed by what happened before (The first WTC bombing) and after (9/11).  Photography was not prohibited in the museum, but I was caught up in the whole experience.

 Each of those markers stands for a life lost due to the bombing.

KwaK reading the poems and mementos left behind in memorial.

A message from the search effort.

The museum is located in the former home of The Journal Record which was right next to the Alfred Murrah building.  The displays start on the 6th floor with a brief history of the building and the events that occurred leading up to the bombing.  Guests are then led into a mock hearing room to listen to an audio recording of a hearing on water rights involving the Wikle family.  The tape recording starts at 9:00 AM on April 19, 1995 and and at approximately 9:03 AM you can hear the explosion occur in the tape recording and the powerful experience begins.  I'll openly admit I was close to tears several times throughout the entire trip through the museum.  The story that struck me the most was of the nurse who died in the rescue effort after she rushed to the rescue effort.  There were so many stories of extraordinary care that strangers gave one another it was both sad and heartwarming at the same time.  It's sad that it too often takes humans behaving at their worst to prompt humans to act at their best, but it's good to know that the capacity for great compassion is still there.

3. After an emotional trip through the OKC Bombing Memorial and a delicious lunch at Jazmoz Bourbon Street Cafe along what amounts to Oklahoma City's version of the River Walk in the Bricktown District, we next visited The American Banjo Museum.

It's impossible to play a sad song on the the banjo and we both needed to be cheered up.  
 
Clearly, it's true. Thanks for proving my point, Dirt Farm.
Almost immediately after walking into the building KwaK and I met Bill, receptionist/volunteer/banjo afficianado at the front desk who gave us a rundown of the banjo as well as a brief performance on his own banjo.

This isn't Bill, but I wish it was.

I don't know if any 'Banjo People' (Bill's words not mine) read PoMiFoS, but if you're a banjo neophyte like I am you'd be surprised to know prior to the WWII banjo players were like rockstars.  If there was such a thing as an Xbox or PS3 or even television at the beginning of the 20th Century, I imagine Banjo Hero would be a best-seller.  Famous banjo performers existed, but I'll be damned if I could name any.  The Kingston Trio are probably the only ones of which I had anything close to prior knowledge.



Do these guys rock or what?  Maybe rock is not the correct word for the Kingston Trio, but I'll admit to a burgeoning taste for folk music.  And what's folk music without banjos?

I really don't care to imagine it.

And that really summed up Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for me.  The weather was pleasant and the Oklahoma City Memorial is a great example for what memorials should be.  Having not been to the 9/11 memorial, I can only help it has been done as well as its counterpart in OKC.  Since I was not expecting much from Oklahoma, it certainly did not disappoint.

50 Nifty United States - Been There, Done That

In case you're not my facebook friend and missed the stream of foursquare-tweets, I did it. 29 years, 11 months, and 1 day after I was born I woke up in Oklahoma City, OK.
visited 50 states (100%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or website vertaling duits?
But, seriously,, why aren't you my facebook friend? Too fucking cool?
What's next?
Hopefully, some more blog posts and the rest of the world.

Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

I finished a half marathon. I ran the first 11 miles and the last 2.1 miles I just sort of run/walked/drug myself to the finish line. Two hours and eighteen minutes later, a PR, later I was finished.

I was told I looked pretty good after I was done.  What do you think?

I feel like I need a little more hair.

I'm not sure where I found the energy to smile or pose.  

With the extra hair I might not have been able to hold my head up.  Somehow the back hair did not seen to keep me from standing up.  Maybe I would have been able to run the whole 13.1 if I had trimmed that shit.  Maybe next time...

Phillies Clinch the NL East!

So this is what it looks like to win 5 straight NL East Division titles

Check out Kristen with a K at 0:32 and the 5 times guy at 0:52.

Hopefully, this isn't the last banner the Phillies win this year!

Conquering the America, one state at a time

Just got back from the Midwest...

3 Left..I'm coming for you Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas!

The Bronx Zoo - The Bronx

I wrote this during the dark days of the All Star Break....
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap
Let's Go Phillies! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap 

I am seriously lost without the Phillies on tonight.
Cliff Lee scored more runs than the rest of the Phillies on Saturday .

The Fightin's laid two touchdowns on the Braves on Sunday.
Somehow Ryan Howard did not make the home run derby on Monday night.  
Seriosuly, Prince? 
Rickie Weeks?

 Seriously?

At least you may have clinched home field advantage for the Phils in the World Series.
Who's excited?

Everybody was excited even this guy in the Bronx Zoo.

It might be for Jeter's 3,000th hit today., I guess.  Remember, Cliff Lee hit just as many home runs as Derek Jeter the same day and Cliff also struck out 9 Braves.  How many people did Derek Jeter strike out?
Any guesses?

 Just going to sleep there?  Typical Yankees fans, ignorant to the other 29 baseball teams.  
Surprised they even know the other 29 teams exist.
You can probably guess it was tough living here in November of 2009 when the stupid asshole Yankees beat my beloved Fightin's in the World Series.
Let's just say Jeter has fewer career wins than the Phillies' back-up shortstop and I like it that way.
I have been to Yankee Stadium before, but this Mother's Day I took the Official Mom of PoMiFoS to somewhere else nearby, the Bronx Zoo.  She wanted to see the baby animals and since I have not provided her with any baby humans to fawn over yet, she had to settle for some other young mammals.

Look at that little orange fella.  Ain't he cute?

Speaking of babies, how the Hell is Juan Perez 32? 

He looks like he's 15.  I wander if he is the anti-Tejada and lied the wrong way on his birth certificate.  Regardless, he keeps pitching like he has the games before the All-Star Break, I do not care how old he is.

Back to the baby animals.

He's a cute little...deer...thing...ain't he?

 And so are these guys.

And I'm sure if that little guy is still alive he is darling as well.

I'm pretty sure he moved while we were passing by.

Surprisingly, that was really the extent of the baby animals running or laying around on Mother's Day.  Mom still had a great time and I was pleasantly surprised by the zoo.  Given that it was in the Bronx, I was concerned it would be rather ghetto.  Honestly, old Yankee Stadium was a rundown dump.  Take away the 26 World Championships and the place was a rundown old stadium.  If that was the highlight of the Bronx before the new stadium was built, then I imagine the lesser lights could be nothing but disappointing.  Little did I know the same organization that runs the Bronx Zoo runs all of the zoos in New York City including the Central Park Zoo, you know the one with the bad-ass penguins in the movie Madagascar.  With that said, they had plenty of non-baby animals.

There were lions

and tigers

and turtles

Oh my.
Let's not forget the Official Favorite Animal of PoMiFoS, the Polar Bear.

I love polar bears.  Maybe not as much as the Phillies, but if the Phillie Phanatic was in a fight to the death with a polar bear, I'm not sure who I would be cheering for.  Paint some red pinstripes on the big white guy above and suddenly he's a pholar bear.  Sounds like an interesting idea to me.  Fortunately, this is a dilemma that will probably never come up.  Since it was Mother's Day, it was for the best because she's a big phan of the Phanatic. So it was a great day to spend with the Official Mom and Step Dad of PoMiFoS.  We saw lots of animals and had a lovely time at the Bronx Zoo.  Everyone should go.

Reading Phillies - First Energy Stadium - Reading, PA

If you're read just about any post in the history of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff outside aside from the first one way back in September 2008, you probably know I have a healthy fanhood (obsession?) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Use the search field on my blog and see how many blogs pop up from the word 'Phillies'.  Is Phillies a word?  They have been known to affect my attire as well as my facial hair so is it any surprise they have dominated my blog?  People thought I was going to die at Photo Day from a combination of the heat and mononucleosis.  I'm listening to Scott Franzke and Larry Anderson call the Phillies-Marlins game as I type this.  It's safe to say I am a Phan.
And also that Vance Worley is a good pitcher.  Ask Dustin Pedroia.
Before all of that came into fruition, when the Phillies were awful during most of childhood, I was a frequent visitor to their AA affiliate in Reading, the cleverly named Reading Phillies.  I spent a large portion of my childhood living down the street, like 10 blocks from the epicenter of Baseballtown.  I'm not really sure how Reading captured that moniker.  The local high school is best known for it's basketball team.  Lenny Moore (Former NFL All-Pro), Donyell Marshall (former NBA player and  All-American at UConn and he lived across the street from me) and Stu Jackson former (former coach of the Knicks and current NBA executive) are the most notable athletic alumni.  In the Rabbit series, John Updike gave an unflattering description of the people he grew up around in nearby Shillington.  But he was a Red Soz fan so he can go fuck himself.  Taylor Swift was born in Wyomissing, the Snob Hill of Berks County, and she sang the National Anthem before Game 3 of the 2008 World Series.

In case you missed it, the Phillies won that one.
Before she was a household name she sang the Star Spangled Banner before a Reading Phillies game.  Sadly, that's the best native I can come up with as a link to the Baseballtown moniker.
Here's where she sang:

 First Energy Stadium

  Here I am in First Energy Stadium

Ryan Howard just struck out again.
Here's some of the Official Family of PoMiFoS who were lucky enough to watch the game with me.

There was an actual baseball game that night as well.  The R-Phils bear the Richmond Flying Squirrels (not the River Rats like some people told me) 7-4.  J.C. Ramirez (not J.C. Romero who used to be a left-handed reliever for the Phils) started for the Phils and stuck out 9 over 6 innings while allowing 4 runs via 2 honers to Richmond 1B Wes Hodges, who actually has a Wikipedia entry. Here's the young J.C. (not Romero and not The JC...ya know, that Messiah guy) warming up.    

Thank goodness Michael Martinez just hit an RBI single.
Honestly, I love going to baseball games regardless of who's playing anymore.  The weather and the beer and the food and the friends almost always add up to a great time.  The weather was nice, the beer was cold, and I was with family I love, see above.  The food was a little disappointing though cheaper than the usual Major League fair.  Sadly, the Rita's Water Ice line stretched throughout the grandstand.  A nice woman in front of us informed us the line was about '2 to 3 innings long'.  The food was not Major League quality, but Minor League teams really try to entertain their fans.  For the R-Phils, this includes but is not limited to:

A mascot band

Reading has 5 mascots, from (L-R): Bucky, Screwball, Quack, Change Up, and Blooper.  Screwball has been there since my childhood, the other 4 are more recent additions.  To watch them play classic rock was a little bizarre.  To watch them play classic rock poorly and hear Quack, the lead singer, say he's proof you don't need to have talent to have fun playing rock n' roll was hilarious.  Along with the 5 mascots, the Reading features another character called Crazy Hotdog Vendor.

The picture does not do him justice.  Check out his Facebook page at the link above.

They also feature a dance squad.

That's right, a dance squads aka cheerleaders.  

There's no dance squads in baseball.  No crying either.

If Antonio Bastardo blows the save for the game I'm listening to, I may cry.
But really, minor league teams know how to entertain their fans.  The AA Phils ended their night with a fundraiser involving throwing tennis ball on the field.  The proceeds of which went towards the widow of Kyle Pagerly, a local policeman killed in the line of duty.  All those tennis balls helped raise over $1300 for his family.

Bastardo just shut the door on the Fish, but thinking about what all those tennis balls were for makes you realize baseball is not worth crying over.  But enough of being a downer, the night ended on a fantastic fireworks display just beyond the scoreboard.  I read a snarky twitter post regarding poorly taken photos of fireworks so I stowed my camera and just watched.  I've subjected you to enough poorly taken photos for one sitting.  I'll be back with some poorly taken photos later this week.

Indianapolis Motorspeedway - Indianapolis, IN - State No 40

How is the quest for all 50 states going, Kyle?

I just want to give it my best shot, and the good Lord willing, things will work out.

 So what does one do in Indiana?  It's not one of the sexy, exciting states that gets numerous blog posts like Hawaii.  There's no Major League Baseball team to wait for the Phillies to visit either.  There is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in downtown Indianapolis.

During PoMiFoS's visit, there was also a FFA convention or The FFA Convention or some big deal for the FFA that weekend.   For those of you who don't know, FFA stands for Future Farmer's of America.  Apparently it's a big deal in rural high schools.  The Official High School of PoMiFoS was rural and there was an active FFA chapter there, but being neither a current farmer nor a future farmer at the time, I did not participate.  I stuck with the football team.  I am no longer a football player and I am still not a farmer though some of the locals in New Jersey may link me to them.  Country music is great, but I am among the least country of my friends.  Regardless of my participation in agriculture or lack thereof, I saw about 10000 adolescents and teens wearing their navy flue FFA jackets proclaiming their home state.  Here is one from Colorado. 

Many of them wandered around Indianapolis on their first trip to the big city.  There were giggles galore and when I was among large groups of them, the hormones were palpable.  Farmers are awkward when they're teenagers, too.  When Little Farmer Johnnie fantasizes about taking Little Farmer Janie to the barn dance and holds out for a roll in the hay, there really is hay involved.  And they know the difference between hay (dried grass) and straw (dried stalks of grain).  

Hay

Straw

And everyone knows, all good boys and girls from the country love watching cars go round in circles.  So does PoMiFoS and where better to do that than the location of the The Great American Race, the Indy 500.  Not surprisingly he majority of the FFA Conventioneers were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the same time as PoMiFoS or at least it felt that way.  They filled the lobby and museum of the Motor Speedway and also took up most of the space on my tour bus.  If I were a better storyteller/photographer you'd see some photos of the multitude of navy blue jackets filing past racecars and kissing the bricks at the start-finish line.  Hell, you'd see the bricks at the start-finish line.  Instead you get a photo of the gate and a poorly taken one at that.

There ya go.  Enjoy!

Fortunately, the tour did more than just go to the gate.  I went to the gate myself.  I would have been pissed if I paid $20 (or however much I spent) for just that.  No, the tour was via bus and it took us for a lap, a slow lap, around the track.  You can both the banking in the turns and our tour guide in the picture below.  Doesn't he just scream tour guide at a race track?

At the very least, that face says NASCAR fan.  Of course, I used to be a semi-regular visitor of NASCAR races myself.  At Martinsville, VA we watched Rusty Wallace's last victory, sat in a truck, drank a lot of beer, and played cornhole.. 

Despite the redneck background, cornhole does not involve squealing like a pig.

Back to the more recent past, the tour took us around the track past landmarks recognizable to those familiar with the race track or the Indy 500 or the Brickyard 500.

The Pagoda and the Yard of Bricks at the Start-Finish Line.

The largest media center in the world!  

No, really, largest in the world.

And the Victory Podium. 

Sadly, I did not have any milk to chug upon completion of the tour.

Be sure to take some milk if you go, unless it's really hot.  If you're a racing fan or a sports fan in general, you really should.

Grand Tetons and Yellowstone - Wyoming- State No. 37

Who's excited for a post on Pics of Me in Front of Stuff?

Clearly, KJ, the newest member of the PoMiFoS family is.

I like to think of the cast of characters who inhabit the mysterious world as PoMiFoS as a big family.  It's been a disservice to her to not include her and Wyoming not to mention her sooner.  Since we're actually hanging out face-to-face in a few days it's probably best she gets mentioned.  I'm pretty sure she's not violent, but she has a seat next to me at the Phillies-Mariners game this Saturday and I do not want to test my luck.

She's been waiting for a long while so it's high time some more of this damn road trip actually made it on my blog.  Though it's Pics of ME in Front of Stuff, I really do this for the people.  All 3 of the people who actually read this stuff and have recently threatened to never read again since it's been far too long between updates.  

So....I was in Wyoming last July.

There I was at the Idaho-Wyoming border, in the middle of nowhere.  Back then I actually had someone to take my photo and so we stopped to let me block the view of some landscape.  Strangely, just as KJ and I crossed the Idaho-Wyoming border there was a little bit of home (mine not hers) to greet me.

PENNSYLVANIA!!!!

In case you are piss-poor at American geography, the Keystone State and the....Wyoming...State are not near each other at all.  Enough of me criticizing your geographic understanding of our country, I'm writing this instead of doing something more useful to talk about Wyoming.

Why Wyoming? There are ton of easy answers.
1.)Wyoming was a state I had not visited.  It was #40.
2.) There is a ton of beautiful shit to see there.  I'm blocking a view the Grant Tetons below.

Check out the size of those Tetons!

Those are some Grand Tetons aren't they?!

It might look obvious from the photo above I was a little tired entering the Grand Tetons.  I was pretty tired.  It was partially from driving over 1000 miles to the Grand Tetons.  It also had something to do with the mono that kicked in while I was hiking through the heat in Arches National Park.  I was not diagnosed until after returning to New Jersey but it was never how the virus got to me.  I will say the possible cause attacked possibly even molested me on the dance floor at mur.mur in the Borgata in Atlantic City.  Regardless of where I got it, crowded drunken dance floor attack or the hot desert of Utah, it slowed me down to a crawl.  Thank God I convinced KJ to come along..  She did not get sick and I'm pretty sure she wasn't the one who got me sick.  KJ was an initial person of interest but the timing just doesn't work.  Regardless of who got me sick, KJ came with me to visit Wyoming.

Look at that big fella and check out the sign he's partially blocking.  

Who could really resist traveling that fine piece of man meat? 
Yellowstone might have been a big draw as well.

What can I tell you?  The scenery was pretty nice.

Dragon Cave.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

There were the animals, too.  Who doesn't love animals?

Everybody Loves Animals!