Mean on the outside...big softie on the inside. That's me on the left again, the one on the right... J.L.H. I've got more if ya wanna see um.
After reading your post about road rage incidents...kinda scared to hang out with you...could be F8L, just kidding...if I'm ever up Sac Town way I'll look you up, we'll grab a beer and do some Prius bench racing.
I was one of the drag racers interviewed on The Grid Mobile 1 TV show. I am the crusty looking guy with a red Neon (The Cheap Skate) in the back ground wearing a cap that says "Car and Driver Magazine 50th Anniversary Drag Race Champ" talking about making money racing street driven cars against full blown race cars. That was last year and I was 3rd in pts...the ONLY guy that drove his car to all the events. I made money in 8 of 12 races, including this one. The year before I was 2nd in pts and won the Stick Shift Nationals! UMTR Stick Shift Open Drag Racing video | Mobil 1 The Grid
I learned something, you can't say f...word on this forum. Which f word? The one George Carlin covered in the 7 dirty words. Not fart, the other one. We can say fart here right? Can we? Please? Anyway, As for photos here: I'm the big white one.
That is so cool! I love tigers. Well, all cats, really. I'd love to have my picture with a tiger. Maybe not on my shoulder like that. Maybe just petting it. I'd love to pet a tiger. Leonardo had stripes. Sometimes I used to pretend that he was a tiger. :rockon:
P.S. Just so we're clear, I know perfectly well that tigers are dangerous and you can't just go around petting them, and I would never reach through the fence or bars to touch a tiger. Leonardo would have been maniacally dangerous if he had been tiger size. Or even bobcat size. Fortunately, he was house cat size. But at Australia zoo, outside of Brisbane, for about $400 (last time I looked) they would allow a group of up to four people to come into the zoo early and walk with a tiger before opening time. A handler on each side holds a leash, and you get to pet the tiger, but not touch its head. A photographer comes alone, and the photos are included in the price. But by the time I made up my mind to do it, the one day I had available was already taken. At the Calgary zoo I was able to come right up close to the tiger because there was just a chain link fence and the tiger was right at the fence. I did not attempt to touch. I was not even tempted. I still miss Leonardo, though. He was the next best thing to a tiger.
Yes, their program was a spin off/started by the same people who started the program I worked at (It all originated at what was called Marine World), but in Australia they have laxer laws and regulations regarding public interaction with big cats. My sister also had a chance to meet tigers at Tiger Temple in Thailand, though she was smart and stuck to the cubs. MGM in Vegas used to allow people to take photos with their lions, but that habitat is closing. Also it's funny you say that about your cat, because behaviorally tigers really do act like housecats (100 times the size).
Several decades ago, an outfit showed up at the shopping mall 30 miles from where I lived, and set up big cages in the hallway. They had several big cats, and several cubs. The adult cats were for show only, but they were taking people's pictures with the cubs. There was a lion cub, days old, and a tiger cub, a couple of weeks old. They were very professional. Set the cub in someone's lap, paws facing away, let go, snap the picture, and grab the kitty. It took an eyeblink. Digital photography did not yet exist and I was a very strict vegetarian. I eat fish now, but in those days I ate no meat, fish, or fowl, I wore no leather, fur, or down, and if bread touched meat, I would not eat the bread. I was very strict. I did not eat refined sugar because the refining process used bone char. (Some sugar companies have changed to a non-anilam process.) And I did not do photography or willingly allow myself to be photographed because photographic emulsion is made of gelatin. So I did not get my picture taken with the tiger cub. I've regretted it ever since. I've heard that before. A big-cat trainer once told me that. And I've read it here and there. And that's why I know how dangerous tigers are. My cat would jump at ghosts, or pounce on me with no warning. If he'd been 500 pounds rather than 6 or 7, I would not have lived long. I have a picture of my sister holding an ocelot that belonged to the photographer. I'd go to Tiger Temple if Thailand was not so dang far away.
I love felines. All kinds. As for petting them, I will limit myself to house cats. I don't think others will appreciate 'food' touching them when they can do nothing about it.
