Between letting the little fingers fly fast and furious over they keyboard in search of end-of-month billables, playing my ass off here, and the ongoing renovations here, I realize that I’ve been neglectful of the Howling Point. I’m sorry. So, without further ado…

A man wearing only a top hat and a cape was arrested as he allegedly tried to roll away from the scene of a museum burglary in a wheelchair, police said Thursday.

Which leads to the new tagline being inserted into the rotation today: Unlawful nekkidness blatantly publicized since 2001.

Little Pongo’s tail is all waggin with the linky love shown by Sugarmama and TPB at Unbillable Hours. He’s a happy little puppy and it’s not just that Chuck’s about to go to a meeting and let him have the run of the house. Y’all love him and you’re showing that love by linking to www.blogwhore.com and letting people know you support Chuck in the contest. It’s all about the links. If you can support Chuck (and make Pongo a happy puppy), please post a link on your blog and let Chuck know by 5:00 pm Pacific so appropriate credit can be claimed from our magnificient and wise team of judges.

Just how often can a blogger find an article of serious legal news that includes such a wonderful combination of keywords as “Barbie doll,” “blonde bimbo,” “German street walker,” “Supreme Court,” and “parody protected by the First Amendment”? Here’s the article, and here’s the Ninth Circuit decision (which now stands).

Ed K’s blog has left the blogosphere, and accordingly (but regretfully) the link to it has been removed from the stalked list. Sad to lose a good site worthy of stalking, and a really cool Texan at that. No replacement, not ever, but maybe we’ll think about a successor down the road.

As I’ve been blathering about for a couple of weeks, I’m playing in Blogwhore 2: Revenge of the Blogwhore. Still trying to figure out what the game’s all about? Well go read the site: read the main blog, read the game blog and read the peanut gallery. Go over there and make it fun for me and living hell fun for everyone else. But first, please do me a favor.

More importantly, do sweet little Pongo a favor. You remember poor little Pongo: adopted as a month-old puppy by a kindly diplomat in Africa, forced to endure Idaho winters, mauled by a vicious Rottweiler. *cue little violin playing* Yeah, that Pongo. As a favor for Pongo, put a post on your blog linking to www.blogwhore.com and clearly say you’re doing so to support Chuck in his quest to Blogwhoredom (and please let Chuck or Pongo know you’re doing this so puppy licks or other appropriate thanks can be sent your way).

The little black line found a new way to taunt me this morning. Somehow in the middle of the night it reached out and pulled a deck chair into its depths. The chair was just sitting there at about five feet down and two lanes over. Exactly where I had to pass it on every lap but where it wouldn’t physically interfere with my efforts. But mentally interfere it did. The problem was I never quite grasped the message. Was the little voice telling me to stop swimming and just lay out in the beautiful sunshine? Or was it saying I should keep swimming so I can look good laying in the chair this spring? Maybe it was just messing with my mind and telling me if I didn’t pay attention to where the wall was I’d be floating on the bottom of the pool just like the chair. I went with A and B. Finished the laps then took a short nap in the chair, letting the warm sunshine heat my body since the #$%ed hot tub was broken again.

Between someone’s release of an internet worm, my host’s server relocation, and complete and utter gridlock in the physical world caused by some sporting event over at Qualcomm, the work scheduled for the weekend has gone molasses slow. Not slow like pro football (play-rest-commercial break-repeat) but still pretty slow.

Pongo was happy with the result. He sensed my frustration in that way only he can and pawed me and nuzzled me until I gave in to the idea of a canyon hike. The weather was perfect for it. Got some exercise, got some sun, got some fresh air and had a pretty good time. Pongo knows best.

Today there are Sunday things to do. Trying to avoid the crowds will be difficult, but possible. Might get a little work done while all of you are watching sweaty men in pads and tights throwing around the internal organ of a dead pig. Might go back to the canyon and leave the work until really early Monday morning (still have to finish prepping a meeting). Maybe something else will come up. But which ever way it goes, there’s not a cloud in the sky and the temperature is already at 60 degrees (15 for you up north). Life is good.

Blogwhore 2: Revenge of the Blogwhore starts Monday. Don’t forget to come, visit and watch the good-natured mayhem. Also as a reminder and public service announcement, Valentines Day, the last of the miserable relationship/family-holiday series that started with Thanksgiving, arrives in three weeks. Make your own jpg hearts at the Acme Heart Maker. [via Amish Tech Support]. Then we can all clear our calendars, start the single-folk-holiday series of Mardi Gras – Saint Patrick’s Day – Spring Break and have ourselves a good ol’ time.

I’ve been trying since Monday to update the template on another site I run that was still powered by Blogger until a few hours ago. Finally just gave up. I don’t update it that frequently – I’ll just hand-code it until I get some other things going, but not being able to update the page at all due to someone else’s server issues was starting to cause big headaches and delay other phases of the project, not to mention just make me mad. I loved Blogger and used it for over a year on the predecessor to this site. The interface and features were perfect for the other site (when it worked). But sometimes, even when you have a good history with something you just have to let it go. Oh well.

Why the flamingos? Because they’re cute. Because I like them. Because people can’t help but be happy in their presence. And maybe, just maybe, because they illustrate the complete and utter stupidity of the headline Pick Stuns Pink Community on the S.F. Gate front page linking to an article reporting on the controversy surrounding one of President Bush’s picks to the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV and AIDS.