<Paul looks down on the Ferret Mailing List from his hillside retreat> Aha! An important event... Murphy! Sammy! Max! Front and center! <Three ferrets - Murphy, a handsome Sable in the red serge uniform of the RCMP; Sammy a Dark-Eyed White wearing a yarmulke; and Max, another, euqally handsome Sable with his hind legs strapped in a mobility device - run and roll up to more-or-less stand at attention.> Murphy: Present and accounted for, sir - ooh, this is the FML, right? We haven't been here before, have we? Paul: Sure is! And I think you're right - this may be the first time. Max: Oh, wow... All those message boards and newsgroups - and now we're here! I'm guessing that we've got a birthday to celebrate, right? Paul: Correct, and an important one - Kouri Wood! Sammy: Really?! The one with the NRA membership and his own Fan Club? Neat-o! Paul: Yep! A Fan Club that I'm proud to belong to! <Looks at ferrets> Uh - that is - Murphy (waving it away): Don't worry about it, sir. We're fictional characters. We think having imaginary members in a Fan Club is a bit much. Paul: Glad to see you look at it that way. Is the cannon ready for firing? Sammy: Should be. Skippy, Skippy, Skippy, Skippy and Skippy have finished tuning it up. No problems as far as we know. Paul: What about Skippy? Couldn't he help this time? Max: Skippy's off in Perth Amboy in an off-Broadway production of "Chess". He's playing Freddie. Last we heard he was rushing here in his private LearJet. Paul: Ah, okay. Get the cannon into position for firing! <Several Albino ferrets, dressed in mechanic's coveralls marked "Skippy", push a vintage Civil War cannon forward. The names of several newsgroups and message boards are listed on the barrel.> Paul: Ready... aim... FIRE! *BOOOOOOOMMM!!* *WHOOOOOOOSSSHHH!!!!* <Charge explodes in midair, showering the FML with confetti, streamers, M&Ms (including the hard-to-find Ferretone flavor), all sorts of healthy and not-so-healthy treats, and a banner slung beneath a parachute: HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, KOURI!!! Murphy, Sammy, Skippy, Skippy, Skippy and Skippy start a ferret conga while Max does a rather nice front-leg tap dance. Another Albino in a white linen suit strolls in and starts singing "One Night in Bangkok".> Paul: Kouri, I hope your birthday is a happy one, and that you have many more to come! <Skippy slaps a stencil on the cannon, covers it with paint and strips it away to reveal the words "FERRET MAILING LIST" added to the list.> ===== Paul E. Jamison -- "There's more pressure on a vet to get it right. People say 'it was God's will' when granny dies, but they get *angry* when they lose a cow." - Terry Pratchett [Posted in FML issue 3606]