this is it. my flip-flops are now retired for the winter. the heat is on in annesley and there's a severe weather alert and road ban in buffalo. ca commence...

and am I the only one who's excited about it?

on to glorifying in rat pee, part three:


today we played with skinner boxes. the rat underwent surgery a couple weeks ago to implant electrodes in his hypothalamus, which stick out the top of his head in a black plastic tube glued to his skull with dental cement. so, little terry smelled like a mix of rat pee and orthodontist. when he pressed the lever in his box, the electrodes in his brain were stimulated, activating his dopamine (pleasure) pathway. the smart little bugger was lever-pumping independently after only four seconds of shaping.


I would have felt terrible about the whole process if terry hadn't enjoyed it so much. it looked like somthing out of a horror movie. a huge chunk of plastic protruding from his little head, attached to wires and machines, like some sort of torture devise you would find in the bowels of a deserted mental institution. all the rats, by the way, are named terry. haven't figured out why.