Gunther's Sock Monkey Friday - Customer Appreciation Day at the Bank

Gunther was very excited to attend another Sock Monkey Friday at the bank, which happened to be a Customer Appreciation Day. This was a special Friday because FOOD was involved. The theme of the day was patriotic. New customers received American flags when they opened their accounts. The bank's official decorator (Cynthia) brought festive items, including some adornments for Gunther. He arrived wearing his customary Penn State baseball cap.

However, he looked quite dapper and Uncle Sam-like in this patriotic red top hat.

This was his absolute favorite though - a red headband with pom pom style antennae.

Did I mention FOOD was involved? Cookies, brownies, candy, danishes, hot dogs, chips, etc. Gunther tried a little bit of everything.

"Thank you so much for bringing me to Customer Appreciation Day, Laura!" Gunther gives her a giant sock monkey hug.

Presents from my friend in the UK - Franklin J. Monkeypants

I have been a very fortunate monk this week. Today I received a package all the way from the UK. Many thanks to my Facebook friend, Franklin J. Monkeypants!

Oh boy! I can't wait to see what's inside!

I received a monkey card "Bald is Best." How true that is! I also got a cool monkey paper weight and a sock monkey cell phone charm.

Last, but certainly not least, I got some English candy called "Wham." Franklin warned me not to go crazy on the candy because it's very chewy.

Here's a closeup of my cell phone charm. I think Laura wants to make a necklace for herself out of it. I might let her if she's good. I was so happy to receive such a nice care package from my friend today. I think the felines are jealous because I've been getting spoiled rotten lately.

Presents from Cracker Barrel

Last week I received a great tip from one of my Facebook friends about new sock monkey loot at Cracker Barrel. On our way home from Moffitt last Tuesday, I got a chance to pick out a few early Christmas presents. I chose two candy dishes and a candy jar.

I am going to hide some goodies in this jar.

I've got some Dove dark chocolates I can keep safe in here.

Safe? Maybe I spoke too soon. Somebody is trying to raid my stash!

Another present I received from Cracker Barrel was this cool camouflage John Deere hat. I can wear this out in the backyard when I'm looking for varmints.

Thursday Night's NFL Season Opener - Steelers 13, Titans 10

We were still at Moffitt when the pregame show began. After listening to the Black Eyed Peas, I have a feeling that tonight is going to be a GOOD night for the Steelers!

Once I got home, I gathered my fellow Steelers' posse Troy Monkamalu (center) and Ben Socklisberger (right).

Go Big Ben! Let's win this game!

Even Karl got into the spirit of the game with his Terrible Towel. The game was a tail biter, but my Steelers came through with a victory in the end. Yippee!

Moffitt Cancer Center - Part 1

This past Tuesday, we found out that Mark would need to receive more chemotherapy. We returned to Moffitt Cancer Center on Thursday for the first session. He will receive one drug via injection directly into his brain. Before the drug is administered, his physician's assistant withdraws spinal fluid. This fluid will be tested later for the presence of cancer cells. Mark has a special port in his brain called an Ommaya reservoir. We call it his "Easy Button" (like Staples).

Here is the chemotherapy drug that will be injected next. It looks like Mountain Dew (or monkey urine). Hee hee! Let's say it's Mountain Dew. That sounds better.

Mark's physician's assistant gives him the shot of Mountain Dew. She is enjoying this a little too much, I think.

Now for Part 2 of his treatment... Mark will also receive another drug that is supposed to inhibit blood vessels from growing around a tumor, which should deprive it of nutrients and it will shrink and hopefully disappear. This drug will be administered through a port in his chest. We have to go to another area called the Infusion Center to receive this injection. I am checking out the machine which will slowly infuse the drug into Mark's port.

After my inspection, it looks like he is good to go. Mark will be hooked up to this contraption for about an hour and a half. Since it's dinnertime, I'm going to make a run for some comfort food and I'll be back shortly.

Moffitt Cancer Center - Part 2

On my way to pick up some grub, I investigated the landscaping on the grounds of Moffitt. This palm tree was too spiny for me to climb.

I found some pretty yellow flowers. They reminded me of daffodils.

My pit stop for dinner was our favorite place to eat (Jason's Deli). I ordered a Mexican Chicken baked potato. I think this potato was on steroids. It was HUGE!

After a yummy dinner, I amused myself in the Infusion Center. There are some nice volunteers who knit beautiful hats for the female cancer patients. I decided to model this snazzy purple number.

Each chair in the Infusion Center is equipped with an individual television. This is especially nice for the patients that sit in these chairs for many hours while receiving their chemotherapy. Mark and I kicked back to watch the boob tube after our meal. We were especially looking forward to watching the Steelers' first game of the regular season.

Wall Springs Park Revisited 9/7/09 - Part 1

I had so much fun at Wall Springs Park the previous weekend that I decided to visit again on Labor Day. This time I brought my trusty red tricycle along so I could cruise the path system throughout the park.

I heard a babbling noise coming from the water, so I had to stop and check out the situation.

I found some white water rapids! Now I just need to bring a raft next time I visit.

It's time to move along on my park travels. The red tricycle is beckoning me to continue my ride.

I made a second pit stop to enjoy the view. There are several wooden piers like this one within the park that overlook the water.

Wall Springs Park Revisited 9/7/09 - Part 2

As I continued my ride, I ran into my friends Sockette, Princess Monkitha and Miss Pearl who were resting on a bench. I told them to follow me, and I would give them a tour of the park.

I showed the girls where we could see the beautiful waterfront homes on Indian Bluff Island.

I took my tour group, which included Mark, to the top of the observation tower where we could gaze at the serene waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The last stop on the tour was the famous Wall Spring.

I pointed out the unique structure in the spring which resembles a woman's profile. I've been getting to know this park very well in the past couple of weeks. I think the County Parks and Recreation Department should hire me to be a park ranger. What do you think?

Penn State versus Akron

We are so excited for the football season to begin! My humans and I went to the Varsity Club to watch the game with our PSU alumni club. We always get there early so we can sit near the big t.v. Our mascot, the Nittany Lion, and I watched ESPN's College Gameday prior to kickoff.

During halftime, we always have a raffle including several PSU items like hats, t-shirts, mugs, etc. The Nittany Lion and I checked out the loot. We made sure to distance ourselves from the prizes once the raffle began, but someone thought the Nittany Lion was up for grabs and tried to take him!

Things were looking pretty good for our team at the end of the third quarter. The score was PSU 31 and Akron 7. This was the final game score as well. We were happy for the first win of the season in Happy Valley. I wish we were there in person.

My Roommates are Clowns

This morning I was a helper monkey and offered to wash some dishes for the humans. Want to see what happened when I asked for a hand with the dishes?

This is what they gave me. Yuck yuck yuck! They're a couple of comedians, I tell ya!

Visit to Wall Springs Park on 8/30/09 - Part 1

Wall Springs Park is a beautiful county park located close to my home. As the name suggests, the main feature is a historic spring which used to be a resort area many years ago. There is no swimming allowed at this time in the spring, but we did think about jumping in for a quick dip when there was no park ranger in sight. No matter what time of year it is, the water temperature in the spring is almost always 74 degrees (considerably cooler than the Gulf right now). This would have been downright refreshing at this sweltering time of year.
Rear ends from left to right are: Marcus, Jocko Janoski, me and Farcus.

Here's some historical information about the Park.

More information for my viewers...

This 195 acre park is situated on the Gulf of Mexico. Jocko, Farcus, Marcus and I enjoyed the tranquil waters with waterfront homes on Indian Bluff Island in the background.

Marcus took it all in. He just arrived from Minnesota yesterday. I think he's enjoying his new surroundings.

Visit to Wall Springs Park on 8/30/09 - Part 2

One of the park's highlights is this 35 foot tall observation tower. My pals and I climbed to the top level to enjoy the view.

We chilled out on this bench while checking out the Gulf.

I was scanning the water for dolphins, sharks, fish and birds eating fish.

Where are all the people? I want to wave to someone.

Hmm... I wonder if I can jump from up here to down there? If someone sees me, they might report to the ranger that a wild monkey is on the loose inside the park. Hee hee!