Squishy Travel Blog

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2009-07-06T23:31:42Z

Yes, the answer to the "where is Horace going next" contest on Twitter is indeed Ethiopia! No one guessed it. Which is sad 'cause Ethiopia is a nifty place to be a human or a monkey...or in the case of our many ancestors whose fossils have been found there, both! Ooooh the steaming macchiatos. Ohhhh that yummy spongy bread. Aaaahhh, that awesome shoulder dancing. Ethiopia! It's a great place for primates of any shape!

Addis. It's bigger than it looks.

The locals approve!

Really tough life we're living in here.

...And see previous!

Horace the Nomadic Monkey: confusing the heck out of security guards since 2006

Zoe demonstrates the finer points of looking really really conspicuous.

Los Vegas, NV

2009-06-20T19:28:04Z

Why can't Vegas make up its mind about giant squishy monkeys? I mean, it has all those all-you-can-eat buffets, perfect for a spherical animal watching its figure. That's good. Then it has all these clubs you can't get into unless you're itty bitty. That's bad. And it has big comfortable chairs in front of slot machines, just made for a round fuzzy fellow with a tail. That's good. But it has great shopping, where the largest size is a 00. That's bad.

Make up your mind Vegas! Are you courting the Giant Fuzzy Primate population or not?

Treasure Island has been redubbed "TI" in an effort to make it more accessible to Calculator fans

If you got that joke, I am very sorry. Incidentally, Zoe really needs a haircut

Cant...reach...slots...arms ...too...stubby...

Lemme present the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. Horace is now poor.

It's (just my size*0.5).

That's it. That's all I've got. Take me home. I'm done.

Comic Con, NY

2009-05-17T16:56:32Z

Was the NYC Comic Con two months ago? Yes it was! Are we only just now getting to post the pictures?Yes we are! That's just how good it was. Inappropriate outfits...check. Overpriced nostalgia ...check. Adorable round fluffy monkey...check! Horace has returned from Alaska to rejoin faithful traveler and front end (hur hur) programmer Zoe. She promises to take up her photography duties with a minimum of complaining.

Aaron and Will use the booth for its secondary - but just as important - purpose

Monkeys. The ladies with eyepatches love 'em.

The staff of 'Least I Could Do' do the most they can do

I got no excuse for this pic, I just thought it was funny.

Zoe checks to make sure she remembered to put on deoderent

Will thinks its too early in the morning. What gave it away.

Kenai Peninsula, AK

2009-05-17T16:34:49Z

Birdwatching! Rain! Whalewatching! Rain! Fishing! Rain! Glaciers...in the rain! All of these are things you will ding on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska! Horace has just returned to the lower 48 and is cataloging his pictures. A lot of them have rain in them!

Its a nature preserve on the way to Homer. Population: 10,000 birds, 1 monkey

Exit Glacier. Incidentally, that's Aaron! Hi Aaron!!

What do we see here? Glacier Bay. What do we not see? Horace. Way to earn your keep.

On the way to Anchorage we had to detour around a bear eating a moose. As you do.

It's in Seward. Mush, little guy, mush!

Juneau, Alaska

2008-11-17T05:19:46Z

While Zoe gets used to grad school (Woo NYU!) Horace the Nomadic Monkey is still without proper supervision! And as a true redblooded primate he's gravitated to that bastion of manliness and moose, Alaska! Here he is whale watching, bear watching, and salmon watching. No politicians were sighted.

Obligatory 'Yes I was really there' picture

On our way to Sitka! There used to be Russians there. Apparently.

DId I mention Aaron was with him? Aaron's with him

More boat imagery. 'Cause boats are cool.

Seattle, WA

2008-08-30T19:20:27Z

Horace has eloped! He was last seen heading North with Aaron, our back-end programmer, leaving Zoe to complain about her sudden lack of a pillow. These pictures were sent to us by a bewildered paparazzo in Seattle.

Pike Place Market is awesome. Forget the snarky commentary - this place rocks

Without the very first Starbucks, I would not be blogging right now.

Aaaaand back to Pike Place Market again. Because it rocks.

Sonoma, CA

2008-08-21T02:09:31Z

Grapes and olives...is it possible that Sonoma requires everything growing within its borders to be round? We're testing that theory with the help of Horace. Round one of experimentation shows that Nomadic monkey stays exactly the same size despite exposure to a vast amount of fermented grape products n' such. Zoe finds an awesome organic restaurant in town and rapidly becomes more spherical. That's 'cause Horace is a stuffed animal, while Zoe's just stuffed.

There just aint no pesticide that's gonna work against a plague fo monkeys

So many vineyards....so many miles to drive the car home afterwards

Olive oil is one of the four food groups...and may be required to get Zoe through the door later.

Portland, OR

2008-07-21T21:41:27Z

Do you play guitar? Come to Portland! Play on the street! Play in this very trendy coffee shop! Play in this awesome organic Market! This city positively sprouts enthusiastic guitarists.

But after a couple of days of Perl Jam covers, Nomadic Monkey desires a more laid-back soundtrack in the nearby mountains. Imagine him posing here to some catchy fiddle and banjo by the Del McCoury Band.

Obligatory proof-of-location shot

What awesome fuzzy topography! And the landscape's pretty good too!

I already used up my one landscape joke for the week. Sorry.

The famous Powell's Bookstore. Horace gets filed under F for "freakishly-adorable-round-thing"

Washington DC

2008-07-14T05:17:32Z

Yes, indeed, here we are in our nation's capital: home of lawmakers, students, and ten thousand political interns. Horace the Nomadic Monkey believes he would be an excellent elected official. Who's going to argue with an adorable monkey senator? Nobody, that's who. Vote for Horace in 2008.

This picture was later reused for a patriotic deoderant commercial

It's like a garden sculpture, only more so

Metro transit: so smooth you'll think it's trying to sell you on a tax hike.

Jacksonville, FL

2008-06-22T23:15:39Z

Nomadic Monkey wants to know why there are so many people carrying portable metal detectors on Jacksonville beach? Do they know something we don't? Is there secret pirate booty? Lost Rolex watches and wedding rings? A treasure trove of ancient, flattened beer cans? Only the earnest young men with the metal detectors know for sure.

Save this picture, folks, it's the last time you're seeing Zoe's torso anytime soon.

I lied.

Gainesville, FL

2008-06-18T17:33:53Z

When the University of Florida is on break, apparently this town can be a bit of a wasteland. And not the kind filled with exciting '80's rock bands, I mean the kind that comes with with swamps and large scaly reptiles.

Anyway, apparently they have a football team. Woo!

Just a girl and her squishy, and 500 hungry alligators.

Best breakfast place ever, an important thing when you're trying to stay spherical

Standard football fans are usually made of metal and welded to a chunk of concrete. It helps with crowd control.

New York, NY

2008-06-08T19:12:15Z

Why is it your feet always smell like potato chips after walking around sumertime New York City? That's what Zoe wants to know. I mean, no other city can embed that weird greasy aroma to its very pavement. Horace the nomadic monkey has more important questions to ask: Where is this grease from? Could it perhaps fry, say, a delicious funnel cake? or a small egg with toast?

Crossing a mosh pit. I mean intersection.

NY is the only city in the world where taking the subway is faster than taking a cab...but slower than walking. Alright enough making fun of NY. Zoe just got an apartment here. She's freaking out. Eek.

Chicago, IL

2008-05-29T19:27:00Z

The Sears tower. Ann Sathers. Wicker Park. All of these are awesome things in Chicago that Zoe and Horace the Nomadic Monkey have not had time to check out. Why? Because they were at Anime Central, that's why. Many thanks to the 15 thousand folks who showed up at the Rosemont Convention Center, and many apologies to the high school prom that had been foolishly scheduled nearby.

Zoe practices her smirk in front of the mirror every morning.

This activity would be illegal in some countries

Squishies: appreciated by guys in styrofoam and capes!

This is Will. Will spent the weekend doing manual labor for us. Will now owns my soul.

Nashville, TN

2008-05-22T21:45:58Z

There are only two reasons to go to Tennessee, and the one you're not thinking of is for Japanese Cartoons! Yes indeed, Zoe and Horace the Nomadic Monkey have been infiltrating MTAC, the Mid-Tennessee Anime Convention in an effort to pretend like they have a clue about pop culture. Age-inappropriate clothing! Species inappropriate clothing! What's not to dig?!

You ever get the idea that some of these pictures are just to prove we've been somewhere? Me too.

Thankfully, the police were able to negotiate a bloodless hostage release.

A slippery fellow.

Obligatory 'Zoe asleep on couch' shot.

Making a run for the border... not that we don't dig TN, but Virginia is so much easier to spell.

Roanoke, VA

2008-03-01T22:00:31Z

Oh the South Pacific - the seals, the surf, the giant plague carrying mosquitoes. And that's why Nomadic Monkey is taking a short break in the States...while Zoe gets over what the nice man at the CDC says is Dengue Fever. But no worries, folks! She'll be on her feet in a couple of days and back to exposing herself to virulent diseases before you know it.

Anyway, Roanoke VA! It's got trees, mountains, and pork products.

Nomadic Monkey is currently on pillow duty.

A LOOK OF DOOM like this requires years of practice. And antibiotics.

Later, Zoe's dad got tickets for transporting exotic species, and a helmet violation.

Zoe's Mom makes homemade mayo. Nomadic Squishy eats homemade mayo. The circle of life is complete.