Okay, this is the only other cheetah picture I got before my film ran out. I ended up getting a lot closer... I mean, I petted the damn things. They were like big kittens. Kittens that could maul your face off.  

Here they are together. They're both male, and in the wild they would stay together and hunt. They're called "companions." Not "hetero lifemates," as I would have dubbed them. 

They didn't run as fast as they could today, but they did get up to around 45mph. 

The cheetahs shown in these pictures are only 17 months old. 

It's pretty damned hard not to get blurry cheetah shots with a disposable camera. (I didn't know we were doing the shoot today, but I just happened to have my camera with me!) 

Here the cheetahs are going back into their cage until the next run. The man with his back completely to me (hand on hip) is Ried. 

And THAT'S a CHEETAH. Running. With no tether or leash involved.  

This dog (I forget its breed, sorry) looks after the cheetahs. In Africa, they give these dogs to farmers because they scare the cheetahs away, instead of having the farmers shoot the cheetahs. That's a big part of this conservation program. Dogs Not Bullets. 

Okay, wow. Begin cheetah photos. The lady who owns this house lets the cheetahs from the Cincinnati Zoo run around her huge lot every Wednesday. She's part of the Cat Ambassador Program. Interesting fact about this picture: bottom right hand corner is Carol Williams, prime-time news anchor for Channel 9.  

This is the little placard at work with my name on it. Sorry it's blurry. It says "Red Writer" at the bottom.  

Eric, swimming. Fascinating. 

Eric on "stage." He must have been singing "For the Longest Time." I know this only because it's the ONLY SONG HE SUNG ALL NIGHT. 

Alison, on "stage." (read: WAY too tiny platform.) 

Brianna, also enjoying the karaoke festivities. 

Eric. (Why do you always make that face?) 

This is my Alison Strickland, at Poor Michael's bar in Hamilton. Karaoke night! Woo! 

Here's another picture of the new 'do. I wish you could have seen it-- I looked like a rock star! 

This is my new haircut. Of course, you can't see it at all. I lost something like 4-5 inches in the back, and 2-3 in the front. It's all jagged and I have a swing bang. But I didn't use the flash, plus I never straighten it. Some good this picture is.