Zimbabwe

In films and books of a certain era, the man of mystery has often just returned from Zimbabwe, or is on his way there (especially if he was spurned for the all-American lantern-jawed white-toothed boy from next door). It was a veritable land of intrigue and mystery and adventure, that fantasy Zimbabwe, that super- conveniently left out all of the actual realities of the people and the place there.

Zinger

I like a good zinger, where a faint metallic echo capturs the direct hit.

Zippy the Pinhead

The weird thing is: whenever I do a "links like this" search on julen.net, the one site that always appears in that list is the Zippy the Pinhead site (even before this entry!). I'm not sure why, but I've got five bucks on the Pinhead angle.

Zither

I have always wanted to own a zither. I'd just have it hanging on my wall. Every once in a while, at a gathering at chez J, I'd scare my guests by wandering over and rubbing the strings contemplatively. Some days I'd even move to take it down before taking mercy on my guests. If I ever actually learned to play it, however ... that theme song to The Third Man was so perfect. That whole movie was fantastic, but the zither sets the perfect tone.

Zoos

Among their attendant joys, Australian zoos allow you to hold koala bears. Koalas grab onto you, digging their claws into your shoulders, and dripping stale eucalyptus drool all over. The animals are small and compact and heavy, and would like to think of you as a tree.