I was messing around with The Gimp tonight (an open source Photoshop wannabe), and I wanted to test its ability to copy and paste "hand-selected" regions (regions that aren't rectangular).

I grabbed the first image that I found in my "My Pictures" folder, selected a portion of it, and pasted it into the next image that I found in my "My Pictures" folder. The two images were, honestly, chosen completely at random.

What I wound up with is a composite image that left me speechless:

I swear that I didn't plan to do this. I know it seems like the kind of thing I'd do for a gag, but no: I really did accidentally paste the head of Carrot Top onto a flame in an image of a burning American flag. I wasn't thinking about it while it happened - this is almost like a subconscious thing. It's a sort of image-manipulation inkblot. It's like this is what I really think about things. This is the world through Rory-colored glasses.

I almost didn't even post the image. I found it terribly entertaining, but realized that it might eventually require that I explain why I had the following on my hard drive:

1. An image of an American flag being burned

2. An image of Carrot Top

Both are the sort of thing you wouldn't want people to find on your PC - kind of like getting pulled over by the cops and getting caught in your limo with a monkey in lingerie - double negative points if the monkey brought a friend.

Yup.

While I'm here, I should also get a shout out to my longtime homeboy and fellow blogger, Stuart Laughlin. It's his birthday today, and he's earned it more than anybody. He makes the advancement of time seem like an effortless and perfectly natural thing.

So, happy birthday, my friend.