quiero...

An alpaca.
Or a llama.
That's right. I want one.

Or two.

Or, for that matter, a whole herd of them.

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Has anyone noticed that I like alpacas? And llamas? I think they're hilarious: so ugly that they're cute and so very reminiscent of E.T. (At least to me...)

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"The new It animal? The alpaca, with more than 100,000 roaming U.S. Ranches and a nascent market for its soft fleece. Jack (above) is from Wyoming and recently visited kids at a Laramie library. Says owner Jamie Tharp: 'He loved the camera and wanted to be the center of attention.' Clearly."
Photograph by Barbara J. Perenic, picture and caption from the 11 August edition of "LIFE" magazine, p.3.

This picture is hanging on my closet door.

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Also, from Yahoo! News:

An alpaca is shown at the Good Fortune Farm in Parkdale, Oregon. May 25, 2006. A relative of the llama, alpacas originated in South America and werefirst introduced to the US in 1984. They were initially popular in the Northwest, primarily among llama farmers wanting to diversify.But the alpaca has since generated a "Green Acres"-like following among nonagricultural types nationwide. AP Photo, Rick Bowmer.

I, however, will use my caption: "AHHHHH!!! E.T. go home!!!"

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For more on alpacas: www.alpaca.com

For more Yahoo! News pics: www.news.yahoo.com

For more on LIFE magazine: www.life.com

For the definition of the word "nascent" (what?! I didn't know what it meant!!) :

www.thefreedictionary.com/nascent