How to Save a Life

I've literally just been getting passed around at the zoo like I'm some kind of weird disease, but it's been good to get experience everywhere.

A couple weeks ago, it was elephant, where I got to see everything instead of just how they put them out on exhibit.  This week, Health Center.  So really, just a whole bunch of birds, some itty bitty tortoises, the tamanduas, and preparing the medication.  Preparing the medication was actually the best part I think.  It was pretty interesting to see all the different stuff that they have to give the animals.

Also, today was Valentine's Day at the zoo, so we went out and watched Baheem the tiger attack a pinata that we put up in the tree, which was pretty funny.  He ripped the unicorn's head off to get to the chicken that was put inside, so that might have traumatized some children.  It was awesome to see him hunt it down out of the tree though.

BASEBALL STARTS TODAY!!!!

The last two nights I've seen Snoop Dogg in concert, and Just Go With It.  Snoop Dogg was actually pretty awesome, even though that's not really my type of music.....  Just go with it was hilarious.  But that's probably because I love Adam Sandler and Dan Patrick and Brooklyn Decker.

Drive until you lose the road, or break with the ones you've followed

Kings and Queens

Another week, another completely different zoo experience...I'm really starting to like this semester

Today, I helped with the other half of South America plus Tiger.  So we started off with tiger, it was nice to see Baheem again.  Then went over and did the flight connection, gibbons, caiman, otters, and jaguars.  Pretty sweet to see the Jags up close in the night house.  And the birds in the flight connection are way better than the other aviary and the bird run.  The otters were as funny as you would imagine, so spastic, but so eager to get their food and be able to go out into the yard when we were done cleaning it.  The best part was that none of the animals seem to poop that much, so there wasn't too much rake and shovel action today.

We also got to witness some random guy hop the construction fence of the new elephant exhibit just so he could use the bathroom because "there are no other ones in the park"....except that there's another one like 50 yards away, and not behind a giant fence.  That was pretty entertaining to watch one of the other keepers go out there and start yelling at him for hopping the fence.  Definitely one of the weirder things that's happened while I've been there.

Into your eyes, hopeless and taken, we stole our new lives, through blood and pain in defense of our dreams

Wonderful

Did a totally new area on Sunday, which of course means a new one of these blog post thingys.

Got shifted to anteater this week, which actually means capybara, llama, tortoises, rheas, flamingos, andean bears, and anteaters.  It was cool to see all of these new animals and all the different night houses that they have. Everything is more or less the same, cleaning and hosing out the houses, feeding the animals either in the back or out on exhibit, cleaning the yard, trying to do some training if there's time.  The one new thing that I did was clean the anteater pool, which was kind of gross because they only poop in the pool.  But those kinds of animals and night houses are what I imagined the entire zoo was like, not just that area.  So I hope I get to be on that area more this semester to get some more experience with those kinds of things.  Pretty sure I've done everything except polar bear/lion and macaques/mandrills at this point, and with lots of things changing at the zoo maybe I'll get to, maybe not.

Also found out that two apprenticeship spots open in September, so I'll have to find something to do this summer, although there is a thing in Boston that I'm going to apply for I think.  It seems like the perfect thing that I would need, and it's only from the end of May through September, so it works out perfectly.

Since my last post, the whole world now knows where Tucson is on a map, and I've seen every president I've ever voted for in person (one), and both for bad reasons.  But Rep. Giffords is making huge progress, and the whole tone of this community has changed, and I'm kind of glad to say that I've lived here for 3 and a half years now.  Just sitting here watching the news on January 8th was one of the most surreal things I've ever experienced.  Things kept happening and changing (CNN had Giffords dead for half an hour), and the nation was focused on this town that most of the country probably doesn't even know exists.  Then President Obama showed up, and I waited in line outside McKale all afternoon to see him speak, and to see all of that political power, all sitting together on the floor that the basketball team made famous.  It was crazy.

Four months til graduation! :)

How can you smile with all those tears in your eyes, and tell me everything is wonderful now?

Just the Way You Are

Today was my first day at the zoo in 5 months, and it was just as great as my first day a year ago.  Did some hoofstock, got to pet the rhino again, weighed the rhino (4537 pounds), and did it in below freezing weather.  And the baby zebra is gigantic now, like a normal sized zebra, it's crazy.  I remember last February being there during its first day of life.  Then I got traded off to giraffe where I cleaned the heated barn, and chipped ice in the yard so they wouldn't slip....apparently giraffes have died from slipping on ice.  After that, we went to bird run, where it was totally different, but the funny cockatiels that talk were still there.  Then we finished the day off by getting some branches for one of the giraffes and hanging it up in their stall.  Overall, a successful first day back.

And, an Alamo Bowl trip just happened too.  San Antonio's a pretty cool city, it would be more fun on a non-POA trip though since pretty much everything on the riverwalk is a bar or club at night, so I want to go back there sometime soon.  We played a gig on a boat, a gig in a bar, and a gig at a giant alumni party from a balcony above the party.  And we had tons of free time to roam the streets of San Antonio, it was just a cool trip.  But the 14 hour drive there and 17 hour drive back were not enjoyable.  Definitely fly there from Tucson next time.

It's been an interesting couple of months here, but I'm definitely ready to start my last semester of school ever, and to move on to the real world.  And only 40 days until pitchers and catchers report haha.  Tucson getting the Padres AAA team may mean season tickets for me to buy, but I guess that depends on if a job happens or not sometime in the near future.  A lot of uncertainty out there I guess.

If perfect's what your searchin for than just stay the same

Lying Eyes

So much to say....

Despite the football team falling to 7th in the Pac-10, we still get to go the second place bowl, which seems totally ridiculous to me.  Just another sweet gig this year that just fell into our laps.  And people are going to whine about the bus trip and whatnot, it's a different trip, to a different city, playing a different team, what's not to love about this?  We shouldn't even be in a bowl game since we're 7th, and we get this....so grateful.  And the way I found out, by Steve Sarkisian tweeting that UW was headed to San Diego, is exactly why I even have a twitter in the first place haha. for sports and more sports that espn simply can not give me.

Anyways, there's other stuff that happens before this though.  Finals are next week, which is lame, especially because I have two on Tuesday morning, after a Monday night band rehearsal...yuck.  Oh well.  And the Icecats game against ASU is next weekend, and people are coming to visit, it's gonna be quite the couple weeks down here in Tucson before heading back up to that white place called Flagstaff for Christmas.

And back to the original purpose of this silly blogging thing, I go back to the zoo two weeks from today!! :)  I'm so excited to be back there on a weekly basis, and to see what's changed over the last few months.  I'm glad I can go in once before Christmas just so I have an idea of what's going on there before being a regular again.

It's time to not let anything that anyone says bother me and just live life the way I want to, and not let them hold me back or ruin the experiences that are about to happen.

I thought by now you'd realize, there ain't no way to hide your lyin eyes

We Both Go Down Together

It's actually almost time to start making this thing about the zoo again!  I found out late last night, after what was yet another dreadful November 13th, that I will be working at the zoo again next semester :)  Not on hoofstock though, because they're combining it with elephant, but that's probably a good thing so I can become more diversified for when I have to find a real zoo job in 6 months

Yeah, 6 months....I graduate in exactly 6 MONTHS!!!  Class requirements met, paperwork sitting on my "desk" to fill out to get my diploma, everything is ready to go.  It was a very satisfying feeling to walk into my advisor's office, and she says, I need to give you graduation stuff.

I haven't posted on here in a while because nothing's really been going on.  Life is consumed by drumline, and this year has been extra stressful.  Playing with Calexico at Rialto on Day of the Dead was easily the coolest thing I've ever done in drumline....outside of the Holiday Bowl trip last year.  And since the Pac-10 is so ridiculously weird this year, the Holiday Bowl looks fairly likely again, which is perfectly fine with me :) But if we ended up in Vegas, and we played SDSU, I wouldn't even really know who to root for haha.  And the Aztecs definitely look better than us, especially since they almost won at #3 TCU last night.  Gronkowski just got his third TD of the game for the Pats against the Steelers too...I wish he was here.  The Oregon game would be 1 vs 2 I think if he were still around.

Last night, Lane Kiffin ran by me while I was on the field, and I thought to myself, how can so many people hate this guy?  There's just this vibe coming off of him that says that he's gotta be great at what he does, and given that I've only seen one game of his in person, and it was USC owning us in all facets of the game last night, I would say he's probably at least ok at coaching.  And that Matt Barkley guy...he's gonna be like Carson Palmer...good for a little while, then not good anymore haha

One month from tonight I get to see my friend who moved to Sacramento for the first time since she left in June.  Talking to her twice a week really helps life stay in check, and knowing that she'll be here in a month is such a relief.  I just want this month to go by fast.  One last football game in Arizona Stadium....except it's on a Thursday, which is kind of lame for a last home game, but I'll get over it.  And two presentations, two papers, and tons of tests until then.  Plus a possible assignment to preceptor a bio lab next semester...it's gonna be a long month, but hopefully positive

And while the seagulls are crying, we fall but our souls are flying

Bleeding Love

So, this weekend had the greatest September football game in the history of Arizona Stadium.  DOWN WITH THE HAWKEYES!!  Everything was great, the game, the drumline, the band in general....everything just went well.  It was a little stressful going into the game because one of the bass drummers wasn't there, but it all worked out in the end.

In other football news, the Bucs are 2-0!   A lot of people predicted that they would go 2-14 or worse, so this is another Padres situation for me, which is exciting, at least for now.

As for the Padres....ugh X a billion.  I almost can't watch Padre games anymore because it's just so stressful.  And Mat Latos on Friday....are you serious?  1.1 innings and 8 ER.....what happened?  Maybe this inning thing is real.  At least Chris Young is back and looking pretty good.  And Adrian is still clutch, but other than that, I'm just not sure at all.

In four weeks, I get to go to San Diego for a weekend for a lab credit, so I'm starting to get really excited about that.  Camping on the beach, boating, aquarium.  It should be incredible.  It's nice only having three classes this semester, especially after having six last semester....a lot of free time to just hang around and relax, which is awesome.

The next two weeks will be sweet, Pac-10 play starts, NL west coming down to the wire.  Should be exciting times here hopefully....

I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you