So - work is the same - lots of stressed employees, rambunctious visitors, and hungry bugs.

I have been thinking of other things though ...

I was attempting to use my "weekend" (Tues and Wed are my normal weekend) to do some much needed cleaning in my house. I failed miserably yesterday but actually accomplished something today! While cleaning out my office I was trying to get rid of some of the flotsam sitting about on my desk and coffee table and I came across the "North to Alaska" brochure I received a couple of years ago. I have always had this dream of driving to alaska ... it is a scary, unlikely and expensive dream but I still can't part with the brochure. I don't think I will ever have the time or the money ... but somehow keeping th brochure makes it seem closer.

I have been feeling antsy in general lately. It has been over two years now since I have left the country. Granted last year I moved to NOLA so that could be considered an adventure enough ... it often feels like a separate country (mostly because they see themselves that way). However, I find myself looking for distractions lately.

A more attainable distraction than a trip to Dutch harbor (yep - deadliest catch groupie here!) is the theatre. I get updates from the shows going on in charlotte and it practically has been breaking me to see shows like "La Boheme" and "Phantom of the Opera" come and go knowing there is no way I could attend. I have been utterly exasperated at the lack of broadway and opera near me here - only to find that the Mahalia Jackson Theatre will be reopening to such shows this november! The first show coming here will be "Cats"! "Cats" was the first broadway I ever saw back when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. We had absolutely craptastic seats so I watched the entire thing through an enormous pair of binoculars (classy, I know).

I am going to beg, borrow, and steal - and even if it kills me I am going to go to "Cats" this November and have decent seats!! I will find a way! Even if it means cutting back on fresh fruit and other expensive novelties ... I need to have some sort of goal like this. Sadly, I don't think I will be able to convince any of my close friends here to go with me but I have decided to not let that hamper my own fun.

Also, on a random search for "Shakespeare in NOLA" I found out that we are in the middle of the shakespeare festival at Tulane! I already missed "King Lear" (*Sob!* one of my favorite plays!) but there are still three others that have yet to run their course. The fees for entry seem to be about $20 so I may be able to convince someone to go with me but, nonetheless, I am thrilled to find that this even occurs here. It is something I can watch and save for in the future.

So even though the big dreams will continue to sit on my coffee table - I hope to find a bit of fulfillment in the smaller joys. I haven't given up the big dream yet ...

I had a Mel moment ...

I am going up to concord for the week of my birthday and mothers day. My mom asked me to come to church with her for mothers day ... this is a problem because I don't think I have anything "pretty" that fits me anymore. My reasons are good - I have been losing weight since January. For once I am following through with a new years resolution.

Anyways, yesterday I was in the room with all the dresses I still own. Two fit ... but I bought them about ten years ago and I have no idea if they are appropriate for my age or for the current style.

I had a flash back to one of my favorite books - Crown Duel - where the main character has an embarrassing moment for wearing seriously out of date dresses. When I realized that was who I was comparing myself to I started to laugh and it made me feel better - at lease I was in good company!

I am a part of all I have read.

~John Kieran~

I started out the day on the phone trying to track down the answers to all sorts of questions about bills and such. A lot of this I have been putting off but I am trying to tie loose ends with creditors and attempting to straighten out some issues with my insurance - fun! To be honest - I am trying to be better about all of this stuff but it is hard when ignoring it has always been the "solution" in the past.

One phone call that turned out really well was to the sportcenter in Concord. I was calling to see if I could get a temp membership while I was home and after talking to the guy (who was really, really helpful and nice) for a while he realized that he knew my parents because he went to the same church with them. I left the conversation with him trying to figure out what sort of deal he could get me ... but it sounds like they will let me pay for one guest pass and use it multiple times - Sweet!

When afternoon rolled around I started to prepare of Marisa coming over and helped me move some things around in my garden. I went to Lowes and bought some mulch and a few little plants for my front steps. I had pruned the bushes in my front yard before she got there and she helped me by weeding and then we spread the mulch. In the back we moved the hibiscus bushes to the back wall and took the smaller plants and put them on the sides of my yard (they use to be interspaced among the hibiscus but the hibiscus grew so well and quickly that my gardinias and azaleas were being choked out). After shifting everything around we weeded and mulched ... the transformation is astounding. We both were amazed - my garden hadn't looked bad before but now it looks fantastic!

I want to go to Lowes tomorrow and buy a little more mulch and another gardenia but I am actually very proud of how my yard looks right now. It also didn't take nearly as much work as I feared. We were really only out there a little over two hours.

Afterwards I paid her by making dinner (parmesan crusted tilapia, garlic baked potatoes, and corn ... carbs anyone?) and was tickled by the fact that she was so enamored by my "cooking" (really the tilapia is frozen already seasoned and the corn in microwaved - I can only take credit for the potatoes ... but I do make a kick-ass baked potato). I offered to invite her over more often but she knows money is tight so we compromised that she can pay me the base cost for the supplies. I don't mind doing the work and I enjoy the company.

All around this was a really fantastic day off.

Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.

~Robert Frost~

I know this sounds corny but I love my Mom and Dad.

I couldn't ask for a more supportive set of parents and they are force behind everything I have accomplished and all the good decisions in my life. They have always been there for me - never judgmental and always generous. I look back on my youth and can't believe I turned out as normal as I did because I wasn't an easy kid to raise but they managed to do so and never made me feel like a burden. Now I am almost 30 years old and I still know that all I would have to do is pick up the phone and they would be there for me in any way or form I needed them.

This past Easter I told my Mom that I was sad to be away from home and I was trying to figure out a way to afford a flight or the gas for a drive home. She told me to save my money because we were already planning on seeing eachother soon enough. Then a few days before easter I came home to a huge package on my doorstep. Inside was an easter basket that both Mom and Dad had put together. Filled with treats, funny little presents, a card, and little plastic eggs with notes written on them from my Mom.

They make me feel so loved it is unbelievable. I never doubt them.

I have gotten into the habit of calling home every thursday and now it has become such a routine that Mom or Dad will call and tease me Friday morning if I don't try to get a hold of them.

I have a coworker that is estranged from her mother and is even dealing with debt from her mom stealing her identity. When we talk about money woes and such I always feel like a bit of a heel because the disclaimer in my head is always - well, if things get to bad I know my parents would be there to bail me out. I know I have a safety net. I know I will always have their love.

I hope that if I ever have kids that I make them feel the same way I do.

(If you are wondering what brought this on - I just watched an episode of ER where a woman lost her Mother. She admitted that they never got along but after she got the news her mother was dying she could do nothing but cry ... because all those arguments meant nothing now. This made me think about how well I get along with my parents but also how much I was going to miss them when they were gone.)

Ever since seeing the video of Susan Boyle on "Britian's Got Talent" I have been obsessed with the song "I Dreamed a Dream" (If you haven't seen it WATCH IT NOW!!!). I downloaded the version sung by Patti LuPone and have listened to it pretty much non-stop for the last couple of days.

I read "Les Miserables" in my early years in high school (9th grade I think) and I remember hating the book until about half way through and then becoming thoroughly entrenched in the story. I was a still bothered by the harsh ending though ... but this seems to be a common strain with me in most classics.

I saw the musical "Les Miserables" when I went to London in the summer of 1997. I wasn't particularly excited about seeing it and didn't think much about it for the last few years.

Now I am tempted to reread the book and I really wish I had the opportunity to go back and watch the musical again. I don't know if it is Susan Boyle or simply that I finally listened to the lyrics and heard what they were saying ... but I tear up every time I let myself get lost in that song.

Frankly, I think that "Les Miserable", in every form, is lost on high schoolers. It is about dreams being lost and the extreme hardships of life ... what do high schoolers know of shattered dreams? I am not saying that high school is fun or easy - mine is responsible for several scars I carry to this day - but I think you still have hope then. It isn't until later that you realize that your future might not be what you hoped and there may be little you can do about it.

I can't help but have my heart reach out to Susan - 47 years old, unemployed, youngest of nine, learning-disabled and bullied as a child, caretaker for her dying mother, never been kissed, singer in the choir, possessor of big dreams - and feel her struggle and heart in that song. I cry every time I listen to her sing the ending line - "now life has killed the dream I dreamed". I sincerely hope that she wins "Britain's Got Talent" no matter who comes in the fold and, regardless, I will buy whatever CD she puts out in the future (there will be a CD ... I can't imagine they would overlook the hype). And yes - I mean BUY - I won't bum the mp3's off someone or look for a downloadable format online. I want her to get her dream.

Today ends my first French Quarter Fest. It was a lot of fun and not nearly as scary and hectic as I feared ... much the same review that I gave to Mardi Gras.

What continues to astound me with these festivals here in New Orleans is how family oriented they are. I think the only view and opinion the vast majority of the country has about New Orleans is centered on images taken from Bourbon street. Just like when watching the parades during Mardi Gras, I found myself surrounded by kids over the last couple of days. I really liked hearing the sampling of local music and even put in a request with Remy (the local NOLA nut) for an mp3 of an interesting song I heard the other night.

I am coming to really appreciate this city and its culture. I think it has a bad wrap with the rest of the country. I am not saying the "crazies" aren't here - but they don't rule the roost.

I am doing the "Body Pump" class at my local gym and I admit that it is really fun. The amusing part is that I am getting really addicted to the songs they use. I don't listen to the radio much (ipod junkie that I am) and so I don't generally hear much of the popular dance songs that come out, unless they are used in a television show I watch. The side affect now is that whenever I hear these songs I want to get up and move - sometimes I even go through the movements of the workout (sans weights).

I don't expect these classes to make huge differences in my appearance and, as a woman, I almost hope they don't because I don't want to be "buff" ... just toned. Nonetheless I admit that getting up and doing *something* makes me happy.

It is funny that my current financial crunch is actually making me enjoy life in different ways. I can't go out ... so I am reading more again. I can't afford much gas ... so I ride my bike more. I can't eat out ... so I am learning about new dishes I can make at home and, frankly, finding that I like my own cooking (I use that term loosely) better than my previous fast food haunts.

I still haven't mastered my budget. I could afford my life month to month if I wasn't concerned with buying birthday and Christmas presents (yes, I start this early - it is the only way I can find and afford things for everyone), odd expenses like hair cuts, and the wear and tear of life like fixing car tires, getting oil changes, and getting my watch out of hock (I took it to a repair shop two months ago ... I could have afforded it last month but I found a perfect - and somewhat expensive - Christmas present for a loved one ... the watch can wait). I am learning though. I don't enjoy continuing to live hand to mouth and I will be glad when Audubon can afford the promotion they promised me ... but this is turning out to be a good learning experience for me.

Speaking of work - I have decided to attempt to behave more like a assistant manager of husbandry and try to not let the day to day stuff consume me. I am likely going to offend some people by being more present in certain areas and less in others ... but that is the way it is. I had a long talk with a good friend at work and she convinced me that I need to look at my situation and be more proactive. I am painfully non-confrontational so this is something that is going to come slow but I am trying.

Anywho, another one of my resolutions is to attempt to take the time to actually put down my thoughts here on LiveJournal again. I have been sporadic for so long and I am out of practice but I am going to try. This always helped me sort things out in the past and I truly believe it was an enormous tool towards my mental health during undergrad ... so I am going to try to pick it back up. However, due to the nature of my job I am going to "friends only" posts where I talk about work - I will try to put those thoughts on separate posts so that lurkers and facebookers can read the rest but ... I don't want another lecture from a higher up and I sincerely don't want to ruffle anyones feathers (even unintentionally).

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

Just returned from my first Mardi Gras parade!!!

Marisa, Marc and I went down to where his son lives (and has a balcony were we can watch the parade from and a clean bathroom as well) to watch the Bacchus parade. Up until now I have been going home after work simply because I am the only manager on duty through this holiday and I just don't have the stamina to go out every night and be coherent at work as well.

Anyways, I had a blast! We rode our bikes down to where the parade started and spent the rest of the evening attempting to catch beads. I failed miserably and aside from one necklace that hit while I was looking elsewhere I didn't catch any myself. I scavenged a lot off the ground, Marc gave me everything he caught, and two various strangers (whom we chatted up while in line) gave me LOADS of beads. All in all I ended up with close to 15 pounds of beads (literally), several stuffed animals, enough plastic cups to keep me from doing dishes for a couple of weeks, several stuffed animals (my favorite is a little whale with grapes on it), and the ever prized doubloons!

Now I must go to bed because I need to be at work tomorrow at 8:30am and after work is an even LONGER party for Lundi Gras. Before I always said I wasn't going to go downtown on Mardi Gras day but now I think I might if Marc and Marisa do. I had a lot of fun hanging with them.

My camera was absolutely useless but nonetheless - some pics below the cut ...

( Read more... )

I love holidays. I just like to celebrate.

I think that a great deal of the reason I like holidays as of late is because I like having a reason to get things for people. Due to my current situation it isn't wholly wise for me to be buying stuff for my employees and friends whenever the chance presents itself ... but holidays are few enough (once a month or so at most) that I feel justified in buying little gifts. I like making people happy. It isn't really altruism because I like the seeing them happy and surprised ... if they took it for granted and weren't appropriately thankful I wouldn't get pleasure from it and I would likely stop.

Another reason I enjoy holidays is that today was no longer just another Saturday - it was valentines day! I have never really felt the need to celebrate this holiday but when I realized it was coming up I asked Jayme and Zack what they had planned. Zack gave the staff some facts on "Bug Love" and Jayme gave me the okay to go out and buy some supplies to decorate.

Having grown up professionally under the states wing - working in a state museum - I am always hesitant on mentioning or celebrating holidays. So when Jayme told me I could cheese up the place I could hardly contain my happiness!

I went out last night and bought some garland, large paper hearts, and a box of plastic hearts and this morning I cut all the flowers blooming in my backyard ... all in preparation of cheesing up the museum.

I would have liked to do more and I think that the guests weren't enthused but it made me happy and I think the staff enjoyed it a great deal as well. Like I said - it wasn't simply another Saturday.

Our next holiday - March 14: Save a Spider Day (and, no, we didn't make that up)

( pictures of the stations decorated behind this cut... )

(I got tagged on Facebook but I figured I would post it here as well for "safe keeping." I also tagged people on Facebook so I am going to leave a simple open invitation for here.)

Rules: Once you've been tagged, write a note with 25 random facts, habits or goals about yourself. Choose 25 people to tag in the note, including the person who tagged you.

1. I am absolutely in love with the new hidato puzzles
2. My favorite color is purple
3. I have a fear of falling
4. I LOVE photography and enjoy capturing the personality of various animals
5. I want to learn to quilt, to build stain glass windows, to spin/glaze pottery, to paint with oils, to sculpt, and sign language
6. I have spent the last six years of my life trying to convince people bugs are cute
7. I have spent the night on an island in Antarctica being kept awake by penguins
8. If I ever wrote a book about the silly people in life I have encountered while working at museums it would either be titled “What is the capital of Africa?” or “What color is the state Australia?” … both questions I have been asked.
9. My favorite insects to work with are the ones that want to kill me … and think they can (Think Jeff Dunham's Achmed "I kill you!")
10. I have seen the world’s largest ball of twine … wasn’t as big as I expected
11. I don’t have either of my stapes (ear bones) or my gall bladder
12. One of my dream vacations is to take a road trip to Alaska … flying there just wouldn’t be the same
13. I practically live off of orange sodas and oranges but orange is my least favorite color
14. I make it a point to buy the local rum on my international trips … but I do so to pickle bugs not my brain
15. It is one of my more far-fetched dreams to own a Frisian … though I would settle for almost any horse
16. I have spent several nights in Africa being kept awake by lions, hyenas, and baboons (and, oddly enough, the freezing cold)
17. I talk to myself, answer myself and, at times, argue with myself
18. I look forward to going to Dollywood and the Dixie stampede every year
19. I can’t sing or dance but I still do so very often … at home alone
20. I share my birthday with Billy Joel
21. I want to see a great white shark and a blue whale before I die
22. I love to travel and am nearly dying from not having a chance in the past year
23. My cat is in the “kitty protection program” because … well I kind of stole it
24. I have been to a stargate convention and a firefly convention and would go to a star trek one if the opportunity presented itself
25. I love watching texas hold’em on television, can name more of the players first and last name then people I work with, and yet I have never played (nor desire to play) a hand of poker

Dillards
My parents got their check from Dillards!!!

I have been really worried about it for the last few weeks. Every year this one account makes or breaks my Mom's business. It isn't that they wouldn't be able to survive if they didn't get an order from them, but rather if they take the order and Dillards doesn't pay that they would go under. To produce the massive amount that Dillards wants, Mom has to take out several loans to pay for the supplies and personel. Basically she remains in debt for the last few months of the year and then pays off the loans once Dillards comes through. Every year they are a later and later with their payment. This year though they were about three weeks past any other tardy payment. On the flip side, they gave her more than she had been expecting ... not one to look gift horses in the mouth Mom has put the money aside to see if they ask for it back but otherwise is simply reveling in the ability to actually show her face at the bank.

It is odd but the economy issues don't seem to be affecting my parents that much. The January 2008 wholesale show was their best ever and this year they aren't doing that bad either ... not as good as last year but it would be silly to expect that. Even the retail shows we did didn't see the decreases one would expect - in fact, aside from Dollywood, I think most the shows held their own within 5 - 10 percent.

I wish I had been able to do the mall again. I heard that people actually called the business crying because they couldn't find us at either location, and I feel really and truly like I failed people by not being there ... but I don't regret the move here to NOLA. Aside from my loneliness, this is a really good place for me to be right now. We will see where things take me in the next few years but for now this is right where I need to be.

First cello, then piano, now guitar ...

I flew home from my parent’s house after Christmas so I wasn't able to take all my presents with me on the plane. My Mother was kind enough to ship the remaining items out to me this past week. Included in that were some guitar CD's that I have been dying to listen to for the past month or so. They are by a guy, Don Thomas, who sets up near us in the Virginia Beach Christmas Show. We have been by him for the last couple of years and he always plays the same beautiful music. This past show the wife told us she was interested in trading - and thus I got a full set of his CD's!! (Which I just found out he autographed - *grin*).

I normally am not a big acoustic guitar person but his music makes for great ambiance. I also admit (and those of you who know me well know this) that the fact that I live a week a year with his music playing constantly nearby me makes me crave it at later dates. I have a weird addiction to music. If you make me listen to a song repeatedly over any length of time ... I become oddly attached. One would think the reverse would be true but for me music is like a drug and I like to know that I can get a fix by simply scrolling through my iPod.

Cleaning House

So I am on the end of my second of three days off! Three! I had a whole list of things to accomplish. Predictably enough I haven't really done any of them ... aside from relax. I started to clean a little bit today and I am hoping to continue tomorrow. I admit ... I don't expect to have a clean house by the end of tomorrow but I am hoping to have created a large enough dent that I don't feel futile in my attempts to straighten during the week.

I did get some weeding done. My initial plan was to do a complete overhaul of the beds in the back yard and take all the non-hibiscus bushes out to make more room for some hibiscus that I plan to buy in the near future. The farthest I got on that plan was to pull all the weeds that were standing above 2 feet. Can I just take a moment to be amazed at how quickly weeds grow down here??!?!

*Sigh* 

So, like I said, haven't accomplished much beyond relaxing. I think that is okay though. I was getting to be hard to live with at work so I am hoping that this (along with my self administerd dose of Pollyann) will make me a better coworker and boss. The only thing I HAVE to do tomorrow is get the tires on my car fixed because that is becoming a very real hazard to my life.

Meeting new people

Aside from my chores tomorrow I am also considering going to a meeting at a nearby campus of the Ponchatrain Astronomy Society. I have always been interested in Astronomy and I would really like to learn more about the stars. I would also like to learn how to use the telescope that I own ... though I am sure it is in need of repairs if not outright missing parts.

I spent the vast majority of the day looking up various ways to meet people in the area that aren't at all related to my work. I am thinking about using meetup.com to find some social events. This is all part of my new master plan to become more active in life beyond the Insectarium. We'll see ... I may or may not have time to go to the meeting tomorrow but I really think I ought to try.


May you live all the days of your life.

~Jonathan Swift~

Due to the whole Livejournal financial crisis thing going on I have decided to go back and edit my journal so I can download and get it printed by lulu.com to keep for future perusal.

I went back five years to when I started posting here and fixed broken links, deleted random quiz posts, and spent a little time reading what I had to say. I was actually surprised to find out how HAPPY I sounded back then. Realistically I know that those years in school were some of the hardest, most draining I will ever have (hopefully!) but still, my posts were often full of fun, sarcasm, wit, and hope.

I was talking with Bill on the phone yesterday and I told him that I think that is the major difference between who I was and who I am now - hope. I had a lot of aspirations as to where I was going and where I expected to be in a handful of years. I truly thought that once I had a fulltime job that I wouldn't have to worry as much about electricity being turned off or affording groceries. Yet here I am ... still cringing every time I get the mail. The difference between then and now is that there is no future to cling onto with hope in thoughts that it will change.

Also, I really thought that by now I would be in some sort of relationship. I am not foolish enough to equate any personal value to being or not being in a relationship but it is hard being at this point in my life and not having any prospects for that future. It would be easier if, like in sitcoms, I was surrounded by comrades that were similarly afflicted and we shared these thoughts over coffee at the local dive ... but most of my friends are engaged, married, or in long time committed relationships. When they go down those paths their priorities change, as they should, and they become a "we". This is a daunting change when you are alone and surrounded by couples. You realize that you can't just stop by their apartment unannounced or expect them to drop everything and go to a movie with you ... they have to check with their other half and you might just end of a third wheel if they do accept. But I digress ...

Basically, I am near enough to where I was five years ago when I know so many people that have moved way beyond that part of their life.

However, even as I write this I realize I should give myself some serious kudos in terms of professional status and personal experiences (traveling and education). Also, though I am in serious debt, all my credit cards are cancelled and I been working on a clear and achievable plan on how to pay them off within the next few years. It is just that I am almost 30 ... I really thought things would be different by now.

...

Well, I can't do anything big about the financial thing (I was due a nice raise at work but all those were thrown out the window for the next year pending the economy) and I refuse to make this next year about "looking for a man" - if I am meant to be in a relationship then I will find the right guy (even though I might still whine about it if I am destined to be an old maid).

I think I will make my new year about doing something for myself. Some of the things I read about that made me happy were little things like writing fun stuff, going to the dog park, and basically spending time doing silly things. I need more silly things in my life.

There is a quote I read a long time ago that said “boredom is an insult to oneself”. I think I am going to try to enjoy my company again. Instead of focusing on all the things that didn’t turn out how I wanted them to and stressing over all the fallibilities at work … I am going to try to be a bit Pollyannaish in my approach. I am also going to attempt to spend less time at work – if I go in at 8am then I am going to try to be walking out at 4pm (especially on the days I eat lunch at my desk!).

I am the one in control of my happiness and I need to grasp that. I am going to try to spend more time around the people who bring that out in me too. I need to move away from relationships that aren’t healthy for me and embrace those that make me laugh. I am going to try being a little more selfish and a little less serious.

We will see how this all goes …

(A cookie for anyone who knows what song that comes from - without google!)

I have a post half written about everything that happened while I was at home for Christmas ... but I still haven't found the time to complete it.

Work is work - I had an employee put in their notice. With three people laid off and a hiring freeze ... this is going to get interesting. I am attempting to shave down the number of insects we are taking care of.

Life is rather hard right now. I came back from NC a little on edge because my parents were fighting for the last couple of days while I was at home and then I was immediately back in the thick of things here. There are some days that I am so very tired of being the responsible one or dependable one. Everyone else can dork around because they know that I will pick up any slack.

I think I will feel better once I have had a day off to spend at home. I am hoping to get my bike tuned up and have a blinker attached so I can start riding to work again. I need to get back in the habit.

Some of my staff are leaving for Christmas as early as monday so I gave out my gifts. I got all the girls (the vast majority of my staff) a handmade bubble wand that is in the shape of a butterfly. The men on my staff (all two of them) got a box of fudge (3 flavors) in place of the bubble wand. They all got a half dozen of the peanut butter potato chip cookies that I find absolutely fascinating. I made them for the first time about 8 years ago and only repeated the process 2 or 3 times since then. However, the use of a potato chip in a cookie continues to astound me. I was talking about this recipe to a couple of my friends at work and they were put off rather than intrigued. So, to prove to them all that such a thing DOES taste good, I made an enormous batch for everyone. (So far I have rave reviews!)

To Cokie, Jayme, and Zack I am giving a small glass bowl with dragonflies stamped on the sides ... filled with the cookies. The only hick-up is that I broke one of the bowls and so I have two large ones and one small one (that I had bought for myself but is going in for the cause). I am at a loss as to who to give the small one to (Zack or Jayme) so I am going to let Jayme pick which one he wants tomorrow (whoever gets the smaller one also gets some fudge ... so his sweet tooth may push him in that direction).

I made another big batch of the cookies tonight and I am going to give my two friendliest neighbors and my landlord a small plate of cookies. I also have 100 more (I did say it was a big batch) that I am going to leave out tomorrow in various places around the insectarium for the other departments with a note saying "Merry Christmas from the Husbandry Staff". I think it will be a nice treat. I am only sad that I won't be there to see everyone enjoy them Tuesday. I am taking the day off to pack for the trip home.

I love Christmas! I know it sounds cliche but I really do enjoy the giving much more than the receiving. I really am chafing under this reduced budget making me unable to be as generous as I would like. I wasn't able to get what I would ideally like to get for everyone I know and love ... but I will simply revel in the fact that I get to spend time with family!

One thing I would like to do while home is go to the discovery place where they have a Pompeii exhibit right now. I am hoping I can convince my Uncle and/or Father to go with me but if not I might still venture out solo. Sadly, most of my friends are either not coming to Charlotte for Christmas or spending such a small amount of time that I don't think we will even have time for lunch let alone a museum exhibit!

Well, hopefully tomorrow I am going to have time to get my home together, wrap all my presents, and get started packing. I know this much - I am done baking!

So I took today off - first day off in over two weeks (first one where I am not traveling to some craft show in about a month) - and it was grand.

I have spend most of the day doing absolutely nothing. I got some laundry done in the first part of the day and sent a couple of emails off to my boss to ask him to tell some people things (he ordered me not to call anyone ... there was nothing said about emails). He responded with one of the most amusing emails I have gotten in a long time basically thwapping me on the proverbial nose and ordering me to do stuff not related to work.

While eating lunch (from Chick-fil-a!) I spent some time going over some of the old pictures on my computer. I found this old scan from a textbook:



Is that not the most amusing scientific rendition of an animal you have ever seen? I remember when a professor had us studying that chapter I kept looking around to see if anyone else was as amused as I was. Alas, I found no kindred spirits. The happy little tardigrade is certainly one of my favorites. I can't help but wonder if the artist saw what was happening as he drew it or if he remained blissfully unaware as to the silliness he created.

Anyways, soon after I got distracted by a book and didn't surface again until about 7pm. Then I forced myself to go out and do the vast majority of Christmas shopping I had left. I spent around $200 and I honestly think my budget is officially tapped out. However, I might also be done. I think that I might need to go back to cafe du monde but other than another small present or two ... I might only have wrapping and assembling left to do. This is a good thing because I think I might need to ship most everything to my parents and I want to do that Friday morning so that it might get there on time.

A rather uneventful scattered day ... but a good one nonetheless.

One ought, every dat at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

~ Johann W. von Goethe ~

So one of the coolest things ever happened this past saturday. A gynandromorphic Hypolimnas misippus (danaid eggfly) eclosed at the Insectarium!



I have read about gynandromorphy while in college and I am just giddy to have been onsite when one appeared.

A gynandromorph is an animal that is literally half male and half female - directly down the center. This occurs during the development of the zygote when the chromosomes don't split correctly. Basically due to non-disjunction one side of the zygote develops with an X (females are X or XY) and the other develops with an XXX (males are XX or in unusual cases XXX).

The more dramatic specimens are those where the species has sexual dimorphism - so either side is dramatically different (like my little danaid eggfly). If you look at the picture above you can see that the line down the center of the body - the right side (female) is lighter in color and the abdomen is a touch longer.

( Ventral pictures for those interested ... )
*squeee!*

The Insectarium crew at this years holiday party.

I haven't done a meme in a very long while and this one amused me so I thought I would give it a whirl ...

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

• Graduating from High School


• Playing D&D with college friends


• Going to college to be a math teacher


• working as a waitress at cracker barrel


• Going on a spontaneous road trip to DC for Clinton's impeachment

5 Things On My To-Do List Today (I am going to do tomorrow because today is pretty much done)

• Finish unpacking from the virginia beach show


• Go to the "New to New Orleans" luncheon


• Have a meeting with Jayme about what has gone on while he was away


• Go grocery shopping ... maybe buy the ingredients for jack daniels chicken


• Take my poor dog for a walk

5 Snacks I Love

• Ice Cream (preferably mint chocolate chip)


• Navel oranges


• Welch's red seedless grapes


• Hershey kisses


• Bojangles french fries

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire

• Pay off my debt and my parents debt


• Buy a house in the smokey mountains with lots of land


• Get a Friesian and a couple of other horses (likely some rescues as well)


• Buy some state of the art camera equipment


• Travel, travel, travel!

5 Places I've lived

• New Orleans, LA


• Raleigh, NC


• Concord, NC


• Perrysburg, OH


• Wyandotte, MI

5 Jobs I've Had

• Salesperson at Sears, World of Science, and Alltel


• Waitress at Cracker Barrel and O'Charleys


• Owner of sales booth of Christmas ornaments at three different malls


• Assistant Curator of the Arthropod Zoo at the NC Museum of Natural Science


• Assistant Manager of Animal Collections at the Audubon Insectarium

I am supposed to tag 5 people ... but I will just let you do this on your own if you have a desire to look back and reminisce for a bit.

I was watching Law & Order on TNT at 7:00 today and it broke for commercials. The commercial told me to stay tuned because coming up at 8:00 was a Law & Order mini marathon ...

They make me giggle. They are so very broken and they don't even know it.

Today was one of the first Christmas parades in New Orleans. This wasn't my first parade here - sadly oktoberfest wins that honor - but this was my first parade honoring a local icon. Today was a parade welcoming Mr. Bingle.



Remy was beside herself - hopping up and down the sidewalk and texting her mother. I enjoyed the parade but it made me miss home. This one was mostly school bands and such ... just like the Christmas parade on church street. I also don't think I can ever hear a school band and not think about sitting on my parents front porch listening to CHS in the distance.



I think the homesickness is a little worse because there are so many scrooges here. I don't know if it is due to the tropical nature of the city or what but a lot of people here are downright bitter about Christmas ... However, it might also be because I am used to being surrounded by ornament makers and craft show lovers at this time of the year. Nonetheless, I really hope they don't take too much of the season away from me! I love waking up to Christmas music and seeing all the bright lights on the houses around me.

Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.

~ Joan Winmill Brown ~