Name change.

Welcome to the world of advancing technologies....

One of my classes uses a blogger account as the class website and we have to contribute through out the course of the quarter. Hence the name change revealing more than I normally would online.

It's a neat idea, as an interactive website, which is better than when Denise added us on Myspace for English 103 at SBCC. Sharell was her #1 friend for a long time! Ha ha :)

School so far has been good. Ended up successfully crashing the terrestrial vert class and lab I wanted, so the schedule has worked out nicely. Easing in to the flow of things, but it will fly by! Only 10 weeks????? What am I supposed to do? Learn to speed read? On the bright side, the majority of my textbooks and required reading are interesting enough to keep me motivated, but one of them puts me to sleep. Which is sad because I'm interested in the topic, but they use language that runs on with big complex words and sentences that I just get lost. Who are they trying to impress anyway?

That's all for now. Peach.

Kiwis Attack!

I am seriously contemplating a study abroad, however it brings up several potential issues. The big ones being:
1) Having to pay rent at home while I'm away
2) Spending the time abroad costs about as much (depending on the program and location) as an entire years tuition at the UC campus.

Mostly, as you see, are financial constraints. Much to consider.

But I really want to go. The adventures would be unbelievable and as a biologist I feel this would be exceptionally beneficial to possible careers and life experience.

Or blah blah blah because its late and my brain hurts.

Want. To. Travel. Before. Passport. Expires.


End.

Degree Number 3??

All I can say is, "thank you Jens for posting my grades so quickly"



BECAUSE I PASSED O-CHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
C in lecture and A in lab. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'm so flippin' stoked that I could do backflips, except that I don't think I physically can.... so yeah. BUT YAYAYAYAYAYAYYYY!!!!!!!!


Ok that is all. Continue about your lives as normal :)

Accelerated to a STOPPPPP.

Thank the dogs the semester is finally over. Fairly certain I passed all my classes, Thanks Larry for finally giving us assignments back so we have an INKLING that we are indeed passing. Worst final ever, next to ACS Ochem II exam. UGH. Its been a rough week.

Zoo on Friday, I helped Denise with the Gorilla/Giraffe line. They've been doing construction in the barn, so its been a challenge keeping to a normal schedule... so essentially there was 3 days worth of poop-yard to rake... Yum.

Baby Daniel! About to get lunch :)

So I had to distract the other giraffes so Denise didn't get trampled

They tried to eat me!!!!! Haha

I also had the honor of being followed around by meerkats!!! They are so funny. They thought I was carrying a food bowl, but nooooo... I was picking up their poop! And... as I'm doing so, I look up to see that my ochem professor and his son are watching me... nice.

Anyway, my head really hurts form lack of sleep (thank you finals!!). Peach out till next time!

It's decided...

I'm a Gaucho! I did look into a graduate program at UC Davis, in Animal Behavior, and made sure that I could still do that with the courses at UCSB. I still really want to go to Davis, so this was an option. Long story...It was a tough choice, but the two were really close. It really came down to a coin toss... almost.

On another note,
Zoo today was awesome! Denise was off in the field looking for egg masses (froggies!!!) so I got to hang out with Mark in herps! When both Sophie and I are volunteering (a) everyone gets jealous, and b)) we called ourselvs, "Mark's Army". We're silly. We were set up on a few projects this morning: cleaning the radiated tortoise den/exhibit, cleaning the "oh-crap-I-forgot-which-tortoise-species"den/exhibit, and cleaning Mary-Lou's (american alligator) pool. I love the radiated's because they are affectionate, and also, contrary to our other tortoise friends (not desert, but something else), they are NOT covered in their own feces!!! Gross. Hokay, so we were hanging out with radiated's and we had to hose the bottom part of the den, so we removed it, and swept it off, etc, then took it outside of the exhibit to hose. I turned on the water and let Sophie hose, but as I was trying to get out of the line of fire, I tripped over a tree knot in the roots, and tumbled all over the place... I'm sure it was a hilarious site, but my back/neck/shoulders are really sore now. Plus, I slashed up my finger on something. It was exciting.

Here's some cuteness from the zoo:

The littlest radiated tortoise getting her morning scratches. I love when they dance... wiggle butt!!

The two larger radiated's getting their scratches. Dancing tortoises!

Nom nom nom....

La vida es buena.

Life is good.

Busy freaking week writing papers and such.... TAKE THAT PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION!!!!!!!! Word. Glad that's over with.

So, I started going to SBCC with the intention that I would get an AA in Spanish and be done with it. Had all but one class taken care of, and it was the class from hell that I didn't think I'd be able to pass, so I dropped it, and it was rarely offered. Shortly after this catastrophe, I decided to be a bio major instead, and work towards transferring to a UC to study animals.
In the process of getting everything in order for the transfer, counselors began telling me I was eligible for this degree and that. So I applied for an received an AA in Liberal Studies: Emphasis in Math and Science. Woot. Then they told me to apply for an AA in Chemistry this spring, so that once I pass (which I will!!!) ochem, I will have completed the requirements, and earned the degree.
So, I'm stoked, because it seems like SBCC is handing out degrees like candy, and I'm collecting. Then, while working diligently on my 5000+ word paper on photophosphorylation in the library on Tuesday, I run into an old friend, who happened to be working on a few degrees simultaneously, Spanish being one of them. I mentioned that I was like one class short of the degree, and told her which it was and she said she didn't have to take it. So, today, after submitting my bazillion page paper, I hopped on SBCC pipeline to check the DARS report, and lo' and behold!!! I have completed all requirements for my Spanish degree! Yahoo! So, I applied for the degree, and it will be ready to pick up in like 2 weeks! STOKED!

What I had originally set out to do, was accomplished :) Not that I'm stopping here. Bachelor of Science, here I come!


Some squee and cuteness:

Frog's favorite water park ride :)

Hugs!

Dance, dance, dance!!!!

Happy Easter!

This was from Friday at the zoo, but I forgot I'd taken it. I apologize in advance if the quality is bad; I've never uploaded/posted a video. Also, apologies, I stupidly recorded it sideways...

I call it the "Jack-Jack Dance"

I'm a turtle, you're a turtle, we're a turtle all....

...and when we get together, we do a turtle call!


Sharell and Casey did a "Complete the Sentence" post... I'm bored, so I'm gonna too.
"I have never . . . gone fishing on a bright sunny day, down by the pond where the little fishies play...
I would love to go to . . . Costa Rica (for the sloths, baby!!!!!!!!!!)
For breakfast I ate . . . pancakes!
I wish that . . . my lit review would write itself, and that I am able to correctly identify my ochem unknowns in lab this week.
Tomorrow I am . . . Eastering in Ventura at my Aunt's house... and meeting my uncle's family for the first time (is that redundant??)
My ideal car . . . is fuel efficient, has four doors and a backseat.
My dog is . . . still out there, waiting for me to adopt it.
I love it when . . . it rains when I'm swimming.
One of my favorite things about . . . my cat, is that he's BONKERS!
Every time I see . . . a lizard, I imagine the smile on HBOO's face
I rarely ever . . .  forget to make my bed"


In other news... been accepted to UC Davis!!!!!!(finally)!!!!! Looking at all the financial aid offerings from Davis and Santa Barbara, and weighing out my options. TOUGH choice.


Zoo on Friday was NUTS! The weather also could not decide to be hot or cold, wet or dry. Had some fun cleaning Cats of Africa, and the tiniest little cat scared me at least three times.... hehe. Also seen lions act.... like lions. FEROCIOUS BEASTSSSSS!!! Haha :) 

Big kitteh feets

Seven otters snoozing in the sun

Long time no..... sleep?

Still waiting to hear back from Davis... <insert Jeopardy music>.... It's late April, what's the deal??

Anywho, so basically this week and next week.. and actually the next 4 weeks are kind of going to be rough, and I will be exhausted by the end of it. This week is midterm hell (Ochem today, Sociology tomorrow and Cell bio on Thursday). Then next week is paper's galore.... Lab Report on Photosynthesis, and Lit Review on Photophosphorylation due, then the next week my Sociology paper is due, and the abstract for my seminar... and so on and so forth. I can't wait to be done with the Lit Review. 5000 words... I'm on it.

But first must conquer ochem and bio midterms.

SLEEP?!?!?!?!!1 What's that?!

And now, some cuteness, because we all need some.

I think he's learning how to turn the water on...

Too hot to study... (side note, he's always lingering when I am doing chemistry... never biology...)

Kitteh Adventures!

This week Charliego has gotten to go on a few adventures. One was to experiment with his obsession with water. I filled up the bathtub with a little bit of water and let it drip. He came running in to see what was going on. He ALMOST got in the tub, but got distracted with something else.

Also, Charliego got to go an on adventure outside!!! It might sound mean, but he has a kitty harness and leash. He is always trying to go outside, and I feel like he's so bored and doesn't like his toys. SOoooo I've given him the gift of natural behavioral enrichment! He was smelling EVERYTHING. It was really cute. This morning we went out again and he explored another side of the house he'd never seen before... :)

I have macaroni and cheese coming out my ears!

I just made like 8 tons of macaroni and cheese from scratch. OMG. Worst idea ever. I was just going to make pasta, then remembered I had macaroni noodles, and there is a recipe for a mac n cheese bake on the box, so I thought, "what the heck, it can't be that hard".... boy was I wrong! First of all, I apparently have NO sense of size when it comes to measurements. 16 oz pasta which I intended to put in a medium pot; 4 cups milk and 1/2 cup butter which I intended to put in the small pot (plus 3 cups of cheese).... and I had a cassarole dish set out, which was apparently not that large.

[Begin scene]

Mom walks into the kitchen to get ice cream for Dad....

M: What are you making?
T: (standing over stove with small pot of butter) Macaroni and cheese.
M: Oh I see. How much are you making??
T: Umm.. Idk what does the box say..... (grabs box)
M: (Looks at cassarole dish) You're going to need a much larger dish. Like the biggest one we've got.
T: Well shoot. (abandons melting butter and flour in search of a larger dish)
M: Don't stop stirring or it will stick to the pot!
T: Well how am I supposed to do all of this if I can't leave? (returning to stir the melting butter/flour mix, and noticing the water boiling in the next pot) and now with my third arm I will add the pasta to the water....
M: How much do you need?
T: All of it.
M: All of it? (looks at water boiling in medium pot, and then to the 16 oz box of pasta) You're going to need a bigger pot.
T: Poop. (still melting butter in the small pot) Can you get the bigger pot?

Mom transfers the hot water to the larger pot, and adds more water.

T: Oh shoot... I need the milk now. Can you hand me the milk?
M: How much?
T: Four cups.
M: Four cups?? You're going to need a bigger pot than that...

Tanda stares at the pot... then stares at the sink where the empty medium pot is....

T: Can you bring me the medium pot???

Mom brings pot, and Tanda scrapes the butter/flour mix into the larger pot and Mom starts adding milk.

M: You need to add it slowly, and then wait for it to thicken. Then you can add the cheese.

Mom adds 2 cups of milk.

T: My arm is getting tired.
M: Not done yet! This is only half!
T: Aaahhhh....

Mom adds the other two cups.

T: Shoot. I need the cheese.
M: How much?
T: Umm... what does the box say... 3 cups? 3 cups.
M: You might have just enough cheese. (looks at ziplock grated cheese bag) let me put this in a bowl for you...
T: I need more hands... (starts throwing handfuls of cheese in the milk/butter/flour mixture)
M: You need to wait for it to thicken before you add the cheese. Then add a little bit at a time...
T: (stares blankly at pot)
M: Keep mixing! Well.. it might not thicken now...
T: Great. (slops hot liquid all over stove)

Insert comment from mom about keeping the stuff IN the pot... while laughing. Meanwhile the pasta has been added to the water, and boiled for 8 out of 10 minutes.

T: You're only laughing because you know you don't have to clean it. (looks at timer). Great, how am I supposed to strain that if I've still got all this cheese?
M: You've got two minutes... you can do it.
T: (looks at the cheese) yeah... right. You said to add it slowly....
M: Hmm... it says to add the pasta to the cheese sauce.. but I don't think that's going to work, so you'll just have to pour it on top of the pasta in the dish. Now I have to give dad his ice cream before it melts.
T: You're leaving!?!?!?!?!?!
M: Well, I guess I could strain this for you... (strains pasta and pours it into large cassarole dish). You'll be fine. Did you preheat the oven?
T: Of course not.

[End scene]

And so it plays on. I hate chemistry and I am not a chef. And NOW she tells me... "Next time I'll show you how to halve the recipe"... You couldn't have mentioned that sooner??????

I made all that food and now I don't want to eat it because its terrible. And there is so much of it. Gah.

Mega. Sad. Panda.

RIP Bernard :(

(I know its a blury picture, but I put up the good ones a few posts ago)

When the going gets tough, the tough make lemonade.

Well, here's an update:

I've thus far been accepted to UC Santa Cruz. Will be hearing from UCSB on Monday, and San Diego and Davis sometime before May 1.

Slightly more depressing news... I actually studied, really hard, for my last ochem midterm.... come to find out I got 65% on it. BOOOOO. I really hope I can still pass this class.......... bah. Suddenly, I'm back to thinking there is nothing worse than organic chemistry.

Sloth Fever!!

So I discovered this absolutely AMAZING volunteer program recently. I'd heard about it before, but actually googled it, and I want to sign up and go sooooo badly. It is in Costa Rica, at the Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Sanctuary!! It's 2-4 weeks of sloths!!!!! $30/day including room & board and 3 meals a day. Volunteer work is 6 days a week but they vary the activities from manual labor to research to rescue to education/tourism, etc.
I would sign up in a heartbeat except that I need to get a job this summer and while this would be AMAZING experience, no one would hire me for 2 months. Plus, I basically can't go in June, because EVERYTHING is piling up in June!! Weddings, apartment searching, my cousin is coming to visit sometime in June before he gets deported to Afghanistan in July... my goodness. I definitely cannot miss that!! Besides this summer, I basically wouldn't be able to go till after I graduate from UC, so, I plan to do just that.

Check out the link. Fall in love with the sloths. I did. But really, it all started with Bernard :)

http://www.slothrescue.org/Volunteers/

Gata Loca!!

Except that my cat is male... this chunk of the song really sums him up.... (I've translated it to the best of my ability)

Mamborama - La Gata Loca


A las cinco de la mañana (at 5 in the morning)
la gata loca deja la cama (the cat jumps on the bed)
y cuando duerme el mundo (and when all the world is sleeping)
ella practica su kung-fu (she practices her kung-fu)

Ella lucha con los fantasmas (she fights with ghosts)
que solamente ella puede ver, (that only she can see)
ella baila con una rumba (she dances a rumba)
que solamente ella puede oir (that only she can hear)

Claro que esta gata es loca (clearly this cat is crazy)
pero tiene mucho cariño, (but is very sweet)
voy a llamar la bruja, (I am going to call a witch)
quítate los demonios (to get rid of the demons)

Yo quisiera dormir más tarde (I would like to sleep in)
la gata no me dará la paz (the cat does not give me peace)
a mi gata le da a Changó su lucha loca (--I don't know what "Changó" is, but I think the cat is fighting it)
¡no me molestes más! (Don't bother me anymore!!)

ah ah ah ah ah

Coro: Gata loca, baila rumba (crazy cat, dances rumba)


This morning, Charliego was wrapped around the dining room table, chasing his tail and attacking his feet.... Sometimes I wonder about him, but now I know he's just practicing kung-fu.

Ling Ling! You forgot your bling bling!!!

Finally got to go to the zoo last Friday. Denise had a lot of help on cats, so I didn't have to do much. Cleaned Zoey's holding, and found some old behavioral enrichment.

snake skin B.E. for leopards

Also cleaned the otter holding, and carried around lots of freshly cut tree bits. Sap is sticky. Ha. Then I went to help Mark and Sophie with herps projects. Sophie & I cleaned out Ling's pool (she's the chinese alligator). It was fun, and she didn't eat us.

Sophie, after she was pooped on.

Ling, after we cleaned her pool. She was happier when we left.

Feeding Bernard!! He's the two-toed sloth. He caught on to us trying to trick him into eating the healthy food by smothering them in yams... yummy!

He's just so cute!!

Jackson!!!! All of the coolest birds can dance.

Rain, rain, go away....

... I want to go to the zoo and play...

Last two weeks its been raining, so I haven't been to the zoo. I want to see if the lack of ulcer medication for Zoey's eye makes her less grumpy. Last time she didn't even want to play tug-o-war, which is her fave. Silly snow leopard.

Zoey loves tug-o-war!

Friday Zoo Adventures

"If it doesn't have a tail its not a monkey. Even if it has a monkey kind of shape. If it doesn't have a tail its not a monkey... its an ape!" - Silly Songs with Larry

I'm really anxious to find out which schools I've been accepted into. They start announcing around April. I feel so impatient.

Last Friday during my volunteer shift at the zoo, I was helping the keeper on the Gorilla/Giraffe line. We had several private tours that wanted to see Finn, our ambassador Channel Island Fox, and our new baby giraffe, Daniel. We took Finn out for his meet & greet, & he decided he wanted to smell every one's shoes. He went around, everyone petting him, and eventually came to me. I knelt down next to him and petted him on his back, when he decided he wanted to jump into my lap. I was a little shocked, because I didn't know if he was supposed to do that, or if I was supposed to pick him up or just let him do his thing... I think the train and traffic noises were making him nervous. He is just so darn cute. After Finn's 15 minutes of fame we continued on to the Giraffe yard. I was able to snap this picture of the baby giraffe, what a cutie!!