Visiting the San Diego Zoo
I am on a business trip to California and today (Saturday) I took the day to visit the San Diego zoo. I have been wanting to visit the zoo for years and I must say, it was impressive. Overall, I am sorry there have to be zoos to protect these animals – many from extinction due to the fact that we are encroaching on (or ruining) their habitats. As an animal lover, this makes me quite sad.
On the other hand, the San Diego zoo really is trying hard to make the animal’s lives as good a quality as they can. The zoo is filled with ferns and trees, waterfalls and pathways. Though space is a little lmited of course, the animals do have room to stretch out and play. They have lot of things to keep them occupied. There was a sun bear playing with a burlap bag, for example. Overall they seemed fairly happy. The zoo says that the fertility rate is quite good, which indicates that the animals are decently at ease and well adapted to their environment.
We made a point of seeing the baby Giant Panda, and the orangutans. Both of these species connect so well with the humans; we love their looks and manner. The orangutans seem so human like that I can hardly believe that they are hunted and hurt. You have to wonder what kind of monsters would do harm to them.
The polar bear exhibit was packed. There were two bears who lounged in the sun and then played in the water with their toys. What lovely creatures. I hope we are soon able to stop the destruction of their natural habitat. Without these wonderful animals, the world will not be the same.
I was able to take a decent video with my little Canon SD 800 pocket camera. Technology is amazing. Sit back and watch a polar bear play….
Tech, horses, writing, flexibility. This is fun….
I am working on some site development for a customer of my side business Critternut Computing Services. Like most of Critternut’s customers, this one has a horse business. So I am doing two things I like – working on technology and working on something horse related. Other than doing updates on my own site, I don’t have this opportunity often. My own horse site needs a lot of updates and it is not especially easy to work on since it is based on some pretty old architecture. So, in a nutshell, this development project for a customer is giving me the opportunity to get back into the groove of refreshing myself on some of the latest technologies.
I have been on the computer about 18 hours a day (between my day job and my night job) for about a month now. Part of the time is in learning, part is in programming. And you know what? I am having fun with it. I am combining things I really like – technology (especially seeing what is at the forefront with web 2.0, CMS engines and blogging), something Friesian horse related, writing about both of these things, and just enjoying the flexibility you can get by working with a laptop and wireless connectivity.
My whole working life I have been lucky enough to be good at things where I could earn a living. On the negative side, these are not necessarily things that I really LIKE to do. Wouldn’t it be great if I could earn a living doing something I am good at AND something I really love to do? I really don’t know if that day will ever come, but I must say that in the last few weeks I felt for the first time that maybe I am on the right path. Or, at least, that there actually is such a path there.
Lunch today at Virginia Tech
I am a Hokie. I grew up an hour south of Blacksburg, fell in love with the campus at first sight, got two degrees from Tech, and moved back to the Blacksburg area just a few years ago. My brother graduated from Tech. My mom, who is now seventy years old, applied to Tech last fall. She is now a proud Master’s student in the field of Health Care and Health Education. For those of us native to SW Virginia, Tech is personified. A paternal figure who has given much to us, and asked for very little. It is a shiny gemstone in an often ignored part of America. Tech is our school; indeed, we *are* Virginia Tech. But, I figured few people would understand the bond and community that those of us from this geographic area feel every day. The outpouring of kindness since the shootings at Tech April 16 has changed my perspective.
My employer is located just next door to Tech. Today I had lunch over at the student union, on campus. The walls of this rather large facility were literally papered with cards and well wishes from people all over the world. Outside the food court a hustle and bustle started as I dipped into my bowl of soup. I saw a team of volunteers unloading boxes and boxes of bottled water, chips, boxed cookies, granola bars. A student volunteer in his “Hokies United” T-shirt handed me a bag full of snacks. “Here ya go. These are care packages from people all over the country, sent to the college students for exam week. We have more than we ever could have imagined. Please, help yourself. Take some home to your family.”
In my bag was a note which read “Hey Hokie! A family in Maryland is thinking of you and wishing you the best! Good luck on exams!” One student next to me looked at the mountain of items. I heard her say, in a small, quiet voice, “I cannot believe how nice people are”.
Very true.
Welcome, 2007.
So, today we start a new year. I am pretty excited about the prospects – each year I feel I am climbing a mountain, with the strains and rewards that brings. For a while now in my climb I have been “above the treeline”, where I can see more and enjoy my journey with fewer snags and dangers. Now I am really getting closer to the top, where I can see out over everything and enjoy even more clarity in my view. What does this mean to me for 2007 and the years beyond?
2006 was my year to understand and embrace a shift in my priorities. I was able to spend more time with my parents and this gave me much more joy and satisfaction than I ever envisioned. I spent more time with the horses and dogs and I am internalizing how animals, with their simplicity, lack of deception and appreciation of the most basic things, are in many ways much superior to us. My desire to be more eco-friendly with recycling, energy conservation, etc. is turning into a full blown concern for what we are doing to our environment and all the creatures who live here. I have increased the time I devote to reading about macro economics and this has made me even more politically aware as I better understand how the US policies affect delicate balances for not only other countries, but for ourselves.
Now that I have seen more of “the light”, what might I do differently in 2007?
I would like to become much more educated about sustainable living – from eating locally grown foods, to learning more about the nuts and bolts of renewable energy (preferably setting up some small projects here at the house that are not only educational, but contribute to lessening my carbon footprint as well). I’d like to figure out some ways to have my plot of land here be more productive and self sustaining. The animals should be able to contribute too, though I am not (yet) exactly sure how. I want to better understand why Virginia and Va. Tech are not taking a more aggressive leadership role in renewable energy and agribusiness. After all, this is one of the top agricultural and engineering schools in the country, and set in a place where farmers are trying to survive. Why the hell aren’t we leveraging that? If Iowa, Colorado and California can take some initiative, why can’t we?
These are the things that excite and motivate me and I want to figure out how to make this a focus for my future.
We are supposed to be the caregivers for our planet and its inhabitants. It is as if we have been told “you need to look after your little brother/sister”. And instead of worrying about how best to care for the one who cannot care for himself or herself, we are focused on figuring out ways to take advantage, for our own greedy benefit. This is not right, and it is not smart. It needs to stop. We all need to help, starting with me.
The box of photographs in your mind
You never quite know which event, sound, thought, smell will be captured by your mind and placed into the box of photographs living inside your head. The other day on youtube I stumbled upon an old music video. Seeing the images triggered an opening of my photo box and I was transported back to 1989 in the living room/dining room of my small condo. It was a crazy day – I was stressed out from too much work, and volumes of homework from my night school class (Systems Engineering with models solved by differential equations – I get tired just thinking about it). Papers were strewn about the kitchen table. My brain and my house were both a big mess.
The TV was blabbing at nothing, tuned to VH1 just to have some music in the background. Something new came on – lots of cool guitar strumming. My head just sort of lifted from my textbook and I was glued to the TV watching two women playing the heck out of their guitars, singing a folkie but energetic song. I was mesmerized throughout the whole thing. Those women were singers/songwriters who knew how to proudly wear boots, t-shirts, and jeans with ripped out knees. They were talented and confident, slightly younger than I but seemingly more full of life and in charge of their destiny. Through that music I felt strong, happy and in charge. Indeed, a burden was lifted off of me for the rest of the day.
I bought their CD that week and now have quite a bit of their music. It has been nearly 20 years and they just released another (their 11th?) CD. They are still great, still singing tight harmonies and pulling a zillion notes out of their guitars.
To this day, whenever I hear “Closer to Fine” it makes me feel like an invincible 28 year old. It seems like someone placed the video on youtube just so I would have an excuse to open my photo box and pull out a simple, wonderful memory. Thanks, Indigo Girls. “The best thing you’ve ever done for me, was help me take my life less seriously. It’s only life, after all.”
