Nadia and David

[If you're not Nadia or David, bear with me here. I couldn't get Facebook to upload the pictures properly. So I'm just using my blogger account as a platform to upload this.]

I just thought the two of you should know one another. I went to vet school with Nadia, and grew up in KY with David. You're both hilarious and brilliant. And you have a lot more in common too. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

You've both put age-enhanced photos on dating websites.

You both have a thing for lizards.

You both love yer dads.

Neither of you mind a good blood bath once in a while.

I don't know what's up with your mouths.

.

Unless you're making a kissy face. In which case you're making a kissy face

And you're both pretty cute when you're doing what you love.

The Hunger Games Review

I just watched The Hunger Games. I would sum it up as this:

Romeo and Juliet, Lord of the Flies, The Lottery, The Most Dangerous Game, Battle Royale, stories of Roman gladiators, Greek stories of Theseus and the Minotaur (all of which The Hunger Games seem to take story lines from) are a bit more like this:

That is to say: The Hunger Games is full and symmetrical, the creative bits are enjoyable, but you know exactly what to expect from watching the preview, and it is therefore not very interesting, even if attractive. The other stories on the other hand, are dynamic, organic, rich without being forced, poignant, there are unexpected twists, and the contents are impressively though sparely engaging.

I believe the hype surrounding The Hunger Games reflects how uninterested most people are in critical thought. That is sad to me.

What do you think?

The Jelly Experience and Baby Seals

April is seal-pupping season! Colleen and I went down to Hopkins Marine Station beach (which is reserved for seals) to inspect. We saw several teeny baby seals with folds of skin that will fill out with milk-blubber in a matter of days. We saw one mama seal with blood still on her hind end, belying how recently she gave birth. And we saw another with the afterbirth still hanging out! The seagulls were pestering her, trying to get at it. She was too far away for me to get a decent picture, unfortunately.

Nursing pup. You can barely see the redness (blood) on Mom from the birth.

Better view of the bloodiness.

Later in the evening, I took Colleen and Travis to the Staff-and-Family/Friends opening of The Jellies Experience, the new exhibit at the Aquarium. I think jellyfish are pretty neat, but I was surprised to hear way back when that the new exhibit was going to be another jellyfish exhibit, because we already have one at the aquarium. But apparently jellyfish continue to rank among the very highest rated exhibits every year. People love them! And I suppose it's a no-brainer for the curators: cheap and easy to care for creatures that everyone loves? Let's do it! And I gotta say, I was not expecting to be all that impressed by the exhibit, but I totally was. The exhibit designers and curators at the aquarium are top-notch. It was super fun, mesmerizing, and beautiful.

This is the same species as the one above, just a different color.

I love the tiny 'jewel' spots around the edges of the bulb.

Phosphorescence!

They also had this fabulous kaleidoscope where you become your own version of a jellyfish by standing in front of the wall/camera, and watching what is projected. We had a lot of fun at that part of the exhibit!

Garrapata walk

On a very windy day last weekend, we (BrieAnn, Ben and myself) went for an excursion to Garrapata state park in Big Sur. Only 15 minutes from our house, this landscape is virtually miraculous. One one side you have the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, and a dramatic, craggy segue to that sea. On the other, you have steep mountains to explore. Most of the year they are dry and dusty. But after the rain (last post), the hills were verdant green and full of wildflowers. Up at the top of the hill, the view is expansive enough that you can actually see the curvature of the Earth! Impressive.

Compare the size of the waves with the RV. They're the biggest I've ever seen them!

Ben in his new neon vest.

A good day for us. I like how we have 'stars in our eyes'.

We did a little photoshoot at the end.

And went for food. And drink.

Cappy Says Hello

Yesterday I didn't leave the house. It was pouring rain all day, and I built most of a website to house my writing samples/professional training portfolio. (Please send potential employers to take a look!)

Cappy didn't leave either. She never does actually.

Isn't she cute?!

She talked with me for a while though.