Once again, I just gotta say that my wolvies are So Damn Pretty. I even got to spend a good long time today watching them. It was just me and the manager all day. And first thing when I got there, she asks if I want to start leading some of the private tours. WHEE! She was actually gonna have me do two tours today, but I asked to shadow her on them and see how they played out (I've never seen how the 2-3 person tours run) so I tagged along for those. But it meant I got to spend a couple of hours just wolf-watching and soaking up more information! Kinda scary to think that from now on, I can be turned loose on the tours. Bwahahaha! They're really relaxed, though, when it's only a few people. More like just starting out addressing general information, and then chatting about the wolves than any sort of presentation. I also played runner, driving back and forth over the half-mile, really bumpy dirt road escorting the guests in and out... and in the process saw a mule deer! Too cute! Damn, it must have been brave - it was stotting away from the wolf pens.
I also got to play around with writing up a curriculum. Apparently a group of Girl Scouts is coming, and they were looking for lessons and activities that met the requirements for their Wildlife badge. So I got a photocopy of the activity requirements, and started writing up what needed to be done in a lesson to help then achieve that so that the Wolf Center can actually make a specific program tailored to the Scouts. It was fun! I got to be creative and all. Whee!
During the downtime between tours, we also got into a great discussion about large predators in suburban neighborhoods. Having grown up in a neighborhood that had coyotes (who doesn't have those?), black bears, and cougars nearby, I've grown up with the "don't push them out, just learn to be aware of your surroundings and act appropriately" sort of attitude. I tend to get really frustrated when residents in an area scream for the removal of animals that move in. I think most of those people really just don't understand the biological concepts involved as to why they SHOULDN'T pull out every predator they spot, and unfortunately the wildlife pays for that mistake. So it was wonderful to spend the afternoon talking with someone who's well-versed in predator biology who understands exactly what's going on. Predators are love, people! Ask the Kaibab deer if you don't believe me.
Anyways, my copy of Wicked FINALLY arrived in the mail yesterday! YAY! I actually got an e-mail from the lady I bought it from (Amazon third-party seller, 'cause it was cheaper), who apologized profusely and said that Amazon hadn't sent the notification e-mail to her. I can understand that, I've had similar stuff happen to me. She upgraded the shipping for me for free to get it here fast, and the proceeds from the book are going to the SPCA anyways. It's all good.
I'm loving the book. It's quite different than the show, but in a good way. I keep thinking that the jump from book to show is similar to Disney's treatment of darker stuff like The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which, coincidentally, also had lyrics by Stephen Schwartz). Really fun to read, and I love the book's protrayal of Elphie. Her snark makes me happy. :P
Yoinked from![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
catscratchziggy:
8th Grade
1. Who were your BEST friends?
genkeeper! :D
2. What sports did you play?
I think I played in the Boys and Girls Club basketball league that year.
3. Did you take your lunch?
Hells yes. It was all about the Surge in the pop machines. (I remember far too many SERIOUSLY hyper classes right after we chugged Surge at lunch...)
4. It's Friday night, where were you?
At home, fighting my little brother for the computer.
5. Were you a party animal?
Umm, no. If anyone has ever seriously called me a party animal, I'd laugh. And no, that one Cirque party last summer doesn't count. I was drunk.
6. Were you in the "In Crowd"?
Uh, that would be a BIG no. :P
7. Ever skip school?
No, I felt too damn guilty.
8. Ever smoke?
Nope! I like my lungs, thanks.
9. Were you a nerd?
Hell. Yes. How many Picard-vs-Kirk-vs-every-other-captain debates did I participate in? And I got the highest score in the school on the Math Counts entrance test. Bow, fools.
10. Did you get suspended/expelled?
Hehehehehe... technically, no. I ALMOST got suspended for fighting. I still maintain that he goaded me into it. But yes, I punched the crap out of a guy's face, and he went literally crying to the principal. The only reason I escaped suspension is because it wasn't officially on school property, but rather at the bus stop. But I ratted him out in return, and he got the same punishment. ;) Moral of the story? KIRSTEN BEAT UP A GUY.
11. Can you sing the alma mater?
...do middle schools have those?
12. Who was your favorite teacher?
Ms Culp. If you behaved, she was AWESOME. I learned a ton about science from her! If you didn't behave... well, her reactions provided us "good" kids with lots of entertainment. The mere thought of it makes me want to protect my ears from being grabbed and twisted. :P
13. Favorite class?
Science Fiction. Seriously. I got credit for going to class to watch The X-Files every week (that's where I first got hooked on it, as the teacher was in love with it and taped it for us each week) and watching all sorts of scifi films (both good and bad).
14. What was your schools full name?
Issaquah Middle School
15. School mascot?
Panther
16. Did you go to the dances?
I actually did! I really liked the dances when I was in 8th grade, although that phase didn't last so long.
17. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
Nah. You couldn't pay me to go back and do any schooling again. :P
18. What do you remember most about Middle School?
Oh, man... it's hard to pick one thing I remember most... I'd say just the general insanity of me and my friends.
19. Favorite memory of your 8th grade year?
Turning math class into a circus where we played baseball with paper balls and yardsticks or debated paradox plots from Star Trek (A leads to B leads to C leads to A!)
20. Were you ever posted up on the 8th graders wall?
The what now?
21. Did you have a job your 8th grade year?
Nope!
22. Where did you go most often for lunch?
The cafeteria
23. Have you gained weight since then?
I doubt I've gained a pound. :P
24. What did you do after graduation?
Class trip to Washington DC! That was a riot. The teachers attacking the students with confiscated squirt guns was teh AWESOME.
25. Did you like your eighth grade year?
I think so, yeah. Lots of fun memories. Some embarrassing, some just plain goofy, but we had fun. :)
I really should be looking for more sources for my Santee Habitat Conservation Plan paper, but I think I'll go read more instead. ;)
I also got to play around with writing up a curriculum. Apparently a group of Girl Scouts is coming, and they were looking for lessons and activities that met the requirements for their Wildlife badge. So I got a photocopy of the activity requirements, and started writing up what needed to be done in a lesson to help then achieve that so that the Wolf Center can actually make a specific program tailored to the Scouts. It was fun! I got to be creative and all. Whee!
During the downtime between tours, we also got into a great discussion about large predators in suburban neighborhoods. Having grown up in a neighborhood that had coyotes (who doesn't have those?), black bears, and cougars nearby, I've grown up with the "don't push them out, just learn to be aware of your surroundings and act appropriately" sort of attitude. I tend to get really frustrated when residents in an area scream for the removal of animals that move in. I think most of those people really just don't understand the biological concepts involved as to why they SHOULDN'T pull out every predator they spot, and unfortunately the wildlife pays for that mistake. So it was wonderful to spend the afternoon talking with someone who's well-versed in predator biology who understands exactly what's going on. Predators are love, people! Ask the Kaibab deer if you don't believe me.
Anyways, my copy of Wicked FINALLY arrived in the mail yesterday! YAY! I actually got an e-mail from the lady I bought it from (Amazon third-party seller, 'cause it was cheaper), who apologized profusely and said that Amazon hadn't sent the notification e-mail to her. I can understand that, I've had similar stuff happen to me. She upgraded the shipping for me for free to get it here fast, and the proceeds from the book are going to the SPCA anyways. It's all good.
I'm loving the book. It's quite different than the show, but in a good way. I keep thinking that the jump from book to show is similar to Disney's treatment of darker stuff like The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which, coincidentally, also had lyrics by Stephen Schwartz). Really fun to read, and I love the book's protrayal of Elphie. Her snark makes me happy. :P
Yoinked from
catscratchziggy:8th Grade
1. Who were your BEST friends?
genkeeper! :D2. What sports did you play?
I think I played in the Boys and Girls Club basketball league that year.
3. Did you take your lunch?
Hells yes. It was all about the Surge in the pop machines. (I remember far too many SERIOUSLY hyper classes right after we chugged Surge at lunch...)
4. It's Friday night, where were you?
At home, fighting my little brother for the computer.
5. Were you a party animal?
Umm, no. If anyone has ever seriously called me a party animal, I'd laugh. And no, that one Cirque party last summer doesn't count. I was drunk.
6. Were you in the "In Crowd"?
Uh, that would be a BIG no. :P
7. Ever skip school?
No, I felt too damn guilty.
8. Ever smoke?
Nope! I like my lungs, thanks.
9. Were you a nerd?
Hell. Yes. How many Picard-vs-Kirk-vs-every-other-captain debates did I participate in? And I got the highest score in the school on the Math Counts entrance test. Bow, fools.
10. Did you get suspended/expelled?
Hehehehehe... technically, no. I ALMOST got suspended for fighting. I still maintain that he goaded me into it. But yes, I punched the crap out of a guy's face, and he went literally crying to the principal. The only reason I escaped suspension is because it wasn't officially on school property, but rather at the bus stop. But I ratted him out in return, and he got the same punishment. ;) Moral of the story? KIRSTEN BEAT UP A GUY.
11. Can you sing the alma mater?
...do middle schools have those?
12. Who was your favorite teacher?
Ms Culp. If you behaved, she was AWESOME. I learned a ton about science from her! If you didn't behave... well, her reactions provided us "good" kids with lots of entertainment. The mere thought of it makes me want to protect my ears from being grabbed and twisted. :P
13. Favorite class?
Science Fiction. Seriously. I got credit for going to class to watch The X-Files every week (that's where I first got hooked on it, as the teacher was in love with it and taped it for us each week) and watching all sorts of scifi films (both good and bad).
14. What was your schools full name?
Issaquah Middle School
15. School mascot?
Panther
16. Did you go to the dances?
I actually did! I really liked the dances when I was in 8th grade, although that phase didn't last so long.
17. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
Nah. You couldn't pay me to go back and do any schooling again. :P
18. What do you remember most about Middle School?
Oh, man... it's hard to pick one thing I remember most... I'd say just the general insanity of me and my friends.
19. Favorite memory of your 8th grade year?
Turning math class into a circus where we played baseball with paper balls and yardsticks or debated paradox plots from Star Trek (A leads to B leads to C leads to A!)
20. Were you ever posted up on the 8th graders wall?
The what now?
21. Did you have a job your 8th grade year?
Nope!
22. Where did you go most often for lunch?
The cafeteria
23. Have you gained weight since then?
I doubt I've gained a pound. :P
24. What did you do after graduation?
Class trip to Washington DC! That was a riot. The teachers attacking the students with confiscated squirt guns was teh AWESOME.
25. Did you like your eighth grade year?
I think so, yeah. Lots of fun memories. Some embarrassing, some just plain goofy, but we had fun. :)
I really should be looking for more sources for my Santee Habitat Conservation Plan paper, but I think I'll go read more instead. ;)
13 wishes | rub the lamp