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Kirsten
xfkirsten
18 May 2007 @ 11:15 pm
 
I got out birding again yesterday, since it was so gorgeous! I went back to Marymoor Park with my camera. As I was heading back towards my car, the birds suddenly lost their shyness! :D Three bald eagles this time! Two adults and one juvy. One of the adults had REALLY beat-up feathers. I'm only counting birds here that I positively identified. There were quite a few where I saw generally what bird (eg swallow, goldfinch, wren) but not specific species, and I don't count those. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. Links go to photos of the birds!

5/17/07:
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Marsh Wren
Red-Tailed Hawk
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle (this bird was about 1/4 mile from me, across the lake!)
Common Crow
Mallard
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Red-Winged Blackbird
Cedar Waxwing
Bushtit
Savannah Sparrow

Today was zoo day! On Thursday nights, our walruses sleep in the holding area so the main pool can be drained and cleaned. They love to lay in one particular corner. They crap there. They roll in said crap. They then sleep in said crap. And in the process of moving around, they slather the crap all over the bars. Sun comes up, poo cakes on the bars. The bars unfortunately have vertical grooves in them that are like black holes that suck up poo. So I spent this afternoon out there with a scrubby pad and a bucket of soap and scrubbed caked walrus shit out of the grooves.

Isn't marine mammal care glamorous?

I did get to do some of the fun stuff today, though. Since it was so nice out and the tide was so low, myself and one other staff member went down to Owens Beach to collect some kelp for the otters. The tide was so low there was TONS of it exposed, so we got some for the puffins and bears, too. The otters are the cutest with it though. OMG, they pick it up and rub it all over their faces and snuggle with it. LOVE.

Oh, and while we were down on the beach, we saw an octopus! I've never seen an octopus up on the beach before. He was fairly small; his body - not counting tentacles - was maybe 2/3 size of my fist. I'm fairly sure it was a Giant Pacific octopus, though. We tried to put him back in the water, but he was really wiggly (who can blame him? The gulls had been picking at him - that's how we spotted him) and we didn't want to hurt him in the process of trying to pick him up, so we let him be. But dude! Octopus! On the beach!

Came home and got to work on the latest SGA jacket incarnation - Weir's this time! This one is SO rocking my pants. I found the perfect fabric for the shell and lining, and the pattern I'm modifying is working out really well so far. I'm getting to the part I hate most, though - sewing together all the little pockets and flaps and junk, and the velcro, which is Pure Evil. Ah, well, it's worth it. And I'm keeping track of how much this one costs me and how long it takes me to make it. If it works out well, I may start taking commissions on making them. :)

Oh! And OMG, I finally ordered a tablet! *runs in circles* I ordered a Wacom Graphire 6x8 off Amazon, and it should be here Monday! Yaaaaaaay! I'm so excited to play with that. I'm glad I don't work on Tuesday, so I can just sit around all day and draw on it. :P
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Rory: jeannie rly?[info]rory_elizabeth on May 19th, 2007 07:01 am (UTC)
Oh my gosh, I'm jealous of the tablet you ordered. I need to make this laptop function for two more years of college, and then I think I'm gonna get a tablet. Do you mind me asking how much the one you ordered cost? I wanna start researching them now, but I know that the computer world will be so different in two years that it's not even worth looking into it now ...

You're making a jacket just like the one Lizzie wears? That is so freaking cool! Pictures? When you're done? Please???

Also, by the way, after you linked to your DeviantART page for your latest painting, I went in there browsing around and brought three of your pieces, because I'm gonna decorate my apartment next year with wildlife stuff. I bought your new whale painting, your gorgeous photo of that tiger, and your painting of the pandas. So I thought I'd let you know that I think your artwork is awesome! And, yeah. :)
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 19th, 2007 07:19 am (UTC)
The one I got was about $170 off Amazon (I think it normally retails for around $200). Not a bad price! :D I did have trouble finding it, though. I called around to all the electronics stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's) in the area, and NONE of them had it in stock. That's why I eventually had to go to Amazon.com. So it's definitely a popular model. This is the one I ordered. :D From what I hear, brand makes a HUGE difference in the tablets. Most reviews I read said that Wacom's tablets are the most popular for a reason - they're the best. :)

I am! :D I made this McKay one last year, but I really need a good Lizzie one, and wanted to improve on that design. It's really working out well! I've got the front pieces put together and the back put together so far. I'll definitely take pictures when I'm done! :D

Awww! Thank you very much! You're awesome! :D *huge hugs*
Rory: teyla rodney smile[info]rory_elizabeth on May 19th, 2007 08:14 am (UTC)
Hmm, thanks for the link! That's a lot cheaper than I expected, and the features seem really cool (I would definitely use it for the document/business tools, hehe. I couldn't draw a cat if I tried).

And you're welcome! *hugs back* You know, after sitting in lectures for hours a day, I kind of wish I had some drawing skills, because doodling in a notebook without any skill whatsoever is quite frustrating. XD
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:51 am (UTC)
You can use it to learn how to draw! ;) I'd love to get a tablet PC, too. Then I can carry it around and doodle on it like the cool kids on Atlantis. :P

How do you think I learned how to draw? ;) Took a couple of art classes in high school/college, but most of what I learned has just been through lots and lots of practice and repetition - much of which came from doodling all over notes in class. ;)
Goonerette: House (new cane)[info]gooner_ette on May 19th, 2007 09:45 am (UTC)
Dude. That looks like an awesome tablet. :o I've never actually thought about getting one, I assumed they were far more expensive than that.
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:52 am (UTC)
I had thought so too, but when I started looking, I realized that even a big brand like Wacom is pretty affordable. I'd LOVE to get their Cintiq someday (the screen you draw on is actually an LCD, so it's like drawing on paper, but with a monitor instead of paper) but they're like $2500. :P
Fin: Default[info]finmark on May 19th, 2007 10:17 am (UTC)
Those are some great pictures.  I love the one of the Cedar Waxwing.

Yay for the tablet. I've got the Wacom Volito and love it, though lately it hasn't been used too much for art, rather as a substitute mouse for my PC when the original mouse died of old age and for doodling over documents in Word. ;)   But yeah, it's great fun.
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:54 am (UTC)
Thanks! I wish I'd been able to get just a few feet closer to the waxwing - I think they could have been SO much sharper!

I'm excited to start playing with it! I like doing digital painting sorts of things, but I don't even have a mouse (just a touch pad) and even if I did, it's be a pain to try and do detail with it. So this should be fun! :D
[info]gekla on May 19th, 2007 10:55 am (UTC)
hahahaha walrus care is the most glamorous work I have ever known! LOL

How often do you drain and clean the main pool and the holding area there?
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:54 am (UTC)
No joke! ;) In the winter, we clean walrus holding every other week. In the summer, when the increased sunlight causes more algae to grow, we drain it and clean it once a week. :)
Amanda[info]orcaartist on May 19th, 2007 04:23 pm (UTC)
Your bird photos are beautiful! Excellent job!
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:55 am (UTC)
Thank you very much! :D
Andy: talk[info]ankareeda on May 19th, 2007 09:55 pm (UTC)
Great bird photos!

Coolness! I have a Wacom tablet as well, but just a very small one, it's still great. Even though I do really need a bigger and a bit better one. You'll have a lot of fun with it, I'm sure. :D :D
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:55 am (UTC)
Thanks!

I'm sure I will! :D It'll be an interesting learning curve, going from looking at the pencil to looking at a screen. I think that's going to be the hardest thing for me to get used to!
Leah[info]ulisesgirl on May 20th, 2007 12:02 am (UTC)
OCTOPUS! SQUEE!!! They're SO CUTE!
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:56 am (UTC)
They're WAY cute! He was so small and cute and feisty! (We were really on the lookout for that little beak!)
toasteronfire[info]toasteronfire on May 20th, 2007 02:19 am (UTC)
The heron shot is lovely! And I like waxwings too - I just can't get that close to them. :)
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:57 am (UTC)
Thanks! I loved how the heron shots came out - they were the sharpest of any that I took! And to get them in flight made me SO happy. I just wish the bald eagles had been a little closer!
Sunny: BeBop Ed Ein[info]sunny_serenity on May 20th, 2007 06:45 am (UTC)
Birds birds and MORE birds! But oh how messyful them blubbery mammals be. LOL. Arrgh! And yeah, beached octopus is just wrong.
Kirsten[info]xfkirsten on May 20th, 2007 06:58 am (UTC)
Lots of birds! Washington has pretty birds. :D

The walruses leave their poo everywhere. It's like a gift - coming in the gate in the morning and catching that first whiff of the presents they left us overnight. ;)

We felt bad for the poor octopus, but he at least seemed to be faring well.