Kirsten update time!

I'm getting considerably more independent at the zoo. Now that I've gotten the basic routine and cleaning and feeding stuff down, I work on my own for a good portion of the day. And for whatever reason, I feel a lot more comfortable with what I'm doing there than I did at Rocky Shores. I think I felt more intimidated by all the rules (and, to be honest, some of the staff) at Rocky Shores, whereas at Asia I feel more confident in my own decision-making power. (Half the time at RS, I was terrified to even go find enrichment for an animal because I felt like the other staff would disapprove of my choices) I'm getting to know the animals a lot better, and most of them I can tell apart fairly easily now. I still have to look closely at the otters to tell them apart, and I have a bit of trouble with the tapirs when they're out together, but other than that I'm pretty good at it. And I'm having fun! I really love doing otter fish feeding, 'cause the otters are adorable. And I got to give a couple of treats to the gibbons yesterday, which was neat! They're really fun to watch during treat times in the afternoon.

Still getting back into the swing of Furry Paws! I've picked up a few great dogs in the last month or so, although it'll be awhile before I have any that are old enough to start breeding. And I missed shows last night because we all went out to a bar after work and I didn't get home til after shows had run. Doh! Ah, well, I'll live. I had to break down and get access to the Show Entering Form, though, 'cause entering all my dogs in 50 shows a day each got too time-consuming for my schedule. :P

I finally got Disney Music Loops back up and running! Yaaaay! It only took me like 9 months. Much thanks to VF for providing a new home for it! :D

And speaking of things Disney... from the author of MouseTales... Realityland, due out in October!! YAY! I loved the MouseTales books. If you haven't read them, and you're a Disney fan... GO GET THEM. They're fascinating! They're stories behind-the-scenes at Disneyland. The new one is actually about WDW, and supposedly has a lot more history in it as well as the crazy stories. So I'm looking forward to reading that and comparing it to my own experience.

And lastly, a request to all the Disney nerds on my f-list...
When I was on my CP, there was some merchandise at WDW with a GORGEOUS painting of Mickey Mouse leading Walt Disney down a path, surrounded by everything that Disney has created since Walt's death. I thought about buying it at the time because I loved the whole idea of the piece, but I just wanted a print or poster of it rather than a postcard or something. But at this point, I really just want a copy of it, so I'll take what I can find! Does anyone know if these pieces are still available anywhere? Does anyone even know the piece I'm talking about? I've looked around online with no luck so far. I can't even find a pic of it through Google Image Search! I'm getting desperate here...

Not much reading in the month of June, sadly! Between crazy schedules and stuff to get done, there wasn't much time. That and reading big books. Hopefully I'll have more by the end of July, but here's the very, very short June rundown...

6/13/07
Dolphin Island - Arthur C. Clarke
Combining the power of dolphins and a sci-fi great, this one still somehow manages to be a dud. It reads like a Mary Sue fanfic, and hits new heights in the world of corniness. This one is a quick read, and works better as filler when you're bored, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

ETA: Oh, yeah, and freakin' HEAT WAVE this week. So it's not bad compared to everywhere else (and it really doesn't feel bad to me compared to Florida or SoCal), but we're setting our own records. It's into the mid-90s here for the next few days. I'm fine outside, but my room is starting to get pretty damn warm.