This week's theme: A Dream Come True

Technology. It's a fickle mistress. This week we'll be writing about dreams come true; those small (or big) moments of success that make us want to kick up our heels and shout with joy. These are things we've achieved off of wish lists past, and they help remind us that those lists are possible. But, thanks to technology (and a massive migraine), I will be adding my dream come true to this post tomorrow morning. See you then!

*SEGUE*

Okay. So. Now that my internet is cooperating again, I can actually write this post. YAY! 

I wanted to write about this because January was a rough month for me, yes, but it did have some good things happen, too. One of which was a dream come true. A tiny dream, but a dream, nonetheless.

A few years ago, my husband and I went to the zoo that I now work at and discovered how adorable wallabies are in person. I mean, I'd known they were cute. They're basically mini kangaroos. How can that not be adorable? (Note: I love any and all things miniature).

But in person, they were just so much more... special. We took lots of crappy pictures and forced everyone to look at them. Okay, maybe that was just me. But I couldn't get over how darn hilarious they were, and every time we went back we'd go see the wallabies first. I even included them in my sidebar description when we started the Archives.

After a couple years, I sort of settled down. I got hired at my current job and there were LOTS of cute animals there. Even mini ones. But wallabies always had a special place in my heart.

Where am I going with this?

Well, a couple months ago, I started volunteering at a local facility that has a wide range of exotic animals just to get some more diverse experience. They happen to have three wallabies there. I was excited, but trying not to get my hopes up. I had a lot of training to go through before I could get near them.

And then, last month-- it happened. During all the craptacular parts of January, two shining moments stuck out. I got to play with my wallabies. I gave them carrots, I petted that ADORABLE FUZZ BEHIND THEIR EARS OMG. I watched them hop around in the rain. I watched them do wallaby yoga. I just got to sit with them and soak up the fact that there were wallabies a few inches from me.

So yes, in January, a dream of mine did come true. It's not the first, and it won't be the last, but it's something to hold onto when life gets a little rough, right?

Have you had any dreams come true recently?

If These Walls Could Talk, They Might Only Scream (With Joy?)

As I write this, I'm sitting in my newly-Christmas'ed-out house, sipping a mug of hot chocolate and curling up under every blanket we own because it's San Diego, it's not supposed to get this cold, darnit. I'm also typing up a blog post. Uh, well I guess that last part was probably pretty obvious.

Yesterday, I got to play keeper to some lowland nyala, which are these creatures.Then I got to help one of our keepers clear another exhibit which held some scary gigantic birds (which I totally love, by the way). Then I got to play with our rats, and played trainer with one of our trainers.

Today, I go to my new volunteer place, where I'll get to play with anything from hedgehogs to porcupines to wallabies to macaws to marmosets to foxes to rabbits to--

Sorry. I got carried away. I think you get the idea.Then I'll get to hang out with some cheetahs (though I won't be playing any games with them... haha... cheetah... get it?)

I get to work with a lot of animals.

This is quite literally a dream come true. 

Sometimes it feels like I'm chasing a forever dream-- you know, the kind you can't wake up from. The kind that never ends. The kind that just keeps going and going.

Lately, I've been feeling kind of frustrated because things aren't happening fast enough for me. I had always thought that by this stage in my life, I'd be well established in a solid career. It didn't seem like such a big deal when I was 25. But now, for some reason, it feels like I'm approaching doomsday. (Yes, I'm an overachiever. And dramatic).

But today, I realized--really, really realized, not just thought it-- that I have it pretty darn good where I am. And while I'm not giving up on my lofty goals, I should be more okay being where I am until things happen. Especially because, while I hate to think it, there's always the chance that they won't happen. And even more especially because, where I am is pretty awesome!

We'll see how long my new-found pragmatism lasts. Here's hoping it's a while.

Tell me: a crazy dream you have, or a pragmatic one!

I never thought I'd have to take last week's post title so literally...

So last week, I wrote a post called "The Wracking of Nerves," in which I talked/whined/paranoia'd my way through the dilemma of the week: still having a job after Labor Day.

The good news?

On Wednesday, at eight o'clock at night, my boss called me to tell me they were keeping me.

I get to keep my job, guys.



*pauses to let that sink in*


I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY! Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to me being neurotic and anxious and unable to focus on anything else. Thanks for all your well-wishes, and encouragement on this crazy journey. It's been amazing, and I'm so excited I get to keep on finding out what cool stuff can happen in a zoo for an educator like me!


Something else happened on Wednesday, though. My tooth, which I had gotten worked on six months ago by a dentist I will now refer to as the Butcher of San Diego, started to hurt. A LOT.

I was popping ibuprofen like it was candy, and it was just getting worse. So I went into a different, new dentist on Thursday, where they proceeded to tell me that it looked like the Butcher had screwed up my filling to the point where I needed a root canal.

Guess what Thursday was the day before?

That's right. The four-day weekend all dentists apparently take for Labor Day.

The pain got exponentially worse. When I left the dentist on Thursday, they told me to keep taking ibuprofen and I should be fine.

By Saturday afternoon, I was rocking back and forth on the couch, crying. My husband called the emergency number on our dentist's line asking if there was anything else we could do.

He didn't call back til almost nine o'clock that night, but when he did, he finally called me in a prescription for some stronger painkillers and antibiotics.

It took two hours to get them filled, but then I slept for the first time in three days without waking up in pain six times.

My husband had to drive me to work the next day, but I thought I'd make it through the day now that I had the super drugs. I was wrong. I should have stayed home. Despite working my way up to a very high dose, the pain was STILL breaking through every hour or so, sending me into paroxysms of pacing and moaning in pain-- really awesome to do in public, in uniform.

Finally, last night, I caved in and took the maximum dose I could. And I slept. And slept, and slept, and slept, until about 1:00 this afternoon, waking up only once to take a new dose.

It's finally starting to work. I just hope, when I finally go in to the dentist tomorrow, that they can actually take care of it... I'm not sure how much longer I can reasonably go about like this.

And that, my friends, is why I unfortunately STILL don't have contest results for you. But if I don't have them next week, I give you all permission to call me horrible names. In fact, you can do that now, if you like. Really. Go right ahead. I'm so hopped up on vicodin I'll probably just laugh.

Maybe.

Thanks for being patient, Alliteratus. Means the world to me. :)

The Wracking of Nerves

I'm not going to lie, friends. I'm a worrier. Like, a clinical worrier. I literally can't help it. I overthink a lot of stuff because I already have an analytical mind. Couple that with serious worrying and you have the recipe for stress (and disaster).

I've learned a few coping strategies over the years. But sometimes something just consumes me so fully that I can't think of anything else. And that's why today I'm writing about this instead of... writing. It's a gut-wrenching feeling, deep inside, that just unsettles you.

I'm very unsettled right now.

See, this time next week could be my last day at my wonderful, lovely, amazing job.

Re-reading that post helps a little, to see my attitude about it six months ago when I started this whole adventure. But still.

One week left.

Maybe.

What's driving me nuts is that I STILL don't know. They still haven't told us if they're keeping us or not. Which, to me, doesn't exactly speak well for the possibility. I mean, if there was good news, you'd think they'd want to share it as soon as they had it.

I've heard some rumors that they will keep a few of us. Rumors coming from people who are close to people who would know. But rumors bring me little comfort. (Read: zero). I won't believe it til I hear it from the people who make the decisions.

But the people who make the decisions were supposed to do a short follow-up interview with each of us before making those decisions. They were supposed to know by the end of the month.

That's Wednesday.

Most of those people aren't even at work the same time as the staff they need to tell these things to until Friday or Saturday.

At this point, I'm a little afraid that when they publish the schedule for next week on Wednesday evening, we just-- won't be on there.

Here's a funny little snapshot of my neuroses. At least, I think it's funny. I sent my boss a "happy birthday" text this afternoon, apologizing that I won't be able to make it to her party later tonight. She wrote back "Thanks. We will miss you. :("

I, of course, was fine with that text for about a moment and then the panic set in. Miss me TONIGHT? Or miss me FOREVER?

See?!

I think it's safe to say I'm going crazy. In the mean time, at least I have work (for now) and school to keep me busy. And you guys.

And that, my friends, is why I don't have a real blog post for you today.

*Longest Apology Blog Post Ever*

The Word of the Day is: Herbivore. HERB-i-vore. (Or: Adventures of a Newly-Minted Summer Camp Instructor)

Today was the first day of summer camp. I've been waiting for this day for about a month, ever since they asked me to teach it.

Today's focus was on herbivores. You know, plant eaters. And BOY are there a lot of plant eaters at my job! We visited our gorillas, even though they weren't on exhibit (boo), and then went and set out enrichment for our elephants IN their enclosure-- that was amazing, and the highlight of the day for most of the kids! We fed an okapi. We toured the rest of the park (just about). We made special goggles to see what it would be like to have monocular vision (see like a prey animal, with your eyes on the sides of your head).

It was a great first day, and man-- if I were those kids' parents, I would be SO. HAPPY. right now. I mean, as exhausted as I am (and I'm relatively used to it!), I can't imagine any of those kids staying up much past eight o'clock tonight. Heck, I might not even stay up that late myself.

I get four more days of this awesomeness, and then two days off, and then start all over again. Can't wait!

Here are some highlights from today:

Camper: ... and they have these monkeys there that are extinct in the wild, and they only exist in zoos now!
Me (trying to read my schedule, listen to my radio, walk, and listen to the camper at the same time): Oh, cool!
Camper: That's not cool! You think extinction is cool?!
**cue MAJOR BACKPEDAL**


Me: *shows campers picture of a sloth skull* Can anyone guess what animal this belongs to?
Campers (nearly unanimous): A zombie!


Me: Sometimes this okapi will stick her whole tongue out for us and lick her own back! That's pretty cool, huh?
Campers: Yeah!
*okapi sticks her tongue out and licks her own back*
Campers (all together): EW!

So yeah. Can't wait for more! Kids are hilarious :)

WOO! Summer camp!

Przewalski's Horses and Tiger Cubs and Celebrities, Oh My

Today I started training at work for summer camp. On top of everything else they've offered me, one of the supervisors asked a few weeks ago if I would be interested in teaching summer camp. My response?

HECK YES!!!!

And today-- oh, today-- made me the happiest zoo educator EVER. Why? Because I, as an instructor for summer camp, get to take my kids behind the scenes to all these cool animal areas.

Today we visited our Przewalski's horses, and I had a major fangirl moment. See, I'm, uh, kind of a horse person. And I LOVE the Przewalski's horses. They are endangered, so my facility has been trying to breed them. They are the last truly wild horse, and are the last living ancestor of the domestic horse.

My first impression? They're short. Like, good pony size. They came about up to my ribcage. We only got to see them through a fence because they ARE wild, after all. But we got to toss some carrots over the fence. And I got to take a couple really cool pictures, which made me very happy.

This is a Przewalski's horse, just in case you didn't know. Note the mohawk mane. These guys are HARD CORE.

Later, we went to our elephant exhibit, and while there, we saw a celebrity! I am NOT TMZ so I won't be disclosing WHO it was. Suffice to say they are from a very popular and long-running primetime drama show. It was kind of random, as usually the celebrities that visit us come on private tours to have some measure of protection from the public. But not this one. They were just wandering around with their family.

And then we got to go to visit our tigers. Right now, we have 8-month-old cubs. They're pretty big already, about the size of a german shepherd, but still PRETTY DARN CUTE. We got up close, about two feet away, with the cub's face pressed into the chain link from the other side. It was ADORABLE. It took ALL OF MY WILLPOWER not to reach out and pet the tiger. I could live with nine fingers. But it probably wouldn't have been worth getting fired over. So there's that.

So yeah. That was my day. And you want to know the best part? I get to do it again and again and again-- and I'LL be giving the tours the next time. With my camp kids. AMAZING.

Oh, and there are also two more days of this! I think tomorrow we will go visit the back area of our lions.

This post is because I want to share the amazingness of my job with you guys, since you were all so supportive when I got it in the first place. And because I am full to bursting with excitement that I actually get to work there and do these cool things. And I think that's worthy of a blog post, don't you?

*Note: Any and all RANDOM word capitalizations in this post are due to my current level of excitement. Regular, less-capitalized-blogging should resume next week. Maybe.