Jack is Smart

Yup.
Sorry, Jack. I didn't know. I feel, in this circumstance, that I am indeed the fool.

For the longest time, I always thought of Jack as my "dumb jock." He's big and didn't seem to be terribly on the ball.

After all, how do you compare to your cage-mates, one of which is a dangerous female with an insane memory and the other is a crazy obstacle climber and dexterous little fighter?

Poor Jack. He's just a happy guy who doesn't hold grudges. And maybe climbing the bed was really hard at first, but he eventually got there, didn't he? And you know, Rudyard is deaf and doesn't really know when to quit--that doesn't mean Jack is bad at fighting. Maybe he just doesn't care. And when he climbs the top of the cage and frantically runs from side to side to see if there is an escape route, he's not being dumb (even though he tries this all the time with the same effect). He's gauging distances and collecting attention. Jack knows what happens when you collect attention.

So here's my epiphany for you:
On a previous post, I let you know how bewildered I was that Jack had somehow escaped the clutches of his cage. I have since then learned that Jack knows how to use his strength and bigness and thick head to his advantage. I don't mean thick head as in thick-headedness either! Not anymore! I meant that he has a very sturdy skull and pretty sturdy bones.

You see, Jack lifted the cage up with his head.

Let me explain: when a ferret has their triangle nose in something, it is only a matter of time before they open the thing. Their nose is like a bottle opener. It works the same way.

Their cage is waist-high with a "gate" surrounding it. This gate is hooked together with three hooks. One side of the gate has hooks, the other side and loops that go over the hooks.

Jack LIFTED the loops off the hooks, therefore lifting one of the gates themselves.

He didn't have to lift all the loops off the hooks, just the bottom ones. Once those were undone, he was able to walk on out with as much pleasure as a child with ice cream.

And it was easy for him, because he's a big strong guy with big strong bones.

When I picked him up after finding him toddling about the house, I noticed the unhooked latches. In case it was just a happy accident, I sat and watched him. Impatient to come out again and play, he immediately set to work. He knew exactly what he was doing.

It seems I had miscalculated the smarts of my baby boy.

This reminds me of when I was in elementary school and I was told that because I was not good at math, I was clearly not smart enough to go to Spectrum classes (these were the gifted classes, which I did eventually get to go to, but that was probably because they didn't have gifted classes for writers or artists. Just math-heads).

Anywho. Just wanted to let you know.

Bewildered

Bewildered:
that I could step away from a kettle put to boil and completely forget about it until I'm getting ready to leave for work, upon which I discover the pot has temporarily fused itself to the stove eye.

Bewildered:
that I put the ferrets away last night (I'm 99.99% sure!!) and yet when I get up in the morning to make coffee, Jack is running around with the cats.








Bewildered:
that I'm in such an amazing relationship with my boy, Eddy, and we're thinking of getting a place together.

Bewildered:
that I'm pretty sure I packed all my winter clothes into a box and stored them in my closet, but they are not there.














Bewildered:
that my amazing roommate Natalie is not mad at me or kicking me out due to the fact that I ruined her kettle and her stove eye.

(How does she put up with me? I've broken her plates, ruined a mirror, AND clogged up the kitchen drain, YET we still get along so well. I would have run my ass out by now if it were me....)



Bewildered:
that I'm turning 25 next week, and what does that mean exactly? Am I a grown-up yet?

Bewildered:
that even though I have three amazing wonderful ferrets who play with each other and keep each other company, they still need me to play with them too.

Steampunk kittens

I'm drawing a steampunk cat for a friend and trying to figure out which route to take-- chibi/anime style? realistic? something else?

It's going to be kitty-tastic either way, just like this guy:

 

Or this guy, which is kitty-tastic AND bacon-tastic:

Additionally, it seemed necessary to share this as well, just because it cracks me up:

Bits of a Vegas Trip: Costumes Capers

I didn't actively have streaming internet while at the Flamingo in Las Vegas (well, I could have and it would've cost me $20.00 for 24hrs), so I wasn't able to update my adventures like I would have hoped.

This totally sucks to me because then I can't put everything down while its fresh in my memory. I guess I could have typed it up on my word processor, but I didn't. So.... oh well then.

Here's something I'll never forget though!

I met Spider Man during my travels, and he is Latino!

 I took this with my camera phone because I didn't want to carry around the big clunky camera I'm borrowing from my friend, Germaine.

A kind lady with a baby took the second picture.

I figured she wouldn't run away with my phone. Plus my phone is pretty beat up and there are smarter ones to steal from.





There were a lot of other folks hanging around Vegas, just dressed up in costume. I think next time I go, I'll have some kind of crazy costume for me to be dressed up in and see how well I do in tips.

I do not envy the folks who were dressed in full body suits however. There were some Mario and Luigis, totally in plushie type outfits. They must have been so hot. It was 90 degrees out there in desert country, with no hopes of any rain ever.

On my first day, I also saw three Elvises hanging out together-- a white Elvis, a black Elvis, and a Latino Elvis. It would be cool if they did that with Jesuses too.

Labor Day

I spent my Labor Day hanging out with friends and seeing them before I headed out to Las Vegas (which is tomorrow-- click here for what's going on out in Las Vegas).

My morning adventure began with Eddy as we made our way to Big City Bread. I had no idea how busy it was in the mornings there.

I tried to be artsy fartsy with my camera in which I made our scone look as delicious as it truly was! Success!

While I only got to see a couple of my bellydance babes, I got a lot of love and good mojo from my other ladies (yallah yallah!)





So, while we were munching and chatting as innocently as the next group of strangers, a small group of very young girls (three of them, to be exact) gathered with chalk in their small hands.

They approached the trees in outside patio and started drawing on the trees with their chalk. This is not terribly unusual. I drew on the walls in the bathroom when I was kid, much to my parents' dismay. Simply a form of expression and, possibly, crazy awesome creativity.

But then it got weird.

Imagine this:
three small young children, hypnotically marking a tree and rhythmically moving the chalk up and down, chanting "The tree has a face. The tree has a face. The tree has a face."

They did this for God-knows how long before moving to the tree on the other side of our table (yes, we were set in between these trees). With the same hypnotic rhythm, they began chanting, "Raaaainbow. Raaaainbow. Raaaainbow."

Eddy joked later that we were initiated into a cult.
The emoticon that expressed this situation best is this one: O.o

That evening friends and I played Settlers of Catan. There was a lot of cut-throat double-crossing tomfoolery as well as an abundance of dirty jokes (that was the only resource we weren't short on).

During the game, Jack kept wanting to play with the "grown-ups" and woke up Rudyard and Momobella. Eventually I took them into the bedroom to play and sleep on their own, but not before I took an abundance of cute pictures! CUTE PICTURES!

 It is rare and difficult to get a shot of these three trouble-makers.

It makes sense I can catch them in one shot while they are inside their cage. Outside of the cage, they would be as rampant as an enormous dinosaur attacking Tokyo.

Jack climbed on top of the cage during the game. He always does this; maybe he hopes that this time he'll escape.

His attempts are unbelievably adorable, as always.

Look at his cute little face. He's wondering why I'm not picking him up right now.

Additionally (and these were not taken on Labor Day Party Day), here is an update on my rat babies:

The photo is still a little on the blurry side. I'm learning still! But I thought Darcy was just too cute, i had to share.

They are bad and going through my stuff. Why do all the critters I have go through my stuff?

Going on a Bear Hunt, Going on a Bear Hunt

The actual Bear Hunt Words and Lyrics.

To sing this accurately, one person will say each line; groups repeat on the asterix (*).

I'm going on a bear hunt,*
Gonna catch a big one.*
I'm not afraid.*
I'm not afraid.*

Here comes the airport
Now we're on the bear hunt,
Gonna catch a big one.
I'm not afraid.

We're going through security.
Can't go around it.
Can't cut through it.
Let's wait through it.

Well, this is real boring.
Well, this is real nerve-wracking.
Hey wait! It's the end of the line!
Quick! Board the plane!

I'm going on a bear hunt,*
Gonna catch a big one.*
I'm not afraid.*
I'm not afraid.*

Let's go up in the air!*
Let's go back down!*
Hey look! There's another city!
Let's land in it!
Woah, it's really busy down here!
It's another airport!
Let's get out! *

I'm going on a bear hunt,*
Gonna catch a big one.*
I'm not afraid.*
I'm not afraid.*

Oh no! It's another long line in security!
Can't go around it.*
Can't cut through it.*
Looks like we'll have to wait it out again.
Yuck!*

I'm going on a bear hunt,*
Gonna catch a big one.*
I'm not afraid.*
I'm not afraid.*

We're coming to a wide river of cars.
And we can't walk through those cars.
It's super busy
Super busy traffic.
Looks like we'll have to hitch a ride!
Stick your thumb out!
Grab a cab!
To the Flamingo Hotel!
Wait and watch.
Pay the cabber.
Step on out and shake yourself off.

I'm going on a bear hunt,*
Gonna catch a big one.*
I'm not afraid.*
I'm not afraid.*

Ooo, its the hotel.
Looks like the kind of hotel bears live in.
I don't know if I want to go in there.
You think I should go in?
Are you nuts?
I mean, there's probably a bear in there.
All right, I'll go in, no sweat.
I have to go to Check-In anyway.
And if I find a bear, I'll let you know.
I'll get my key and go up to my room.
I've got to be quiet though cos if I wake up the bear, well.

Bears are awful ornery when they first wake up, you know
Alright, I'm in my room and I'm going to sleep.
Oooo, it's the next day.
And I'm ambling downstairs.
What time is it?
Agh, there are people everywhere.
Ooo, what is that???
They're all looking at something....

Aghh!!! It's a bear!*

No.
Wait.
No, it's just a bellydance convention.
That's right. I was going a bellydance hunt.
My B.
No bears here.
How's your bear hunt going?