Two Million for $2 Million

Visit the website for the Saint Louis Zoo's Two Million for $2 Million Campaign.

From the website:
"The Saint Louis Zoo, along with 209 accredited zoos and aquariums across the nation, is seeking two million signatures to ask Congress to increase their wildlife conservation support to $2 million in 2006.

This petition asks Congress for $2 million to annually fund conservation and research programs for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, a highly successful wildlife conservation program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a proven record of success over the past 14 years. The programs have succeeded in maintaining or increasing key populations of some wild animals facing enormous survival challenges: elephants in Asia and Africa; rhinos in southern Africa, Indonesia and India; tigers in Russia; marine turtles in the Caribbean and southeast Asia; and great apes in east and central Africa.

Each of these species faces grave threats to their survival in the wild, and they need our help to protect them. Our goal is to increase the funding from Congress to $2 million annually for each of these species.

Help us send a message to Congress that you care about these imperiled species and want to help protect them in the wild. Please take a moment to “sign” this petition asking for at least $2 million for each of the wildlife species covered under the Multinational Species Conservation Funds. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums intend to deliver two million signatures to Congress on March 7, 2006"

Make a difference!

Alive & Kickin' . . .

An update on a variety of things that are happening:

My Jenny Craig Quest continues, I'm now down 35.6 lbs! That leaves me 8.6 lbs to my goal weight, whoo hoo!

I had a job interview yesterday. It's in the same company, but with a different department. My boss suggested it, because it would provide a lot more opportunities for advancement than my current position does. Cross your fingers!

I have had five dates with the same guy. #6 is tomorrow. That's all I'm saying about that.

This may be the coolest thing I've heard or read in a month: ‘Lost World’ of wildlife found in Indonesia. Rock on! Now let's work to protect it so we have time to figure out what all is there!

I had my midterm in my first MBA class last night. 72 questions of the T/F, Multiple Choice, and Matchig variety, plus fewer than 10 short answer. I finished i 25 minutes, and that's WITH re-reading everything to double-check. We'll see how I did next week.

I didn't know that Darwin's birthday is Sunday. Happy birthday, Chuck!

Thing that most ticked me off this week: KSDK Channel 5 did an I-Team investigation on what they called "a dark secret at the Saint Louis Zoo." Ready for the secret? THIRTY YEARS AGO, we had chimpanzee shows. Was it acceptable then? yes, and lots of places did it. Is it morally reprehensible in today's world? heck yeah! The news "investigation" says this:

It's a past the Zoo President admits to, but doesn't like to acknowledge.

Here's just a part of what Zoo Pres. Dr. Bonner said:

"Wound up in animal testing?" "Yeah, exactly so," says Dr. Bonner. "How did that happen?" "Well, again going back historically, at a time when that was acceptable they were placing animals and really, probably not many from St. Louis. . . . Fault and responsibility are two different things, should we do everything we can to remedy that, even though it's not our fault, yes we should,"

To me, that sounds less like a lack of acknowledgment and more like a "we're doing what we can, even though our hands are legally tied in some areas," what more do they want?

The reporter spent a long time talking about this "dark secret" that's not really a secret, and then covers his tail by saying

"By the late 1980's, most zoos adopted strict guidelines set forth by the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan. Members, like the St. Louis Zoo, must abide by the plan's breeding and transfer recommendations, ensuring the chimpanzee's future.

Steve Ross from the Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is the coordinator for that program. He tells me, no chimpanzee today could ever be sold to a medical testing facility. He also says the St. Louis Zoo is held with the highest regard when it comes to caring for chimps."

Any mention of our new, state-of-the-art, multimillion dollar Fragile Forest Exhibit? Noooooooo!
Good Grief.

Okay, I'm done.

Adios!

Don't Bury Me Yet!

Okay, okay, I suck. It's been . . . lemme count here .. January 10th . . . 30 days hath September . . . carry the one . . . 22 days since my last real post. Good grief! Here's an update:

*Back to school! I started my first MBA class on the 12th -- 8 weeks of Managerial Accounting, whoo hoo! It's not bad, keeps me busy and out of trouble with stuff that only care about because the professor tells me to care about it. Midterm is next week, joy!

*After a few weeks of worrying, it's been established that I am NOT dying. I had to have an extremely UN-FUN test done to see if I had cervical cancer or some such thing, but I do not. As of last week, I was PROBABLY not dying; as of yesterday I am DEFINITELY not dying. Yay!

*The Jenny Craig quest continues -- after 2-3 weeks of not-much-progress, my meeting yesterday showed a 2.2lb drop from the previous week, for a total of 34.4 lbs!

*The winter overnights at the Zoo are kicking back into gear, I've had two so far. This past Saturday, I got called in to work an overnight, I was there from 5pm Saturday to 10:30am Sunday -- I had just enough time to drive home, shower, change, & head back to the zoo because I'd already made plans to spend the day at the zoo with a friend. For those of you wondering, that means that between 5pm Sat & 5pm Sun, I spent 22 hours at the zoo -- for at least 17 of those, I was on my feet. Sunday, I was asleep by 6pm.

Gotta run, homework calls, love ya bunches!

AWESOME Commercial

Check out this link & watch the new Honda Civic commercial (you can skip the intro) -- if you were ever in choir, you'll really appreciate it!

Tortoise Pics

I present to you a picture of my nephew with one of the BIG tortoises at the Zoo. I believe this one is a Galapagos, & weighs in at about 200-250lbs (the tortoise, that is -- my nephew is a Brandonn & weighs in at about 40lbs in this pic, if that.)

Aren't they cute?!?!?!



Here he is with two of our big guys -- Aldabras, I think, about 300-350lbs each:

Tagged by Jess

Okay, here goes:
First, The Rules…

"The first player of this game starts with the topic "five weird habits of yourself," and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says "You are tagged" (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours." Except that everyone I would tag has already BEEN tagged!

And, without further adeiu, here are my "habits"....

(1) I can't work in silence, I have to have background noise. Not just any background noise, mind you, but something that won't catch my attention too much -- for example, when studying for finals my Sophomore year of college, I played "Remember the Titans" over & over & over. Radio won't work, it's too random. I play the same CD over & over at work, to give me something to listen to while I do paperwork. I'll keep the same CD in for weeks at a time.

(2)Jess, don't feel bad -- I eat my gummies in color-coded pairs, too -- BUT I also save my favorite gummi worms (the red & white ones) for last. Best story about this is that, while driving to Northern WI with little bro, I set a R&W gummi on top of the steering wheel for like 10-15 miles while I finished the rest of the bag.

(3) I have bottles of diet soda EVERYWHERE. I cleaned out my car (not really, just threw trash away) & disposed of 4-5 bottles, in varying degrees of fullness. I hold onto them (or forget to take them out of the car), because in this weather they're almost guaranteed to be cold (albeit flat).

(4) When I take pictures, I take LOTS of pictures. Rolls & rolls, because I figure the more I take, the more likely some of them are to be good.

(5) I abuse my nails. I bite them, to the point of pain & occasional bleeding. I pick at them, & if I polish them, I pick off the polish & THEN bite them. The only things that keep me from doing this are (a) being REALLY busy or (b) having my nails professionally done, like, with acrylic -- cuz that's tough to bite, but after a few days, I'll pick at them until they come off.

That's my odd list, & like I said, I'm out of people to tag!

Cartoons for Science Nerds!

Big Thanks to my friend Dan for sending me this link -- all my fellow science nerds out there will surely enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Okay, it's been a bit, but let me catch you up on important stuff:

After 7-ish months on the Jenny Craig program, I am down 31.2 pounds! That's right, I managed to survive Christmas & New Year's and STILL lose! I've signed up for Yoga classes on Tuesdays, due to schedule changes that will keep me away from my normal Aquacise class.

I start classes next Thursday at Missouri Baptist University for my MBA.

I'm back on the dating scene (or at least trying to revive my social life) -- I have a date tomorrow night, & spent WAAAY to many nights last week out late with friends -- but got to catch up with a few who were in town for the holidays.

Those are the big updates, guess that's about it -- best wishes to all of you for a great new year!

Happy Holidays!

Hahahah, there, I said it!

Maybe it's because I'm older, but it seems that this whole "Happy Holidays vs. Mery Christmas" thing has gotten worse this year. I mean, hello, there were zealots waiting in the wings to SUE folks for saying "Happy Holidays." Good grief, Charlie Brown, what's the world coming to?

A few of my thoughts:
-I say "Happy Holidays" because it covers me from Thanksgiving until New Year's, & it's shorter than saying or writing "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year."
-The word "holiday" comes from Old/Middle English for "Holy Day" -- what more do you want?
-I'm not Christian. I'm not Jewish or Muslim, either, and I have friends of all faiths, so HH covers all circumstances, except for my athiest/agnostic friends, who don't mind, because they know . . .
-It's the point of wishing someone well that matters! Whatever you say, it's the sentiment behind the words that we should be focusing on!
-While the religious right has you focusing on "keeping the Christ in Christmas" (which you kind of have to do, or all you have is "mas"), you're not being outraged over CIA leaks, US soldiers dying in Iraq, gasoline prices, etc.

Things you may or may not know about other Winter Holidays:
-Hanukkah began at sundown on Christmas Day. I think this is a great coincidence. I looked up the History of Hanukkah, because all I was familiar with was the lighting of the menorah -- did you know that "in Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means 'dedication,' [and] the holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians." Hmmmm, that sounds familiar -- wasn't there another guy, like 165-ish years later, that had some issues with the way a temple was being used . . . what was his name again? Oh, right, it was JESUS! I love it when similarities like this are brought to light.

-Kwanzaa begins today, December 26th. Kwanzaa was established in the U.S. in 1966, and is "an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture," although the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa could help us all. They include: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work & Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.

-January 10th begins the Muslim celebration Eid-al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice, which commemorates Abraham's "willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son." Now, where did I hear that story again? Oh right, I heard it in the Old Testament -- did you know it's also in the Koran? In the Koran, Abraham's son is Ishmael, not Isaac, and he becomes the "forefather of the Arabs," but isn't the message of piety & sacrifice the same?

Okay, I'm done with my rant. I hope you've found some of it educational, at least.

Happy Holidays to All!

Well That Was Easier Than I Thought . . .

Okay, so when I wrote my last post, I was in a less-than-cheerful mood, heartbroke, blah blah blah. After some in-depth soul-delving, I came to a very important realization: this doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. You see, I was never in love with J. He wasn't in love with me, so it all worked out -- I didn't expect our relationship to last, I just didn't expect it to end the way it did. Hence the crying-sobbing-ness that occurred Friday night/Saturday morning. By Sunday, I was all good. I updated my Match.com profile, got a few hits, and I'm back in the "being single" groove.

Mega weird-ness: The very first hit I got on my updated Match profile was from a guy I went to high school with; apparently he recognized my photo right away. We went out Wednesday, caught up on what we'd each been up to, & had an absolute blast! Y'all know I can always use a new friend to hang out with . . . especially one who doesn't let me do all of the talking!

Anyway, it's now 11:30 pm the night before Xmas eve -- tomorrow is the big holiday shebang with my mom's & stepdad's families -- all together, in one place -- yipe! So I have to be awake & at mom's ready to be cheerful & helpful at 11am. That's not so much an issue, I just have to keep up my wonderful-cheerful-positive attitude until like 9pm, so I'll be all about the caffeine. Off to bed I go, happy holidays to you all!

. . . and to all a good night!

New Relationship Record: 6.5 Months & Done

Well, at least I surpassed my famous 3-month rule, right?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, although not ready to put myself back on the market, I am single again.

Tiffany's big three "IF" statements:
IF I had asked how his last relationship (of like four years) ended, I would have known that it was because he moved from the East Coast to STL. That's all, no fights, it was amicable & they stayed friends.

IF I had asked how he felt about the aforementioned g/f, I would have figured out that, although he never expected to see her again, he still had feelings for her.

IF I had known that, I wouldn't have gotten as involved as I did. Trying to win someone's heart when they've already given it away is a lost cause.

Wish I'd known beforehand, because . . .

The aforementioned g/f is being transferred to STL for work. Go figure. Guess who loses out on this one? Survey says . . . me! Being the remarkably mature person I am, I told him that was "someone up there pointing you in a direction that you need to go, and since you obviously have stronger feelings for her than you do for me, that's what you should do."

Way to take the high road, Tiff, but that's not going to make it hurt any less.

Then I told him he was going to have to leave, because I didn't want him to see me cry. Which I did. Not a lot, I guess, but a lot for me. I don't cry often, it's one of those not-necessarily-healthy rules I have, see:
(1) Never let "them" see you cry (not sure who "them" is, but still...)
(2) Don't get too close to people, especially romantically, because it will hurt when they leave.

There are others, yes, but those are the two big depressing ones. For the otherwise-wonderfully-cheerful-optimist that I am, those are suprising to you, aren't they?

So I called my best friend B, who's in the USAF in NC (wow, lots of abbreviations there). He said, "Well, Tiff, I'll be home in two weeks and can track him down and inflict bodily harm..." I said no thanks, not needed, just tell me you love me & that you owe me a hug. B says, "done."

AwesomeStepdad called while I was on the phone with B, to ask a question about what to get Mom for Xmas, he says "so how are you?" & I said, "well, J broke up with me, so I could be better, but I'll be okay." He says sorry to hear that, we chat a bit, then hang up.

So then I text two of my guy friends to say something like "Who needs a boyfriend?" to MC(who assures me that he doesn't, but calls to check on me nonetheless & promises a night out for coffee & pie), & "Your gender sucks, and not in a good way" to JJK (who calls & says "well hey, yeah we had Hitler, but we had Gandhi, too"). While I'm on the phone with JJK friend, mom calls & says "open your door, some friends came to visit."

???

So I do, and on my doormat are sitting three large stuffed characters from Finding Nemo -- large & plushy. I think, "thanks mom," but this morning I find out it was actually AwesomeStepdad who got them & dropped them off. I guess between B, MC, JJK, my Little Bro, & AwesomeStepdad, the male gender doesn't suck.

The moral of the story, if there is one, is that Tiff ends up with a broken heart that will eventually heal, and realizes that even though one individual doesn't love me, I have many, many more that do.

Ode to Those Who Would Change the World

Something you may or may not know about me: before I got my "grown-up" job at the hospital, I applied to work with AmeriCorps St. Louis, one of the leading AmeriCorps programs in the country. I went on a week-long "Quest" journey in the middle of nowhere, to get to know the people who would be my coworkers and decide if this was really for me. Upon our return, and after much soul-searching, I decided that I was not at a point in my life where I was ready to commit to such a high level of service. I don't regret my decision, because I know that it was right for me.

Last night, I was lucky enough to be invited to a party with some of the AmeriCorps St. Louis members -- folks I haven't seen in 16 months -- so I went, if only to say hi to a few & find out what they've been up to.

First off, I am apparently not as forgettable as I thought I was -- although a few folks took a minute to reconcile my new haircut & smaller self, all of a sudden their faces lit up & they're like, "oh my god, how have you been?!?!?" Let me tell you about a few of these awesome folks & the work they've been doing.

A & JJ have been in the St. Louis public schools, tutoring the younger kids and/or mentoring the older ones. They haven't changed much, JJ still plays piano for his church & has become the music minister, he wants to go back to school when his period of Service is done, but he's not sure for what. A describes himself as "burnt-out" on the school system, but knows he's making a difference. He doesn't want to go into education full-time when he's done with the Corps, and will probably go to Mizzou to further his education, but he's not sure in what. Both of these guys were on my original "Quest" team, and it's good to see they still have the "change the world spark," even if it's tough to keep alive sometimes.

JW, AZ, S and others on the Emergency Response Team have spent most of their time in the Gulf Coast -- they've been rotating teams down there since 9/5, living out of tents for the first eight weeks. These folks have been responsible for everything from operating call centers to coordinating volunteers & donations, outreach, assessment, and reconnaissance to identify relief problems. To hear S talk about WHY he does what he does, click here. None of these guys have lost the "spark" -- I saw it in them 16 months ago, and I saw it still last night. In talking to them, I can tell they've seen things the rest of us can only imagine -- AZ quoted someone as saying that "what you see on TV [about the areas hit by Katrina] is like looking at the whole thing through a straw." He told me stories of showing new volunteers around the area, then sitting back & watching them take it all in, often not talking for hours after the tour. I heard discussion of the efforts to rebuild the areas, how the major contract is held by Halliburton - big suprise - and speculation that the New Orleans we see rise in the coming days will have a different look than the one washed away - both economically and racially. S & his friend J mentioned that the areas that people are pouring money into are coming back, but the 9th Ward still doesn't have people in it. JW is still his wonderful self, working in the AmeriCorps office to keep things running, and holding onto the great attitude he had when he pulled me out of knee-deep mud three times.

Ladies & gentlemen, none of these folks would ask you for any recognition; in fact, you could look at them on the street & not know the sacrifices they've made to do what so many of us are afraid or unable to do. S is going back to the Gulf Coast for the Christmas Holiday, JVW missed Thanksgiving with his family in WI to stay with those who have so little to be thankful for. A & JJ go into the public schools every day to do their part to make a difference. I couldn't make the commitment they have, but I do what I can to make the world a better place. This is an ode to those folks who will change the world, because for every dollar contributed, and every willing volunteer that wants to help, someone has to coordinate how best to put them to work, and these folks do it every day.

More importantly to me, none of these people judged me for taking a different path. JW introduced me to someone by saying "she started with the rest of us, and then she got a better job, we haven't seen her in over a year." AZ walked me to my truck last night & told me that I should pop in more often, ending the conversation by saying "once a part of the family, always a part of the family." I can't think of an extended family that I'd rather be part of, and I'm proud to be included with such an incredible group of folks.

SUCCESS!

I did it -- 30 pounds in 25 weeks, averaging 1-2 lbs/week -- yay me! I even managed to LOSE weight over Thanksgiving! Bought some new clothes -- jeans, SIZE TEN, and a size 12 pantsuit that actually fits my chest!

That leaves about 14lbs to my goal weight -- whoo hoo!

That's all I really wanted to share, happy holidays to all!

Random Stuff

Okay, here are some random things I have to share with you:

After almost 6 months on the Jenny Craig program, I am down Twenty-nine pounds! My plan is to hit 30 by Christmas, which will be a piece of (low-fat) cake & to be at my goal weight by my birthday in mid-March -- both are completely attainable.

I enrolled & registered for my first two 8-week sessions of classes for my MBA at Missouri Baptist University. I will be taking Managerial Accounting from January - March, & Financial Management from March - April. Tuition reimbursement forms have been turned in for work, so I'll eventually get some of the money back.

I have no clue what to get my little bro for Christmas. He already has most of the cool t-shirts from Northern Sun, maybe I'll try T-Shirt Hell. He's so freaking hard to shop for, I spend more time finding "the perfect gift" for him each year than I do on anyone else.

Today's story on how "little" details can change an entire story & a caution about making judgements without all the facts:
Apparently, yesterday my favorite morning radio show, Cornbread on WIL 92.3 got a call or email from an extremely unhappy parent wanting to share their story. "Parent" writes that their middle school child was in the lunchroom reading her Bible, when the Principal came over & said "you can't read that here" & ushered "child" to a semi-detention area "where she could read." This caused a lot of Anti-Principal ruckus with people talking about First-Amendment infringement & taking the separation of religion & state thing too far, "child" is being persecuted for her religious beliefs, etc. People called the school, complained on the radio, DJ said how it was unfair, blah blah blah.
This morning, another parent whose child attends the same school writes in to set the record straight. Apparently, students aren't allowed to have pencils, papers, or books OF ANY KIND in the lunchroom. Suddenly this goes from religious persecution by "the establishment" to a kid breaking the rules. Hmmmmm..... Parent2 goes on to add that Principal is wonderful & does a great job, & that the school board had already met & decided to allow kids to bring ONE book into the lunchroom. Problem solved, Principal was enforcing standard rules, and everyone else ends up with egg on their face. Props to the DJ for apologizing & then asking folks to please have all the facts before calling him with a story like this. When you're that noticeable, it's not easy to admit you goofed.

Okay, that's the end of the story, and the end of this post. I'm off to work, have a great day!

Happy Turkey Day!

Okay, to make up for the sad elephant news, I am going to share with you a list of things for which I am thankful this holiday season. It's not comprehensive, I'm quite sure I'll forget a thing or two, but I think it's important to write it down -- try it!

Top Ten Things I am Thankful For (in no particular order):
- My wonderful family
- My awesome friends
- The fact that I have a job that I like, with people who are (for the most part) fun to work with, that pays the bills!
- My sweet "pretty birds" Chitter & Pod
- All other animals I'm lucky enough to share my life with
- My health, which has improved thanks to. . .
- The support of my family & friends in my weight-loss endeavors
- The great folks I'm lucky enough to work with at the Zoo
- The country I live in -- it's not perfect, and I'd prefer a leader who didn't look like a monkey*, but I have faith that we can all work together to make it what it's supposed to be
- My boyfriend (in a non-sappy way, thank you)


*My sincerest apologies to all monkeys, I meant no offense, but you know it's true.

Sad News

Our baby elephant died in utero. As far as I know, Mom Elephant is okay. This is a sucky, unfair, sad end to a 22-month wait. The complete story can be found here. The dedication & compassion shown by the Elephant Keepers is another example of why we're one of the top zoos in the world. Please send good thoughts to the keepers & the remaining two pregnant elephants.

Zoo Babies!

While those of us here in Saint Louis await the arrival of the first of THREE baby Asian elephants to be born between now & Fall of 2008 (be patient, it takes a long time to make a baby elephant -- twenty-two months!), I thought I'd share with you San Diego's Panda Cam, where you can catch a glimpse of their adorable baby panda, Su Lin.

More info to come when the first baby elephant (a girl!) arrives - which should be sometime this week!

Yay Spongebob!

Thought you would enjoy this pic of the Halloween costume John & I constructed for him this season:

It was a great hit at his friends' Halloween party!

I've been holding out on you . . .

I know, I know -- I've been absent, missing, elsewhere, distant -- things have been very busy, but I still love you. So, I present to you, a string of updates on various aspects of my life . . . and after that, a revelation I've been hiding.

Jenny Craig Update: 25 lbs as of my last meeting, more than halfway to my goal -- here's a picture of the new, smaller me:


Work Update: Work has been busy. I was in charge of organizing the first "Customer Service Appreciation Day" for my office staff, that went very well! Then, I was asked to assist with the display boards for "Maintenance Appreciation Week" -- everyone has said how awesome they look, pat on the back for me! 10/25 makes my one-year anniversary in my current position, and I really can't believe it's been a year already. My boss has suggested that I start looking for advancement opportunities within the company, but most if not all of the positions want someone with a business degree, which I don't have. Which brings me to . . .

School Update: I'm selling my soul for an MBA. Well, not really my soul, and in fact the hospital will pay $3,000 a year in tuition reimbursement, so it's a pretty sweet deal. I get a Master's degree, some "on-paper" business experience, and a chance for advancement where I am. Even better, since I'm not planning on staying here forever & I still plan on pursuing my PhD in Biology, I could then go to an organization like the Saint Louis Zoo & say "look, I have degrees that say I can manage animals, people, and money . . . hire me!"

Those are the current events, and now the promised revelation:
I've been seeing someone. That's right, I have . . . a boyfriend. We've been dating for 5 months which, for reference, is the longest relationship I've ever been in. He is, as my mother describes him, "smart, funny, and only slightly cocky," which is good, because it means that he can hold his own with me. Grandma says if he wasn't a little cocky, I'd eat him alive. He refers to my birds as "feathered noisemakers," but he still whistles at them because he knows they like it. He puts up with my sense of humor, and he has a puppy! That's all I'm going to share right now, but if you're lucky, more may follow.

Math is Fun!

Check this out. One of the guys @ work figured out how it works, can you?