When I started Arrin's story, she was supposed to be kind of a serene, happy bubblehead (due to certain circumstances).
But she's turned into more of a sad and brooding person, who's overly trusting.

Both of them could potentially make sense.
I'm not sure how she'll evolve in future edits, but for now I'm just letting her be what she chooses.
@_@


And here's a prarie dog kissing a baby

I don't know why but when I start a book on tape, I often space out for the first disk or two. I guess that's how long it takes me to get accustomed to the characters and story.
But it's also heck of annoying, since it means I miss some of the the buildup.
Yeah, the main downside of books on tape. That almost never happens when I'm reading a normal book.


Black and white ruffed lemur

Conservation Groups

I was looking up about some conservation groups, and I thought I'd share them here.
These are different groups working to improve the planet (mostly geared towards animals, since that's what I come across in my job).
I'm sure there are countless more great groups. And I'll probably update this from time to time.

Anyway, if you can, lend them a hand. All of these I've heard of through sources that I trust.

World Wildlife Fund

Wildlife Conservation Network

Wildlife Conservation Society

Conservation International

Forestry Stewardship Council (Forest-sustainable products)

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo palm oil app (for sustainable purchases)

Rainforest Alliance Certified (Rainforest-sustainable products)

Fair Trade Certified

The Wilderness Society (Protect public lands)

Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (fights wildlife tracking)

Rainforest Rescue (Australian rainforests)

Small Mammal Conservation Organization

Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group

Sahara Conservation Fund

African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (manatees, African waters)

Wildlife ACT (African wildlife)

African Wildlife Foundation

Arcus Foundation (Apes)

Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (Protecting Mt. Kenya)

Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association

World Land Trust’s Paraguay Project (peccary)

Proyecto Tagua (peccary)

Trillion Trees (Replanting trees)

Tenkile Conservation Alliance (New Guinea wildlife)

Wildlife Conservation Society-India

Save Vietnam’s Wildlife

WCS Russia (Amur tiger, Amur leopard, fish owl, Kamchatka brown bear)

Danau Girang Field Centre (Asian biodiversity)

US Fish and Wildlife Service (Mexican Gray Wolves)

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

Bandedbirds.org (report sightings of banded birds)

Oceanswell (Oceans)

Sea Sense (Tanzanian sea life)

Blue Ventures (Fisheries and local communities)

MarAlliance (Marine Wildlife and dependent communities)

National Marine Sanctuaries

California Wildlife Program

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (Sustainable seafood)

Tank Watch:Good fish/bad fish (App for buying sustainable fishtank fish)

Sierra Club (Environmental protection)

Peninsula Humane Society Wildlife Center (Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation)

Curiodyssey (Animal Rescue and Education)

Animal Wonders Montana (Animal rescue and education)

Manomet (Helping communities support the environment)

Pangols (Support locals around wildlife areas)

Wild Nature Institute (Researching endangered species)

David Suzuki Foundation (Helping communities be sustainable)

Heifer International (work with communities to end poverty)

Wildaid.org (End purchase of Rare animal products)

Kiva.org (Loan to help people build a business)

International Union for Conservation of Nature (Helps businesses be sustainable)

Conservation Strategy Fund

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Standards for animal facilities)

European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Standards for animal facilities)

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Standards for animal facilities)

Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquaria

Zoo Conservation Outreach Group

San Francisco Zoo (and any AZA facility)

And for specific animals:

Snow Leopard Conservancy

Snow Leopard Trust

Reticulated Giraffe Project

Rothschild Giraffe Project

Save the Giraffes

Wild nature Institute (giraffes)

Tiger Research and Conservation Trust

Global Tiger Initiative

Minnesota Zoo’s Tiger Conservation Campaign

Niassa Lion Project (lions and communities)

Ewaso Lions (lions and large carnivores + working with communities)

Panthera (world’s wild cats)

Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation (small cats around the world)

Urban Fishing Cat

Fishing Cat Working Group

Jane Goodall Institute (Chimpanzees)

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

Ape Action Africa

Conservation Through Public Health (gorillas)

HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project

Orangutan Foundation International

Red Panda Network

Sloth Conservation Foundation 

Rhino Recovery Fund

International Rhino Foundation

Indian Rhino Vision 2020

International Bongo Foundation

Grevy’s Zebra Trust

Birdlife International (Birds around the world)

Global Penguin Society

Ara project (Scarlet macaw and great green macaw)

Save the Cassowary

International Crane Foundation (Cranes of the world)

Vulpro: Saving our Vultures

Save Pangolins

Okapi Conservation Project

Saiga Conservation Alliance

Saola Working Group

Hirola Conservation Program

96 Elephants

Save the Elephants

Cheetah Conservation Botswana

Cheetah Conservation Fund

Kids4Cheetahs.com

Andean Cat Alliance

Polar Bears International (Climate change and polar bears)

Spectacled Bear Conservation

Polar Bears International

Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative

California Wolf Center

Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program

Painted Dog Conservation

Fundacion Proyecto Titi (cotton-top tamarin)

Bonobo and Congo Biodiversity Initiative

Bonobo Conservation Initiative

Searching for bonobo in Congo

Lemur Conservation Network
Lola ya bonobo
Shark Stewards

Sometimes I'll encounter an actor for the first time, and I like the character they play.
Then when I find that actor in a different movie as a villain, part of me goes, "nooooooo! Don't turn to the dark side!"

I'm kinda weird.

The last instance of this was the Mandalorian. The guy who hired him in the first episode was that nice German guy from The Wind Rises. XD


Rhea

Star Wars Under Disney

Here's the thing about the new Star Wars movie. Mostly episodes 7-9.
I liked the main heroes. Especially Finn and Rose (though Rose didn't get to do anything in that last movie). I liked Poe and Rey too.


But I didn't like the plots of the movies.
I imagine I wrote about it in the past? I don't remember. But they basically took all of the progress made in the previous movies and threw it in the trash. I hate it when people do that.
My favorite part of the first six Star Wars was the end of Return of the Jedi, when everyone is celebrating because they've finally won after some 20 years.
And they basically said that none of that mattered. Luke and everyone didn't even get to enjoy one generation of peace before things were brought down worse than ever.

And Kylo Ren.

Okay, this seems like a random digression, but it fits in. I promise.
You know Vanellope from Wreckit-Ralph? Well, at one point she says to Ralph, "Enjoy your tantrum, diaper baby?"

Well, that's exactly what I want to say to Kyle Ren. Enjoy your tantrum, diaper baby?
He never scared me. He was like a whiny baby Darth Vader. Darth Vader was at least menacing. (SPOILERS) I didn't like Ren until the end. And then he died immediately after, so I didn't even get to enjoy that for more than a couple minutes.

About the other Disney Star Wars, I liked Rogue One. I didn't think Solo was very good though. They tried to do way too much in that movie.

However I am watching the Mandalorian. That's fun so far. I'm about half way through the first season.
The baby is super cute. Of course. It's so funny (and endearing) to have this hardened bounty hunter traveling around with that little guy. I hope we get to see his face. Is his name Mando? Or is that just a reference to him being a Mandalorian?

I signed up for Disney Plus less than a week ago.
That short, Kitbull, is so good. It made me cry. Both times I watched it. TT^TT

Books that Send you Outside

Miyazaki often says that he wants his movies to inspire people to go outside and play.


I've found that most of the books I've read that make me want to go out and do stuff are nonfiction.
For example, that Braiding Sweetgrass book I wrote about a while ago.
Also the Tom Brown Jr. Books.
These both make me want to get out in the woods and explore.

Though I just reread a fiction book that I read years ago.
It's I guess a middle grade book? It's called Chasing Vermeer. It's actually very fascinating (I got the idea for the last post from it too). Reading it, I really wanted to go to an art museum. I borrowed a massive art book from my mom and flipped through the whole thing.

Anyway, I hope I can write in a way that inspires people to go out and explore, or make things.


Wolverine, cleaning his toes.

Writing vs Speaking

I just read a book that had an interesting thought.
Which is better at communicating: Writing or speaking?

I think it depends on the person, and what they're trying to communicate.

For me, if it's a complicated topic I'm better at writing it out.
Writing gives you a chance to slow down and think about the details of what you're trying to say.
But it also means you don't see the person you're communicating with. You can't see their expressions and reactions as they see what you've written.

If you're speaking, you do get all of those face-to-face cues. Though you also don't get as much time to stop and think about every response.

And of course in writing, it's easier to lie.

There are other methods of communication too. Art, for example (painting, music, etc.)

What do you think?



Here, have some giraffes

The Last Toy Store in the City

I order stuff online sometimes. But I try to buy things from real stores when I can. Especially stores that aren't chain stores. More and more, I only order online if I can't find something anywhere else.
So many wonderful stores are being destroyed by online shopping. People already exist too much on the internet. It feeds off of itself. As people buy more online, real stores go out of business. So there are fewer places for people to shop IRL. So they shop online instead.
Some people even go into a store to talk to the experts. And then they leave and order what the expert recommended online instead of supporting the store that just gave them a lot of advice.

Why do I bring this up?

Our old toy store is closing. It might even be closed now.
My dad has been going there since they opened when he was a kid. And so have the families of everyone who's lived around here.
Everyone is heartbroken. It was a wonderful store. It had a bike shop, a model shop, and a bunch of crafts.
And now it's gone.

I don't even know where the closest toy store is anymore. Target and Walgreens don't count. Those aren't toy stores. There just big block buildings that happen to have a few toys.
All of the coolest shops and places are closing down.
It's heartbreaking. (And so are the fires in Australia! It feels worse since I get to see koalas and other Australian animals every week. How many species will be destroyed from these fires? From climate change? And all those people. I've been evacuated from fire too, though I had somewhere to return to. It's all too much).

Well, here's a cute snake.

San Francisco garter snake

Storm Dragon Saddle

I've been wanting to do this for a while.
I sketched out the designs for Tyra's saddle (before Katani adds all his own touches).
Storm dragon saddles are the most complicated and the hardest to put on, because of the placement of the storm dragon's wings.

Welcome to a New Decade

Happy New Year everyone!
It's been a fairly stable year.
I got to go to Florida! That was probably the highlight.
I had trouble speaking for a couple months. That sucked.
But it was a pretty good year.

Let's see what next year has to offer!
And the next decade too.