Accidental Naming

When I first started taking notes for my version of Beauty and the Beast, I just referred to the characters as "Beauty" and "Beast." But when I started writing out a few sample scenes, I needed names. "Beauty" has already gone through four different names (if you count using "Beauty" as a placeholder). At first I was looking at names that mean something akin to "beautiful." I tried Laila, which means "dark beauty." But it didn't seem to click with her. Then I tried "Aya," which can mean "beautiful."

But then I kept using "Maya" by accident And since I kept using the wrong name, I decided to go with that one . If I kept calling her "Maya," maybe that was just her name (Plus Maya is a goddess of beauty! So I accidentally found a name with the same theme as the others). 

So Beauty is Maya for now. Though I think I may have Maya be short for a longer name.

I found a name for Beast a lot faster. But I might change it. We'll see.

 Gorilla

Zoo Poems

Over the last three years, I've been writing poems for all of the zoo animals. I'd do a few species, then I'd forget for a while or I wouldn't have time. Then I'd start up again. I'd make progress on the list, but then we'd get new animals and I'd have to add them on. At first, I didn't include every species. We have five species of ibis, for example and I was just going to do one poem for all of the ibis. When I got close to finishing, I decided to do every individual species. The trickiest is for the insect zoo, because we cycle through those faster (due to usually short lifespans of insects). 

But as of today, I have officially finished! 

You know, at least until we get a new species. Like the new fox that should be out soon. 

Two-toed sloth

Reading Update

 The Toll, Shusterman

I wasn't sure if I'd finish this series. And I kinda wish I hadn't. The ending was so weird. Spoilers, but most of the characters just escaped planet Earth by rocket. They ran away and abandoned their planet. They never even knew what had happened after they left.

 

"The Snow Leopard," and "The Cloud Forest," Matthiessen

I read the first one because I thought it would be about snow leopards. It wasn't. More of a travelogue about hiking through the Himalayan mountains. It sounded fascinating, but his writing didn't really strike me. The only reason I tried the second book was because it partially took place where I went in Peru. It made me remember why I didn't click with the snow leopard book. He's pretty condescending about the local people.

 

"Mort," "Sourcery," and "Wyrd Sisters," Pratchett

I've been pretty divided on Terry Pratchett's books so far. Some I think are okay, others I don't like, and others are fascinating. These three are my favorites so far. They're funny, and I like the premises.

 

Soundless, Mead

This was fascinating. It makes you think about hearing in a while new way. I didn't expect the bit of the fantasy element at the end, but it was cool too.

 

Zamba, Helfer

This was one of the first people who used kind methods to train a lion for films. Back when they actually used real animals in movies (cough cough).  Working at a zoo, I know full well how much more secure everything is of no one goes in with the lions. But man, reading this book makes it really tempting to snuggle with a lion. Zamba was an amazing cat.

 

We Bought a Zoo, Mee

A great story of saving a zoo and the animals that live there. Pretty different from the film version, though that's good as its own separate story. 

(River otter at the zoo)

 

My Life with Animals, Baldwin

Stories from a guy that worked at the Hearst Castle menagerie, and the San Francisco Zoo. These are very old stories, and the way they worked with animals back then was very different to what they do now. It's fascinating, but it's good to know that things aren't that way anymore! Considering some of the stuff he experienced.

 

A Walk in the Woods, Bryson

 An account of two people hiking along a trail that crosses much of the country. One of those people got so frustrated on the first day of walking that he started chucking stuff randomly out of his pack. It sounds like a fascinating trail. But it also seems like the kind of thing that people just charge through, instead of slowing down and appreciating the mountains and woods.

 

White Fragility, Diangelo

Wrote a separate post about this book. 

 

Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Lasky

I finished the main series because I liked that they used real owl biology. But the character development and stuff is too tacky for me to want to read anymore.

 

The Bridge, Konigsberg

 A pretty heavy read, especially part three. But a very good book. Two teenagers go to the top of the bridge, ready to jump. There are four stories. The boy jumps. The girl jump. They both jump. Or they both turn around and go home. I met the author, and he signed my book.

 

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe

Whoever first described this book to me did a very bad job. It sounded like Tom was happy to serve a terrible, abusive slave owner. But Tom comes as a saint to help people who are suffering. I was afraid this book would portray African Americans very badly. And it could be better, but it was way better than I expected. Considering what society behaved like back then, the author tried very hard to do a good job. Two of her points really stood out to me. Good slave owners make it possible for terrible people to own and abuse slaves. And while the south was where the slaves were, the north wasn't much better. Because it wasn't as though the north would happily welcome in the slaves if they were suddenly released and moved north.

 

Encounters with Animals, Durrell

 Crazy animal tales by a guy that collected animals for zoos (back when that was considered acceptable).

 

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Bittner

I finally read it! It was fascinating. I've seen the parrots from a distance a couple times. I'm not sure if it's the same ones, or a different flock (there are a couple). I'm sure most, or all of the original birds are gone now. Parrots can have a good long, life, but less so in the wild. Anyway, I want to actually go to Telegraph Hill at some point and see if I can see them.

White Fragility

I just read a book about racism. I knew a lot of it already, but this made some points clearer to me. It's extremely important, so I want to share a few points. However to get the full story, you should check out the book "White Fragility" by Diangelo. (It's a very important book, but it's written a little odd - it almost feels like it's trying to alienate some people?)

 

First of all, racism is built into the system. We're brainwashed from the moment we're born because of the quality of hospitals, and what the staff look like. 

African American kids are forced into poor schools, and then they're blamed for not being as smart as white kids (someone I know very well once made a comment about African Americans not caring about history. And when I got pissed off at him, he just acted all confused). If there is an incident at a school where a student feels they're singled out due to race, it's often buried. For example, a teacher would regularly use a slightly rude way to refer to all students. But that particular phrase has an entirely different connotation for African-Americans. And yet the teacher was defended, and the student's feelings weren't considered.

People act horrified if people use bad words related to race. But people are trained to think that African American's just don't deserve the same quality of treatment as white people. And yes, this is true of many races and groups, but it's the worst for African Americans. 

Most people have absolutely no idea how this brainwashing affects the way they think and act. When it's pointed out to them, they often act hurt and horrified that anyone could ever suggest that they're racist, even if they just made a racist comment. These interactions just widen the gulf between races.

One argument people use to say that they're not racist is that they "see everyone the same." But everyone has different needs and relationships to us. You never treat everyone the same, nor should you. "Seeing everyone as the same" is a convenient tool society has provided to hide racism. Saying you're color blind means that you don't respect other people's cultures, and that you don't see racism when it happens.

 White Flight: when white people move en-masse out of neighborhoods where African American people live. This, combined with gerrymandering, makes it easy to isolate certain populations and reduce their voice in government.