mrv3000 | (no subject)

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Back from Palm Springs. What'd I miss? Anything? DW fandom finally exploding in a ball of flames? Another case of someone trying to get rich off fanfic? Sockpuppet follies? Or quietness?

This is on the way out. Some metal elephant. Or...something.

This was the view from the hotel. It was absolutely beautiful out there. A bit on the cool side with the wind, but the highs were around 65.

We went to the Living Desert while out there, which is always fun. It's a nice place to walk around in.

"zzzzzzzzz. hee hee hee. zzzzzzzzzz. hee hee hee."
(Hyena sleeping noises.)

For Karen: This is not a yak.

Nom nom nom. And baby giraffe!

I just thought this sculpture was neat.

I did not know that they hibernated. Huh.

They have an animal hospital you can see parts of, which includes demonstrations by stuffed subjects.

Round cacti. Picture taken because...they're round.

I couldn't get a better picture because it was inside and against glass. But whatever it is, it's very freaky looking. And has a face.

YAWNSTRETCH.

This was...something. Pretty sure they didn't just throw a ball of fluff into an enclosure. Although that'd be fairly hysterical. I think it might have been a badger?

We were there in the middle of the day, so it was naptime for a lot of animals.

How many Big Horn Sheep do you see in this picture? The correct answer is: 25. Okay, maybe not, but they are ridiculously hard to find on a rocky hillside unless they're mooning you.

This is a real live non-zoo roadrunner. Meep meep!

And on the drive back to LA from Palm Springs. See? We know what snow looks like! From a distance...

We also went to the art museum there, which was pretty neat. They've got a nice collection of modern art and had a few pieces by Dale Chihuly.

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Fandom has been eerily quiet recently. I need some sockpuppet shenanigans or something to make me feel that all is right with the world.

Hmm. The calm before the storm maybe? Maybe pretty soon it'll leak who the next Doctor is going to be and fandom will EXPLODE. Won't matter who it is, it'll still explode.

(Can I still hope for Eddie Izzard? He's without a job at the moment.)

IT'S AN AXOLOTL! I think they're adorable, but haven't ever seen one in real life (that I can remember, anyway).

That stuffed animal demonstration looks pretty adorable, too.

IT'S AN AXOLOTL! I think they're adorable, but haven't ever seen one in real life (that I can remember, anyway).

That's it! Man, the're weird looking.

That stuffed animal demonstration looks pretty adorable, too.

They also had their video cameras going so you could see the stuffed animals from different angles on the monitors. :D

It looks like a prairie dog, almost. So pretty!

I don't think it was a prairie dog, since that probably would have stuck in my mind. It was obviously something similar though. :D

Oooo, cool, desert aminamals! :3 I usually only see them at the zoo.

And that ball of fluff...might be a groundhog? Prarie dog mebbe? idk, not a lot of big fuzzy animals chill around on the ground in the desert.

They really have a nice collection of desert animals. And it's always nice to see them in more open settings instead of a small cage.

But the fluffball...I really don't remember what it was. :D

Oh, our zoo was actually designed the way they're designing zoos now, with natural habitats and such. Which was cool, as a kid, because I thought that's how all zoos were.

It was cute and fluffy, that's what counts...right?

That's great! I was mostly used to the Wild Animal Park, which is a secondary San Diego Zoo property, and that one is all massive multi-species enclosures. But the regular San Diego Zoo still has some small cages, which I don't really enjoy seeing too much.

There's been some wailing and a-gnashing of the teeth over certain aspects of the Christmas Special, but that's been about it (I've got a post about the main topic of fretting, but obviously you need to watch The Shew first). I stay away from the Fight Club that is the general fandom pool; mayhaps there are more exciting things going on for people who still read

whocaresdaily or

doctorbzuh.

There's been some wailing and a-gnashing of the teeth over certain aspects of the Christmas Special, but that's been about it (I've got a post about the main topic of fretting, but obviously you need to watch The Shew first).

I'm gonna have to check it out. :D

I stay away from the Fight Club that is the general fandom pool; mayhaps there are more exciting things going on for people who still read whocaresdaily or doctorbzuh.

Maybe even the trolls took off for Christmas.

Maybe Santa zapped their computers for being naughty.

That might be too much to hope for.

I have seen the little swimming things before (only on the internet) and they're oddly cute. I have no idea what they are, but I sort of want one! XD

Also, aww at the camel. I have a bit of a strange soft spot for camels! :D

They're very strange looking. You get the feeling that one could wander up and start sucking on your foot. [shudders] Or maybe that's just me.

*pats you* That's just a you thing sweetie! Really they will wander up and spit on your head. So much less traumatizing I'm sure.

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Aw. Makes me desert-homesick. I have seen bighorn sheep multiple times in Joshua Tree -- from a distance, of course. With much squinting.

I hadn't been out there in a few years, and it was nice. Even though we were in town, there's still a sort of quietness about it that you can only get in the desert.

OPAL STOLE THE COOKIES FROM THE COOKIE JAR. I COULD NOT STOP HER.

Oooh. Pictures! XD

OPAL STOLE THE COOKIES FROM THE COOKIE JAR. I COULD NOT STOP HER.

Hey now, I thought Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar. XP

HOW DARE SHE! SHE MOST OBVIOUSLY OWES YOU FIC THEN!

I THINK SHE JUST MIGHT.

I have got to get my ass down there. It looks loads more fun then the free skating rinks the city helped create by not salting the sidewalks *rants*

Palm Springs is a nice place to visit. In the winter, of course. Just kind of mellow and no free skating rinks. :D

It looks so pretty.

It really is. :)

Awwww animals! All of them = adorable, even the stuffed ones.

Fandom has been strangely undramatic, except for the Usual Suspects.

Awwww animals! All of them = adorable, even the stuffed ones.

They were really fun to see. :)

Fandom has been strangely undramatic, except for the Usual Suspects.

Hmm. Maybe it is the calm before the storm. Well, it'll explode once we find out who will be Eleven, that's for sure.

I can only hope that I'll actually be in London what that happens. Either which way though, the wank will be spectacular, and I'll be totally immune from it as Eleven is guaranteed to, as usual, be a British actor I know almost nothing about.

Uh huh! It most likely will involve me having to google him.

I love pictures of the dessert- no, wait. I love dessert right in front of me.. pictures of dessert just mock what I do not have.

*looks around for pie*

Desert. Ah yes, pictures of the desert. Lovely things those desert dwelling... um, things. I'm always tempted by the pictures to finally go out there but then remember that desert means no water and that just freaks me out for some reason.

Glad you enjoyed yourself!

I love pictures of the dessert- no, wait. I love dessert right in front of me.. pictures of dessert just mock what I do not have.

*looks around for pie*

[pats you]

Desert. Ah yes, pictures of the desert. Lovely things those desert dwelling... um, things. I'm always tempted by the pictures to finally go out there but then remember that desert means no water and that just freaks me out for some reason.

Well, if you go to a town then there will be water. I promise! As well as grocery stores and McDonald's and pools if you want.

Glad you enjoyed yourself!

Thanks!

Neat picspam! LOL @ hyena sleeping noises.

Also, I've been staying away from Who fandom on purpose this Christmas. Maybe it's because I liked the episode myself and don't want my parade to be rained on because that's unavoidable when you start poking around! :D

Edited 2008-12-29 19:56 (UTC)

Thanks! :D

We know what snow looks like! From a distance...
Which is the best possible way to view it!

[nods] You can see the pretty without getting cold and wet.

Awwww the hyena and wolf are so adorable. Wait... is it a wolf? Actually, all the animals are cute.

Yup, that's a wolf! :)

cute photos!
and no,fandom's been quiet. I expected some wank over TND but nothing so far. at least I haven't seen anything. I don't think it'll last though

Thanks! And a quiet fandom makes me fearful.

Yes, desert tortoises hibernate. Our very own Orlando finally crawled into his shoebox cave a couple of weeks ago and hunkered down for his long winter's nap. (he's two years old, so he still lives in a giant glass box)

So how long does he stay like that?

Erm, a couple of months? He probably should have started back in November, and we thought he had, but then he'd pop out of his cave and sit on his hot rock in the evening. Mad scramblings to provide him with tortoise food would then ensue. My son finally took the hot rock away. In the wild, he would burrow somewhere until the weather warmed up/food became available. We didn't let him hibernate at all his first winter (he was hatched in September) because he was too small. The people who own 3 of his hatching mates (clutch mates?) didn't allow their tortoises to hibernate their first two winters. It's difficult to wake a sleepy tortoise.

Huh! I had no idea they were like that!

ahh yes, the beautiful california sky in december, and those mountains :) i remember them well, i miss calif at this time of year, especially on new years day when i watch the parade, i miss seeing it down there. What freeway is that? i'm actually a bit homesick for calif. glad you had a good time!
send me your home addy and i'll send you a postcard from london
hugs!

It looks to be another beautiful day on New Year's! Good parade weather.

And I believe that's on the 10, just about ready to get on the 60. :)

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