Thursday, January 29, 2009

Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida - Archive June 26, 2007


The weather is a steady 80 degrees. I am left with unpleasant itchy welts from the insects looming around the swamps of the Everglades. Fortunately, there are no prehistoric bugs in these parts.

Instead of bugs, we have predaceous barracudas. I observed them from a distance while snorkeling in the morning. They're frightened of humans and captivating to watch. These fish spend all day preying on smaller schools of fish.

The omnivorous parrotfishes gently tried to taste me using their colorful beaks. This is done in the same fashion as a curious baby uses its mouth to discover its surroundings. The water was fairly clear and I could see a new explorable world just below my toes. This is largest coral reef in the Americas, and the third largest in the world.

I rested on the beach and wrote briefly, then drove down an extension bridge linking one island of the Keys to the next. While driving, I saw a sign for a Turtle Hospital. I took a hard right into the parking lot and meandered in. I was greeted by a young girl working the front desk. I asked her if there were any volunteer positions at the hospital. She told me there were many openings and always looking for additional help.


The turtle hospital gave an impressive tour (open to the public) of the facility. The first portion of the tour was aimed at teaching about conservation and methods to prevent problems from pollution to disease in sea turtles. The other half of the tour showed us the aftermath of our neglect.

A turtle the size of a small lap dog rested on an operating board waking up from surgery. The poor turtle had a tube shoved down its throat. His face was sickly and doped out. The tour guide explained that the veterinarians must keep these turtles alert because they are conscious breathers, which means they have to think to breath. To wake the sea turtles, the vets would rub their fins until their eyes opened. This also makes the turtles believe that they're swimming in the ocean causing their fins to move like built in oars.

After surgery the turtles are taken outside to special rehabilitation tanks. Most of these creatures looked like they were on a steady path to recovery gracefully floating in six feet rubber bins. While others were barely alive. The turtles had many different problems ranging from swallowing fishing hooks to being hit by boats.

If the turtles heal properly they are moved into a 100,000 gallon ocean water filled pool. Some of the severely injured turtles have to stay in this pool for the remainder of their lives and most sea turtles live at least 80 years.



Information about the Turtle Hospital and Volunteer Opportunities: http://www.turtlehospital.org

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

No Longer My Governator


In 2003, Californians ousted then Democrat Governor Gray Davis in a recall and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. This occurred during the middle of my Fall quarter at UCLA. Shortly after Governor Schwarzenegger was sworn in, my tuition for the courses I was enrolled in, went up considerably. A bill was sent out to every student on campus informing us of the additional amount that was now due. California is currently one of the most Democratic states in the nation (as seen in the most recent Presidential election with Obama winning over McCain 54-37%) to vote a Republican into position then meant there was a crisis at hand.

Some said Davis was behind a mountain of corruption, while others thought of the problems as merely a mole hill of negligence. One thing was for sure, Davis backed up a lot of budget cuts at the universities and colleges across California. The outcome of his dismissal meant students were in deeper financial debt.

Former student, Mohammad Kashmiri, of the UC school system, called foul to this act brought on by the new Governor arguing that the cost of tuition cannot be changed in the middle of a quarter. He brought this complaint to the Superior Court of San Fransisco, won the suit, and I received a large check in the mail today.

E-mail the Class Administrator at ucfees@rustconsulting.com

During the time of the recall six women accused Governor Schwarzenegger of making sexual advances. Here's a video you may want to watch. Disturbing, yes, also revealing:
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Sundance Celebrates 25 Years

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Moving Day

Spent the morning at the RMV registering the car and myself in Massachusetts.
In the afternoon, I got a u-hual and moved my belongings to the new apartment. I officially move in tomorrow.

Moving-Day Tips from The Onion:


Moving-Day Tips

Moving can be a major hassle, but with proper planning, it doesn't have to be. Here are some tips to make your next move as smooth as possible:

* To avoid breakage, glass items should be melted down, then re-blown after moving into your new home.
* Six weeks before moving day, fill one small box with books, seal it tightly, and write "books" on top in permanent marker. Then do nothing more until the day before your move.
* If using friends to help move, show your gratitude by buying them a pizza. Don't mention that a professional mover would have cost about 300 times more than a pizza.
* It is heartless and cruel to leave a pet at the humane society because of a move. Smother it in the bathtub and bag it up for trash day.
* Throw smoke grenades into every room of your new home to flush out any possible Viet Cong.
* Get a jump on things by cancelling electricity and water service several weeks before moving.
* Move to Portland. It's a really cool city. They've got all these awesome parks downtown.
* Waiting until the truck is pulling away to say goodbye to neighbors will make moving day a very moving day, indeed.
* Instead of writing "Fragile" on boxes containing breakables, place a copy of Yes' Fragile on top.
* Boxes are an unnecessary expense. Place all possessions in the truck and fill to top with packing peanuts.
* Don't get too excited when you see a U-Haul truck that says "Moves Only $19.99" on the side. These signs are only intended as a joke.
* After relocating to your new home, remember that you are legally obligated to go door-to-door informing your new neighbors that you are a convicted sex offender.
* Rushing the previous tenants out of the apartment you're moving into is a great way to score free toiletries.
* For the love of God, don't ever move.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Broke In Boston Launch




Broke in Boston is excited to bring you the alpha launch of our new website. Our goal is to give free advice on, and provide a forum for, discussing cheap places to eat, drink, shop, and have fun. We want to be your source for affordable entertainment in the greater Boston area.

Many of you don't live in Boston and you may be wondering why I am sending this out. It's because I believe you all know what works and what doesn't work with online entertainment guides. I'm inviting you to share your ideas. And don't worry, we don't cry easily. Be brutal. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Please register and send comments at : http://brokeinboston.ning.com/




Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Taking Aunt and Uncle to Capitola and Santa Cruz today.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Click Here for Pictures of Carl Barât Performance, The Popscene, SF

"Let's Put Our Future Behind Us." Here's to you, Carl Barât



Before I start gushing about meeting Carl Barât. I need to give some background to what made last night so memorable. I have always been a fan of The Libertines and more recently Barât's new band Dirty Pretty Things.

I saw Dirty Pretty Things perform once in Boston and was mesmerized. Now, where ever I go there is always Dirty Pretty Things album with me.

In times of tremendous joy and sometimes deep sadness or just sitting on the subway, the music has never failed to compliment the mood and inevitably conjure up a thought or a smile.

Back to the show. Last night, Violeta and I got tickets and watched Barât's solo performance. He played a less than confident set of a dozen songs; half old Libertines songs and the other half Dirty Pretty Things. The music was overshadowed by the crowd loudly chitchatting in anticipation for Glasvegas, the headline act. However, Barât maintained a steady flow of catchy tunes that if you listened closely were heartfelt in their execution.

Violeta and I decided not to stay for Glasvegas. We walked past the smoking crowd to the back of the venue where Barât was with his lady. I jokingly told Violeta I wanted to tell him how inspirational his music was to me, seconds before seeing him. Barât was hard to understand, he mumbled and had a heavy accent, also adrenalin was plugging my ears. I told him I appreciated his music amongst other things and we talked a little about his previous albums. When I started to say goodbye, Barât pulled me into his arms giving me an unexpected hug and kiss on the cheek. I walked away feeling elated.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

California

I'm back in California and will stay here until January 20th.

I dropped my Dad off at the airport today for his trip to London. He wanted to go on a trip but was worried about leaving our dog who has health problems. I offered to stay longer and dog sit.


My Aunt and Uncle accepted my invite to come to the Bay Area for the remainder of my stay. They're from Pennsylvania and haven't had a chance to come visit in almost four years.


The pieces fit together; I can work on my freelance projects here, take care of our dog, and clean up around the house.

I move into my new place in Boston when I get back.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Kids on a dude ranch. Holiday or Greeting Card Donations

I read the following from Real Simple magazine.

St. Jude's Ranch for Children (http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php), a non profit home for abused and neglected youths, runs a holiday-card reuse program in which the kids cut off the front covers, glue them onto new cards, and sell the result. Send your cards to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Movies Filmed In CLEVELAND

Directors making blue collar movies have found a palpable palette in Cleveland's rust belt appearance. The industrial feel of Cleveland combined with the city's Eastern European influences (as seen in its churches) has attracted filmmakers seeking unmatched dramatic film locations or for present day indie films. There are many well-known sites and landmarks in Cleveland that also contribute to it being a unique and recognizable city. The best known movies filmed in Cleveland include Deer Hunter, A Christmas Story, "O" is for Ohio, and of course American Splendor.

Deer Hunter



Saint Theodosius Cathedral - Russian Orthodox (founded 1896). The opening wedding scene in Deer Hunter was filmed here.




A Christmas Story

My Dad and I went to where "A Christmas Story" was filmed which is now a museum.




All exterior and Black Bart scenes were shot here, but the other (interior) shots were done in a movie studio in Canada. Some guy bought the house and made the interior into a replica of the movie home. He pulls in close to $675,000 a year, while the movie only cost $4 million to make.









Here's a link for more information on movies shot in Cleveland: http://cleveland.about.com/od/filmsandfilmmakers/tp/clevelandmovies.htm