Disappointing Dingos!

a week ago sunday, i made my way to the perth zoo to celebrate my friend diana's son's birthday. sam turned one on tuesday and what better way to celebrate then a day at the zoo? my thoughts exactly.

after paying my entry fee and findin the crew tucked away in the corner of the african safari region of the zoo (a small feat to find them) i continued to explore with them. it wasn't too long after i arrived that i realized (remembered?) that you know, i don't actually like zoos all that much. i mean, i understand the idea that animals in captivity may actuallly be happy (it crossed my mind only after reading the life of pi) but when i really think about it, no way! perhaps the little animals don't care all that much, but when i look at lions, giraffe's, and elephants? can't tell me that they're happy to roam around somewhere that's half the size of my subdivision in cornwall (if that)! i wouldn't believe it. not to mention the gorillas. i mean, they look just like us, act just like us, etc. i tried to picture myself stuck in the space they had to "play" in and i realized miserable it must be.

but, because it was sam's birthday, and babies seem to enjoy the day better when adults are all talking like fools to them and pointing out animals, i tried to enjoy myself and ignored the fact that i hated it all the while. thankfully, sam is adorable, so it worked out. if he'd been an ugly baby...well, i don't know! (he's really breathtaking! ;)

the day was beautiful though. an unusual day of sunshine in the midst of perth "winter" of rain. di packed a picnic and a delicious cake in the shape of a one covered in smarties... yay birthdays! we relaxed on the lawn and enjoyed a lazy picnic before trapsing off to the other areas.

one thing i find particularly funny in this zoo is the fact that local animals are on display. correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't recall the racoon or the squirrel ever being put on display at home. (on that note, i saw an animal that could have been a racoon. the sign said it was some sort of panda but you could've fooled me. the pic i got isn't terribly good because he's hiding in the dark tree. oh well. you'll just have to trust me). anyhow, being a canadian in australia, this section actually appealed to me. i mean, i've never seen a quokka, a numbat, a wombat and most importantly, a dingo! (the dingo ate you baby!)

so we wandered over to the "australian bushwalk" and started away. the wombat was interesting. it looks like a cross between a pig and an ant eater or something. so lazy looking. but funny none the less. but, on the more important part: the dingo. i skipped over, giddy with excitmet (i don't know why) and made my way up the glass and peered in. well, would you believe my shock and disappointment when i actually saw the dingo? it's a dog. nothing more. a dog. not even a mangy-sharp toothed-hyena from the lion king- type of dog. but an actualy, could-be-in-your-backyard kind of dog! in fact, if i hadn't read the info on it, i would have wondered where the heck it was! i seriously frowned and turned away saying "this isn't nearly as cool as i thought it would be". so there it is, the dingo might eat your baby, but you could've fooled me! (that being said, if i met it in the bush, in a pack, i would probably be a bit scared cause well, dogs kind of scare me now because of that dang terrier or whatever it was that took a chunk out of my leg last year)

anyhow, some interesting facts on the dingo- dierect from the zoo wall (that is, what seperates it from a dog- officially):
-it doesn't bark, it howls
-it only gives birth once a year, to a litter for 3-4 only
-it doesn't have that typical "dog smell" (no idea if that means odour, or ability to detect scents, but whatever)

that's it. really. the only 3 things that really seperate dingos from dogs. oh, and they are hard to make domestic apparently. uhm hmm. disappointing much? yeah. tell me about it. that was my zoo experience. mental note: don't get suckered into zoos anymore (unless running the toronto zoo 10km, or going for adorable babies birthdays)

on a totally different note, john wanted me to mention the random egging he received. yes, i wrote egging. we were going out for dinner on friday night and were walking to the restaurant. half way there we heard a shout out of a car and a splat. didn't take too long to realize that john had been egged. in fact, he had a welt! whilst annoying at first, it did turn into a fit of laughter because well, it's jut funny. good times in oz, no?

xo

The end of an era

ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... i have *gasp* (semi) retired my baby blue oakleys! (insert collective sound of shock here). yes, believe it or not, i am telling the truth. and whilst i realize that an era lasts more then 6 years, it feels like the end of an era to me.

ever since that day in march when john came outside with the pair of oakley's on, the ones i had been dying to buy, i've been a loyal wearer. (i was very confused at first. "why did you buy the sunglasses that i wanted?" geez. how selfish...oh! i get it) day in, day out for the past 6 years i have worn these baby blues with much love butmuch to the chagrin of many of my friends and family - whom i will not name because you know who you are-. but alas, the day has come: my oakley lenses could no longer stand my abuse. the rain, the wind, the sweat and the throwing them into my purse/backpack. they just couldn't handle it anymore. i've gone through 3 sets of the frames in the same amount of time, but the lenses held on. unfortunately, they are scratched as scratched can be and it's really annoying to try to see things clearly in them now. they will come out of retirement for sport purposes only and perhaps beach time because i don't really care if they get more salt/sand on them then they've already got.

so, i have replaced them. at first with some pain in my heart, but once i found the perfect pair, at the sunglass hut outlet store, on sale for much less then they're worth, i was sold. they are not oakleys, though don't get me wrong, i did try to replace like with like. but oakley stopped making minutes (the type of shades i had). and what they have replaced them with look a bit ridiculous on my face. no, instead i replaced them with "grown up" looking sunglasses that i can only hope my baby blue sceptics will like...

i took a picture of myself on the mac so that you believe me. i don't think you can see it well but they are red. i figured really, i can't go from baby blue to black or brown and just blend into the crowd. and no, i didn't go for the ones that cover my entire face (though it could save me some money on sunblock if they did). they are sensible yet cool. a bit like me...

an entire post on my sunglasses? yes. yes it is. if you know me well enough, you'll understand.

R.I.P baby blue oakley's :)

xo