Tag: Summer

Legless Legolas

indigoshellLeave a comment

There are snakes, and there are legless lizards.

Legless lizards are not snakes, they are legless lizards.

Legless lizards have eyelids while snakes do not. Snakes can unlock their jaw while legless lizards can not.

Snakes can use their belly scales to move around while legless lizards can only move with a side-to-side motion while also pushing up against something.

Russian Glass Lizard

Legolas was said to be one of the most vicious animals in our Reptile Room. The stories told was that the second you opened up his enclosure he would shoot out and bite your face.

I was not told of this little issue when I asked to take Legolas out, and neither did the current counselor in the room. I picked Legolas up with no problem at all and sat down onto the ground. Legolas simply laid there in my arms flicking his eyes back and forth to look at the many other reptiles occupying the room. His body was also much more leathery and stiff than a snake’s, as legless lizards’ bodies are much more muscled and has less movement dexterity.

The next day I asked to hold Legolas, but as this counselor had heard of his little antics I was not granted permission until I convinced her that I have held him before with no problems at all.

Legolas was a Russian Glass Lizard and had a very distinct slit starting from the neck and leading to the tail. When they get agitated they inhale deeply and puff up their scaly little bodies to scare away any potential enemies.

The counselor next to me seemed to be an enemy to Legolas so he puffed up and made a peculiar wheezing noise. I quickly scooted away from her and he relaxed instantly, laying quietly on my lap and continuing to eye the other animals in the room.

Legolas

Something about Legolas’s stiff body and behavior and such judgeful eyes made him one of my favorite creatures in that Reptile Room, also because not many other campers would like to handle such a ferocious creature.

Demon Geese

indigoshell3 Comments

It was hot and muggy, just another day in Missouri. The peacocks were calling, the insects were buzzing, and complaints could be heard all around. I remember walking quietly to my next course when several horrified children run past me.

They were screaming “DEMON GEESE!!”

Goose

No, not really.

We did have three fairly aggressive geese roaming the camp though. Whenever someone would walk just a tad too close to them those darned birds would start honking and pecking at their feet, occasionally giving actual chase. Sometimes they would ignore the accidental provoker and attack an innocent bystander instead.

HONK

Honestly those three geese were sort of cowards. They pretend to be all scary but really they just bluff and honk, I’ve never heard of them actually inflicting damage on any camper.

One of my best friends during camp liked to holler and chase them back to the lake, while I personally liked to slowly wander closer to them until I got them mad. Then I let them chase me around a little until I have to get to my classes.

The honest question here is why are geese always so angry?

Maybe because we don’t take them seriously enough.

Sarah and William

indigoshellLeave a comment

All over the internet, a new trend has been circulating.

Sloths.

Me Gusta

Creepy sloths. Creepy sloths everywhere. Do people really know what they’re like? My guess is that not many people have seen sloths in real life.

Over the summer I spent six weeks at Cub Creek Science Camp and got to take care of a very wide variety of animals. Among my favorite were two two-toed sloths, Sarah and William.

Sarah Lookalike

Sarah was the more active one, slowly and carefully wandering around and around her pen. “Don’t touch her face!” warned many, many counselors. “Don’t let her grab you! Don’t let her bite you! Don’t feed her! Sit down on the stool and don’t move!”

“You can feed her and pet her if you’re very careful,” said Billy, a very mellow counselor that taught the “Jungle” class, which is where the sloths are located.

William was the one always sleeping in the corner of the enclosure and only awakened when I brought him a little lettuce. Only lettuce though, since William will take one bite of an apple and then drop it to the ground.

Sarah though, eats both apples and lettuce. Neither of them seem to like the sweet potatoes very much and I often wonder why they even have sweet potatoes anyways since none of the animals seem to like sweet potatoes.

After feeding Sarah her apples she would stare at me with her deep brown eyes and slowly reached her odd clawed hands towards me. Any other person would be told to duck and cover but I reach out and stroke her claw, playing a strange little game of keep-away. It’s true that if they grab on they won’t let go until they bite it, but I’m careful enough to not get grabbed.

When camp ended and I returned to OVS I felt myself pining for my summercamp and its animals. No, not for the dwarf miniature horse (my gods he’s small), not for the towering camel, but for the strangely charming sloths that have plagued the internet.

Not that I’m complaining about them.

photo 21629120-2068-4857-94bd-ee0c68376bae.jpg

Ready for Summer?

eternity1030Leave a comment

It was such a busy week filled with finals and AP tests.

Nothing seemed exciting and most of the students all looked so tired and bored. Well, as for me, I was personally excited for an upcoming big event – my NYU Summer precollege!

I found this program accidentally while I was planing my summer. A page of NYU‘s summer school advertisement jumped out. I did some more research on it and then I found this journalism program summer precollege. And of course, I was totally attracted.

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“Left alone wondering”

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

Left alone wondering

Will it ever bloom

Will the time come with the June gloom.

Brighten up the day

In this spring time

Hopefully you’re mine,

For the summer time.

The sun shines down,

to expose all your beauty.

Will you be mine?

Forever and always

Yours Truly.

Sweet Sting Sunday.

Yourcupatea1 Comment

Bee
I had my first bee sting of the year today, and man it hurt a lot more than I remembered.

So I was casually reading my book as you do on a Sunday afternoon, admiring the view from my porch chair and relaxing in the shade of the huge oaks over head. The birds chirped away singing sweet songs as they played and splashed in the water of the bird bath unaware of the dangers that accompanied them in their play.

Yes, it turns out bees like water too. In fact one may say it is the typical hang out or meeting spot during the spring/ summer months. Little did I know reading my book sweetly would I become a target for their fun.

Now I’m no wimp, and if a bee were to buzz around me I would remain calm and still but when one lodges itself in your finger it’s not that easy to do either of these things.

It was well and truly stuck, chained down by the sting that was embedded in the tip of my middle finger and you know what I was scared to pull it out incase it stung me. Obviously it had done that already but in a moment of panic I just let it stay there wiping it off carefully, after a few minutes, with a pair of tweezers afraid of its next move.

Little did I know its next joke was to leave the sting in me, how cleaver, leaving me deal with the pain for a little longer. I’m sure it sought amusement from that.

I eventually managed to get it out after a refusal for help from my father “because he didn’t have his glasses,” but luckily my Mum came to hand proving her skills on Mother’s Day.

So now I have the biggest swollen middle finger ever. I may just have to go and use it swearing at the rest of the bees.

Summer… School?

rangerthecatLeave a comment

When thinking about the summer, I was always overly excited to graduate, go back home, and spend time with friends and family.

But, recently, those plans have change. I am still graduating, of course, but I am not going back home. Instead, I am staying right here in Ojai and working for OVS‘ summer camp program!

I knew I would need to get a summer job this summer. So, I started looking for many places back by where I live, but not many of them wanted to hire someone just for a few months during summer. My friend had told me that she was planning on staying in Ojai and working for OVS this summer. I figured it would be a really good opportunity and I would also be making a good amount of money.

I am pretty excited about this opportunity! First of all, I love kids and I am excited to work with the younger kids this summer and do fun activities with them.

Secondly, I am happy that I will be around a lot of my friends, since most of them are day students and live around this area anyways.

After I work, I will be able to go home in early August and spend a month at home with no obligations. I can see my friends and family and then, after that, it’s off to college at Cal Lutheran! I am so excited for this summer and for what’s to come after it as well! 🙂

6 WEEKS.

rangerthecat2 Comments

6 weeks.

I CANT WAIT.

I’ve been counting down from 100 days, but spring break was our LAST BREAK OF THE YEAR!

Everyone keeps saying to avoid the disease known as Senioritis, but at this point, I have no idea if that’s possible. Even a few of my teachers seem to be counting down the days.

In 2 weeks, AP testing will be going on. I’m nervous for my 2 tests, AP Psych and AP English, but also excited because after the test in Psychology, we’re leaving our text book behind and watching movies and doing fun activities. Also, we will already have taken our final exam, so I will have nothing much to worry about in terms studying for that class.

As for my others, I will still be having finals and homework. But, for Law and Society, we will be having a big mock trial as our final, and I have a feeling that it will be really fun! I’m excited to see what it’s about.

College is in the very near future, and I still don’t know where I’m going yet. My first choice is way too expensive, so I’m just very unsure at this point. I have to decide by next week, though, so at this point I’m just hoping I make the right choice.

Let’s just make it through the next few weeks! Then it’ll be a nice break from school until I embark on a whole new adventure.

The Dailey Method

yrreskrap1 Comment

With summer (and graduation) just around the corner, I have been trying to get fit. My goal is to lose about 5 pounds and get muscle tone.

Well, this weekend was a good step towards achieving my goal.

This morning, I went to the Dailey Method in Santa Barbara with my friend Emmy for the first time. I thought this class would be a breeze but boy was I wrong.

The Dailey Method kicked my butt (or, if i wanted to use proper Dailey Method terminology, it had kicked my seat).

The Dailey Method is a system that combines barre, core, yoga, and orthopedic exercises. There are multiple Dailey Method locations all around America, although many are concentrated in California.

What drew me to the Dailey Method was the way it toned your body to keep it in alignment. I have scoliosis in my upper and lower back that often makes me very tense. The end result of this tough workout was, surprisingly, a more relaxed body. My back feels great and I am not sore at all.

I only wish that they had a location in Boston, where I hope to go to college. For now, I will try to go to as many classes as I can!

Please check out the website: http://www.thedaileymethod.com/index.html

And the video:

Season of Love

kirbyfullyloaded1 Comment

My entry for the 2012 Ojai Valley School Love Poetry Contest:

Love has its seasons 

Ever shifting, ever reeling seasons

The fierce flames of summer,

Perish in bleak midwinter

The struggling buds of spring,

Wither and droop in autumn

 

Like summer, love is hot

Burning, consuming,

Outshining all other emotions

It warms and electrifies,

Turning laughter to joy

 

But like winter, it can turn bitter

Love is like snow

Beautiful, exquisite,

But brings frostbite to flesh

Freezing and failing,

When harsh winter winds blow

 

Even so, love is like spring

Despite bitter winter, it grows again and again,

Blossoming, fruitful,

It comes anew, fresh and inspired

Innocent in its soft whimsical hope

 

And like autumn, it wilts

Turning those vivid hot colors,

To dying gray and sallow brown

The limp, shriveled feelings,

Crumble and skitter away

 

My love for you, has seen all these seasons

It flamed bright in summer

It departed in snow

It waxed strong in spring

Wasted away in the fall

 

But through each of its seasons,

My affection grew wiser,

I know now I’ll never,

Forget or forsake you

 

Your curling dark hair,

And deep, laughing eyes

That easy-calm smile,

And your dusky bronze skin

 

Through spring and through winter

I only wish that you knew, 

Through the summer and fall

All seasons, I love you.