I wasn't going to go to Ithaca. Too much effort, like everything has been. But I have a very persistent sinister friend and somehow ended up shooting out there for a "weekend". It is amazing what a single visit can do ( Read more... )

Everybody talks about the tiny living space, the unstable social life, the crazies you work with and for, the wearing-down nature of constant travel, but nobody asks about the true nightmare of working for the circus -- the goddamn taxes! I have W-2s from 16 states and 4 localities stacked next to this computer. Last year I found a nice man at ( Read more... )

So I am now the proud renter of my own little box in Boston. Yes, literally a box. According to the handy guidebook Christmas present, Boston is the third most expensive city in the country to live in. It even beats San Francisco. From my own research, it is also at the low-end of the zoo pay for the country. This is an unfortunate combination ( Read more... )

Zibi: "You know what Laura do on Saturday?  She take nice beer, sit back, and laugh haha! that we all have to work. Ay yi yi!"
Cindy: "And you know what she'll be doing with that beer?  Shivering!"

And so I'm back in New Hampshire (and 3 feet of snow!) until I can find a Boston apartment (also in 3 feet of snow).  In some fit of madness, did the ( Read more... )

Well, it's official -- I start as a zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston in January. I handed in my 2 weeks notice to the circus today; I could tell myself it wasn't real till then. This is exactly what I wanted 2 and a half years ago when I graduated. I suppose it's time to find out if it still is. I don't know if this is motion forward ( Read more... )

Okay, so you're a witty person who has spent a fair bit of money to demonstrate your wittiness by downloading individual ringtones for every person in your phone. Cute. But why do people think other people want to sit down and listen through all their wittily assigned ringtones? If it's a mutual friend or an inside joke between us, by all means ( Read more... )

Ah, overland and setup. Always a party ( Read more... )

"Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color."
-- W.S. Merwin

Hailing from New Jersey this week. Going to be in the NJ/NYC vicinity for the next month or so. And it's too damn cold. Meaning we can't hook up to the train yard water supply. Meaning we have no water on the train. Meaning no laundry, no showers, no water in sinks, no water in toilets. We have gallon water jugs in the bathrooms to flush with ( Read more... )

And so I type from Norfolk, VA, home of PETA headquarters. For all the buzz and preparation for the animal walk, there was a very sad turnout for protesters. Maybe a dozen at best. Their signs were uncreative, too -- "Ringling beats animals" and "Ban cruel bullhooks" without even their usual grainy black and white photos (Boston protesters at ( Read more... )