#maybe indo hospital needs more volunteer

[szopenhauer]

Have you ever used hot wax for sexual purposes?  nooo, I don’t get it

Does any part of your body ache right now? yeah, few parts but it’s fine, I’m used to the pain

Have you ever used the phrase “for Pete’s sake?!” maybe once because usually I say for fuck’s sake if at all 

Do you enjoy listening to Drake? I don’t listen to Drake

Do you ever try to shake something in order to get it to work again? hahaha yes

Are you afraid of snakes? nah

Are remakes of things better, or the originals? usually originals are better I think 

Do you call them hotcakes or pancakes? pancakes, I never heard someone saying hotcakes before :o

Do you prefer cupcakes or muffins? what’s the difference

Have you ever made a fruitcake before? sure

What was the last thing that you made with your own two hands? not sure what was last

When is your favorite decade? 80s?

Is your bed currently unmade? like always

How easy is it to persuade you to do something? but what?

Have you ever been paid for sex? wtf no

Have you ever had a maid in your home before? we don’t have money for that

Do you know how to do different types of braids in hair? just the basic one

When’s the last time you wore a Band-aid? Where and why? recently, my hand because dog bitten me

Have you ever wanted to be a mermaid? noooo

When was the last time you were afraid? Of what? constantly, many things but mostly health related

When do you feel the most safe? never?...

When’s the last time that you did something unsafe? What was it? everything seems unsafe to me now

Have you ever owned a pet that lives in a cage? What is/was it? aquarium only

Do you fold the page you left off on in your book, or do you use a bookmark? bookmark or some replacement like another book, pen or smth like that

What’s the most noticeable thing about your face? *shrug*

Do you pace when you are nervous? it happens

Do you say grace before you eat? Sunday lunch only

When’s the last time you felt out of place? I’m out of place in general

Would you like to explore outer space? no, Earth is more important, we shouldn’t spend so much money on space 

Have you ever felt replaced? not only felt, I was truly replaced 

When’s the last time that you misplaced something important? I misplace my scissors 

Have you ever been chased before? By who/what? not counting playful ones - by drunk people, by an insect, by an dog/cat

Would you like to visit Venice? no way, it’s a scary place

Would you like to play tennis? I would like to try someday

Do you know anyone named Alice? my aunt

Have you ever seen the Aurora Borealis? on a picture on the internet 

Have you ever watched Wallace and Gromit? all of them and I love the series

Have you ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day off? not yet, I need encouragment 

How often do you get embarrassed? so often!

How often do you engage in reckless behavior? I’m not risky

Do you enjoy listening to reggae music? not a fan

Have you ever rolled in hay before? that’d be itchy

Would you like a chance to ride in Santa’s sleigh?  why not?

Have you ever taken ballet lessons before? How about any other type of dance lessons? not ballet but we all had to attend dance classes in middle school

Have you ever caught a bouquet of flowers at a wedding before? I didn’t want to but I had to dance in a circle and that always makes me uncomfy

How much do you weigh? not enough according to BMI

Do you ever wear a beret? I don’t recall

Do you know how to crochet? How about doing macrame? a bit; nah

Do you have a duvet on your bed? I do

Is crème brulee your favorite dessert? never tried it

Did you obey your parents when you were younger? I should...

What’s your favorite day of the week? definitely not Wednesday or Sunday, maybe Friday or Saturday?

Do you ever just lay around all day? sit

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your way? I’m lost, confused

Do you ever wish that people would just go away? yeah

Are you starting to go gray? my gf is laughing at me for that, I’ll look like Rogue from Marvel soon

Do you pray? How often? try every evening, I pray at least once a week

What’s the best play you’ve seen before? Krzesiwo when I was a kid

What did you like to play with when you were younger? many things

Would you like to slay dragons? nah

Have you ever experienced a delay of any sort? sure

Have you ever wondered how you could ever repay someone? I wish I could

What did you do today? lots 

Would you ever take in a stray animal? I did in the past 

Has your airway ever been blocked before? not counting asthma/allergy attacks - one time I inhaled a feather with my mouth while playing with my sister and I couldn’t get it out and I am scared of feathers now a bit

When it’s hot out, do you sleep with blankets anyways? I do indeed

Have you ever felt betrayed? more than once

What’s the last unfortunate thing that happened to you? my life’s unfortunate in general

When is payday? I don’t work, I’m unemployed

Do good moments or bad moments replay through your mind more often? dark scenarios that will happen

How do you feel about public displays of affection? not indo PDA besides holding hands and short hugs

What’s your favorite holiday? New year’s eve because the year is fucking over finally and I don’t have to spend money I don’t have for gifts and there are fireworks that I like

What do you want to be someday? myself but happy/healthy/rich and a good person 

What is something that you do everyday? drink water, pee, sit down...

Have you ever won a giveaway? sadly not

How important is foreplay? it’s better than sex

What have you missed most that you haven’t been able to do due to Covid-19? I’m just kind of tired of wearing a mask, washing/cleaning all the stuff I bring back from outside, checking the temperature and freaking out about every minor throat/lung problem that could be covid but besides that? I’m cool - as a spoonie and an introvert my life didn’t change much because of the plague, more because of being in a relationship or getting more ill for examples, the worst thing that happened to me due to the world situation was my hospital delay 

Do you personally know anyone who has had Covid-19? priest in my home town

Have you had it? (or think you might have?) I haven’t

What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? (chain or local) most of my fav ones got closed years ago

What is your favorite thing to order when you eat there? depends

Have you still been able to get food from there during Covid-19? been to one pizzeria this month twice to get food for my dad while he was at work but that’s all, not counting french fries I ate in my gf’s apartment once

Are you planning on eating there anytime soon when they reopen? dunno

Have you discovered any good new music during quarantine? of course

What is your favorite Starbucks drink? I don’t go to Starbucks

What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid? do you still ever watch it? animated? Moomins and sadly not but if I wanted to I wouldn’t watch the new series, just oldies

Have you been watching a lot of movies during quarantine? not more than usual/every other year

Do you volunteer anywhere? nah

What is your favorite movie on Netflix? I wish I had netflix :(

Did you relocate due to Covid-19? move out? nope, never ever actually

Do you prefer streaming music or buying it? streaming

Do you use Spotify? yeah

What was the last book you read? Five feet apart that I recommend but watch a movie too!

Do you enjoy doing crafts? not really into DIY

Do you shop on Etsy? I’d love to but can’t

Have you ever sold anything on Etsy? same

Do you play Animal Crossing? I want to in the future

What is/are your pet(s) name(s)? Łasuch 

Are there any songs you feel transport you to a world that doesn���t exist? hmm...

What are some popular things that you don’t like/aren’t interested in? I’m not into popular things in general

When was the last time you got a haircut? this summer

How soon are you planning on going back to work? (If you’ve been off) when I get the job 

What is an item you own that means a lot to you? most of my stuff

Do you have a favorite t-shirt? I like majority of my T-shirts

How do you plan on celebrating Covid-19 being over, whenever that is? what if it will never fully go away?...

When was the last time you cried listening to a song? What song was it & what made you cry? recently, not sure which was last so can’t tell why

If you have a YouTube account, what do you use it for? save my fav videos but not musical ones anymore as there’s too many, I also added some videos I made but they’re private

How often do you watch interviews with musicians/celebrities? I don’t, in my whole life I saw a bunch of those because I was interested in how couple of them live (interior design)

How often do you read biographies about celebrities? I’ve read less than 5 biographies

Do you enjoy visiting book stores? What section are you typically drawn to? whatever, it’s not like they have what I want, also I’m broke

Which do you feel is worse: using drugs or using alcohol? Why? both equally have bad consequences not only to the one who’s using but also to others around 

The last time you went out to eat, who were you with & where did you go? Did you enjoy yourself/the meal? I don’t even remember last time eating out 

How would you feel if you had to deal with the police? Would you feel nervous, upset, angry? deal how and why? 

Is singing something that you enjoy doing? Do you feel you are a horrible, alright or very good singer? very rarely and I suck

Are you looking forward to Halloween? I don’t celebrate Halloween but some decorations are neat

What was the last song that you listened to on repeat? Goo goo dolls - Iris

Do you like to make playlists? What kinds of playlists do you usually make? I throw all music into one place 

Do you like to draw? not as often as a kid

What is your biggest flaw? depends on a perspective

Last time you completed a jigsaw puzzle?  last year?

Have you ever been to Warsaw before?  more than once

Have you ever seen a bat in person before? from afar

Do you have any cats? used to and don’t want one again

Do you think that you’re fat? I’m underweight yet I look chubby 

Describe your favorite hat that you own. can’t choose only one

Does your house have a welcome mat? I’d like one that says smth like GO AWAY

Are there any rats roaming around where you live? nah

Have you ever played Mortal Kombat before?  watched a movie 

[mrandyzavala]

An Open Letter to Vancouver Park Board Members

Dear Park Board Members,

I know you've gotten a lot of feedback over your recent decision about Vancouver Aquarium. As someone who lives on the opposite end of the continent, who am I to pitch in another voice? Well, I had a very successful career as a marine mammal trainer for the past 12 years, and just recently left to pursue another passion.  However, I am still very connected to the marine mammal community. 

There is something really, really special about that place.  I've only been once, but it is - in my opinion - one of the best aquariums in all aspects: research, animal wellness, habitat design, conservation messaging, insanely advanced and open-minded veterinary care, rescue/rehabilitation...and it doesn't hurt that it's in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  Please believe me when I tell you that Vancouver Aquarium lives its conservation message.

I wanted to better understand who all of you are, because there is no way you'd be on a commission without a pretty impressive background.

You all seem to have huge hearts.  John, you seem like a huge supporter of green and sustainable living.   Casey, you have dedicated your time to helping people in need, like your time volunteering for the Canadian Diabetes Association and promoting an active lifestyle.   Catherine, wow.  A lawyer, an entrepreneur, a warrior for equal rights for all human beings.  Sarah, your work in creating and maintaining green spaces is as impressive as the hotel company you work for, who has a really impressive track record for being environmentally friendly.  Stuart, I love that you not only work with kids with special needs, but that you volunteer your time at (among other places) a hospice.  Michael, your restaurant (wish I could try it...maybe if I ever am lucky enough to live in Vancouver!) sets the bar high for all others in the industry, with an unwavering dedication to sustainable food choices and zero waste.  And Erin, your work in conservation with your eco-friendly spa and special education combined with your academic background in forest genetics is really impressive.

With all that you do to improve not just the city of Vancouver for itself and its residents, but giving so much to human beings who are often over-looked or avoided, I am so surprised at your decision regarding the Vancouver Aquarium.  You decision has effectively signed a death warrant for any cetaceans that need care.  Now they will seek help and receive nothing but an injection of barbiturates, even if they are not critically or terminally ill.

An eight week old Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin who was separated from her mom in Perth, Australia.  She was euthanized after a couple of days because they could not find her mom, and there was nowhere to rehabilitate her long-term.  Here is the news story

Imagine a white-sided dolphin, entangled in fishing gear in such a way that she hasn't been able to eat in weeks.  She is emaciated, she has infections from the wounds resulting from the fishing lines wrapped around her face, dorsal fin, and in her mouth.  She washes ashore, terrified to be away from her family but has no strength to keep up. 

Her care requires more than a quick tune-up and shove back out to sea (seriously, if only it were that easy...).  Her condition is very poor, but not hopeless.  With several weeks or months of rehabilitative care, she can go back out to her family.  She can continue to raise calves...not just her own, but she will add to the survival success of other young dolphins as well.   A few weeks ago, she would have a chance at living her life before becoming hopelessly entangled in gear left by our own species.  The Vancouver Aquarium was the only facility capable of housing rescued cetaceans long-term.  It is not some "let's catch just get more dolphins but say we are rescuing them" scheme.  The Canadian government decides not only if wild dolphins can go back to the wild, and if so, where they go.

An Atlantic white-sided dolphin calf being euthanized in Connecticut.  Story here

What you guys have done is taken away the only beacon of hope for the amazing variety of cetacea that swim your waters.  Is that what you guys want?  With your combined interest and activity in eco-friendly ventures, how do you rationalize killing dolphins?  Stuart, you wrote, "Together, we focussed on one incredible action. We seized the opportunity to do some positive work for Qila and Aurora also in the name of a long, sorrowful stream of other Cetaceans who didn't want to die." 

Do you know what it is like to hold down an animal struggling, terrified, and watch the life drain from his eyes as euthanasia solution is pushed through his veins?  It is a horrible experience when a companion animal is "put down"; any animal lover (I am assuming you guys are in this group) knows the dread of making the decision to have a vet end your loved one's life.  This is usually decided based on criteria establishing quality of life, which has deteriorated due to terminal illness or injury.  It is offering a dignified, peaceful death to an aging or ill non-human family member.

That is not the case with euthanizing cetaceans on the beach solely because there is no place to rehabilitate them. 

If you wanted Chester to have a chance at life, but not live at Vancouver Aquarium...where then would you want the DFO to send him?  Which facility?

Please consider traveling with first responder teams to a 6 month old dolphin, who is terrified and whistling for her mother, her eyes wide and frantic. She seems healthy and could be brought to a long-term care such as Vancouver Aquarium, but that option has been removed.  There are no long-term care facilities she can go to within a reasonable distance.  So, because she cannot immediately be put back to sea, her life must be ended. Please consider having to restrain this baby (the equivalent to a one year old human toddler) as a vet tries to find a blood vessel in order to sedate her and eventually stop her heart.  You guys should have the experience at least once of looking at an animal who can be saved with long-term care, or an animal who is healthy but dependent on mom (who has died), and struggle as the animal fights for her life.  You are the ones pinning her down.  You are the last souls she sees as her life is ended.  Ended by the Vancouver Park Board.

Or, you can give these animals hope and a chance at living their lives.

So many of you have advanced degrees.  So many of you do so much for other humans and the environment as a whole.  But it doesn't seem any of you have experience or knowledge in marine mammal natural history, wild or otherwise.  It doesn't appear as though any of you have volunteering in a marine mammal stranding center (you really should do it, it's totally insane and heartbreaking but rewarding....and they need all the help they can get.  You would make a really big difference).  It appears as though you've chosen to ignore the 13,000 letters sent to you against the ban.  Why?

How can such a group of educated, accomplished, passionate people decide to ignore so many voices with experience and knowledge that they lack?  I just don't understand. 

Many of you pride yourselves on your leadership skills in your LinkedIn profiles (Casey, Catherine).  Your roles as leaders in a park board means you need to consider evidence that is in contrast with your personal opinions.  You don't agree with holding cetaceans in captivity.  Okay.  Now you don't agree with bringing ANY cetaceans to Stanley Park...which means you disagree with rehabilitating cetaceans in British Columbia.  Which means you are okay with killing any stranded dolphin, porpoise, or whale. 

Levi, a harbor porpoise who was rehabbed for several months at Vancouver Aquarium, was successfully released back to his home.  Is his life not worth this?

John, you were quoted saying you'd prefer that distressed cetaceans were just hauled up on a boat, treated, and set free.  Seriously John, if it were that easy, we wouldn't need marine mammal rescue centers.   But that is the problem.  In both Canada and the U.S., the federal governments have a long list of criteria that need to be met in order to deem an animal releasable.  There are a number of illnesses, injuries, and conditions (e.g. Dependent calves) that cannot be treated on a boat, or in a small hospital pool.  The DFO requires that to rehabilitate a cetacean, they need to have habitats that currently, only Vancouver Aquarium has.   It seems surprising to me that someone with your background would make such a naive comment in light of the scientific evidence you have been given by true marine mammal advocates.  

John, I swear I am not picking on you, but what about your heavy involvement with the Bloedel Conservatory? That place looks INCREDIBLE.  And it has lots of free-flighted parrots.  Parrot species which are extremely endangered in their native lands.  Is it okay to keep these extremely intelligent animals - ones who are consistently and illegally exploited for the pet trade - in captivity?  Is it because each animal at the conservatory was born in a zoological-type facility?  Are any of those birds caught from the wild?  Are parrots a large draw to the conservatory?  Do they contribute meaningfully to the revenue brought in?

Stuart, I know that you are firmly planted in the "anti" captivity camp.  I read several of your most recent blogs, including one in which you posted a letter from Steve Huxter.  You're clearly very concerned about the well-being of cetaceans.  You're disgusted by the drive hunts and thoughtless collection (capture) of whales and dolphins from the wild, as am I.  As are most of us who work or have worked with captive marine mammals.  We have some common ground. But let me tell you something I have learned in my 12 year career: the general public does not care about animals.  Not like you, not like me.  They literally need it slapped in their apathetic (or, occasionally, well-meaning) faces.  Is that my argument for you to suddenly switch positions on this topic of the educational value of cetaceans in human care? No, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence or your passion.  But hear me out: When I worked at Clearwater Marine Aquarium -a rescue and rehabilitation facility in Florida - I worked with this amazing dolphin named Panama (here is a blog all about her, if you're interested). Long story short, she was an older dolphin found near death as a direct result of humans feeding her from their boats and piers.  She received completely inappropriate food and very poor quality fish and fell very, very ill.  The older calf she had did not hunt; he/she had learned to beg for food and that was it.  Panama was rescued, rehabilitated, and deemed unreleasable by the U.S. government.  She was placed at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  At some point during her illness or stranding, she completely lost her hearing. 

Panama in 2010

Let me tell you something, Stuart.  After I gave my public presentation on the dolphins, it wasn't unheard of for people to come up to me and actually APOLOGIZE for the times they fed wild dolphins.  It was like this bizarre confessional situation, where I was basically answering the standard "how long do they live" and "how smart are they" questions and boom, someone would approach me with a terrified and/or sheepish look on their face and say, "....I fed dolphins from my boat. I had no idea it could do something like this." Your concern regarding the "cycle" of lonely cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium shows that you're concerned about their mental well-being from a social standpoint.  Trust me when I say that any caretaker worthy of their position and responsibility shares your concern.  I'm offering a different perspective on what Chester and Daisy, and others like them provide.  They give a rare and powerful wake-up call to people who would otherwise literally not think twice about doing something really harmful to a dolphin or porpoise...or generally, the ocean itself. I lived in the mecca of illegal wild dolphin interaction when I worked in the Florida panhandle.  I saw dolphins begging for fish from boats, and even worse, I saw essentially flotillas of jetskiers chase down dolphins on shallow sandbars....including a mother with a very young calf.  The jetskiers were totally happy just to be near dolphins, but had no idea what damage they were causing (or could've caused).  When I approached them, they blew me off, saying if the dolphins wanted to swim away, they could.  I reported them to NOAA, and nothing ever happened.  The same thing kept happening with different groups of people.  I wonder, if they'd seen a calf who was orphaned because his mother was killed by a boat strike, if they would reconsider their actions in a similar situation.

One of the shots I took (from an idled boat) to try to report these people.  The mom and calf are just under the surface

The calf....very, very young.  Probably around a month or two.  Too young to be able to out-maneuver watercraft, which means mom won't leave his side.  They both had to avoid as best as possible these obnoxious people. 

So many of the reasons why marine mammals strand nowadays is because of human-related activity.  Don't you think it's worth exploring an alternative concept of a "conservation-themed" exhibit? Where people can see animals like Chester and Daisy, understand their unique situations, see how well cared for they are, and understand how animals like them wind up in situations where the Canadian government decides they cannot be released back to the sea?  Too all of you, please reconsider your decision.  Please talk to the DFO (why haven't you already done this? This is so disappointing and scary). Please consider being involved in actual marine mammal rescue before you make a decision like this.  Remain consistent with the ways you guys have ALL chosen to live your lives: to make the city of Vancouver a better place for all of its residents...especially the ones who need help the most.  Why limit your compassion to humans? Sincerely, Cat Rust _________________ A huge thanks to Malgosia Kaczmarska for helping me sort through fact and fiction in this messy situation.  A resonating shout-out to Friends of the Vancouver Aquarium for their INCREDIBLY rallying cry and fierce dedication (who else would stand in the pouring rain for four hours just trying to be heard in order to spare the lives of animals we care so much about)?  Vancouver Aquarium yet again sets the bar. 

from The Middle Flipper http://ift.tt/2qEaaLl