#national visit the zoo day

[subby-sab]

Today is 27th of December.

Today is National Fruitcake Day, Visit The Zoo Day.

[transit-fag]

My ideal trip in the US:

Fly into Baltimore, and spend a day in Baltimore

Take a Marc train down to DC and spend 3 days in DC, visit the national zoo, one of the Smithsonian, and just do DC stuff

Take an Amtrak up to Philly and spend 2 days in Philly

Take another train, either early morning Amtrak or Septa + NJT up to Jersey City and spend a day in Jersey City/Hoboken

Take the PATH to NYC and spend 3 days in NYC, visit central park, Greenwich Village, Bushwick and other parts of the city

Take the Amtrak up to Boston and spend 2 days in Boston before flying home out of Boston Logan Airport

[dragonpyre]

Selkie Jason is highly adorable and funny

Does he have the same tastes as a seal? Does he have a fondness for stroganina and sashimi?

Does he have hunting instincts? Has he ever gone to the zoo or an aquarium and been tempted to jump in and catch something for dinner?

Has he ever hidden in a zoo for the free fish and generous distribution of headpats?

Okay I'll stop there lol, hope you have a good one :3

Selkie Jason nation!

He totally loves fish in human form. Bruce physically has to stop him from eating them raw while human cuz his human body isn't built for that. And he definitely hunted for food (or at least tried to) before getting adopted. The instinct is a bit hard to break for a while though. Bruce learns to keep a hand on Jason whenever they visit the Gotham Aquarium in fear of Jason going seal.

I think he certainly considered joining the zoo for free food as a seal pup but realized they might call the seal CPS on him (look, he was 9) because the zoo shouldn't have any seal pups.

As an adult he has no such qualms. He's here to cause chaos and annoy his family on zoo days

The one downside of going seal is that he is now subjected to all the cuddles from his family. It doesn't matter how much he screams/barks, there is no escape.

[howlingday]

Panthera Tigris Tigris Nikos

Jaune: Hey, Pyrrha? Can I have a hug?

Pyrrha: Of course, Jaune! (Hugs)

Jaune: (Sinks into her)

Pyrrha: Would anyone else like-

Nora: (Dragging Ren) MEMEMEME~!

Fun Fact! Bengal tigers are big. Females have been documented to reach 400 pounds, males 500 pounds, and occasionally larger specimens reaching 700 pounds. Royal Bengal Tigers are reportedly even bigger, with one specimen shot by David Hasinger in 1967 was reported to be 857 pounds, measured at 11 feet long, and left paw prints "the size of dinner plates," and it's last meal was a live water buffalo weighed down by an eighty-pound weight. It is displayed in the Smithsonian Institutions's National Museum of Natural History, in the Hall of Mammals.

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Pyrrha: Ready for our run, Jaune?

Jaune: You bet! Maybe this time I could-

Pyrrha: (Ear flicks) Oh, uh, why don't you keep warming up, Jaune? I need to grab something from the dorm.

Jaune: Oh, uh, sure thing, Pyrrha. I'll be right here.

Cardin: (Sitting on the roof) What the hell? Where's Nikos go- (Door swings open, Mauled)

Fun Fact! Bengal Tigers are fast. They can make short sprints of forty miles per hour, which is about the speed of a thoroughbred horse. An incident with a startled tigress mother with her cubs in Nepal in 1974 resulted in the death of a researcher who was hiding 15 feet in a tree. In 2007, on Christmas Day at the San Francisco Zoo, an Amur Tiger cleared a thirty-foot moat to maul three visitors who were harassing the tiger, killing one of them before being killed after four shots to the skull by responding police officer's .40-caliber-pistol rounds. It should be noted that the Amur was a captive tiger, raised from birth in the zoo. Imagine a wild tiger raised in the jungle.

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Pyrrha: Are you okay, Jaune?

Jaune: Y-Yeah, I... Wait, what about the goliath?!

Pyrrha: It's okay, Jaune. I took care of it.

Jaune: But how, Pyrrha? (Holding) Your weapons-!

Pyrrha: (Takes, Smiles) I took care of it.

Jaune: (Looks behind her, Sees dead goliath)

Fun Fact! Bengal Tigers are strong. Their bite force can reach up to a thousand pounds, which is much stronger than a pitbull's and about a quarter of a great white shark. Their prey includes deer, buffalo, bison, bears, rhinos, and elephants. A single blow can break a bear's spine, and easily decapitate a human.

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Jaune: Thanks again for letting us come visit, Mrs. Nikos.

Mama Nikos: Oh, Jaune, don't be so formal. We're practically family, so just call me Mama.

Jaune: Uh... No, I'll just stick with Mrs. Nikos, if you don't mind.

Mama Nikos: Oh, you are just so polite! I'm glad Pyrrha could have such a handsome team leader like you.

Pyrrha: (Blushing) M-Mom...

Nora: Can I have more meat buns, Mama?

Ren: Nora...

Nora: Oh, right! Khm! May I have more meat buns, Mama?

Mama Nikos: They're in the oven.

Jaune: So what do you do for a living, Mrs. Nikos?

Mama Nikos: I'm a personal fitness trainer. It's actually how I met Pyrrha's father. He said he could perform a perfect double twister kick, and I told him it was impossible unless he could twist and launch himself at a 167 degree rotation with a north-northwest gale blowing at 3.5 miles per hour behind him-

Mama Nikos: (Ding!) Oh! Meat buns are done!

Jaune: Huh...

Pyrrha: Don't worry. I didn't get it the first time, either.

Fun Fact! Bengal tigers are smart. Cubs are raised by their mothers for two and a half to three years. There are also notes of tigers imitating deer and bear calls. They will chase larger prey into water, tear at buffalo legs to bring them to the ground, and will flip porcupines from to their backs to avoid spines. There are also records of tigers killing 15-foot crocodiles, 20-foot pythons, 300-pound seals, and a 20-year-old elephant.

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Jaune: Hm? Hey, Pyrrha? Who's this standing with your mom?

Pyrrha: Hm? Oh... That's... That's my mother. She... She's not around anymore.

Jaune: Do... Do you want to talk about it?

Pyrrha: I... I don't know where to begin. She was my hero, but she did something really bad, and she died when I was really young. And I...

Jaune: Hey. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.

Pyrrha: (Leans on Jaune) I was probably six years old when it happened. She and I were on our way to watch a tournament together, but then this guy came from out of nowhere. He shot at us and broke her jaw. She carried me back home, and then... She left that night. I didn't learn about what happened to her until just after getting accepted into Beacon. She... She went on a rampage and then... Then she...

Jaune: (Holds her) Hey, hey. It's okay, Pyrrha. I'm... I'm sorry to hear that. I'm... I'm sure she was a great mom.

Pyrrha: (Sniffles) She was the best. And, on the bright side, because of her, there's a new standard for huntsman and huntresses to follow. And she's part of the reason why I became a huntress. So I could make sure everyone follows the standard. Follows the example she set. (Smiles) I think she would have liked you.

Jaune: (Looks at family photo) I think I would have like her, too.

Fun Fact! In the first ten years of the 20th century, until her death in 1907, the Champawat Tiger, also known as "the man-eater" killed and ate 436 humans in western Nepal. She evaded capture and continued to kill until she was shot by British hunter Jim Corbett, who speculated the tigress lost her teeth years ago from a gunshot, forcing her to change her prey to much easier humans. He then went on to be an advocate for wild tigers and spent the latter years of his life devoted to their conservation, even having a conservation park in Nepal dedicated to him.

[bitingdrivers]

Another post about Bones AU!

hello again! This time I want to talk about the supporting cast: interns, fbi agents and some other guys.

I want to preface this with a little note that my knowledge of american education (and any other) system is very surface level. And all of this is made up anyway, so don't sweat it. also acab

Mr. Alex Albon

Minors in veterinary medicine. The honorary intern on the case where they find a bull penis in the evidence. After that it's revealed that he has 7 cats, 2 dogs and even a horse. After graduating he will probably go work as a vet at the National Zoo.

Alex is bright and funny, he is down to earth, but very professional and smart. Rumor has it he is in some kind of relationship with George Russell.

I imagine he is fine working with corpses, but at the end of the day his heart is in the veterinary medicine, so after a few internships in the lab he announces that he managed to get hours at the Zoo, so he won't be in the lab anymore. Despite that, he still has to help on some cases when no one else can.

Mr. George Russell

Besides anthropology, he also studies archeology and will probably end up in the Authentications Department after graduating.

He is usually interns in Authentications, but a few times he has to help at the lab, when other squints are unavailable. He hates working with corpses and one time is found crying in the lounge after he has to help solve a child's murder.

George is reserved and serious about keeping it professional in the lab. But after you know him better, you will learn that he is very passionate and a big gossip (he probably started that rumor himself)

Dr. Fernando Alonso

Works in Palaeonthology department, but has anthropological education so a couple of times he helps in the lab when there are no avaliable squints.

Since they are both Spanish and share a passion of biology and geology, Carlos and Fernando are good friends and often help each other.

One time he has to help in the lab and one of the Institute's sponsors, Lance Stroll pays a visit. Something happens between the two

The Stroll family

The Strolls are the main benefactors of the Institute and sponsor a lot of it's campaigns. Lawrence Stroll is the head of the family and has a son and heir of the company – Lance Stroll.

Lance is very enthusiastic about the Lab and sometimes likes to visits and hover around to see how the cases are solved. After a couple of times people just accept it and even include Lance in conversations and explain things to him. In return Lance tries to help with fundings and internships. His knowledge in business and other affairs helped solve the cases on numerous occasions (he is very proud of that).

Mr. Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki studies anthropology, but is very passionate about chemistry. He is a food enthusiast and is very interested in the field of molecular kitchen. Despite studying to be an anthropologist, he plans on working in a molecular kitchen restaurant, although he still takes studying and working in the lab responsibly.

Daniel is a big wine enthusiast and dreams of making his own wine one day, so when he learns about Yuki's food hobby, the two quickly bond. Yuki even takes Daniel to a few molecular kitchen restaurants.

Mr. Liam Lawson

Liam is a the first intern to fill the space after Oscar. Because of that the crew feels really weird about him being there. But after a few weeks of working together they became good friends.

Daniel and Liam quickly bond over their shared love of American football and sometimes even play the sport together.

Yes, Liam also thinks Max is flirting with him at the start, but Charles quickly explains that this is just Max being Max (this happened in the show, I swear)

Agents Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon

They both work in the Cyber division of the FBI. Their friendship feels weird and strained to the outsiders, but Pierre and Esteban refuse to tell anyone what happened between them. Despite that, they often work together and do it well.

During one of the cases where a hacker is involved, Agent Gasly is put on the case and he and Charles work together to catch the killer. During this time they develop a connection and quickly start dating after (this happenes when Charles and Carlos decide to take a break). But since Carlos is Charles' true love, the relationship with Pierre doesn't work out, but they stay good friends afterwards

Mr. Guanuy Zhou

Guanyu spends a couple of months in America as an exchange student from China. During that time he is given internship hours at the lab and helps to solve a case. He is studying to be a forensic anthropologist in China.

Agents Kevin Magnussen and Niko Hulkenberg

Agents Magnussen and Hulkenberg used to serve with Daniel in military and went through war together. But after Daniel went to Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch (specifically the violent crime division), Hulk and Magnussen went to National Secutiry. Sometimes they meet to have a few beers together

Valterri Bottas

As one of the best anthropologist in the world, Max is asked to go to Finland to assess and authenticate some very old and important remains. Daniel decides to go with Max (obviously). But in classic Bones fashion a murder happens during their stay and Max and Daniel have to solve it. A local police officer Valterri Bottas helps them with the case.

Prof. Gianpiero Lambiase

Ok so in the show it's established that Brennan has slept and dated her professor and mentor (although I don't remember if it happened after her graduation or during her years in the university)

So I decided why not. Max dated his professor and mentor GP after graduating university. It was brief and they never took it seriously, because it was mainly just lust.

But one day GP decides to visit the lab. Daniel is not thrilled to find about Max's and GP's relationship (but at this point he won't say anything about it to Max).

Agent Sergio Perez

So uh. I kind of forgot about him till this moment and almost hit post lol.

I decided just now that he works in Organized crime division and helps during one of the cases. Sorry Checo, I forgor.

Ok so this is obviously not all the people in f1, but at this point I think it's enough. But feel free to make your own headcanons about how this or that f1 person fits in this au.

[violetsandshrikes]

“As an endling, Turgi wasn’t, perhaps, as grandiose as many of his fellow lasts of their species. He wasn’t as furry and charismatic as Benjamin the thylacine, who’s death made him a mascot for National Threatened Species Day in Australia. Turgi wasn’t a martyr that tourists visit on eco-pilgrimages, like Sudan the northern white rhino almost-endling. He wasn’t a stately Lonesome George living out his life with gravitas in his own Galápogas Islands. Although sad, of course, reports of Turgi’s death were certainly less intentionally pathos-filled than many other eulogies of species’ extinctions; perhaps because it’s harder to anthropomorphize a snail than other charismatic organisms.”

- Endlings: Fables for the Anthropocene, by Lydia Pyne

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hi, Atticus! Question first: Do you know anything about tomistoma? I'm a huge reptile fan, but I'd never heard of them until recently; I'd love to hear anything you know about them :) Anecdote and praise second: I LOVE YOUR BLOG! I check it literally every day to see what new, cool stuff you've shared. I recently went to the Smithsonian National Zoo, and when I walked through their Reptile House, I checked all of their enclosures for the stuff you mention in your posts :) They seemed great!

Yeah, the Smithsonian zoo is a national leader! I had the opportunity to work with Murphy, one of their komodo dragons, as part of an event for PhD-persuing herpetologists and it was a wonderful experience. I love visiting their zoo and catching up with their keepers every time I'm in the area.

Now...tomistoma!! These funky little freshwater crocodilians are so mysterious and cool.

If you know anything about crocodilians, you're probably looking at that snout and thinking "okay, so these guys eat almost exclusively fish, right?" WRONG! They're actually generalists and will eat anything that comes their way.

The long narrow snout is great for catching fish, yeah. But it's probably because they're very closely related to gharials (they're called false gharials in some areas!). The snout is probably a gharial trait, and tomistoma snouts actually widen near the base - probably they've kept the long snout for fish, and then widened it to catch everything else.

Tomistoma might have the largest eggs of any extant crocodilians!

Tomistoma are unfortunately endangered and threatened with extinction throughout much of their range. You can help by raising awareness about these awesome crocodilians, speaking up against drainage of freshwater swamplands, and avoiding purchasing any crocodilian-skin products.

[send-up-my-heart-to-you]

heres a change from my usual depressing posts: here are a few of my happy memories :)

when i was nine years old my grandma and my mom picked up me and my siblings from school. i was so happy bc its usually just our nannies who picked us up. we went straight to the mall together and played games, and then when my siblings got tired they went home but i stayed with my grandma and mom. we just walked around the mall shopping for clothes and i was happy bc i had my grandma and mom all to myself

when i was nine years old i moved schools. on a national holiday, i visited my old school to say hi to my old friends. the moment i stepped into the classroom i was swarmed with a flurry of hugs and tears. thats the last time i remember truly feeling like i had friends

when i was thirteen years old i hated how i looked. my mom would buy clothes for me and i’d hate them because they werent my style and werent really flattering. one day we went shopping and i bought myself this turtleneck and pair of jeans. i wore it and looked into the mirror and grinned so hard to myself because it was the first time i realized i was pretty

when i was twelve years old on new years eve (dec 30), i woke up to my cousins yelling at me to get up. i very groggily got up and got dressed. their mother took us to the zoo together and it was so fun. we were all happy. it was one of the last times we were all together and smiling

when i was eleven years old my mom took me to parents evening. my favorite teacher called me a gem and said my english grades are better than that of most native english speakers. i’ll never forget that. (me n her used to talk about percy jackson and shadowhunters together after i first picked them up)

when i was fifteen i was dressed up for a school event. when we walked outside i covered my face with my hijab. the girl next to me looked at me confused and i explained to her that i didnt want the guys to see me wearing makeup for religious reasons. she just nodded understandingly and said matter-of-factly “you dont need makeup to get stared at.” and when i laughed and said no one ever stares at me, she just looked at me very evenly and said “you wanna know something? i catch myself staring at you a lot. makeup or no makeup.”

around that time when i was fifteen, on a random tuesday at school i realized i actually have friends. i’m actually popular. i dont get bullied anymore. i’m not the “weird kid” sitting in the back of the classroom anymore.

when i was sixteen (this was back in april) me and my sister @txna-blxckthorn stopped by a fast food place at a gas station to grab dinner for our family. we were wearing pajamas under our hoodies. we were just talking about deep stuff while rain beat the windows and the smell of hot food wafted thru the air

[applesauce-and-applejacks]

Spring Things!

With the new season brings so many fun activities and things to explore! What all are you going to do?? :0

Get some chalk and draw on sidewalks near you! Can you make the sun? ☀️What about a flower? 🌸And don't forget about hopscotch!

Ride a bike 🚲

Make your own bubble solution and make some pretty bubbles 🫧

Start a new plant! Watch it grow from a seed to sprouts to a full plant! Maybe you can even sketch what the plant looks like each day, you're so good at drawing! 🎨

Visit a nearby park! Extra points if you have a state/national park near you!

Collect rocks and paint them, then hide them around! A lot of people like to find little treasures on their walks, and many neighborhoods will have their own rock painting community. Let's get creative! 🖌🖌

Is it really spring without a zoo visit?? :0

If you're able to, check out the blooming flowers in your area! What color are they? How big are they? For a fun activity, find a few and press them in a big booklet to save! 🌷💐

Feed some ducks

Check out cute lil books from your local library - you can always say its for babysitting or a niece/nephew. Plus, you're supporting your local library!

rain or shine, its always picnic weather 🧺 Grab a blankie, some snacks and some friends (especially stuffie friends) and have some fun memories with your food!

I always like fruits n veggies as snacks, but take this time to make them fun shapes! Apple bunnies, flower strawberries, star bananas, the options are limitless!

Jump in the fun fun puddles!!

And never forget, you're full of sunshine inside and out! Wherever you go you'll bring spring with you 💞💞💞

[trashbag-baby666]

POV: you’re on John’s phone (firehouse au)

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buck_y:3 don’t forget to get your official Casper’s 118th calendar for 2024! This years charity of choice is The Trevor Project!

drrosiethal don’t gotta tell me twice!

drgcleven my man is off limits still.

l.e.m.m.o.n.s curtie looking handsome as usual!

bid.d!ck 💕❤️ if there was an EMT one you know you’d be my girl for every season.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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buck_y:3 Happy national pet day to all the Cleven animals! 💖

b.demarco can’t believe you got Chili to sit still without biting lmao

buck_y:3 who said he didn’t bite?

drgcleven he did not bite, Benny.

hambone69 bring Scooby back to the firehouse for a visit 💔

buck_y:3 he’ll be at the next softball practice!

h_croz ❤️❤️❤️ sending love from the Crosby zoo as well!

buck_y:3 We need another dog park date!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[nct-kiss]

LILIAN LOCKWOOD

( face claim: xiang hanzhi [ actress ] ) ( voice claim: lea cota )

Stage Name: Lilia

Birth Name: Lilian Lockwood

Nationality: American

Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist

Birthday: December 21st, 1999

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 170 cm ( 5'5 )

Weight: 59 kg (130 lbs)

Blood Type: AB

Representative Emoji: 🍋

Instagram: lil_lockedwoods

LILIA FACTS

She was born in Wuhan, China.

She grew up in San Francisco.

Education: The Urban School of San Francisco, School of Performing Arts.

She was adopted when she was almost a year old.

She has a brother.

Her adoptive parents are both doctors.

She said that she tried reaching out to her birth mother but she was denied contact.

Her favourite colour is sky blue.

Nicknames: Locky, Lily, Woodie, Yingying, Lannie, Lia

She is part of NCT KISS and WayV.

Kun gave her Chinese name which is Lanying.

Motto: What's meant to be will always find a way.

She prefers lemonades over coffee.

She has two guinea pigs called Tinks and Bubbles.

She likes listening to Lofi music whenever she is travelling.

She shares a room with Koyo.

Her hobby is photography.

She was visiting Korea for vacation when she was scouted.

She and Minhee didn't get along when they first met.

During trainee days, she tried stabbing Haechan with a pencil because he was annoying her.

She and Mark became friends over their dislike for Haechan during the trainee days.

She was part of SM Rookies.

She's allergic to seafood.

She doesn't like going to the gym but goes along to sit and keep her members company.

She says that the KISS dorm is like a petting zoo with the amount of pets everyone has.

She has Asthma.

She says that she used to be very sick when she was young and that's why her parents were scared to let her move to Korea.

She says she's the least athletic in the group.

She says she doesn't want to be born again, but if she was, she wants to be a tree.

Her adoptive father passed away in 2020.

taglist: @mosviqu @colourlikechampagne

[bunny-lovers]

🌟 and 🪩? -@hades-beloved

Hope you & your f/os have a great day & thank you for the ask! 😊 @sunandmoonships @goodmorningawfulbye

🥀 - has your f/o ever given you a bouquet of flowers? what kinds of flowers do they include?

Yes, she has & the kinds of flowers are pink carnations, red roses, pink orchids, & red anthuriums. She'll also give me sunflowers & red roses.

🎉 - have they ever made a big, grand gesture for you? say, throw a surprise party, or go on an impromptu vacation?

Yes & it was a impromptu vacation.

💖 - what's the nicest compliment they've ever given you? what's the nicest compliment you've ever given them?

The nicest compliment Rumi ever given me was when I was feeling insecure about my deep voice, but Rumi told me that she loves my deep voice. It made me feel a lot better. The nicest compliment I ever given Rumi was how beautiful her red eyes that I've ever seen.

🌟 - have you ever stargazed with them before? if they're interested in it, where would you two like to go to see them?

Yes & we would go to a national park to see them.

🌲 - whats your f/o's ideal date spot to take you to? what's your ideal date spot to take them?

Her ideal date spot to take me to is visit the zoo or aquarium. My ideal date spot to take Rumi is hit the beach.

🦑 - would you two ever go on an aquarium date together? who's idea was it, and which fish is their/your favorite to look at?

Yes, it was my idea, & my favorite fish to look at is arc-eye hawkfish. Rumi's favorite fish to look at is orange fairy basslet.

🥪 - picnic time! what do you guys bring? do you pick them out together, or pick them out separately and surprise each other?

We would bring egg salad sandwiches, broccoli pasta salad, caprese skewers, lemon cookies, vegetarian club sandwiches, cucumber salad, & brownies. We pick them out together.

💍 - you two go pick out matching lockets to keep a picture/piece of hair/memento of the other in! what do they look like? what picture of theirs do you keep?

It would be gold heart locket necklaces. I keep a picture of Rumi smiling in my heart locket necklace.

🧁 - you bake something together! what do you bake? how does it turn out? is it the best thing you've ever tasted? or does it suck ass?

Chocolate cupcakes! It turned out great & it's the best thing we've ever tasted.

🎃 - have you guys ever carved pumpkins together? do you visit a pumpkin patch, or buy one from the store? or maybe you grew it? what would your pumpkins look like?

Yes, we have & we buy one from the store. My pumpkin would be a smiling pumpkin. Rumi's pumpkin would be a rabbit.

🎄 - if you celebrate Christmas, what does your tree look like? what kinds of decorations would your f/o prefer? do you decorate it together, or does just one of you do the decorating?

Our tree is a rainbow & we put white Christmas ornament sets on it. One of us do the decorating.

🍝 - you guys go to a nice fancy restaurant together! what does your f/o order? what do you order? do you guys order a dessert? perhaps, to share?

Rumi order Filet Mignon while I order Eggplant Parmesan. Yes, we do order a dessert to share.

🪩 - you guys attend a party together! perhaps it's formal, maybe a ball? perhaps a masquerade? what are you wearing? do you/your f/o enjoy it?

We would both wear black suit blazer, a white shirt & a black dress pants. Yes, we do enjoy it!

🧸 - it's valentine's day! what stereotypical valentine's day gift does your f/o give you? a box of chocolates, perhaps a stuffed animal?

Rumi gives me a heart pendant necklace, a box of chocolates & red roses.

📺 - what movies do you guys like watching together? is there any specific movie that comes to mind?

We watch any movies that has action, adventure, comedy, romance, & animated. Yes & that would be Zootopia.

[fatehbaz]

A couple visiting Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (LANWR) shared their extraordinary sighting of a mother and kitten ocelot just two weeks ahead of Ocelot Conservation Day, March 5, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. On Feb. 17, Jake Strouf snapped photos of the two ocelots as they crossed Buena Vista Boulevard, a main road in the refuge [...]. It was a rare opportunity for visitors of LANWR to see the mother and kitten, as these cats typically stay hidden and are most active at night. [...] Ocelots historic range extended throughout the Southwestern U.S., but now are limited to a small breeding population of about 60 to 80 cats in South Texas. LANWR is the only public refuge for these endangered wild cats [...]. Facing many challenges to survival, including habitat loss and fragmentation, ocelots are an essential part of the native Texas landscape.

---

Image, headline, and text published as part of a press release by Defenders of Wildlife. “Rare Ocelot Sighting Ahead of Festival Exemplifies Need for Awareness on Texas Roads.” Published online 24 February 2023. Media contact: Jacquline Covey. Photo by Jake Strouf.

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in July 2023

01/07 Princess Anne accompanied by Sir Tim, opened the 30th Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy Harbour. ⛴️

03/07 As Chancellor of Harper Adams University, visited the University’s Future Farm, Edgmond and met the 2023 Marshal Papworth Foundation Scholars. 👩‍🎓

As Patron, Scottish Fisheries Museum’s Reaper Appeal visited the Scottish Fisheries Museum in St. Ayles, Anstruther. 🎣

04/07 Visited Strathcarron Hospice, Denny. 👩‍⚕️

As Colonel-in-Chief of the Intelligence Corps, attended a 5 Military Intelligence Battalion Training Night at the Army Reserve Centre, Edinburgh. 💂

05/07 As part of Holyrood week in Edinburgh, Princess Anne carried out the following engagements;

Opened the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, at NHS Lothian as part of #NHS75 celebrations. 🧸

Opened King’s Buildings Nucleus Building at the University of Edinburgh. 👩‍🎓

Launched WETWHEELS EDINBURGH Accessible Boat at Port Edgar Marina. 🦽🛥️

Attended a Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria for Eric Liddell 100 programme. 🍽️

06/07 As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, attended the Textile Institute World Conference at the University of Huddersfield. 🪡

Opened Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Maternity Theatre at Bradford Royal Infirmary.🤰

As Colonel of The Blues and Royals, with Sir Tim, took the salute at the Household Division Beating Retreat on Horse Guards Parade. 🫡

07/07 Attended a Charity Polo Day at Cirencester Park Polo Club for the Spinal Injuries Association 🐎

11/07 Visited Flintshire Adult Day Care Centre, Hwb Cyfle in Queensferry, Wales. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

HRH, as the new Patron of BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) visited their Headquarters at Marford Mill, Wrexham, Wales. 🦡

12/07 Visited St Helena’s Nursing Campus at the University of Derby in Chesterfield. 👩‍⚕️

Opened Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s new Urgent and Emergency Care Department. 🏥

Attended a Reception at Rolls-Royce Learning and Development Centre for the Motor Neurone Association. 🚘

13/07 Sir Tim represented the Princess Royal at a service of thanksgiving for the life of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Boyce at Westminster Abbey. ⚓️

Princess Anne opened the King’s Arch at Government House, visited the Tortoise Takeover Trail at Gorey Castle and subsequently opened the Tortoise Tunnel at Jersey Zoo. 🇯🇪🐢

Princess Anne with Sir Tim, later attended the Royal Academy of Engineering Annual Awards Dinner at the Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square, London. 🏆

14/07 Opened the new Southampton Citizens Advice Bureau and visited DP World Shipping Container Terminal. ⛴️

15/07 As Colonel-in-Chief of the Intelligence Corps, attended their Annual Corps Day at Chicksands. 🪖

18/07 Princess Anne and Sir Tim carried out the following engagements in Kent;

Opened a new affordable housing development at Bartlett Close, Staple, Canterbury, followed by a Reception at Staple Village Hall. 🏡

Visited St James’s Cemetery in Dover in her role as Patron of the Remembrance Trust 🫡

Visited Folkestone National Coastguard Institution Station in Folkestone to mark its 25th Anniversary, followed by a Reception at Folkestone Yacht and Motorboat Club. 🚨

19/07 In South Wales, visited Barry Citizens Advice Bureaux in her role of Patron of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and later visited HM Prison Cardiff in her role of Patron of the Butler Trust. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

20/07 Joined the ship’s company of HMS Albion and visited Clyde Marina near Glasgow, Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

21/07 Princess Anne and Sir Tim attended a Dinner at the Royal Ocean Racing Club Clubhouse, to celebrate the 50th Edition of the Fastnet Race in Cowes, Isle of Wight. 🛥️

27/07 Attended the Tall Ships Races Captains’ Dinner at Lerwick Town Hall, Lerwick, Shetland Islands. 👨‍✈️🍽️

28/07 Visited ships in Lerwick Harbour taking part in the Tall Ships Races. 🚢🏁

29/07 With Sir Tim, attended the King George Day at Ascot Racecourse. 🏆🐎

30/07 Princess Anne and Sir Tim visited Cowes, Isle of Wight for Cowes Week and carried out the following engagements;

Viewed Cowes Week Racing and met Squadron Staff at the Royal Yacht Squadron. 🛥️

Visited HMS Tyne and The Royal Navy Stand. ⛴️

Attended a Church Service at Holy Trinity Church. ⛪️

Attended a Reception for Members, Racing Crews, Flag Officers and Sailing Associates at the Royal Yacht Squadron. 🥂

Total official engagements for Anne in July: 42

2023 total so far: 304

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in July: 14

2023 total so far: 70

[withlovefromsimtown]

Lifa's Life Update (+Sims Progress)

Well it's been a minute, but We're still here & I don't mind.

Things roughly in order:

I fully remapped onto a custom SC4 terrain & rebuilt an entire Sims 2 BG neighborhood to update it to UC (any guesses?), started working on clothing defaults for the aforementioned neighborhood.

Started 2 huge TS2 projects that I may someday finish, completely unrelated to all of that, because I was in Milkshape & I can't control myself.

Had my partner's friends over A LOT, like it seemed like every couple weeks for awhile someone would be crashing in the guest room. (They're my friends too they just... started off as partner's friends lol.)

Barbecued & grilled a lot, because friends & food.

Went to a VNV Nation show with my friend (things that are on the Elder Goth Bucket List lol), made a whole Yeet Weekend outta it & also went to Ikea, Fivebelow, Spirit Halloween, a local outdoor market, & a snowcone stand.

The fucking holidays.

Got sick, part 1.

Surprise, my cat has diabetes & needs 2x daily insulin shots!

More of the fucking holidays.

Got sick, part 2.

2x/month cat checkups to check blood sugar & adjust the dose, for like 3 months.

TX freezes, local friend doesn't have sufficient insulation or central heating in their home to deal with the temps, because TX, & comes to stay with me (with their cat) for a week because I have central heating.

During that week that my friend was here, Mr Diabetes Cat decided to a) eat all the dry kibble out of every bowl, b) refuse wet food at shots time because he was full of dry kibble, & then c) throw up kibble & turn around & pee all over my carpet right after throwing up, which resulted in him not getting his shots that night--they have to be given with food---& getting scheduled an urgent vet visit in the morning. (He's fine, just expensive.)

On the day it actually warmed up outside before it went back to 20 degrees, friend & I did a mini-hike together. We also had food from the Generic Asian Cuisine place (yeah I know, it's Texas though) where we got Pho, Lumpia, & a tofu stir-fry.

I regret having to work during the freezy times, unfortunately.

Partner obtained me a uhh... knockoff Steamdeck handheld? Rog Ally? so I can keep Win7 on my monster computer & also play my dumb ancient murder-aliens 4x RTS game on Steam that I like, but I haven't fixed my mods for it to play it, because I...

Got sick, part 3.

While sick, took Mr Diabetes Cat to his very last 2-week checkup; we're on 3-month checkup schedules now! Because he's stable! Yay!

The entire house is a disaster & I'm still not 100% but I'm back to cooking/cleaning a bit between work at least.

Working on more of the necessary clothing defaults for the TS2 neighborhood I redid.

Planning for March when the entire zoo needs to be vetted again for vaxxing, just gonna wrap the diabetes checkup into that & do everyone's bloodwork at that time also unless something drastic happens. (We do like 2-3 cats at a time over the course of 2 weeks, & then the dog on her own, we're not like... hauling a van of animals to the vet all at once...)

Need to get some of the soft mesh transportation prisons for the cats before then, because the big crate with the lid is about to disintegrate.

[torillatavataan]

Hi! I am coming to study abroad in Helsinki for about two weeks. Do you have any suggestions on things I shouldnt miss?? Kiitos!!

Moi! Tervetuloa Suomeen!

I think Suomenlinna is one of the most popular, if not the most popular things to see and do in Helsinki. It's an old sea fortress on an island.

Definitely check out both Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral. Museum-wise, I've personally enjoyed both Ateneum (the home of many of the most famous paintings in Finland) and Sinebrychoff Art Museum (art collection from all over the world). The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum is interesting, too. Other museums of note: Kiasma (contemporary art), Natural History Museum, and Design Museum. The National Museum is unfortunately closed for renovations until 2027. :(

If you like animals, consider visiting the Korkeasaari Zoo. You will see Finnish animals like wolverines and bears. They also have many big cats, including tumblr's favourite Pallas cat. :)

Check out one of the old market halls, too. Not necessarily the one on the market square, although that is the most famous one. But there are others, too.

For nice views of the city, have a drink or a snack in Torni.

Take good shoes and head out into the woods. :) Nuuksio National Park is popular among tourists.

This website will be helpful: www.myhelsinki.fi

If you can do day trips, I would first and foremost recommend visiting Tallinn in Estonia. You can take a ferry in the morning and come back in the evening. For day trips in Finland (by train or bus), check out Turku, Tampere, or Porvoo.

I'm not from Helsinki myself nor have I spent much time in Helsinki all things considered, so people from Helsinki, please recommend your number one spots and some hidden gems. :)