Welcome to my Journal...

Writer's Block: My Favorite Quick & Healthy Recipe

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:44:56 GMT

What’s your favorite quick, easy, and healthy recipe?

Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

;-) Coffee and M&M's.
Try talking to me on a rare day I miss out on coffee and a bit of chocolate and you'll soon agree that it's healthier for both of us if I get my caffeine bwa-ha-ha :-p

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:50:13 GMT

I wanted to let you all know how the baby is doing that hatched very prematurely.

She is doing good and bad at the same time...

Her tail, which was zig-zaggy and dry- finally dropped last night so she is now a preemie frog-butt. It is healing very well.
She has a terrible time shedding, and I have to do a lot of soaks to help her because it comes off in very ragged chunks that she has trouble getting off herself even in the good humidity.
She is not really growing much at all. She is over 2 months old now, and still doesn't register on the scale.

Her clutchmate, however, is doing great. Healthy and growing.

The preemie, despite all the negatives, is still active and alert, so that is good. I have her in her own separate enclosure since she is too small to be kept with her clutchmate.

I wonder how she will do as time goes on. Is she strong enough to make it, or will the flaws catch up with her and take over? If she can't grow, will her organs still grow inside- kind of like what happens to fish whose growths get stunted and they end up dying because their organs get too big for their bodies? Or will she live a long, happy life and just be a tiny crestie with special needs?

These pics were taken just a few minutes ago. Look how tiny she still is, and how bad the sheds stick to her :-(

These are her and her clutchmate to show the difference-

The last step to a fabulous grooming is a mud bath :-|

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:12:59 GMT

I groomed my Shibas today. Brushed them nice, sprayed them to smell pretty, etc... and as soon as I finish, what is the first thing that happens? Yoshi runs to dig in the dirt, then Ayla runs to follow him! Then, of course, Yoshi leaves the scene right away and lays off to the side as Ayla continues to have fun ruining her lovely white coat! Yagh!!! Can't help but laugh though. Good thing I enjoy dog grooming enough to have to do repeat sessions sometimes...

Yoshi: "What? Don't blame me! All I did was tell Ayla that there was bacon planted in the dirt patch! It's not MY fault she actually believed me!"

Cute pic of Salamence

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:38:29 GMT

Just wanted to post this cute new picture of 'Salamence', my Tokay Gecko, I took before :-)

BTW if anyone is wondering why I haven't e-mailed them back, it's because I am not able to send e-mails. I can receive them though, but it won't let me send ever since I updated my OS. Hopefully I can fix that soon.

They have the whole house to play, but....

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:39:57 GMT

....

They choose to have their intense play-wrestling matches UNDER the coffee table at midnight while I am trying to relax with a video game hahaha :-)
Had to remove my cup of tea before that became a disaster as well!

Dragons are friends, not food

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:52:31 GMT

Ayla discovers Ridley and thinks he looks tasty. Yoshi lets her know that the bearded dragons are family...

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"What is this thing...? It looks tasty and crunchy! I wonder if it's edible?"

"Agh! There is a magical barrier blocking him from my mouth!"

"Maybe there is a secret entrance underneath!!!"

"Hmmm guess not... Oh crap! It's staring back at me now!"

*Yoshi enters*
"STOP this nonsense already, Ayla!!!"

"The reptiles are friends, not food. Just like us, and even the cats!"
"OK, Yoshi. I am sorry. I understand now."

"We can still lay here and quietly admire them though."

:-) Awwwwww

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:53:14 GMT

Ayla + Fresh Dirt = fun!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:07:18 GMT

Thankfully, having a coat that repels dirt, she did not need a bath. It all fell off when she got up and shook a bit. She had fun though :-)

Shiba Inu playtime :-)

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:45:39 GMT

After a few days of Yoshi having to get used to having another dog in his territory, they have quickly become good friends!
Here are some pictures I got while they were zooming around the yard having a great time together. Ayla is a bit overweight (her previous owners kind of overdid it on the treats hehe...) but with all the exercise she is getting now, it shouldn't be too long before she can keep up with Yoshi :-)

Meet my new doggy! 'Ayla'

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:12:26 GMT

We took a trip today to adopt another Shiba Inu! Yoshi is still getting used to having another dog around, but he is yelling at her a lot less now, haha. She is an absolute angel, and has so much in common with Yoshi. I love this breed so much :-)
Her name is Ayla.

Writer's Block: Pick and Stick

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:59:42 GMT

If you could only eat one kind of cuisine—Mexican, Thai, French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc.—for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

View 503 Answers

Definitely Japanese. Most other cuisines I have to be in the specific mood for, but I can eat Japanese food all day every day! Too bad it's very hard to come by around here.

Yoshi's day at the park :-)

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:59:07 GMT

Matt and I took my shiba, Yoshi, to the park today. he had a great time playing on the rides and trying to befriend a duck....

Yoshi likes exploring around on the playsets. Thankfully, since it was supposed to rain today, the park was empty so kids weren't hogging up all the rides like usual, haha!

Matt and Yoshi get along so well :-)

Yoshi is king of the park!!! He was definitely worthy of the title after stopping every 10 seconds to claim every tree and patch of grass as his territory...

2 random birds at the lake. Dunno what they are... not very bird-knowledged.

Walking along the path we saw many, many ducks... but this one was hanging around close-by. He seemed to realize Yoshi was on a leash so he didn't panic and flee. Yoshi wished he could be off-leash though... Ducky would have been a fun friend... or tasty lunch?

Ducky even let me get close enough to pose for a nice picture :-)

And then Yoshi took over again...

Ducky had enough hanging around so started heading back to the lake.

No ducky! Don't go already! Wait for meeeee!

Bug photos from the park :-)

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:59:56 GMT

Me, Matt, & Yoshi went to the park today, so of course I brought the camera along for finding bugs :-)
I didn't find too many since it was nice out today (68 degrees rather than 90+...), but I still got some nice pics!

Camouflaged as a leaf-

Almost ready to breed :-)

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:33:09 GMT

These two beauties have to just put on a few more grams before I can safely put them together!
The male is Charmander, and the female is Gemron.
Charmander fires up much redder than the pic, so I am hoping a decent amount of the babies will get the red coloring from both parents, as well as inherit the black spots they both have. Charmander's patterning, shape, and personality are just overall awesome, so I have been eager to breed him since I bought him as a tiny baby. And Gemron is one of my most laid-back cresties with great coloring and structure as well. I think they will make gorgeous babies!
With cresties, anything is possible though and the babies are usually a surprise, often not looking at all like the parents. But, still, always beautiful :-)

Charmander-

Gemron-

ABC's survey

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:05:32 GMT

Got this from snowmew
Thought it'd be fun to fill out :-)

A - Age: 30

B - Bed size: Full

C - Chore you hate: hmm... washing dishes

D - Dog's name: Yoshi

E - Essential "Start Your Day" item: Coffee.

F - Favorite color(s): Crimson, Orange

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'4"

I - Instruments you play: None.

J - Job title: PCP

K - Kids: no thanks.

L - Liquor, Beer or Wine: Liquor. Wine is good too. Not much of a beer fan.

M - Mom's name: Lynn

N - Nicknames: Crimson Fox, Cartoon Kitsune, Nintendo Vixen, Coffee Fox

O - Outie or Innie: Innie

P - Pet Peeve: noisy babies; people who go out of their way to fit in to society's idea of correct

Q - Quote from a movie: There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Sibling(s): yup

T- Time to get up: 10:00 am

U - Underwear: bikini

V - Vegetable you dislike: turnip, peas

W - What makes you run late: rarely late, but if I am it's due to oversleeping

X - X-rays you've had: teeth

Y - Yummy food you make: I don't cook much yet

Z - Zoo favorite: Foxes, african wild dogs, snow leopards, alligators, crocodiles, komodo dragons

Just one of the foxes

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:58:43 GMT

Took this cute picture of my Shiba, Yoshi, camouflaged amongst some of my plush foxes.

New Cartoon Drawing Today :-)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:14:15 GMT

It's a young African Wild Dog.
One of the most awesome looking animals in the world, but unfortunately very endangered. I got to see these fabulous animals at the zoo we went to in Seattle last year.

My new Crested Gecko website

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:22:47 GMT

It's not complete yet, but I started getting up my Crested Gecko site since I am now a breeder.

www.crestiecafe.com

Pics of my 'Preemie' gecko

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:38:12 GMT

I wanted to share some photos of my special baby crested gecko! She hatched way too early, and is so tiny compared to the others who hatch on time. I was very worried about her, but she is doing so surprisingly well!
She is alert, feisty, shedding, climbs around with no problem. I think she is going to be fine :-)

Hoping to get some photos today....

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:00:33 GMT

I am heading out shortly to go on a small hike with my dad. Nothing too major since he hurt his leg recently so is taking it easy. It's been hot the past few days- which I despise! Blech!- BUT I am hoping that the heat is attracting out some creatures in the mountains.
We are going on a trail that specifically is known to have rattlesnakes. I, unfortunately, never got to see a rattler in person in the wild. My dad has in that area though. I would LOOOOVE to get some pictures of one!
Don't worry, I am careful! I know not to get close, or do anything that may seem threatening, to a potentially dangerous animal. I will rely on my camera's zoom and hope they still come out OK (MOST of my creature photos are taken, literally, between 1 and 6 inches from my subject. Though, I also never encounter anything that can harm me either so I am never in danger).

EVEN BETTER NEWS HOWEVER isssss..... in the near future my dad is taking me hiking to an area he recently saw- A RED FOX!!!!! So I will be determined to see one! I never saw a wild fox before... just zoos. And it's one of my dreams to finally see a fox in the wild! Always been my favorite animal, and always will!

But anyway, I will post pictures later if I get any. Don't get your hopes up though :-/
I hope I at least see some cool bugs!

New Drawing of Rasco

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:43:56 GMT

Rasco is one of the few actual characters I have that I draw regularly, rather than just once and he is never seen again...
I think part of the reason is that it is just so friggin fun to draw Fennec Foxes with their super adorable exaggerated features.

This is also a brand new medium for me. It's done in Gouache Paints. I usually use either mechanical pencil, colored pencils, or photoshop for art. Paint is a bit tedius for me since I am inpatient, but the Gouache is definitely the nicest paint I ever worked with. Smooth like watercolors, but with the bold coloration of acrylics. A very nice in-between paint.

But, anyway, here is a Gouache picture of 'Rasco'. I do not have a scanner so this is a digital photo taken of the picture, so there is a lot of shadowing, some loss of detail, and smudginess where I cut stuff out of the background haha...

Hey! It's one of those questionairre things.

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:18:43 GMT

These are always oddly fun to do even when so many of the questions are dumb....

What is the best thing that has happened to you recently?
~ Being blessed with healthy hatchlings on my first attempt at being a gecko breeder :-)

Do you know why the sky is actually blue?
~ Rayleigh scattering

Would you like to meet an alien?
~ WOULD I!!!! Yes definitely!!!!!

If so, would you trust them enough to go back with them to their planet?
~ Probably not. I have trust issues lol.

What do you think is at the end of space?
~ It doesn't technically end...

Do you still watch cartoons?
~ Yes! I love cartoons. Not as many good ones now as there used to be though.

Which cartoons do you like the best?
~ Ducktales is probably my fave. I also love Darkwing Duck, Looney Tunes, Doug, Fairly OddParents, etc.

Do you like Family Guy?
~ yea. Not as much as I did at first though.

What country would you love to visit the most?
~ Japan, or Australia.

Do you like D&D or Magic: The gathering the most?
~ D&D!!!

What do you think of David Bowie?
~ He's quite cool.

What is your favourite Disney movie?
~ Robin Hood :-)

Do you like Sailor Moon?
~ I used to watch that every morning, but haven't in years.

What is your personality like?
~ Dorky, stubborn...?

Do you have a religion?
~ Catholic

Do you think that there are other planets like Earth?
~ Probably

Do you believe that aliens exist?
~ Yup

How old are you?
~ 30

What holiday is the most fun to decorate for?
~ I guess I'll be able to answer that once I have a house to decorate

If there was 1 color in the world you COULDNT see, which would u choose?
~ Hmmm... maybe Puce? Or Mauve?

What kind of candy did u always hope 2 get when trick or treating?
~ M&Ms, Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers

What else would you've done that Kevin didnt do in Home Alone Lost in NY?
~ I don't know... I don't remember that movie well at all!

If u were a valet parker, how long would it take 4 u to hit something?
~ Maybe 2-3 minutes lol?

In the original Deuce Bigelow, which of his dates did u like best?
~ I did not see that movie.

You can't sleep. How do you fix that problem?
~ Have a bowl of ice cream and put on DVDs of old cartoons

What do you think is the worst part about living in a dorm?
~ I never lived in one, but I imagine I'd hate the idea of having a random roommate.

You're most likely to be known as the slut for what sport?
~ I don't watch sports

What's the best way to cure boredom on an airplane?
~ Have an ipod stuffed with an anime series

You're stuck in the desert. What animal r u most afraid of coming across?
~ hmm... I guess scorpions? They are awesome, but I wouldn't want to get stung by one.

Have you ever tried on slutty costumes at a porn shop?
~ Nope! Haha that sounds fun

Has mapquest ever misguided you?
~ yep

Oodles of Pics!!! ALL of my pets :-D

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:50:54 GMT

For those who want to see all my animals, I am posting them all here! Hope you enjoy looking at them all. Click the link to go see them!

***UPDATE***
Wanted to add my newest addition to the list! My newly adopted female Shiba Inu, 'Ayla'-

This is Penelope, a.k.a. Poofie. She was my mom's kitty so now my dad and I take care of her. She is 12 years old and was a shelter rescue when she was 8 weeks and needed lots of medicine. Pretty cat, but skittish:

This is Xenia (up front... she moved her head a bit so it's blurry). She is 2 years old and was born with no eyes and was going to be put to sleep :-(, but YES she gets around just as good as (if not better than) any other cat. She is extremely smart and social.

Here is Saria. She is Xenia's best friend and about a year and 1/2 old. She is from the same rescue as Xenia was. She is a little brat, but in a loveable way :-)
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This is Yoshi! He is my baby. He is a 9 year old Shiba Inu that I found through breed rescue when he was 11 months old. They are a very stubborn, anti-social breed, and generally more for cat-people than dog-people :-) He loves going hiking and trying to play with the cats. He also knows many tricks.

This is Ridley. He is my first ever reptile! He is a handsome 3-yr-old Bearded Dragon I got from a pet store as a hatchling. These guys have such wonderful temperaments.

This is Brinstar (on the left). She is approximately 6 years old (I got her about a year ago) and she is a beautiful female Bearded Dragon I got from a breeder. She is very curious.
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This is Samus. She is from the same breeder I got Brinstar from, (as well as some of my geckos), but she was not bred by him- he rescued her from another breeder who did not treat her very well at all and overbred her from very young. She is approximately 9 years old, and LOVES the water! I have to keep a shallow pool in the tank for her to play in.

I do not have individual frog pics because they are horribly difficult to photograph. But here is a pic of 2 of them peeking from under a log. They are African Clawed Frogs. Their names are Geron, Gamal, and Putos.

Here is my Electric Blue Crayfish. His name was Ralis... but then I sexed him properly and he turned out to be female... so I just changed it to a female Zora name and went with Ruto since it was similar enough.

I do not have individual pics of all the fish in the community tank, but here is a pic of some of the Angelfish in there sinc they are the main fish.

This is, Snape, my Oscar Cichlid. He is about 8-9 months old and almost 10 inches long. Very emotional fish. He recognizes me and comes to me for food. He will get depressed if someone he doesn't know is around. He swims up front to greet me when I walk in the room.

These are my Green Terror Cichlids. They are a breeding pair, but don't have names yet. I'll have to get on that! The male is about 6-7" and growing, and the female about 5". The first pic is the male (they are more colorful and have better shape/fins) and the 2nd pic is the female.

My newest pet you got to already meet in my previous journal entry is 'Salamence' my Tokay Gecko. He still barks at me if I try to pet him. I love watching him though. Such a beautiful animal.

And now for all the Crested Geckos!!!!
First up is Deku! He is my first Crestie, and the start of a major addiction! I now have begun breeding them and hope to start selling some babies in a couple of months when I have a better idea of color and know that they are healthy enough for new homes.
Deku is the father of all my current hatchling. He is from a wonderful breeder (the one mentioned above that I got the beardies from) who helped me out a lot with getting into Crested Geckos.
Deku will always be my favorite Crestie. He is my first one, and has an amazing personality too. (p.s. the stuff on his head is just water drops)

Next up is Charmander. I ordered him online through another great breeder. He has such great patterning, as well as a sweet personality.

Gemron is my chubby little girl I ordered from yet another good breeder. She is a good eater as you can see by her tummy, and a sweet temperamented crestie. She will be bred to Charmander in the near future :-)

Here is Scampi. He is the other crestie from the same breeder as Deku and the beardies. He is such a little character! Definitely my feistiest crestie, but after a few minutes of holding him he calms down. He is the only crestie I ever had to chase behind furniture and get bitten by haha. He does calm down fast, though. He just doesn't handle the initial shock of being picked up too well :-)

This is Chozo. She is actually from a pet store (same one Ridley the beardie is from). She is a lovely, but kind of skittish little girl. I don't have too many good pics of her because she won't sit still for long.

Here is Zebes. He was also from the pet store. He has great contrast when fired up (he's not fired up in the pics. The grayish areas get dark brown and the creams stay light), and a wonderful personality.

This is Mocha. She is the mother of some of my hatchlings. Very sweet girl. She lost her tail before I bought her, but unlike many other geckos, cresties do not grow their tails back.

Here is Tiramisu, I bought her together from the same breeder as I got Mocha. She is also the mother of some of my hatchlings. I bought her and Mocha specifically to breed with Deku. She also lost her tail prior to my buying.

Now for the babies! These are all the hatchlings I have bred so far. All are sired by Deku, and mothered by Mocha or Tiramisu.
I also had 2 new eggs hatch this morning from Tiramisu but I did not take pictures of those babies yet.

plus 2 more babies I still have to take pics of :-)

10 things

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:35:04 GMT

Took this from foxx278 :)

Ten things about you.
1. are you single: Nope
2. are you happy: generally
4. are you sad: when i think about my mom, or i am at my weekend job
5. are you Italian: nope
6. are you expensive: nope
8. are you blond: naturally dark blond. i keep it dyed red
9. are you Irish: part
10. are your parents still married: yes, though my mom is passed away

ten facts
1. name: Tara
2. birthplace: paterson
3. hair color: dyed red
6. birthday: May 19, 1979
7. mood: ok i guess. just tired
8. favorite color: dark reds (crimson, garnet, ruby, etc), green, and orange.
9. where do you live: nj
10. left or right handed: right

ten things about your love life
1. do you love someone: yes
2. do you believe in love at first sight: not really
3. who ended your last relationship: it was mutual
4. have you ever hurt anyone emotionally: not that i am aware
5. have you ever broken someone's heart: no
7. have you ever liked someone but never told them: many times
8. are you afraid of commitment: nope
9. have you hugged someone within the last week: yes
10. have you ever had a "secret" admirer: nope

ten this or that
1. love or lust: love
3. cats or dogs: depends on the breeds. I like most cats, and some dogs.
4. a few best friends or many regular friends: a few best
6. Pepsi or coke: pepsi i guess, but doesn't matter
7. wild night out or romantic night in: romantic night in
8. money or happiness: happiness.
9. night or day: night
10. AIM or phone: AIM

ten have you ever's
1. been caught sneaking out: no. never snook out
2. been skinny-dipping?: nope
3. done something you regret: not really. i dunno
4. bungee jumped: agh no
5. lied to someone you love: nope
6. finished an entire jawbreaker: i don't think so
8. wanted an ex boyfriend/girlfriend back: no way
9. cried because you lost a pet: yes
10. wanted to disappear: meh, i guess there's been a few times

ten preferences
1. smile or eyes: either
2. light hair or dark hair: don't care
3. hugs or kisses: a little of each
4. shorter or taller: taller
5. intelligence or attraction: intelligence
8. hook-up or relationship: relationships
9. do you want a girlfriend/boyfriend: have one now
10. sun or moon: moon

ten lasts
1. last phone call you made: dad
2. last phone call you received: sister
3. last person you hung out with: dad
4. last place you went: pet store
6. last person you IM'd: i think matt
7. last text message you got: matt
9. last person/thing you missed: my mom :(
10. last person you would wanna be with right now: there's quite a few i don't want near me haha

Barn Spider eating a Ladybug

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:51:05 GMT

I went outside before to check on the spiders, and the beautiful barn spider in my front bushes was in the middle of her lunch.
She was crunching away on what was left of a ladybug that she caught in her web.