Korea: Blind Alley Raccoon Cafe

Is there any animal that you feel a particular kinship with? Like, do you see an eagle soaring high above it all majestically silhouetted against the bright blue sky and feel like there's a special significance, a certain similarity shared between your personal essence and the animal? I used to think that I had that sort of quasi-spiritual-groove with dolphins, who seem to appear near me when in bodies of water they frequent, but these days I find I chalk that up more to the mind seeking to connect the dots and form a meaningful pattern to make it special rather than actually being something special. Dolphins, in all their majestic flippering and gratitude for all the fish, are also a bit rapey and scary, too. Did you know that Flipper and his friends will isolate a female from the pod and then take turns on her, gang-raping her for weeks on end and using aggressive posturing and behaviors to intimidate her into acquiescence? Like, DAMN, dolphin-dudes, chill! Any moderately attractive woman of post-pubescent age has probably, at some time or another, had to deal with the unfortunate human equivalent of those gang-rapist-creeps of dolphins, though hopefully in less full-out-forceful and trauma-inducing situations. I know I hate me some over-the-top jabronies, so my love for dolphins is dampened knowing they're those guys at the party. As if that wasn't bad enough, dolphins also have a habit of killing babies, whether it's another bottlenosed nosed dolphin or another species, and they're riddled with STDs! Yuck. Over it. 

But you know what animal is totally cute, has a super-fluffy tail, toe-beans, fancy-facial-attire, and a vaguely triangular-faced-monkey-like appearance? Raccoons, AKA trash-pandas! These little guys are vastly underappreciated! Look how adorable that sleepy little baby is up there on that railing! Don't you just want to rub his little feeties and boop that snoot?! Trash-Pandas, much like myself, are almost always up for a good snack and a nap, which I think are two traits almost any decent human can get behind. So when my friend Carmen informed me that there was actually this magical place tucked away in Seoul where you could grab some warm beverages with caffeine AND cozy up to some raccoons, you know I was on-board! 

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived most of the fluffy little cuties were quite sleepy and settled in for a nap, high above the reach of most visitors. There was one very happy, very friendly little corgie romping around who was more than eager to step in for pets and appreciation, so I found myself spending more time with that little sweetie. As much as I love the raccoons, I also understand how anyone can wind up cranky when woken from their nap prematurely, so better to let them get their Zs. 

Snuggles with Bendleton

We've had our rat-friends in our lives now for over two years! Unfortunately, that means that many of them are no longer with us... the worst thing about pet rats is that they have such short lives. This handsome guy is Bendleton, or Bendles, or even just Ben if you're into that whole brevity thing. He's one of our last remaining boys, and he's an absolute teddy bear. He looks so much like his papa Pendleton that we named him in honor of him! It's a bit of a difficult thing for me to talk about, because we've lost so many of them after having such a large family...it's an inevitably of life, after all, and with such small creatures their lifespans zip by so quickly but it still hurts after bonding with each and every single one of them. Every little squeak, or squiff as I like to refer to them at times, has their own personality and quirks that endear them. Ben, like I said, is an absolute teddy bear and little cuddle bug- he's always happy to nestle in under your chin and receive cheek rubs and quick with a boogle. Did you know rats purr, not unlike a happy kitty? The rat version of purring involves clicking their teeth together and given the unique anatomy of their face muscles they'll end up boogling their eyes out, too! It's a bit unnerving to see at first, maybe, but once you know what it means you'll be so happy to see them boogling away! Since we hand raised these guys from birth, they're absolutely tame and have never hurt us, even when they were forced into bathing against their will (most any rat owner can attest to the fact that for most squeaks, bathtime is not their favorite)... And my dear sweet Bendles has always been one of the absolute gentlest and sweetest of them all. He's definitely a little mama's boy.  

I will always be quick to recommend rats as pets because not only are they easy to clean up after and fun, personable pets, but their gentleness makes them excellent for children. Sure, now that our bubs are getting older, some of them are a little more prone to try to eat something before asking if it's a finger, but they've never actually hurt us. Even their test chomps are gentle, in case it's not a carrot. They groom themselves as much, or more than, cats do. You can even litter train them! It's best to keep them in pairs or social groups because they're such social animals they suffer in solitude, so if you do decide to bring a rat into your life please make sure they have a friend-o to keep them company. Everyone loves a cuddle buddy, after all! 

Bonus Goats in Glendale, Nevada

Goats are, without a doubt, one of my all-time most favorite out of the animals. I mean, penguins are stupid cute and wobbly, dolphins graceful and mischievous mysteries, sloths adorably slow-moving little hang-out buddies, but goats have something special in their weirdness. Not only are their pupils unique in their big, goofy, boggling eyes, but their legs seem to be spring loaded with their silly acrobatics sending them catapulting all over the place. They come in such a wide variety, too! Big, gamboling beasts with flat faces and draping meat-curtains for ears, or tiny little dwarf varieties. Their color patterns are as unique as their phenotypes, with all sorts of unique markings distinguishing one goat from his buddy. There are goats who, for whatever strange accumulation of the genetic lottery, are prone to fainting at the slightest startle- then there are big, scary goats who would f**k you up like a roided out bro-ham at a college bar late one Saturday bleeding over into Sunday morning.  The goats we encountered in Glendale, luckily, were of the tamest and friendly manner, happily trotting up to us when we stepped foot near their pen. They were more than happy to let us take photos as long as we paid them in scritchins, because everyone loves a good scratching behind the ears. They were surprisingly quiet, only bleating at us once during our entire encounter...and that sole, singular bleat came when I started to walk away from the pen in an effort to try to photograph the horses gathered nearby. The horses were decidedly less friendly to us and noped out of the vicinity as soon as I showed any actual interest in interacting with them. Their loss- more love for the goats! They were in a pen behind the same little convenience store from the cow post, which was itself directly in front of a ranch of some kind. We didn't want to trespass on anyone's private property, so we didn't explore beyond the lot, but I like to think that given their proximity to such a public place the goats get lots of love and affection from random humans throughout the day. They certainly were receptive to our attention, and when it was time to get back in the van the goats seemed sad to see us go... but perhaps I was projecting my own personal sense of sadness at leaving such a cute lot of friendly faces behind. I'm always pleasantly surprised to encounter goats, whether they're in a petting zoo or a parking lot, and I'm very much excited for the day when I might be able to have my own. Is that weird? I guess. But I don't mind. Goats are awesome!

Moos in Glendale, NV

Don't get me wrong; I love all animals. While I'm not currently a vegetarian (as you might have noticed from posts about eating live shrimp in Noryangjin and making bossam at home) I have been in the past, and even tried veganism for a while. I absolutely understand the reasons for not eating meat, and when I encounter cows out in the real world I always get excited and the car is almost always inevitably pulled over so I can run over and try to forcibly project my adorations on to the cows standing there, minding their own business. Most of the time, the cows could udderly care less about this silly human female flopping about and gesticulating wildly at them while making strange cooing baby-talk noises. They're busy doing cow stuff. Understandable, right? Since most cows you're liable to encounter along the roadside like this are going to be working farm cows,  they likely have a working relationship with the humans they know- and unfortunately, a lot of times that may involve some level of primordial fear in the instinctual awareness that their human's endgame involves eating them, forcibly inseminating them, or stealing their milk. I mean, that's life- I get it. I've been to dairy farms and giggled as the calves eagerly licked and sucked at my thumb in search of milk, but these sweet beasts are often viewed as a resource, a trade good, not a cogent and affectionate animal with intelligence similar to a dog. It bums me out to think about the conditions that most grocery store meat cattle are raised in, as I know a lot of it is far from the idyllic pastural scenes here... In a perfect world, I would buy my meat directly from the farmer who raised that cow, and the bovine would have the most pampered lifestyle of luxury and relaxation up until it's final moment, which would be swift and painless... but until we get to a point where we can bioengineer a sentient source of meat who provides their bodies willingly (as in The Restaurant at the end of the Universe by Douglas Adams) , it's always going to be a bad proposition for the cute little cows. Personally, I don't eat much beef. I will, every once in a blue moon, and a bit of liver and onions is a major power meal for me when I find myself lagging, but I'd much rather have fish or chicken any day.  I don't know the fate of these particular cuties, but they were pretty unenthusiastic about my excitement at their existing here. There was even a little bubba! So cute. Goodness. 

10 Things I love on Etsy 5/12/2018

Abso-fuckin-lutely!!

In case you've been living under a rock and hadn't heard, Etsy is a community of crafts makers, artisans, and vintage fashion fanatics who share their wares on the Etsy platform, allowing consumers (like you and me, baby) to find their goods and support their dreams. Pretty cool, man, pret-ty cool. Antho and I have had our own humble little shop on the site for a couple years now, and as a way of giving back to the community I like to share some of the sweet stuff I've found perusing it in my downtime. All items can be shopped with the links provided!

1. Magical AF Glitter Pin 

Antho and I have been collecting pins and patches with the intention of creating a custom jacket for me in the near-ish future. As a result, I've found myself oogling a wide array of pins and patches from all over the place. We find ourselves in a mall? Pop in to Hot Topic to see if they've got any fun patches! We've found several of the Sailor Senshi symbols in patch form (so far I've got Mars and Venus), so I'm on a quest to complete my collection. This pretty pastel pin would fit right in with that theme! Love it! There's plenty more where this came from in their shop, if you'd rather not get your F-bomb on. 

02. Rose Gold Pineapple with Opal necklace 

Don't get it twisted- I love love LOVE pineapple, not Spongebob. Pineapples are like the taste of summer to me, and I'm never unhappy to find pineapple chunks available on a fruit tray. It's such a sweet, tangy fruit! I'm absolutely okay with the pineapple trend. Rose gold will forever be stunning, and opal is one of my favorite stones so this is an all around win! If pineapple isn't your thing, there's a ton of other cute items over in their shop!

03. Holographic tapes 4 pack

Second time now that the shop Lunarbay has popped up on this list. I guess maybe I was creeping their shop or something? They have a ridiculous amount of cute stuff, though! And I'm absolutely addicted to planners, and all the accessories to go along with them. I have a convoluted system of sticky tabs and tapes I use to mark things in my (pastel pink) May Designs for Blue Sky 2018 Daily & Monthly planner I got at Target last year, and I'm already eyeballing options for next year. I've had my eye on a Ban.do planner for awhile now... but this tape!! OH MY HOLO-LLUYAH!!! I love all things holographic, whether it's makeup, nail polish, bags, folders, what-have-you. I'm living for this whole Lisa-frank 90's nostalgia revival thing. 

04. Sailor Moon Crisis Compact Pin - Limited Edition - 

That's right babes, this gorgeous Sailor Moon pin is limited edition so that means you better get on it sooner rather than later if, like me, you need it in your life. My love for Sailor Moon is, like the meatball head herself, eternal. TheLanternGirl shop has a ton of other super cute pins, though, so definitely check them out! They're not all Sailor Moon themed, though a lot of them definitely are. 

05. Victorian Barf Abstract Art print knee length pencil skirt

How could I not love the name of this? And it harkens to my love of fluid painting, so that's a win. And pastels? Duh. This skirt would look super sexy~! In the description they mention it has four way stretch, which is a total win because a body-con skirt like this could feel like a sausage casing without appropriate stretchability. My biggest issue is that I like to take long strides and flounce about like a failed ballerina so this would be a smidge outside my comfort range for day to day but absolutely perfect for a date night! There are definitely some options to be found in the Abstractionist Shop, though, if you're not feeling the barf here. 

06. Dwight Mug

I've spoken before about my love of the Office, and Dwight is a character I'm especially fond of. I would have already bought this if not for the fact it's over $20 with shipping and everything... I'm not really at a place in my life where I can justify that just yet, especially since I already have an overabundance of perfectly good coffee cups in my crowded little cabinet. But hey, accidents do happen, and there's bound to be a day when this majestic mug will make it look like I have a mustache to give Stanley envy. NoahLovesIssy has a ton of cute stuff, so even if you're not a fan of the Office they've got something you'll enjoy!

07. Pink Bat Plush Purse 

Isn't this little purse from Uglyplants absolutely adorable?! He's just so fluffy and sweet! I think bats are darling to begin with, such underrated little cuties, so maybe I'm biased... but they have a ton of other super cute (or kawaii) stuff in their shop if you're not into flying squeaks, even when they're pretty in pink. 

08. Holographic Backpack 

This sexy ass space bag is by Yingliwong and they've got a pretty wide array of shiny bags to blind the poor folks who got stuck walking behind you on a sunny day. Hell to the yeah.  If you're not into the blinding bags, they've got some other fun stuff like a cute Panda shirt or this slick phone case. 

09. White Unicorn Brush Set + Holographic bag

Another holographic bag, but this one is for your brushes, and it comes with brushes! Double whammy! It's almost sold out, with only 2 left in stock at the time of this writing. Don't worry, though, they've got a bunch of other super cute stuff in their shop you can still get!

10. Virgo - Cactus + Sea Salt - Astrology Series candle

My sense of smell is, unfortunately, more or less non-existent... so, for me, candles are among some of the most flippant of fripperies. Most of the time I can't get their scent, and the few times I -have- been able to smell one it ended up giving me a headache... but I'm a sucker for anything that caters to my vanity about being a Virgo. It's silly, and I don't put a lot of weight into horoscope predictions, but I like the description of my signs characteristics and like to imagine that if I could smell I'd be appreciative of this candle. Also, I love the color they chose, so at least it would look pretty on my shelf and maybe it would impress guests with my classy sensibilities.  If you're not a Virgo, or simply not sold on the scent of salty cactus, don't worry- FIPcandles has plenty for everyone. 

That's it for this round!

Cheers!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Brief life update 04/23/2018

I haven't been as on top of posting the last few weeks as I'd have liked to have been, and for that, I apologize. I'm still fervently trying to stay on top of my goal of doing a blog post every day for the duration of this year, even if that means having to backpedal and make back-dated posts at times to fill in the gaps. This post, right here, right now, is one such post. 

Why have I been struggling a bit this month, when the last few months went more smoothly?

Well, for one, our beloved rats are starting to get quite advanced in age. The ones still with us have passed their second birthdays, and it's not often that rats see their third, let alone a fourth. We've had to contend with various new issues presenting themselves, from the sweet boy pictured here, Zinni (short for Vizzini) having a seizure that impaired his balance, to cancer and respiratory infections. While we've always tried to dote on them and ensure their time in our lives was as wonderful as we could facilitate, it's especially important to us to be there for them in their final days to try to keep them as comfortable as possible. Rats are such splendidly gentle, affectionate little beings and they've made our lives so much more fun with their sass and squeaks. We certainly didn't expect them to be so sassy- we call them our "squeakers" because they're more than happy to vocalize when their siblings, or we, do something they don't agree with. Luckily none have ever gotten into any serious disagreements and injured another, and they've never seriously injured us. I will always recommend rats as pets. 

Then there's been the job situation. Antho and I worked an event called the Bluegrass Bender Jamboree, which exposed us to not only the entertaining twangy Earthiness of bluegrass music but the fun-loving, tie-dye-sporting, often super-friendly fans of the funky genre. While we were there as staff, everyone we interacted with was generally amicable, happy and having a good time so it was a really fun experience. The hours were rather long and involved a lot of standing or running around, so I had to plan ahead to account for being pretty famished after each shift, and while I was able to get blogs out I barely found time to feed myself. Shortly after the bender was over I starting a new retail gig, too. I'm still doing caricatures for private events and parties, along with volunteering with Critical Care Comics, so I've been feeling a bit stretched trying to get to early morning training shifts and events. Once a little more routine is established it should get better. I'm excited about this new position as it's with a different company selling some truly beautiful products in a lovely store. Should be a lot less exasperated faces like that one soon!

Overall, I think things are looking up for this summer. Our tie-dye and art creations has been in a bit of an unwanted hiatus, but we should be getting back into it pretty heavily here soon. While it hurts to see our pets grow older, it's a natural part of life, and unfortunately, rats lives go by at a much-accelerated rate compared to our own. The best we can do is love them while we've got them and give them all the care and loving treatment we can. And all the treats! Naturally. 

Thanks for stopping by.

💝

XOXO,

NAU

Art: Bellagio Fountains Caricature

The day after Christmas, despite the cold air and crowds, I found myself sitting near the Bellagio fountains awaiting a friend. It was a pre-destined meeting that evening, one that had been eagerly anticipated and planned in hushed whispers. Rumor had spread among our colleagues and Antho sighed as I hopped from the van, tools in hand. I had to be quick, stealthy. Hands stiff and cracking in the cold I set up my station; a chair, a clipboard, art supplies and a purse. And then, I waited. 

And waited a bit more.

My phone would buzz with the occasional update, until final confirmation: "We're on our way."

Yes, we.

You see, this stealth caricature set up was all a rouse, a grand set up for what was about to come. Our friend and my colleague Brando (the man behind VR Evolution on Youtube) had long-since planned his proposal to his lovely girlfriend Tia, and I was to help him pop the question via an "impromptu" caricature of the two. I had done most of the drawing prior to meeting with them so that I could guarantee it being of a quality I felt satisfied with giving them for such a monumental event. Once they found me I had to downplay my own excitement as I added the finishing touches and stalled for time to try to make it feel more organic. Luckily, Antho managed to find parking at a nearby casino and was able to make it back in time for the final reveal. He captured the photos to commemorate the moment, and this blog will hopefully help provide a little reminder of this precious experience. Thankfully for all involved, Tia said yes and the two went away on a staycation for a few days after this to celebrate! Brando's sister also arrived to stealthily capture some photos or video from a different perspective, which is awesome. 

All in all it ended happily and I look forward to seeing the next stage of their sweet story while grateful for what part I could play. 

💗Congratulations guys!💗 

Baby Rat Growth & development: Crew of the Nostromo first two weeks

Bright lights, bright lights!

Day 1:

Ripley, our other rat mama, had her litter on the 16th of February. Although she gave birth to 10 babies 3 were stillborn.  As sad as that may be I still find it preferable to how we lost some of Deadpool's little Deadites later down the line. I can only hope that these lost squeaks didn't suffer long, if at all. We didn't remove the stillborns from the cage and Ripley took care of them in her own way, as nature does. Making them took a lot of energy out of her, so it's only fair that she be allowed to recycle them, which is what they're naturally wired to do.

Baby rat growth & development part two: days 11-16

11th Day:

Please ignore the haggard nails, we'd been doing tie-dye. ;) 

The rat babies have been growing like little weeds! At this stage they were still unable to see, but their ears have started to open up and showcase themselves. All of Deadpool's babies, AKA the Deadites, inherited Dumbo ears as both their parents had them. Only a few of Ripley's crew (of the Nostromo, naturally) developed dumbo ears despite having the same father. Genetics! While I certainly claim no great depth of understanding when it comes to the intricacies of rat genetics, I do find it very intriguing to learn about. I believe that by breeding our dumbo eared double rex to a standard coated dumbo we've gotten a batch of 100% rex babies, some with silky coats and others with short, curly fur...but then I'm not entirely sure as some of her litter look pretty bald. 

This little sweetie is Bendleton, or Ben for short. He's definitely gotten a luxuriously silky coat! So soft and shiny! He's been growing bigger, faster, than the rest of the Deadites. 

Baby Rat Growth & Development Part 1: the first 10 days

In this post I'm going to cover the development of Deadpool's first litter, from birth to day 10. 

This will be a fairly image heavy post as I tried to accurately and thoroughly document their growth process. Hope you enjoy!

Happy February's & brand new babies

Hey guys, been a minute!

Needless to say, January got away from me. 

Between working on a book cover, volunteering with Critical Care Comics, adopting two new rats then losing our beloved fat rat Pendleton, working on trying to resolve the situation with my grandmother, car troubles and the rest I didn't find much time to work on the blog. For that I apologise.

Japan: Doggy basket 2012-11-24

Spotted these two at Inagekaigan station and found them too adorable not to photograph! 

Sweet little old puppy waiting patiently for his pop pop. ^_^

Meet Pendleton!

 

Everyone, meet Pendleton!

Pendleton, everyone. 

He's the latest addition to the 710 household, and he's settled in quite nicely! 

Our friend was looking for a home for the poor fella and needed to give him away, so I volunteered. Antho supported it, so here we are. Pendleton's about a year old and he's a bouncy little boy. He loves free roaming our bathroom, eating snacks, and snuggling up in my computer chair. Rats are naturally very social animals, so to compensate for his lack of a cage mate we interact with him frequently and let him out often. He's happily nestled in to my lap now. ^_^ He keeps me company while I write and is very well behaved- he never climbs over the keyboard or very far from my lap. If he ventures too far onto my desk, I can call to him gently and he'll scamper back within range. He's especially fond of hoods, and will curl up and ride around in mine for trips downstairs.