10.02.2013

What's Up Wednesday (14)


What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, so we can check in with each other. To join, just check out Jaime Morrow or Erin Funk's blogs for the link widget and sign up!


WHAT I'M READING

I'm still a bit everywhere with my reading. Since the last time I did a What's Up Wednesday post, I finished QUINTANA OF CHARYN, which was a very satisfying conclusion to an amazing fantasy trilogy. I also read CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, which was fun, and ANTIGODDESS which pushed all my Greek Mythology loving buttons. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the Goddess Wars series.

At the moment, I am reading a very enjoyable manuscript, and I'm finally reading BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. The voice in DEVIL is fantastic and some of the descriptions are just beautiful!


WHAT I'M WRITING

This is relevant, I swear.  [Photo attribution/ I, Japiot]
Uh, still nothing. BUT! I did revise one of my poems and I'm quite pleased with how it is currently. It has to do with a hart and a hunter, and I'm thinking about renaming it ACTAEON. :)


WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

I spent this past weekend in San Diego with the Sister and our parents because we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The safari park is cool because other than regular zoo enclosures, they have a huge open habitat where herd animals just roam free. They also offer really cool safaris, some of which allow you to get up close to the animals. So seeing these beautiful creatures in real life and learning about them (something I've always loved - I used to watch the Discovery channel for fun instead of like actual TV shows) was pretty freaking inspiring.

Baby rhino and mom!


WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

So before I regale you with more tales of our safari adventures. I've been up to a couple of other things since I last did this meme.

I've been to a bunch of concerts for one. I got to go to Bastille courtesy of the Sister's sweet gig, and we also saw Lorde. In between those 2 shows, we saw M83 at the Hollywood Bowl backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and it was freaking awesome.

Sold out BASTILLE show at the El Rey.
M83 at the Hollywood Bowl - Midnight City.


Now, the SDZ Safari Park! I haven't been since I was a kid, and when I saw a livingsocial deal for the park, I thought it'd be fun to do a weekend trip. When we got down there, we decided to upgrade our basic admission to one of the fancier safaris. My friend said there was one where you could feed the giraffes and really recommended it, so that's the one we took - the Caravan Safari.

The Caravan Safari takes a small group of people on a truck for 2 hours, and we drive around the park with our own personal zookeeper tour guide. Part of the safari includes feeding the giraffes, and if we were lucky, we might get to feed the rhinos too. This is because the giraffes will come up to the truck, but we have to go to the rhinos AND they have to feel like it.

Well, WE WERE LUCKY and got to feed a rhino! Anyway, pics!

Do you see the unicorns? :)


We fed these giraffes acacia leaves! They were so friendly and cute, and their tongues are so long.


Our zookeeper guide was funny because when she recognized which Asian Rhino was closest to us, she was like, "Oh, we're going to get her. She eats everything! She'll come over." And sure enough, as soon as the rhino heard the sound of apples in a bucket, she came trotting over.



On our way out, the mom and baby African Rhinos we saw earlier sitting in the shade were eating at the feeders near the road out. We passed pretty close to them, and the little baby rhino came over to look at us. She was soooooo cute!


We explored the rest of the park after the Caravan Safari was over, and then we lined up for the Cheetah Run in the afternoon. It's really cool because they use a lure on a 100 meter track and release a cheetah to chase the lure. It's pretty amazing to see how fast they are, and they are so graceful and gorgeous. The other cool/cute thing is that all the cheetah ambassadors have dogs as their companions because the dogs keep them calm.

The Sister managed to get a video of part of the run. Cheetahs can go to 0 to 60mph in 3 seconds and even more impressively, they can go from 0 to 40mph in 3 steps!


Q4U: What have you been up to? Also, happy October! Who is ready for Halloween (and fall)?

16 comments:

Miss Cole said...

I'd heard the San Diego Zoo was something special. Wow! Thanks for sharing the pictures and video :D

Have fun with your poems ^_^ That image is very inspiring. Oooh, I like it.

Have a wonderful week.

Lori M. Lee said...

Gah. ALL THE ANIMALS. SO COOL. Baby rhinos!!!

I'm SO crazy excited to read ANTIGODDESS.

Colin Smith said...

Thanks for sharing the zoo pics and stories--so cool! :)

Have a great week, Krispy.

Anonymous said...

Bastille AND the San Diego Zoo? Lucky girl! <3

Jaime Morrow said...

That safari thing looks really cool! I love those kinds of animals, but usually you can't get very close. It's funny how the baby rhino is still such a huge animal. Very cute, though. :-) I'm thinking I might need to get my hands on a copy of BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA to read during October. It feels like the perfect read for this month, leading up to Halloween. Have a great week, Alice! :-)

Carrie-Anne said...

I haven't been to a zoo in ages. The last time I can remember going was to the Pittsburgh Zoo in '93, when i was thirteen. I love your pictures of the rhinos.

I love Halloween, and can't wait to celebrate and decorate!

Valerie Cole said...

That first giraffe picture is so cute! It's like he's peeking over and being all "What up!?" haha!

prerna pickett said...

oh my, I love all the books you mentioned, even the ones I haven't read! Great pictures, love the zoo!

Alison Miller said...

You go on some of the coolest trips! And love the pics! And love that you fed a RHINO!!! Awesome!

Hope you have another spectacular week!

Joss said...

sounds like you've been having lots of fun. May it continue :)

Connie Keller said...

Is the Safari Park the one in Escondido? Years ago, we used to live near there, and my husband and I would take our son there for walks and picnics. It was amazing. BTW, you have some great photos!

Erin L. Funk said...

Those zoo pictures are amazing! I would love to pet a giraffe and a feed a rhino!

I'm jealous you got to see M83 in concert. I only just discovered their music after falling in love with their work on the Oblivion soundtrack. Very cool!

I keep hearing great things about BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. I'm pretty sure that one is on my TBR list, but it might have to be bumped up a few notches. Have a super week!

Katy Upperman said...

The Safari Park looks like so much fun, and your pictures came out beautifully! Hope you have a wonderful week. :-)

Stephanie Allen said...

I've done the San Diego Zoo, and that is pretty cool, but I haven't done the safari park - will definitely need to!

Good luck with your poem :)

amy said...

The San Diego Zoo looks so fun. Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

I'm new to your blog, and just wanted to say first that I love the design! It's very cute and fun. :)

The zoo photos are so great, and I love the cheetah video. So amazing. Also amazing? M83!!! I just discovered them a couple of months ago and am in LOVE. It is very cool that you got to see them live.

Have a great week!