Zoo Atlanta

Floppy ears and all

Stardate 66467.1

19:45 - To cap off the zoo-apolooza that was the year 2012, Rob and I ventured out to Zoo Atlanta. We had already seen the aquatic life in Atlanta and thought we would give the terrestrial animals a try. Venturing from exotic location to another proved to be a challenge. Mainly because of the beastly state of the Atlanta public transportation system. I mean we waited over half an hour for a bus to show up! We finally made it to see these fabulous creatures, and they did not disappoint!

On the Prowl

Focus Foxies, most people do not think to go to the zoo during the winter months. I guess being outside in the cold does not sound appealing to most, but the winter months are the best times to see the animals. This is true especially for big cats and bears. The cold weather makes them frisky! We got up close and personal to Zoo Atlanta's Sumatran Tigers and Malaysian Sun Bears. I mean really close. The one of the tigers came up and near the window to check out some of the kids. I mean the tiger could have eaten the kid if it was hungry. What could you do to stop them?

 The Malaysian Sun Bears took to (dare I say) horseplaying around their exhibit. I mean the Atlanta Falcons should get on signing at least one of these bears the way they were tackling each other.

Most zoos will be able to show you the usual suspects of all animals, but good zoos will teach you a thing or two. I found out about a two new animals. The first animal to be discovered was the Tanuki, which looks like a raccoon. This makes a whole lot of sense because Tanuki is Japanese for raccoon dog. Also, the Japanese name will tip off most detective Focus Foxies that they live in East Asia. However, sleuthing Focus Foxies, these guys are not related to the raccoon family; they are dogs. They are tricky and loving animals. They choose to 'play dead' rather than encounter predators, and they are monogamous creatures.

The next creature comes from the bird family, and it is a rather odd bird. The Kori Busturds are sizable birds from the African Plains. These birds are not easily pushed around as the males are contenders for the world's heaviest flying bird. An honor in the animal kingdom, I assure you. The males can weigh up to 40 lbs; the females come in at 14 lbs. Both genders measure approximately 4 feet tall. The males do some pretty elaborate mating rituals to attract their small lady friends. They guard their nesting territories, making booming calls to differentiate themselves, and preform dances to show off their plumage. You know, all in a days work. I am not sure if these birds mate for life, but they have about 30 years of life to figure it out.

On a scale of 1 to 10; you want to be meerkat level

Well, year 2012 turned out to be the best year for me and the zoos. I made it to 4 different zoos this year. I am not trying to brag, but I believe that is some sort of record.

There is a Wild Ass Abisinine, as my Grandfather would say

Under the Georgia Sea

Stardate 66466.7

16:45 - Far and wide, Atlanta is known for its spectacular aquarium. They have eight exhibit areas geared to show you every part of the water ecosystems. With 75% of the world made up of water, the aquarium has its work cut out for it.

Our first stop was the Georgia Explorer exhibit, and as the name suggests, you learn a ton about Georgian wildlife. In front of the exhibit is a touch tank, but no ordinary touch tank. You  get the chance to touch stingrays! How cool is that? So I went in and attempted to touch a stingray, but they are frightful and slippery creatures. Eventually I was successful.

The Cold Water Quest exhibit featured the coolest ocean mammals and birds. We first got to see the California sea otters, which are huge! It was their feeding time so we watched as they danced and did tricks for treats. They are pretty smart and know how to ham it up for the crowd. 

Next, we ventured out to see the Beluga Whales. These fanciful white whales danced around their huge aquarium. It was hypnotic to watch the dazzling blue aquarium and bright white gentle giant just swimming along. They would come right up glass (and sometimes bump into it), say hello, and then swim around again. The best part of the Cold Water Quest was the small colony of South African Penguins. They had a neat exhibit where you got to pop your head up into the exhibit and experience 360 degrees of penguin funness. Words simply cannot describe the magic. Therefore, Focus Foxies, I created a small montage for you. 

The crowning jewel of the Georgia Aquarium is its Ocean Voyager exhibit. The exhibit consists of a four football field long tank full of ocean animals. They take you on a conveyor belt through the exhibit so you can see the ocean from another perspective. Up above you can see four huge whale sharks gliding through, large manta rays floating about, and schools of fishes following them around.  At the end of the ride you can see the whole tank through one large pane of glass. The tank looks as if it goes on forever. The sheer size of the tank and the animals within was really impressive.

Our last stop was in the Tropical Diver exhibit where all of the colorful fish come out to play. I have seen tropical fish many times in the Carribbean Sea, but this exhibit showed tropical fish from all over.  One tank featured a Pacific coral reef with a wave simulator. It gave you a glimpse of how unstable the lives of these fish are. They manage quite fine under these conditions, but it would make me sea sick.

Our animal adventures would not stop here, we eventually went to Zoo Atlanta to visit the land animals. 

Rise Up, Dirty Birds!

Stardate 66464.4

18:57  -  Over the past professional football season, I have been getting quite into the NFL. So much so I finished 13^th in a fantasy football league. I’d say things are getting pretty serious. To get really into fantasy football, you have got to watch a bunch of actual football. I mean Redzone switching around to all of the games watching football. There is no waiting around and watching commercials; action is happening. However, I love watching a game live. There is nothing like being in the actual stadium. Over New Year’s Eve, Rob and I stopped by his old stomping grounds of Atlanta, and we couldn't be in Atlanta without seeing the Falcons. It was time to Rise Up!

For those Focus Foxies unfamiliar with the season will need to know that the Dirty Birds were riding the wave of multiple victories into the playoffs. In fact, they were the number one seed in the NFC. They had their last game at home and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game was pretty much a wash, but we got to see some of Rob's favorite players go out and run around. By the second half, they were resting a few starters, but it didn't stop us from cheering on when Matt Ryan would go long for Julio Jones. Plus, going to the Georgia Dome is a one of a kind experience. Where else can you see the Dirty Bird Victory Dance in person? 

Focus Foxy Dirty Birds: Atlanta's Finest Rob, Matt and Joseph plus me. 

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Stardate 66455.7

16:24 - In the urban jungle of Houston, there lies a wonderful zoo among the tall buildings of the medical center. My family and I have trekking through Houston's mighty urban jungle to see the animals for years. This year, we decided to do something new. We wanted to see what the Houston Zoo had in store for zoo lights. At dusk, we travel through the then quiet urban jungle to see the lion sleep at night.

The zoo was lit up in the usual splendor of a Christmas village. Due to cold weather, most animals had to stay inside. We toured the reptile house, the aquarium and the small mammal house. The aquarium offered some pretty spectacular views of jelly fish. They were more impressive than the lights outside. But there was one little guy who was on display, and no normal house could hold him. Lets just say the had to build one extra tall! Yes, Focus Foxies, I reference the giraffe tower at the located zoo.

Being adorably camera shy

When I reference the giraffe tower, Focus Foxies, you know I meant a group of giraffes and not a building? Now you do. Well, we got to see young giraffe pop his head out for a little bit. I would not call this calf small, but he was dwarfed by the others. I later found out his name is Ghubari. With the peaceful lights of this Christmas village around us, we still had no clue where to find a sleeping lion, but we knew were on the right track.

This is the best shot I got of Ghubari!

Sleeping Lion!

Don't fear my darling, Focus Foxies, we eventually found our sleeping lion.
We came upon the large cat exhibits to see a prowling tiger, but no obvious sign of a lion. He was a hard one to spot at night. I swear he is in the middle of the picture. He looked so peaceful and deadly at the same time.

We started to leave the zoo, but not before we had witnessed the spectacular lights and music action. Call it a finale to a great night. We left with Christmas cheer and singing wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh....

Click here to see the finale!
Zoological Focus Foxies in attendance: Mom, Dad, Chelsea, and Hannah

Combined Federal Campaign 2012

Every year, the federal government hosts a charity drive for their employees to donate to awesome charities. This charity drive is called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), and it is the only authorized charity drive for the work place. This is how it works, Focus Foxies, we, ‘g-men’ or ‘feds,’ give money to the CFC earmarked for specific charities. You can donate to over 4,400 approved charities, which range from health care to housing to youth development charities. This year, I was selected/volunteered by others to represent my office for the CFC. Basically I helped fundraise and get people excited about the CFC.

Supporting the Home Team

One of the fundraising ideas was to do a tailgate lunch, so I took this idea and ran with it. Being very excited about Pro Football this year, I had so many ideas to improve upon this idea. We wanted to keep one thing simple: hot dogs for lunch. They are easy and cheap, two great characteristics for a fundraiser lunch. But my own creative spin on this lunch was to play on the native DC rivalries. Now, the Washington Redskins were having a once in a while good season, yet there is always a lingering Cowboys’ fan base in the district. As sad as it is, they have a stronghold in the nation’s capital. To play on this love/hate relationship, I devised a ‘Battle for the District’ (we added the Ravens in there for good measure). Anyone who wanted to can put in money to vote for their favorite team.  

Someone added the Nationals and Tampa Bay Bucs

Were my colleagues awestruck by the  rookie star power that is the one-two punch of the RGIII-Alfred Morris Redskins offense? Did they wait patiently the return of Ray Lewis and the resurrection of the Ravens’ defense? Or did they support Tony Romo’s offense, the pride of Jerry Jones, America’s team: the Cowboys?

District Focus Foxies will be happy to know that they went with the home team, and the whole event raised about $500. I was so excited to be a part of it all and to help a great charity. HAIL!

National Zoo Lights Date Night

The crab of Maryland

Stardate 66422.4

12:26 - Every year, the National Zoo and zoos all over host a Zoo Lights event. They dress the whole zoo up in lights and invite guests to enjoy the illuminated splendor. We decided to join in on this fun, but we didn't just show up and 'oohh' and 'aah' the lights. We showed up in style, date night style. Not to brag, but I am a FONZ or Friends of the National Zoo. I get invitations to special events before they go on sale. The National Zoo hosted a date night for all of love birds during Zoo Lights.

This is where science happens

Crawfish, not crayfish

This date night included a few VIP activities. We were treated to a glass of champagne and baked goodies while we toured the invertebrate exhibit. The invertebrate exhibit was shut down to the public, so we got our own tour. While invertebrate seem like boring creatures to some, those people don't appreciate a good thing. These creatures are tough and resourceful. They have the weirdest adaptations! Give them some respect, Focus Foxies!

Giant elephant in back

Along with the invertebrate tour, we had plenty of cold weather activities to do. We got a free tube sled ride. I have never been tube sledding, mostly because there has never been snow where I was. There was not any snow in DC that night, but they made a rubber slide on the side of a hill. You would drag your tube all the way up the hill, and they would push you down. Sounds violent, but it was fun!


We also go to meet a zoo favorite: Santa Paws. Santa Paws is a panda Santa Clause. Very exciting to meet this legend. Lastly, the best part of the date night package was the giant snow globe. We got to go into a humongous inflatable snow globe and jump around. They even took a few pictures of us!

The Hobbit

Stardate 66409.5 

18:45 - This is a happy little post to remember an occasion like no other. The occasion, my dear Focus Foxies, was the pre-screening of the first movie of the Hobbit. Yes, before everyone else got to see the Hobbit, Rob and I went to see it in high frame rate and in 3D. It was oodles of fun. We won these tickets through our kickball organization, NAKID. I am telling you NAKID kickball is a gift that keeps on giving!

Later this month, I would go onto see the Hobbit two more times. To say the least, it was an amazing movie.

Lemongrass Modern Thai

Leftovers in tow

 Stardate 66384.9

19:27 - Focus Foxies, you may not know this, but I have never had Thai food. I have often heard rumors of a grand, spicy, flavorful cuisine called Thai food, but I have never encountered it. Upon hearing this, Rob had us travel to a far off and mysterious land, called Annapolis, to taste this exotic fare.

Lie Exposing Chicken Satay 

 We ventured into a little restaurant named Lemongrass Modern Thai. Apparently, lemongrass is a big component of Thai food, and so is coconut milk, peanut butter, cucumber and green beans. All great combinations in my book. Our appetizer was Chicken Satay, served with two sauces. The first being a creamy peanut sauce filled spice and savory flavors. The second was a chilled cucumber relish with a spicy kick. I have had satay before in my homeland of Missouri City, Texas. I guess it wasn't factual that I have never had any Thai food, but I have never had a serious or full meal.

Bam! Seafood.

For the main course, I ordered an explosion of seafood on a bed of rice noodles. When I say an explosion, I mean BAM! Seafood appeared all over the plate. There were jumbo shrimp, scallops, squid, and my new favorite mussels! They called it Lemongrass noodle, but the seafood was the star of that dish, not the noodles. Not to say that the noodles were not great. This is the first time I have ever had rice noodles. Now, I actually prefer the taste of rice noodles to regular pasta. It didn't hurt that these noodles were drenched in a tangy and spicy chili sauce. Are you noticing the spicy trend yet, Focus Foxies?

Requisite Bird Picture with Bird Face

To go with my spicy meal, I had a cocktail that was a bit more familiar to me: the mojito. I have known this delicious rum, sugar and mint concoction for years. Lemongrass put their own spin on it. They added skinny slices of cucumbers to it. It was potent  but not overbearing. Just the way I like them!

So if you ever travel to the far off land of Annapolis, do stop into Lemongrass. They were setting up Christmas decorations when were there. Just a all around charming establishment.

Flavorful Focus Foxies: Rob, and Durete in spirit. She introduced me to mussels.