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Saturday, December 24, 2005Two posts in one day, wow, it's a miracle! Actually I forgot to include the anonymous eloquently written commentary listed below in my last post. I was utterly disturbed by an article I read on CNN, it detailed a story about a baby Jackass penguin named Toga that was stolen from a British Zoo just a few weeks ago.
By the time you read this, Toga the penguin - kidnapped on Saturday from a zoo on the Isle of Wight - will almost certainly be dead. Trenched with tears, carved with cares, hope will be 12 hours gone. And a small, fish-whiffing abductee only shin-high to a wellington boot will be casting a long, sad shadow over the nation's Christmas celebrations. As civilians die in Iraq, the homeless curl in freezing doorways and the lonely face their traditional festival of depression and suicide - as the grave, indeed, of the late Alistair Cooke is desecrated by bodysnatchers - why, you might reasonably ask, should we so immoderately mourn a dumb animal? Why should we have set up a special penguin hotline, offered a £10,000 reward for his safe return, put up missing posters and made tearful TV appeals to his abductors? Aren't we being disgustingly sentimental? On one level, of course, yes we are. Could that £10,000 not be better spent on rough sleepers; or that sympathy be better spent on human beings who have been abducted and allowed to die? Hard to argue otherwise. But to take stern and angry offence at the sentimentalisation of Toga is also to miss the point, to see things too much in black and white - like a penguin. It isn't an either/or choice. You can feel for human beings and feel for penguins: an indulgence, perhaps, but one that's little different than allowing yourself to shed a tear for an imaginary character in a film. We allow Toga to become a symbol. He is what we have made of him imaginatively: a Christmas story - a little drama with a sad ending. By anthropomorphizing him, we respond to his story as we respond to art. George Eliot wrote: "If art does not enlarge men's sympathies, it does nothing morally." Who could say in what complicated ways Toga's fate might serve to enlarge our sympathies? It being Christmas, after all, we are on the lookout for a paradigm of innocence: be it the Little Baby Jesus or Little Penguin Toga. The film March of the Penguins is thought to have spurred Toga's kidnappers to their adventure; and what a cruel and idiotic adventure that was. They scaled two 6ft walls and an 8ft fence to p-p-p-pick up their penguin: a prize that could no more be sold on than a two-ton Henry Moore; that could, in fact, do no more than pine to death as their hostage. Little percentage for them in risking capture by returning him. And, unlike a Henry Moore, he has no value as scrap. Yet these are unusually easy creatures on which to project ourselves. (Reports more often describe Toga as "kidnapped" than "stolen".) They are at once inherently comical, waddling about in their odd little suits, yet they also appear inquisitive, bright, and affectionate. Nothing in Central Park Zoo, not even the clinically depressed polar bears, was quite so entrancing to me when I lived in New York as the penguin enclosure. You could watch them zipping into the water, twisting around at great speed and then rocketing out like little torpedoes to return to a rock, where they'd shake, flap, and look immensely pleased with themselves. One of the most cheering news stories I ever wrote was set in that penguin enclosure: the story of Wendell and Cass, a pair of gay penguins who had coupled up in the zoo and bagged - naturally - a spacious penthouse nesting site. These are fastidious creatures, and gregarious ones. They look after their children, like us, and gay or straight, penguins form strong and nurturing bondsToga's parents, Kyala and Oscar, have been ceaselessly circling the nest, wondering where he is. Deprived of the pre-chewed fishy vittles that only they can provide, his strength will have failed, and his bodyweight dwindled. Experts tell us that, at the last - deprived of the nourishment of penguin company - his spirit, too, will have broken: "He would shiver, and hunch, and be dejected." The jackass penguin, of which Toga is, or was, an example, does not greet its public with a cheerful "quack", as you might imagine. It says "hee-haw", like a donkey. For some reason, the faint absurdity of this makes his death the more poignant. Toga has likely hee-hawed his last. Solemn little creature. It will be a bleak Christmas for Toga's parents, for Toga's keepers, for Toga's admirers worldwide. The congregation of New York's Pentecostal Uprise Church, which has been praying for Toga's safe return, will bow its head, perhaps, in silent remembrance. In Canada, they will mourn. In Russia, they will light a candle. And yet in the deep permanent winter of the Antarctic, Toga's emperor penguin cousins, unmourning, will continue to circle the wagons and, in their endless white Christmas, will still gather and tend the children. Silly things, penguins. But we can still make them a symbol of hope; or, at least, of perseverance. -------- Yes, I am an avid animal lover but more so I am a human being and this story just broke my heart.
  This is Ellie on drugs hahah!    This next comic is just too funny, Simon is ALWAYS trying to sit on the back of the toilet.. very strange..  Again, this is exactly what Simon does every night before bed, BUT--instead of kneading the bed he kneads my back or belly which is nice-- IF the claws aren't out ;)     Studying at home is always a challenge, 2 siamese cats in the house = always having a lap cat!  I always call Simon my cinnamon roll because he's always curled up!       Simon & Elle have their very own squirrel friend...  Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas, xoxo Jane and family 
Friday, December 23, 2005Getting up @ 7am for work @ 8 was tough this morning to say the least. Ugh, I hate mornings after having a vacation they’re just brutal.
Marks back yesterday, 80 average, could have been better - could have been worse. Nutrition courses are always my strong marks, nothing below 80 yet and after 10 core nutrition courses I guess that means I am in the right program haha! This semester it was 84, 85 & 89 for nutrition courses. Biochemistry also went unexpectedly well (68%) and I am praying the second half goes just as well, I have my doubts though! On Wednesday night I got my hair done with Jules. Here are a few pics! I went super blonde with a darker light brown base. The hairdo was one of my Christmas presents from Charles along with a very expensive (but essential) ceramic salon hair straightener. Muahahahah!
Later that night Charles and I went to China Garden (our usual spot) for a huge meal. It totaled about 38$ and I planned on leaving a large tip because the man that owns the place is such a hard worker and is very polite and sweet, he always calls us by name yet we have never told him our names….anyways we went to pay and he told us it was on him and to have a Merry Christmas! At first I refused but he insisted we not pay! What a nice man, seriously, in this day and age that NEVER happens. So, please if you’re going out for Chinese try the China Garden, excellent food and even better service. Last night I went to my sister’s place for a Turkey dinner made by Terry, it was yummy. Turkey, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, turnip, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls, unreal gravy, carrots… it was delish! Dessert was a strawberry cream cake brought by moi and it was a hit. Martini’s and turkey dinner, I couldn’t have asked for a better evening. I am unfortunately coming down with a bad cold, I think my immune system was weakened from the wisdom teeth surgery and now my throat is scratchy and I can’t stop blowing my nose, ugh! I HAVE to get better. Way too much visiting and food needs to be done/consumed. On a brighter note I only work today and tomorrow and then I am off until the 29th! Who’s coming boxing day shopping with me?! Anywho, tonight was supposed to bring about dinner with Steve et al. @ the pilot house but I feel so horrible that I had to back out. I am going to curl up with some chicken noodle soup and a smeeze. Annnd, speaking of cats - here are more kittie pics outside in the snow! Ellie's paws sinking in the snow bank =)  Simon scoping out the area for birds!  Ellie trying to warm up her toes!
Simon looking dashing ;)
Click here for a special Christmas Greeting from the cats and I! Make sure to listen all the way through, it's cute (Thanks Gilly)!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005After a three month hiatus I have returned.. better late then never! Wow. this semester FLEW by, I still can't believe it's over haha! Marks are in tomorrow which is exciting and scary at the same time. So, it's that time of year again, 4 days until Christmas! I prefer Christmas Eve myself, on the 25th you know it's all over for another year.. but Christmas Eve is magical you just never know what's going to happen, I love the anticipation. I am slowwwllly recovering from getting all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted, fun eh? It was a very painful process and they didn't give me enough drugs! So now I have to recover without the help of Mr. Tylenol. ugh. I have all my Christmas shopping finished and only a few presents left to wrap. For one of my Christmas presents Charles is paying for a new hair doo that I will be getting tonight with Jules. I was originally thinking of going darker, but blondes have more fun! haha Any third year or fourth year UPEI students that were born and raised on PEI should be aware that we get a 600 dollar grant from the government, one in third and another in fourth year. I was out of the loop on that information so when I got the letter yesterday I thought I'd won the lottery. Nice surprise though, it will help with tuition. Simon & Elle are as cute as ever, Ellie's turned into a SNUGGLER! Below are some Christmas pics of my two rug rats! Ellie & "The Candycane"  Simon guarding the Candycane dangling on the string below...
Ellie munching on the candycane!  What a handsome boy!  More pics on their pictures page soon! Happy Holidays!
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