can i keep him if he follows me home?

One of the activities (and highlights!) during the Florida trip was the airboat ride while we were in the Everglades which was downright awesome.  Our guide would drive the boat pretty fast and do turns so we were "drifting" (Everglades Drifting?) to one side and the other.  There's no seatbelts on these things so the wind is in your face and it feels really fast!

swamp chicken

This is probably the only time I've ever seen wild animals on a tour so close.  I really thought that the animals we saw right off the dock were fake, stuffed animals so the tourists could see those if none of the wild ones made an appearance!  Surprisingly in this 20 minute boat ride we saw at least 3 gators and plenty of birds.  The cutest was probably the "swamp chicken", I forget its real name, but runs across the lily pads.  I wonder if natives eat them, and that's why they call them chickens?  I bet they're kind of tough.  (You know what the first thing my dad asked me after I told him I saw alligators?  "Did you eat any?"  The answer is yes, but I feel like extra warm and cheerful that it's the FIRST thing my dad thinks of.  Cuz it was my first thought too, when it was available to try.  Kind of like chicken...though maybe more like pork in its texture.)

Larry the Gator

who doesn't like scratches behind the ear?

I've always thought that reptiles are pretty cute.  Baby alligators are in fact ADORABLE because they don't have the knobbly skin all over them yet. After the ride where we did see plenty of gators right up close from the boat, the park had a bit of a safari-animal show about the animals of the area.  The best part was at the end when you could take a picture with a juvenile gator.  Yup, that's me.  Totally cheesy and TOTALLY AWESOME.


Larry's been raised in captivity, I think, so while you can't mess with him, he's pretty used to people.  He's about 3 or 4 and I really like how his handler (some teenaged fellow) said that Larry really likes it when you scratch behind his ears.  Look at that face!! He totally is loving the attention. :)  He closed his in bliss.

bringing a friend home from the everglades...maybe.

On another note, I'm pondering doing another blog/comic blog about me and the kitty, only of course, fantastically and highly fictionalized.  (Yes, I know I have too many hobbies. )  I'm practicing the drawing now (using the style pictured above), and testing materials. Any opinions? 

Ok, this didn't exactly happen this way, but kinda close! 

Into the wild green limes

I'm testing out the blogger app while I'm in Key Largo! instead of sleeping like I should...

After a whirlwind of activity for this very brief Florida trip I will be concluding my adventures with a day in the Florida Keys before heading back tomorrow night. I feel like I've really accomplished something by eating key lime pie from where key limes actually come from.

See you on the flip side!!

The Depths of Frugalness

fashion disaster Doris - 11-16/11

Let's face it; Asians have a reputation for being cheap.  This is a raging stereotype, but on the whole it is pretty true for the first generation folks who came here dirt poor and worked their asses off to the middle class; and it affects a lot of second generation-ers like myself who are the children of the previously mentioned group.  (The cheapness doesn't apply to the other group of name-brand chasing Asians; or anyway, less obviously.  There isn't an Asian out there alive who can pass up a good bargain.)

Earlier this week a friend sent me a 50% off coupon for Banana Republic, good only for one day.  Of course I did my duty and passed it on to other friends and then scoped out the website to see what I might want.  I didn't end up getting anything from Banana that day, but I sure got infected with the need to buy more classy clothes for work in a really bad way.  It probably didn't help that I was dressed in fashion-disaster style and having a bad hair day to boot.  So I was on a serious mission to get a whole new wardrobe, like now.  And because I'm cheap, I started searching through Target and Ross in a serious way.

While I was there I saw this adorable wool jacket and it looks like the perfect classy jacket to go over some work dresses and skirts I picked up.  I tried it on and I'm between sizes; I needed the medium to fit my shoulders, but a small around the waist area.  Regretfully  I put it back on the rack because I'm trying to be good and not waste my money on ill fitting clothes and uncomfortable shoes; until I noticed that the jacket was on CLEARANCE.  That little tag changed everything because my frugal Asian genes kicked in; it's such a good deal!  How can you not?  My ancestors would be ashamed if I didn't take advantage of such good luck!

A little sewing machine is a dangerous thing.

Ungh.  Sometimes I think I have maybe more time on my hands than is quite good, or anyway, at this point in my life I spend more effort in the name of less money.  So I got that jacket, took it home, and took it apart to try to do some tailoring myself.  It didn't seem like it was going to be a very hard thing; I mean, I've sort of sewn a few things together, right?  I only needed to alter the jacket slightly to look less boxy on me, but still be big enough to fit  some heavier winter clothes underneath. 

In the end, I was reasonably pleased because it's always helpful for me to see how clothes are constructed and by ripping apart the lining I got a better view on how a jacket is made.  Sadly I wasn't able to make my stitching invisible and I did kind of rip a tiny hole I had to sew up (making the jacket go instantly from classy to ghetto; but not THAT noticeable....I think.)

not box shaped anymore!

Yup, so I discovered I've got quite a capacity for being cheap, although it'll be a ways to go before I can really tailor my own clothes super well.  Shortening some pants and the hack job on this jacket is my limit so far, and still working on making it less obvious that I have done so; but I have noticed that good tailoring will take a so-so article of clothing and make it great.   Anyway I had fun doing this and it's a warm jacket so I'm good with it.  AND CHEAP, mwahahaha.