Happy 2009 From The Zoo!

I got into town on New Year's Day 2009, to find Snorky Figgles and Xiao Guai anxiously awaiting my arrival. Apparently they had 'the feeling' that there was going to be an addition to the family. I think my littlest roommate might have spilled the beans beforehand, because I had barely walked into the apartment with my bag when she pointed to the little Christmas tree with an "All yours!" to the gifts still under them. I opened up the goodie-bag to find this:


My littlest roommate wanted to name her 'Woolly' but I wanted something with her (my roommate's) name in it too, so she's 'Jelly'. She's really soft and warm, and I think she'll be a good "Mommy" factor within this little unit. Here's a "Family Picture".


Well, not quite "Family Picture". I forgot to talk about The Other One. I think I'll do it later, I don't want to have to give good and 'weird' news in the same post. For now, Snorky Figgles, Xiao Guai and Jelly wish all of you a wonderful 2009! Wish you good health, peace, joy, success and many wonderful surprises this year. And if it has to be bad news, let it be something you can handle and, hopefully, learn from.

Pig-tails!

There was a sad pig with a tail

not curly, but straight as a nail.

So he ate simply oodles

of pretzels and noodles,

which put a fine twist to his tail.

- Arnold Lobel.

It is really so easy to get Figgles to eat his noodles now!

Quiet

My colleague, S, who gifted Xiao Guai to me, has left for China. Her one year as a visiting research scholar is up, but I hope to see her in April - and I hope we have several opportunities to meet and collaborate over the course of our careers. My little Xiao Guai took it hard at first. Things were rather quiet initially, at work and at home - I missed S and Xiao Guai realized he missed his homeland. Luckily for both of us, Snorky Figgles was around.

I believe Xiao Guai's started to look much happier after several sessions with my little counselor. After all, what can't be cured must be endured, no?

Pirate Pig

Snorky Figgles, like all self-respecting little pigs of his age, has become a little curious about the classic, R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island. I've seen him reading the book. And his line of thought seems clear from the questions he's been bringing up lately, including:

** Are pirates always bad? ('Usually, yes.' Actually it depends on how you define morality, although I think I'll defer this discussion to a later time.)

** Why is rum associated with seafaring men? ('And can I have some?' 'No!')

** What other books feature the sea and seamen of long ago? (My goodness, I know I've read some but, for now, the only ones I remember are 'smuggler' books - like Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn. And, erm, The Pirates of the Caribbean series of movies.)

** If I have to run away to sea, which is the closest sea that has pirates? ('Well, technically, piracy is outlawed. You're not allowed to be a pirate.' 'Oh.' 'Um, but it would be the Caribbean - according to fiction.' 'Ok, can you please show it to me on the Atlas?' 'Sure.' Good way to start with a little bit of geography, right?)

Anyway, so the other day I was putting away a little trinket or two, when I found I'd misplaced my heart-shaped pendant. I looked all over for it, and finally found my it on my little pirate.

Snorky Figgles looked so cute and un-pirate in his get-up that it is easy to overlook the otherwise obvious question: should the questions and the pirate games scare me?

Busy

While I work towards submitting the abstracts that will hopefully take me to my beautiful island destination next April and far beyond that in the course of what I hope very much will be a productive career, my little genius is busy figuring out words and ideas. We sit and read together when I'm home but some days I'm late coming back (as is very usual these days), and I've found his little snout deep in the enjoyment of the pictures in the centerfold. Sometimes, I find him trying to re-read what we've already covered, apparently trying to pronounce the words carefully and correctly, the way I teach him. I can't help but be overwhelmed with emotion when I look at his ears, pricked up, enthusiastically absorbing information. My little darling!

Of course, sometimes I've also found him like this.

'Genes' tell, don't they? I remember a bunch of times that my mother has caught me in the same position. A little pat on the only visible part of Snorky Figgles sets him right again. I believe my mother resorted to much the same measure back then. History, as they say, ....