Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Merry Christmas. The headlines are mostly depressing, so maybe save them for another day.

Me & Darren Took A Hike at Silverwood Bird Preserve

Judging by the dates on this post, I've been holding onto it all month, so what better time than Christmas to post, while everyone in the house is asleep and I binge watch a new series on Peacock. I really wish that I could've gone to Exile on Kettner tonight, but even with the offer of a safe and sober ride, I've been feeling like crap since Thanksgiving, so while I'm out doing hikes and the Zoo and Seaworld and shopping and living life by day, when I've opted for cocktails or a night out, it just feels like the cold/bronchitis/pneumonia whatever I have relapses all over again and I'm sick of feeling like shit. i don't know how my sinuses can be all clear all day long and the second I get home just completely stuff up and my lungs get back to wheezy. So I feel like I made the responsible and wise decision to stay home even though I know I would've had a blast and seen so many friends. 

But it is Christmas and part of the feeling-like-shit-since-Thanksgiving means this holiday season just blew past me. While I do get all in the spirit when I'm at the Zoo or Seaworld or cruising neighborhood decorations, this year we skipped all the things. We didn't get a tree. I didn't even put out my tinsel and snowmen. I didn't do any Christmas shopping. My mom and my sister are getting small gifts from me, but only because they happened to be a product that I loved from Costco and thought I'd pick up for them because they were on sale. Darren, Toby, my nieces, my Godsister's incubating twins -- gifts just aren't my love language. But I do look forward to Christmas. I'm not sure if we're doing Christmas pajamas or Ugly Sweaters, but spending time with everyone while we pig out on snacks and charcuterie and desserts and skip the traditional dinner seems like a pretty perfect day to me. 

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. And happy all the other holidays that are celebrated this time of year, too.  
Stay safe out there. 

COVID-19: CDC You're On Your Own! Good Luck! | Killer Whale Nakai Dies Of Infection At Sea World | TFG Proves Once Again To Be A Fucking Loose Canon Criminal Of The Highest Order |

 

Orca at Sea World (Taken 2.20.22)

Everytime I think I'm going to post, I get caught up with something else or some new big news drops and I just never get around to it. Over the past couple weeks, the CDC has loosened COVID-19 guidance so pretty much everyone interpreted it to mean that COVID is over and you can just resume life, when in reality, you still need to isolate if you're sick or testing positive. The end. This shouldn't be this hard. We also learned of TFG's house/resort being searched by the FBI and goddamn if he isn't the most corrupt fucking human on the planet and it is so embarrassing that I have family who are MAGA nutjobs. Whatever happens, charges need to be brought on this fucking crook so that he is never allowed to run for office in this country again. 

But what I wanted to talk about was Sea World. They lost another orca, 20 year old Nakai, apparently due to an infection. I am going to defend Sea World here. I'm not an animal expert, but some mom posted video after the death showing a couple orcas "fighting". Sea World veterinarians said this behavior is normal and called raking. If we're going to argue about the value or harm of animals in captivity altogether, then what are you even doing here? But if we can look at this is how it is and all we can do is do better for the animals, you'll notice almost all animals exhibit this behavior-- gorilla brothers Frank and Monroe wrestle and "fight" all the time and one of them recently had an enormous gash on the shoulder, from the other's teeth while roughhousing. Just yesterday, the elephant brothers were tusk in tusk and trunk to trunk "fighting" for dominance while they waited for dinner. My sibling cats wrestle all the time over balls, beds, and just to terrorize the entire household while everyone is asleep. In a perfect world, animals would live abundantly in their natural habitats, but this isn't that world. Northern White Rhinos are functionally extinct. Far too many animals in captivity have counterparts in the single or triple digits in the wild - leopards and Somali wild ass immediately come to mind -- and I support accredited wildlife facilities that are part of the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) whose goals are "promoting species conservation and animal welfare" as well as educate the public and learn from the animals in their care to help their counterparts in the wild. 

I was heartbroken when I heard another young orca died in Sea World's care, but even in captivity, animal care specialists can't 100% control conditions and outright prevent animal incidents, nor should we expect them to do so. 

Stay safe out there.