About

I recently moved to Austin, Texas from Southern California with my husband, Kevin, and two cats, Noni & Kanji. It’s true, I am naturally blonde, but in full disclosure I get highlights to brighten up my naturally dull ash blonde hair. I also sport a paw print tattoo on the underside of my left wrist, have six piercings in my ears and wear glasses 90% of the time.

We currently live in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment, but towards the end of July ‘08 we will be moving into our new house, which is being built as I type this.

My husband and I are expecting our first baby at the end of October ‘08 and we are extremely excited and happy. We had planned on taking a trip to Machu Picchu at the end of May ’08, but got pregnant much sooner than we anticipated. Not quite an ‘oops!’, but we were definitely surprised (though, pleasantly so)! Once our baby is born, I will be a stay-at-home-mom - a job I am greatly looking forward to!

However, until our baby arrives, you’ll most likely find me on my MacBook (more than likely reading blogs or blogging), playing with my cats, hanging out with friends and/or with my husband. A good portion of my weekends is spent outdoors, exploring all the gorgeous natural nooks and crannies that Austin has to offer.

I also thoroughly enjoy reading, spending time with animals of all shapes and sizes (I’m equally elated with mostly all animals, from dogs & cats to reptiles & birds), walking/hiking, finding new music to listen to, practicing yoga, swimming, cooking & finding new recipes, talking about good food, star gazing, watching sunsets, taking photos on my digital camera, playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on my Nintendo DS Lite and traveling around to explore off the beaten path.

I have an odd connection/curiosity/obsession with the colors green and blue, jaguars, rain forests, Machu Picchu, The Orion Constellation, Vega and Pleiades star systems, triangles and spirals, clouds, stones (especially moldavite), thunderstorms, lightning, cats, dolphins, butterflies, white moths and caterpillars, trees (especially big, old ones), mushrooms, moss, water, and the ocean.

Post-Katrina Pet Rescue and Relief

For two and a half months, from December 15, 2005 to February 28, 2006, I lived in New Orleans, Louisiana at a temporary animal housing center called Celebration Station. I was there to continue in the rescue and relief effort for pets who were left behind in the devastation after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed the Gulf Coast. My job title was co-manager of the cat area inside Celebration Station. I also acted as the full-time and only feline veterinary technician. Best Friends Animal Society oversaw all daily operations and to help me out, they sent two people (Mike and Mark, one right after another) from their sanctuary in Utah to help manage the huge task of caring for about 200 cats at any one time.

Prior to my semi permanent stay in Celebration Station, I made two other trips to Louisiana for pet rescue. The first was with Alley Cat Allies (8 days in early November 2005) and the second was with Animal Rescue New Orleans (10 days in early December 2005). To read my real-life accounts, view photos (link removed for updating) and information regarding my time there, visit the section entitled Pet Rescue Trips (link removed for updating), under Projects, or just read my blog archives in the category ‘Louisiana Trip’.

Some of My Favorites

Music

The Beatles, HelloGoodbye, Bond, Gomez, Rooney, Goldfrapp, Enya, Paul Simon, DJ Encore, David Garza, Joss Stone, Alice Deejay, Enigma, DJ Tiesto, Gipsy Kings, Mike Doughty, Bitter:Sweet, Maroon 5, Weird Al Yankovich, Kings of Leon, Amber, Aqua, Zero 7, Blues Traveler, Moby, ABBA, Catherine, OK Go!, Paul Oakenfold, No Doubt, Jesus Jones, Sting, Madonna, The Killers, Wilco, Ratatat, Jamiroquai, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, Cantoma, Roykscopp, BT, Hexstatic, Ben Lee, Norah Jones, Deep Forest, Eiffel 65, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, John Lennon, Los Angeles Incas, New Order, Nomad, Oasis, Frank Sinatra, Randy Newman, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Res, Robbie Williams, Seal, Soul Coughing, Tom Jones, Underworld

Books

The Illustrated Alchemist, God Was in This Place and I- i Did Not Know, The Celestine Prophecy, Dear Children of the Earth, Dune, Earthsea Cycle series, Fast Food Nation, Stardust, The First Chronicles of Amber, For Every Cat an Angel, The Hobbit, Immortal Unicorn, The Last Unicorn, The Little Prince, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Once Upon a Time, Rich Dad/Poor Dad, Seven Circles Trilogy, Tales of the Dying Earth, Tell Me a Story, Tintin comics, Tintin in the New World, The Unlikely Dragon trilogy, Vegan Freak, A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows

Movies

Contact, The Last Unicorn (animated 1984), The Fifth Element, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, El Postino, Lost In Translation, The Princess Bride, My Neighbor Totoro, Stardust, The Goonies, Princess Mononoke, Harry Potter, Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Begins, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sliding Doors, Matrix, Borne Identity, Borne Supremacy, Borne Ultimatum, Hildago, Howl’s Moving Castle, Fight Club, Shrek, Sin City, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Record of Lodoss War, The Secret of NIMH, The Prince of Egypt, Star Trek: IV, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The NeverEnding Story, anything Monty Python, Napolean Dynamite, Garden State, Dune, Pan’s Labyrinth, When Harry Met Sally, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spirited Away, The Addams Family, Splash, Sound of Music, Ice Age, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Labyrinth, Legend, Amelie, Dead Poets Society, Time Bandits

Television

Heroes, 4400, Myth Busters, Hotel Babylon, Psych, Flight of the Concords, Dexter, Dirty Jobs, Extras, Weeds, John from Cincinnati, Grey’s Anatomy, Dirt, Smallville, Blood Ties, Numb3rs, Chobits, Brothers & Sisters, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, The Riches, Ugly Betty, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, The X-Files

Etsy.com

Before I’m Gone

A short list of things I would like to accomplish/experience “before I’m gone”.

[_] have a child
[_] hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
[X] visit Thailand
[_] visit Israel
[_] visit New York
[X] visit and hike down into The Grand Canyon
[_] visit and hike in Sequoia National Park
[_] scuba dive and/or snorkel at The Great Barrier Reef
[_] scuba dive and/or snorkel in Hawaii
[_] visit Spain
[_] visit Paris
[_] learn self defense (specifically krav maga)
[_] go hang gliding
[X] get a tattoo
[_] speak fluent sign language
[_] meditate with a Buddhist monk
[_] take a quality picture of the full moon
[_] photograph a glacier
[X] hike to the peak of a volcano
[_] drive a car on the Autobahn in Germany at 110 mph
[_] swim with dolphins
[X] ride an elephant
[X] have a pet hermit crab
[_] learn how to knit a scarf
[_] sew a quilt
[X] rescue, foster and adopt out a cat
[X] assist with a spay or neuter surgery for a cat or dog