Well, here we are, part way through March, and I am sitting at my school’s Parent-Student-Teacher interviews. I have one appointment at 10, and that’s it. I thought; let’s polish off a blog post!
The baby is coming along just fine, but my poor wife is still getting a bit nauseous. Last night she also thought she was getting a cold. I am thankful that she is playing it safe and not taking medication, but this is teaching me a lot about how much the mother goes through carrying a child to full term. We men cannot possibly understand it because we cannot experience it ourselves, but it simply re-enforces to me that we need to be as supportive and compassionate to the mothers of the world as possible. So, I try to make her as comfortable as possible. July cannot get here soon enough.
School is going well. Unexpected challenges give me pause from time to time, but I continue. Next year looks to be interesting. Kurtis, my principal, is taking a sabbatical to work on his PhD courses, and Preston (the current assistant principal) will be acting principal. Kurtis has been (and continues to be) the best principal I have ever had the honor to work with. He is more than just a leader; he inspires us to strive more, he serves us, and most of all he cares. I will miss him, and hope he has great success.
I also just bought Seasons 4 and 5 of Night Court on DVD. They have some of my favourite episodes. It has been a lot of fun. They just do not make great comedies anymore. The only descent ones in the last ten years have been Corner Gas and the Big Bang Theory. Sometimes I wish I could just only have the TV shows of the past. On a similar note, The Muppets comes out on DVD this Tuesday! YAY!
My Top Ten List for the Day has become a fun one to put together. As you likely know, I love zoos and seeing the amazing animals in them. Some of my favourites include Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Sea World, the Bronx Zoo, and the Calgary Zoo (of course). I also appreciate the smaller ones like Edmonton Valley Zoo, the Hogle Zoo, and the Bermuda Zoo and Aquarium. So, with a little research, I present my Top 10 Zoos I want to visit. This is more than just a wish list, it is a goal.
10. St. Louis Zoo. Admission is free, but there are admissions to some exhibits. You can get a day pass to all those exhibits for $10, so it is very affordable. Some of the attraction critters include the Andean bear, jaguar, black rhino, the interesting echidna, and one of my personal favourites, the okapi.
9. Greater Vancouver Zoo. Zebra, giraffes, addax, scimitar-horned oryx, and more await you 30 minutes east of Vancouver. It is also a bit closer than most zoos.
8. Dallas World Aquarium. It is a great combination of aquarium animals and small animals. Tree kangaroos, electric eels, fairy penguins, and harpy eagles are just a sampling of the many wonderful fish, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species.
7. Toronto Zoo. I may need a couple days for this, but I would like to see this place. Hopefully I can see it while they have the giant pandas that will be coming to Calgary later. Plus, other than the airport, I have never been to Toronto. May have to check out the CN Tower as well
6. Montreal Biodome. An interesting concept that has visitors walkthrough various exhibits that are based on American biomes (polar, rainforest, etc). Lots of colourful birds, primates, etc. to see.
5. The Columbus Zoo. Jack Hannah is well known world-wide as being an animal and zoo lover, and this is his home base. Some cool critters to see here include koala, okapi (BINGO!), and komodo dragons. They also have a connecting waterpark (which costs extra) Sweet!
4. Granby Zoo. A great zoo in Quebec. They have lots of cool creatures, including red panda, tigers, snow leopards, gibbons, and hippos. So big that in the summer they often have two-day passes.
3. The Cincinnati Zoo. Okapi (always a plus), sumutran rhinos, and what looks like a really cool layout. Plus, I want to see if WKRP is still on the air. I will have to wait until at least 2015 when they finish some great sounding African exhibits.
2. San Deigo Zoo and Wild Animal Park. I was there about 15 years ago, but I hear that much has changed. Once again, okapi tops my interest list, but their reputation alone is what has me wanting to go back.
1. The Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia. Yes, the Taronga zoo is in Australia, which is on my “Must Visit” list, and yes, it is world renowned as being an excellent zoo, but most importantly, they have platypus. That alone puts them as my #1 zoo I must visit.
