Artsy day

Yesterday I got to share something with my fiance, painting clay figurines. I used to do it with my mom when I was younger but the place closed done soon after we got into it. I found out there was a place up here call Clay Cafe that does the same thing. Basically you can do bowls, cups, plaques or things like small cartoon animals or more difficult things like dragons and castles etc.

My fiance and I chose dragons (mine a little more detailed then his) and spent a good 4-5 hours there.

Before I post pictures of it I figured I would share the two remaining ones I have from when I was little. The dragon I did when I was 9 and the dog when I was around the same age. Hopefully I have improved.

As you can see the dragon looks very rushed and sorta sloppy. He has been through a lot and has been broken in a few places but I wont throw him away.



The dog is a bit better, the paint looks more consistent. Sorry about the mess of him.



Finally here are some progression photos of what I did yesterday, he will look better once he has been fired and glazed (hopefully). I took pictures as I did sections so you can see it step by step.

Catching up

Sorry for the long wait between posts, lot has happened. Nothing really worth talking about but two things : Bought my first bird feeder and visit the Clay Cafe (another post).

Basically back home I always wanted a bird feeder, I love watching them, but never had a good place or the right time to have one. Now that we moved and have a balcony I figured it was time I finally I got to have what I wanted.

Its nothing fancy just a cheap one from walmart but none the less i'm very happy with it and excited to see if it works. Also excited to get some good pictures.

Anyway only got a few pictures since its been really windy the past few days and I've been to nervous to leave it up encase it breaks or blows away.

Picture :D (sorry its terrible, it was rushed due to the high winds, i'll get better pictures when I get to put it out)

Days off are starting to suck.

Its so hard to get motivated to do anything, its so cold up here that your hands freeze after seconds of being out of your pockets which makes it impossible to go shooting. There is so much to do up here but no one to do it with, M (fiance) is working and I haven't met anyone who I share interests with that lives close enough to warrant doing anything. There is only so much I can photograph outside from my balcony as its a quiet and small stand of trees which the birds don't seem to frequent, I am hoping to set up a bird feeder though, as soon as I go get one :\. I just want spring to come.

Not really much else to report, nothing interesting really happened, besides Fid getting himself stuck in our laundry basket (didn't take a picture oops). Basically its a standing cylinder shaped object which he can jump into but cannot escape. I was watching Tv and he was meowing ever so softly that I couldn't find him till he almost knocked it over, needless to say he wasn't happy I was laughing at him. Had Thil (dragon) out for a bit to watch some tv with me, she tormented Fid and evenutally decided she wanted back in her viv. The boys (snakes) aren't up to much but nothing new there.

I hate being stuck in a rut where you want to do something, anything but you just can't, I have so many things I could be doing, latchhook, reading, playing around with my camera or just playing something but I honestly just can't bring myself to do something.

Oh well...

Fiddler's photos of the week

So Fid has been up to his old tricks this week, here are some random shots of him doing all sorts of things that I just happened to find cute or funny. Again nothing is edited since I just enjoy them for what they are and I hope you do to :D

He posed for a picture, I just like how it turned out


That string sure got the better of him, he wasn't expecting an uppercut.


He really enjoys cuddle time :D


Napping again, I honestly don't know how he does it.


I can't even describe....


He tried so hard to fit his whole head behind the couch.



Hope you liked them guys, I'm sure there will be many many more to come :D

Playing around for Tuesday

So today is sweet shot tuesday and its raining. I have terrible lighting in my house and none of the babies want to cooperate for pictures so I had to improvise.

This light has been hanging out on the balcony since we moved in, it doesn't do anything but I thought I would experiment with my camera and try to get a good picture. Mind you it was rushed, due to getting wet and let rain in the apartment, and also I was playing around with the ISO and stuff so its not the greatest. Either way i'm learning and experimenting (first time playing with the ISO).

Comments and advice more then welcome :D

New Baby coming soon...

So last night I put my down payment on my 6th baby, I'm not sure when we will get him home but hopefully soon. He is a Salmon Jungle boa, like my boy Anomander but he is beige and pink instead of grey and black. Expect pictures as soon as he is home :D.

On a more serious note, those of you who are aware a law was passed in the states that can and will forever change the future of the reptile hobby more then it already has. We keepers are in a terrible fight to keep the ability to have the animals we have and we are losing it. For those of you who read this who don't like reptiles remember there are people you know and love who do, there are kids who love them and kids yet to be born that should have the ability to own and love these animals. They are not man eaters, they are not out to get us and the stories you hear are cases of bad ownership. This view of reptiles was maintained in the same way as the view of Pit bulls, with the bad stories getting aired and blow out of portion and the good stories ignored. I have three snakes and a lizard and I can tell you right now they are some of the most rewarding creatures I have had the pleasure of knowing, they make wonderful pets if taken care of properly and that is the key things, just like with bad dog owners or bad parents, things go wrong when there is a lack of understanding and knowledge same as with everything.

Please, please if not for yourself for those you love and those of us that love them, please help us. You might not think it is a big deal but these animals are my children, I love them like you love your dogs and cats, I would be there for you because I know what your pets mean to you, please please be there for me for the same reason. Politicans don't care about how we feel, but you out there know what it is like to love something, to have something that shares a place in your home and your heart, don't let them take them away.

Read up about it, google it, asked people, email people, spread the word. Write to people about it, your newpaper or local tv news station. Call your local radio. We need to let them know we will fight because when you love something that is what you do, you fight for it.

Edit : I found this through some other reptile keepers and think it is very well written and an amazingly informative read, if you want to know more or just need help understanding exactly what is going on and why please read it, and share it.

http://studentofthereptile.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/43/

Inspection is over/ I dreamed a dream

So its done, wasn't as bad as I thought, well minus listening to my fire alarm going off every 15 seconds for 5 hours. We made it through and my family is safe for another little bit.

Other then that its been a fairly normal day, didn't get anything done, to cold out. Went through my routine of shows, family feud, millionaire and currently Law and Order : Criminal Intent (there is just something about it that I like).

Played around with photoshop for a bit and came up with a two 'not-so-great' photos that I will share and you can comment as you will.

Might end up doing a few reviews later as I thought about adding that type of thing to my blog, mostly just movies, video games and shows (maybe the odd recipe). Anyway I will stop blabbering and add the photos :p




*Note for P52, Theme is "I dreamed a dream" The reason this photo represents that is that I hope someday these animals will be respected rather then feared, understood rather then misunderstood, and loved for what they are rather then hated for what they are made out to be*

See my post titled 'New baby coming' soon to understand more about the fight reptiles are facing in the USA.

Calm Before the Storm

So tomorrow we have an 'inspection' happening which involves people coming into our apartment. You are probably thinking that's not so bad but really it could be quite problematic. As stated in an earlier post of mine my pets aren't welcome here, now I didn't choose this place nor this predicament but I wont get into it because it doesn't change anything to complain about it now.

My schedule for today is to clean and hide, hide my babies away like criminals so that I can keep living here all because people refuse to educated themselves. Obviously this is a bit of an issue for me, but I wont rant. My fiance and I have hopefully figured out a way to hide everyone while keeping them all comfortable and safe. Tomorrow will be a test of will as I sit home patiently waiting for the people to come then staying sane while they are here.

*sigh* now that that is over here are some random pictures from the last little while I thought I would share.

Not edited cause I am lazy, just wanted to give you guys an idea of his size right now.


Fid getting ready for another nap. (wasn't going to upload this one since the corner is really messed up, basically the couch was blown out and my fiance tried to teach me some tricks..)


"Hey Mom what are you doing?"


Pearl always steals the spot light from his big brother Brood.

All Fid does is sleep

More photos of Fid sleeping or napping in funny ways. Sometimes I wish I had his ability to get comfortable no matter what position I'm in.



I honestly don't know how he can find something hard and plastic comfortable.

More old P500 Pictures

These are not the best by far but I do still enjoy them since wildlife photography is something I really hope to pursue in the future. Enjoy :D

Finding an apartment

...Is so hard. Honestly between fear and the terribly off reputation it is so hard to find an apartment that welcomes reptiles and it is so frustrating more so due to the fact that everyone's assumptions about my pets come from all the stories in the news. There is a huge difference between good keepers and bad keepers and if people took the time to look they would see this. I have had my animals for almost three years and I haven't had an escape or issue with them, they are properly housed and fed and are not aggressive (and no they wont eat babies).

Now while I understand that people have fears and that is a huge thing to them, but I am not going to be visiting you, I'm not going to be flaunting the fact I own them, I just want a place where I can live securely with my family and not worry about what is going to happen if we have a leak or some issue.

If landlords or supervisors took the time to look into reptile owners and how they take care of their animals they could have a lot more options for tenants then that have right now, it really does expand your markets options.

*end rants*

On a side note I found a wonderful new place I'm looking at as a possible new job (since I really wish to leave my current one) it is a none profit shelter that shares a lot of the same views I have and really just feels like my calling. I was hoping to hear back from them today but they are closed on Mondays so I have to sit through the anticipation till tomorrow. Wish me luck :D

Made With Love

I decided to join in on P52 (Project 52), I am a week late starting but hope to continue on for the rest of the year.

As the title says this week the theme is made with love and my picture is of a Big Daddy Doll my fiance made me for christmas from scratch two years ago. You can't buy them and the only ones that exist where made by the people who own them. For those of you who don't know what they are they are from a video game : BioShock.

He has obviously got some wear and tear going on, his backpack and the wires around his face shouldn't be loose like they are. He is due for a tune up soon.




Join in P52 at :



Also featured at

Figured If I was going to make this part photography I should post from the beginning

As you know before I had my DSLR I had a Nikon Coolpix P500, which all in all wasn't a bad camera and I do miss it sometimes. I don't have many photos from when I used it but I figured since it is winter and I might not get out to take any good shots with my new Nikon I should post some of my older shots. Nothing great, and looking back its hard to really like anything I took since having a taste of my D90 but its nice to have something to look back on to make me push forward.

Normal day

Nothing exciting today, work was pretty normal even though we have a storm on the horizon which seems to send people into a frenzy to buy things encase of a black out that you wouldn't be able to even eat during a black out, like chicken.

We are supposed to be getting some snow and freezing rain which makes for a giant mess so I'm not looking forward to working tomorrow, I hope at least people will spend the day home if they can. For some reason people have to shop up here when it is bad out, back home if it was raining even the slightest people would just go out to eat or stay home instead of trying to drag home a car full of groceries. Up here however people come through and will tell you how they had to trek through blinding wind and snow, up slippery hills, near miss accidents and across the ice covered parking lot all for a bag of chips, it is honestly mind boggling.


I had a scary moment last night, it was Pearl's feeding day. Now Pearl isn't like any normal ball python I've heard of, he constantly wants to be out and roaming with us and last night I made a mistake on my part since he was in the far back of his container by opening it before I was ready to feed him (just had to get the rat). Two seconds was enough for him to bolt out the tub so that when I came back he was half way out, this made for an issue. He didn't strike at me or anything but since I had to lure him back in his tub with the rat he struck it at the middle and ended up trying to eat it that way. I watched him for a bit waiting for him to spit it back out but when he did it looked to be hooked in his throat. Needless to say I had a minor freak out, on facebook and google trying to find out what to do. My fiance who kept watching him informed me that he had fixed himself, figuring he was fine and just didn't feel like letting go of his meal and instead tried to slide himself sideways to the head to eat it. Boys...

Anyway that is all for today. Possibly putting up some game/show reviews either tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned.

Fiddler's Funny Fotos

I'm sure all of our cats do funny things be it the way they sleep, meow or just the stuff they get themselves into just as I'm sure they don't understand why we laugh at them. These pictures are to share my cats quirks but to also spread the laughter he gifts my family with those of you who may or may not have the joy of owning a cat.

*Not these are not meant to be 'good shots'. They are basically taken as fast as possible before he moves so don't expect good quality :P*


This is Fiddler trying to figure out how to help his posture.



He gave up and decided to work more on his flexibility.



This is when he offered to help with the laundry, as you can see he wasn't much help.



And finally this is how he normally naps, be it day or night. I still can't figure out how he breaths.

My first favorite DSLR Photograph

As stated in my first post I just recently got my new DSLR, Nikon D90, I had previously used a Nikon P500 coolpix. I haven't gotten very technical yet and am still trying to learn all the finer points and how to put them to good use. This so far has been my favorite photo that I have taken in the few weeks I've had it :


Yes it is the photo from my first post, and that is why it is there, not only is the the best photo I have of Fiddler but it is also the best photo I have taken so far. I feel I captured Fid's personality as a lazy care free cat, nailing the focus on his eyes which only furthers to capture his personality. I also love his pose and his colors, oh and it is the only photo I have managed to take where both his eyes are open. He has been the only subject I've been able to take decent pictures of since I lack a proper macro lens to capture the others since they are half his size, I hope to get a macro soon though.

Thank you for looking.

New D90 and my family.

For my first post I decided to do two things, show off the newest thing in my life while also introducing my family. I haven't been into photography for very long but recently upgraded to a DSLR in hopes to improve on my lack of talent. I still haven't quite figured everything out and still find myself 'pointing and shooting' but I really hope to change that.

Since it is winter I haven't been able to really go out and take some nice pictures, something I have been wanting to do since this city has so much to offer (I recently moved but that is another blog) and instead have been limited to my family, my pets. I'm not that big of a fan of children and I am somewhat spoiled by my brood since the majority are very simple. Anyway enough of my rambling, let me introduce you.


Fiddler. He is my orange/tiger SPCA rescue. For a cat he is an odd one, completely attached to my fiance he hates leaving his side and refuses to let us enjoy a movie or play our video games in peace. He is a plastic addict and as of this morning has discovered snow and has spent a good portion tapping at the windows.


Kathilion, Thil for short. She is my only 'daughter', my first reptile and I'm thankful for that. She was a pet store baby and one of the reasons I will never buy from the pet store again, she opened my eyes (again another blog). Thil takes after me quite a lot, she is sassy and if she could talk she would most definitely talk back with a cock of her head and 'pft', typical teenager. She hates her baths and frequently torments Fiddler when she is out, chasing him off the back of the couch, but otherwise she is a complete ham and loves sitting on your shoulder taking in all the attention. (not taken with D90)


Brood (Caladan). Brood was my first snake, a spider ball python and I'm super glad for that as he is a perfect example to bring home to anyone who is afraid of snakes. He is super shy, everything scares him, including himself. He single handedly brought my mother over to the scaly side and now she loves him and his snake brothers. Brood is endearing like a scared toddler who believes in the phrase 'If I can't see you, you can't see me'.

Anomander. He is the fiesty one of the bunch, but what else would you expect from a boa. Curious and adorable his favorite thing to do is climb your face, at least until he smells food. While not my most aggressive feeder he gets very paranoid while and after eating, usually taking strikes at us while we pass by him, or watching us closely aware of every subtle movement. He has never bitten or struck at me, and I don't tempt him while he is in his mood, all that aside he is an amazing example of a boa, both displaying how calm they can be but at the same time how aggressive they can be.


Pearl. My second ball python, and youngest child. Pearl is not shy at all, complete opposite from his brother Brood, and can often be found watching us while pleading to come out, which he will right on to your hand if you open his tub for him. Pearl is my most aggressive feeder, you can barely get his food into the tub before he already has it in his mouth, still startles me. He is adorable and he knows it and out of everyone he loves the camera.


Anyway those are my kids, and a little show of my camera 'skills'. I hope to continue with this blog and introduce you all into my life while hopefully offering you some helpful ideas and opinions. Hope you enjoy and continue to read, feel free to ask me anything.

Dee