Vivaria Channel

It's not every day that I get to kick back and play with my vivaria all day. These little worlds are each their own wonderful experience and they all have their own unique personality. While my 55gal Indian biotope is grand and elegant, the 30gal Mario Bros tank is a farce on a classic video game. The 5gal riparium and the 40gal paludarium each bring in a semi-terrestrial environment, but are wildly different in structure. The terrarium for my crested gecko could use a little work, but it has a messy look to it that separates it from the others.

Putting these tiny ecosystems together absolutely captivates and fascinates me and I really do like sharing them. So, in an effort to share them a bit more actively than just pictures here, I've started a youtube channel - TheLemurLad's Channel. I'm thinking I'll do an update vid each week and then make one every so often that deals with specifics. I've made a few videos already, mostly just me shaking the camera and talking for about 10 minutes, but I hope you'll check them out. :)

Procrastination

Why do I do it. WHY WHY WHY! Hmph.

Life and How to Live It

There's a lot of subjugation within the lives we live. We are chosen to be subjects of schools. We are chosen to work for wherever we work. A lot of life is being told what to do and who you are. And telling yourself that. Making yourself be something is one thing, but being yourself is another. I've kept myself on a fairly steady path, continually following what I thought was right and given the room to do so because I respected and gave space to the ones around me. But a couple years ago I applied myself to the Steampunk subculture. I made myself into a steampunk. A mild one, but it was something I could latch onto and feel part of, rather than just being me. I met some great people and did some cool things within the time period that I was really into it. But, like most things within my life, it faded from my interest. I liked the ideals within it, but it wasn't something that completely stuck to my core. I feel like it was the fact that I hadn't created it is what made me fall away from Steampunk.

Yet, I'm glad I had that part in my life. From Steampunk I gleaned a sense of fashion and design and it invigorated my creativity. It really stirred up the mystic silt of life within me. Without it, I hold that I would not be an art major now. I would not be who I am. I was a subject of Steampunk, no doubt.

And so life rolls along, right? We are continued subjects of our professors or of our parents. It's when we break away and start studying on the SUBJECT OF OURSELF that makes us. It's when we take the journey to our core and see what lies there. For me, it seems to be a wide open area, like the deep ends of Burning Man, with lights in the distance and always an adventure to be had, yet serene where I stand. On the ground lay a top hat, my top hat. I lift the hat and beneath it grows the tiniest belly flower. And munching on that flower's tiniest leaves is the tiniest caterpillar. Life feeding life feeding life.  All in an unexpected place, yet a personal one.

And the air smells of rich roasted coffee.

We are all subjects of LIFE, but don't let YOUR LIFE become YOUR SUBJECT. Let you.

The Merry Month of May

This one's gonna be a thriller! Brother's Birthday! Gaslight Gathering! Mother's Day! Dad's Birthday! Maker Faire! Visiting Santa Cruz! AND Camping! 

As for school, it's ending! And I've got a report on Burning Man to do, as well as sculptures, finals, and registering for summer classes!

Guh. This month... This month is gonna be exhausting... And is gonna hurt me in the wallet... BUT IT'S GONNA BE A GOOD HURT. AND IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME. 

One a week?

C'mon me. At least do ONE MASK a week! Or at least put up some pictures! Yeesh, it's not like it's hard to find time to do this bloggaroonie, I just seem to be a spur of the moment kind o' guy. I often go over these posts for at least 30 minutes before putting them up, when I could just say something quick, pop in a picture and BLAMO. Post done. So before I stop myself from putting this up, I just wanna say that I've been working on 2 new vivariums, a laaaarge public art piece that will also be part of our Burning Man camp, planning for B-Man some more, a small brass sculpture, Comic-Con and Burning Man costumes... and... LIFE! I have the awesome opportunity to get a pair of these very endangered newts (mine will come from a breeder) and work with them for breeding, but that's another $80 out of my pocket that I could be saving... BUT MAN ARE THEY COOL!

Pffff Masks

Well, gee, and here I thought I could commit to that. Haha. I've been busy in the past weeks, what with the new job, settling in with school and really working on the planning for Burning Man. I was sick too and I really hate doing anything when I'm sick, ah well... But hey, been doing some sculptures. What time is it? Ah, near eleven. Meh, not too late to take some pictures or make masks. I dunno, sign flipping just really drains me of wanting to do anything at all. School's good though. Welding and sculpture are fun. You know, if I had the current masks out and hanging on my wall, I bet I'd be a lot more compelled. They're a bit too heavy for tape and I don't have enough tacks to hang them all. Such a predicament I know! Ramble ramble ramble...

Fishes are doing alright! Poor Mr. Badis died of unknown causes, I'm guessing parasites. Lady Badis seems pretty sad actually. :( The schooling fish are all moved into the paludarium. I'm considering removing the glowlight danios however, even with just 4 of them, they kinda throw off the groove of the whole tank. That and I really should have set up the unidirectional flow before I put fish in there. DAMN YOU IMPATIENCE! Oh! I got some really neat little gourami-like things. They weren't labeled at Tropical Fish and the guys said they were "Spiketail gourami." I'm a sucker for gourami-ish fish so I nabbed one yesterday and two today to give him some company. They aren't too pretty, but they are probably juveniles and hopefully they'll get to be something like this: Pseudospheromenus cupanus

Anywho, that's what's up with me lately. UPDATE COMPREETO

Paludarium-tastic!

Yes! Finally! The paludarium is set up and running quite well! The crabs are all enjoying their little habitat and I even got another pair, hopefully I'll be able to breed these. :) Also! I picked up a 55gallon tank yesterday! for 40$! Came with a stand and a shit ton of air pumps and other sorts of aquarium stuff. Now, you may be wondering where this money came from. Well, I'm in the same boat. I just haven't a clue. One minute I'm broke, the next I'm off buying a whole 'nother aquarium without fear of it impacting my funds for school. Crazy man. Anywho, how about some pics of the palu? Oh and as for the mask project, hell, you can tell I've been busy, yeah? With school on it's 2nd week, I'm already knee deep into a sculpture and simple assignments from my other classes. Though the simple assignment of buying all my welding "skin gear" is a tad costly. Enough rambling. Time for pictures! Check out the colors on those crabs!

Paludarium Update - NOW WITH RED DEVIL CRABS! :D

I couldn't believe it, my local fish store actually had Geosesarma crabs in today. They were selling pairs for only 30$ so I paid for one as quick as I could. They're even the red variety! The kind I wanted! I had kinda given up on the idea of getting crabs for this project and sticking to geckos because I am confident in my ability to keep geckos, but the second I saw the crabs, I knew I had to have them. It was just gonna be a simple trip to  the store too. I was just picking up some gravel and a few pieces of driftwood, but I just mentioned vampire crabs to Emily (girl who works there) and she was like "We have some up front!" 

Needless to say, I'm excited. The crabs will be waiting for me at the store until I get the paludarium finished, which should be tomorrow. What's really wonderful is that today I was gonna buy a 50 gallon off of craigslist, but I decided that I'd save my money for finishing up the paludarium project. I'm infinitely glad that I did. 

I did a near complete layout of the hardscape (driftwood and rocks) within the paludarium and used the actual light that will be over the tank. It really looks spectacular, can't wait to fill it with plants and water and fish and crabs! 

And that was the big event of the night for me. Just more working during the day! 

Masking Up for Lost Time

Well, I had a paragraph typed out, but I unfortunately closed the window on accident. And now it's late-pants and I am le-tired-pants. Big day for me, first day on the job for Chronic Tacos. Good vibes and energy working there for it being a taco shop chain. Guh, I should be sleeping, gotta get up early to buy Burning Man tickets.

In other news! I got back to mask making. I bet you all thought I had given up! Hah! NO.

First up - Mask #5: Hand Eye Coordination



Second - Mask #6: Suns that Refused to Sink


And finally, one that I particularly like -
Mask #7: Shudder


I think for the sake of them looking good on the blog, I'll shoot them portrait from now on. Am I really 30 masks behind already? Fuuuuuuuuu....zZzzZzzzz...
Edit: No wait, just 23. I can deal with that.

Technomania Circus

What a night... Sorry about the promising about masks, school and new job start next week so maybe that regimen will get me back to them. At least that's my reasoning. I instead finished cleaning my room. Somehow...
I am still in disbelief about it actually.


BUT Back to what the title of this post pertains to!
Tonight, I went to the Technomania Circus. It was absolutely fantastic. The show was Space Pirate Dance Party themed, if you can wrap your mind around that. There were fire jugglers, pirate jokes, robots, alien birth all over the stage, extreme acts of balancing and even a rockin' song about testosterone! Along with gratuitous amounts of blacklight. AND HILARITY.

These guys put on a performance once a month for the low low price of $10. So much better than wasting money on some movie that you won't remember a week later. I heard about it through the San Diego Burning Man announce email list and at first I couldn't believe that there was an underground circus act right in my own home area. Hell, I had to see it to believe it. I wish I had pictures, but at the same time I hate experiencing things from behind a lens and this was a participatory event. It had much of the same energy that you feel out at Burning Man. WHICH FELT AWESOME.

The fact that this was going on in someone's backyard. In the Barrio(a kinda run down area in SD). The front of the house had a huge neon sign outside that read "Technomania Circus." On Homemade stage. With Homemade lighting rigs. A big white and blue striped tarp/tent over the audience of maybe 30-40 people. Makeshift props. AND A CROWS NEST THAT THEY STOOD ON AND SHOT FIRE FROM.

Really world. I do love you. I just wish more of you was like this. I mean, not all of you. Cause that would diminish its uniqueness. But really, more stuff like this for folks under 21 to do. And for only 10$.

Proof? Right here:

Happy New Year and an Update

Well, I guess my break from school has kinda gotten to me. I've only made one mask in the time I've been away, but I've been busy with other shtuff!

Namely the fact that I now HAVE A CAR! It's a 1999 Ford Escort Wagon so it's kinda mom-y, but it gets great mpg and is big enough to comfortably sleep in. Perfect road trip vehicle. 

ALSO! I now have a new job! I interviewed prior to New Year's and they called me in for a second interview on the Tuesday after. Then called to tell me I was hired! I'm gonna go through training on Monday, but I'm stoked to have restaurant work again. Sign flipping has just gotten really old... 

In fishy news, I tore down my 20gal today because the tank wasn't really turning out how I wanted it. So I'm rethinking that one as I get back to work on my riparium/paludarium. Rufus, the dwarf gourami, is dead as well as Jawbreaker, the dwarf puffer. Rufus was on his way out and I couldn't bare to watch him suffer any longer so I humanely euthanized him. Jawbreaker died rather quickly from what looked to be a fungal/bacterial infection. I couldn't see what was wrong because of his tiny body and without scales the infection just looked like part of his pattern. Poor little fella. :( 

I would like to get the paludarium rolling by next Tuesday, before I start school, but I'm not sure I'll have the funds to complete it. I've recently changed my plans on the way the DIY hood will be constructed. I'm thinking I'm gonna try a Wardian case sort of top, with large glass panes on the front and back with screen on the sides for better airflow. I'm almost certain I'll be adding geckos and/or frogs of some sort in to the vivarium, we'll find out after I get my first paycheck from the new job. ;) Maybe I can just establish the underwater section first and work around it. That wouldn't be to hard and the fish need to be rehomed soon, they are a bit crowded currently. Anywho, maybe I'll do a mask tonight, maybe I won't, but I'll get back to them this week. I promise you that.