HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

It is Halloween, people, and I love it!!

I have to say, since being older, Halloween is a little less exciting as it was 10 years ago, but I still enjoy it a lot!!

I used to go out to West Hollywood to see the costumes, but the past couple of years I've been keeping it low key. I am wearing my flashing lights skull earrings...

BUT!!!

PEOPLE!!!

TODAY, IT RAINED!!!!

It is the sign from the Ball Python Gods that it is TIME to PAIR UP!!!

For those that don't know, Rain and the change in Barometric pressure in the environment is one of the signals to the snakes that it is time to get it ON!

So, tonight, if I don't go out and party it up with the freeky and creepy out in Hollywood or somewhere else (since it rained), I will be pairing up, and on Monday, I WILL HAVE SNAKE PICTURES!!!!

I know I've been slacking this week. For that, I apologise :) Snake things will be back on track in the next episode, I swear.

Have a safe and spooky Halloween, my friends. Don't eat all your candy at once, and enjoy your weekend!!

Wow... The week is flying by!

Well today is feeding day, and... I'm sorry to say, I lied.

I did NOT pair up breeders last night.

I got home late after a Sushi gorge and had no energy to do anything but pass out in a food coma.

After feeding day, and after the weekend comes, I really will sit down and pair things up. There are several animals I'm still waiting on getting a tad bit bigger before pairing, so therefore, FEEDING is the key.

I am also going to sit down and take some more snake pictures, as I realize that the blog that should be about snake breeding has taken a turn for the not so snakey.

I'm hoping my loyal readers don't mind that much.

Speaking of loyal readers, if you would like to, please sign up to be one on the side panel of this blog. I'm curious to see who reads this day to day.

Anyway, here is a picture of a False Water Cobra I had for a short period of time. She was too cool!!!

What day is it today???

Why, its my Birthday!

Thank you to all of you who have already sent messages and posted on the forums for my birthday. It has already been a sweet day, and it has only just begun!!

Now I can reveal that I went home this past weekend for my birthday, and I had a blast! One of the things I got to do was go up to Napa (California's Wine Country) and enjoy the sights and tastes of the area. Here are a couple.







I have family up there, so I got to be involved with a family friends winery and help bottle wine!

Here is a quick rundown on how it goes.

Since the Vinter in question is a hobbiest, we just bottled a couple of barrels. It was a Pinot Noir, and it was very nice.

Here are the barrels.



And what we were about to do...



And where we were going to do it. Its a travelling bottling line! (Yes, it was done in a trailer, which is not standard for the big Vinters, but for the amount we were doing, we didn't need to worry about a huge production)



And the bottles, sadly empty...



But not for long!!!



Here is the wheel of filling.. (The bottles are first gassed with nitrogen to remove all air that may oxidize the wine)



And when they are full, the awesome corking machine corks the bottles and removes any excess air/nitrogen. The bubble in your wine is Nitrogen, not air!



And look, there are corks in there!



Here is the end of the line. After it is corked, it is ready to be wiped down on the outside, and boxed up to be left alone for another year (2007s should be drunk in 2009)



And the final final product! This was Organic Pinot Noir, and I had a lot of fun being involved!




And as it is my birthday today, I have decided to start pairing TODAY!!!

Should be good luck, right???

Wish me some luck, and have a great day!!!

Weekend Recap

Here are a couple of pics from my trip to San Francisco.

I shall narrate.

Let me begin by saying San Francisco is a beautiful city.

It is eclectic (gotta love the color choices)



The infamous Hippie state, Haight and Ashbury..



A Mural being painted in the Mission District.



The beautiful architecture. This is the de Young Museum.



And again, so that you can't forget its San Francisco!!!



It can't be San Francisco without a little "Smug" with the Hybrid Prius.

(Refer to South Park episode Smug Alert!!)



City streets..



The Green House in Golden Gate Park.



A cool radio tower you can see from lots of places in SF



We went to other places as well, but I will space it out thru the week to make things interesting.


Coming home to clean snakes is a great thing. I am so happy. Thanks, L!

Things are getting busy around here again. I swore that I would start pairing up after I got back...

News on that soon!!!

Back

So I have returned!!!

I have a bunch of cool non-snake pictures to share, but I don't have them uploaded yet.

We had a great weekend with the family, and I am glad to have had that time up there for a while.

Basically, this blog today will be short and sweet, considering I have very little to share yet.

This week should be interesting though. Cleaning day today, getting back to the grind and so forth.

Bring it on!!!

On the road again!!!

Well, tonight after work, we are on the road! Tommorow I may or may not have a blog, depending on what the day pans out to be. It's my vacation, and I'm gunna enjoy it!

I will for sure have plenty of pictures, however, and there will be a great many stories to tell, albeit not snake related, but its good to break it up a bit, right?

Joel, the Fuzz and I will be travelling and enjoying Northern California for the last time before the new year. I really really enjoy it, as I was born and raised there, but moving around is a part of life, and absence makes the heart grow fonder, yes?

I'm also going to say this while we are on this train of thought. OH MY GOODNESS, the NEW YEAR is coming up FAST!!!



I haven't even started breedings!

I think when I get back, I will start pairing things up..


BLARG


Anyway, since I didn't have any photos yesterday, I pulled one of my favorites out and posted it.



This is Flat Stanley, who was sent to me by my cousin a couple years ago for his school project. Obviously, he sent him to me to see the snakes, so... I let him!

This is some of the 1000 Captive Hatched babies that come in from Africa to my friend's store, and I get to sort thru when all is said and done. I thought this made for a pretty cool picture.

Getting ready to pack up...

It's Weds, and tommorow night I will be taking my famed trip to San Francisco for the weekend.

I ALWAYS feel like I forget something when I leave things...

I have a list of things I need to do, and I haven't even started on it, really.

ARGH!

It's actually not as stressful as you think leaving all these snakes behind. They are very safe, and barring any external environmental issues, they are happily tucked in their tubs unawares that I am gone.

I always have a friend that comes in and checks things out while I'm gone too, so as much as I fret, I'm usually problem free!

This will also be my first long trip with the new car. I'm sure it'll be fine.

This weekend is chock full of plans, and I will make sure to bring the camera and some good stories back when I get back to the blog!!!

I'm getting excited!

Ebb and flow

As does most things, the ebb of the busy tide has turned. Things are slowing down again, and therefore, all I have to really share are not so snakely stories, as well as some random photos.

Bad news, the four egg clutch that was laid at the end of September has lost two of its eggs to mold. The other two eggs are still okay, so all fingers are crossed for viable babies out of this clutch!

I also went this past week to take some more photos of the post-shed White Gold (mojave pied) babies.

They are getting nicer with age.

Enjoy!

And you may now kiss the bride.

So... Second wedding of the month.

It was a very nice wedding, a very PINK one to be certain.

It was a wedding between an American/Mexican Family and a Vietnamese one, so I was kinda curious how it would play out. It was very typical, actually.





Some of the flowers in the methodist church.. Very pretty church, by the way..



Mothers of the bride and groom going to light the ceremonial candles of the family.



One of the flower girls...



The ladies in pink



The men in not pink (but with a pink rose)



Joel was the best man, so he got to be all spiffy/handsome in a tux. Isn't he pretty??





PINK!!!



And the obligatory Joel and I photograph.

We had fun!


So now, although it is not at all snake related THIS TIME, we have one more wedding in November that is more snake related than most, so... It will be more typical of the snake blog.


With that being said, there is very little updates regarding snakes this weekend, as we were pretty busy doing other stuff. Tommorow shall continue the photo essay of the males at Heather's Herps.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday!

I'm ready for a break. Its been one of those weeks where it dragged on endlessly, yet went really fast. Wierd..


Last night we went to Joel's best friends wedding rehersal. It will be a beautiful wedding, as the church is actually very nice.

It will be an interesting wedding on Saturday, as it will be Vietnamese/American/Mexican. I'm curious how its going to work out.

There will be for sure some photos on Monday.


On the snake end, I am just putting up some pictures I took this week that I didn't really figure out a way to encorporate too much into the blog.

This is Cable the Sable again. I just liked the picture, as it shows off his colors and patterns more so than when he was being shy a couple of days back.



And this is a random baby Albino. She should be a stunner when she gets older, and I'm not sure what I'm planning to do with her, but it'll be fun!!



This weekend will be jam packed with EXCITEMENT (and a lot to do)!!! Hope you are all ready for the ride.. WOOOOO.

Don't sweat the small stuff

Seems like things are getting tighter for many people...

Tensions are higher, politics in the forefront..

I also get a bit carried away when it comes to all the bad press and negativity.

But I remember that I get to do what I love to do, and do it with people I love, and that makes it all better, right?

Yes.

Snakes are great things, they are calming and they have a majesty to them that I greatly enjoy.

So... when you are stressing or upset, go hold a snake :) It works for me.




This is my breeder male Albino. He has yet to be proven, although he was paired up last year. I was kinda dissapointed when he didn't do the deed, but... oh well. This year for sure!!



Today is a new day. Enjoy it!

Snow in California??

Why, I sure hope so!!!


This is my TSK Axanthic 100% het Albino male.



I am planning to put him with a couple females, including an Albino poss het Axanthic and an Axanthic poss het Albino (let us pray). I really would love it if both proved out. I'd love a couple Snows (Axanthic Albinos- A double recessive that is a powerhouse!!)



If you are thinking to yourself, why he is rather brown.. He is in the photo, but looks much better in person. It's one of those morphs that do not take well to photography, as much as I tried..


On top of everything else, SUPER AWESOME PROPS go to Brian Sharp for producing the Caramel Clown!! That thing is SWEEEEEET!!!!

The Caramel Clown!!!

Anyway, over here the fires are still raging, although they are not that close to me. I can just smell the smoke and my allergies are acting up because of it.

I'm getting ready for a whirlwhind weekend with another wedding coming up, as well as a couple parties to celebrate things like birth (of other people), and preparation of wedding stuff (for other people).

The end of the year is fast approaching, and it seems as if people want to jam as much as they can into this year.

I'm not complaining, but man oh man I'm running trying to catch up!!

It is time to stop and smell the smoke.. Ahhhhhhhh.

Running on empty...

I'm tired already, and its only Tuesday!! ARGH!!!

Its been one of those weeks where things are overflowing, running over each other and kicking me in the shins.

I'm tired.. Stress is kicking in too. Why? Just cause! Why not, right?

HAH!

Anyway, here are two other males I am showcasing today.

This is the Enchi male. He is a proven breeder, and has produced ONE Enchi for me this season so far. Yeah, my luck sucked. But his babies are HOT!





And here is Cable the Sable. Is his name really Cable? Not really. I never really call him that out loud, it just sounds cute when you read it in your head. He should be ready and raring to go this upcoming season! I'm excited, although he is a little shy.



As for the rest of the week, its time to try and relax. Things are swirling around no matter how hard you try and control them. Peace.

Is EVERYONE getting married?

Weekend update:

Joel and I went to a wedding on Sat. My friend Crystal (a snake friend) got married in a beautiful ceremony. I was very pleased, and I really like the setup!

Unfortunately, my camera sucked. Enjoy the photos, but don't strain your eyes too much, okay?













It was beautiful, and I know that my friend is now happy and complete. Congrats, Crystal and Kevin!

We have two more weddings to attend before the end of the year.

Next weekend is Joel's best friend, and Joel will be the best man.

Then in November, we will be going to see our friends in Vegas to attend a wedding out there.

I have to say, I'm kinda liking this whole wedding thing. Gives me ideas!!!


I like a snake theme... Maybe there will be a way to make it happen...



Anyway, I've decided to showcase my male breeding team this week.



This is the Pin male I had hoped would go last year, but to no avail...

He will be put with some normals to get me some female pins. Not sure what else yet, but he's a hottie for sure!!

More to come soon!