Enough is ENOUGH, already!!!

That's it, people. I've had it. This post has been building in me for I don't know how long, and I have to let it out. I'm rather tense about it, so I apologize for any disconnected thoughts. This isn't Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism. This is me, fed up.



The time is way, way past for stopping the use of the terms "geek" or nerd". I'm going to focus on the stereotypes of birders and nature lovers, but this could easily spill over into the technical fields, fans of Sci-Fi, etc.
Let's start with the definitions of "geek" and "nerd", according to Wikipedia:
Geek:
"a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc."
Nerd:
"a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner by peers or will tend to associate with like-minded people."


(My favorite picture from the Flock's trip to WV...I just wish the whole Flock could have been in it)

As of today, I will be taking offense at anyone daring to call me, or any other nature lover, a geek, nerd, dweeb, snod (that's a new one I just learned), etc, etc, ad nauseum.

I'm not one to psychologically dissect any of this behavior, but my opinion is that it is a knee-jerk reaction to "label" a person based on their actions, especially when we don't understand the obsession.
Example:
*Star Trek conventions, with people dressed as their favorite character. Same with Star Wars, and any number of other shows or movies: Ever been to one of those? They are fantastic fun, booths selling things you are interested in, like-minded people who totally get you and your love of whatever subject you are all celebrating. Stars from the shows or movies come to these events, and you get autographs and a minute of their time to ask questions.
(Anyone else think this sounds like a birding festival? Except that we don't wear costumes, we wear bird shirts. And instead of Leonard Nimoy, we swoon over David Sibley, Bill Thompson and Julie Zickefoose, Scott Weidensaul, etc. )

As of today, I won't be tolerating any nature or bird lover calling themselves "Bird Nerds" or "Nature Geeks". I'm not having it.
Even if you are saying it in jest, or think it's a badge of honor.


I took a Cultural Sensitivity class years ago, a required study at the direct care facility I was employed by. There was a mix of all ages, races, financial "status", occupations, etc. The one thing that I have carried with me ever since is this:
Stereotypes, whether they are negative or positive, have the potential to be hurtful or damaging.
Any stereotype you can come up with, whether it is "complimentary" or "derogatory", puts not only the stereotyped person at a disadvantage, but it greatly depresses your ability to truly know the person. If all you see is the stereotype, then you don't see the other human being.

I can't address all of the parts of the "Birder" stereotype, but I have witnessed first-hand just how short-sighted and frankly inaccurate it is...

Birders:
(I have yet to meet anyone who fits the "Birder" or "Birdwatcher" stereotype).
I guess that stereotype dictates that we are to be strangely-dressed, stodgy, socially-inept pantywaists who just sit on park benches and feed pigeons?
I beg your ****ing pardon?



If you read any of the blogs in our Flock network, you KNOW that we are supremely skilled at social graces, so there goes that part of the stereotype:










Out of the nine or so Flock members at the New River Birding and Nature Festival, only a few of us had ever met in real life. By the end of that first day, we were BFF's.


Stodgy? Sure, whatever. Bite me.











(Tim, playing KILLER COWBELL with the Swinging Orangutangs)
(Oh, wait! We aren't supposed to have fun or like rock 'n' roll! Stop it, Tim!!)
For every stereotype you throw at me, I can and will throw back an exception.
So what makes a stereotype worth a damn??? Even the "good" ones?
Stop being weak and lazy by using stereotypes. You can be better than that.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And while I am all fired up, I will say this, too...and the people who I am speaking to?
You know who you are.

When I was a phlebotomist, I would talk about my patients, or funny things that happened at the lab. And you enjoyed those stories. And you thought my job had value.

When I was a direct care specialist for adults with mentally retardation, I would talk about my residents, or funny things that happened at the home. And you enjoyed those stories. And you thought my job had value.

When I was the manager and technician for a medical office, I would talk about my patients or funny things that happened at the office. And you enjoyed those stories. And you thought my job had value.

NOW that I am an educator for a raptor rescue, I talk about my birds, or funny things that happen at the center. And you mock me. And you derisively call me "Bird Lady". And you think my job has no value.

I have a few words to say to that:



I am a Human Perch for some of the world's most beautiful creatures.



I have learned to excel at opening the sky of knowledge and passion for thousands of people.

I have found work that completes me,

...that lights me up inside, like a light bulb behind my eyes,




...I look forward to getting up ever day and doing my job,



...a job that I am very good at, a job that makes my heart overflow every single time I do it.

And you are jealous of that.

So I'm sorry you can't handle that you hate your job and dread getting up every morning.
But don't take it out on me. I'm one of the lucky ones.


And you can kiss my ass.

Holy Dinosaur Bones, Batman!

Well, the blue bud is now a blue bloom.
Is that a perfect blue or what? I think I will plant Bachelor's Buttons every year. Such happy little flowers.

The marathon of programs began today.
The first was close to home, and also close to the B&N where Geoff will be signing copies of his book. I stopped in the store and took a sneaky picture of the BIG sign right inside the door:

The second program was across the river in Kentucky. A large, loud storm cut it short and I drove back to RAPTOR dripping.
Let me tell you about a conversation I had as I was packing the birds back into the car after my first program:
A woman began talking to me about RAPTOR and our programs, etc. She took one of my brochures and said that her church would love to have us. Great.
Then she started talking about the giant statue they have at their church (the largest Horseshoe Crab in the world or something like that) and it's covered in Scripture. Okay. Great. If that's your thing.
She also mentioned The Creation Museum and "Answers in Genesis" ( I was a bit confused at this turn in topics...weren't we talking about birds of prey a second ago?) and then she dropped this bomb:
"You know, that museum that shows us that God didn't create the dinosaurs."

Exsqueeze me?
She then proceeded to tell me how dinosaur bones couldn't possibly any more that a few thousand years old, because the world is only about six thousand years old.
Oh, dear. One of those.
You can imagine the trillion things that ran through my mind in that nanosecond.
But all I did was put the birds in the car faster, thank her for her interest in RAPTOR, and
Got. The. Hell. Out. Of there.

I am teaching the girls the concepts of "acceptance" and "tolerance", and I try to live those concepts myself. But sometimes it's hard, isn't it? I almost bit through my tongue.

It's scary to think that children who go to this museum and are being raised by parents who think this museum is a great idea (A $50 million idea, at that!), will think that science is full of BS, and swallow this humongous spoonful of crap they are being fed. These are the type of people who voted for Bush. Twice.
:)

A colonic for your brain:

We got lots of wonderful, cold rain today, and the hummingbirds were zipping merrily through the yard and perching and preening. Look at his gorget in these two pictures. Those red feathers look black unless they are turned just so.

And they were full of **ss and vinegar, giving me the raspberry.
"Pbbbpbpbpbpbpbpbp...."

You may not be seeing me for a few days...Harry Potter and Owls will be my life this weekend. I will be back when I have finished the book and recovered from the zillion programs I will be doing.

I hate Japanese beetles......and some birdy delicate parts

I have declared war on the Japanese beetles.
And in the light of my post on the RAPTOR blog, I had to find something that would get the Japanese beetles and nothing else.
The easy way out would have been to get some all-purpose insect killer, and end up killing all the bugs in the yard. Did you know there is a product called Bug-Free Yard? WTF?
I chose the difficult way out. I had to go to three stores until I found the Japanese beetle bag traps with the pheromone/floral lures. I even went to a store I despise. I won't say the name...but it's two words, the first word begins with an "H" and the second word rhymes with "creepo" They didn't even carry the bag traps. So I finally found some at Lowe's, which is a store I love. Helpful staff, clean, bright.
The other one is like a big scary warehouse you would find in a horror movie.

I was horrified at the selection of pesticides. I watched a very obese woman choose a "snake remover" chemical ( I couldn't help but notice her, because her rather large ass was in my way) and I can't imagine snakes being such a problem here in Southwest Ohio that someone would NEED a chemical to get rid of them! Mice and rat traps, I understand. Indoor ant poison, I understand. Indoor flea and tick spray and powder, I understand.
(I had to get some of that today...forgot to give Nellie her Advantage and she brought them in. Bad pet owner! Bad! Bad!)
But mole traps? Skunk/rabbit/possum/whatever repellent or poison? Full spectrum insect killers???
I say again, WTF?


My Bag O' Beetles.
I went out before sundown to check, and there were already about twenty beetles in there. YES! That will teach you to eat my first wisteria blossoms! I was able to enjoy them a whole 12 hours before they were eaten.

I love our prairie. Every day, there is a new thing to marvel at:

I don't know what it is, but I like it.

I tried to get a few good pictures of a pair of goldfinches sampling our ginormous sunflowers, but they kept turned their butts up in the air.
I almost deleted this one, but I noticed a "small" tidbit...

This is another way you can tell male songbirds from female ones.
During nesting season (and goldfinches are in theirs right now) the male's naughty bits swell up enough to be noticeable. I knew the basics of their reproductive systems, but this is the first time I got a peek at the package, know what I'm sayin'?



I haven't been able to find a single pipevine swallowtail caterpillar for 2 days. I assume they are pupating and are just hiding very well.
But I found a whole new batch of eggs to watch!

Waiting...

It's been hit or miss on my blog this past week. I somehow feel bad when I am too tired to post something.
My computer is moving very very slow tonight, and I have been trying to upload a video for what seems like an hour.

In the meantime, I will share a few bumper stickers that I have seen in the past few days:
(I didn't get pictures of them, but I committed them to memory, because they were too hilarious)

1. "I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather...not screaming like his passenger".
2. "Reality is for those without imagination."
3. "I'd rather be at the beach, poking dead things with a stick."

I had some punks disapprove of my bumper sticker...(the one that says, "My Peregrine Falcon is smarter than your honor student."
I was pulling onto the street that RAPTOR is on, and some high school age boys were behind me in a car, and one of them yelled, "YOU'RE WRONG!"
Yeah.
Bite me.
Feeling a bit insecure, are we?
On the flip side, I have had people call out to me at red lights, telling me that my bumper stickers are hilarious.

How about a rant while we wait for this damn video to upload?
Rules I would make if I ran the show, general bitchiness, and a few things that keep me up at night:
1. Every homeowner should be required by law to have a compost pile.
2. If you own a Hummer, you deserve to be publicly flogged.
3. I hope that all the goof balls who drive around in their cars with the bass turned all the way up should go deaf.
4. Dog owners need to treat their dogs like DOGS, not short furry people.
5. Why do we drive on a parkway, and park on a driveway?
6. If nothing sticks to Teflon, what makes Teflon stick to the pan?
7. Super models should be no younger than 30, and weigh more than 125 pounds.
8. High heels, stockings and under wire bras should be outlawed.
9. Future parents should have to have formal training in child rearing and have to get a license.
10. A male birth control pill should be invented.
11. Teenagers should have their vocal cords and sex organs paralyzed until they turn 21.
12. Child abusers should be castrated.
13. Teachers and police officers should be the highest paid professions.
14. People who let their children or dogs ride in the back of a pickup should have their driver's license revoked.
15. All auto companies not yet doing so, should be fined $1,000,000 a day until they produce a hybrid or fully electric car.
16. Every mother of a newborn should be given a maid, a chauffeur, a massage therapist and a cook, to live with them until the kid goes to college.
17. Why is it that a dog hates it when you blow in their face, but when you put them in a car, they stick their head out the window?
18. Why do we deplane, but we don't debus, decar, or deboat?
19. Why do we call a peanut out of the shell as "shelled"? Shouldn't we call it "unshelled"?
20. If someone can be called "ruthless", why can't we call the opposite "ruthfull"?

Oh, thank God...the video is done.

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