Your heart stops within you*
Oct. 4th, 2011 11:12 pmHello, dolls! I'm back, although Ye Great Retelling of my vacation will have to wait until I go through the hundreds of photos and all that fun stuff. Short version is I went to Vienna, Prague and Budapest and it was glorious \o/
As a result of all that, though, I'm now a bit swamped in all my projects and behind on all things fandom, although as you can tell from the LotD, I'm trying to catch up.
At work today I came across two articles which were upsetting for a number of reasons. Background information for the amnesiacs and newcomers: I spent four months tracking lions in Amboseli, namely five radio-and-GPS-collared ones, which means that for four months I saw them nearly every day and learned about their lives and prides and then analyzed the shit out of everything.
So, the first article, Another Lion is Killed in Tanzania, is about young nomadic male roaming about with another young male and who took over another collared lion's pride a short time after I left the park. Turns out he's been implicated in livestock killings a number of times and the Maasai are so not happy about it. So far he's not been killed in retaliation, but it's been close. Another male, tentatively identified as a member of yet another collared lion's pride, wasn't so lucky. And that collared lion? She was killed earlier this year.
The second article, Recent Lion Killings in Tanzania, reports that two other Amboseli lions were killed.
Now, that makes three lions I probably knew - and one very well - dead, and one in trouble and getting into more trouble. I mean, if you were to show me photographs of Amboseli lions in 2009 or years around that, I could pobably tell you who they are, who they hang with, and where. These deaths are upsetting, and I don't mean on a conservationalist level but on a personal one, and I'm being incredibly English and understated about it. (I'm also a bit upset that a) I didn't get the news through the grapevine, and b) no one knows who the dead lions are**).
One day I'll get around to finally writing up those months, and setting up the photographs and videos and everything, but for now, all I can say is those lions mean a lot to me and damn it, stop killing them.

On the left: deceased. On the right: pissing off the locals. All photos by me.
Links of the Day:
Supernatural:
mrscastielftw's Reaction Meet the New Boss ; Reaction Hello, Cruel World ; Theory The Talmud and the Big Bad and More on that ; Fic The Hunter Groom ; Fic In Which I Propose How Supernatural Season Seven Should End... ; Fanart Song lyrics ; Fanart Balthazar tells a (bad) joke ; To work through the pain of 7x02
tracy_loo_who's Reaction Dear Castiel and also rest of show - With a good meta on Dean's emotional coping methods and failings, or "Why so angry, Dean?"
sm0kingbunny's Fanart Movie-remix Season 1, Episodes 1-4
bevwa's Fanvid We've lost so much
missyjack's Video Season 6 Deleted Scene
Doctor Who:
writtenhistory's Meta Hypocrisy of travelling with the Doctor
goldenmoonrose's Meta Second First Date: Mirroring and Identity in Doctor Who's Let's Kill Hitler
TV Guide's Torchwood Finale Postmortem: Espenson on Jilly's Revelation, Big Twists and a Lack of Aliens
Gladstone's How Doctor Who Became My Religion
Sherlock:
phantmgreeneyes's Links to Sherlock canon blogs
True Blood:
trueblood_lj's flocked 4x12 Discussion
Alexander Skarsard on Jimmy Fallon (12/09/11)
Stephen Moyer on Twilight and talking like a 14-year-old
Other Fandom:
SpoilerTV's Misfits Online Minisode, "Vegas Baby!"
Multifandom:
Random:
MaidOnline's Leopard attacks and kills crocodile
NationalGeographic's Crocodile attacks elephant
Wiki's List of public domain image resources websites
Amazon's The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life
* "Old Mary", The Dead Weather
** I can only hope someone's thought to use my ID database, which is a whole new can of upset worms.
As a result of all that, though, I'm now a bit swamped in all my projects and behind on all things fandom, although as you can tell from the LotD, I'm trying to catch up.
At work today I came across two articles which were upsetting for a number of reasons. Background information for the amnesiacs and newcomers: I spent four months tracking lions in Amboseli, namely five radio-and-GPS-collared ones, which means that for four months I saw them nearly every day and learned about their lives and prides and then analyzed the shit out of everything.
So, the first article, Another Lion is Killed in Tanzania, is about young nomadic male roaming about with another young male and who took over another collared lion's pride a short time after I left the park. Turns out he's been implicated in livestock killings a number of times and the Maasai are so not happy about it. So far he's not been killed in retaliation, but it's been close. Another male, tentatively identified as a member of yet another collared lion's pride, wasn't so lucky. And that collared lion? She was killed earlier this year.
The second article, Recent Lion Killings in Tanzania, reports that two other Amboseli lions were killed.
Now, that makes three lions I probably knew - and one very well - dead, and one in trouble and getting into more trouble. I mean, if you were to show me photographs of Amboseli lions in 2009 or years around that, I could pobably tell you who they are, who they hang with, and where. These deaths are upsetting, and I don't mean on a conservationalist level but on a personal one, and I'm being incredibly English and understated about it. (I'm also a bit upset that a) I didn't get the news through the grapevine, and b) no one knows who the dead lions are**).
One day I'll get around to finally writing up those months, and setting up the photographs and videos and everything, but for now, all I can say is those lions mean a lot to me and damn it, stop killing them.

On the left: deceased. On the right: pissing off the locals. All photos by me.
Links of the Day:
Supernatural:
- Crowleyismyco-pilot's Episode Reaction As a Crowley fan ; Meta Crowley and his son ; Meta His epic bitchface in this scene. When he's like, Oh you've got to be kidding me! - Also, his slippers! ; Meta I will still never completely understand Dean's treatment of Crowley at this point. Here they are coming to Crowley for help ONCE AGAIN and Dean is all How about I stab you in your scuzzy face? Really Dean? ; Meta Crowley: "I can imagine so many things." ; Meta What do you think Crowley's going to do now, after the last episode? ; Meta And then Crowley just pours himself a drink... ; Meta An Open Letter to Crowley ; Meta ...you can’t blame Crowley for wanting to kill the people who keep trying to kill him. ; Meta On Crowley being a demon ; Note What the hell does that post-it say? ; Note When the King of Hell is just chilling in his RV, playing solitaire ; Note What Crowley drinks when he can't get Craig ; Fanvid Parachute - A Growley Fanvid ; Fic Fashion, Baby - A Growley Ficlet (Also known as "The One Where Gabriel Wears a Suit") ; Fic When You Were Youngs - A Growley Fic ; Fic Safe - A Semi-Growley Ficlet ; GIFs Mark Sheppard interview - Where is this?!?
- Lameassmadeupmaidenname's Quote Misha: "It is frustrating. I went from being a contracted regular character on the show in the last couple of years to this year, I'm a recurring guest star..."
- Ajhofacre's On the "Cas is dead, hahaha, your ship is sunk" happenings in fandom
- Eastcollins' Meet the New Boss - Macro Summary
Doctor Who:
TV Guide's Torchwood Finale Postmortem: Espenson on Jilly's Revelation, Big Twists and a Lack of Aliens
Gladstone's How Doctor Who Became My Religion
- Lameassmadeupmaidenname's Fanvid Amy and the Doctor ; Fanvid Ianto and Owen
- Tacoface's Fanart Perfume Ads for Doctor Who characters ; Video "Death is the Only Answer" Minisode ; Meta Each series according to Whovian overall feelings ; Fanjewelry Keep Calm and Don't Blink ; Fanart Hermits United
- Newton_pulsifer's Fanmixes [Three]
Sherlock:
- Tacoface's Audio Moriarty's Last Stand - The Fratellis ; Lyrics Coz Ur an Idiot
- Glamlock's Sherlock glam rock AU
True Blood:
Alexander Skarsard on Jimmy Fallon (12/09/11)
Stephen Moyer on Twilight and talking like a 14-year-old
Other Fandom:
SpoilerTV's Misfits Online Minisode, "Vegas Baby!"
- Lameassmadeupmaidenname's BtVS Fanvid Interlude - "At least one moment from every episode Spike & Buffy share a scene in chronological order." ; Fanvid Anya: New Soul
- Tacoface's X-Men Comic Charle's Xavier's The "What's Happening to My Body?" Book for Mutants ; Lord of the Rings GIFs Legolas: Captain Obvious ; Twilight Video Twilight in four seconds
Multifandom:
- Tacoface's Jewlery Nerdculture Jewelry
Random:
MaidOnline's Leopard attacks and kills crocodile
NationalGeographic's Crocodile attacks elephant
Wiki's List of public domain image resources websites
Amazon's The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life
- Crowleyismyco-pilot's Video Effects of media on children - "No matter what else a woman does, not matter what else her achievements, their value still demends on how they look."
- Lameassmadeupmaidenname's Instant classy atmostphere
- Newton_pulsifer's Video The end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” summed up in a single video
- Tacoface's Audio The Magic Position - Patrick Wolfe ; Poster Believe in your fucking self (and other fucking things) ; Photos Secrets of the 99% ; Art Girls in their undies vs. zombies
* "Old Mary", The Dead Weather
** I can only hope someone's thought to use my ID database, which is a whole new can of upset worms.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-04 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-04 11:13 pm (UTC)Second, thank you for bring Crowleyismyco-pilot into my life. I have your links most enjoyable.
Third *HUGS AGAIN*
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:54 am (UTC)Crowleyismyco-pilot is indeed awesome.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:21 pm (UTC)Congrats on your recent writing exploits! And I hope you're feeling better *snuggles*
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:33 pm (UTC)Thankyou! I'm feeling a bit brighter, the doctor's finally admitted that maybe there's something wrong with my meds and now there's a light at the end of the tunnel *snugs you*
no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-05 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-06 11:32 am (UTC)*offers lots and lots of hugs*
no subject
Date: 2011-10-06 02:42 pm (UTC)