Oh man, I don�t know where to begin. I�ll tell you now, this will probably take up a few entries. It�s been a looooong weekend. Just the way I like it. I�ll take you through my introspective time alone, to a crazy party in LA, right back here to family guilt where I finish it all off with my account of being attacked by a stranger this morning. Eh? Eh? Makes you wanna READ, doesn�t it? That�s what I thought. So pay attention, my darlings. Rest your head on my dirty pillows and let Barbarella tell you a story. Hee hee.

Friday, out of work at noon, I drove myself over to the San Diego Zoo. What a beautiful afternoon it was, sun peeking through the clouds, my misanthropy took a little break and I allowed myself to enjoy even the crowd of people. I saw the new baby tigers (holy shit, they�re huge), the giant hippo underwater (still amazes me), the Tasmanian Devil had to be one of my favorites. The line for the baby Panda was way too long, I had no idea it was spring break for the children. What is this need people seem to have to narrate what the animals are doing? I really should get myself earplugs to wear when going out in large masses.

�Look, honey, the tiger just walked towards us. Now he�s walking away. They pace like that when they�re hungry, you know.� People giving inaccurate information to their kids, it was all I could do to keep my mouth shut and not correct them, for the children�s sake. One time, I actually could NOT help myself. It was the Tasmanian Devil, and the sign said PLEASE DO NOT TAP THE GLASS. Simple, I thought. But there was this meathead, tapping the fucking glass, and Taz was not so happy about it. In my most sarcastically patronizing tone, I said, �I know that there are a lot of foreigners here, so you may not be able to read English as well as your native tongue, but the sign reads PLEASE DO NOT TAP THE GLASS. Okay? Great.� And then my phone rang, and I talked my way over to the hoofed mammals.

After walking the perimeter, up and down through all of the exhibits, I took a sky ride back to the entrance. I�ve never been on this thing! Over the zoo, the trees, the water of the ocean in the distance, sitting alone in this giant bucket, slowly floating several stories in the air, the beauty of it all struck me, hard. I giggled and cried like a menopausal woman, minus the hot-flashes. I�m just happy I was too far away from the people on the ground to be seen during my little moment of overwhelming joy. What an enriching and wonderful afternoon. I�m so happy I have a zoo pass. I�ll be back, I mean, I�ve GOT to see the baby panda!

-Barbarella

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