Lemurs rule

[firecat]

and the San Francisco Zoo's new exhibit for them, which I saw tonight with my sweetie kyubi, is very cool indeed -- they actually get to climb in real, mature trees. There were, according to the keeper, 10 male lemurs sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G and every once in a while they'd start chattering away in an enormous variety of voices, loudly, and sounding to my ear more like 50 critters than 10.

The exhibit mixes together several species; I don't know the names of most of them, but there were white ones with black faces, red ones with black faces and tails, and ring-tails.

It was the annual Members Night at the zoo. We got there late (my fault), so we only got to see the lemurs. It was foggy but that didn't deter the hundreds of families with kids. After the zoo closed we sat on a low wall near the exit and ate sandwiches and watched people leave. I told kyubi that any residual obligation I felt to contribute to the next generation of humans had been swept away. Lots and lots and lots of kids, walking and being carried and being pushed in single strollers and double strollers.

Sometimes when I see lots of kids being pushed in strollers or carried and I go to a kid-friendly place and see strollers for rent, I think about how it's seen as entirely natural that parents should let their kids ride in strollers even if they are capable of walking, but it's more rare to see older people out and about in wheelchairs or scooters, even though probably a large percentage of older people would benefit from them and would be able to go out and do more things if wheelchairs for adults were as casually available as children's strollers.

Comments

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

as my fibromyalgia has progressed, I have finally given in and on extremely bad days parked in handicapped spots. (I have the plate but it's for when take my parents places, it wasn't intended for me) I'm getting to the point where I'm debating using the electric carts they have in some grocery stores some days. I know people look at me and don't get it, they don't see anything "wrong" with me until I've walked halfway through the store, had a muscle spasm so bad in my back down to the back of my thigh that I fell on the floor kicking like an epileptic. I'm learning now to stop every two aisle and sit on the floor for a few minutes and rest my body. I get wierd looks but I figure fine, I'll just do my part to make people lives surreal, and I tell them I am healing the karma of the aisle I'm in, it's damaged. (shrug okay, so I like messing with people's heads.)
had someone say something nasty to me one day when I parked in a handicapped spot, she was like "That's for handicapped." I said "I have a plate, it's legal" she said "There's nothing wrong with you." and I went ballistic. "Lady, do you think people with parkinsons and MD and Fibro and a host of other illnesses just one day wake up and are wheelchair bound? have you ever considered the disease has a progression rate and while I may still have some mobility I wear out really quick now? You bitch, if I didn't hurt so bad I would kick your ass and make you feel like I do!!!" It's so frustrating....to have an "invisible" disease. They are wanting to put me in a back brace now to take some of the strain off my muscles, plus breast reduction surgery, which I've wanted for years anyway, because I'm having back and rib spasms so bad I can't expand my ribcage properly to draw a good breath. I'm on drugs that would put most people in a coma...and they do almost nothing for me.
Sigh..not meaning to whine or sound oh pity me, but just giving folks something to think about next time you see that apparantly healthy person using the handicapped stall in the bathroom, or a parking spot or using the electric carts at the store. There is so often so much more than meets the eye. I personally have actively lobbyed at our local malls to do electric wheelchair rentals, as I really can't mall shop anymore. Hell, Target takes it all out of me by the time I check out. I've had cashiers get me a chair and unload my cart for me because I was so pale and looked so sick.

[firecat]

I love the idea of doing your part to make people's lives surreal!

she said "There's nothing wrong with you." and I went ballistic.

I'm glad you did that. I hope she learned something.