Where did Feral take place? Was the island called Touch of Silence Isle, or wasn't it? I'm totally baffled. Did the island even have a name? I thought it was Touch of Silence Isle but now I just don't know. T_T Also, why did everyone leave? I thought it was drought or famine or something bad but Emyfluff says it was sinking? Could somebody please help me remember?

I should probably write an update telling everybody where I disappeared to and what I've been doing. So, here goes.

Real life decided to take a major front seat. I don't know where I last left off with most of you, and I don't know how much I'm going to have the energy to write before I fall asleep at the computer, so this is probably going to be all cliffnotes. Bear with me, please!

I was in college full time at Rutgers University for about a year when I realized I wasn't at all happy with what I was doing and where I was going. Desperate for change, I somehow managed to swing a job doing bare bones veterinary assistant work on the weekends for a company called Luv My Pet. It's a low cost vaccination clinic for dogs and cats; we used to do ferrets but there were too many allergic reactions happening, so they stopped doing them. The highlight of my life was holding screaming Yorkies while they pelted me with anal glands and urine. I learned how to do the Customer Service Representative and Cashier positions. I got elevated to Rig Manager. When I hit a year of employment I asked for a raise and got a measly two quarters to show for my efforts, so I quit.

Now I work for a low cost spay/neuter clinic called People for Animals. I like this job a lot better, as I get to learn how to do more things, like inserting tracheal tubes and giving injections IV and IM and watching surgeries and clipping nails and all the stuff I've never been allowed to try. I've had heartbreak, too. A puppy I was going to foster — God, I loved that little girl — went under anasthesia and just...never woke up. The doctor did everything she could, worked on her, worked on her...she never woke up, and later that day I removed the tube from her cold, stiff little body and wished she could've been mine. Her name was Lucy.

I live with Matt now and we've been together for two years and change. I think we started living together in August 2006 — confirmed just now by Matt himself — and in June 2007 we moved somewhere that the roof didn't leak for months on end. Somewhere that our heat actually works. Somewhere that I can walk to a 7-11 without getting mugged. We've definitely moved up in the world, even though we're still living simply. I think we'll probably always live simply, as long as we're together.

I used to have guinea pigs, but I had to give them up. Their names were Cinnamon and Twilight; they were supposed to be girls, but they grew testicles. Petco, apparently, cannot sex their animals for shit. They started fighting like crazy and I couldn't keep up with buying two of everything and separating everything and cleaning out two huge cages a week.

I've got a puppy. His name is Kennedy, and we got him on 7/7/07, which is actually one of those Korean folktale special days. On that day, the herdsman and the weaver [the stars Altair and Vega] meet in the middle of the Milky Way river after being apart all year long. The story's prettier when I'm not rushing, but I want to get this all down before I drop dead. So. Kennedy's definitely part Labrador Retriever, and I'm pretty sure there's Border Collie in him somewhere, and I know there's got to be some kind of shepherd blood there. His birthday is April 20, 2007, as far as I can figure, and he's allergic to every kind of food. He's on Hill's Prescription Diet Low Allergen z/d and it costs me an arm and a leg. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's got glossy black fur, retained hind dewclaws, white paws with brindle stockings, a white bib that extends to his torso, two white spots on the back of his neck, brindle markings on his face and a muzzle that looks like he dipped it in snow. He's also got a really, really long white-tipped tail with slight tan feathering.

I've also got a cat, whose name is Tsuki. Momma was a Russian Blue, and even though I know she's just a plain gray tabby, I like to call her a Cobalt Tabby to make it sound cooler. She was born two weeks before Kennedy was, on April 6, 2007, and she's chubby. Matt and I have been trying to get her to weigh less but it's a long, difficult road.

I started getting into cat rescuing by accident. I trapped four little ones and brought three to a rescue I know of. The fourth I gave to a friend of mine who I know will take good care of it. I know for sure that two out of the three got adopted but I never got word about what happened to the last one. I can only hope for the best. Ironically, momma cat — we call her Boo, because she looks like a Halloween cat — is pregnant again so I've either got to catch and spay her or trap the babies again. But since there are no foster homes at any of the rescues I know of [and I've got two foster cats, also by accident] I hope I can catch her before she has them.

The other part of cat rescuing has to do with my upstairs neighbor dying of a heart attack; he had been taking care of his elderly mother. His kids couldn't care for her so they put her in a nursing home, and now the cats are my responsibility because I didn't want them to go to a shelter. Especially since Mike — that was his name — was such a nice guy. So now I have Kennedy, Tsuki, and Sawyer living with me. And Lani, Cho, and Samantha live with my parents. The names in bold are the foster children. The rest are my babies. I posted stuff on Craigslist and on Catster about these two cats [both brown tabbies; Samantha's chubbier and has white socks] and I already have one hit, so here's hoping we can find them a good home.

School's in the tubes. I dropped to part-time college and I'm working full-time right now. I'm taking two classes right now, just two, while I get my head on straight. One is about gangsters and the mafia and the other is about New Jersey Politics. The second one is basically a "copy-off-of-Matt-and-get-an-A" class. The first one is just a joke, but it's fun and I get to talk about pit bulls and people being stupid. You know, gangsters -> pit bulls as a tough guy icon -> fucking up the breed -> how media affects real life. I'm looking forward to doing that paper. ;D Next year I'll be switching to full-time school and part-time work since Matt will be working full-time.

It took me this many years to figure out that going to vet school was what I wanted to do with my life. I guess I'm glad I caught it now, but I really wish I hadn't wasted all those years. I decided I didn't like how, the more I studied Korean, the less Korean I felt. I'm Hawaiian, by custom and culture if not by birth. I got baptized into that lifestyle and I'll never leave it behind.

Now I'm beat, so I'm going to post a few pictures of the zoo [camera courtesy of a great Christmas present from the Koehler clan] and head to bed.

I've missed you guys.

Kennedy's Petfinder picture.
Kennedy's brothers and sisters - he's the one all the way on the left. He had twelve brothers and sisters.
Kennedy's pretty mommy.
Bashful Kennedy and his brindle leg!
Kennedy's first snow day.
3/4 of the family.
"No, mom. I wasn't going to eat the cat!"
"See? No eating here!"
Big sister and little brother.
Possibly my favorite picture of Lani.
Lani + beach = ♥
More beach love.
This is what Tsukifur looks like.
This is the last thing my shoelaces see.
This is Tsuki smiling like a cartoon cat.
Cho being photogenic.
Chofur.
Dunder, rescue twin number one. He's got the pink nose.
Mifflin, rescue twin number two. He's got the black nose.
Sawyer stretching.
Sawyer yawning.
Samantha stepping on stuff.

The end!

Dear everyone,

I would like to ask if anybody wants to join Zootoo with me.

Zootoo is like Myspace for pet lovers.

Zootoo is having a contest which will give a shelter makeover worth a lot of money to an animal shelter of the winner's choice. My choice is the Hawaiian Humane Society because that's where I got my first dog, and I want them to be able to have larger facilities. Everything in Hawaii is so expensive, and there is a huge problem there with stray cats, so that's why I wanted to support them. Plus, everyone knows how homesick I am, so...

If you do want to join, click the following link and I will love you forever [even though I probably already do]. But please, please join! And pass my link around if you want to. I really want to help the Hawaiian Humane Society because I think they do a lot to help the animals and the adopters.

http://www.zootoo.com/register/referrer/littlewolfkj

♥ kj

I live.

Hello, people who read my LJ. If any of you could please help me, I would really appreciate it.

See...I'm looking for something kind of weird. It's a Purolator company tie clip and I think it's from the 60's. Don't think any of you were around at that time, but if you know anyone, I could really use the help. Anyway, the clip itself is gold and studded with two diamonds. The front is black and has the Puralator logo featured on this mug. I asked the sellers of the mug if they were also selling the clip and they said no. I can't find it on google.com or anywhere and I don't know where to find vintage or antique stuff.

Please, please, please...I'm looking for it and it's kind of an emergency. >.< I'm desperate and I think I'd pay just about anything within reason.

Quiz borrowed from Emyfluff.

In The Last Month Have You…
1. Had sex: No.
2. Bought something: Of course! Besides the usual consumer whore syndrome [and how!], at this time of year I had to do Christmas shopping as well.
3. Gotten sick: Yes.
4. Sang: Almost on a daily basis, but never where anyone can hear.
5. Been kissed: Yes.
7. Felt stupid: NO, OF COURSE NOT! :D …yes. Yes, I have. My day isn’t complete otherwise, you know?
8. Talked to an ex: Yes.
9. Missed someone: Yes.
10. Got drunk: No, but I did get tipsy. I don’t handle liquor well.
11. Gotten high: No way.
12. Danced crazy: Yup!
13. Gotten your hair cut: Cut it in November.
14. Watched cartoons: Sort of. Not on television, though.
15. Lied: Yes.

Last Person Who…
1. Slept in your bed: Me, Lani, and Cho.
2. Saw you cry: Well, I guess Tiffany, but it was weird. I have issues with crying.
3. Made you cry: I wouldn’t say anyone made me cry except myself, just because I lost control of myself for a few seconds.
4. Went to the movies with: Matt; Chronicles of Narnia.
5. You went to the mall with: Matt, waiting for Twinny!
7. You went to dinner with: My cousin and Matt.
8. You talked on the phone with: Jesse.
9. Said “I love you” to you: Mom and Dad.
10. Broke your heart: Who cares? It’s in the past now. =]
11. Made you laugh: My mom.
12. Bought you something: I’m not sure, actually. My cousin bought dinner.
13. Hugged you: My mom.
14. Made you mad: My cousin.

Have You Ever...
1. Said "I Love You" and meant it: Yes
2. Got in a fight with your pet: Almost directly quoting Emy here: “Sometimes I feel like ripping off her cute little head =D”
3. Been to California: A couple of times, yeah.
4. Been to Mexico: No.
5. Been to China: Almost! I could have went for this summer program to teach young kids English but I couldn’t raise the money in time.
6. Been to Canada: No.
7. Been to Europe: No.
8. Wished you were the opposite sex: Not really, I wouldn’t know what to do. ._.
9. Snuck out of your house: No, I wouldn’t have lived through it.
10. Gave money to a homeless person: Yes.
11. Surfed: Yes.

Quiz borrowed from Emyfluff. I did this quiz awhile back but wanted to do it again to see how the answers changed. It’s almost a year later, after all. Wow, my old answers were so emo, hee.

IN THE PAST YEAR, HAVE YOU ;
Hugged someone?: Yes. =]
Gotten into a fight?: Regrettably, yes.
Cried?: Sort of. My equivalent of it.
Kissed someone on the cheek?: Yes.
Reunited with an old friend?: Yes! One of the best things to happen this year.

( what else has kj done? )

Quiz borrowed from Cricky.

--Goth--
Do you wear black eyeliner?: I’m guessing this means on a regular basis, so I’m going to say no.
Do you own any black clothing?: Yup. It’s slimming, I’m told.
Do you think about death often?: Yes -- I think it’s a writer thing.
Do you want to die?: No way.
Are you a social outcast?: People seem to like me…so, no.
Are you pale?: Not really, no.
Do you like Hot Topic?: I go into the store and I get pretty intimidated. It’s a useful store for shopping for other people, though. They sometimes have cute stuff. Yes, I guess.
Total YES: 3

--Skater Punk--
Can you skateboard?: Ha. Haha.
Do you wear Vans?: No. I was going to make a corny joke about not wearing trucks either, but that would have been overboard.
Do you do stupid stuff with your friends?: Yes, but who says that’s a “skater punk” thing? Everyone acts stupid with their friends.
Do you get in trouble?: Yes, sometimes, but it’s all in good fun.
Do you listen to punk bands: No. ._. I probably would, though, if I thought it was a good listen. So I guess this counts as a yes.
Do you have any piercings?: Nope, but I want some in my ears.
Do you like/wear mohawks?: Not really.
Total YES: 3

--Prep--
Do you say the word “like” a lot: I think so. I have a hard time expressing myself when I’m speaking.
Do you shop at Abercrombie and Fitch?: No.
Are the A&F models hot?: No.
Rock music is bad, right?: No.
Do you want to be in a sorority/fraternity: No.
Into jocks/popular girls?: Oh, sure, I would love a guy who is big, handsome, and DUMB AS A BAG OF ROCKS. No.
Are/were you a cheerleader?: No.
Total YES: 1

--Hippie--
Is your hair long?: Pretty long, yeah.
Are you a vegetarian?: Oh my God. No. Funny story for anyone who wants to hear.
Do you own a tye~dye shirt?: Nope.
Do you want peace?: No, I’d rather have constant war. =] Yes, stupid question.
Do you want to save the animals: Yes!
Do you think the war is unnecessary?: Er. No comment, I have mixed feelings about it.
Total YES: 3

--Gangsta--
Are you from the ghetto?: No. ._.
Do you own "bling bling"?: Nope.
Do you wear do-rags?: Nope.
Do you like hip-hop?: Yes.
Is Tupac truly the greatest rapper in the world?: No, but I don’t know much about rap.
Do you like afros?: I don’t have a problem with them, but I don’t know if I like them.
Have you ever said 'fo shizzle'?: Joking around, yeah.
Total YES: 1

--Emo--
Do you cry often?: No.
Do you have an acoustic guitar?: No.
Are you emotional?: Yes.
Do you like soft music?: Yes, if I’m in the mood for it.
Do people understand you?: A select few do it without me having to explain. But I jump through hoops if it’s important to make myself understood, so yeah.
Do you write your own songs?: I write my own poetry, does this count? I think it would.
Is your hair dyed dark? It’s dark by default, I’m Korean. It sort of goes with the territory.
Do you cut?: I used to, but not anymore.
Total YES: 4

--Jock--
Do you play sports?: No.
Are they important to you?: No.
Do you pick on the geeky kids?: I am the geeky kid.
Were you considered a bully by anyone?: No.
Was the person you bullied a total dork?: Are you schizophrenic? I said I didn’t bully anyone.
Total YES: 0

--Beach Bum--
Do you surf?: I used to, and I probably still would if I had a longboard.
Do you wear flip flops year-round?: I would if I could. So I guess yeah.
Is your hair shaggy?: Nope.
Do you wake up at 6 or before every morning?: Almost every morning, but not by choice. I’m gonna say no.
Do you own any pairs of shorts?: Yes.
Are you tan?: Not anymore…
Total YES: 3

--Geek--
Do you wear glasses?: I have them, and I should wear them, but no.
Do you get good grades?: Yeah.
Do you use an inhaler?: Yeah, this has a whole lot to do with being a geek. No.
Do you stick pens and calculators into your shirt pockets?: I don’t have shirt pockets, but I constantly have pens with me and I almost always have my calculator with me. Gonna say yes -- the fact that my friends call me “Office Max” doesn’t help matters.
Does your mom pick out your clothes?: Yeah, but it’s hit or miss. We don’t always see eye to eye.
Are you on the computer often?: Yes.
Do you ever get picked on?: Yes.
Total YES: 5