Tiny Gardening for Red-Eyed Crocodile Skinks

It all started when my husband and I decided we would adopt these two vicious little dragons:

Smaug and Nessie, a male and female red-eyed crocodile skink pair (Triblonotus gracilis). I wasn't as keen on the idea of keeping those of the reptilian sort in my home, but my husband persuaded me by giving me free reign to build the terrarium I've always wanted for them to live in. After many trips to the pet store and florist shops, I came up with this set up:
 

The terrarium is a 36" x 18" x 16" Tetrafauna brand reptile habitat with top opening screens and front-opening glass sliding doors. Due to excessive air flow, we partially covered the screen tops with plexiglass panels to keep in moisture and increase humidity levels. For heating and lighting, we chose a 36" Exo Terra hood lamp that has places for four bulbs and two light switches. We put low wattage UVB lights on either end (they go with one switch) and two low wattage heat lamps in the center (on the other light switch), so we can easily turn them off and on for day or night. We added an additional heat pad on the back side of the tank (the substrate layers are too thick to make it effective on the bottom of the terrarium, where it is usually placed) on the left end to help create more of a temperature gradient for our tropical inhabitants.

The terrarium also has a drainage hole at the bottom right (the side on which we keep the water sources), which we've been allowing to drain continuously. A layer of water always stays in the drainage layer, so only excess water seems to drain out. We used large aquarium pebbles over the bottom for the drainage layer, then added a double layer of outdoor bedding liner to separate the drainage layer from the substrate. We mixed substrates to include bark and added a few pebbles, too (croc skinks are, indeed, burrowers). Lastly, we added a thin layer of sphagnum moss over most of the substrate to vary the "terrain" and finish off the look. The moss also keeps up the moisture levels, as it holds a lot of water.

  

As tropical lizards, the "tribbies" provided me with the chance to keep plants normally reluctant to thrive even indoors in the dry winter conditions of Minnesota. I grabbed a variety of terrarium-friendly tropical plants, as tribbies don't seem to disturb them much or attempt to eat them, being insectivorous. After a good initial soak, most of the plants have so far done well with a regular misting. Tribbies also need a lot of hiding places, the shy creatures that they are, so I chose a mix of foliage that would also give them some "cover" when they move about the vivarium.

For the decor and tribbie playground items, we chose to theme the vivarium on the medieval/fairytale castle tropes after the tribbies' dragon-like looks. For an extra hide, we chose a gray rock-shaped hide (the most different from the more common tans of desert terrarium pieces) that we can move about the vivarium, a half-log turtle hut to give the lizards some cover in the soaking dish and provide another climbing opportunity, and some larger rocks to place randomly. I purchased a large aquarium castle to be the centerpiece. To make it look a natural part of the vivarium, the castle was set directly on the bedding liner before filling it in with substrate. This worked well as the substrate filled in around the various rock formations and protrusions that make up the castle's base. After filling the inside with substrate and moss as well, it has become a favorite hide for Nessie. The castle itself also provides a lot of nooks and crannies, in the base and up inside the turrets where she likes to climb.

I also employed cork rounds as planters to create different levels and more climbing and hiding opportunities for the lizards. Evidence in my front-most cork round suggests a tribbie tried to burrow into it from the top, but must have decided it was an inadequately hidden nest and has since left it alone. Thankfully, most of my plant in that round survived. I also used a flat log piece of cork bark (after first making the mistake of getting a grapewood log--they mold immediately in a damp environment) across the back left corner to bank up the substrate behind and create another planting level (on top of which is my other cork round planter).

This has since become the perfect burrowing location for Smaug (as shown on left), who has since renovated and made the gap between the cork bark log and back of the tank his new doorway. (Can you find him?)

You can also see the sheet of coconut fiber (meant for a hermit crab cage, I believe) I hung across the back of the terrarium to create a more natural-looking background--and functional! The tribbies do like to climb, and they can easily navigate the course fibers with their sharp little claws. To give it a more finished look, I cut slits into the fiber sheet in order to attach sphagnum moss at various intervals. Most of the moss has since been torn down by curious climbing lizards, but the coconut fiber itself still provides a nice background visually, almost looking like a cliff face with the castle for perspective.

In the pictures, the inescapable mealworm dish is also visible. We chose this method to keep track of the food better than if we left the lizards hunt for it. This way, we can just refill it every time it is empty and let them eat when they want to. So far, they have been emptying it every couple of days, which seems to be normal.

Lastly, we added two water sources. One is for soaking, the other for drinking and providing humidity. We decided to go with a large reptile soaking dish so that it would have enough surface area. However, it is slightly deeper than it needs to be, so we layered the bottom with pebbles (larger rocks around the outsides) to prevent the lizard from drowning and to help them climb out again. The water needs to be changed and the dish cleaned every few days. For appearances, and for ease of access for the lizards, we sunk the dish in the substrate so that it sits on the bedding liner. In order to disturb the plants and substrate near the dish as little as possible every time we need to remove it for cleaning, we created a sheath for the dish with thick plastic sheeting and duct tape. This holds the substrate back when we take the dish out and helps to hold everything in place.

We purchased the medium-sized Exo Terra waterfall, which has a space for the optional fogger. The waterfall construction and pump keeps the water clean for the tribbies to drink. We use Aquasafe and Biotize in the water (in both locations) especially to keep a slimy layer from forming on the waterfall. The fogger does help with keeping moisture levels up on a regular basis in the vivarium, since we are not able to spray it down frequently enough; however, I still find that a regular misting seems necessary for the plants and humidity--especially on the opposite side of the terrarium. The fogger is fickle at best, often requires replacement parts, but has so far been the best option for our vivarium setup since we have the waterfall it goes with. The waterfall pump is pretty stable, but occasionally needs to be cleaned out if dirt or substrate goes into the basin and clogs it. So far it has always worked after cleaning. The tribbies appear to like it. We've seen them climbing on the waterfall and once even found them up inside of it! We have since remedied that problem with a little plumbers putty to keep the various pieces of the waterfall sitting securely in place.

Smaug peeking out of his newly renovated
home dug out behind the log.

After arranging everything, I found there was still room for a few more plants, had I wanted them, but decided to save the remaining open spaces for the enjoyment of the little dragons--not that they're bold enough to use them much, but after more time, perhaps they will get more comfortable with us!
As it turns out, I have become quite attached to our little dragons and have striven to make the vivarium as comfortable as possible for them.

A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Theatrical Interpretation

Although this post comes too late for the reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the monthly Shakespeare readings I host, I thought I'd still share this theatrical design I once created years ago for the play:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Analysis and Justification

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a favorite classic to produce for years. It has a very fairytale-like quality that enchants its audience and performers alike. Traditionally, the play is rather aesthetic and, in a way, almost pastoral in nature. These kinds of pieces tug at the imagination and draw viewers in. They evoke whimsical emotions and something not quite so different from nostalgia. This play has given many directors room to play and manipulate the concept within the script’s bounds. Countless interpretations have been given—from the extremely bizarre to Shakespeare’s traditional. For my concept of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the whole play is to be in Puck’s imagination as a work of art.

 Theatre in itself is art, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most artistic plays. Visually, it is very involved and generally pleasing to look at. Sets for this play are often intricate and extensive. The visual aspects for A Midsummer Night’s Dream are the first to grab my attention. Second is the music that can hold powerful influence over the undertones of the performance. Then the masterful poetry of the work alone is artistic and is particularly appealing to me because of its categorization in the fantasy genre. It is, overall, a playful romance with humorous mischief and satire, which makes it incredibly endearing. 

Puck’s line in act III scene ii, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” essentially defines Shakespeare’s main reason for writing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play confronts the difficulties of love and dreams that humans face, how they treat it (specifically their unreasonableness), and their stubbornness with which they determine reality from fantasy. Shakespeare uses it to bring up a question of the actual nature of art and fantasy—or of the imagination in general. He is able to do this by using very bold contrasts and the fickle (if rather realistic) run of human emotions and actions. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in Athens and a nearby wood during an interesting combination of characteristics from the English Renaissance and Ancient Greece. Shakespeare did something very remarkable with the characters. He seemed to bring together a mixture from previous literature such as Greek mythology and English folktales all to interact in one unique plot. Simply, the play tells the story of the following characters and their issues of love: Theseus and Hippolyta of Athens and the Amazons; Oberon and Titania of the Fairies; and the four Athenians, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena. It deals with a forbidden love, (and that moves the setting to the forest), Fairies disputes, the wedding preparations for the Duke of Athens and the Queen of the Amazons, and how one sprite can make a royal mess of it all. Fascinatingly, this particular play is successful without the usually necessary plot pyramid. Neither does there really seem to be a true protagonist or antagonist. It just does not seem to need any to maintain interest and attention. That, in many ways, is a major feat of this play and makes it easier to see it as an artwork—or painting.

The idea that is going to impel every other facet of my production brings in the question of the nature of art. It makes A Midsummer Night’s Dream more than merely a “dream.” By handing Puck a paintbrush, all manipulation lies with him. It is still a dream, but, more definitively, Puck’s dream and creation. I imagine it as his fantasy about these fool mortals and a parody on his own kind. In this way, the uncertainty of fantasy (or dream) and reality remains intact—as it is crucial to Shakespeare’s initial underlying incentive. I still want the audience to be subtly given that question to be able to think on even after the performance is over. Yet, I still find the traditional motivations and ideas of the play of great importance so I was inclined to find a way in which the play would not lose any of its original splendor. The story stays the same; it is now just changed to have a defined perspective in order to bring out more clearly the theme of art I wish to emphasize. I envision the set to be in the style of a Romantic period oil painting, but keeping a sort of muddled and tangled illusion. The costumes and characters should also be in this style. This concept may also introduce a few new ideas about human character in relation to reality. 

The audience should realize from this that though there is a separation of fantasy and reality, the best choice may not always be to make that distinction in the context of personal creativity. At the same time on the other end of the spectrum, they should understand the concept that sometimes humans’ lack of reason and treatment of events is sometimes as absurd as if a mischievous sprite were making it up. From the original themes of the play itself, the audience should still understand the issues it pokes fun at.    

Ultimately, my production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is to be Puck’s masterpiece as he is painting it. This concept emphasizes the nature of art and gives the play a defined perspective without spoiling the genius work that already exists. It also motivates humans’ common foolishness and gives the audience something to thoughtfully consider. This idea makes the fuse of reality and fantasy more obvious and gives it deeper meaning. With this concept, A Midsummer Night’s Dream should still be just as enthralling and whimsical as it was originally meant to be while still adding something new.

Progress, but still in the making...

Steampunk Cruise

Too good to be true? Now, if only I have money by next year....
http://steampunkcruise.com/#

“Around the World in 30 Days" --In which I quote George R. R. Martin for my spring 2012 intro to lit syllabus

Description of the course theme in the overview:

“Around the World in 30 Days,” the theme of this course, focuses on texts from all over the world. However, rather than an in-depth cultural studies treatment, we will approach these texts as travelers hoping to gain a little more knowledge of the world through the lives of others. Jojen Reed in George R. R. Martin’s novel A Dance with Dragons says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” This course will examine how the literature of various countries can help us not only to visit places of the world vicariously, but also to make sense of reality. Therefore, instead of simply holiday travelling, world literature may help us to better understand our own lives through the lives of others—fictional or not. ...

This introduction to literature course theme is one which I do believe succeeded (although I have not seen official student evaluations, yet). Focusing on world literature in a general education course in the way described above was the most productive method I have discovered. I think it worked for several reasons:

1. I updated the novel (for the novel unit, since the course is designed around the categories of short stories, drama, poetry, and the novel in fairly equal units) to a much more contemporary one dealing with current world events--Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. I find this novel to be the more subtle, better written of Hosseini's bestsellers. (The issue of teaching popular literature or literature perceived to belong to a certain age category was a fight in and of itself--but, again, I think this issue warrants its own post at some point, and I will be sure to address the disagreement on teaching The Hobbit, as well.) Despite Hosseini's popularity, marketability, and mass readability, his novel still contains some very heavy issues which allows even a primarily freshman class to work through intricate issues. Secondarily, the students also saw another view of the situation (present and historical) in Afghanistan. In private reflections on the effects of the novel, many students expressed a much better understanding of the Afghan people--even if the novel was written by an American.

Similarly, I added fairly contemporary short stories and poems from a diverse range of authors, which represented as many different topics as nationalities. I did go back to the Restoration for the drama unit in assigning Moliere's Tartuffe, but as a ridiculous, rhyming comedy (I only use Richard Wilbur's translation), the students warmed up to it.

The reading selections ranged right around the difficulty threshold to various degrees, providing enough material to keep the less-interested students included in the course while making sure each student was still challenged at some point.

2. All students could find relevance in this theme and the texts it occasioned. One area was for students learning more about other areas and peoples of the world (often in that vicarious way mentioned in Martin's novel by seemingly experiencing situations through the characters viewpoints the students read), the other was for international students who could relate to characters feeling displacement or learning to adapt. Consequently, many of my students were introduced to literature they could actually admit enjoying as well as thinking critically about.

3. The course also lent itself to outside research which the students completed for short "background" presentations to the class, in which they could delve into an aspect of cultural or contextual information of their choice for the reading assignment. This helped to make the sections I taught which both consisted of completely non-majors more perceptively interdisciplinary since students could stay within their own interest/career areas for their presentations.

4. The theme very directly focused on the larger issues of humanity addressed by literature classes. One aspect we consistently addressed was the nature of people across time, space, and cultures. The final exam essay question was answered in ways that showed nearly all of the students capable of making this broader connection to the world and their own lives that the syllabus's course overview originally set out for them.

5. Perhaps most importantly, this theme made students question. Of their own accord, they began wondering about things--ethics, morality, people, politics, power... I may have prepared them for this (I do not quite want to use the word "groomed," although it may actually be appropriate) by assigning one online discussion board question and one response to another student's question for each reading assignment to be completed before coming to class, but if that assignment was the origin, the thoughts still came from the students.

6. I, personally, was able to bring in many alternate art forms displaying similar themes, subjects, or styles to supplement discussion and student comprehension of the texts. For the drama unit, I showed corresponding production photos to the scenes we were reading in Tartuffe. Since Bethany (hats off to my undergrad theatre department) produced the play in period costume (if exaggerated for comedy's sake), my students had a chance to enter more visually into Moliere's otherwise quite foreign world. (I even introduced the play by having my students view Bethany's opening "puppet dance" scene to whet their interests.) Of course, I also made them test out the action of the play themselves by turning the remaining student audience into directors for their peer acting volunteers for a few key scenes. Paintings and music are the obvious choices to add to the poetry unit, but these, too, offered other more nuanced interpretations of the poems while simultaneously creating access points with which to begin poetry analysis.

Of course, the chemistry of the grouping of students, later time of the classes, and my better preparation and experience for teaching literature also most definitely factored into the success of this year's course over last year's. Yet, this experience also led me to try this theme instead of sticking with the first, which still gained a lot more student enthusiasm and support.

I do greatly hope that I will get the opportunity to develop these ideas through experience (just as my students could develop their ideas and understanding of the world vicariously through the course readings) again instead of only theoretically...

As Seen on the Spring 2011 Introduction to Literature Course Syllabus

Although I personally believe this course theme to have failed overall, I still fantasize about a section of students that would take to it like ducks to water rather than cats...

Course Overview:

The “Element of Otherness,” which is the theme of this course, focuses on texts that contain the weird, the supernatural, and the fantastic. However, rather than condemning these texts as escapist literature, this course will examine how this kind of fictional literature can help us to make sense of reality. Critic Thomas Howard writes that “there is a story afoot in all worlds, and that to ‘escape’ from the silence of our own world into the clarity and luminescence of another may be to find ourselves suddenly face to face with our own story, only in a clearer light and with starker colors.” Therefore, rather than only escape, the stranger forms of literature might actually be a condensed thrust into reality.

 ...

Mostly, I enjoy this quotation from Howard and believe it made a great access point for students into this type of literature. It creates a way to relate the "Other" of literature to real life and humanity, even though many of my students never chose to entertain this interpretation. Perhaps this impasse was due to the fact that they found Mary Shelley's Frankenstein "difficult" and "boring," Marlowe's Doctor Faustus to be written in "Old English," and the selection of short stories and poems to all be "depressing" and "tragic." Although I was self-satisfied with this original reading list, I'd be open to trying this theme again with other selections (should I have the freedom of choice) to see if it could still be a successful one. (Along with that, I might also make sure I don't have an 8:00 AM section, first!) 

With non-majors and non-specialists, I have found (mostly) contemporary world literature to work much better, but that discussion is for another post. Yet, something of this sort might still work wonders with this theme in particularly antagonistic sections. Dealing with more popular, or at least recent, fantasy and science fiction works could generate ample discussion (although I can also see it promoting off-topic and unproductive arguments) while still moving towards the goals of the course theme. It may be less challenging in terms of reading, but my hope is then that the work done on these literary choices could be much more substantial and "difficult" (or rather, complex) in argument. Therefore, the purpose of these kinds of courses, getting at the why this all matters, could be moved closer to the forefront rather than being buried underneath student frustration.

(And this is all, of course, only a possibility if I have the opportunity to teach literature at the college level again.... *sigh*....someday....)

Initial Thoughts on Steampunk

My most initial and general thoughts on steampunk address the genre's appeal. While it's simply appealing for its unique, Victorian-inspired style and nifty gadgets, there has to be something behind the aesthetic. I feel that the genre has a particular appeal in this age. I believe it's been noted (in The Steampunk Bible? perhaps? --double-check) that the genre romanticizes technology, and I wholeheartedly agree. While Marxism (and just plain old common sense) tells us that we are becoming more and more removed from our products and the work being done in production, steampunk gives us a way to re-imagine our technology-based, physically removed (from material production) lives. Certainly steampunk is a re-written past  (see Falksen's Steampunk 101: http://www.gdfalksen.com/post/20357409792/steampunk), but it is also a way to see anew our own situation.

The Victorian age was one of industrial advancements in the form of steam technology. Today we continue to advance technologically at an extremely fast rate. The difference is in the closeness to that technology. While the Victorian era may be a kind of parallel to our current situation for some of these aspects, it is the much more romantic component in the parallel--or so we perceive it to be. Many of its aspects are romanticized, but I think one of the most prominent is machines. The commonplace presence of technology in our present lives takes much of the novelty out of it. By (possibly vicariously?) re-imagining our technology in the setting or format of Victorian science fiction, we can regain some of the novelty or romantic notions about the current world.

Not only does this appeal come from a genre of literature and art but it also stretches into the whole culture identified by the idea of "steampunk." Along with the literature (or other art), the internet and hard copy publications have developed "how-to" articles for making or building everything from gypsy wagons and Victorian-decorated office cubicles to steampunk clothing and jewelry. The steampunk culture infuses back into the current culture a closeness to production. Furthermore, it opens avenues for using more intricate science in these projects, perhaps regenerating a love of making and knowledge that has otherwise become too detached from the "practical" world. We can then put our laptops into gorgeous wooden cases complete with gears and a key and find the material items of mass production and detached creation unique and beautiful again.

...But I need to ponder this romanticization of machines and the appeal of Victorian science fiction in this age more and pull together some research before I make any more definite conclusions.