I'm big in Japan.

Today I got to be in a show! We were late getting in for the first interaction, and so we were short staffed during the first JTB (Japanese Travel[or Tourism, I forget which] Bureau). A JTB program is when a bunch of Japanese tourists pile off a bus, come in, and watch a 10 minute program. (Hence the derogatory name Japanese Tour Bus) Because we were short staffed, I and one of the other interns were pulled away from scrubbing coolers and enlisted to help control the dolphins that would be used. I ended up with Laka, a blind retired Navy dolphin, and one of the oldest animals at the park. She can't see at all, and so all her commands are done by touching certain parts of her body. For example, to make her vocalize, you have to stroke the area on the left side of her melon between her eye and blowhole. To make her hula dance, you have to draw a small circle on her head, etc. So, we got to perform for a bunch of Japanese tourists, and by Jove, it was FUN. Also, I am a big fan of Tim's collaborative fiction project if you have not heard of it, check it out. Contributing authors as of this moment are Tim, Mooney, and myself, but I'm sure this will grow rapidly in the very near future.

http://collaborativefiction.blogspot.com/