This video of the mommy and baby Jaguar's is from March 5th 2010, filmed at Mesker Zoo in Evansville, IN.  The video does a good job of showing just how close patrons can get to the animals and the ingenuity put into the design of the Jaguar cage.

Complete with concrete foot prints and glass cage, it's truly an experience for adults and kids.  I'd also like to mention that it's best to visit the Zoo as early in the morning as possible, it seems that this is the most active time for the animals.  On this particular day the Jaguar was even more active, since it was the first warm sunny day of the year.

Enjoy the Mesker Zoo Jaguar video below:

My wife and daughter were able to go check out the latest addition to Mesker Zoo in Evansville, Indiana.  They were also nice enough to record some video of the Rhino, complete with his punching bag.

Thanksgiving means family, friends, food and the circus! A family tradition our whole family looks forward to is going to the circus on Thanksgiving Day. What better way to relax after eating a yummy feast?

The 76th annual Hadi Shrine Circus is coming to Evansville once again from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday. There are two shows on Thursday, three on Friday and Saturday and an afternoon show on Sunday. We have always attended the evening show until we had a daughter. Now we try to make it to the afternoon show on Thanksgiving Day because it is less crowded and easier for her to stay awake for the three hour show. Ticket prices range from $17-$22 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission. We usually get general admission which seems like a pretty good value considering you would pay almost as much for a ticket to the movies these days!

The acts are usually similar from year to year with trapeze artists, performing animals and of course the clowns! I have been every year of my life and even though not much is new each year to the show, I can remember being a little girl anticipating my favorite parts. In this way, I am grateful the circus is similar each year. I know what to expect and I know its going to be fun! The elephants and tigers have a similar act each year but the kids love it when they come out! The Kenya Wizards are a newer act that is always a crowd favorite. They dance to African music and tumble all over the place. Even though they are grown men, they seem to have so much energy and are able to stack themselves on top of one another like incredibly complex cheerleaders! There are also jugglers, tight rope walkers, motorcycle tricks and all types of animals from dogs to bears to monkeys performing in each of the three rings. The circus always begins with a parade and ends with a "bang" with typical circus music performed by a live band from beginning to end.

Last year our daughter really loved all of the music, lights and of course the animals. Experiencing traditions through the eyes of my daughter is what makes my holidays so magical and I know taking a two year old to the circus will be very exciting!

Its my favorite time of year! I love the fall for so many reasons but the most important, as always, are the traditions that are repeated during this amazing time of year. For our family it has always been the start of the craziest months of the year. My career has been in the retail industry for the past nine years. Now that I am lucky enough to just work part-time this will be the first year that my job will take a backseat to the fun holiday events.

Our fall really kicked off with our trip to Boo at the Zoo. It was amazing and spending a whole weekend with my family was a dream come true. It was the beginning of so many family traditions for this time of year. But the month of November always seems to go by so quickly which brings us to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is becoming one of my favorite holidays mainly because of how little stress goes into it. We always spend the first half of our day at the grandparent's house and then we head to the Circus.

The Hadi Shrine Circus is a tradition for my side of our family. We always go on Thanksgiving day. I can't wait to see how our two year old daughter reacts this year to the amazing show.

I also have a deep love for Christmas and my Christmas season usually starts before Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is because I was raised in Santa Claus, IN. I'm sure working in retail, where our holiday season starts mid-October doesn't help the matter. Its so hard to go to work and listen to Christmas music and come home to Halloween decorations. So this year I'm sure will be unlike the ones past in that I will be begging my husband to start decorating in November.

Sometimes the anticipation is just as much fun as the actual event. This is certainly the case for me this Autumn. So as we are right in the middle of this very fun and very busy season I hope to that it doesn't pass too fast. I hope to focus on what matters most, making memories and spending time with my family.

A few weeks ago I went to the Duck Inn, to see the local hard rock band Calling Corners.  They were nice enough to take the time and provide an e-mail interview.  Please check it out below.

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You guys put on an awesome show a few weeks ago when I saw you at the Duck Inn.  It was very refreshing to see live music in Evansville that hits as hard as you guys do, I'm a big fan of face melting-high-energy rock and you guys delivered.  It was so intense that the people on the other side of the bar had to come see what all the awesome was about.

Thank you for the compliment and we appreciate you being there.

I think it's very refreshing to hear original music from a local band,instead of the tried and true covers.  There is also a lot to be said for a band that can create a very entertaining show, even though a listener may not be familiar with their songs.

That's really one of the main things we focus on, is our stage presence.  For two reasons, one...we're living in a visual world now-a-days.  And two, because most people go to a local bar/venue to see a cover band, a person may get bored with an original set until they know your material.  So no matter how good your songs are, you have to keep them entertained with your energy on stage.

At this stage in your career do you prefer to play original songs live or do covers?

Original music most definitely.  Matt (our guitar player) and myself spent a number of years in a couple of local cover bands and it's a great time, and there's money to be made.  But doing your own music, hearing people sing YOUR songs back to you, that's more rewarding than all the money in the world.

We know from your MySpace Page that your influences are Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, etc..  But explain to someone who has never heard your music before what it sounds like, in 3 words.

Heavy Melodic Rock

Where is your favorite place to rock in Evansville?

There's a couple of favorites actually.  We love Woody's and we appreciate everything Zack has done for us so far.  Great staff, great P.A., with national after national coming through.  And then, we love O'Brian's Sports Bar as well.  That's a bar with a great vibe, just relaxed.  You feel like you can do anything there and people are gonna love it.

You say you guys got to share the stage with Theory of A Deadman, how has that experience motivated you as musicians?

I think it's motivated us to really keep working like we're working.  The "dream" is very much a possibility, and the fact that on our level we can get on the same stage as bands like Theory, or any of the other bands on their level that we've played with, definitely shows that.  Hard work definitely pays off.

We talked a little bit about internet popularity playing a part in getting signed to a record label.  Do you personally think Friend Count equals popularity?

I'm not sure if it can define your popularity, but I think in the beginning it definitely helps you gain that popularity that you're looking for.  Because if you can pull 50 of your closest friends to every show, it sends the message that you have something going on, and that someone besides you believes in your music and what you're doing.  From there, other people get curious, come see your show, talk about your show, help build your show, and that's how you build your following.

You mentioned your MySpace Page and Facebook account numerous times throughout the night, does that generate a noticeable jump in online presence after every show?

MySpace not so much, we have a few friend requests here and there after the show so we keep plugging it.  But I think MySpace has went numb for the most part.  But our Facebook page definitely has.  We went from 3 fans to 200 plus in a matter of days.  And the cool thing about Facebook, it's honest.  Same goes with Twitter.  And what I mean by that is, you can't send friend requests from a FB band page or a Twitter account, so those are 200 plus people (on the FB page) that have searched us out because they liked the band and became a fan.  So those are the people that are gonna keep coming to shows and buying tickets.

Big name acts like Nine Inch Nails have embraced BitTorrent as a means to distribute music freely, assuming fans will be more inclined to buy your music if they like it.  Do you think there is any weight in that or considered this as a business model?

Ya know, I do think there's a lot of weight in this.  When this band first started we were so focused on how much money we could make once we got something recorded, or t-shirts, or whatever.  You're almost blinded by it, and by the time you see in front of you again, you're frustrated because you've only sold 3 cd's or whatever.  But I actually saw an interview with Trent Reznor a while back and he talked about this business model and giving stuff away and it makes alot of sense.  And we actually do that now.  We'll burn some songs to a spool of cd's and hand them out at our shows.  And then when people wanna hear more, they buy the actual disc.  And not only that, but we're looking at cheap things we can put our stamp on and hand out at shows as well.  People love free.

Where do you see Calling Corners 5 years from now?

Hopefully on the road doing this for a living.  We have a lot in the works right now and people should expect big things from us.  Because it's gonna happen.

Thanks a ton for your time, I look forward to catching you guys live again
soon.  Good luck.

Thank you.

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I can't stress enough how great these guys are live, it really is worth the cover charge.  Also, be sure to buy their album, which is available at Joe's Record Shack.

Lastly, be sure to add them as a friend on your MySpace and Facebook accounts.  And, if you twitter, be sure to follow them there as well.  Their next performance will be at Woody's on October 28th, see you there!

Calling Corners MySpace Account

Calling Corners Facebook Account

Calling Corners Twitter

Greeks Pizzeria moved into the East Side of Evansville over one year ago, but I still don't think to eat there very often.  Not because the food is bad or the service rude and certainly not because of the location, but it's just not at the top of my eat-out choices.  Monday night I met with some friends and I realized why.

First of all there is no atmosphere, where other Greeks Pizzeria locations seem to have flavor, a buzz, a reason to want to be there.  Every time I go into the Evansville Greeks I half way expect to see batteries on the wall, thanks to the previous tenant.

Next, it took forever to get our food.  This becomes less of a problem when there is atmosphere to enjoy, but with a lack of entertainment and general frivolity I was left staring at my watch.  It took 1 hour to get our food after ordering.  This is waaaaaaay too long, especially without an explanation.

Once I did receive my food it was hot, tasty, and sat just fine on top of the adult beverages I had consumed while waiting.  In my opinion Greeks is good, not great, so it seems to live in a restaurant-choosing purgatory.  Greeks Pizzeria's are independently owned, but is there a reason Evansville is still not listed on the official website?

The beginning of fall is always marked by the closing of Holiday World and Splashin' Safari for me. This is my favorite time of year to visit Holiday World. There is just something about going during the cooler weather, when the crowds are gone and the lines are non-existent, that makes it so much fun.

I've had a season pass my entire life and have spent every summer there during the busiest and hottest times. This summer was no exception. I took my daughter almost every week, usually through the week but we did brave a few Saturdays. Holiday World will once again welcome more than a million visitors this year and are on track to set a new attendance record sometime in the next few weeks. However, as the cold weather slowly comes in and their seasons end approaches, for me, the best memories are made. We can ride any ride, over and over again. We can pose in all the "touristy" spots for dozens of pictures. We can be kids and take our time to enjoy the food, weather, entertainment and fun without the stress of crowds and lines.

We are planning on attending on the last day for Splashin' Safari this weekend and then later on the last day for Holiday World to be open. Hopefully the weather will become even more fall-like. We will say good-bye to the last of our summer traditions until the next year by screaming our heads off on the Voyage, posing one more time by the Santa statue, clapping along to one last show all while hopefully wearing a hoodie.

Back in Evansville after an extended weekend to Chicago.  While in the Chicago area I attended the NMRA show at Joliet Route 66 Raceway, visited Navy Pier, and partaked of some adult beverages.  All in all it was a great weekend with absolutely beautiful weather.  Hard to believe that in the middle of July it got down into the 50's shortly after dark, but I'll take it over the 105 degree days we've been having here in Southern Indiana.

On Saturday I visited down town Chicago near the Navy Pier and I was astounded at how many things there were to do.  Obviously a much bigger city, but Evansville has a lot they could learn from such a busy downtown area.  An example of things I missed out on doing, but will make plans for next trip are:

• 2 Hour Segway Tour $75
• Sea Hog Boat Ride
• Go Up in The Sears Tower

Ok, maybe not that last one since I'm afraid of heights.  But at any rate there are a ton of things to do, besides just eat, drink, and be merry.  Also, if you can get past the construction, traffic wasn't that bad and zipping in and out of Chicago was just a small annoyance instead of a chore.

I look forward to another trip in the not so distant future when I can take my wife and daughter along.

Turns out I will be hauling a Mustang up to Joliet for a friend of mine.  For the past few years his car has been stored in my garage and now he has the room for it to have a permanent home.  So all I needed was a car hauler to make the 6 hour drive.

My buddy contacted the Evansville U-Haul to setup a pickup time, make payment, etc.  Basically it was supposed to have been setup where I show up, they hook up the trailer, and I drive off.  At most I figured UHaul would want a copy of my drivers license or insurance card, unfortunately this was not the case.  Apparently U-Haul is incapable of taking credit cards over the phone and claimed that it was against US Privacy laws.  I accept credit cards over the phone every day, knowing that this is not the case, they are not interested in working with me.

Just a small annoyance is all, since I was able to pay for it myself.  However, for  such a large moving company they sure have their laws/rules confused.  Even more frustrating was listening to them cut a deal for the guy next to me, but unwilling to waver on the price for my one way car hauler trip.  Oh well, it's a convenience, and like all we'll have to pay for this one.

Tonight after work I'll be leaving for Joliet, Il to soak up the sun and enjoy a National Mustang Racing Association car show and drag race on Saturday.  The event will be held at the Route 66 Raceway and sponsored by Nitto Tires.

This isn't the first year I've been, but it's been several years since I've been to any car show.  Really looking forward to it and spending a little time in Chicago while I'm up that way.  No doubt I'll find my way down to the beer gardens on the Navy Pier, but does anyone else have any suggestions on what to do in Chicago?