Greetings from Bristol, England. Tuesday morning my stepdad Joel and I arrived in Bristol after leaving Chicago on Sunday and spending Monday in Dublin, Ireland. Tuesday we picked up our sweet rental car, a Volvo S80, but soon discovered that the steering wheel was on the wrong side. Then as I pulled away and entered traffic I learned that it was best to stay to the left to avoid a head on collision. This is a funny country ;)
Actually, although I had piloted a right side steer vehicle on the left side of the road in Suriname, it is madness to try to do so here in the UK. Roundabouts, narrow roads, foreign signage and pavement markings and loads of pedestrians make driving here quite the harrowing experience. Worse still was the fact that I had printed directions from Bristol Airport to Mark Pennell's Serious Ink Tattoo Studio from Google Maps. Unlike GPS (or what they call "Sat Nav" here), when you miss a turn there is no electronic voice informing you that "she" is "recalculating". We were soon properly lost. The pretty Hungarian girl who assisted us at Europcar asked me if I wanted GPS. Silly and confident, I declined. However, our luxury Volvo has built-in GPS so it was time to figure it out. Unfortunately, the last renter must have been French. As I explored the controls while driving a car completely back asswards, I found that the entire vehicle's electronics were in Français. Fuck me running.
Eventually I pulled to the curb and invested the time in figuring out how to change the Volvo's language to English. American English wasn't an option. We had driven through Bristol's City Centre for at least 30 minutes, driving in circles while doing our best not to kill anyone or ourselves, and now we finally had instructions on how to get more ink. I was "happy as Larry" (as they say) when I pulled into Hung Road and saw Mark's studio on Nibley at the end. As we pulled in we saw Mark and his daughter and apprentice Brandon waving. Mark is my brother from another mother and Joel and I were "chuffed" to finally get to spend the day with him.
Hopefully you're checking out my @exoticfauna Instagram and have seen my pix thus far. Mark did his usual absolutely brilliant and skillful job of finishing off my right sleeve. The tattoos all represent death and loss and pay tribute to the two important "women" of my life: my mother and my sweet pup Taylor. They are gone but never forgotten. The finishing touch on the inside of my bicep/tricep area was to add a couple more roses and a raven sitting on a skull. The raven's head has a partially exposed skull itself. During the day Mark's wife Kim came by and later his sister Chris and brother-in-law Alan plus friend and client Harri. It was a great day that ended with awesome curry at Bengal Raj. Thanks once again to my great mate Mark for graciously and permanently displaying his talent on my skin.
We are staying at the Aztec Hotel and Spa, which is the home of the BTS Lectures. Now in its 14th year, this weekend's lectures promise to be outstanding. This boutique hotel is quite posh, and has a classy and cozy lounge and pub, plus every luxury amenity you could ask for. The full English breakfast is delicious and service charming. Yesterday morning at breakfast we were served by two people who were American-philes. One was a baseball freak whose father had worked in Arizona, and the other a pretty young girl who had traveled to Orlando a few times. They both paid special attention to the Americans in the corner.
Yesterday Mark's sister and brother-in-law took us on a "lovely" day trip to Wales. During my last visit to Bristol we had done the same, but I was eager to return and also have Joel experience yet another country. This is Joel's first visit to the UK so it is awesome to be able to have him visit Ireland, England and Wales all on the same trip. The weather was chilly and a bit wet, but we had an amazing day. Again, pix are on Instagram @exoticfauna. We returned to the hotel about 5 pm and had a beer and freshened up. At 7 pm Mark, Kim and Brandon collected us for dinner.
As I type this it is 6:45 a.m. here and I'll meet Joel for breakfast at 7:30 and then we will drive towards London. It is 105 miles almost due east. Hopefully my second day in the Volvo will go well. We will drive to Hounslow West tube station and then take the tube (underground train) 41 minutes to Piccadilly Circus station. We will then walk about Piccadilly and Leicester Square, etc. and up the Strand to a pub called The Coal Hole. Andrew Smith is supposed to meet us there just after noon to take us on a walking tour of London. I've been a guest in Andrew's home on several occasions (he lives in southeast London [Lewisham]), and on each trip he was an excellent guide to London. The three of us will walk about and visit St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey... the usual tourist spots. More pix will follow tonight.
But back to the Lectures...
This is just my first installment and I will keep you up-to-date on the weekend's festivities. It is my goal to get at least one of you to start setting aside funds to make the trip over here for the 15th annual Lectures in February 2017. Tomorrow kicks it off as guests will start arriving. We have 68 people registered and over a third will join us for a Friday night dinner and party in the hotel lounge. It is the best opportunity to meet and mingle with some of Europe's great arachnoculturists. I love May's yearly Exhibition too, but the committee, traders, and eager buyers are distracted by all the goodies. There is work to be done; commerce to take place. People are busy. The Lectures is the better venue for socializing. Kim and Mark do an awesome job of putting on the event and it all starts with tomorrow night's social. Then Saturday morning many of us will meet for breakfast and then midday the lectures will commence. To celebrate our 30th Anniversary, this year we have booked a celebrity keynote speaker. He will be unfamiliar to my American readers, but based on his bio I expect a very interesting talk. Between the Lectures and dinner those of us on the BTS Committee will have a brief meeting and then after dinner Andrew Smith will deliver his after-dinner Lecture and then drunken debauchery will continue. Sunday morning we have the AGM (Annual General Meeting). This is a chance for the members in attendance to take part in a committee meeting as it is open to all BTS members. I expect my taking on the role of Editor of the Journal will be a hot topic, as I know there will be some in attendance that disagree with a few papers published in the past year, most notably the Phormingochilus and Ornithoctoninae revision that Andrew Smith and I co-authored. There are always dissenters and critics. They are free to publish their own findings. Andrew may be a "splitter" and old-fashioned in methodology, but he certainly has made his mark on Theraphosidae taxonomy. He continues the great tradition of "amateur arachnologists" who have worked on tarantulas. He admittedly is a throwback to the 1900s and the work of Pocock and others, but you can't deny his expertise and contributions. The opposition should be respectful, and I challenge them to do better. People won't find much result in critiquing me. Whether they are happy with the American in charge or not, I am the Editor and the BTS has always given each Editor complete creative control of the Journal. I take my responsibility very seriously and am honored to take over the prestigious publication. I won't be bothered by the unruly.
More Saturday morning as I give you a report on Friday night's social (most likely with a pounding hangover). I'll have some hair of the dog and set to typing regardless. I want to take a few blog entries to do some journalism; sideline reporting from the great 14th BTS Lectures if you will. Maybe you'll decide to join me next year. You are very welcome to!
Thanks for sticking with Kiss My Big Hairy Spider. MJ
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
#107 - AMERICANS & THE BTS
I realized after my post yesterday that I singled out John Apple, Frank Somma and my bonus dad Joel Greenblatt as new/renewing U.S. members of the British Tarantula Society. I didn't mean to exclude anyone else that is supporting the great society across the pond. It's just that John and Frank are long-time spider fiend friends and both contributed a bit of info to the article Tom Patterson and I co-authored in the upcoming issue of the BTS Journal. It was on my mind that they've both finally signed up and I signed my stepdad up because he loves reading my Journal articles and edited issues.
As North American Coordinator of the BTS, I encourage all North Americans to join our ranks and have actively solicited memberships here and elsewhere. And I thank all who have. Unfortunately, the new member list inside each Journal issue drifted away from including the country of residence of non-UK members somewhere along the way. As I began to take over, I re-implemented the notation of country in parentheses following each name, and it will be so in every issue with me as editor.
SO ... all I can give you are the names from last issue and the upcoming issue (plus some from the issue before that where country was not designated but I recognized a few names), and welcome you on behalf of the entire BTS Committee and your fellow membership. I apologize to those I cannot single out who have also joined. You are only omitted from the following list because the country wasn't noted and I don't know your name. I personally appreciate everyone from Canada, Mexico or the United States that helps me represent the New World.
Cheers (in alphabetical order; U.S. unless otherwise noted) to: John Apple, Joshua Castillo, Jeanine Carbonaro, Simon Chen (CANADA), Ryan Christensen, Joel Greenblatt, Kiffnie Holt, Kyung Kim, Janet Mikolajczyk, David Napierala, Joe Nickerson, Thomas Schumacher, Ryan Serafin, Taylor Sierra Smith, Frank Somma, Syd Sussman, Ashley Wieczorek and Haley Yorke (CANADA). All of these people joined over the past six months or so. Thanks and welcome also to those who are current members - new or long-time - that I have not named.
JOIN THE BTS! NORTH AMERICANS DESERVE A GREAT SOCIETY, AND THE BTS IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT EVEN HAS AN AMERICAN AS ITS JOURNAL EDITOR! IT IS YOUR ARACHNOCULTURAL HOME TOO!
I will BLOG live from the BTS Lectures all weekend long. Friday night is the party. Saturday afternoon and evening is the Lectures. Sunday morning is the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is a Committee Meeting open to the full membership. I will be in Bristol all week and will send daily reports so you can get a feel of what happens at these incredible events. I already told John Apple to start saving for next February. I encourage many of you to do the same. If you have any interest in traveling to the UK for either the Feb/Mar Lectures or the May Exhibition feel free to email me at m.a.jacobi@icloud.com. I'd be happy to answer any questions and assist your travel in any way.
As North American Coordinator of the BTS, I encourage all North Americans to join our ranks and have actively solicited memberships here and elsewhere. And I thank all who have. Unfortunately, the new member list inside each Journal issue drifted away from including the country of residence of non-UK members somewhere along the way. As I began to take over, I re-implemented the notation of country in parentheses following each name, and it will be so in every issue with me as editor.
SO ... all I can give you are the names from last issue and the upcoming issue (plus some from the issue before that where country was not designated but I recognized a few names), and welcome you on behalf of the entire BTS Committee and your fellow membership. I apologize to those I cannot single out who have also joined. You are only omitted from the following list because the country wasn't noted and I don't know your name. I personally appreciate everyone from Canada, Mexico or the United States that helps me represent the New World.
Cheers (in alphabetical order; U.S. unless otherwise noted) to: John Apple, Joshua Castillo, Jeanine Carbonaro, Simon Chen (CANADA), Ryan Christensen, Joel Greenblatt, Kiffnie Holt, Kyung Kim, Janet Mikolajczyk, David Napierala, Joe Nickerson, Thomas Schumacher, Ryan Serafin, Taylor Sierra Smith, Frank Somma, Syd Sussman, Ashley Wieczorek and Haley Yorke (CANADA). All of these people joined over the past six months or so. Thanks and welcome also to those who are current members - new or long-time - that I have not named.
JOIN THE BTS! NORTH AMERICANS DESERVE A GREAT SOCIETY, AND THE BTS IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT EVEN HAS AN AMERICAN AS ITS JOURNAL EDITOR! IT IS YOUR ARACHNOCULTURAL HOME TOO!
I will BLOG live from the BTS Lectures all weekend long. Friday night is the party. Saturday afternoon and evening is the Lectures. Sunday morning is the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is a Committee Meeting open to the full membership. I will be in Bristol all week and will send daily reports so you can get a feel of what happens at these incredible events. I already told John Apple to start saving for next February. I encourage many of you to do the same. If you have any interest in traveling to the UK for either the Feb/Mar Lectures or the May Exhibition feel free to email me at m.a.jacobi@icloud.com. I'd be happy to answer any questions and assist your travel in any way.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
#106 - POPPIN' IN
How y'all been? Sorry I haven't been out to play much lately. Thought I'd pop in and give you a life dump. My quietness is partially because I was on the road for 23 nights in February. I know most of you don't give a shit about my gun stuff and that's all I was up to. I have another blog for that. However, it was one hell of a scenic road trip so I hope many of you have been following my @exoticfauna Instagram. I posted loads of pix from my 5000 mile epic road trip.
Even in retirement I still have some involvement in arachnoculture. As you know, that is primarily through The British Tarantula Society, which I encourage you all - once again - to become a member of. Welcome to new or renewing American members including John Apple, Frank Somma and my bonus dad Joel Greenblatt. The budget option is online Journal only, but if you can swing the $55 or so you can also get three print issues sent to your home that are edited and produced by yours truly. I am happy to report that I am tonight putting the finishing touches on my first issue as Editor - 31(1) March 2016. One of the articles features Heteropoda and is co-authored by Tom Patterson and I.
Before I leave the subject of the BTS I must add that I leave Sunday for the Annual Lectures. I'm not speaking this year and have Joel with me so I'll be able to chill and really enjoy the weekend's festivities. The night before drinks is always a meeting of the minds when it comes to world tarantulaculture, and the Lectures never disappoint. Then Sunday we have our Committee Meeting, which is the Annual General Meeting and is open to the membership at large. Joel and I are stopping in Dublin before we get to Bristol and I'll revisit both Guinness and the home of my tipple – Jameson's Distillery. Then it's off to Bristol and Serious Ink. Mark will be finishing my right sleeve while his apprentice daughter Brandon recolors the Encyocratella olivacea tattoo that's on the inside of my right calf. Day trips to Wales and London will follow before the weekend and the Lecture arrives.
Now that I don't use Faffbook (full disclosure: I actually do have a page for my new business and the necessary personal account to maintain it, but that is the account's sole purpose and I am not accepting/seeking friends. Sorry), I am posting pix to Instagram and also maintaining my high resolution galleries at SmugMug. I hope you visit my SmugMug account every now and again. You can even order prints if you choose to hang my photography on your wall.
I've also recently updated my The Tarantula Bibliography a few times for February. The revision co-authored by Andrew M. Smith and I resulted in numerous changes, but nothing compared to the complete United States Aphonopelma revision published by friends Chris Hamilton and Brent Hendrixon along with Jason Bond. Plus there are a couple of miscellaneous new genera like Bistriopelma and Neoholothele.
Although I still keep and will breed Harpactira pulchripes, Monocentropus balfouri and Poecilotheria subfusca, the two final never-been-bred-yet projects are "Monocentropus lambertoni" and Avicularia sooretama. I recently posted pix of the adult pair of A. sooretama on IG and SmugMug and will also share below.
Anyone who has ready any of my articles on arboreal tarantula husbandry - in print or online - or even that has followed Kiss My Big Hairy Spider is well aware that I often use a "breeding area" type of set up to pair both theraphosids and araneomorphs. Much of this technique has been devoted to the mass production of Avicularia and Poecilotheria over the years. The adults are housed in customized cereal containers or gallon jars depending on size and gender. Once it's time for the spiders to bump uglies both individual containers are placed inside a much larger tub. Generally, I allow them to settle in and feed and then only release the male so he can sniff about for a few days unmolested. The female is then fed again and extra food left in the breeding arena. A day or two later I open her enclosure too. They are free to mix and mingle as their schedule allows.
In the case of the pair of Avicularia sooretama, the male stayed in his gallon jar too long and had to be coaxed out. He then had free run of the place for a week or so. Even before I opened the female's nano ExoTerra terrarium I knew that she wasn't likely to leave her home. She has a very thick and secure tube sock in her terrarium and there's no reason for her to roam. I eventually tickled her out and removed both enclosures from the large "breeding arena" tub. I placed the live plant and cork bark pieces from the female's terrarium in one corner and put the terrarium light on the top of the breeding tub once I shut the lid. Then I remembered that I had a tub of terrarium plants in my living room that were removed from the enclosures of spiders long sold. I had a big tub of plants being rehabilitated a bit for possible reuse. So I decided I would just put them all in the "breeding arena" and the pair would end up with a communal mansion of sorts. That is where they remain.
As for the other project – "Monocentropus lambertoni" – I should remind you that in an article in the BTS Journal two issues or so ago I questioned the validity of the ID of our hobby spider. Hence, the quotation marks. Regardless, I had a very rare male mature, and he bred with my only female many times. Unfortunately, she subsequently molted. However, the male is still alive even though he matured last May. He has successfully mated with her several more times, and I will try him again over the next few days. Sadly, he is destined for a spirit jar living on a shelf in England. I want this spider identified and he will be donated to African Theraphosidae specialist Richard Gallon. So, live or dead, he is traveling to Bristol with me. It is an easy decision to make only because I have a penultimate male here. If the mature male did not successfully transfer sperm at least I have a backup.
Well, that's it for now. Glad we could chat again. Please check out my @exoticfauna Instagram. There are loads of pix from Costa Rica, my road trip (Arches N.P., Grand Canyon N.P., Red Rock S.P./Sedona AZ, etc.), and starting Sunday there will be loads from my trip to the UK. I've lost count of how many times I've travelled to the UK since my first in 2006 - I think this will be 8 or 9? Bristol is my home away from home and the location of me mate Mark Pennell and his Serious Ink Tattoo Studio. Fucking stoked.
All the best, MJ
Even in retirement I still have some involvement in arachnoculture. As you know, that is primarily through The British Tarantula Society, which I encourage you all - once again - to become a member of. Welcome to new or renewing American members including John Apple, Frank Somma and my bonus dad Joel Greenblatt. The budget option is online Journal only, but if you can swing the $55 or so you can also get three print issues sent to your home that are edited and produced by yours truly. I am happy to report that I am tonight putting the finishing touches on my first issue as Editor - 31(1) March 2016. One of the articles features Heteropoda and is co-authored by Tom Patterson and I.
Before I leave the subject of the BTS I must add that I leave Sunday for the Annual Lectures. I'm not speaking this year and have Joel with me so I'll be able to chill and really enjoy the weekend's festivities. The night before drinks is always a meeting of the minds when it comes to world tarantulaculture, and the Lectures never disappoint. Then Sunday we have our Committee Meeting, which is the Annual General Meeting and is open to the membership at large. Joel and I are stopping in Dublin before we get to Bristol and I'll revisit both Guinness and the home of my tipple – Jameson's Distillery. Then it's off to Bristol and Serious Ink. Mark will be finishing my right sleeve while his apprentice daughter Brandon recolors the Encyocratella olivacea tattoo that's on the inside of my right calf. Day trips to Wales and London will follow before the weekend and the Lecture arrives.
Now that I don't use Faffbook (full disclosure: I actually do have a page for my new business and the necessary personal account to maintain it, but that is the account's sole purpose and I am not accepting/seeking friends. Sorry), I am posting pix to Instagram and also maintaining my high resolution galleries at SmugMug. I hope you visit my SmugMug account every now and again. You can even order prints if you choose to hang my photography on your wall.
 |
| Screen cap of my Tarantula in Terrarium gallery at SmugMug. 152 photos and counting ... |
I've also recently updated my The Tarantula Bibliography a few times for February. The revision co-authored by Andrew M. Smith and I resulted in numerous changes, but nothing compared to the complete United States Aphonopelma revision published by friends Chris Hamilton and Brent Hendrixon along with Jason Bond. Plus there are a couple of miscellaneous new genera like Bistriopelma and Neoholothele.
Although I still keep and will breed Harpactira pulchripes, Monocentropus balfouri and Poecilotheria subfusca, the two final never-been-bred-yet projects are "Monocentropus lambertoni" and Avicularia sooretama. I recently posted pix of the adult pair of A. sooretama on IG and SmugMug and will also share below.
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| Adult female Avicularia sooretama. © Michael Jacobi |
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| Mature male Avicularia sooretama. © Michael Jacobi |
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| Mature male Avicularia sooretama. © Michael Jacobi |
Anyone who has ready any of my articles on arboreal tarantula husbandry - in print or online - or even that has followed Kiss My Big Hairy Spider is well aware that I often use a "breeding area" type of set up to pair both theraphosids and araneomorphs. Much of this technique has been devoted to the mass production of Avicularia and Poecilotheria over the years. The adults are housed in customized cereal containers or gallon jars depending on size and gender. Once it's time for the spiders to bump uglies both individual containers are placed inside a much larger tub. Generally, I allow them to settle in and feed and then only release the male so he can sniff about for a few days unmolested. The female is then fed again and extra food left in the breeding arena. A day or two later I open her enclosure too. They are free to mix and mingle as their schedule allows.
In the case of the pair of Avicularia sooretama, the male stayed in his gallon jar too long and had to be coaxed out. He then had free run of the place for a week or so. Even before I opened the female's nano ExoTerra terrarium I knew that she wasn't likely to leave her home. She has a very thick and secure tube sock in her terrarium and there's no reason for her to roam. I eventually tickled her out and removed both enclosures from the large "breeding arena" tub. I placed the live plant and cork bark pieces from the female's terrarium in one corner and put the terrarium light on the top of the breeding tub once I shut the lid. Then I remembered that I had a tub of terrarium plants in my living room that were removed from the enclosures of spiders long sold. I had a big tub of plants being rehabilitated a bit for possible reuse. So I decided I would just put them all in the "breeding arena" and the pair would end up with a communal mansion of sorts. That is where they remain.
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| The "breeding arena" A. sooretama mansion with two ExoTerra lamp fixtures. |
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| The male likes to sit up here. |
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| Inside. It's hard to see the cork in the back right corner, but that is where the female has built a new tube sock. |
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| Close-up of the male Avicularia sooretama. |
As for the other project – "Monocentropus lambertoni" – I should remind you that in an article in the BTS Journal two issues or so ago I questioned the validity of the ID of our hobby spider. Hence, the quotation marks. Regardless, I had a very rare male mature, and he bred with my only female many times. Unfortunately, she subsequently molted. However, the male is still alive even though he matured last May. He has successfully mated with her several more times, and I will try him again over the next few days. Sadly, he is destined for a spirit jar living on a shelf in England. I want this spider identified and he will be donated to African Theraphosidae specialist Richard Gallon. So, live or dead, he is traveling to Bristol with me. It is an easy decision to make only because I have a penultimate male here. If the mature male did not successfully transfer sperm at least I have a backup.
Well, that's it for now. Glad we could chat again. Please check out my @exoticfauna Instagram. There are loads of pix from Costa Rica, my road trip (Arches N.P., Grand Canyon N.P., Red Rock S.P./Sedona AZ, etc.), and starting Sunday there will be loads from my trip to the UK. I've lost count of how many times I've travelled to the UK since my first in 2006 - I think this will be 8 or 9? Bristol is my home away from home and the location of me mate Mark Pennell and his Serious Ink Tattoo Studio. Fucking stoked.
All the best, MJ
Friday, January 29, 2016
#105: RETIRED!!!
Hello from Chino Valley, Arizona!
The high country desert here is beautiful. The weather has been crisp in the morning (as low as 15º), but yesterday and today the afternoon high was/will be 65º. I am training at Gunsite Academy, just 10 miles north, and today is the fifth and final day. Tomorrow I will start my journey to HOME, SWEET HOME. Between here and Flagstaff is Sedona, which is certainly one of the most beautiful towns in the U.S. and home to Red Rock State Park and its stunning red sandstone formations. I hope some of you have been following my @exoticfauna Instagram. I have posted loads of pix from this epic road trip, which include visits to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Sedona and much more. This three and a half week road trip is coming to an end and I can't wait to get back to my house and my parrot Jesse. I don't have many spiders left, but the 50 or so that will remain in my private collection are certainly waiting for a feeding and watering.
It is 6 a.m. and as I woke and checked my email I got word from my final customer, who has been waiting patiently for safe shipping weather and me to return home, wants to cancel his order after all. I couldn't be happier. That means that I have no pending orders, will sell nothing else and am FINALLY COMPLETELY, FULLY, ENTIRELY RETIRED!!! Or at least retired from a very long career in pets, exotic pets, herpetoculture and arachnoculture. SPIDERSHOPPE is boarded up. Kaput. Finito.
But as I wrote, I do still have about 50 eight-legged "pets". Some will be given away. Some might be sold to personal friends (not "customers"). Some may even be bred. Any spiderlings from whatever I might breed will be wholesaled in bulk. Entire sac to one person. That's as much spider business as I will conduct. What do I still have? My Harpactira pulchripes. A nice group of Monocentropus balfouri (most of which were part of the order I just refunded, but now will continue living in my office). A large group of Idiothele mira, which are not in my possession but have been given to John Apple on permanent breeding loan. And, of course, some Pokies. Mostly I have my personal favorite tarantula, Poecilotheria subfusca. I'm not ready to not have a few of them living with me. I have retained both "highland" and "lowland" "forms" and also have two female P. rufilata, one giant old P. vittata, and one 10-year old P. metallica. I have a pair of Avicularia sooretama, which may be my final true breeding project, as well as six or so juveniles. I have 3.2 subadult P. langenbucheri and six juveniles, but those will go to Chad Campbell. The other odds and ends that I may bestow on friends are a female A. "metallica" and another big adult female Avic that was traded to me as "metallica", but is ? I have a few "Phormingochilus carpenteri"/"Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi" that also will go to good homes. I think that's it. The downside of these fifty or so "pets" is that it means I still have to order crickets (and get them shipped alive in winter). Oh well, at least my doors are finally closed and I can just consider myself a mostly retired, sometimes traveler and sometimes firearms instructor.
Travel is eternally rewarding. On February 28, my bonus dad Joel and I will leave for Dublin and Bristol, England. I'm not even home yet, but I can't wait to be "on the road again". The best part will be seeing the Pennells and friends. The bonus part will be getting my right sleeve finished and one of my spider tats recolored (fixed) by Mark's apprentice, his daughter Brandon! Another bonus will be the BTS Lectures and seeing all my BTS friends.
But during the month of February I will be focused on my new enterprise, Triggercontrol Tactical, LLC and working around my house. I have a number of projects to occupy my mind and time. The SPIDERSHOPPE era, which also included "Jacobi Herpetoculture", "Chicago Reptile", "The Living Terrarium", "Frog Sanctuary", as well as stints working for Noah's Ark Pet Centers, Strictly Animals and Northwest Zoological Supply, has come to a close. That's me riding off into the sunset. And the sunsets here in the high desert of central Arizona are glorious.
My best wishes to all, Michael
The high country desert here is beautiful. The weather has been crisp in the morning (as low as 15º), but yesterday and today the afternoon high was/will be 65º. I am training at Gunsite Academy, just 10 miles north, and today is the fifth and final day. Tomorrow I will start my journey to HOME, SWEET HOME. Between here and Flagstaff is Sedona, which is certainly one of the most beautiful towns in the U.S. and home to Red Rock State Park and its stunning red sandstone formations. I hope some of you have been following my @exoticfauna Instagram. I have posted loads of pix from this epic road trip, which include visits to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Sedona and much more. This three and a half week road trip is coming to an end and I can't wait to get back to my house and my parrot Jesse. I don't have many spiders left, but the 50 or so that will remain in my private collection are certainly waiting for a feeding and watering.
It is 6 a.m. and as I woke and checked my email I got word from my final customer, who has been waiting patiently for safe shipping weather and me to return home, wants to cancel his order after all. I couldn't be happier. That means that I have no pending orders, will sell nothing else and am FINALLY COMPLETELY, FULLY, ENTIRELY RETIRED!!! Or at least retired from a very long career in pets, exotic pets, herpetoculture and arachnoculture. SPIDERSHOPPE is boarded up. Kaput. Finito.
But as I wrote, I do still have about 50 eight-legged "pets". Some will be given away. Some might be sold to personal friends (not "customers"). Some may even be bred. Any spiderlings from whatever I might breed will be wholesaled in bulk. Entire sac to one person. That's as much spider business as I will conduct. What do I still have? My Harpactira pulchripes. A nice group of Monocentropus balfouri (most of which were part of the order I just refunded, but now will continue living in my office). A large group of Idiothele mira, which are not in my possession but have been given to John Apple on permanent breeding loan. And, of course, some Pokies. Mostly I have my personal favorite tarantula, Poecilotheria subfusca. I'm not ready to not have a few of them living with me. I have retained both "highland" and "lowland" "forms" and also have two female P. rufilata, one giant old P. vittata, and one 10-year old P. metallica. I have a pair of Avicularia sooretama, which may be my final true breeding project, as well as six or so juveniles. I have 3.2 subadult P. langenbucheri and six juveniles, but those will go to Chad Campbell. The other odds and ends that I may bestow on friends are a female A. "metallica" and another big adult female Avic that was traded to me as "metallica", but is ? I have a few "Phormingochilus carpenteri"/"Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi" that also will go to good homes. I think that's it. The downside of these fifty or so "pets" is that it means I still have to order crickets (and get them shipped alive in winter). Oh well, at least my doors are finally closed and I can just consider myself a mostly retired, sometimes traveler and sometimes firearms instructor.
Travel is eternally rewarding. On February 28, my bonus dad Joel and I will leave for Dublin and Bristol, England. I'm not even home yet, but I can't wait to be "on the road again". The best part will be seeing the Pennells and friends. The bonus part will be getting my right sleeve finished and one of my spider tats recolored (fixed) by Mark's apprentice, his daughter Brandon! Another bonus will be the BTS Lectures and seeing all my BTS friends.
But during the month of February I will be focused on my new enterprise, Triggercontrol Tactical, LLC and working around my house. I have a number of projects to occupy my mind and time. The SPIDERSHOPPE era, which also included "Jacobi Herpetoculture", "Chicago Reptile", "The Living Terrarium", "Frog Sanctuary", as well as stints working for Noah's Ark Pet Centers, Strictly Animals and Northwest Zoological Supply, has come to a close. That's me riding off into the sunset. And the sunsets here in the high desert of central Arizona are glorious.
My best wishes to all, Michael
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
#104 - LABELER TAPE & TAXONOMY
I'm sure you've considered it. Are theraphosid taxonomists sponsored by Dymo or Brother? Surely the constant changes to tarantula scientific names fuel a surge in label tape purchases. Maybe your old school and scrawl out barely legible IDs on masking tape. So maybe 3M is part of the big conspiracy.
I recently co-authored a paper with Andrew Smith that changed the names of many Ornithoctoninae. Although our work focused on the arboreal tarantulas of places like Malaysia and Borneo, the revision affected terrestrial genera as well. Your Haplopelma became Cyriopagopus. Admittedly, we noted that future works by experts on these spiders (e.g. German Volker Von Wirth) may resurrect Haplopelma and perhaps Melopoeus. More label and masking tape sold. Among our changes your Cyriopagopus schioedtei became Omothymus schioedtei, which means that the still undescribed Cyriopaopus sp. hatihati should be called Omothymus sp. hatihati. Your Lampropelma violaceopes (until ten years ago known as Cyriopagopus sp. Blue) is now Omothymus violaceopes. Phormingochilus gained three new species and one - P. carpenteri - is likely what you've labeled as Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi. Cyriopagopus sp. Sumatra is likely Phormingochilus fuchsi. The changes go on. More Dymo tape is sold.
I just updated my Tarantula Bibliography to include more recent changes to tarantula names. Go to Target or Wal-Mart and buy some more label tape. Holothele incei is now Neoholothele incei. Oligoxystre diamantinensis is now Dolichothele diamantinensis. Who the flock could pronounce "Oligoxystre" anyway?!?!?!
Genera change much more often than species. If you can't afford a $30 a month Dymo tape budget perhaps you should just label your terrariums with the specific epithet. Then again, gender declination must match. If a species is moved from a "feminine" genus to a "masculine" or "neuter" genus the suffix may change. For example, a dymolabelus might become a dymolabela. More revenue for the label companies.
Here's a suggestion. Buy a dry erase marker. It will last a long time. Or buy removable adhesive Avery labels and computer print your ID tags. More money saved means more tarantulas purchased.
All the best, MJ
Saturday, January 9, 2016
#103 - END OF THE LINE
Took me 103 entries to make an Allman Brothers reference ...
Random musings as I prepare to sleep and rise tomorrow to start my 5000 mile 23 night road trip... It's a good time to be heading west. I can hear the guy plowing my drive as I type this. We got hit by some snow tonight and temps are supposed to drop big time over next couple of days. It won't exactly be balmy in CA, AZ and Nevada, but it will be better than here.
The End of the Line refers to the fact that, finally, the SPIDERSHOPPE is closed. I have one pending order that I am waiting for an email reply about. I told the customer I can't ship due to weather and my road trip so he has options of cancelling or waiting. I shipped two orders on Wednesday and those might have been my last ever. While I am away John Apple is going to stop by my house and pick up a bunch of stuff to keep, sell and breed and the 50 or so other spiders I guess are keepers. I definitely won't be advertising ever again. Sales are closed.
I'm really looking forward to getting out of town again. Costa Rica was such much needed relaxation and was a hedonistic whirlwind of luxurious holiday. But I came back to stress as I work hard on transitioning to opening up a new business and some drama with my takeover of the British Tarantula Society Journal. All I can think of right now is that Wednesday I'll be playing poker at the Mirage. I'll have three days to chill in Vegas before I head down to Chino, CA to shoot and then I'll be back in Vegas for four more days for SHOT show. I've got some killer dinner reservations and Cirque du Soleil tickets. I've seen every Cirque show except one (most I've seen twice), but finally will complete the roster by seeing the sensual Zumanity. Then it's down to AZ where I'll have a little free time to do some Grand Canyon photography or something before a week of training. Road trip pix will be on IG @exoticfauna.
I'll be back on the 1st or 2nd of February and then Feb 28 will leave for the UK and the BTS Lectures. The Lectures is a great time to socialize with my European arachnoculture friends as during May's Exhibition everybody is more worried about selling and buying. My mate Andrew Smith just returned from a successful Brazil field trip and is working on a film documentary. He'll be delivering his traditional after dinner talk at the Lectures on the trip. Spoiler alert: they found the Lasiodora, Pachistopelma, Iridopelma, Avicularia, etc. they sought.
Hope you all have a great 2016. I'll try to pop in here now and again. mJ
Friday, January 1, 2016
#102 - HAPPY NEW YEAR! LAST ADVERT EVER!
It's taken a minute to close down SPIDERSHOPPE. I still have some stragglers - spiders I still want to sell before I am down to just some subfusca, rufilata and H. pulchripes. But the weather and my schedule have conspired against me. I've never been much for patience and the winter chill makes waiting for safe shipping windows necessary. I wanted all the spiders gone before my 3 1/2 week road trip as I have no caretakers. Looks like it's on to Plan B.
At the bottom of this blog entry I will post my final list. I hate to advertise here, but I just made my last bump on Arachnoboards and posted my final ad on Fauna Classifieds. I also recently sent the list to my mailing list. I've had a few takers, but mostly have been ignored. So, what's left after this weekend will only be available through local sale. My shipping will cease. If you are patient and willing to wait as long as a safe shipping window takes, you can order off this list with a 15% discount that for being KMBHS readers. How's that?
But it will take patience on both of our parts. I just had one guy ask for a refund on an order for a female Monocentropus balfouri. Turns out he's a kid whose dad put up the money. Pops wants his money back, but was willing to pony up a bit more for my pair of Avicularia sooretama. Instead I sent an immediate refund. I've been in communication with the kid several times about weather and shipping possibilities, but they grew impatient. I'd rather just get their monkey off my back and refund. I have another patient customer waiting on some other female M. balfouri and I'm sure he'd love to take one more!
So, on to HAPPY NEW YEAR! Actually I wished y'all that yesterday, but am glad to be awake in 2016 and able to say it again. My best to you and yours! 2016 is going to be big! I hope you had more fun last night than I did. I had intended to go out and find the equally lonely, but instead did the 51-year old thing and read in bed and fell asleep early. I had one beer in the afternoon. Wheeeeee. Party animal. But at least I was safe and personal safety and responsibility is my mantra.
FOR SALE
***THE STRAGGLERS – ALL THAT IS LEFT – EVERYTHING REDUCED, EVERYTHING MUST GO BY JANUARY 8! REASONABLE OFFERS ACCEPTED. PACKAGE DEALS CONSIDERED. THIS IS THE END.***
*** $100 MINIMUM ORDER, EXCLUSIVE OF SHIPPING CHARGE
*** PLEASE CONTACT BEFORE SENDING MONEY TO CHECK AVAILABILITY! I ONLY ACCEPT CONTACT BY EMAIL TO SPIDERSHOPPE@ICLOUD.COM.
*** PROMPT PayPal payment is required to reserve and schedule shipping, but availability must be checked before sending money. First paid, first reserved. No unpaid holds!
*** ALL packages are shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight to your nearest FedEx Ship Center (aka "hub") as HOLD FOR PICKUP packages. NO DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE. NO EXCEPTIONS! $35 IL and surrounding midwest, $45 most other states, $55 coastal states. Please boycott sellers who break the law and ship spiders by USPS!
UPDATED JANUARY 1, 2016
UNSEXED TARANTULAS
0.0.6 - Avicularia sooretama - 1.5” - $125 ea. RARE! REDUCED AGAIN!
0.0.2 - Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi (now Phormingochilus carpenteri) - 2.5-3” - $45 ea. (REDUCED)
0.0.10 - Iridopelma hirsutum 'Recife' - 0.5” - BRED HERE - $15 ea., 6/$80
0.0.30 - Poecilotheria subfusca - 2nd instar - BRED HERE - $15 ea. (REDUCED)
SUBADULT PAIR
1.1 - Avicularia sooretama - 2.5-3” - $450 PAIR RARE! REDUCED AGAIN!
FEMALE TARANTULAS
0.1.0 - Avicularia sp. “metallica” 4”+ - $75 ea. (REDUCED)
0.1.0 - Avicularia sp. 4-5” - $30 ea. (REDUCED)
0.1.0 - Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi (now Phormingochilus carpenteri) - 4”+ - $100 ea. (REDUCED)
0.2.0 - Harpactira curvipes - subadults - $65 ea. (REDUCED)
0.4.4 - Idiothele mira - one adult female and one unsexed juvie for $175 each.
MATURE MALE TARANTULAS
2.0.0 - Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica – UM 11/20/15 & UM 12/25/15 – FREE FOR SHIPPING CHARGE + $5 S/H.
SALES TERMS
[*]CONTACT BY EMAIL (spidershoppe@icloud.com) BEFORE SENDING MONEY TO CHECK AVAILABILITY
[*]CONTACT ONLY BY EMAIL!
[*]ABSOLUTELY NO TRADES. TRADE INQUIRIES IGNORED.
[*]FIRST PAID, FIRST RESERVED PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL TO SPIDERSHOPPE@ICLOUD.COM
[*]THE MINIMUM ORDER IS $100 EXCLUSIVE OF SHIPPING CHARGE [*]YOU RECEIVE FREE FEDEX PRIORITY OVERNIGHT SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $500+
TERMS OF SERVICE
PAYPAL PAYMENTS to spidershoppe@icloud.com ONLY!
USA SALES ONLY!
Michael Jacobi (dba Michael Jacobi's SPIDERSHOPPE) sells only quality animals using professional business practices and has over three decades of experience safely shipping animals nationwide year-round. I do not illegally ship via the postal service and charge $40-50 for overnight shipping via approved FedEx shipping through Superior Shipping Supplies.
Please boycott sellers who break the law and ship spiders via USPS!
ORDERS OF $500+ SHIP FREE!
[NOTE: COLD or HOT WEATHER SHIPPING IS HOLD FOR PICKUP AT YOUR FEDEX HUB ONLY] with live arrival guaranteed. Freight fee may be higher due to larger orders. I only ship with LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEED (LAG) and generally only ship when your overnight temperature is above 40F and below 90F.
Any claims of DOA must be substantiated with photographic proof or return of deceased specimen at my discretion and I must be notified immediately (within two hours of delivery). Live arrival guarantee is only valid if you personally accept the package on the first delivery attempt or have it held for pick up at a local facility. I am not responsible for specimens injured during unpacking or for carrier error or packages left outside exposed to the elements. There are no refunds. LAG covers replacement of specimen(s) or credit for future order, and does not include any freight charges. PayPal is the only accepted form of payment, and I only ship to confirmed PayPal addresses.
At the bottom of this blog entry I will post my final list. I hate to advertise here, but I just made my last bump on Arachnoboards and posted my final ad on Fauna Classifieds. I also recently sent the list to my mailing list. I've had a few takers, but mostly have been ignored. So, what's left after this weekend will only be available through local sale. My shipping will cease. If you are patient and willing to wait as long as a safe shipping window takes, you can order off this list with a 15% discount that for being KMBHS readers. How's that?
But it will take patience on both of our parts. I just had one guy ask for a refund on an order for a female Monocentropus balfouri. Turns out he's a kid whose dad put up the money. Pops wants his money back, but was willing to pony up a bit more for my pair of Avicularia sooretama. Instead I sent an immediate refund. I've been in communication with the kid several times about weather and shipping possibilities, but they grew impatient. I'd rather just get their monkey off my back and refund. I have another patient customer waiting on some other female M. balfouri and I'm sure he'd love to take one more!
So, on to HAPPY NEW YEAR! Actually I wished y'all that yesterday, but am glad to be awake in 2016 and able to say it again. My best to you and yours! 2016 is going to be big! I hope you had more fun last night than I did. I had intended to go out and find the equally lonely, but instead did the 51-year old thing and read in bed and fell asleep early. I had one beer in the afternoon. Wheeeeee. Party animal. But at least I was safe and personal safety and responsibility is my mantra.
*** OFF TOPIC AND GUN RELATED ALERT! ***
P.S. Tor those into firearms or 2nd amendment rights who are not yet members you can use this link to Join the NRA. You save 10 bucks and I get credit.
I'M AN NRA RECRUITER
*** BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG IN PROGRESS! ***
FOR SALE
***THE STRAGGLERS – ALL THAT IS LEFT – EVERYTHING REDUCED, EVERYTHING MUST GO BY JANUARY 8! REASONABLE OFFERS ACCEPTED. PACKAGE DEALS CONSIDERED. THIS IS THE END.***
*** $100 MINIMUM ORDER, EXCLUSIVE OF SHIPPING CHARGE
*** PLEASE CONTACT BEFORE SENDING MONEY TO CHECK AVAILABILITY! I ONLY ACCEPT CONTACT BY EMAIL TO SPIDERSHOPPE@ICLOUD.COM.
*** PROMPT PayPal payment is required to reserve and schedule shipping, but availability must be checked before sending money. First paid, first reserved. No unpaid holds!
*** ALL packages are shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight to your nearest FedEx Ship Center (aka "hub") as HOLD FOR PICKUP packages. NO DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE. NO EXCEPTIONS! $35 IL and surrounding midwest, $45 most other states, $55 coastal states. Please boycott sellers who break the law and ship spiders by USPS!
UPDATED JANUARY 1, 2016
UNSEXED TARANTULAS
0.0.6 - Avicularia sooretama - 1.5” - $125 ea. RARE! REDUCED AGAIN!
0.0.2 - Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi (now Phormingochilus carpenteri) - 2.5-3” - $45 ea. (REDUCED)
0.0.10 - Iridopelma hirsutum 'Recife' - 0.5” - BRED HERE - $15 ea., 6/$80
0.0.30 - Poecilotheria subfusca - 2nd instar - BRED HERE - $15 ea. (REDUCED)
SUBADULT PAIR
1.1 - Avicularia sooretama - 2.5-3” - $450 PAIR RARE! REDUCED AGAIN!
FEMALE TARANTULAS
0.1.0 - Avicularia sp. “metallica” 4”+ - $75 ea. (REDUCED)
0.1.0 - Avicularia sp. 4-5” - $30 ea. (REDUCED)
0.1.0 - Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi (now Phormingochilus carpenteri) - 4”+ - $100 ea. (REDUCED)
0.2.0 - Harpactira curvipes - subadults - $65 ea. (REDUCED)
0.4.4 - Idiothele mira - one adult female and one unsexed juvie for $175 each.
MATURE MALE TARANTULAS
2.0.0 - Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica – UM 11/20/15 & UM 12/25/15 – FREE FOR SHIPPING CHARGE + $5 S/H.
SALES TERMS
[*]CONTACT BY EMAIL (spidershoppe@icloud.com) BEFORE SENDING MONEY TO CHECK AVAILABILITY
[*]CONTACT ONLY BY EMAIL!
[*]ABSOLUTELY NO TRADES. TRADE INQUIRIES IGNORED.
[*]FIRST PAID, FIRST RESERVED PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL TO SPIDERSHOPPE@ICLOUD.COM
[*]THE MINIMUM ORDER IS $100 EXCLUSIVE OF SHIPPING CHARGE [*]YOU RECEIVE FREE FEDEX PRIORITY OVERNIGHT SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $500+
TERMS OF SERVICE
PAYPAL PAYMENTS to spidershoppe@icloud.com ONLY!
USA SALES ONLY!
Michael Jacobi (dba Michael Jacobi's SPIDERSHOPPE) sells only quality animals using professional business practices and has over three decades of experience safely shipping animals nationwide year-round. I do not illegally ship via the postal service and charge $40-50 for overnight shipping via approved FedEx shipping through Superior Shipping Supplies.
Please boycott sellers who break the law and ship spiders via USPS!
ORDERS OF $500+ SHIP FREE!
[NOTE: COLD or HOT WEATHER SHIPPING IS HOLD FOR PICKUP AT YOUR FEDEX HUB ONLY] with live arrival guaranteed. Freight fee may be higher due to larger orders. I only ship with LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEED (LAG) and generally only ship when your overnight temperature is above 40F and below 90F.
Any claims of DOA must be substantiated with photographic proof or return of deceased specimen at my discretion and I must be notified immediately (within two hours of delivery). Live arrival guarantee is only valid if you personally accept the package on the first delivery attempt or have it held for pick up at a local facility. I am not responsible for specimens injured during unpacking or for carrier error or packages left outside exposed to the elements. There are no refunds. LAG covers replacement of specimen(s) or credit for future order, and does not include any freight charges. PayPal is the only accepted form of payment, and I only ship to confirmed PayPal addresses.
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