Christmas Lizards and a Collection of Gift Cards

It's Christmas!  Our morning was very fun, everybody in my family was far too generous to each other so there were lots of fun presents to open.  I got a new basking light bulb for Bratanik, The Last Olympian, Sorcerers and Seers, a necklace with a little Liahona on it, a bunch of gift cards, Toy Story 3, Mork and Mindy season 2, a punch ball froggy, a cute hat, Scrabble Slam, and a bunch of other little things. 

I ALSO got 2 things before Christmas - Tinsel, my ALTG Lizard and Clementine my new leopard Gecko.  Tinsel is cool, but CLEMENTINE is BEAUTIFUL. And such a sweetheart.  She never bites and actually seems to like hanging out resting on you.  She is a Tremper Albino with pretty gold eyes (one winks though, and MAY be blind) and just such a cutie!  I love her so much already.  She is not too impressed with my mealworms though, and prefers crickets. Honestly though, even though I raise my own mealies so it is MUCH cheaper, I will give her WHATEVER she wants for now.  I am also going to try her on wax worms (she is a bit skinny and needs some fat) and of course baby Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches as I have THOSE in abundance and they are super healthy for her.

ANYWAY, last night, Christmas Eve was super fun too!  We spent the evening with the Ostleparkwells (Meg and T-La's fams) eating delicious soup, talking, and having BoyKid play with the little boys who so worship him.  He had fun too, don't worry.  He loves those kids! Plus they played Mario Party on the Wii so he wasn't exactly suffering. HA!  But also he is just such a great kid.  He is really patient with his little cousins and is a great example. Great example to ME too.  I love that boy.

Also, I LOVE MEGAN. I know that isn't a huge surprise or anything, I mean she is my bestest friend/cousin.  But I really ADMIRE her.  She has gone through so much hard stuff in her life, but is now becoming SUPER active in the Church (she, well WE, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... Mormon for those that have heard more about that.).  I know she still struggles (nope, I am not the only one... mental illness runs in our family) but she DOES it. She holds a calling even.  She is a stellar example to me, though some Sundays I just can't go and the Lord DOES understand that.  She is amazing and has come so far.  Her hubby, Jakey, isn't a member of our faith, he is Catholic, but he is SUCH a good person for her.  He adores her and supports her and encourages her in our church.  Marrying someone of a different culture or religion can be so hard, but they are 2 people I see making it work best they can.  They are both awesome.

Also, another aspect of awesomeness Megs is like a fiberwork PHENOM.  She can knit ANYTHING!  Like seriously anything.  Monsters, Hermit Crabs, and, for Christmas she is making me some red knitted SHOES!  They are SUPER cute.  She is A-MAZING.  Anyway, enough about her, back to me (JK) Ha!

BoyKid is in the livingroom wailing on the Paper Jamz I gave him.  It can do real chords so he can play it like his real guitars.  He is so talented.  I am seriously surrounded by the coolest people.  That is probably the best part of Christmas (I mean, yes, we remember the birth of Jesus and THAT is the most IMPORTANT, but the FUNNEST part is family.  And it is ALMOST as important, I mean, that's why Christ did it all... so that we could stay with our family together forever.).  I have great family and friends and pets. I am so grateful for all of my blessings. And gift cards.

Becoming a Turtle Pimp

I won a HOVABATOR!  That's as very highly recommended incubator for reptile eggs.  So I am diving into the world of herp breeding. Well, 2 reptiles anyway - Russian Tortoises and Leopard Geckos.  My friend ML has a female Russian and I have Bratanik, my boy.  Russians do not lay many eggs, and the number that survive are even less.  Healthy CAPTIVE BORN RTs are hard to find, that's why I don't feel like breeding is a bad idea.  The ones at the pet stores are notoriously Wild Caught, living really rough lives when first captured and shipped.  It shouldn't happen.  Anyway, when I am homing MY babies people will have to prove they have the right set up for these amazing shell babies.  I do not want to sell to the ignorant and increase the number of BAD homes with pets.

And then there is Jack, my leopard gecko.  For him I am not doing the Stud thing.  I am buying him a girlfriend!  I have one in mind on KSL.com if they can hold her for me.  She is much sweeter than Jack the brat, and will make a much better Critters 2 Go participant.  Kids will be able to actually hold and pet her.  And, with a little help from cupid, hopefully she and Jack can give me darling little leopard gecko eggs! WOOT!  They will be SO CUTE. Jack may be a butt, but he IS gorgeous.

Currently my favorite names for my new little girl are Clementine or Norma.  I really hope it works out.  She is really inexpensive, a tangerine morph, and really gentle.

I am trying hard to think about happy things.  Christmas. Geckos. Family.  But my heart aches.  My Uncle Ken is dying. Their family is so positive, they are such a good example to me.  When Brady died in 9-11 they were the strong ones, comforting US about the loss of THEIR son. And now this.  Ola is so far away and I don't feel like I will ever be better, be HAPPY.  But I'm not dying, just hurting.  I feel lonely, fighting pain everyday.  So I do things just to distract me - play on Gaia, care for all my animals... at least that is taking care of someone else. Caring about something that matters.  I may never get married, have kids.... those things are mostly out of my hands.  But I can love my pets. I can be a CCL (sans cats) at that is a pretty good consolation prize. :)

Whining.

Still sick, eating Ramen and watching my chinchilla spaz out for me.  She is hilarious.  Glad my pets are here for me.  I am also reading Incantation and Billy Creekmore. Both are pretty good.

I am so hot. I rarely get fevers but I have one now.  So I am sweaty and gross. Uncool. (Literally!)

I am lonely. I want to go back to work. I want to go to SPAIN.

I am writing for the Examiner.  I need to get on top of a couple of Christmas themed articles this week. I am going to write about how you shouldn't give pets as presents and another that lists present ideas for pets (or for friends that have them).  Not sure which I will write next.  I am a little writer's blocked.

But I like writing. It gives me something productive I can do at home, since I am basically a shut in right now.  Whether it's blogging or writing an article, it helps.

MyNigerian gets arrested and I get a new lizard

WHAT THE HECK is up with me and people associated with me?!  I am still suffering through headaches always and trying to not hate the holidays because of it.  I feel like Christmas and the rest of life is just passing me by at rapid speeds.  But that's not all...

Ola got ARRESTED because he couldn't find the right papers and may be deported from Spain!  Like it's not hard enough to get to see him THERE.  If he goes to Nigeria we are just screwed.

Coats had a baby.  Which is pretty scary to think about by itself, but also there is still part of me thinking I AM THE LAST UNMARRIED FRINGE and who knows if I'll ever have kids.

I had a bad week this last week.  My lizard, Legolas, as well as 2 of my hermit crabs, Tolei and Jaque died unexpectedly.  And yes, I cried.

Today Mom gave me an early Christmas present, a new ALTGL like Legolas, who I have named Tinsel for the holidays.  He is just 11 inches long, nothing like my 13 inch Legolas, but he seems tamer and pretty healthy.  So I am happy to have him, though I still miss Legolas a lot.

Can I just say

I am so tired of hurting all of the time.

Ditto

Still sick. Still eating (well, DRINKING) chicken broth and saltine crackers and watching old movies (tonight it's Mr. Mom.). BUT a few things that are fun...

1. I got my "Capycopy" of CAPLIN, the world's most famous Capybara.  It's SUPER cute, as is HE.  SIGH.  Someday I will have a real capybara, if I can help it.  But until then, I will have every thing Capy I CAN.
2.  My new (to me) phone came today! FINALLY.  It is a BlackBerry Curve 8900 and I am so excited.  Mostly, IT WORKS which is more than I can say about my current phone all the time. But also I can use it like a PDA, so yeah, I am psyched. Also nice that I got this 4 hundred dollar phone for under 100. :)
3. My gliders and chinchilla are cracking me up.

Typhoid Mary Christmas

I am sick.

I am so sick of being sick!  It is truly unfair to feel crappy during the holidays.  Mom is in the kitchen making these little M&M treats that have candy cane Kisses on pretzels and an M&M to top it, them she is putting them with this:

M&M Christmas Story

by Pam Ridenour

M&M Christmas Story
As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see....
The M becomes a W, an E, and then a 3.
They tell the Christmas story it's one I'm sure you know.
It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.
The E is for the East where the star shone oh so bright.
The M is for the Manger where the baby Jesus slept that night.
The 3 is for the Wiseman bearing gifts, they say they came.
W is for Worship, Hallelujah
Praise to His name.
So as you eat these candies or share them with a friend,

Remember the meaning of Christmas, it's a love story that never ends
Merry Christmas

 I think that is the neighborhood gift.  I was helping her but then decided Typhoid Mary would be a better friend to just sit in the other room watching The Sting and drinking de-fizzed 7-Up rather than to spread my love/germs.

So anyway tomorrow is the church Christmas party and my DAD playing Santa.  Heaven help anyone trying to keep Santa real for their children in our ward... he is just plain SCARY as Santa Claus!  But he LOVES doing it.
Anyway, really sick of it.  Not The Sting. That's a good (old) flick. Nor the 7-Up which is pomegranate flavored and quite good. Sick of the being sick.