bitch, bitch, bitch. >>

Writing this is probably just setting me up for more disaster, but I think that this week probably can't get any worse barring a volcanic eruption or the arrival of the Antichrist himself. Right now I am preparing to go to work the first of three 12 hour shifts. I have been up since 11 A.M. and didn't get a full night's sleep beforehand. I spent an hour and a half in the waiting room of my OBGYN's office to talk to my doctor for five minutes so I could make another appointment because my meds are still not playing nice together. I am sore, I am stressed out, and I really just want to pass out for 18 hours but I can't.

Worse of all, it is going to be impossible to sleep tomorrow while Sarah is moving into the room, which means I will be even more tired for my next shift.

I still haven't heard from my doctor, so I am looking at starting school without a note taker. I have no idea when that will be resolved, so I have no idea just how many days of notes I'll be missing. We also still haven't had a scheduling meeting for work, which means I won't be going into classes with a regular set of shifts.

Did I mention I was sore and stressed out? Everything just keeps going -wrong.- I can't even get my voice recognition program to install properly right now.

God fucking damnit redux

So apparently I was working GRAVE SHIFTS this go-round. I went into work and double-checked my work times, and was told swings.

I called yesterday and told them I'd be late coming in because of a doctor's appointment, and they didn't tell me I was on graves.

I get a call at 1:30: "Are you coming into work?"

Let me think. No.

God fucking damnit.

I love it when I make plans with someone, and they tell me they're gonna be free, but then don't call, which leaves me alone in the house because I told everyone I was already taken.

If you're busy, or sick, or your sleep schedule is fucked beyond all reason that's fine, just fucking call me so I don't spend my last night of real vacation bored and angry. Power cord on computer shot, phone not working? Borrow someone else's phone. It is not that hard to be a decent human being to me.

It's not the being busy, it's the standing me up and leaving me in a house with no food that makes me upset. I planned my entire day out so I could be free tonight. A little advance notice would have been nice, so I could actually make other plans, and go to the grocery store and cook before I was too fucking exhausted to leave the house.

But this? Not much is more depressing than being forced to wait around all night for a phone call. And I have too much self-respect to do that willingly.

*sighs*

Resistance is useless. It is useless to resist them.

It has been a long day. First, I was woken up by the girls we sublet the apartment from. They were moving in early, so I had to run over, finish up cleaning, give them their keys, and get my bike. At 9AM . After falling asleep at 3AM.

Then, I decided to set up the living room and work on the kitchen. Comic House is so odd right now because some things are set up, and decorated, and exactly where they should be, but other areas are covered in boxes and bare. It's like the Ghost Of Comic House That Was is possessing Empty House That Is Also Dirty. And they just had a lovechild. To make matters worse, my rats are literally climbing up the walls of their cage when they see me because they've been cooped up for three days, and their living spaces badly need cleaned, otherwise the entire upstairs is going to smell like rat musk.

But, I had it all figured out. A plan, oh yes, I had a plan. (That should have been my first clue that something would go terribly wrong.) First, I was going to clean cages while letting them have playtime in the bathroom. That way they get to stretch their legs, and I get to get "eu de rat wee" out of my house.

Here's how it went in my head:
Me: *scrub scrub scrub*
Rats: *hop hop hop whee what's that there oh wow groom time HI BRO hop hop groom groom*
Cage: *sparkle* ^^

Here is what happened:
Me: *scrub scrub*
Cage: *is covered in poo*
Rats: "O HAI MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND OMG SPONGE I LOVE YOU PET ME MOM MOOOOOM"
Me: *is covered in rats*
Cage: *is still covered in poo*
Rats: =D
Me: *awkwardly cleans while covered in rats*
Vinegar bottle: *spills*
Me: ...fuck.
Rats: =D =D OMG MOM MOM HI MOM =D

By the time I was done, the rat cages were spotless, but they had destroyed the bathroom, and I was exhausted and covered in vinegar water.

Then I decided to unpack my room, but to get there I had to walk by the girls' cage. When they saw me they immediately were O.O WIDE AWAKE O.O and wanted to plaaay. So I devised another plan. I would let the girls play on my bed while I unpacked. I could watch them, they could blow off some steam, and everyone wins. (If someone coated in vinegar can really win.)

Here is how it went in my head:
Me: *unpack straighten sort listen to music whee*
Rats: *scamper scamper nap*
Room: *higgety piggety piggedly plum, prestadigitorium!*

And what really happened:
Me: *arrange area under bed*
Lilith: AERIAL RAT GO GO GO
Jadis: SIS WAIT OMG D=
Me: *is now the proud owner of a rat beret*
Room: *does not magically organize itself*

I think it is safe to say that today did not go as planned.

But, at least I have a new graphics card. Now to do something about being covered in vinegar.

Today was a good day on I-5. I only got near-sideswiped three times.

We got the girls today. Their eyes are open and their coats are in, so the final word on eye and coat color has been given. Comic House is now the proud desmesnes of two dumbo-eared, pearl-colored, ruby-eyed females. The ruby eyes are much darker than true pink, and in some lights look black.

Lilith:
It's funny how different their personalities already are. Lilith is by far the more boisterous, troublesome girl of the pair, just like her namesake. I'm holding her in all of the pictures, but Lilith has taken more to Maddo than to me. It's going to be impossible to tell them apart in the photos, so take my word on it. Lilith has the tiniest spot of color on the back of her neck, so when personality isn't enough, we can double-check that way.


Please to be ignoring my hands: all the moving has taken its toll on my nails.


Look at all of those whiskers!

Jadis
Jadis is my baby. She's a lot more snuggly than her sister the fearless explorer. She loves nestling in the crook of my neck, or inside my arm and just grooming or napping for hours. Unlike her sister, she is pure white, which would likely make her namesake happy.


Also a billion and a half whiskers!


See? Already trying her best to snuggle.


I CANNOT TAKE HER EARS OMGGGGGG

And there you have it. Both girls have been absolute darlings so far. Fearless, intelligent, well-behaved. Apparently they are already litter-trained, too. Once they are grown, there is a good chance they will be much larger than even S.T. Strange-- both their parents are enormous.

Watching them is a good depression reliever.

Tonight Tweaker and Neo spent playtime posturing and proving what smelly, virile men they were by puffing up and smearing themselves all over every tangible surface...

..and The Brick spent playtime in my lap, eating treats, or getting the best bits out of his freshly refilled food bowl, and on the whole clearly uninterested in the macho idiocy behind him.

I heart The Brick.

GAH! *collapse*

Today was busy. So busy, in fact, that I am too tired to drink the sparkling white zinfandel I bought in celebration of surviving it. I plan on punctuating this list with emotes describing my mood at the time to make it more interesting to read. Observe:

First, I woke up at 8AM. (:o) Lounged around in bed for an hour, then got ready and went to lab with Housematt to help him mark rope for his data collection on Monday (*flounce, giggle*). Then we rendezvoused with Sarah and went out to lunch while her brother finished moving in to his brand spanking new dorm in Harrington (=D).

After that, we bugged Matt while he gave a campus tour (>>) , moved some stuff into Comic House (!) , and collapsed in front of the rats for a while (@.@). Sarah went back to hang out with her family, I did some unpacking, took a shower (^.^), and then got everything the doctor would need to get started documenting my disability for Uni so I can have a note taker... (-.-)

*gasp* dropped that off, went to the grocery store for dinner and wine and vinegar to clean the rat cages (-.o). Came home, put dinner in, fed the rats, took Melvin on a walk (=X) and gave Sarah's brother an ethernet cable, ate dinner, got an RMA for my graphics card (D=<), bought my textbooks, work ordered our front door and closet curtains (=.=), played Oblivion... (@.@) And then passed out. (e.e)

Tomorrow I help Matt some more, get Sarah's last birthday present, and do hardcore moving into Comic House.

And then Sunday? Sarah's big birthday bash. Monday, I go pick up the girlie girls. (=D)

HOLY CRAP. O_O

I have energy for the first time in three days

And I am worried about moving. If I move, it will just drain out of me like essence and I will be left old and shriveled (and napping).

A Neo Update

Neo is settling in pretty well, though he does have a few quirky behaviors that will need to be ironed out. I noticed today that he had the sniffles, probably from two months spent in a filthy aquarium, so I ran out to Walgreens and got some echinacea, some children's Motrin, and some Vaporub, came back, and gave Neo some echinacea "tea" and a steam bath.

A steam bath.

I gave my rat a freaking steam bath.

He's breathing a lot better and smells quite lovely, but I was sitting there the entire time going "I have GOT to get a life." He's running around my room right now, getting used to this whole idea of freedom, and I am so tired from cleaning rat cages and re-rat proofing my room that all I want to do is nap. But he's having so much fun exploring that I can't bear to put him away. Anyway, there's hammocks to be made. People keep telling me not to feel like a dork, because it's clear that I care, but I don't see any of them giving their rats steam baths.

I'm going out tonight, so help me. XD

So I just finished Harry Potter book 7...

...and my initial reaction was "Why the fucking fuck wasn't Teddy brought to live with Harry and Ginny earlier? Harry's his freaking godfather! And he has two Hogwart's age children and has yet to take his orphaned godchild in?"(Highlight for teh spoilerz.)

I am very disappointed. And if there is one thing I hate, it is to be disappointed. Also, I am amused that was my kneejerk reaction to the ending. The second was '"Severus', eh? Well, one of them had better have the middle name of 'Sirius,' or Imma break some skulls and take some names."

And here I thought it would be something more profound.

Rat count: 6

Housematt and Maddo have been making fun of me for the past couple of weeks, telling me I am going to turn into a Crazy Rat Lady. Housematt is no longer allowed to make fun of me, however, because he just found me another rat. I am merely as my environment has made me, folks.

That's right. We now have 6 rats as of August 27th when Jadis and Lilith get to come home. Our newest addition is another psych rat, who as luck would have it is a brother of Tweaker and The Brick. That's what convinced me to take him, in all honesty. It means that he will be easier to introduce into Tweaker and The Brick's cage, since their smells will be similar. I am also hoping this will help The Brick's current problem.

Everyone, meet Neo. (Neo, everyone.) Yes, I know he looks just like S.T. Strange, Tweaker, and Melvin to you, but I can tell the difference. XP* The picture does him no justice. He is the most calm, alert rat I have ever met. And he is also a complete babyface. You can tell he's overwhelmed right now, but he's definitely not unhappy. We've gotten him to take snacks from us, though he doesn't devour them as greedily as his brothers.


After Housematt called and let me know he was home today, I was very glad I took him in. He'd been living in an aquarium, which was apparently filthy beyond all reason before Matt scrubbed it out. He predicts that the bedding had not been changed for two months. (I see a bath in Neo's future.) He's also been fed the exact wrong diet (exclusively seeds and dried corn, no treats, no fresh food), and wasn't being played with. His brother got taken away at the end of the class, so he was also living alone, which is not good for a rat who is used to living socially. I know he's lonely-- he got a whiff of the boys tonight and spent the rest of the evening in the area of the cage closest to theirs.

In a couple of weeks we get to start the actual introduction process. By then they will have been living near each other long enough to recognize each other's smells. After that we bathe them with kitten shampoo, smear them with vanilla extract, and leave them alone to bond over grooming. Finally, we deep clean and completely re-arrange the cage to make it seem new, then plop all three of them in.

Yes, there will be wet angry rat grooming pictures. How could I not?

Six rats, two cages. I am so glad we are seniors.

Fuck you, body

Went to the grocery store. Found no food I wanted to eat. I get so sick of this.

Does. Not. Compute.

I don't get it. These people have passed the tests and gotten the grades necessary to be accepted into my university. They are willing to pay forty-two thousand dollars a year to attend. To me, this means they must have some observational skill that has led them to conclude that this university was worth the time, effort, and money.

And yet.


And yet.

Today I received three -THREE- phone calls at 6 AM from people in the midwestern and eastern regions of our gloriously sprawling nation. And they couldn't figure out why none of the offices were open. I was clearly wrong about those observational skills. They must have passed the tests by chance and have rich uncles with nothing better to waste money on. There is no other rational explanation.

Please do not attend my university!

I have been talking too much about the rats lately. Must be a slow summer.

I've been trying to keep this on the down low until I had concrete news for everyone. Comic Housies know about it, obviously, but now the rest of you can, too!

S.T. is getting old. He's about to turn three, which is quite wizened for a rat. Many, especially pet store rats, don't live past two. I'm worried that he will get sick and die alone. I'm also worried that he will kill Tweaker and the Brick if I attempt to place them together. So, there was really only one choice.

I'm getting S.T. two baby girls (yes, they will be spayed). As the housemates have said, we should "let him go out like the Hugh Hefner of rats." I looked around for a rattery in the area, and put myself on a waiting list. Yesterday, I was e-mailed and told to select the girls from the available rats in the litter.

So, without further ado, I present to you all the sisters Jadis and Lilith (photos courtesy of the rattery owner:

This is Jadis. She is all-white with pale eyes (will be red in photos-- you have been warned), so we named her after the White Witch from Narnia. LOOK AT THAT FACE. She is going to be the biggest snugglebug on the planet, mark my words.

This is Lilith. You can't tell from this photo, but she has started developing darker spots of color. But, her eyes are also pale, so we had to give her a sinister name. She's also going to be a sweetie-- this rattery is known for the temperament of their rats.

And there you have it. Two baby girls, all for S.T. I can see it now.

We'll be picking them up on August 27th. Those who want to come with, RSVP now.

I've spent the past five days troubleshooting my computer

My new monitor is doing the exact thing my old monitor did.

What else could it be? O.o;

Little do they know...

Yesterday I was joking around with one of the dispatchers at work because it seems like every time I see her her hair has gotten shorter. I told her that every time she cut her hair I was going to dye mine a different color. Big Boss was in the room at the time, and he decided to chip in:

"You do realize that when you're 40 and looking back on pictures of you, you're going to wonder what the hell you were thinking, right? And your kids are going to do the exact same thing?"
"Ha, what kids?"

He didn't find that very funny. He just smirked knowingly at me and wandered off to micromanage the kitchen. (I have to say I'm getting sick of the condescending look older people give me when I tell them I don't ever plan on having children.)

But you know what? I hope that when I'm 40 I can look back on pictures of me now and say "I wouldn't be able to get away with that now, but damn I looked good." Because I don't think I'd like the adult me if I did anything else.

More rat drama

For the past couple of days I have been toying with the idea of neutering Tweaker. He keeps beating up his bro, and I think The Brick is losing weight. I don't want to keep him in a cage with an abusive relative, but I doubt S.T. would be more kind, so the only other option is to snip Tweaker's goodies. Rats become far less aggressive after neutering, and it would give The Brick a much needed respite. (I feel like the mother of the smart, witty, scrawny son who gets beat up on the playground.)

Both Matts wince every time this is brought up, and have tried to council Tweaker to change his errant ways, but it has had no effect. Tonight after work, Housematt and I got into another conversation about it.

Me: "Maybe we should put Tweaker in with S.T.; It would be a kind of poetic justice."
Matt: "Hah, yah, then he could be the one being beaten up a lot. And he'd get to keep his balls, so it still counts as a good thing."
Me: "I don't know...It's kind of like choosing between being a eunuch or being forced to bend over in the prison shower for the rest of your life."
Matt: >_<

I'll be pondering this until payday with great relish and glee.

><

I woke up today at 2 p.m., and by five o'clock I am so exhausted that I can barely see straight. I know why, of course, but that doesn't make it any less upsetting. My doctor upped the dosage on my painkillers, so the next couple of days will probably be full of fatigue. This should be the last time we have to up it, so hopefully this is the last time in a long time I have to get used to a new medicine. Last semester I was the Tegretol, and this summer it's the antidepressant. My goal is not to be diagnosed with anything else next semester.

Sometimes I hate it. Yesterday Maddo, Trevor, andKiyomi came up to Tacoma to tour and visit the apartment. I was exhausted the entire time are hanging out, and when I got back home I collapsed and took a long nap. Got up for two more hours to have dinner and watch 300 with Matt, then it was back to bed until I woke up this afternoon. I started work on my massive list of things I need to get done, and by the time I was halfway through it, I felt tired in my bones.

At least I know that the medicine helps. I can type for longer periods of time, though not long enough to write a long blog post or a paper. Unfortunately, I still can't write. The time it takes to sign my name leaves me grimacing in pain. Tomorrow I am e-mailing the Center for Writing and Learning at my university to request a note taker for next semester. I don't know what I will do in classes if I can't write or type. I have a feeling just sitting there will quickly grow it excruciatingly boring, but there's nothing else I can do.

All right, I've given in. I'm going to go nap, and then play with the rats. (Oh, I've had a lot of you asking -- ST Strange is fine, he is just at Sarah's for the summer.)

And people wonder why I spoil the boys.

They make my day so much better. I let them have a massive playtime session today while I cleaned out their cage. Tweaker spent most of it following me around or starting up games of hand tag with me. The Brick spent most of it either in my lap watching his bro, or asleep in my pillows.

The Brick is turning into such a mama's boy. He started sleeping in the hammock three days ago, which of course sent me into flights of rapture. I'll nab a pic of him in it later, once he is asleep.

I also made a few more LOLRATS pics today. I'll post them all here, including the ones from my Blogathon, but there are only three that really make me squee. (And if you can think of a better caption, post it! =D)

The Brick works his winsome ways.

Tweaker assures me that the problem with my laptop is NOT that he just knocked it over.

Tweaker gives me his opinion on leaving the cage.

The Brick iz hungry. D=
Tweaker helps me get book reviews together for the Blogathon.


Honestly, I have no idea what Tweaker is doing here. He just looks shifty.
The Brick, asking life's essential questions.


After expressing concern over my laptop's condition, Tweaker assures me he has it all under control.

This last one is not mine, but a girl named Petal from the Eagle's Eye Rattery in Portland.----------------
Listening to: Chris Isaak - WICKED GAME
via FoxyTunes

*insert the sound of every cell in my body screaming in rage*

I went to pick up my prescriptions today, and had to pay for them all out of pocket.

Why? Because my insurance card expired on the 30th, and Unc didn't see fit to send me a replacement.

So now I have to get him to send me a new one. When I called him, I could barely speak to him over the crying of his new daughter (courtesy of the stripper girlfriend), whose name is apparently Bridget, and whose existence has yet to be admitted to me by him. (He and my grandpa need to get together and have tea.)

Does anyone see the problem with this?

He's lucky I don't file assault charges.

I went home from work after two hours yesterday because my coworker almost dislocated my shoulder.

That's right. Scooby has injured me.

We had three patrol people on that night, but there are only two sets of allen wrenches to unlock the doors. I jokingly told Scooby to give me his set and take the keys. When he said no, I reached for them half-heartedly...And he fucking grabs my arm, locks my elbow, and twists. I drop down to prevent him from pulling my arm out of its freaking socket, hitting a chair as I go. He doesn't let go until I hit him with my free hand.

Bossman Extreme had to file a report with Big Boss, who called me at 9AM to make sure I was okay. He says to be sure and let him know if I need medical care, and asked me to write a statement detailing what occured. He says that "at a minimum," he wants an account on file.

This is the second on-the-job injury he has been involved in. The first time he let two students onto the roof of a campus building, which led to Bossman Extreme getting his finger broken when a custodian saw them and called us in. (Side note: NEVER tell a campus security guard that you are not a student if you really are. It always ends badly for you.) He didn't get fired for that one simply because someone in StuDev pulled strings.

Well, hopefully they fucking fire you this time. I don't care if it was an "accident." You touched me, and you deprived me of six hours of pay. Even if they don't fire you, this event has caused everyone to like you even less. Half the student staff knows about it already (mostly because half the student staff lives with my dispatcher), and the general consensus is that you're absolutely worthless, and an idiot to boot. Honestly. Who the hell does that to a coworker? In what dark, slimy realm of existence is that considered well-rounded behavior?

My shoulder is killing me. It's tender to the touch, and keeps popping when I move it. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so if it still hurts I'll have him look at it.

If it is badly injured, it doesn't bode well for Scooby's future, that's for sure.