# How to Fake a French Manicure



## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I feel like my life is finally coming together, and I'm finally on top of things. I'm only 21, but it's taken until now for me to feel at peace with who I am, and figure out where I'm going; it's taken me this long to stop being afraid of, well, everything. Of course, having my furred and scaly babies to accompany me through all these epiphanies is a great comfort. In fact, my dog has literally saved my life, more than once.

I'm out on my own, in school and working full time. And, only now do I finally feel safe.

Almost all of the little pieces of my soul have fallen right into place, and I'm finally able to forgive, forget and let go of all the things I wish had never happened.

Goodbye, crippling depression! I'm all done you.

Now, off to find another place to volunteer, because the "warm n fuzzies" I get from the animal shelter isn't getting me through the whole week!

<3 let. love. in.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

amen sister! I could use some of that right now. The world is trying to beat me down because I was on top of things. But I'm fighting tooth and nail to stay on top.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

lvandert said:


> amen sister! I could use some of that right now. The world is trying to beat me down because I was on top of things. But I'm fighting tooth and nail to stay on top.


Just keep swimming, my dear  Everything will be okay!


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Oh I am. I'm swimming while hugging my bunny, bird and bf close lol.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

toad said:


> I feel like my life is finally coming together, and I'm finally on top of things. I'm only 21, but it's taken until now for me to feel at peace with who I am, and figure out where I'm going; it's taken me this long to stop being afraid of, well, everything. Of course, having my furred and scaly babies to accompany me through all these epiphanies is a great comfort. In fact, my dog has literally saved my life, more than once.
> 
> I'm out on my own, in school and working full time. And, only now do I finally feel safe.
> 
> ...


You go girl!! Kudos to you for leaving bad things behind and moving on.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Romad said:


> You go girl!! Kudos to you for leaving bad things behind and moving on.


Thank you love!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Dolla Dolla Bills, y'all.*

I do so love it when my darling pharmacy patrons pay me in crumpled, moist $1 bills . To be honest, I hate cash altogether and don't carry any, with the exception of random small bills that I keep in my purse in case I meet a random homeless person who needs them; I am convinced that all the $1 bills have found their way into some unsavory places, and when they're wet, it's all I can do not to throw up in my cash drawer. :roll:

On another note, I found this ah-freakin-mazing looking recipe for Vegan (!) Chocolate Chai Tea Cupcakes. 

I cannot wait to make these things --> http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/best-healthy-cupcakes-weve-ever-seen

I'm not a vegan, but I try to eat as few animal products as possible. Someday, I tell myself - someday I'll be a chic city dwelling Vegan. For today, however, I'm residing in these backwoods, and doing my part to annoy the customer service departments of companies like Wally World (as of today, I believe I have complained about the same betta cups at least 4 times).


My new little rescue guy is doing awesome! I'm so excited about this :greenyay: He's unclamping himself and letting me see how pretty his little tattered fins are. He's also super friendly and comes over to see me anytime I go to check on him. He still needs a name; I was torn between Calvin and DaVinci, but then my little brother suggested Percy, which I also like :hmm: I believe that if the ammonia didn't burn/choke him to death, he would have developed fin rot, if I had left him in Wally World's forgotten back corner. One of those cute little fins on his belly, the ones that look like streamers (pelvic fins?), is shorter than the other and raggedy looking. Now, if I can just figure out how make this heater work so he doesn't get cold and sick(er)... :blueshake: *shivers*

As for my other scaly babies, they are doing wonderfully. Rosco has the cutest flare, with this little ruffle around his face; he reminds me of those dinosaurs from Jurassic Park... And, I seriously wish I could take Howie out of his tank sometimes and hug him. After swearing that I was not going to spend any more money, I went to Petco and ended up buying a java fern and an anubia, which I put in Howie's 10 gallon (the other boys already have real plants, Howie's were all plastic). I left the java fern floating, which Howie seems to like, and I nestled the anubia into the fake drift wood. I'm really determined not to kill any more plants :thumbsup: (#florachallenged).

<3


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad you're rescue guy is doing well. All he needed was some clean water and some tlc


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## TigerRegalia (Jan 28, 2012)

toad said:


> I feel like my life is finally coming together, and I'm finally on top of things. I'm only 21, but it's taken until now for me to feel at peace with who I am, and figure out where I'm going; it's taken me this long to stop being afraid of, well, everything. Of course, having my furred and scaly babies to accompany me through all these epiphanies is a great comfort. In fact, my dog has literally saved my life, more than once.
> 
> I'm out on my own, in school and working full time. And, only now do I finally feel safe.
> 
> ...


Congratulations!! What an incredible feeling to have, as certainly a great weight has been lifted off your soul. Your post caught my eye because I have finally reached this stage of my life as well, and I am 24 (almost 25). I have been in counseling now for almost 1 full calendar year, and I can finally say that I am at ease with who I am and with where I am going. I, too, have struggled with depression my entire life, and although it has taken me this long to start to let go of everything that I wish had never happened to me, I am so glad that that process has finally been instigated.

Congrats again!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks, DQ!

Tiger, thank you so much; I am so glad you have found peace and comfort in your life and that everything is falling into place for you!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Hooray for Today*

Today is my little brother's last day here at my house. Tomorrow, he will be going to spend some time with his cousins, and then back to Florida to start 10th grade :') I'm sad that he is leaving, but I'm very thankful that I got to have him here all summer, and that he shared in my recent fish saving adventures.

We also set up my 20 gallon fish tank today :-D I decided to use pool filter sand instead of the gravel I have in my other 3 tanks. The bag weighed half as much I do, so my awesome brother carried it for me. It's really pretty in the tank; I'm so pleasantly surprised.

While at Petco buying a hood for said tank (which I returned an hour later, anyway) I met a guy that could have been Lurch from the Addam's family :shock: He creeped me out a lot, and wouldn't stop talking to me and showing me pictures of his giant lizards. I complained about the hideous betta containers (the Petco near my house always has clean ones; I won't be revisiting this icky store), and made my escape.

I also made it a point to take Wally World's survey, and write corporate a 2nd letter. It goes a little something like...

"Hello,
On Tuesday, July 24th, I made my 6th complaint to Walmart store #1980. All the complaints were the same - the conditions of the live animals in this store are appalling and inhumane. I visited the store to buy thermometers for my aquariums, and found the store's live fish living in filthy tanks and containers. Some of the aquariums were so covered in algae, it was difficult to see if there were any fish inside; most of the tanks had piles of debris and dead animals littering their floors. The small cups that the betta fish are housed in were squalid, with cloudy water and debris piling up inside. I photographed these conditions, but was unable to send the photographs to corporate because there is no email address listed in the contact information.

I have already used this form to contact corporate about this matter, but have not received a response. After my first in-store complaint about the state of the animals, the aquariums were cleaned, but the betta fish remained in polluted water. I proceeded to complain 4 more times about the condition the fish were in, and found each time that they remained untouched. On July 24th, I complained for the 6th time, and was told that the pet department manager was on a break and unavailable for customer service. I suggested that the associates page someone else for me to speak to. The woman that responded to their call listened to my complaint and cleaned only the dirtiest 2 cups, without uttering a single word to me.

On the evening of July 25th, I went back to the store to check on the fish. I found the bettas trying to eat the feces from the bottoms of their containers, because they hadn't been fed. I dug through the fish department cabinets until I found the store supplied fish food, and fed them myself. No employees noticed, because the department was vacant.

When visiting a department store, such as Walmart, I do not expect to have to perform maintenance on the store's live animals. I also do not expect to have to complain each and every day for the employees to perform their jobs.

I am very disappointed in this store, and the individuals employed there.

Thank you for your time."

I doubt they will care, but I can dream, right?

On a happier note - the little girls are doing great and I've decided to call them Delilah and Cali. They're so tiny, I had to crush up the already microscopic pellets so they could eat them.

Now to sit back and wait for this apparently "severe" storm that's heading my way :-D I <3 storms, but please don't knock my power out! :angel:


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Nice job on the letter to walmart! another win for the betta's. Also, lucky your getting storms...I'm hoping we get some tomorrow.


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

I think every letter and complaint has a chance at doing some good! Your letter was very well written and convincing. 
I'm glad things are going better for you  I just got through a tough year (well, a tough several years...) too. But I'm glad we're all being optimistic; life will certainly begin looking up for all of us I'm sure!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks, guys! xoxo


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*One of ~those~ days*

*sigh*

I left my wallet in the fridge at work. Yes, the fridge. I put it in my snack bag on my way out the door, and stuffed it in the fridge at work, and... realized I had no license, nor any of my debit/credit cards as I drove down the highway at 10 o clock, after we closed.

I thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't in dire need of anything, as I now have zero access to any money, until 9 in the morning when the pharmacy reopens.

And, I'm having one of those moments where I *hate* being single :-? Some days, I am glad that I am single, and some days I just want to be married  Okay, I'll stop wallowing in self pity now.

Wally World hasn't answered either of my emails :evil: Rude. I told myself I'd never go into another WM again, but then how am I supposed to check on the fish and know whether to keep complaining? I feel like writing them a letter every day, until they finally answer me.

On the upside, I have all weekend off, and may finally go and get the tattoo I've been wanting for over a year :-D

Still love this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-GCl3NUBI


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

oo! new tattoo's are fun! I got one at the begining of this summer, what are ya getting? (if you don't mind telling). I hate wally world too, they make me mad with their inferior products. Unfortunately if we were to shun wally world we'd have issues. It's one of the main stores here in rapid. And that song was pretty good. I'm not religious at all and he wasn't too heavy on the god thing so it was alright. Here's a song in response http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPoTGyWT0Cg


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Haha I love that song :-D I'm not religious either, though I was raised by a family of Jehovah's Witnesses (if you've ever gotten a bunch of people with bibles knocking your door, it's the JW's...). My mother left Christianity at one point to become a witch, and then went back when she was in the nursing home before she passed away.

The tattoo I want is the end of this MLK Jr. quote:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

So I want the phrase "only love can do that" on the inside of my wrist 

How many tattoos do you have?


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I have four; one on each hip, one on my ribs and one on the outside of my upper calf.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*The octopus's garden*

So no tattoo yet, but it's coming 

I ordered a bunch of plants for my new tank this morning; I'm very excited for them to get here on Wednesday so I can play in my "garden". The only garden I can keep alive is one I don't have to water :roll:

I'm supposed to be studying for my CPhT test, but what am I doing instead? Oh yeah - sitting on my couch playing online and making water bottle baffles for a tank that has no fish in it :tease:

Procrastination is my middle name. I'm working on it. ;-)

Toad (my puppy) and I took a ride to the gas station and Wally World today, and I did the happy dance inside when I saw that they had NO bettas. I was a little peeved about the dead pleco laying upside down in one of the aquariums, but that was my only real complaint for them today.

I'm off to study :wave:


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

This is awesome <3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=JtO7sxXSMvc


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G80oSZ--QU

Just to make you go awws


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

lvandert said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G80oSZ--QU
> 
> Just to make you go awws


 
Awwwwww my heart just melted


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

lvandert said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G80oSZ--QU
> 
> Just to make you go awws


That was so incredibly sweet  Aww, I love doggies


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Me too. I miss my puppies. When I moved away for college they stayed with my parents but every time I come home its like this.


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

lvandert said:


> Me too. I miss my puppies. When I moved away for college they stayed with my parents but every time I come home its like this.


I'm moving to college soon and I'll miss my dogs! But I'll look forward to seeing them over breaks too!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Oh, I can't even imagine what it would feel like to leave my dog. That must be heartbreaking :'( I've had my dog since I was 14, and he's seen me through some awful stuff. At my lowest points in life, he was the only thing I'd wake up for in the morning, and the only reason I didn't give up and die. I cry just thinking about the day I might have to put him to sleep.

I tried resending my email to the company responsible for the lava lamp fish tank, but it just comes back to me every time, stating that the company inbox is full.

On Friday, I am finally going to go to sign up for classes at the school I want to transfer to. It's just another community college, but it's much closer to my house than the one I went to before. Currently, I'm thinking of going for marketing/advertising, but I seem to change my mind so often, I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with that. Then, I am going to start redoing my whole house. I never painted or decorated much when I moved in, because I thought I'd be moving out fairly soon. Perhaps during the mini-remodel I will find more places for fish tanks 

The girls were modeling for me this morning after I changed the water in their qt containers. They are so friendly and cute, I can hardly stand it. I've also been tracking the plants I ordered from Live Aquaria like some kind of cyber stalker. They're in Indiana right now 

Here are the girls, being cute:

Cali and her cute little spots.


















Delilah, who likes to dance. The purple in her tail is what her whole body looks like but my camera doesn't seem to capture it.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

awws cutes! For your classes have you taken your "generals" yet? I would start there and then maybe take an into course for something your interested in. See if its really all you want it to be.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks 

I have, but I need a couple more (like public speaking, which I hate, and am very bad at!). I have taken all the regular things, like algebra, chem, bio, comp skills, english.

I'm hoping once I take an intro class for marketing, I will really know if I like it enough to continue. My last big idea was nursing, and once I got to the cat dissection part of A&P, I dropped it. Don't have a very strong stomach - wouldn't make a very good nurse lol.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

lol ug we have to take two courses of "public speaking" we just call it technical communications...


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I have come to the conclusion that I really need to re-aquascape my tanks. I have also, sadly, come to the conclusion that I need to start saving more money, and spending less money on plants and fish  After all, I don't want to live in an apartment forever, and I have my dream house all planned out in my head - now I just have to scrimp and save and buy the thing.

One major detail of said dream house is a custom moon jelly tank, to be installed in the wall of my living room. In my head, it's round, 8 feet in diameter and filled with Jelly delights.

Meanwhile, in real life, I spent all weekend crying because my old rat, Bernadette has a tumor behind her left front leg. It appeared rather quickly and is quite big. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort whatsoever, thankfully. I am dreading having to put her to sleep  I've only had her since the beginning of April, but I feel like I've had her forever.

Poor Cali is still living in a quarantine container. Granted, it's better than the cup she was living in when I got her, but it's small and boring. I ordered her a 5 gallon tank that I am planning to put next to my bed, on my night stand  I also want to get her some shrimps to live with, so I have been researching those. I'm quite temped to try and make this fiver a natural planted tank, since I haven't done one yet... Delilah has moved into a 3 gallon Tetra Cube, which, I think, is pretty cute for $30. She's got stones and a resin mopani branch to swim through and hide behind, and for now she's got an ugly fake plant, since her's are on their way from Asia. But I think she's just excited to have more room to swim in.

My plants are having babies - I'm so excited about this! My moss ball, Seymour had a baby yesterday, and my java fern is growing babies like crazy! Hooray for free plants!

Went sailing last night for the first time in months - the lazy kind of sailing where you pay other people to do all the sailing and you just tag along for the ride. I prefer to be handling ropes and such, but any excuse to be on the ocean is a good one for me! However, the schooner we were on was having an off day, and the rudder jammed completely when we out in the bay. We had a lovely view of the sunset whilst waiting for a water taxi to come and pick us up.

Overall, it was a good weekend (aside from the crying!).


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Of Monsters and Men*

I think this, along with Imagine Dragons, is my new favorite band 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=kgn8Eoh9aSY


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Toad, the Trail-Blazer*

I had today off work, so I spent it with Squish (otherwise known as Toad, the dog in my avatar picture). Because the weather was so nice, and I wanted to be outside, I got the bright idea to go hiking. 

Off we went, to a little park called Old Furnace, which was beautiful, and Squish was having such a good time. He led the way, and we meandered along the trail, happy as clams. When we came to the end of the trail, and I could see the parking lot, I thought to myself, "Oh that was easy! What a great trail."

...Until I realized that I was in the WRONG parking lot, and had no idea where my car was. We had to walk down 3 roads, for what felt like 15 miles, to get back to the park we started in, because we ended up in a different one. A little warning sign might have been nice - just saying.

Even the getting lost part wouldn't have been so bad, except that I thought dear old Squish was going to pass out on me, and I was panicking trying to figure out how I was going to get 80 pounds of unconscious dog to a car that I couldn't even find.

Poor old boy is sound asleep at my feet now, and even though he didn't enjoy the walking along the roads part of the adventure, he loved the hiking. Next time, I will map out the trails before we get there! :-D


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

Your dog is adorable! He sounds like quite the trooper


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank you :-D He is a special little guy; I rescued him from some drug dealers when I was 14, and he was only 7 weeks old and smaller than a kitty. They had wrapped a chain around his little neck and left him outside when it was below freezing, with no shelter from 3am until I took him at 8 pm :'( So I sort of pilfered him right off their stoop, and they didn't even notice until the next day.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

awws what a happy boy now though! sometimes rescues are the best. And I know how you feel on the walking dogs that look like their going to pass out. Back at home (where my puppies are) there is a lake thats roughly 1.3 miles around. I walk the dogs when I go home around the lake. Their good until that last .3 mile lol. After that they are dragging their feet, drooping their heads and not even sniffing at other dogs that pass lol.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

It's so scary! It makes me wish he was smaller; at least then I could carry him easily! lol.


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

Awh poor pup! Rescues are the best. Both of mine are rescued too.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Mr. Skunky and Friends*



jeremywadejunior said:


> Awh poor pup! Rescues are the best. Both of mine are rescued too.



That's wonderful  They really are the best!


While I was sitting on my bedroom floor unpacking Cali's new 5 gallon (hooray!), I found Mr. Skunky looking through my sliding glass doors. Mr. Skunky is a wild skunk, but seems to think he is one of my cats. A couple nights ago, he walked up to my roommate and stood on her feet. Scared the bejesus out of the poor girl, but it made me laugh all night :-D He's really the cutest, fluffiest thing - I wish I could hug him.

Just looked into my community tank, and noticed some very small versions of Mr. Snail crawling around... Perhaps Mr. Snail is a girl :roll: I haven't put anything new in the tank that would have had babies on it, so I can only imagine they came from her. I think I will take one of the babies and put it in the 5 gallon with Cali, and the cherries (once I find some cherries, that is...).

For a Monday, this was a good day; though, work was hideous and I stayed over an hour later than I was scheduled because I couldn't leave my coworkers in such a hellish state. But, on the bright side, I got the wonderful news that a friend and coworker who has been in the hospital is off of the ventilator they had her on - hopefully she will be discharged soon :redyay:


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Balloons and weeds*

I've been wondering why I'm scratching my eyes out and sneezing all the time lately - and I just discovered a bunch of ragweed growing outside one of my bedroom windows. Of course, my dog had to crawl under it, so I'm sure he's covered in pollen now :roll:


Yesterday I took Toad to Petco to get some dog food, and ended up with 2 new balloon mollies, 3 platys, and an awesome piece of mopani for Cali's tank. Now I'm just waiting for my heaters to arrive so I can move her out of the QT container she's been in.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I've just discovered a little batch of eggs in the community tank  I hope they hatch!


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Hooray! I got my heaters


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Flora from Afar*

My plants arrived today from Singapore! So exciting :-D I was scared that they would be confiscated by customs, but they arrived in beautiful condition, and earlier than I expected!










So, I was having a great day until my roommate informed me that no one will flirt with me because I seem mean and nasty, and always look angry  Really?! She's probably right - but I always thought that I seemed nice and friendly  The rest of my family looks angry all the time, so I wouldn't doubt that I look that way, but in fact I am very rarely angry. When I do get angry, it's very brief and usually a result of a customer being extremely nasty to me (which doesn't happen all that often).










I went back to Petco (it's a sickness, I know) under the pretense of getting dechlorinator, because I didn't have enough to do water changes on Sunday; but_ really_ what I was doing was scoping out A) the bettas (and I found a *gorgeous* one, but didn't bring him home as I have nothing to put him in), B) the plants, and C) the mopani. The Universe, it seems, had placed a piece of mopani on the shelf just for me - it is long and skinny, but has a fat base, so it stands on end. PERFECT for Percy's cylindrical tank! His home had been looking a little (a lot!) dull, so I did some work on it:

Before:










And after:










I think if I find a tank tomorrow at the community yard sale for a good price, I'm going to go back for that little fish I saw today - he's a veiltale, and a light lilac color with purple iridescent fins. He's gorgeous, and looks like none of my guys (not that it matters lol). Of course, almost every fish I bring home changes color after, so who knows...


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Why, Universe? :'(*

I was having a really good day; no work, and spent time actually having fun with my roommate. However, this evening, when I went in my bedroom to check on Delilah, I found her tiny lifeless body in the sand. I am pretty heartbroken; my room doesn't feel the same without her dancing around on my bureau. I wrapped her little body in a napkin and buried her under the hostas outside my window, and then I took her tank apart to clean it.

Sort of feeling guilty that I'm dismantling her home and preparing it for someone else, since she only just passed  But, on the other hand, NOT cleaning it or letting someone else live in it isn't going to help Delilah out any, so I think tomorrow, I will go to Petco and see who wants to come home with me.

I don't know why Delilah died - she was perfectly fine up until a day or two ago, when I noticed her clamping and sitting on the bottom a lot. But, her color was bright and she was eating, so I thought she'd be okay. She had no symptoms - no pineconing, no bloat, no discoloration, no damaged scales, etc.  I miss her terribly already.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Right, what was that I was saying about saving money?

...Oh yeah. ~Not spending any more money~Not spending any more money~Not spending any more money~

Now if I can just stick with that, I'll be all set...


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

So sorry about Delilah! But she truly had a good owner and home.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank you for the kind words, Jeremy; I really appreciate it.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*A blah kind of day*

Today has been a very ~blah~ kind of day around here. I was working all day, which would be fine, but the district managers were there critiquing our every move, which had everyone on edge. 

When I got home, I nearly had a heart attack because Atlas was laying on the wisteria and seemed to be floating on his side. He's fine, but after finding a second platy dead last night, I'm a little paranoid about everyone.

One of my co-workers recently introduced me to a boy that I was starting to really like, but I can tell that we'd never work out. I'm more disappointed about it than I thought I would be. He's a nice person, and we can probably be friends, but he's not that into me and even if he was, we're not a good match. Since I can't take rejection, I think I'm a little put out by the fact that he's not interested :roll: Something I need to get over, I know.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

*Confections and the Sweet things in Life*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=g8PrTzLaLHc&NR=1

I need to learn to make smaller apple pies; as I have no self control, I try not to bake for myself too often. Baking is the only thing I can do in the kitchen - can't cook to save my own life! But, when I bake things, I eat them all. Like the delectable apple pie I just polished off, all by myself :roll: ha ha. 

The Universe has sent a friend back to me that I haven't talked to in quite a long while! It's funny that way, sometimes...

October is my favorite month, so I'm super excited for tomorrow: October 1st  I think October has the best foliage and the prettiest skies, and it's so perfect for hiking! I can't wait to go hiking with my new friend Greg, and my Toad. It's gonna be so much fun!

All my swimmy kids are doing well (though I lost another neon last night), and Atlas has made his first bubble next :-D I feel guilty about my cats, lately, though - they are outdoor cats, and always have been. I leave the garage open for them so they can go in there to sleep, but they really want to live inside and keep trying to follow me in :-( Even if the dog wouldn't terrorize them, I'm not sure I could trust them not to hurt the rats :-? I wish I lived in a bigger house so the cats could have part of it, and the dog and the rats could have the other part, and everyone would be happy.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

...Ferris has also built a giant bubble nest! I'm so excited


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I'm so disappointed today 

My cousin and his girlfriend just moved here from Hawaii, and their dog had puppies (whoever watched the dog for them while they were moving left her outside alone >.< ). There are 5 pups in the litter, 2 girls and 3 boys, and today they are 5 days old. My roommate and I asked a few days ago to adopt the 2 girl pups and were told we could have them; we named them Amie and Luna.

However, now my cousin is telling my roommate that he promised my aunt she could have first pick of the litter, and that we can't have the girls. I know I shouldn't be so saddened over a 5 day old puppy, but I am :/ I think I'm even sadder for my roommate, as she has been driving my cousin and his girlfriend to work and everywhere else for a month, because their car hasn't arrived from Hawaii yet, and her feelings are very hurt that they promised her the pup and then took it back.

Otherwise, it was a good day. I had a short shift at work and when I came home I took my dog to the park  I am thinking of taking him to doggy school, as he could use some more socialization and there's nowhere for me to take him around here. He was the star of the class when he went to Puppy School


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I emailed the trainer that was recommended by the animal control officer that I met volunteering at the pound. I'm hoping she can help me socialize Toad, as he is not very friendly to other dogs :/ Since he is perfectly gentle with my cats and completely ignores my rats, I don't think I'd have a problem getting him to accept a puppy if I adopted one, but I don't want him to teach the puppy to be aggressive to strange dogs when we go out. Though, at this point, I'm not even sure I'm going to adopt a puppy at all. I'd like to, but I want to see what the trainer can do with Toad first.

He's such a great dog  It would be nice to be able to take him everywhere with me without worrying about what other dogs might be there.

I found a crypt at Petco a couple days ago, which completely surprised me, so I brought it home, thinking I would put it in Cali's tank, but I ended up planting it in Howie's 10 gallon instead. He loves that thing - he likes to wiggle to the middle of it and just chill out in the leaves. Silly goose :]

About the only other thing going on in my boring life is that I think I might actually have feelings for this boy I've been talking to. I don't wanna rush it, but I secretly hope it goes somewhere


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