Sena's DW :: Watermelon Life

Happy Halloween! ...yeah, I just wanted to say that. :D;

I actually dressed up for the first time in about six years, just for the hell of it. All I did tonight was hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, but what the heck, right? I cobbled a demon outfit together at the last minute; my red contacts and long red wig, my custom fit fangs and then around 5pm I wandered downtown and spent a whole $1 on a pair of red horns. Then I just wore a black tank top and a black-and-white skirt with my knee boots.

Also, Aya kept me company for half of the time I handed out candy. ^_^ He's such a calm snake, I took him out of his terrarium and wrapped him around my neck and he just chilled out there and basically didn't move for an hour. When he started to get restless I put him away again.

But having Aya around my neck? Between that and the red contacts, pretty much every kid who came to the door was like O.O at me. XD; One little boy was SO EXCITED about the snake, he asked if it was an anaconda and I honestly wanted to say yes just because he was so thrilled over the idea. Haha.

Anyhoo, so when I went downtown to buy the horns I was in the rest of my costume (sans Aya, though, he wouldn't have done well out and about like that as it's quite cold out nowadays) and I picked up a few things from Liquidation World, then went to the dollar store for the horns, then on the way back I stopped at J&K to get more rats for Aya and Opal.

lol Sandy and Dave were in today (they pretty much always are), and they both loved my hair/eyes/horns. Apparently cherry red really suits me, which is kind of true because I'm so pale. xD; Sandy wanted to know where she could get contacts like that and so that lead to a conversation about conventions while Dave headed off to get my rats. Man, do I love that store and the people there, you have no idea. ♥

While I was there I also got a hammock for Ven. A couple of days ago I was looking at my little rattie in his cage and wondering why in the hell he was in the small rat cage when I actually have two much larger rabbit cages currently available? .__.; So I went and got those cages, zip-tied them together into one really nice, big, lofty cage, and transferred him over.

At first it was just him and his food dish and his plastic hide, but today I picked up some things to add; the hammock, like I said, and also a big climbing rope and a honey-treat bell that hangs from the roof of the cage. Technically, the honey-treat is supposed to be for birds, but there's nothing in it that Ven can't have and I've found in the past that bird toys and treats make really fun additions for rats; and rats are so smart that they need lots of enrichment and things to play with or they go stir crazy.

I'm still thinking about getting him a bell toy as well, since Yuki and 'Nashi LOVED theirs way back when I had them. (They were my first two rats, for those who remember or care at all.) But Ven's cage is in the bedroom and idk... Yuki and 'Nashi used to flail around with that bell so much they kept me awake even when they were all the way in the living room. XD;; So I guess we'll see.

Right now Ven is still feeling very overwhelmed with all the changes, I think. He's climbed around a bit, but spent most of today hiding in his bed going >O.O< while I fixed his cage up and tidied the room. ^^;; He'll settle in nicely over the next couple of days, though. ♥

Am still considering picking up a second rat, too. Some of my rats in the past have preferred to live on their own, but based on the way Ven's personality is, I think he'd be happier to have a companion. Maybe I'll go and pick out another little male next time I'm downtown. (Then I shall name him Terra! 8D; /KH geek.)

Anyway, so that was my day.

OH. Except that I picked up antibiotics for the cats today as well. They won't cure the colds everyone's got, but being on them will keep them from getting pneumonia or other infections until the rest clears up, which is really important. So that's a big relief.

And right now I'm writing this and watching The Zombie Diaries, which will then be followed by The Zombie Diaries 2 and finally The Howling Reborn, because I can't think of a better way to spend the rest of my Halloween night than chilling with zombie and werewolf movies. =D

EDIT: And Z's battery is magically holding a charge again. It hasn't done that in months. .__.;;

Yeah I fail at like... everything online lately. I've been having a lot of trouble irl with various things, which I may or may not get into in this entry. Anyway, list format today for the sake of my sanity because I have a fuckton of stuff to talk about since it's been so long since I last wrote anything. xD;

1) ANIME NORTH. Okay, basically I spent the whole weekend at my table trying to sell jewelry and pony commissions (since I wasn't allowed to actually sell the ponies there). I sold a bit, and got two commissions (Van from Escaflowne and Reno from FFVII. XD), but the way Artist Alley and Crafter's Corner was organized this year was RETARDED, and the Corner was way the hell out of the way so we got practically no traffic. SO ANNOYING. Anyway, all that work and spending that much time at the table, and I basically broke even for the cost of the con registration, the table, and the parts that went into the jewelry. So much for making money for Otakon. -__-;

Anyway, that aside, I got to see Mel and Zexy again. :3 I went to a D-Gray photoshoot with Mel on Friday, and to the Moonlight Ball with her and Bonnie on Saturday night for a while. I didn't get to see Zexy as much, but she stopped by my table twice to say hi and give her her present~ ♥

On Friday I wore my Org13 Demyx outfit. It was INSANELY HOT. DAMN PLEATHER. And I forgot my gloves at home, so I just wore my shark/dolphin rings instead. *shrug* I also didn't have my boots because the morons I ordered them from backed out at the last minute. This was remedied Saturday morning, though, when I found awesome bootcovers in the Dealer's Room. Then Saturday during the day I wore my casual!Demyx outfit. Did I mention I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new wig? It's so awesome there are no words to describe it. And it fits perfectly, and stays in place all day, it doesn't even budge. >w<~ Anyhow! Then Saturday night for the Moonlight Ball I wore my Haine cosplay. Sunday was Org13 Demyx again for a while, then last-minute casual!Lavi that pretty much all came from my closet lol.

I didn't buy a whole ton of stuff like I do most years because I was trying to save monies for Otakon, but I did get four boxes of pocky, a Riku plushie (I always get myself a plushie at AN), and about 30 buttons. XD; A bunch of KH ones, some FFVII ones and some Ouran ones. Also, one booth had kitty buttons and the proceeds from them went to a cat rescue, so I got myself one of those. Then I got three more the next day to send to people. XD; Oh, and I got some henna done on my arm. It's faded out now, but I took pics of it~

( Various photos from AN. Haine cosplay photos when I get around to getting some from Mel or raiding my Mom's camera. >>; )

2) ON THE WAY HOME FROM ANIME NORTH. Two things happened; first, I was looking out the window of the van and actually saw a songbird attack a hawk in midflight. It was spectacular and I couldn't believe it. I've seen that kind of thing on Animal Planet, but I never thought I'd see it IRL. WOW.

Second... I broke a knuckle in my right hand. >__>;; I caught it in a booth when we stopped for food. It was all bruised for a while and hurt like a bitch, but I didn't bother going to the hospital. *shrug* Which was fine until a couple days ago when I smashed it off a doorknob and re-cracked it. xD; *FAIL OMFG*

3) OTAKON. Well... I didn't make any money toward Otakon at AN like I'd wanted, but I still managed to finagle out a way to pay for it. GO ME. Basically, I'm not paying my parents rent for next month, and then paying double in August. I'm also borrowing $300 from my Grandma, which I'm paying back in September. Ugh more debt but fuck it, I'M GOING. XD; So I've already paid for my registration and my plane tickets (NO 26 HOUR BUS RIDE FOR ME THIS YEAR), which completely maxed out my credit card two weeks ago, but you know... whatever. >>; It'll get paid off at the end of the month.

Maddie love, let me know when you have a tentative total for the stuff we're doing in Dayton and gas monies and everything. ♥

Cosplay for Otakon! Org13 Demyx and Haine for sure. Also, I think I'm going to do Riku cosplay from BOYS, just for kicks and to see how many people get it. I could trim up my Suigintou wig a bit and it'd work for Riku totally fine. I NEED SOME HEMP BRACELETS AND STUFF. I SHOULD GET SOME HEMP AND JUST MAKE THEM MYSELF IT WOULD BE CHEAPER. I also need some gray arm warmers to go as fake long sleeves under the t-shirt so that I don't have to wear layers lol. Also, yakuza!Kadaj, complete with pinstripe shirt and fedora. >D

I'm also bringing about six other wigs in case myself or anyone wants to do impromptu cosplay of anything. My Kyo wig for sure, and my blonde pigtail one, and probably my blue one and maybe my red one, though I got that one for Axel cosplay (next year maybe), and I don't want it to get messed up between now and when I have a chance to style it... hmm. Must think on this more.

4) B-GRADE MOVIES. After AN, we stopped at Dad and Lois' place to say hi and see teh doggies, and I borrowed 24 b-grade movies from him. XD TWENTY-FOUR. AWESOME. Some of the best ones were The Burrowers, Alien Raiders and Decoys (the second one is bad though.) I also borrowed Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which I LOVED. ♥

5) SORA AND RIKU. Last week I had to take my rats to the vet. Riku was diagnosed with pneumonia, and the vet gave me antibiotics for him... but unfortunately, he died the next day. It's sad, but he was in a really bad way, so I'm kind of glad he didn't suffer for long. Sora doesn't seem to know what to do without him, though. Also, I had to treat Sora for mites today. That's no big deal, though.

6) JEWELRY. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN BUYING SOME JEWELRY, LOOK HERE. 90% OF IT IS STILL AVAILABLE.

7) FEET. Last Friday, my feet and ankles swelled up to twice their normal size. As in, I had no discernable ankle, and could barely walk because of it. =_=;; And they stayed that way until TUESDAY NIGHT. WTF? I have no idea why, but it was a pain and a little disturbing on top of that. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday though, and the doctor wants me to go for bloodwork, since it's possible my meds are the cause of the swelling. Yep.

8) DOCTORS IN TORONTO. A while back, I mentioned about going in for gastric bypass surgery. Last month I went to the initial consultation in Toronto, and then earlier this month I went for the appointment with the social worker and dietician. I still have to go to a gastric bypass class, and see an internist before going back to the surgeon again, at which point my surgery will actually be scheduled.

Things are actually coming along rather well. The only big problem right now is that my Grandma is really against it. She doesn't think I should do it. But then she thinks that my weight issues are my fault. It's bad enough that strangers assume I'm lazy and don't eat well, but having my own Grandma think that really hurts. She keeps giving me lectures about exercise and eating right-- I already eat right (even the dietician was impressed), and I exercise as much as I can but with my legs the way they are, it isn't always possible. I have to walk with a cane, Grandma, it's not like I can just break into an easy run. *sigh* I really need to talk to her about it, but... I know I'll just get another lecture about not trying hard enough, and end up crying for two days over it. I dunno...

9) THE YARD. Mom has decided this summer that she's sick of the back and front yard (what little we have of them, this is just a townhouse after all), and wants them to look really nice. So we've all been working on the yard for the last month, putting down sod and seeding and watering and pulling up weeds. Also, in the front yard we lined the sidewalk with quartz stones, with solar lights along the other side. Then next to the door we planted a little cedar tree, with more quarts around it. Yep.

10) ROLEPLAY. I haven't been rping as much lately, with everything IRL. I was supposed to be back from hiatus at TV like a month ago. I really need to get back there before people get sick of it and I get kicked out.

I have, however, been rping some zombie!apocalypse-verse Kingdom Hearts with Michi over email. It's hilarious and fun. Plus RikuRoku, which makes me happeh. :D And I've been rping with my bb Kiin over at losechesters, which is a comm Kiin set up for us for "Winchestertastical" roleplay. I'm Sam and she's Dean and basically it's just for the sake of crack. It's SO much fun. Which reminds me, I need to think up another post for there... >.>;

I wish I could find my camera. I just had Sora out to explore and I could have gotten the most adorable picture of him and Neko touching noses. I love that my cats as so good with the other animals. ♥ The only thing they do is chase rat's tails on occasion, which is just them playing, not them being aggressive.

Actually, back when I first got Yuki and 'Nashi, Tri used to play with their tails through the bars of their cage if they were dangling out. Then one day he was sitting on a table next to the cage, with his tail draping over the corner of it, and 'Nashi climbed up, grabbed his tail, and yanked. He scared the bejeesus out of Tri. It was hilarious. XD; No one can ever say rats don't have a sense of humor.

Anyway, Sora is settling in alright, but you can tell he's still not used to being outside of a cage. When I take him out, he finds a hidey-hole (under my hair at the back, in the crook of my arm, etc.) and ventures out a bit, then scampers back really fast. But each time he goes a little farther, and I give him scratches and crackers for being a brave boy, so I'm sure he'll be fine. I am pleased that he trusts me enough to be his safe place though. :3

Other than that... still bloody sick. I just keep getting worse. All my sinuses are infected (except possibly in my left cheek, I'm not sure about that one entirely), I've got a barking cough, a massive headache, a sore throat and the on-and-off fever I've had the last few days. Also, my piercings are all still infected. >.<;

Oh, and my jaw is stiffening up again. -.-;; Stupid Tetanus. Stupid Lockjaw. Go away already, it's been three years!

I'm medicating myself to the eyeballs with painkillers, aspirin, and sinus pills/nasal spray, but I think I'll probably have to get the doctor to give me a prescription for antibiotics when I'm in there in a couple of weeks. Blegh. I hate this time of year.

I named my rattie Sora instead of Tasuku. He looks more like a Sora. Plus he's adorable and an absolute sweetheart. ♥ Still no photos though. I promise some later.

Today I got my old modem back to Rogers, so they won't charge me for it. And Mom and I talked to them about upgrading the cable so that I can have Animal Planet and Discovery, and my brother can have Space.

Tomorrow is chiropractor, groceries, and I have to drop some stuff off with my case worker at the ODSP office. Fun stuff.

Good news: MOVING FINISHED. It took three days, but I am officially done with that place! HAH. Still unpacking, obviously. The cats are much more comfy here now, though Tri is still very jumpy. He'll settle in though. Also, today I actually had the dog and Neko in my lap at the same time, which is a miracle, as Possum is afraid of other animals. >>;

Good news 2: My brother sent me a link to episode one of Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro. I am intrigued.

Good news 3: ;>.> <.<; I'm getting a rat again. Possibly tomorrow, but probably next week.

Neutral news: INTERNET TOMORROW. HOPEFULLY. I have to buy a card thing for my PC, and then my brother says if he can he'll install it for me. I'm actually going to be piggybacking on Mom's router. Anyway, if Trunks can't install it, I'll have to take it to the corner, in which case no 'Net until Monday at the earliest. So hopefully he can.

Bad news: CRAMPS. I HAET YOU REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM. D<

Bad News 2: Sinus infection. -__-;; As soon as it gets cold my immune system officially goes to florida or something. Not that it's super active normally anyway. But still. My head is throbbing, my sinuses hurt and I've used up a whole box of kleenex just today. ><; If it doesn't go away soon though, I have an appointment with the doctor in three weeks anyway.

And now I'm off to medicate myself to the eyeballs and try to actually get a decent night's sleep. Whoo.

Today I was supposed to go over to Mom's and do some cleaning... and I totally slept through my alarm instead. -__-; Jeez Sena. So I'm going over tomorrow, and today I spent a while cleaning around here instead. Did cages and vacuuming and stuff.

It's been getting warmer outside, which is great, but starting about this time of year for two to three months, my allergies get to be really really bad. I go through a box of allergy pills every couple of days, which I'm sure can't be good for me. =.= But I mean bwuh~ I can't breathe through my nose, and my eyes are all itchy! Stupid springtime! ><;;

I guess I need to start running all my air filters more often again...

Anyway, so the buns and the squirrels and the rats are all clean and shiny again; I gave another litter box to the girl bunnies in the big cage, since they've recently decided that the corner opposite from their original litter box was good for using as a bathroom. Mrr. Now there are boxes in both corners! HAHA, I win!

The girls were all like \o/ and spent about three hours digging in it after I put it in, lol.

Maa ne, I was playing with Yuki and Kori for a bit after I cleaned their cage, and poor Yuki is starting to lose weight... that's what happened to 'Nashi before he died. But Yuki's about two and a half years old now, so he's really getting on. Even Kori's two years old. Poor guys, all they have the energy to do is eat and sleep anymore.

And Yuki's got a stripe down his back where he's losing hair. I didn't know rats could go bald in old age, but apparently it's possible...

I'll miss them when they're gone, and I think I probably will get more rats; I've really enjoyed having them, they're so smart and have such personalities on them. They've just been a lot of fun to have around. :)

Ahhh...

I went at last night and painted the kanji on the jyuunishi ponies in my Furuba set (so like, 75% of them)... and did it all with toothpicks. Detail brushes? What're those? XD; For the most part they weren't too bad, but Yuki's was a pain, and I did Ayame's three times and it still just looks like squiggles. -_-;;

Now I'm starting my Gravi ones, and my KH ones tomorrow after I borrow Mom's printer to print some pictures of the characters to use for reference. >>;

Yep yep~~

Ahhh, still tired~ =.=

Oh well, not much I can do really...

I have stuff to do tomorrow, still trying to figure out my schedule.

It's mostly just things around here, but they need to be done; I have to clean animal cages (which only takes about a half an hour), and I have several cages that've been emptied out and organised lately that need to go into storage in the garage for now. And the old coffee table needs to go down there, too, but I think I'll need to get someone to help me with that...

Mmmm, I'm looking at these cages and thinking about the cute little black baby rats they have at the pet store right now... ehhhhh, I can't I can't! At least not until Yuki and Kori are gone! They're old men now and wouldn't appreciate me bringing annoying baby ratties into the house, I'm sure. >_> They'd never talk to me again. ;~; lol.

But if I get the cages moved into storage, I'll be less tempted, so it must be done.

Also dishes and stuff.

And I will be up on time to chat with Cassandra-san!! And then after that I'll chat with Kao-mun, and then we're gonna rp with Tama-mun for a bit. Which will be interesting, since it's with Suzumiya instead of Tamaki. XD;;

We will all play nice. *snort* Yeah right.

'Nashi died last night.

Thanks to jarrn for suggesting trying him on NutriCal to help him gain some weight, but unfortunately he passed away before I could even go out and buy any. It's probably better anyway, he was a really old rattie...

Last night Loki was puttering around by the rat's cage, and I don't know what he did to piss them off, but he got close enough for 'Nashi to give him a good bite. -_-;; He's got a tear in his left ear now-- it looks like 'Nashi bit him, and he pulled back, so the teeth went right through in a line out the side of the ear.

And of course, because it's his ear, it bled quite a bit. But I cleaned it out, and had a look (even though he didn't want me to poke at it), and it seems not too bad. It should heal up fine, though I think he'll always have a bit of a V there. People will think he got into a fight.

Yeah, well, he did. With a rat. A rat in a cage. And he lost. :P

But I'm keeping an eye on it, just in case. If it looks like it's getting infected or anything I'll have to take him to the vet.

You know what's kind of funny, though? A few months ago, Tri and Neko were playing and Tri ended up with a similar nick on his left ear (which healed up fine and dandy in about a week)... so now Tri and Loki match! ^_^; lol.

So when I make turkey/chicken, absolutely nothing goes to waste, including the bones, giblets/neck, and meat scraps; generally, the giblets/neck go to the cats, the meat scraps go to the cats/rats/mice and the bones get boiled all the hell to make stock for a huge pot of soup, like the one I made yesterday.

Anyway, when I did the turkey a couple of days ago, I gave the {cooked} neck to Sarah for her cats-- when I went downstairs just now, she had just broken it in half and given it to them like that:

Sena: Uh...
Sarah: *tidying or whatever*
Sena: Sarah?
Sarah: Mm?
Sena: Just... the cats. You really shouldn't just give that to them. There's bones in it.
Sarah: Really?
Sena: Uh, yeah...
Sarah: I didn't know that! I just gave it to them because I didn't think there were any bones in it.

She took it away and took the meat off of it for them, but honestly. What did she think turkeys held their heads up with? Willpower alone?

I need a good *FACEPALM* icon. *nods*

EDIT: This morning, I have some turkey to the rats; every time I give them a treat, 'Nashi goes around stealing it all, and collects it in "his" corner. I have to keep taking it back and handing it out again until he gives up and Yuki and Kori have a chance to actually eat theirs. ^_^; No wonder he's so pudgy! lol

And an alternative one, in which ( Tri attempts to steal the spotlight, but is completely unsuccessful. )

That's wheat-type cereal on the chair in the background, there. Good for rat treats! =3

Meh... *pokes ratties* They don't cooperate when I want to take photos. >^-^;; They don't sit still pretty much at all when they're out like this.

And yeah, Tri really is afraid of them likes them, so when any/all of them are out and wandering around, he pokes around at them; in this case, he kept leaning in close until Yuki noticed him (all my critters are completely used to the cats, so now they might as well be furniture or something in the background) and leaned over to say hi... at which point, Tri jumped about three feet into the air, then skittered backward until he bumped into Phantom's hutch, at which point he couldn't retreat any farther. Yuki just sat there looking after him with an almost puzzled air. ^^;

Considering the cats are the biggest animals around here, and the only carnivores, they certainly are chickens. :P lol.

Ed!pony sold for $35 US, which is just over $40 in Canadian. So basically, I made four times what he cost me. lol. I'm relatively pleased. And the guy who bought him is so enthusiastic about it that it's hard not to be happy, too. I have to ship him off tomorrow afternoon. ^^

Yesterday when I got the bows to finish up Trims, I also got some Goo Gone, which I'm told is good for removing glue/symbols/whatever, so I'm going to set about giving that a try-- I have a decappitated Sparkleworks sitting here waiting to be customized, but about half of her hair is glued in so well I can't get it out. :P Hopefully the Goo Gone will help... then she's going to be a Pom custom for my Step-Mom.

I'm also working on another Ed!pony for catystorm. :)

....

And yay, I love Kori! I'm so glad I adopted him. He's a sweetie, really... he loves to cuddle up on my shoulder and goom my ear. >^-^;; But it turns out I'm kinda allergic to him. O_o;; I'm not allergic to Yuki and 'Nashi! But yeah... Kori's little nails are scratchy (just like with any rodent-creature) and I itch whenever I take him out to play with him. It's funny, though, 'cause when he grooms me that doesn't make me react, just his nails do... .__.

Oh well. It's no big deal. Once I've had him for a while, my body will adjust. It's happened with a couple of my other animals in the past, too. I'm used to it!

Ah! And cat_mcdougall! I was telling Mom that you were writing that CSIx3/Highlander crossover... and she wants to read it. ^_^;; She's a big CSI and Highlander fan... just thought I'd tell you. <3 lol.

The X-Files starts playing on Omni on August 29th! Every weekday at 10 pm. =^-^=

This gives me glee attacks.

So I'm feeling a bit better today. Yesterday I was just really nauseous all day; today I'm still feeling sick to my stomach, but it's not quite so bad. I might be able to eat something other than oatmeal for supper tonight. Speaking of which, it's almost 7, so I should get on that...

I need to go get a glass of milk.

I feel like doing some sketching right now. Maybe I'll do that later. I should skribble out a couple of pics of Akira, just to see if I can do it and get him right; like, as in the way I see him in my head. I wish I could CG so that I could color some of my drawings sometimes. ;__; Need to finish up my profile for Mal, too... I can't decide what colors I want her to be. Maybe black and purple or something like that.

What colors does the name "Malloren" bring to mind?

Fwee! mavan drew a pic of Akira, as well as one of -cat's Kiri and Cat's Mira. I'm really excited to see them! X3

Nya! I know what I should draw! A poster-pic of the main characters so far in our RP!

Today I went over to Mom's for a while to do some laundry and chat. When she came to pick me up I'd fallen asleep, so she had to wake me up... and while I was getting my stuff together to go, we chatted about my various animals. Mostly about how big Nanashi and Yuki have gotten. ^^;; Especially 'Nashi... he's a pudgy little bastard. Ahaha...

He's always been chubbier than Yuki, though...

Wow. This post turned out to be very random, didn't it?

I feel like rambling about my ratties for a bit... who knows how long, really. So I will! ^_^

Basically, getting Yuki and Nanashi in the first place was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Mom was pretty much convinced that I'd regret it after a few days, but I really don't. ^^ Getting to know them has been an experience, and I doubt I'd give them up without a kicking-and-screaming type of struggle, since I've become so attached to them.

The interesting thing about them is how smart they are, among other things; they know me, they know their own names (and each other's names), they're incredibly affectionate/sociable (with me, each other, and Neko and Tri) and gentle, and every time they see me eating something, they both come to the bars of their cage to beg for bits and treats.

I'm told you can teach them tricks, and I can completely believe that. I just don't really know how to go about it... and I don't know if I have the patience. ^^;; I decided to teach Neko tricks when he was little, but I ended up losing interest. Then I decided to teach Tri to walk on a leash... and again, I lost interest before my kitty did. ^_^;

But anyway! I keep thinking it would be fun to have ratties that do tricks.

Really, it's a lot like having itty-bitty dogs! X3

Personality wise, Yuki is kind of quiet and calm, though not really shy, and the more cuddly one. ^^ He likes to be out of the cage and spending time with me, usually sitting on my shoulder while I muck around on the computer or watch TV. He seems fascinated by my keyboard, actually. (I should teach him how to type his name or something! XD Wouldn't that be amusing?)

The funny thing about Yuki is that he hates my brother! *sniggers* He's kind of afraid of Trunks... every time Trunks is over and I happen to be playing with Yuki/'Nashi, Trunks likes to play with them, too. Except that whenever I try to hand Yuki over to him, Yuki gives him looks and shuffles backward in my hands so that I can't give him to Trunks.

I find that extremely funny. ^.^

'Nashi is very different from Yuki; he likes Trunks, for one thing. And thusly, Trunks likes him better than he likes Yuki. >^-^;; 'Nashi is a pudgy little bugger, too... he weighs quite a bit more than Yuki, though most of the time when they squabble Yuki's the one who wins. ^^; Other than that, 'Nashi is a lot more energetic and playful than Yuki is--he's just as friendly, but he can be quite a handful if he's in a perky! mood.

I feed them kind of a home-mix of seeds/nuts/pellets. There's store-bought mix in there, along with some raisins, walnuts and pecans. They also get dried corn cobs (like the ones you can buy for squirrels), carrots, lettuce, celery and some apple/etc. ^^ Their favorite once-in-a-while treats are popcorn and white rice, and they like to get peach pits to chew on, too.

I'm told it's good to give them yogurt and mealworms sometimes...

When I make popcorn, they both climb the bars and sniff and beg as if they're starving to death. ^_^;;

My ratties both love Triton, too. ^^ Tri sleeps next to their cage all the time, and will play with them through the bars; 'Nashi loves to tease him. He bounces around, pokes at Tri, and makes happy squeaking noises. It's so cute... =3 They're really good friends.

They're both kind of neutral on Neko, since Neko is neutral on them. ^^; He's not a particularly "playful" kitty, though... although he's taken quite a shine to Flash. I think I mentioned that in a post a couple of days ago. I don't know what it is about Flash that he loves so much, but as long as Neko doesn't try to eat him or anything, I'm not going to question it. ^^;;

In any case, generally I'm very happy with my rats. >^-^< They're just very fun animals to own, and it's interesting to watch them interact with me/other people/the cats. I would recommend them to anyone who's looking for a friendly and intelligent but relatively small animal to own.

Right now I'm trying to think of some good toys for Yuki and 'Nashi, though... they're so playful that I think they'd probably enjoy some play toys. Hmm. Maybe the kind of things you could buy for parrots or other birds. I think I remember hearing that those are good for rats, too...

EDIT: For anyone who doesn't know/understand the origin of their names and might be curious: "Yuki" is the name of a character from the anime Fruits Basket, who turns into a rat whenever he gets hugged by a girl. "Nanashi" was suggested by Cassandra-san, when I couldn't come up with a name for my second rat. It roughly translates to "nameless", unless we're both wrong...

EDIT #2: Kya~! My ratties just spent ten minutes actively grooming me! X3 They're so cute~!