Remember

I write to remember and I write to forget. Most of all, I write to remind myself to live each moment in the moment. To notice how fallen leaves smell spicy, like clove and cinnamon. They crunch under my feet like thin shells. Shells that once held the meaning of life. Shells that once contained mitochondria and chloroplasts necessary for life. It reminds me to look up at the sky. To see the paling blue as we lean away from the sun, tempting the colds of winter to come and find us. It reminds me to feel the cold blasts of air on my face as temperature changes create breezes and winds. It reminds me, like the scientist, to observe my surroundings. To question everything and then search for the answers. Writing keeps me from becoming shallow and dronish. It defines my being as a chronicler, helps me connect to the world around me through exploration. Determining my next step is merely one key away, one small tap and then another. Letters connect into words, spaces and symbols define sentences. Those sentences string together to form paragraphs, and those paragraphs bring meaning to the symbols that form it. Like the trees in the forest. A forest is nothing without the trees that create it. Each little tree fights for it's 15 minutes in the sun, as does each letter. Will I be picked today? Will I rise to the occasion, become one with my comrades and form a word? Will I bring meaning to this sentence? Am I out of place? Questions are sentences that lead to exploration. Exploration leads to understanding. Understanding leads to more questions, perpetuating the cycle.

Four Seasons

Spring
Green, fresh
Tree swings and blooming flowers
Adventure

Summer
Warm, lazy
Sweet tea on a wrap-around porch
Satisfying

Fall
Crisp, Cool
Falling leaves and hot chocolate
Contentment

Winter
Snow, spice
Hot cider by the fireplace
Complacence

Back on the Radar

I don't think when I started this that I realized what being in med school would mean. It's not that I don't like it. I love the experience. The people are amazing. I have such a great group of friends that are so supportive, and we really are a family. It's such an inexplicable feeling because there's nothing else like it. I can't imagine any other place where I would have such a diverse group of friends, people that I would not have automatically chosen to hang out with are now the people I am closest to. Certainly, the sipping from a fire hydrant analogy is appropriate, especially now. We just started the biochem block. It's all lecture, in fact, three hours worth almost every morning. It's rough, but the material isn't that bad. Some of the lecturers are dry, but you can't expect everyone to be amazingly entertaining.

I just never imagined that I would have something that so consumed me. I mean, med school really is a lifestyle. It's a situation that is hard to explain to others. It's a mindset. It's hard to fall out of the med school mentality sometimes which makes it hard to relate to others. I mean, we can talk about things that sicken others as if it were nothing. This also means it's hard to fall out of med school speak. I'm doing better. Not being stressed out all the time is certainly helping. Being able to exercise is also helping.

I'm trying to get back into writing again. I know that it was helpful as a destressing tool when I was in undergrad. Maybe it will help now. I want to get back into creative writing, but that's taking a little longer. This is a start...slow but steady. One step at a time. I'm just working on not looking too far into the future, just going day-by-day to see what unfolds...

The Marathon has Started...

It's been a month. I'm officially starting med school classes tomorrow. I'm a little freaked out, but I have a great group of classmates. I'm also excited because there is so much interesting material to learn. I'm worried about the dissection, but I think I'll be alright. The cadavers freaked me out a little more than I had thought they would. It's going to be a lot of work the next couple of years...and really for the rest of my life. Med school has been described as two things.
1. trying to drink from a fire hydrant on full blast
2. a marathon
Hopefully I have a good enough studying pace to make it through med school. It might take a couple of weeks to get everything situated, but I think I can do it. I'll make it.

Fell Behind...a Little

It's been about a month since I last posted. I've been busy with work, taking care of the boys, and getting stuff ready for medical school. I've got all the info in for med school that I need to have in. I have an apartment set up. Someone has been found to take over the lease on my apartment here, so I am all set on this front, thank goodness.
The rats are doing unbelievably well. They are both so healthy and happy. They really love all sorts of fruits and vegetables. So far they've had Cheerios (their favorites), strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and dry pasta. They really like the healthy stuff which is good. Today Rex was throwing his ball around his cage today. It was so cute. Yesterday was really warm so I put a mason jar with ice in it in the cage so they could use it to stay cool. They had no idea what to do with it. They tried to eat it, walked all around it. Finally, they curled up around it to stay cool.
Not sure what else is going on...Just trying to keep working until I move.

Back to my Roots...

I am a writer at heart, but the inspiration has been running cold for just about 6 months now. My fingers are paralyzed as they try to create as they had some many times before. The cog wheels of my brain are rusted over, barely moving, as they wait for the WD-40 to loosen them up again. The last story I wrote was in December 2008 about the history of Chapel of the Cross. It was creative, but it wasn't fictional. I have not written anything truly fictional since junior year. The joints begin to regain their usual agility, but it will take a while, like a runner out of practice. Each step feels like the first. You have to refind that rhythm that you cherished and took advantage of in the peak of training. It's harder now to push through the pain because you've only just begun to remember what it felt like. It's an uphill battle on flat ground. One foot in front of the other, remember to breathe. Bring in the cool crisp air that burns your throat and lungs, yet another reminder of what it really feels like to be alive. One step. Two steps. Breathe. Eventually you hit that time when you start to feel the rhythm again. Not the point where it's easy, but the point where you can begin to think about more than just where your feet and legs are and where they should be.
I feel like I've lost my rhythm in a lot of things: writing, reading, life, exercise. I used to swim, run, play sports. Now, it's just so hard to find the inspiration and determination to keep going. I'm honestly not sure where to start. I guess I have to find my beginning and start there, perhaps one day to find the finish line...or make my own.

Here we go...

So yeah...about staying in Chapel Hill for the next year or so. Not going to happen. I got my acceptance letter from Wake Forest SOM, so I'll be there for the next 4 years. YAY! I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. It's crazy! It's been something of a roller coaster the past week since I got the letter. Pretty much everything is in order, just need to get one more TB test and I'll be good to go.
The boys are doing great. They are getting so big! I weighed them yesterday at the 9 week old mark. Cody now weighs 261 grams (87 g increase!) and Rex weighs 311 grams (97 g increase!). This is good. It means that they are both growing rather steadily. I'm not sure when they reach their full size, but they've got about 500-600 grams to go (roughly). At any rate, they are going to be big boys. Their cage seems to be fitting them better than when they were just tiny little guys. They are both pretty good with their names which is really great. Even better, though, they both know what Cheerios are and will come running to break down the door of the cage when they know they are gettin some! It's the cutest thing!
Lifeguarding has been going well. Both teams are amazing! The YMCA is nice because the rules are in place which makes it easier to just have to enforce them. The Briar Chapel pool is amazing, though, because it is brand new and more laid-back in terms of enforcement just because we are still trying to get a feel for everything. The people are really nice both other guards and patrons. It's been pretty relaxing which is nice since it won't be come July 23rd when orientation begins for medical school :-P It's just another adventure and I have to keep in mind that it's just a new experience that I will get through no matter what!

Update

I know it's been awhile since I posted. It's been sort of busy with getting everything set up and put together. I did not get into ECU School of Medicine so I will be able to spend the next year (at least) in Chapel Hill which is really exciting for me. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do, but I have some things in mind. I spent a couple of days in Wallace last week and will be going home to Shelby for the Memorial Day weekend.

The boys are doing so well. They are growing so quickly. I've decided to keep track of their weights so I can see as they grow. They are so funny and are getting used to me and seem to know their names. Last week we did a major play time on my bed. I have some pics from that. This week was a major cage cleaning and introduction to water since Cody had gone to the bathroom on Rex and both had messy feet. They, like most rats, do not like the water...at all. However, they were willing to let me pour water over them and neither tore up my arms too much.

As for their weights. I'm weighing them once a week. I just started last week when they were 6 weeks old. At that time Cody weighed 131 g and Rex weighed 167 g. This week (7 weeks old), Cody weighed 174 g (43 g increase!) and Rex weighed 214 g (47 g increase!). Needless to say, Rex is a piggy boy. He eats anything and everything. Cody is smaller, but his appetite is growing. He likes to steal Cheerios from Rex when Rex is being careful enough. I guess Cody is getting Rex back for all the times Cody shared his Cheerios. Both are extremely curious, and rex does well outside the cage...once you get him out of the cage that is...Cody will just run right out of the cage and up my arm. He has taken to sitting on my shoulder and observing the world from the higher perch. Rex just likes running around and trying to find as many Cheerios as he possibly can :) Both are adorable and have a great following!

This is it...

Well, I'm officially a UNC graduate and officially on my own. It's a little scary. I'm not used to being by myself like this. I'll definitely have to find people to hang out with so I don't get lonely. At any rate, I've gotten the apartment cleaned up for the most part. I still need to work on my closet and desk, but other than that, everything looks really nice. It's definitely going to take me a little while to get used to not having my family or Austin around. I'll probably try to get several visists in...
The rats are doing fine. Rex is getting so big. Cody's pretty big but no where near as big as Rex. However, I think that Rex is a softy because he still gets beat by Cody when they wrestle. I really like having them around. They are getting used to me slowly. Today is the first day I'm going to try out weighing them. It could be interesting. At any rate, they are really sweet boys and everyone in my family thinks they are adorable!

Cleaning Day

Just an update. The boys went through their first official cage cleaning. They didn't like being taken out of their big cage only to be shoved into the little travel cage. Rex tried to make a run for it and scared me to death! Fortuntately, he ran under my desk where there's really no place for him to go. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I traumatized him in the retrieval process. He'll surivive. He got some Cheerios when he finally got into the travel cage with Cody. Needless to say, after that fiasco, everything else went smoothly. The cage was really easy to clean. Just pulled out the middle half racks, and replaced all the liners. I pulled out the dustbuster to sweep out the bottom of the cage, then it was back in with all the toys, hammocks, pillow, food, and the boys. They ran around a little, then went right to their favorite spot in the tube hammock.
Also, during free play today, Cody spent a lot of time on my shoulder it was really cool, though his whiskers tickled my neck. Now my right ear is very clean thanks to him :)
I haven't gotten around to weighing them yet...

Growing Up...

The boys are doing great! They are both so full of energy. They get in these spells where they run all over the cage like they've been given caffeine. It's so funny to watch! I've been having free play with them in the bathroom since it is the smallest room in the apartment and the most rat proofed. They love it. Yesterday, Cody took to climbing up my boyfriend's shirt and tickling him. It was so funny. Rex is slowly warming up to me. He will crawl out on my arm now with only the coaxing of a single Cheerio which he LOVES. I have never seen a creature that loves something as much as he loves Cheerios. He'll even steal Cheerios from Cody. The first time I took them out for free play, Rex wouldn't leave the bonding pouch so Cody would go out the get the Cheerios and bring them back for Rex.Now they both enjoy exploring me and the bathroom. It's a lot less stressful to interact that way than in my room where there are so many places they can get lost and hurt. They also enjoy play wrestling with each other. Sometimes they scare me because they look like they are playing so roughly, but neither one has any injuries. At first Rex wouldn't leave the green igloo. Now both boys sleep in the tube hammock together. Cody has also taken to climbing out on top of the cage when I open the door for them. It's fun to watch them climb around all over everything. They have a lot more energy than Petey ever did. It sounds like in a couple of months they'll start to become "squishier" and lazier. I can't wait for the point where most of what they want to do is be held. Next Wednesday they'll be moved out to my new apartment. I'm really excited about it. I'm sure they'll do just fine and they'll have so much exploring to do. Tomorrow will be the first cage cleaning as well as the first time they get weighed. It should be interesting...

The Boys...

I have to post this picture. It is the cutest thing. So, for all of yesterday and the better part of today, Rex (the charcoal) simply would not leave the green igloo. I was hard pressed to find away to get him out of it. Thanks to the brilliant discovery that he LOVES Cheerios, I finally coaxed Rex out of the igloo and he has spent little time in there since about 3 this afternoon. On the other hand, he has taken to staying in Cody's sleep spot now. They've had a few scuffles some of which have caused Cody to let out some squeaks (the only noises either of them have made I might add). However, I don't think that Rex has caused any real damage to Cody, and Cody doesn't really seem to mind that much. He can fight back anyway.
So tonight, I got Rex all riled up so that he was running all over his cage like a maniac. A few more days, and he'll probably be more than willing to come out of the cage which is good. I don't want them to be afraid to come out of the cage. At any rate, Rex took some food up to the top level of the tube hammock and was eating it while Cody was in the lower part. I decided to pull out the camera and take some pictures because it was really cute to see the boys all stacked up like that. So a took a couple of pictures of the both of them, then, I went to take some pictures of just Cody. Well, Rex just had to come over to see what was going on...i.e. he couldn't just be left out. So here is the result:

They are finally home...

I went and picked up Cody and Rex yesterday at about 3. They are so tiny and very shy! In fact, Rex (the charcoal one) is just unbelievably shy. They both got in the bonding pouch this morning and neither freaked out too much. Cody (the Himalayan) did try to make a run for it, but I caught him. I think it scared both of us pretty bad because he was more tentative to leave the pouch after that. I'll keep working with them, though. I'm hoping to have them more comfortable in the pouch by the end of today. I'm only taking them out in it for about 20 minutes at a time. I may go longer, but it depends more on them.
Cody is definitely more outgoing and adventurous. He is also a climber. I just watched him climb from the middle full level all the way up to the tube hammock that is hanging from the top of the cage. His eyes are definitely red, but they aren't that jarring once you get used to them. He is so cute anyway.
I'm trying to figure out which kind of treats they like. Right now, they've both tried the Ratatouille biscuits and like those. I've also got grapes, dried apricot and raisins to try next. I need to find one that they will do anything to get. It will definitely help get them out of the cage...
I took some pictures today as well. We'll see how well they come out. If some are good enough, I'll post them.

Update

Well, sometime tomorrow or Tuesday I'll be bringing my boys home :D I can't wait! I still don't have any new pictures of them, but once they get settled in and used to me, I'll try and take some myself. I'm so excited. Tired right now, though. I've spent all weekend getting my new apartment set up. I think I have most of the important furniture in or ordered. Can't wait to get my bed and dining table! I have some work to do tonight, and then I'll probably be going to bed...early :)

My Baby Boys!

I am now the proud mommy of two little rattie boys. I finally got to pick mine out. I'll post the pictures from Keith's websites. The pictures are the baby pictures. Keith is going to update them so as soon as he does, I'll post their new pictures. One is a charcoal rex dumbo who looks like a Russian Blue, and the other is a Himalayan rex dumbo who just looks white right now. His points won't come in until he is a little older, but they are absolutely adorable, and they are now mine!!!
Here are the pictures. These were taken when the boys were about 9-10 days old:

Pictures Courtesy of Keith Worstell at Carolina Blue Rattery

Baby Pictures!

I talked to Keith this weekend. Pictures of the babies are up on his website: baby pictures
Only one of the babies died. There are 6 girls and 5 boys. 2 of the 6 girls and 4 of the 5 boys are rex coat. 2 of the 6 girls and 1 of the 5 boys is Himalayan, and 2 of the 5 boys are Siamese. 1 girl is black, and the rest of the babies are charcoal (3 girls, 2 boys).
I get to pick out my ratties sometime early next week. I'm so excited. My parents have already chimed in on which babies they like. We'll see. Fingers crossed that I can pick out two boys.
I just can't wait two more weeks to go get my babies and bring them home!

National Champs!!

Well, it's official. The tar heels are national champions. It's crazy. It didn't hit me until yesterday afternoon that this is really it. The homecoming for the team was when it finally dawned on me that my time here is numbered, only 4 1/2 weeks left. It's scary. I'm just glad I get to spend the summer up here.
As for rats, no news. I've been trying to get in touch with Keith, but I think he must be busy. His website has also reverted back to the old version, so there aren't any updates about rats online right now either. Maybe soon he'll have some preliminary pictures. We'll see.
Not much else going on. I'm trying really hard to get work done, but I'm steadily falling further into the senioritis mentality. Fortunately, I'm nowhere near failing any classes :P
Alright, back to work...

Here's the deal...

It sounds like I won't be picking rats until they are about 3 weeks old. Hopefully I can get two boys. I told Keith I preferred boys but that if the girls were all that were left I would take two girls. We'll see what happens. The babies should be showing their colors more now. I'll let you know the spread once I can talk to Keith about it :) Not much else going on.
Oh, well, there is that little thing about the Tar Heels going to the NCAA championship game. I'm so excited!! The game is tomorrow, and hopefully we will win. That would make for a great ending to senior year :D

The lowdown so far...

I talked to Keith on Tuesday. It sounds like there are 8 girls and 4 boys. 3 of the girls and 2 od the boys appear to be Siamese/Himalayan. The rest are black. That's exciting because I'd really like one black and one Siamese/Himalayan. It looks like I may end up getting girls, depending on what the people before me pick. If I get girls, I'll need to figure out the cost for getting them spayed. It sounds like spaying the females is really important for preventing mammary tumors. Unspayed females have a 70% chance of getting mammary tumors when they are older. Spayed females only have a 4% chance. It'll be nice that I'm staying in Chapel Hill this summer, so I can take the rats to the vet here in Chapel Hill who took such great care of Petey. If I get boys, I won't worry about getting them neutered becuase there aren't really any health benefits. Hopefully I can get two boys, but if not, I do have two girls' names picked out: Panya and Krysa. Panya is the Swahili word for rat. Krysa is the Czech word for rat. The word is the same in Russian, just spelled with an "i" instead of a "y". I think the name looks prettier when it's spelled with a "y". At any rate, in about a week or so, I should be able to pick the rats I want, and then I'll know whether I'm getting boys or girls. Also, with staying in Chapel Hill, it reduces some of the stress of moving out because I can move the rats to my new apartment before checking out of Ram Village. I'll keep you all posted and put up pictures as soon as I get them.

THEY ARE HERE!!!

Cody and Rex were born today along with their brothers and sisters. It sounds like there might be 11 of them total, but Candy wouldn't let Keith close enough to count them. It sounds like her parental instincts are in high gear, which is good. I'm glad to hear she's being a good mother. In the next couple of days Candy might get off the nest long enough for Keith to move her and get a better count. As of right now, though, everything is running smoothly and little Cody and Rex are getting their little tummies filled and are growing into big, healthy, happy boys :D
I'm going to go back to jumping around the room like a crazy person ;)
I will try and post updates as often as possible. Hopefully in the next two weeks I'll know which boys are actually mine, and I can post pictures so you all can see them as well.
As for right now, all I can do is send happy, loving adopted parent thoughts to my two new baby boys :D

Impatient as I am...

My patience has started to dwindle. Candy should be having her babies today or tomorrow, and I honestly have not been able to contain myself this weekend. I have spent most of the weekend with the Carolina Blue Rattery site up waiting for the change to let me know how many babies Candy has had. I keep emailing Keith; he's probably tired of me asking if Candy's had the pups yet. Fingers crossed they come sometime during the night.
It's gotten so bad that I even went and got the cage all put together even though it won't be used for another 4 weeks. It probably was a bad idea to get it up because seeing it empty will probably make me even that much more impatient. I swear I'm more impatient with this than I am about waiting to hear back from medical schools.
At any rate, here's a picture of the cage completely put together. I even went so far as to put the food bowl, water bottle, and litter box in it :-P A tiny bit ridiculous.

They're coming!

So, I talked to the breeder, and it sounds like Candy should have her babies sometime this week!! He said she was really big, so hopefully that means she'll have lots of healthy babies. I know this is her first litter, so hopefully everything works out well and she makes a good mother! Then, about a week and a half after the babies are born, their coats come in, and I'll be able to pick out my Rex and Cody!! I'll put up pictures as soon as I get any, but it probably won't be until the first or second full week of April (maybe...).
The shelves should come in sometime this week, too. I know they were at the delivery warehouse as of Friday, but I don't know when they'll actually be delivered to the Walmart. Once I get the shelves, though, I'll actually start getting all the rat stuff organized.
I also got in touch with Harlan, so I may be able to order my stuff directly through them and have it shipped to the UNC DLAM (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine). Even if I can't, it's still cheaper to order the Harlan food than it was to buy the Kaytee's Fortidiet, and the Kaytee's isn't formulated for older rats.
I will post as soon as I know that Cody and Rex were born. I can't wait!!!

And so it goes...

I finally finished sewing everything for the new little ratties. I finished the bonding pouch this morning! It looks really good. It turned out better than I thought it would seeing as a can't seem to cut or sew a straight line :) I ordered the set of plastic drawers that the cage will sit on so now I'm just waiting for them to arrive. I also need to order food, but I think I'll do that later.
I bought a class ring yesterday and it was a little bit expensive... Oh well, I will wear it all the time, and I really just can't believe that I'm graduating in two months. I just can't imagine having to possibly leave Carolina. I've loved it here. I don't really want to go through undergrad again. As fun as it was, I don't think I could bear having to take some classes over. But I just love Carolina. It's a beautiful campus. I love all the people I've met both students and faculty. I love getting to interact with so many wonderful people on a day-to-day basis. I know I'll meet plenty of new people in medical school, but it just won't be the same. I mean, at least the UNC Medical School is on the undergrad campus. Most other schools have the medical campus separated from the undergrad campus. I don't think I could stand that. I need some diversity.
I haven't heard from any med schools yet other than Wake Forest (alternate list). UNC said I would hear by the end of this month or the beginning of April. ECU said I could hear as late as the beginning of May. That is such a long time to wait. I'm just glad that my back-up plan doesn't need to be set in place until that time. I'm praying I get into UNC though. I would LOVE to stay here another four years!

Back on the Hill...

Well, the break has been incredibly relaxing, but it is nice to be back on campus. It is also nice to have a computer that is working like it should be. My computer decided to act it's age, so I took it to get all its internal organs fixed up and back in working order. Now my computer runs at a normal rate, and it actually starts up without any complaints. It's running like it did when I first got it!
I haven't really done anything else to prepare for the ratties. I have the travel cage, but I still need to sew the lining for it. I also need to order some food and the stand for the cage. All of that can wait though since I don't really need any of it for another month or so.
At any rate, I'm back at school, but not really ready for the last 8 weeks of classes. It's really beginning to set in that graduation is coming. It's a little bit terrifying, especially since I don't know right now where I'll be next fall...

Oh Boy(s)...

Wow...I had a bit of a scare last night. I found out yesterday morning where I was on the wait list for Sphinx's litter and realized I was pretty far down. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get any rats from that litter, so I frantically tried to figure out what to do because I really miss not having any rats around and am not sure how much longer I can wait. So I emailed Keith, and it sounds like I have nothing to worry about (thank goodness).
I'm home for a couple of days. I got the travel cage cleaned and put together. The plastic is sort of brittle because it's been up on the top shelf in the laundry room for about 6 years now. But I finally got enough pieces that aren't completely broken so that the cage will stay together. It looks really nice. I'll make the liner for it when I get back to Chapel Hill. I also have to sew together the bonding pouch as well.
I'm just glad to know that I will be able to get the two boys I've been waiting for...

Relaxing...

I'm officially on Spring Break!!! AWESOME!!!

It's been so nice, do a little work in the morning and then just relax the rest of the day. I finished the tube hammocks this evening. I think I might use safety pins to attach the hammock to the cage. I'm thinking I'll put it either over or under the very top half shelf in the cage. I also think I'll put the open hammock in the top as well.

I also think I'm going to get a set of drawers to put the cage on top of. I can put the rats' stuff in the drawers. Food in one, toys in another, extra liners and bedding stuff in the top one. Then the cage will be more at eye level which I think will be really nice. Hopefully the set of drawers I get are stable enough with the cage on top. I think they will be. I'm really excited. It'll be fun the have the rats right there by my desk. Of course, it also means that I probably won't get any work done :-P I think I can handle that though ;)

I may save the rest of the sewing for sometime later. I just want to relax this week and just do a little bit of grading each day.

About 3 weeks!!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
Sphinx and Candy were paired today so that means in about 3 weeks the little babies will be born. Then 4 weeks after that, I'll be going to the Carolina Blue Rattery to pick my little boys up. Grow strong and happy little Rex and Cody!! I'm so excited; I'm seriously just shy of jumping around my room like a maniac!!! Except, I kind of don't want complaints from the person how lives below me, and I don't want to scare my roommates :-P Eeeee :D:D:D

Creativity at its finest...

So, I talked a couple of weeks ago about making liners for the cage. After I made those, I had alot of polar fleece leftover. I had gotten more than I needed in case I messed something up. At any rate, I had a bunch leftover, and wasn't sure what I was going to do with. I finally figured it out. Part of the fleece will go toward lining the travel cage for the rats. This is a recycled hamster cage that I'm getting from my parents. It will only be used while the rats are in the car and while I'm cleaning their cage. I will NEVER use it as a permanent home for them for an extended period of time. I just think the smaller cage will be safer for them to car-travel in, as well as keeping them out of trouble while I'm busy cleaning their cage out for them. Some scraps I tied together into little balls for them to play with. I'll sew it together so they can't pull it apart even though it's all made out of fleece and won't hurt them if they do get it apart. Some will go toward making a bonding pouch. I think it will be fun to have while I'm wokring on homework. The little babies can stay close to me while also staying out of trouble. Another big chunck of the leftover fleece will go toward making tube hammocks. I think these look really neat, so I thought I would make some because they do look so neat. I'll make two of those. And last but not least the rest of the fleece as well as this nesting material stuff from the chube I got will go towards making little pillow beds. I figure I'll make pillow case type things, stuff them with the nesting material and then smaller scraps of fleece to make a nice comfy bed, and then sew it closed. As I said to my boyfriend, I'm going to all this trouble to make as many nice things for these rats, and I bet they'll prefer the tissue box and toilet paper rolls to all the other "fancy" stuff :) Oh well, I like making all the crafty stuff, and it'll make their cage look really exciting :D YAY for an enriching environment!!
PS-any day now my ratties parents should be paired. I can't wait!!!

YAY!!!

I have the greatest students ever!! We had evaluations today, and they were all so nice. There're some things that it sounds like I can work on, but for the most part, all the comments were really positive.
We had the genetics lab today which is a little dry because it's difficult to have a hands on genetics lab in a introductory bio lab. My gel didn't work because I didn't put in enough buffer to make a complete circuit. The corn part is somewhat boring because it's just counting corn kernels and then learning how to use chi-square analysis. Still, I used rats as part of the genetics lesson, which I think sort of surprised some people. Especially when they found out I had a pet rat and was planning on getting more. Hopefully my excitement over the lab was helpful. We'll see on the final evaluations. That tends to be the least enjoyed of all labs.
I keep checking carolinabluerattery.com everyday now, waiting to see that Sphinx and Eve have been paired. It should be any day now. Hopefully I'll have some good news going into my tests at the end of the week. I have two, but then it's Spring Break which should be nice and relaxing.

The big scary monster

Today was pretty good. I spent most of the day doing work. At 5, I went to some friends' apartment for dinner with my boyfriend. They have a cute little puppy that was so much fun to play with. Though, I think at the end, he wasn't really in the mood to be picked up, but a did anyway and he sort of snipped at me. I don't know why I get bent out of shape over little things like that, but right now I kind of feel like an idiot even though I shouldn't. It's not like he doesn't like me, he just didn't want to be picked up. And maybe I'm embarrassed by it, but I shouldn't be. It happens to everyone. Maybe that's why I prefer rats. They really don't ever bite or get perturbed for that matter, so it seems. They may squeak, but Petey never acted like he didn't want to be held. Sometimes he would rather walk around, but always close to me. I guess I still kind of look like a big scary monster to a tiny puppy :-P At least he won't remember that the next time I see him ;) At any rate, any day now Sphinx and Eve will be paired and then the count down will really begin. So, in about a month, I'll know what my little boys will look like. And then a couple of weeks after that, I'll be picking them up. Granted, it will probably be right before exams. I may be a little stressed out, but having the babies around will be nice!! Another procrastination tool, and maybe these will reduce my feelings of stress due to exams.

All ready...

Today I went out and got a litter box, a "chube" and two little balls for the boys to play with. The balls have little bells in them. I'll see how they do with them. I may go back and get some balls that I can hang up in the cage, something else that's new and exciting for them to play with. The chube is this tube that is made from safe material that the rats can sleep in and chew on (hence the name chew + tube = chube). The litter box is just a cheap rectangular drawer organizer thing from Target. The sides are a little low, but I don't think I'll have to worry too much about them knocking stuff out of it. Plus, there won't be that much from them to knock out anyway. I now have everything I need.
All I need are the rats and the food. I won't worry about the food until I know when the ratties are born. That way, it won't go bad. I think I'll try to order it when they're about a week old, that way it gets here on time, and it will still be mostly fresh by the time they start eating it. I'm also planning on making a very (and I do mean very) modified version of Suebee's rat diet. It calls for alot of grains and other things. I'm just going to use two types of cold cereal (Cheerios and Total), oatmeal, and pasta (the tri-colored spiral kind). Plus tons of fresh fruits and veggies (probably grapes, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, all things I get for myself) and some dried fruits (prunes seem to be especially good for rats, so small amounts of those). I really can't wait!!

And the stress rises slightly...

Today was a little bit stressful. I went to my genetics seminar thinking that I understood the article I read. I left ffeling like I had no idea about the article or what information we would be using to build our argument. Plus, I have two tests at the end of next week, so I'm kind of frazzled. If only I had my little ratties now. I would play with them, and I would be so much happier. But I'll survive. Just relaxing tonight and not thinking about what work I have to do. I don't think I'll have much trouble with the tests, I just don't really like studying. I mean I do it and I do well at it, it just takes some time for me to get into studying. I have to be in the right mindset. At any rate, sometime in the next couple of weeks, my little boys should be conceived. From that time I have about 7 weeks before I can go and pick them up. I so can't wait!!

I feel like I was so much less stressed having Petey around. There was always some little critter just waiting for me to come home :) I know now that it wasn't good for Petey to be himself. However, I honestly didn't know any better because the place I got him didn't know any better. I've learned, hence my getting two ratties this time around instead of one. I've also learned that getting ratties from a breeder means that you know exactly how old they are when you bring them home. I honestly have no idea how old Petey was. I'm going to assume that he was over two years old since he was full grown when I bought him. At any rate, I'll know exactly how old my new babies are. My boyfriend and I are going to get the last of the stuff for the cage tomorrow, and then all I'll need to get is food.

I just get too excited about all this...

Almost Done...

So, I've finished the last of the covers. Now I have to get a couple more toys and a litterbox. I've decided that green and black are going to be the cage colors, and I'll try to keep everything coordinated to that ;) I've already done a pretty good job. The cage and wheel are both black and look like they were made for each other. The covers, food bowl, and water dispenser are all green. The hammock is black and white (with leopard print...) but still goes with the theme. Plus, the guys blocks are primary colors that blend with the green. I think I'll try to get a green litterbox, and then I'll be all set. It'll look so nice. It's also relatively easy to put together, so I should be able to assemble and disassemble it pretty easily. I think, for travel, I may break down the cage just because it'll be easier the carry the boys around in the smaller hamster cage. At any rate, all is well. I'll let you all know in the coming weeks when the babies are conceived, and then it's about three weeks until they are born!! I'm so excited!! The countdown has begun...

Holy Cow!

So I've been working on making the level covers for my cage. I decided to make a floor cover as well and just use the bedding in the litterbox in the hopes of being able to litter train the little guys. I've completed all the upper level covers, and I've completed one of the two floor covers. When I cut out the floor cover, I measured it to the size of the wire part thinking that it was the same size as the metal base. Unfortunately, the metal base is a little bit bigger, so I was worried that the floor cover would be too small. To determine if I had made a mistake, I decided to set up the entire cage. It was a little bit finicky, but I got it together. It's HUGE!! All the covers look really spiffy in the bright green. Plus, the floor cover does fit into the bottom perfectly. So all is well. I now only have the one floor cover to finish, get a litterbox and some more toys, and I'll be all set for the ratties. I've decided on their names (finally). They will be named Rex and Cody.
Had a nice relaxing weekend away from campus. Now it's back to classes and work, but at least break is coming up soon!!
Here are some pictures of the cage:

I'm so ready now...

The wheel arrived this afternoon. So here's the list of rat supplies I have thus far:
1. cage
2. 16 oz. water bottle
3. 8 oz. water bottle
4. hammock
5. igloo
6. small food bowl
7. large food bowl
8. wheel
9. wooden chewing blocks
10. wash clothes (to be snuggle blankets)
11. bedding
I've decided to line the whole cage with fleece for easier clean-up and to just put the bedding in the litter box because I'm really going to try to litter train these guys. It will make cage cleaning a lot easier, I think. Now, I need to get food (which I'll wait until April to get) and some more toys. I'll also get treats, but again, those can wait until April when it's closer to the boys arrival. My big project now is to work on the fleece covers for all the levels. This should be interesting since I don't have a sewing machine which would make things a lot easier. However, maybe having to hand sew it will take up enough of my time so that I'm not anxiously waiting by my computer. There really is no point in doing that right now seeing as my boys haven't even been conceived yet. I think I'm going to get them a couple of wooden balls to play with if I can find some. I think that would be a lot of fun. Not much else going on right now. All the presents have pretty much arrived, so now it's down to counting down the days...this should be interesting.

Everything's falling in place...

So the cage arrived yesterday, and today, the hammock arrived. It really is cute. It's leopard print which I think is a whole lot better than zebra print. Austin thinks my babies are going to be spoiled rotten, and he's probably right ;) The wheel left the warehouse tonight, so it should be here either tomorrow or Friday. I can't wait. I emailed Keith Worstell, who runs the Carolina Blue Rattery, and I am all set up to adopt two of the male rats from Sphinx's litter. Keith said he would email me as soon as the pups are born, and then it's only 4 weeks until I can go and pick them up. I've decided to wait on setting the cage up. I'm going to take the levels home for Spring Break and see if my mom can help me fashion some covers for them. I'd like to use something washable, and also to make two sets for each level. That way I can wash them between cleanings. That will also help when it comes to cage cleaning because then I won't actually have to wash the wire mesh protion of the cage which was a headache with Petey's cage. Also, being able to remove the wheel will be amazing as well. So much easier to clean and everything. I feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles right now, just waiting to hear. It's a relief to know that I will be able to get two rats from Sphinx's litter though. I was worried I hadn't submitted the adoption form early enough or that I didn't have enough information. Oh, and if my parents still have our old hamster cage, I'm going to use it as a travel cage as well as somewhere I can put the boys while I'm cleaning their cage. I think it will make it a lot less stressful when I'm cleaning because the boys won't be running free without supervision. I'm still concerned about Rambo, my parents Siamese cat. His hunting skills will be pretty sharp, and I don't want him to accidently hurt one of the boys. Oh well, I have other things to deal with now, that's further on down the road...

It's Here!!!!!

The Rat Manor arrived today!!!! It shipped yesterday from Georgia, and now it's in my room. Lugging it across campus was fun. Should be interesting to see how I do the first time I have to load it in my car...I definitely think I'm going to take the small hamster cage (if we still have it) and use it as a travel cage. I think that should make things a little bit easier. I got a couple of funny looks. The first from the guy at the package center. I'm glad he didn't ask any questions. Then the second look came from a girl who had to do a double take to see what I was holding. She looked a little bit scared. Ah well, as long as I don't get reported. At any rate, I think I should wait to set it up, that way I don't get myself too excited. I may take a peek at the instructions though...you know, get a feel for how difficult the assembly will be ;)

They Shipped!!

I woke up this morning to find an email saying that the hammock and the rat cage are shipping from Georgia so hopefully I'll have those by the end of the week. The wheel is on backorder, but that's fine because I have plenty of time before I get the new ratties anyway. I'm just excited about getting the cage in and set up. I've talked to someone who is willing to buy Petey's cage. I'm so excited because I know she'll get a lot of use out of it. She currently has 4 boys, but is now getting 3 girls and another boy. Plus, she may be getting a couple of girls from the same litter I'm hoping to get a couple of boys from. She's thinking about starting her own breeding line/rattery, but will have to wait until she can be trained by the guy that owns the Carolina Blue Rattery where I am getting my two boys. I'm so excited. I was bursting when I found out she wanted the cage because I really wanted it to go to someone who would use it a lot, and someone who knows how to take care of rats properly. Again...bursting at the seams
Except having a neuro test today is a bit of a downer. There is so much information to learn. I'm a little bit anxious because I don't really know what to expect. I'm trying really hard to study, but I keep getting sidetracked. Plus, I never really got senioritis in high school until after APs, but at that point it didn't matter because I didn't have any work to do as it was. At any rate, it's coming in waves right now. Sometimes I'll be really productive and other times I just won't care at all. Not really a great way to be. I'll get through it though.
I can't wait to get the cage here and set up. Will take pictures (though it will be empty for a little while)

I got it!!

I did it. I went ahead and bought the Rat Manor from Petco.com. I also got an 11" exercise wheel and a hammock. I milked the online sale and free shipping for all it was worth. I'm so excited. I've also been looking at names. I know, I know. I don't even know what they are going to look like, but it's so much fun. I have a list of 10 names but am sort of leaning toward a few of the names. Here's the list:
1. Cody
2. Diego
3. Trevor
4. Gregory
5. Charlie
6. Talon
7. Jett
8. Nico
9. Rudy
10. Rex
I'm kind of leaning toward Diego and Rex right now. I hope to get a rex coat rat, in which case, his name will be Rex. I thought that would be really cute. I'm posting a picture of what the cage will look like once I get it assembled and everything. Hopefully I have enough skills to get the thing put together ;)

photo courtesy of petco.com

Long time...Not Here

So, I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but for the past year and a half, I have been the proud mother to a darling rat named Petey. He was a brown hooded rat, and the sweetest boy ever. Unfortunately, he passed away last weekend. I was devastated, but I am getting through. I finally got to the point where I could clean out his cage and ready it for selling. So...if anyone needs a rat cage, it's posted on eBay (shameless advertising)...
Anyway, so the reason I'm trying to sell the cage is because I need to expand. I've become a rat crazy. I also learned (too late) that rats much prefer to be kept in at least same sex pairs. Petey's cage is just not big enough for two males to be comfortable in. So I need an up-grade. I'm looking at Petco's Rat Manor, though I have to make sure the cage can actually fit in the back of my car *fingers-crossed*. It would be perfect.
I'm planning on getting two males from the Carolina Blue Rattery. Hopefully they will be rex coat, and hopefully at least one of them will be Himalayan. They are absolutely adorable. The crossing for the litter I want will occur hopefully sometime in March. The pups should be born about the first week of April, and by mid-April, I should know which babies will be mine :D I'm so excited.
Now I have to get everything ready for them. I've picked out the cage, new exercise wheel, and hammock for the babies. I know what kind of food they'll be eating and where I'll be ordering it from. The only thing left is to get it all and pick out names. I have a list now, but haven't decided on any one name. Again, I'll keep you all posted.
So, yeah, I've gone off the deep-end perhaps, but they are so much fun to have around, and they are just so loving and friendly. Who wouldn't want a little furry animal that is easy to maintain and just as loving and loyal as any dog??
Here's a picture of Petey:

I know, I know. It's been almost a year since I last posted. Life got crazy. Medical school applications and interviews and teaching all got in the way. BUT...I'm going to try to be a more regular blogger.