All art is at once surface and symbol

Mom noticed that Freddie was looking pretty sad, so she put him on her lap and started petting him. She started talking about Amanda and reassured him how much Amanda loved him, and as she was doing that, Freddie started licking the pillow they were sitting on because he knew Amanda sat on it too. It's the closest he could get to kissing her. ;;

It's okay, Freddie. Soon we'll get another doggie and Amanda will be happy knowing you won't be lonely anymore. ;;

The biggest birthday present this year? A brand new chinchilla. ♥

I'll have to wait four weeks though. The baby chins aren't ready to be weaned yet. :3 The breeder says she only has females, but because Ryu is so old, she feels that he wouldn't care about trying to breed anymore. I hope she's right. She's not sure what colors they'll grow into yet. There's also a new chin that just got born and she doesn't know its sex yet. So here's some names I've been thinking of naming my future darling~ ♥

Lyra - After the female protag of my favorite Pokemon gen, and also because I like the name. I still haven't finished reading His Dark Materials, let alone The Golden Compass. *hangs head in shame*

Poe - It's perfect for a gray or black chin! Plus I love the mental image of a chinchilla named Poe bouncing off the walls while Ryuichi, named after a hyperactive rockstar, just sits there. XD

Homura - For a black (maybe gray) chin! Plus I'd be able to call her "Homu-chin."

Geno - Ideal for a beige or chocolate chin. :3 I've been wanting to name a pet after Geno for a long time. Especially for one as wise and active as a chinchilla~

Vivi(an) - For a gray, black, beige or brown chin. Named after Vivian from Paper Mario 2 or Vivi from Final Fantasy IX. Nothing quite like having a little chinchilla mage! :3

I hope Ryu and the new chinchilla like each other. I wanted to get Ryu a friend for so long. ;;

I gotta start sharing all those pet goodies I store. Let's start with cute silly doggies from Youtube!

C'mon Husky. You're a grown man.
What are those wrinkled potatoes doing here?
Pugs in the tub! My favorite part involves one puppy's reaction to the blowdrier.
Huskies fear and loathe Furbies...
...Even eight months later.
I love English Bulldog puppies. They think they're so tough.
I'm shaking in my boots!
A hairless doggie partied a little too much on New Year's Eve.
Hairless Dancing Nathan is amazing and everybody should follow him.
This is why.
I can't listen to Geronimo without thinking of Nathan and Gilligan.
Huskies love autumn!
'I want my ball, but I dunwanna get wet! DDD: ...Wait, I know!'
This pom puppy displays an unusual way of sneezing.
People meet pit bulls for the first time. Pitties are our friends!
Golden Retrievers are secretly dolphins.
'Stairs are scaaaaaaaaaaaaaryyyyyyyy!'
A bby Markiplier sings with his doxie.
Milo the Maltese versus Sharks! I wonder how Samekichi would fare.
Doggie & Cow in love~ ♥
Best Dog Breeds to watch sports (or watching movies or playing video games) with. Features a lab getting a beer and Bichon Frise representation!

I volunteer for two animal shelters now! :3 I've got months of experience with the Cattery on me, so now I also volunteer for the Gulf Coast Humane Society, so I can learn to take care of doggies as well as kitties~ ♥ Dad comes along too, so it's a good chance for us to bond. There's an English bulldog I love named Ladybug, and she got adopted to a nice man last week~ ♥♥♥ So now my new favorites are Kody the Chow-Chow/Australian Shepard Mix and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi mix named Floyd. Even while wearing the cone of shame (he'd just been neutered and the staff didn't want him to bite at his stitches), Floyd is friendly and loves everyone, and even tries to kiss us despite his cone being in the way. Corgis are amazing, the Internet did not lie. ;;

Whenever I need cheering up, I check the FB pages of the shelters I follow to see who got adopted today~ ♥♥♥

I beat Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea! It was okay, I guess? I'm typing a large review for it, so expect my thoughts on it later. Slowly but surely. <.<;;;;

I made a new (and better!) deal with my Dad. Instead of getting a hedgehog after cleaning the house, I earn money to go to Portland. :D Dad felt much more motivated, nom. We worked together today sweeping the floor after we roachbombed the house. We cleared a huge chunk of space and it makes me so happy! *knocks wood* The house may actually get cleaned and be a permanent reality instead of an empty promise! ;;

Speaking of roachbombing, we couldn't find a babysitter for Ryu (Freddie stayed in the backyard to avoid the poison), so we took him with us while we dined at the patio of a Mexican restaurant. Everybody absolutely loves him! Some never heard of chinchillas before and listened quite intently while I talked about them. People cooed over how cute and soft he is, including the manliest men and the waiter. Ryu is so well-behaved! He was so quiet everyone but Dad and I forgotten that he was there. The only bad thing they had to say about him is why his eyes looked so milky ("Are they supposed to look like that?"); I explained to them that he had cataracts and that he's an old chinchilla around 11-13 years old, and then they become fascinated that chinchillas live to be 15-20. :3 The closest he got into trouble was when he tried dipping his nose into the salsa. :P He squirmed a lot and we had to make sure he didn't escape to the floor, so while Dad paid the bill, I took him out to a large rock to romp on and have some space. Then we went on a short trip to Half-Price Books (avoiding the cafe so we wouldn't get in trouble with health regulations), and the cashier and I made up a joke: "You bite it, you buy it!" Aka if Ryu chews any books, I have to pay for it. :P Thankfully, he didn't even try~ Ryu didn't even pee on my lap until we got back home. I have the most well-behaved chinchilla in the world. ;_____; I made sure he got a long dust bath, and a couple more almonds than usual when he got put back in his cage. :3

Freddie's made a new friend with a Shih-Tzu named Abby. Her owner is this really sweet little girl and we've been hanging out a lot lately. Abby loves everybody and Freddie wags his tail when he sees me get dressed, because he knows I'm getting ready to take him to go see her. ;;

Pimping my friend Sara's novella!

Want some slice-of-life mother/daughter relationships inspired by the likes of Beverly Cleary, Ann M. Martin and Cynthia Voigt? Then this might be for you~ ;D

I want to thank everybody for your kind words regarding Uncle Ricke, including those who responded to my comment on Das Sporking. Your support means a lot to me and my family, and now Ricke is in a better place. He'll always be loved and remembered! ♥♥♥

I've been taking Freddie outside a lot so he could play with this adorable little Shih-Tzu named Abby. She belongs to this cute little girl who lives in the same neighborhood as I do. :o A few days ago, a Maltese named Fifi ran away from home, and Dad and I worked a really long time to snip her mats out. She's so cute and she wouldn't stop kissing us! She's so well-behaved too, she never tried to squirm or run away while we groomed her. Her owner was really happy I took care of the mats for her, and hopes she and Fifi could see me again soon.

After years of boycotting, I finally succumbed and got a Facebook. Bleeeeeeeeeeegh. The good news is I got to reunite with one of my oldest friends, at least! I'm primarily using FB as a way to contact family and animal shelters and posting pictures of pets, so don't expect a whole lot of fandom stuff there, if at all. FB already hates me and has "temporarily blocked" me from liking books/movies/music/etc. Excuse me for being cultured, FB. :P

My sleep schedule's messed up again and I'm tired. Actually interacting with the neighbors makes me want to curl up and hide because I feel so socially awkward. Help. D:

Ryu had quite a day today! ( tw: Eye Scream aka Puri's too squeamish to be a vet ) He's been calm throughout the whole thing and never tried to escape. He's such a good boy. ;; The vet said she was also impressed how old he is, since the oldest chinchilla she had evermcared for was around eight years old (Ryu is 10-11).

Ryu's like the Snow White of the pet world; everybody who meets him loves him. ♥ The people outside in the waiting room were curious about my chinchilla, and a lady asked me if she could pet him. She's so enchanted and amazed how soft he is! Then she asked if she could take a picture of him with her cell phone, which I said of course, haha. I talked to the other patients and visited their pets while waiting on Dad and Ryu, hehe. A lady had two rescue doggies, both mixed, and one of them is likely to have Chinese Crested in her. :o The poor things were so nervous. I saw a couple with a Siberian husky mix, and I talked to them about Ryu, but I couldn't let them pet him because I didn't want their dog to jump all over me and him. :o

Ryu's currently relaxing in his little house right now, occasionally running on his UFO wheel. I'm so glad he's doing okay. ;;

There's this big kitty that I used to see on campus, back when I still attended university.

I mean, he was HUGE. Probably the biggest cat on the entire campus. He didn't seem to get along with the other cats, considering how often he hissed at them to go away. But when it came to feeding time, he always seemed to like humans. Or liked me, anyway. He usually lets me pet him and purrs when I do. Usually he'd have a big scab on the back of his neck, either due to fighting with other cats or raccoons, likely the latter. But he was always this big tough "bully" cat who softened up whenever I came to feed him.

Last Sunday, I was volunteering at the Cattery, and I was giving my brother a tour of the place and explaining what I do. Then I got to the teen room, and lo and behold. Inside one of the crates was the same big cat I knew from campus. Same markings, same size, same color eyes, even the same meow. He definitely recognized me too; he was meowing and begging me to come to him the moment he saw me. As soon as I finished my tour, I went back to see him. He's been dubbed by the staff as "Fluffy" like Hagrid's dog (I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to call him back on campus. Bowser? Barrett?) and he's a new arrival. He's currently in the crate due to him being scared after the move. :o The staff is trying to help calm him down by separating him from the other cats.

I refilled his food and water, which he nommed like crazy. All I had to do was run my fingers through the bars of his cage to reach him and he purred. I opened the crate to be able to hold him better, which he really appreciated. He didn't even try to jump and escape; he just kept nuzzling his head against my chest and purring some more, giving my hand a couple playful nips now and then. I'm surprised he's here, which makes me wonder how the other cats are doing. But I know he definitely won't be attacked by raccoons now. I really hope he gets a good home. He deserves it. ;;

I know for sure I'll be coming back next week. It's good to see a familiar face. :o

My youtube channel's been reccing me Pekingese videos lately. Not that I'm complaining. Way better than having PewDiePie shoved down my throat. :P

Before I was born, my parents had a red Pekingese named Rocky, named after the "Rocky Raccoon" Beatles song. He was as sweet as Freddie, until the day my sister was born. He got so jealous he tried to bite her face. The doctor told them that Pekingeses hated kids. WHOOPS. So they gave him away to a childless couple. They absolutely loved Rocky and pampered him and brought him everywhere. But one day, the wife got tired and collapsed in bed. Rocky jumped right up and bit her face. She had to get stitches, and Rocky had to be put down. Today, my parents believe it likely he had a negative reaction to a vaccine, hence his complete 180 in personality. He went from being this sweet little dog to a jealous and spiteful monster. Thankfully, shortly after Rocky passed away, the woman finally got pregnant and got the kid she and her husband always wanted.

I'm not planning on getting a Pekingese after Mom and Dad's tragic tale of Rocky. But I've always been curious about them and wanted to meet one in person. They look fucking ridiculous, like living feather dusters. Dad says he has pictures and videos of Rocky somewhere. I hope he finds them. I'm curious about that red fuzzball. I just hope I have a good experience and don't have one trying to bite my nose off. There's no worse betrayal than a dog biting you. :(

I guess your experience with a breed can really color your perspective of them. For example, I think Huskies are absolutely gorgeous. But my friend Aspen hates their guts. He grew up with one that was half-wolf, and his owner (his stepdad) had given no obedience training whatsoever. The dog murdered the cat that was supposed to help Aspen cope with his parents' divorce. The dog got so rowdy and vicious and out of hand that he had to be put down.

In contrast, I've had some nice encounters with Huskies. I've met some beautiful, friendly ones (like a silver husky named Luna) and a few heterochromic ones too. Huskies are too hyper and shed too much for me to own one (plus their natural instinct to go after prey animals, which is bad for Ryu) but I've always liked Huskies. They make me think of Balto and all those noble doggies who save sick children and find lost people in the snow.

Naturally, I'm biased towards Bichon Frises 'cause I've lived with one since I was ten. :P But yes. I've been studying dog breeds very carefully, and I want to be sure to get one with no jealous streaks and who gets along with my other pets. Namely a cat, chinchilla, and hedgehog. :P I've been looking at a lot of hypoallergenic doggies, like the Bichon and Maltese. :3 I'm still on the fence regarding pugs, since I absolutely fell in love with Ellie back at the Therapy Dogs event, but I'm not sure if I can handle a pug for 13+ years. You can always feel free to recommend breeds for me! Jean recc'd a Pomeranian, heh.

tl;dr DOGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES ♥

Sheesh, I've gotten so bad about updating my DW/LJ lately.

Anyway, this week's gotten a lot smoother, thankfully. My English professor ended up being absent one day, but finally, she was able to come back Monday and I was able to see her. She said not to worry about being absent. :) Here's an excerpt from my very first day:

( Conversation is as follows. )

There's a boy in the class named Angel ("My name is Angel... and yes, that is my fucking name.") and we're reading a lot of fun stuff in class so far. :) My Biology Lab is run by a professor named Jennifer Lawrence ("Yes, that's my name.") and they've got a fish, a tarantula named Lolita Dos, a snake named James, and an unnamed rattie in their own tanks.

On February 4th, an exotic petting zoo is coming to campus. They'll be bringing a ton of animals. :3 At the top of my head: kangaroos, wallabies, coatimundies, skinks, bearded dragons, tortoises, pac-man frogs, snakes... and best of all, chinchillas and hedgehogs! ♥ It's been several years since I've held a hedgehog, and I've been longing for their prickly cuddliness again. I wonder what color chin-chins they'll be having too.

I've been going to Eric and Nicole's house with Jimmy a lot, so I've been making friends with the pets there: a female yellow Labrador named Star, a male orange kitty named Pixel, and three female guinea pigs named Ruby (long-haired albino), Halle (short-haired, orange & black), and Ginger (short-haired, brown & white.) The piggies are as big as Ryu, and they make little cooing noises like doves when they're petted. ;; My friends want me to bring over Ryu some time, so I'll need to get a better cage for him so he'll be able to travel.

I joined HabitRPG, which is a lot of fun! I was worried I'd flunk, but it's been helping me with the little things, like holding Ryu more often. :)