Remembering Kami

Today, for the first time in a while I thought of my Kami. Not many people know about Kami. Sadly, I don't even have any pictures to prove her existance. She did exist tough and I remember her!

Kami was a hairless baby rat. She was a black self with the cutest little bit of fuzz on her face. She was my baby for just over two days, but I was in love with her within moments.

You see... Kami came from a pet store where she wasn't well taken care of and when I saw her she was already starting to have balance issues. I tried taking care of her as best I could, but after about 30 hours in which she only got more and more sick, I knew she had to be taken to a vet. She couldn't eat, couldn't walk... She was congested, had trouble breathing, and had gotten bedding in her eye so that she couldn't close it, and even flushing it out with saline solution didn't help. She couldn't eat on her own because she couldn't balance herself to keep a grasp on the food... She just kept rolling in circles. It broke my heart, and when she finally got to the vet, the prognosis was not good. The vet said that it looked like she had head trauma. I'm not so sure that vet knew what the hell he was talking about! What is more likely is that it was an upper respiratory that turned into a major inner ear infection. Since the vet was taken care of through the pet store where she came from, I wasn't even told when they made the decision to put her to sleep.

Thinking of Kami makes me sad... And it makes me think of failure. Ultimately I do feel that I failed her... I should've brought her home sooner (I didn't because I knew I'd have a fight on my hands with Chris)... I should've taken her to a vet on my own (I didn't because I was broke, as sad an excuse that is)... I wish things had been different. But I am at least grateful that she got to be in a home where she was loved and taken care of (to the best of my ability) even though it was for so short a time. I am also happy to know that she really is in a better place where no one can hurt her again, and I sincerely hope that I will get to see her again one day.

Wow... that actually brought back a lot of tears and too few memories. I like to think that Kami was an angel who was brought into my life for a reason... And while I may not know what that reason is, my sick little Kami made a big difference in my life! I will always remember her!

The "I" Survey

I LIVE: in a pig sty

I WORK: in a dog grooming salon

I TALK: a lot to the people I like

I WISH: I was finally done w/ school

I ENJOY: reading sappy romance novels with my cat curled up on my chest

I LOOK: pale! :)

I WILL: post this on my blog because I'm a dork

I SMELL: dirty rat cage... I'm going to take care of that today

I LISTEN: to Chris play video games

I WALK: up and down stairs to get in and out of my apartment :-P

I WRITE: goofy things like this in my blog

I SEE: the computer screen (duh!)... oh... and a cute rattie asleep on my desk

I SING: to my cat Squirt

I LAUGH: alot at work and when Chris does things like try to eat a tablespoon of ground cinnamon

I WATCH: Lost... but it drive me nuts!

I DREAM: carcrashes... Its freaky

I WANT: the best for all of my family and friends

I CRY: when I watch Animal Planet

I READ: lots and lots and lots of cheesy romance novels

I LOVE: Chris, my mom and dad, Squirt, Ash, Bianca, Ani, Ali, Katy, Mali, my sisters, my brothers, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, M-Dog, Juju, Chris, Q, 'Uliette, animals in general (cats, rats, and horses in specific), some of the dogs at work,... The list goes on, and on, an on.....

I FEAR: pitch black darkness, dead silence, not being able to support myself, and anything bad EVER happening to ANY of my family or friends!

I HOPE: Chris and I get married and live happily ever after

I QUIT: umm... uh... PASS

I DRINK: lots and lots of ginger ale!

I HUG: family and friends... but not nearly enough

I PLAY: the Sims! :)

I MISS: Bianca

I HOLD: my cat like a baby

I FORGIVE: those who I really care about (because they are generally the only ones worth a second chance)

I DRIVE: to work and back and thats about it

I HAVE: great family, friends, and furbabies :)

I DON'T: really like to be alone

I MADE: the cutest costumes for my rats (without a sewing machine to help!)

I WAIT: as long as it takes to get seated at the Cheesecake Factory

I NEED: a haircute... but I don't know who to trust to cut my hair!

I OWE: my life to my mom

I FEEL: like having some pumpkin pie!

I WONDER: what my future really holds

I EAT: what I want for the most part

70 Things About Me...

1. Initials?
RED

2. Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Vanessa (best friend from HS)

3. Last thing you ate:
Smartfoods white cheddar popcorn

4. For or against same sex marriage:
whatever floats your boat

5. Last person you kissed:
Chris

6. Last person you hugged:
Chris

7. Do you believe in God:
yes... well... for the most part...

8. How many U.S states have you been to:
Florida, Utah, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maryland (Texas and North Carolina if you count flight stopovers)

9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in:
Just one! :)

10. Ever lived outside the U.S. :
nope

11. Name something you like physically about yourself:
hmmm... this shouldn't be a touch one... I guess I'd say my eyes (and my freckles and dimples too actually)

12. Something non-physical you like about yourself:
my usually laid back attitude

13. What is your dads name:
Paul

14. Why are you still up?
because I'm a nightowl... always have been and always will be probably

15. Who made you angry today?:
well technically today just started since its 1am... so we'll just have to wait and see

16. Favorite type of Food?:
Pasta... Duh!

17. Favorite holiday?:
In all honesty any holiday I get to spend with my family and eat lots of yummy food! :)

18. Do you download music?:
not really anymore, but I would if I thought of something good to download

19. What illegal things have you done?:
sped while driving... maybe turned without using my turn signal

20. Where would you want to go on a first date?:
Who cares... I had the perfect first date w/ Chris not because of where we went or what we did... But because of the way he held my hand on the drive home! :-D

21. Would you date the person who posted this before you?:
No way would I ever date the person I got this from :-P

22. Has anyone ever sang or played for you personally:
don't think so

23. Did u vote this yrear:
no... but I may vote for president when the time comes

24. Do you like George Bush:
not particularly

25. Have you ever bungee jumped:
no

26. Have you ever white-water rafted:
no

27. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on u?
no

28. How many countrys have u been to:
US, Cayman Islands, Bahamas (sort of) and Mexico

29. Have you met a real redneck?:
depends on how you define "real redneck"

30. How is the weather right now:
nice

31. What song are you listening to:
Chris is waching America Dad behind me

32. What is your current fave song?:
don't really have one

33. What was the last movie you watched?:
sadly I don't remember

34. Do you wear contacts:
no

35. Where was the last place you went?:
to work and then CVS

36. What are you afraid of?
nothing really as long as Chris is with me... well, except for needles... I HATE needles

37. How many piercings/tattoos do you have?:
just my pierced ears.. the needle things pretty much makes a tattoo impossible

38. How many pets do you have:
Ash, Squirt, Ani, Ali, Katy, and Mali... 6

39. Have you ever loved someone?:
yep :)

40. What turns you on?
uniforms... hasn't-shaved-his-face-in-4-days facial hair stubble... Chris

41. What do you usually order from Starbucks:
I'd really rather have Barnies but if it has to be Starbucks then some creme based frappacino... Usually vanilla creme with a couple shots of caramel

42. Have you ever fired a gun:
fired some type of BB gun or something in JROTC is HS

43. Are you missing someone:
my Bianca at the moment

44. Fave TV show?:
Lost *grumble grumble* That stupid show is going to drive me insane! *grumble grumble*

45. Do you have an ipod?:
no and don't see the point

46. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celeb?
stupid friggin Punky Brewster... I HATE Punky Brewster!

47. Whats your mom's name:
Marie

48. Who would you like to see right now:
my mom.. or my friends

49. Favorite band of all time:
mah... don't really have one... seriously... no idea

50. Did you finish high school :
yeah

51. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren't supposed to?
heheh... yeah

52. Favorite flower:
umm... I haven't seen it yet or something

53. Butter, plain, sugared, or salted popcorn:
buttered

54. What books are you reading:
just finished Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie and it was great!

55. Have you ever done it in a limo:
no

56. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?:
my uncle :( and my Bianca :(

57. Do you watch MTV:
never really

58. What's something that really bugs you:
whining! (and the inconsistent way this dumb thing was written... I keep having to fix all the dumb spacing and capitalization errors!)

59. Whats your favorite sexual position?:
one that involves me and Chris together

60. Do you like Michael Jackson?
meh

61. What are your hobbyies:
READING (almost anything with a happy ending and some kind of romance)... some video games... volunteer work if I had the time! (I can't wait till I graduate and have some damn time!)

62. Favorite football team:
USF Bulls, Miami Dolphins, or Tampa Bucs if I really had to choose (My home teams)

63. Favorite cereal:
Cocoa Crispies

64. Do you drive:
yes... although Chris does most of the driving actually

65. Whats your dream car :
A 60s/70s muscle car! :).. Or at least a cute Toyota or Honda w/ A/C and a sunroof :-P

66. Last time you cut your hair:
*sniff* too long ago *sniff* I guess it was back in May or so maybe

67. If u had one wish what would it be:
that who ever wrote this originally whould take an English class!... seriously though I'd just wish for the good health and happiness of my family and friends

68. Who was your last phone call from?:
Chris (as usual :)

69. Last time you were at work:
like 5 hours ago or so

70. Favorite state to be in?:
Florida.. That's where all my family and friends are! Not to mention I was born and raised here and adore the fact that it stays above 70 degrees 85% of the year!

The Yes or No Game

1. You can only say Yes or No!

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!



Kissed someone on your top 4/8/16/24 on myspace?
no/yes/yes/yes

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
yes

Been arrested?
no

Kissed someone you didn't like?
no

Kissed a picture?
yes

Slept in until 5 PM?
yes

Held a snake?
yes

Been suspended from school?
no

Been fired from a job?
no

Sang karaoke?
no

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
yes

Laughed until you started crying?
yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
no

Kissed in the rain?
no

Sang in the shower?
yes

Gave your private parts a nickname?
no

Sat on a roof top?
yes

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?
no

Shaved your head?
no

Slept naked?
yes

Blacked out from drugs?
no

Played a prank on someone?
no

Had a gym membership?
no

Felt like killing someone?
yes

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry?
yes

Cried over someone you were in love with?
yes

Had sex more than 9 times in one day?
no

Subscribed to Maxim?
no

Shot a gun?
yes

Tripped on mushrooms?
yes literally... no figuratively

Donated Blood?
no

Video taped yourself having sex?
no

Eaten alligator meat?
no

Eaten cheesecake?
yes!

Still like someone you shouldn't?
no

A Flashback

Nest

Originally uploaded by Vox Sciurorum.

This picture really pulls on my heartstrings! I have no idea who that person is and I don't even know the person who took the pic except as one Vox Sciurorum from Flickr, but this pic makes me miss my Bianca! Bianca used to LOVE to hang out in my sweater hoods just like this! (I called her my little hood rat ;-) She was my baby girl and I hope she's happy now in heaven.

'06 Recap

JANUARY

1. Did you go out for New Year?
Nope, but I kinda like it that way

2. Who kissed you at midnight?
Chris if anyone... But we probably didn't even notice when it was midnight

3. Does it snow where you live?
NO.. Thank God!

4. Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
Nope

FEBRUARY

1. Who was your valentine?
Chris :)

2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?
of course

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
not really... we don't get much of a winter in Florida anyways :-P

MARCH

1. Are you Irish?
nope

2. Do you wear green on St. Patricks day?
not usually unless it just happens to be by coincidence

3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2006?
I have no idea

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
YES! :)

APRIL

1. Do you like the rain?
yes... as long as I don't have to go anywhere in it

2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?
nope

3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
not since I moved out of my parents house... although they still make me an basket if I'm down there for Easter

4. Do you celebrate 4-20?
hah... no

MAY

1. What's your favorite kind of flower?
umm... I don't think I have one

2. Do you like the spring?


3. Finish the phrase "April shower's"
Brings mays flowers

4. What is the first color you think of when you think of Spring?
anything pastel

5. Did you celebrate cinco de mayo?
nope

JUNE

1. What day was the best in June?
Ummm... I guess maybe the 12th? (my bro's bday)

2. Did you go on any vacations last June?
no.. we had summer school

3. Did you realize nothing special happens in June?
there's no holidays but that doesn't mean nothing special can't happen

JULY

1. What did you do on the 4th of July?
I don't think we did anything

2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?
nope

3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
yeah... Chris likes to keep it like a meat locker in here

AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer?
ummm... nope

2. What was your favorite summer memory of '06?
I don't really remember much of august really :-P

3. Did you get a sunburn?
nope!

4. Did you go to the beach a lot?
not even once if I remember correctly

SEPTEMBER

1. Do you attend school/college?
yep

2. Who is your favorite teacher?
uhh... don't really have one

3. Anything exciting happen this September?
not really

OCTOBER

1. What is your favorite halloween costume?
the costumes Marlina made for herself, Lee, and Q

2. What's your favorite candy?
Mike and Ikes ATM

3. What will/did you dress up like this year?
I just wore my britches, helmet, riding boots, and half chaps

4. what did you remember the most about this month?
my birthday!

NOVEMBER

1. Do you love stuffing?
yes! My mom makes the best homemade stuffing!

2. What are you thankful for?
Chris, my family and friends, and my healthy fur babies

3. Is your birthday in November?
No... but Chris' is

DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Yes

2. If not, what do/would you celebrate?


3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
not that I can remember

4. What do you want this year?
a new bedroom set!

5. Do you like cold weather?
not really... although I like my electric bill in cold weather ;-)

Hi there cutie!

Original Oh Hi there
Now that I have a pro account, here is the original 6mega pixel shot of the "Oh, Hi there" photo of LeftEye for your large viewing pleasure :) Just leave aq comment here if there are any other favs you would like to see in the original format :)

Thanks,
Reed n The Boyz
Originally uploaded by whtnyte1962.

This is not my rat... But he is one of the cutest boys I've ever seen and I absolutly love his picture! :) (whynyte1962 has many more adorable pics of him on his Flicr account too :)

Fours...

Four jobs I have had in my life...

• Stable Hand
• In-Store Marketing Associate at Sears
  
• Seasonal Specialist (a.k.a. level 2 stocker) at Target
• Professional Dog Bather :)

Four movies watched over and over... (I don't really re-watch movies like that so I'll just list four of my faves)

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• The Incredibles
• Donnie Darko
• A Fond Kiss

Four places I have lived...

• Coral Springs, FL (1 hour north of Miami)
• USF Dorms, Tampa, FL
  
• Carrollwood area of Tampa, FL
• Oldsmar, FL (well almost... just barely on Tampa side of the county line)

Four TV show I love to watch...

• Lost
• Secret Lives of Women
• Mythbusters
• Untold Stories of the ER

Four of my favorite foods...

• Ice Cream... any kind pretty much as long as it doesn't have nuts in it
• Chicken marsala from the Cheesecake Factory (and only from the Cheesecake Factory)
• Pasta (unless its covered in alfredo sauce.... I just don't like alfredo for some reason)
• Bread!

Four place I would rather be right now...

• On a cruise!
• Umm... I'd say eating out but I'm not really hungry
• Anywhere with my family and/or friends really
• At a horse barn :-P

Two-fers

Two Names You Go By:
1. Rori
2. Dear

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. pyjamas
2. Ani on my shoulder

Two Things You Would Want in a Relationship:
1. loyalty
2. someone who wants to spend as much time with me as I want to spend with them

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. sleep
2. almost anything with Chris and/or my friends/family

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
2. to go to sleep :-P

Two pets you had/have:
1. ratties (Bianca, Ani, Ali, Katy, and Mali)
2. kitties (Ash, Squirt)

Two things you did last night:
1. went to class in Lakeland and took a test
2. watched Lose

Two things you ate today:
1. crispy chicken salad from DQ
2. burgundy beef stew over white rice

Two people you Last Talked To
1. Chris
2. Marlina (via text message) of Kat if text messages don't count :-P

Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. going to work
2. probably working on homework

Two longest car rides:
1. Ft. Lauderdale to Gainesville
2. Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale (Yeah... I'm not much for road trips)

Two favorite beverages:
1. ginger ale!
2. fountain soda... especially wild cherry pepsi

Two of your best friends:
1. Chris
2. Marlina

Two things you wish to do before you die:
1. graduate!
2. dance with Chris

Two People you love the most:
1. Chris
2. My mom

Two people that you hate:
1. Chris' ex roommate
2. Chris' other ex roommate

Two things you have done today:
1. Went to work
2. ignored my class to fill this out :-P

Two places you want to go on vacation to:
1. Alaska
2. Japan

Two things you couldnt live with out:
1. Chris
2. ice-cream

Two Football Teams you like:
1. USF Bulls
2. Miami Dolphins (they may stink but they are still my home team :)

Two Sports you love:
1. horesback riding
2. football if I'm actually there and have a team to root for (although I probably wouldn't really say that I love football)

Two People that you wish lived nextdoor to you:
1. my mom (I'm serious! I dunno if she wants me living that close to her though :-P)
2. Marlina and Q :) or Juju and Chris... or Juliette... or my siblings... or anyone of my friends/family really ;-)

Two things that really get on your nerves:
1. stupid dogs/people
2. homework

Two languages you know:
1. english.. duh
2. japanese... well... used to know

Two movies you absolutely love:
1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
2. Donnie Darko

Two Television shows you love:
1. The Secret Lives of Women
2. Lost

Two Animated Characters you Like:
1. the baby from The Incredibles
2. Garfield (a.k.a. the orange tabby version of Ash)

Two schools you went too:
1. USF
2. Deerfield Beach High

Two Sites that you frequent:
1. www.circusofcarnage.com
2. www.flickr.com

Two ways you like to spend your night:
1. reading with a rat tucked in my shirt or my cat curled up on my lap
2. out with Chris :)

A Look Into My Future

So I recently found facebook.com. Going through people's friend lists has made me realize that many of the people from my graduating class in high school have already gotten their bachleors and are in grad school! Even people I never would have thought of as going to grad school.

Where am I you ask? I'm still at least a year away from getting my bachleors in Information Technology. (At this rate my little sister is going to graduate before I do!) I've changed my major soo many times its not even funny and I still have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. I finally settled on IT because its Chris' major and having all the same classes with him will gaurantee that I actually go to and pass said classes.

In all honesty I'm starting to think I've wasted a lot of time and money trying to get through college. Well... I know that I've wasted a lot of time and money (the money which I'm going to spend many years of my life paying back none the less) but I'm starting to wonder if it will all really be worth it in the end. Sure I'll finally have a degree and that will open up more opportunities for me, but what difference does it really make if I don't even know what I want to do?

Of course at this point I'm actually the closest I've ever been to graduation and getting my degree that I'd have to be stupid to not go through with it, especially since I have spent so much money and so many years in school. And who knows... Maybe I will end up as decently paid IT professional :) But I have a sneaking suspicion that I probably won't end up using my degee...

Believe it or not I can make a decent living as a dog groomer and that is the direction I'm headed right now. This spring, whether my job sends me for free or I pay to go to a professional school, I will be going to a grooming academy, after which I shouldn't have much trouble finding a position as a groomer. Anywhere there are people, there are dogs, and anywhere there are dogs there is a need for grooming.

With only the fuzzbutts and myself to support (Chris makes more than enough already to support himself) I would even have left over money to save up... Possibly to put myself through beauty school. While I know I'll like grooming dogs, I think I might like grooming humans even better since they will actually sit still and listen to what you tell them to do :-P

All in all I'm actually pretty optimistic about what my future holds for me, whether I finally get my degree or not. As long as I don't end up in a job where I'm stuck at a desk most of the time!

Updates

Some things that you may have missed in my absence from Blogger...

• I turned 24 on October 16th and Chris turned 25 just yesterday (Nov. 5th)
• My girl Katy has developed a rather large lump :(
• I bought 18 hundred dollars worth of grooming tools and supplies with my financial aid money this semester... I will be going to groom school in the spring whether my job sends me or I go to a private school like http://www.academyofanimalarts.com/
• I went trick-or-treating this Halloween for the first time in years!

From left to right: Chris (Julie's son), Julie, Marlina, Lee (the 9ft clown), Quynn (Marlina's daughter) and Me! :)

• I did end up getting that Nokia N71 that I was itching for and I LOVE it!
• Ash has dropped from 20 to 17lbs according to the vet at his last appt :-)
• I have joined a Halo racing clan called the Circus of Carnage ;-) (Which means that Chris and I are the only Halo playing couple that aren't in the same clan! :-P)
• My youngest sister joined the Army. She's now stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and doing fairly well. I'm quite proud of her (and also relieved that she decided to go into food services and not the infantry!)

Wow... I guess that update wasn't all the exciting when you think about it, but luckily life isn't all that exciting all the time :-P

Its Been A While!

A long, long while!

I didn't intentionally forget about my blog... But I had a lot of shit to say that couldn't necessarily be said on an open forum for anyone and everyone to read... So I started a traditional hand written journal :-)

That being said, I've since found out that Blogger now has a beta version where I can make it so that only the ppl I want to view my blog can... Now I have two blogs :-) The public one and the private one.. This is obviously the public one.

So forgive me for disappearing for so long (though I don't think anyone reading this now even knew about the blog back in May but whatever.)

Its like a new beginning....