Eredien's Journal

So, Tokai gets to go to the pet ER today for her bloating and the fact that she appears to be eating normally and pooping, but her poop contains some kind of mica-like flakes. Special, special times. :C Why does life always suck at once?

Update: Tokai is not, as I had feared, impacted! Apparently mature female leopard geckos sometimes just...spontaneously generate two eggs (unfertilized, unless for some ineffable reason god chooses to show up for the second coming as an adorable and friendly lizard). They apparently do this yearly. I had no idea--none of the books or resources I have on geckos had said anything about egg generation happening independently of mating. The flakes are apparently due to some dehydration (a lot of water, etc. goes into making the eggshells). Apparently all I have to do is soak her, and wait, and give her a hut with enough moss to dig around in. So, my gecko isn't gonna die. BEST news! Bad news: I spent a lot of money and effort today finding this out.

So, I normally like ThinkGeek's products (honestly, who can't like a company that sells things like lightsabers?) But I can't imagine what possessed them (or how legal it is) for them to sell live animals.

They say that these animals are a responsibly-bred offshoot of the Munchkin Cat, but the creation of the Munchkin Cat itself as a new breed has itself been surrounded by so much controversy that I really think it would be irresponsible for ThinkGeek to offer even regular Munchkins, much less a genetically engineered version of the same. If you want a cheap, easy-to-care for item that fits neatly inside your Ikea bookshelf and matches your pillows, you should get a plant, not a cat. Its enclosure isn't even recyclable!
I debated with myself about linking to this product page [warning: disturbing image], because I didn't want to legitimize this by linking to it, but I think it's important to see what we're up against.

How to call ThinkGeek out on their inhumane treatment of cats: I've written ThinkGeek's customer-service email letting them know that I plan on reporting them to the Humane Society, and am posting this so you can, too. Please feel free to copy and paste to your own site.

The recipe for Tropic Sunset Peach Bread Pudding is up.

The rest of this post consists of three questions, two of which are for Boston-area or potential Boston-area people, and one of which is about clothing. Boston-area questions first:

- Does anybody have a space where they could take in a cat for a month or two? I'm hoping to get at least a part-time job soon, and have had an interview lined up for two weeks now which I am really hopeful about, but due to crazy circumstances that interview has been rescheduled twice--instead of knowing if I'm going to get this job, I've been on tenterhooks. I don't know when I'm going to be able to get an apartment of my own, and the current situation with Oolong is temporary. I'd pay for food, litter, any vet bills, etc, and come by to see her every other week or so. I'd hoped to have an apartment by now, and I've been in talks with realtors and job people, but it's been slow going. There's no lack of non-paying volunteer opportunities, and there's no lack of administrative positions, but I know I'm no good at doing that particular task-set and need something else to be happy; I'm not really willing to compromise my job-related happiness at this point since it looks like my job is going to be the biggest part of my life for a good while, and it's important for me to get this right, and as soon as possible.

- Is anyone in the Boston area (or anyone interested in moving to the Boston area) interested in splitting an apartment with me? I don't drink at all right now but am generally a fan of liquor, don't smoke but don't care if you smoke outside, and am looking for a place where I can have my cat and a lizard. I'm not interested in living with dogs or other csts, and Oolong is probably not a safe bet for birds, but other pets would probably be fine. I am thinking maybe I would like to live in the Teele Sq area or up near Alewife, or maybe real close to the Camberville border in Arlington. I don't have a car and don't plan on getting one. I plan on setting up a mini artstudio space for making and selling my artwork, wherever I end up. I'm LGTBQ, poly, and generally alternative-lifestyle-friendly. I am interested in cooking and gardening and would be happy with a farmshare or actually growing some food outside or inside. I'm vegan. Another vegan or vegetarian roommate would be ideal, but I'm happy to live with meat-eaters. I'm hoping to find a kind of quiet place to relax most of the time, but the occasional loud and noisy party is great. I kind of hope to host a big friendly dinner/movie night once a week or maybe once a month, and enjoy actually knowing and liking my roommates instead of just kind of passing each other in the hallway.Video gaming, RPGing, anime, music, artistic creation, writing, cooking, general nerdliness, graduate school, etc. are also neat.

If interested, or have questions, please email me, call or text, or private message me on lj. Or you can just leave a comment here and I will get in touch with you.

- For genderqueer, queer, transgender, gender-head people, people who aren't satisfied with what "men's clothing" and "women's clothing" is, and other kinds of people who were interested in the clothing marketplace idea that I posted about a while back--it looks like the Genderplayful Marketplace is raising itself up by its black and purple pleather boostraps. I'd like to sell clothing and accessories there. I already have some ideas for shirts, pants, etc, maybe some accessories. I'd like to do a dress with a built-in tie/vest top, for instance. Does anybody have any suggestions of anything they'd really like to see in that space? I'd love to actually, you know, create what you want and what I want, and market it to you.

rax needs to know the names of more strange animals for Anthrocon. I gave her a long list but if you can further help her out that would be awesome.

In other news, both of us woke up late this morning because we were awoken by a hideous animal screeching at around 4 am, coming from the backyard. We didn't bother getting up to see what it was; it sounded sort of like that time I heard a rabbit screaming while getting killed by an owl, but went on for longer in a repeating pattern, twice, so I think it was a bird. "Eastern Screech Owl" was my first thought too, but that is definitely not it; the Screech Owl is much too melodious. Any ideas?

Oolong, slightly less than a month after her well-cat visit to the vet, has hives and is licking all her fur off again. Her skin causes new problems approximately every 6 months. Selene, of course, seems fine. We're going to the new vet today. Yay?

Edit: Fleas. Now we get to mop and vaccum everything! And I need to find somewhere less expensive to buy the special by-prescription cat food!