Meet Trinity Ann Awesomesauce

Trinity is here and she's absolutely amazing. She's little and really intelligent and inquisitive and has adorable markings: she's a black hooded with a perfect stripe except she has a sort of yin yang marking on her right hip, and she has bug eyes just like ST. She's perfect. She's going to be like a great mix of all of our black hooded boys. I'm really looking forward to getting her used to people again--she's already hopped out of her cage a couple of times, which is great progress.

She has a wooden nest box/house with three holes. She loves to make it her home base and poke her head out of the top hole to investigate.

Trinity with Trevor in the background. She's peeking out from her leopard-print fuzzy triangular prism hanging nest-thing. It's the strangest rat hideout I've ever seen, but she absolutely loves it. I'm going to try to replace it with something similar.

Her face is so adorable and she's so clean and alert. How can you not love that face?

Rat Invasion

I have launched head-first into a rat-stuff-buying mission. I have now purchased a cage (Trevor's vote was for the one that's the same as ST, Lily, and Jadis'), a very secure carrier, a little house thingie, a cuddle cup, a chube (a tube made of press vegetables), a wheel, five packages of treats, a toy that you can hide treats in, two huge air-tight buckets for storing food (which we'll make ourselves from human-grade ingredients and dogfood), a litter tray, a ceramic food dish, and a chew chain.

I still need to buy a stand for the cage (because I really don't want it to be on the floor and I want something with shelves to put all their stuff on), two custom-made hammocks and two pocket hammocks, a huge pack of zip ties, chicken wire to make sure the rats don't squeeze through the bars of their cage (which is made for ferrets) when they're babies, litter or bedding for the litter tray (I want to check what kind the breeder uses before I buy any), and possibly a water bottle depending on if we have an extra around here.

I already bought the dog food but once we know the pick-up date for the babies I'll have to buy all of the ingredients for the other food. Lastly, I'll need to pay for both of the girls to be spayed.

In addition to our two baby girls, who will probably come from the amazing SITH Rattery in Canada in late February or early March, Trevor and I will probably be taking in a rescue baby girl from one of Trevor's friends. The rat belonged to her roomate, and her cagemate died and the girl doesn't have time to take care of her, so she's all alone and she's only six months old. Her name was Lily but since we already have a Lily, we've decided to rename her Trinity Ann Awesomesauce. "Trinity" and "Awesomesauce" are in honor of Neo, because her situation and markings reminded us of Neo, and "Ann" is in tribute to my mother (her middle name was Ann before she got married), who has donated the money for us to get a checkup and a spay for her. Trinity will live in Tacoma with us so we can get her used to people (and possibly other rats) again and make sure she's happy and healthy. Once we have everything for the SITH girls' cage together and ready to go and we get the girls, we'll probably move Trinity down to Olympia to live with them. So Trevor and I will end up with three rats instead of two, but she sounds like such a sweetie and the cage is more than big enough for all three of them even when they're full grown.

We've also received confirmation from Little Mischief Rescue that we can adopt Benny (soon to be known as Goodbye Benny Awesomesauce), and Wren had already put herself on the waiting list at SITH and ROUS for a boy because she wasn't sure she could get Benny, so we'll probably end up with two new baby boys for the house. Wren has said that seven is absolutely the limit for her mischief (group of rats), but that it's probably best if she gets two boys instead of one because ST is going downhill fast now that he's three years old and we could lose him at any moment (though we're optimistic and he's still happy and healthy thus far, just losing mobility quickly).

So there's the massive rat update. I'll try to post pictures of Trinity as soon as possible after I get her tomorrow, and then once the SITH babies are born they should post pictures of them on their website (which I'll link once I know which ones we're getting) and then five weeks later we can take them home! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Hence all of the buying of rat things. Those little buggers are very expensive to start out with, but once you have a cage and everything the routine maintenance and even getting more rats is relatively cheap. It's worth it to have little bundles of cuteness in our lives.

Which Would You Choose?

$61 (cage we have for ST, Lilith, and Jadis)

$150+shipping (don't know how much yet)

$163

$113

Significant price difference among the four. So far I like the green one the best, but it's also very expensive. Pets are so pricey!

There Is a God

I'm ecstatic right now! Our landlady has agreed to let Trevor and me have rats as permanent pets, so we're now on like four waiting lists for a pair of baby girls. We need to meet with the landlady and hash out deposit amounts and fill out paperwork, but it'll be worth it. I'm an animal person, and I'm miserable without pets, so I'm so grateful for this development. I'll post pics, etc, as soon as I have any news.

I Love Wren

9:30am (alarm set to go off at 10:00)
*knockknockknock*
Me: "Hrmrmnzwha?"
Wren: *opens door slowly and peeks head in* "Sorry for waking you up, but I thought you'd like to know that it's snowing."
Me: *shoots up in bed, looks out window* "Yes!!"
Wren: "I also brought you a cocoa. Do you want to come downstairs and drink it?"
Me: "Hell yes! I love you!" *hops out of bed and has cocoa and snow downstairs*

It's gonna be a good day.

Non-Sequitors

My blog has been kind of boring and heavy lately, so I thought I'd throw out some amusing quotes and other amusing miscellany. Most of these are stolen from Wren's writing observation blog.


"The cellos are conspiring to depress me."
(Me, while listening to the soundtrack from "The Fountain")

"Oh, here comes the Disagreement Express, right on time."
(Trevor, perceiving that I was about to disagree with his argument)

"Yesterday it felt like someone took my internal dictionary and started ripping the pages out."
(Ryan, about his disappearing vocabulary)

Trim man in red shorts runs across crosswalk with whippet. Whippet trots along merrily.
"That dog makes jogging look easy."
Disheveled young man comes stumbling from opposite direction, carrying green duffel bag and breathing hard. His steps are heavy as he lumbers across the intersection at breakneck speed.
"That man does not."

"Fact cannon. Boom! Welcome to Comic House."
(Trevor, inventing the perfect phrase for Wren and I telling him everything simultaneously)

"I want to sing along, but my brain is in pancake lockdown. Sorry, that made no sense."
"No, I know exactly what you mean. I was just thinking the same thing."
"I keep thinking about how to make the song about pancakes."
"I was doing that too!"
"As long as someone else is crazy with you, it's okay to be completely insane."
(Me and Wren, on the way home from Safeway (see anecdote at end of post), listening to a song we usually like to parody and unable to sing along)

(Me, building myself into the new rat cage. Luckily, I have pliers!)

Also, Wren and I executed the best last-minute plan last night. She worked from 10:00pm to 3:00am, so to make her life easier, I showed up at 2:00 with some homework and snacks and we hung out till her shift was over. We then went to Safeway and bought (along with a ton of indulgent stress foods) eggs. We then came home and made pancakes. I don't know if you've ever had 4:00am pancakes, but on a dark, icy night in mid-January, that first bite of pancake was like manna from God. I wish I could relive the unadulterated bliss of that experience. Wren then introduced me to "The Pretender" season one while we ate. I am now hooked. After the first episode it was off to bed at 4:45 for a surprisingly refreshing seven hours of sleep. I love my friends.

Past and Future

Today I had lunch with one of my father's old Economics professors, whom I'd never met before. This professor is actually one of the two men (along with a Theater professor) responsible for the fact that my father is now an Economics professor (originally he wanted to become a stage director). I got to hear some great stories about when this professor knew my parents back when they went to UPS and told him all about what my sister and I are doing academically, etc. He said two things over the course of our conversation that really made me think. They are as follows:

1. "Well, we were young together."
   Context: I said that it was amazing that all of my parents' old professors who are still at UPS remember them so well. I said I thought they must have been memorable. His response was the above quote. It really amazed me to really think about what it must have been like for my parents' young professors to create these friendships with their students. It made me wonder whether or not I have any similar relationships with my current professors. I don't think I have anything near that level, because I didn't participate in an organization like the theater department, which is where my parents made most of their friends. However, it would be strange to stay in touch with people like Mita, and completely surreal (probably for both of us) if one of my children were to one day take a course from her. It really blows my mind.
   
   
2. "You'll make a good professor."
   This comment was so innocent, yet so knowing. I was talking about my studies in Literature and what I wanted to possibly do with my life, saying that I'd considered being a professor, teaching at the high school level, or maybe going into editing and/or publishing. Mike (the professor) asked me if I found analyzing literature to be detrimental to my enjoyment of books. I said that actually it increased my enjoyment, because the more I know about a piece (usually), the more I appreciate it. He looked at me almost mischievously and said the above. Honestly, that one sentence may have just decided the future course of my life. Out of all of the options I've considered, becoming an English professor just seems to fit me the best. I wouldn't be satisfied as a high school teacher because I wouldn't get to discuss interesting and controversial texts and/or interpretations, and editing/publishing just don't have enough to do with the literature I love. Now my only problem is the daunting competitiveness of the academic world. Will I be good enough to get into and get through the best English programs? Will I be able to do work in graduate school that will be impressive enough to land me a good job right out of school? Will I even be able to get a job at all in the area of the country I want to live in? The academic profession requires a certain amount of flexibility that at this point I'm not sure I possess. However, I'm prepared to move fairly far away for graduate school, and I'm trusting that that will work out for the best, so I just need to come to that same conclusion about my future career, whatever that is and wherever it may take me.

Phew. Amazing what a one-hour lunch meeting can do.

First Day of Class

I'd love to be stoked about class today, and I still sort of am, but I didn't get enough sleep and it's WAY too cold outside. This is why I don't get up early; it's always dark and freezing!

Today:
9:30-10:50 Asian Women and Society (w/Wren)
11:00-12:20 Victorian Revision and Revision (Independent Study w/Mita)
12:30-1:50 Make appointments, pick up packages, etc.
2:00-3:20 The Bible and the Literary Tradition (w/Wren)
3:30-6:00 Errands, relaxation, etc.
6:00-7:00 Dinner
7:00-12:00 Rat cage setup, hanging out, more relaxation
12:00 Bed

Ancient Love

*While watching new DVD copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" that I ordered from Canada because I'm a huge dork:*
Me: "Shh, here comes Dumbledore! He's so awesome."
Trevor: "Dumbledore is hot."
Me: "Oh?"
Trevor: "Yeah. I'm attracted to... wisdom."
Me: "*snerk* Yes, he's a wizened old soul who just wants to be loved. He's got a soft spot in his heart for--"
Trevor: "Younger men. Like me. *dreamy eyes*"
Me: "Too bad he's dead."
Trevor: "...You realize I'm not actually attracted to Dumbledore, right?"
Me: "Uh-huh. *unconvinced face*"
Trevor: "I'm not!"

What Have I Tied Myself To?

Trevor: *looking at Fiction bookshelf in living room* "There's NONfiction on this shelf!"
Me: "Yeah...?"
Trevor: "Egads, woman, you'll kill us all!"
Me: "..."
Trevor: *laughs hysterically*
Me: "You crack you up."

Bold Sentences Are True (Some kind of wealth questionairre.)

Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor. (Mother was an attorney, now is a judge, father is a professor.)
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home (I never counted but it probably at least came close.)
Were read children's books by a parent (All the time, or my dad made up "squirrel stories".)
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (Violin, acting, singing, dancing.)
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 (See above.)
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (Talking, yes, but I'm not sure about the dressing. Depends on what I'm wearing that day and what my hair color is.)
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (No, just a debit card. Credit card waited till college.)
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (or will pay) (With a significant amount of gifted money from my generous grandmother. I am left with only $5500 college debt.)
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school (Catholic and all-girls with uniforms, no less!)
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18 (For French in middle school.)
Family vacations involved staying at hotels (Or expensive beach resorts.)
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (It mostly was, though I bought some stuff at thrift stores just for fun.)
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (I've never owned a car simply because it hasn't been necessary for me to have one.)
There was original art in your house when you were a child (My parents are art nuts.)
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 (We weren't allowed to have our own phones in our rooms, but I did have a cell phone before I was 18 so I think that counts.)
You and your family lived in a single family house (With a guest room, no less.)
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home (Two, actually, if you count the Condo.)
You had your own room as a child (For half of my childhood, though when I was younger we shared.)
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (I didn't need it ;).)
Had your own TV in your room in High School (That was against the rules at my house.)
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (We flew once or twice a year.)
Went on a cruise with your family (My family prefers to fly and go to places that aren't on the ocean.)
Went on more than one cruise with your family (See above.)
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up (All the time, especially when we traveled.)
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family (We didn't have heating bills--we lived in Hawaii.)

"I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled...."

A few years ago, when I was still in high school, I made a Mother's Day framed photo collage for my mom with pictures of her with us when we were babies and when we were older. I bought the materials to do one for my dad as well, but I ran out of time to complete it before I moved away. I decided that on this trip I would finally have the time to make it up to him, and finished his Father's Day photo collage yesterday. Going through old photo albums was kind of a shock to my system. I've finally gotten to the point in my life where I can appreciate that once my parents were young and in love (and they still are in love, bless them) and that I was an incomprehensible miraculous and unexpected addition to their young lives. I'm 21. My dad was 21 when he got married. My dad was 26 when I was born. That's really not that far off.



It's hard to imagine that that's my dad, aged 26. What an amazing photograph. My parents have always been amazing parents. I look back at photos of them when I was born and to some extent when my sister was born and see people not much older than I am experiencing some incomprehensible joy from the fact that I entered their lives. I've never really been crazy about kids, but maybe if I had one of my own... Could I feel that kind of intense love and joy? Will I one day see Trevor curled up on a couch with a baby in his arms looking as content as a person could possibly be?

It's unsettling, and very moving, and I'm not sure how to feel. What incredible people my parents were and are.

Addendum

My GRE writing section score:

5.0 (out of 6.0)

I suppose that's acceptable. It's not bad enough for me to want to do it over. I'd prefer a 5.5 or (if I'd been stellar) a 6.0, but I'll live. Grad schools will get an extensive writing sample from me anyway, which is more valuable than this score.

Fall Semester Grades

• "Jane Austen" Mahato, Mita 1.00 A
• "Visual Rhetoric" Mahato, Mita 1.00 A-
• "Bleak House/Middlemarch" Joshi, Priti 1.00 A-

Term Units: 3.00 Term GPA: 3.78

This is about what I expected and the best I could have hoped for under the circumstances. To have taken three upper-division English courses simultaneously and to have done well in them despite my struggles with medication and all of Wren's ill health is basically a miracle, and I'm pretty proud of myself. The A- in Bleak House/Middlemarch ensures that Prof. Joshi will be willing to write me a recommendation, which is essential for my grad school aspirations. I did better in that class than I thought I might at some points, and my final paper must not have been as bad as I thought it was, or my other work made up for it. An A- in Visual Rhetoric and an A in Jane Austen were about as much as I could hope for as well. My final paper for Jane Austen must have been very good, because I got some lower grades on other work in that class. I struggled at times in Visual Rhetoric, so my final paper in that class must have been good as well. Hopefully both professors will return my final papers to me so I can see how I did, and then I'll have to gather all my papers from the classes I've taken with both of those professors and file them in a safe place so I can give them as reference when I ask for letters of recommendation.