How do I start this post...

Well I guess it's time to tell you guys. After meeting Matthew back on October 30, 2003, having a relationship with him, and being married to him for a year and 3 months, I guess we've reached the end. Matthew still likes me and wants to be my friend, but he doesn't love me anymore, and honestly, I don't love him anymore either, so we're getting a divorce and I am moving back to Minnesota to live with my parents until who knows what (or who) else comes along. Sunny, Sandy, Salvador, Benny, Buster, and Boris are not allowed to come with me. Sunny is my precious angel, and I love him dearly, and he will always be my best friend. He has been since our eyes met at the pet store. Steve, Vince, and Jack are coming with me, and Gary & Tiny Tim might be too. Oscar is going back to live with Matthew's mom, who we originally adopted him from. I am asking my friends and co-workers if any of them want to adopt the others. Matthew has assured me that if I can't find other homes for them, he will take them in. He has a web cam, and as soon as he installs the software for it, I would be able to see all my furry friends (as long as Violet is shut in the bathroom for that!). I will do my best to be online when I can so my web site (www.bobcartoons.com) can stay up to date, and I will continue to produce "Goings On." Lately there HAVE been lots of goings on as far as acquiring new animals and what not, but I haven't had the time to do them up, I will do my best to get back into them. I really don't want to quit my job at the fabric store, but I don't really have a choice. I hope to find a job that pleases me just as much when I move. Feel free to email me (lianne@bobcartoons.com) and I will VERY likely get back to you as soon as I can. Sorry for the sad news, and I hope to be posting happy news again soon.

Waving a fist at my laptop...kinda

So my 11-year old computer is finally starting to show its age. It won't take modems anymore, so it's great for word processing and a CD player (I like to use Windows Media Player and turn the visualization on full screen while I put on my tunes and clean). It's also my Flash 5 station since Matthew & I reinstalled my OS and the computer doesn't freeze over every little thing.
Now this laptop...
Like my computer, this laptop was given to me, so I didn't pay for it. It's my "middle child" technologywise. The computer's 11, this laptop is 7, and the iPAQ is a mere 3 (although for an iPAQ, that's supposed to be darn old). So I lost a bunch of pictures all random-like after Christmas last year. Then in March, I was having so many problems with this thing that Matthew & I just reinstalled my whole OS (unfortunately, it was at the COST of my data! Yep, I lost pictures and all kinds of stuff, but I had no choice). So I started to have like big fat problems again, and last week I attached my CD drive to it, inserted a Windows 2000 CD I borrowed from Matthew, and told it to repair. It told me that I needed the same CD I used to install my OS (this was not the same one apparently), and it told me to hit ESC to restart. I thought, "Lovely, won't this laptop make a lovely paperweight AGAIN." It started Windows, and I was shocked to find that it started up PROPERLY! It also didn't yell at me when I wanted to open programs. I had just one little problem with my AOL trying to get online, so I popped that CD in for a reinstall of my AOL software. It stopped on the middle of installation and said "We're sorry you have chosen not to install AOL at this time..." I was like "Oh, I DIDN'T want to? I was just sticking the CD in there FOR FUN? LOVELY..." But then my AOL let me online with no problems. WHAT THE HECK?! I guess I kind of waved a big angry metaphorical fist at my laptop. I first threatened it with another big fat reinstall of my Windows, and all of a sudden it cooperated. Then I threatened it with a reinstall of my AOL, and it was like "Ok ok! I'll behave I promise!! Please don't hurt me!" This metaphorical fist worked pretty well. I should do that with my other programs and see if I get even better performance...but I'm just not the type to be running around waving fists.

Scottish guys and furry critters

So I'm glad my laptop has just decided to work again, or at least for a while, because I like being able to talk to my buddy from Scotland. And my People PC surprised me by working, too! Yay!
The hamsters just surprised me with a sudden explosion of hamster stink. What the heck, furballs? I guess I'll be cleaning their cage tonight then. Sal won't stop trying to eat our fingers. Buster and Boris fight a lot, but nobody is getting hurt. I'm too worn out to be running into the kitchen to stop mouse fights, I just let 'em disagree. As long as nobody's bleeding, they're fine. Sal keeps making Benny squeak. I don't think I want to know what's going on in that cage. Although I put Sunny & Sandy back in their old cage with the wheel, I don't think the plastic TV-shaped hideout is exactly motivating them. Oh well. At least they have vegetable pieces in their food bowl...even though the food bowl is in front of the darn TV...whatever.

No Strawberries??

I'm mad because Wal*Mart doesn't have strawberries anymore. Is it ALREADY an out-of-season item??
I realize my last billion posts have been about the mice, and I'm sorry if that has been like snooze-o-rama. Remember when Odd Todd first got Roscoe, and that was ALL he posted about on his web site? I guess it's kinda like that--we're just proud pet parents. I posted Sunny's "cowardly lion face" on Hamsterino a little bit ago. That picture makes me laugh, it's actually my wallpaper! I'm gonna take that little face and make an avatar for different sites I use!! Sunny is forever the expressive critter around here. He is the big screechy drama queen and the squinty cowardly lion. Hey, at least life with these critters NEVER gets old, that's for sure.
So my buddy from MN called me up today, guess he's back from Africa, which makes me happy. He left me a message with a phone number but I can't hear part of it!! He says he'll call me tomorrow again anyway.
My laptop has been somehow working again, so me & my buddy from Scotland talked all night tonight. Well, it was all night for him, for me it was like 10:30pm to 3:00am, but for him it was 3:30am to 8:00am or thereabouts. But we had a good time and I laughed my butt off, which was nice because nothing in my life lately has been funny in the least.
I FINALLY got my review at work today, and I was given a raise, which will sort of help I guess. At least I know exactly how well I do now. I got the "report card" for what I'm doing, so that's good.

Critters that behave themselves make good pets

So Violet the kitten was closed in the bathroom with the litterbox while we went to dinner with Matthew's mom. We got back to her place and found that she had gone to the bathroom IN THE LITTERBOX and not on the floor! Matthew showered her with treats! Yay Violet!
I sort of accidentally hurt Benny the mouse the other night. When my rodents act up and start fights, I simply give them a flick on the back because they are much too small to swat like you can with puppies & kittens. This works well for the hamsters. Sandy thinks it's okay to walk on Sal's face, and then when Sal screeches, "HEY MAN! Get offa me!" Sandy thinks it's okay to punch Sal!! So Sandy gets flicked and learns not to step on his brother's face because it hurts him. Boris the mouse picks a fight with Buster and Boris gets a flick right on the butt, and both mice freeze right where they are and stare up at me as if to say "Sorry mama!!" So I added Benny the mouse to the mix, and the first thing he did was pick a fight because he's the bully out of the 3 mice. I flicked that furball right away and everyone froze except Benny, who squeaked and flew to one corner of the tank. Buster and Boris stared up at me in fear, and I could see their little mousie hands trembling. They ran to Benny and sniffed and groomed him, and he nosed them off, as if to say "I'll be fine guys, just let me be." Benny sort of limped around in the tank and mostly huddled against walls or corners, and each time I scooped him up to take a close look at him, he didn't resist all that much. Usually when I pick a mouse up by his tail, he just kind of hangs there wondering "Where'd the floor go?? Put me down please?" Benny spun around wildly when held by his tail, so I would put him down. The next day he seemd fine AND all 3 mice have been SHARING ONE NEST! They also have not been fighting since then! I guess they all see what happens when any one of them starts a fight, and they were terrifed when they saw what happened to the bully, and he's supposed to be the big mean guy! WARNING TO ALL MEANIES: I hurt meanies and bullies!! (Even if I didn't intend to! Sorry to Benny the mouse!!)

Of Mice and Men and other things

Well I got tired of the mice jumping their walls in the 10 gallon tank (one mouse=the behavior of 3 standard 2 year olds). They would hop into one of the others' section and start fights, steal food, steal bedding and just plain make trouble. I almost took those guys back to the pet store because of the trouble they are. If you want pet mice, get ONE and keep it in a TANK, not a cage! Make sure it has a SECURE screen top! I threw all 3 mice into one little bucket-type cage so I could clean the 10 gallon. THEY DIDN'T FIGHT! I was agape! They groomed each other! I cleaned the 10 gallon and didn't put the dividers in, just the mice. Benny bullied Buster and Boris, so I removed him and placed him back in the bucket cage. Surprisingly, Buster and Boris not only got along, but they worked together to build ONE nest that they SHARED! I couldn't believe it! They were grooming each other and napping in this little nest made of newspaper! I was glad to see that.
Salvador the hamster had his belly dipped in hydrogen peroxide a few times this past week just because his belly had an infectious sore on it. He seems fine now, although his back end is turning a bit blonde, so I won't be dipping him too much more. I also couldn't afford to take him to the vet, and I am pleased to find the treatments we provided in our own home have been successful.
Violet the kitten's recent behavior has been unacceptable. Matthew's mother has had just about enough of her. Seems that at the pet store, Violet was using the litterbox, but at home, this is a rare occurrence. If Violet doesn't learn soon, Matthew says his mother can go make a fuss at the pet store, she might just go with an adult cat. If I want to, I can probably make a fuss about Salvador's belly being infected if it seems to get bad again, after all, we bought him after another hamster beat him up, so I'm pretty sure that's what's up. Let me show you a picture of Salvador and of Violet.
Salvador is in the middle with the black eyes:

Here's Violet the kitten:

So much more has been going on, but I can post about that if I feel like it.