I'm selling a few of my toys...

- Chobits, Hamtaro, Inuyasha, Love Hina, and Sailor Moon figures
- Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella dolls, Finding Nemo & Chip 'n' Dale gashapon figures
- Japanese mini-foods

Let me know if you're interested!

Good news!! I took Lettuce to the vet on yesterday and they took out his tumor for only $60! Yay! The surgery also went really well! The vet said the tumor was not connected to any muscles or large veins so it was very easy to remove. It's also a good sign that the cancer did not spread to other parts of his body. She gave Lettuce a very good prognosis! He seemed to breeze through the day. When the vet called me after the surgery, she said, "He's awake, alert, and stuffing food in his face." He was even running on his wheel on the way home in the car!

I'm really hoping that he's back to being his normal, healthy self and has much longer to live!


Thank you for your prayers and support!

Kenmore Drop-In Bobbin Sewing Machine - 90 Stitch Functions, Built-in 1-Step Buttonhole

I got a new sewing machine! I know I just said that Chris and I don't have any money but I really need a sewing machine. I currently order the liners for the rattie cages from someone and pay $80 per set so the machine will pay for itself once I make 3 sets of liners for them, not to mention the liners and hammocks I could fix and not replace.

I haven't used it yet since I just bought it today but I'm excited! I need to fix some rattie liners and work on a costume for A-kon, which is at the end of this month! I guess I better get started!!

On Sunday, I discovered tumor the size of a small gumball on Lettuce's leg. (Lettuce is one of my BLT hamsters.) I took him to the vet on Monday and we waited for his lab results to come back all week. The vet pretty much said that even if the tumor is benign (not cancerous), it will eventually make it hard for him to walk so it will most likely need to be removed, it's just a matter of when. The surgery to remove the tumor will be $250.

This comes at a bad time for us. We spent $300 last month trying to save Mozzie and then spent another $300 on neutering and caring for the 4 new rats. These little critters don't usually cost so much but when it rains, it pours I guess.

Well, yesterday, the lab results were in and the tumor is malignant. It's cancer. Even if the tumor is removed, there is no guarantee that the cancer has not already spread to other parts of his body and he would die anyway. However, removing the tumor is the best chance to prolong his life. The other option is to allow Lettuce to continue living his life with the tumor until his quality of life and his health becomes very poor and then we put him to sleep. There's no telling how long that would be either.

I have an appointment with another vet on Monday who said that if they can operate on Lettuce, it would be around $70. Big difference. I'm really hoping that this vet can remove the tumor because we really can't spend $250.

Please keep Lettuce in your prayers and all of this works out. I'm really glad that it is not effecting him yet. He acts perfectly normal and does not appear to be in any pain. I hope it stays that way.

In other news, we've been having some trouble with 2 of the new rats, Gorgonzola and Muenster. First of all, I noticed that all the rats have a bite mark on their backs from fighting. I figured it was probably Gorgonzola or Muenster doing it since they are the biggest and most dominant. Then, Gorgonzola bit Chris last week through the cage bars. Luckily, it was not very deep. Then yesterday, I was straightening out the rat cage. Muenster was watching me so I reached out to pet him. He bit down on my right index finger so hard that I heard the bone pop. He got me right in one of the veins that runs under my finger. I was bleeding everywhere. It took me about 15 minutes to stop the bleeding using a rubber band as a tourniquet. After the bleeding stopped, I put a band-aid on and continued working on the computer. About an hour later, I look down at my finger and blood is seeping out of the band-aid. At that point, I was a bit freaked out that I was still bleeding. Chris urged me to find a neighbor to help me control the bleeding. My neighbor Alan was outside in his garage and he offered to drive me to the urgent care clinic.

At the clinic, they made me freaking fill out paperwork while I was trying to put pressure on my right hand! Lame. Anyway, by the time, someone saw me the bleeding had stopped of course. They told me that since the wound was at the bend of my finger, it would probably bleed off and on throughout the day cause I keep breaking the clot but the amount of blood should decrease. I got some antibiotics and a sparklie band-aid and I was on my way out the door.

The wound still hurts. It's hard to do a lot of things like wash dishes and fold laundry. I'm pretty sure if I bend the finger all the way, it'll break open the healing skin. The bite is pretty deep too so it stings whenever I wash it.

I think what hurts most is my confidence with the rats. I'm sort of scared of Muenster and Gorgie now. I try not to be but I am. I'm a little more careful with them than the others. I've even wondered if I shouldn't have adopted them. Did I take on too many? The rescue said they would take them back if we wanted but I don't want to give them back yet. I want to keep trying. I remember after Nismo and Bacon bit me that I was also hurt (emotionally) and scared of them too but it eventually passed and they turned out to be wonderful pets. I hope with some time Muenster and Gorgie will also be wonderful too. I'm particularily worried about putting them together with Colby, Gouda, and Oreo eventually. The three of them are so well behaved and live really well together. I don't want to ruin that. I hope things just get better from here!!

From disneyfreaks, the latest photo by Liebovitz is out featuring another celebrity as a Disney character. This time it was Julianne Moore as Ariel and champion swimmer Michael Phelps as a merman:

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/disney/32800/

On Sunday, Chris and I welcomed 4 more ratties into our family! We adopted them from PocketAngels Rattie Rescue. The rescue let us have them without an adoption fee because they knew me from the Rat Associaton of Texas and the four boys have been difficult to adopt out because they're adults, black and white, and the rescue didn't want to seperate them. They've been together even before they came to the rescue and are bonded to each other. Introducing...


(from left to right) Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Muenster, and Asiago!

It's only been a few days but Gorgonzola is already pretty comfortable with me and Muenster is getting there. Parmesan and Asiago, who are the smaller two of the bunch, still don't trust me yet but it takes time.

They've been through quite a bit the past 2 days. Yesterday, they got snipped (or neutered). It's been quite an ordeal finding a vet to neuter all four of them without charging us up the kazzo. (We paid $150 to have only Oreo neutered!) Today, we took them to another vet, who we regularly use, to get them a general exam. Parmie and Asiago wheeze quite a bit. We also wanted to make sure none of them had any skin infections and that the neuter looked good. They're on antibiotics now to treat the wheezing and to make sure it doesn't spread to Gorgie and Muenster.

Neutering makes such a big difference. I can't tell you how bad these guys smell right now. Same with Oreo before we had him neutered. When they are "in tact", they scent mark all over the place and they also produce "buck grease", which makes their fur feel rough and greasy too. It was amazing to see Oreo transform from a stinky, course rattie to a clean, fuzzy fattie! I'm hoping the same goes for the 4 new cheeses.

Even before Mozzie passed away, Chris and I were planning to get more rats. There are so many rats out there that need homes and we have a cage that could accommodate more. I'm glad we finally found the right opportunity for us to adopt more.

Speaking of Mozzie, he's currently on the mantle of our fireplace, next to Peach, Nismo, and Cheese. (His ashes, of course.) Mozzie got more cards than I got birthday cards and he's surrounded by them!! =) I know he's making fun of me in rattie heaven.

Chris' parents are finally coming to visit us! They fly in tomorrow afternoon and are leaving on Wednesday afternoon. It's about time. He's their own child and everyone was saying how his mommy would come see him all the time cause she missed him. Yeah, right. My entire family of four has visited me before they did and his parents have gone to Hong Kong like 4 times and Paris and Macow since we moved. LOL!

Chris and I celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday! ladydemando, thank you for remembering!

We had dinner on Saturday night at Chamberlain's Steak House in Addison. We started off with some corn chowder, which was really yummy! For the main course, Chris had a steak and I had...FRIED LOBSTER! It was so good but very filling. I only ate half of my plate. The restraurant gave us creme brulee for dessert because it was our anniversary! Yay! The place was really good and upscale. People were actually dressed nice!! You hardly ever see that anywhere anymore.


Fried Lobster

When we got home, I got to open my anniversary present. Chris gave me 3 tiny blue boxes! Tiffany's!!! He bought me pretty bracelet with a heart-shaped lock on it. He also bought a chain so I could wear the heart as a necklace too! Yay!!! I lurb them!!


Presents!!


Bracelet


Necklace

Tuesday was the actual day of our anniversary and Chris brought me 2 dozen gorgeous roses! We had cheese fondue with apples, veggies, and bread with rotissiere chicken! So yummy!! We were also supposed to have chocolate fondue but we were too full!


Roses


Fondue!

I can't believe it's already been 2 years. It went by really fast. It feels like the wedding wasn't that long ago. It's also been almost a year since we moved to Texas. Can you believe it? Time flies!!

+ See all the pics

When we went to bed last night, our county was under Tornado Watch. Not a big deal. A big thunderstorm was coming so it seems pretty typical that a Tornado Watch issued. Around 3:30 am, the storm came in. We were awaken by heavy rain pelting our bedroom window. It was so loud that Chris checked to see if it was hail. The storm was really scary and the worst we had ever seen. Lightning flashed every few seconds. I've never seen that much lightning! I was scared our house would get hit! I couldn't really go back to sleep because the storm was so noisy.

Then around 4 am, the Frisco tornado sirens were going off. The sirens mean to get shelter because a tornado may be forming! We jumped out of bed and rushed to the dining room, where we keep the rats and hamster. I'm glad we already planned this out if there is an emergency. All the furballs have carrying cases next to their cages. We scooped everyone up one by one and put them into the carrying cases. Then we moved them to "the bombshelter", which is a closet underneath our staircase (a Harry Potter closet). We were getting ready to hunker down when the sirens stopped. They must have been on for only a few minutes.

I'm glad it was over though. The furballs looked scared with all the noise and being in their carrying cases. We returned everyone to their cages and handed out treats. Then we went back to bed. The storm continued for a little longer and finally, I got some sleep.

I found out this morning how lucky we were. The storm caused tremendous damage to Allen, ripping off roofs and breaking trees like toothpicks. All this happened only 15 miles away! Here are some pictures from WFAA Channel 8:


Snapped trees along the entire block


House torn apart & upside down airplane

Anyway, the whole situation reminds me that we need to be better prepared for something like this. Our Harry Potter closet is full of junk and we still need blankets and food in there. Need to be prepared for next time!

OMG! Irene and Chris, look!!!


Pretty, Pretty Panda


Come to lunch and eat some bamboo with me!!

Meme stolen from kitzira:

1. My username is _____ because ____.
My username is aznaphrodite because I picked Aphrodite as my screen name in the BBS days. This was pre-internet and you dialed directly into someone's computer using your modem to use chat rooms and play computer games. I choose Aphrodite because she's the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty. I did a report on her in 6th grade. =) I added the "azn" when I went to college and signed up for ICQ. There were way too many Aphrodite's so I added "azn" (which means Asian) to it. I continue using it because I always have and it's usually never taken. I think I'm "aznaphrodite" on every site on the internet, except MySpace. aznaphrodite on MySpace sucks for stealing my name!!!

2. My name is _____ because ______.
My name is Rebecca because my parents thought it was pretty. It was from the Alfred Hitchcock movie "Rebecca", which won Best Picture in 1940.

3. My journal is titled ____ because ____.
My journal is titled "Rising from the Ashes" because it's an illusion to Phoenix, my favorite X-men character. Also, I feel like I've come along way in life, including rising from some very bad experiences.

4. My friends page is called ____ because ____.
My friends page is called "Friends" because I didn't give it a cool name!

5. My default userpic is ____ because _____.
My default userpic is an angelic picture of Sailor Venus because she's my favorite Sailor Moon character, my most well-known cosplay, and it's just freakin gorgeous!

The artwork in this meme is so cute!!!

Find Out Which Disney Girl You Are! created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Ariel Sometimes, that seaweed isn't always greener in somebody else's lake! Ariel couldn't stop dreaming of life away from her family and friends, and one filled with an exciting adventure. Sometimes it's also awesome to settle down and chill with your family and friends too - your life isn't as bad as you think! Ariel 92% Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) 67% Alice 67% Esmerelda 63% Belle 63% Jasmine 63% Snow White 63% Tinkerbell 54% Mulan 46% Cinderella 42% Jane 38% Pocahontas 33% Violet 33% Megara 25%

I can't remember if it was Monday night or Tuesday morning that I noticed Mozzarella was acting strange. He seemed to have less energry and when I picked him up, he seemed lighter than usual. I decided to take him to Dr. Martin at Plantation Pet Health Center in Frisco on Tuesday afternoon during lunch time. We haven't used Dr. Martin in awhile but it's closer and I was going during lunch so I thought that would be more convenient. Anyway, Dr. Martin thought Mozzie had an upper respitory infection and prescribed anti-biotics. By Wednesday night, Mozzie hadn't been eating or drinking much. He'd take some treats but that's about it. He slept a lot and didn't move. He looked so bad by then, I was worried he wouldn't make it through the night. We took him to the Emergency Animal Clinic in Southlake, a 45 minute drive, since all our vets were already closed. They took X-rays and his lungs and everything else looked clear. But they figured out that Mozzie was probably older than we believed by looking at his spine. (We always went off the estimate that SPCA gave us but were told that it's pretty hard to estimate a rat's age by looking at them.) They gave us fluids and told us to feed him through syringes.

On Thursday morning, we took him to Dr. Whetstone in Plano at the advice of someone on the Rat Association of Texas mailing list since she has experience with rats. Mozzie was declining this whole time. By now, he couldn't move on anymore. He just layed there and breathed. Dr. Whetstone said there wasn't any much more we could do than to continue feeding him and giving him his medicine. We would have to see how Mozzie did.

On Friday, Mozzie began having trouble breathing. Chris and I had been feeding him several times a day and when I fed him, I often cried. He was so far from being him. He was really suffering. I decided in the morning that it was time to let him go. I made an appointment with Dr. Whetstone at 2:30 pm. Chris met me at the vet's office from work. Dr. Whetstone gave us some time with Mozzie before administering the shot that would stop his heart. During that time, Mozzie had a seizure. It just reaffirmed we were doing the right thing. Mozzie wasn't going to pull through this. Dr. Whetstone gave him the shot and Mozzie passed away. I'm really sad to lose him but I feel a lot better knowing that he's not suffering. Mozzie has always been my most feisty rat so I can't imagine how much it bothered to not have the strength to ran, jump, and chomp fingers.

Oh, yes, Mozzie liked to chomp. When something came through the cage bars, while the other ratties sniff it and inspect it, his motto was chomp first, ask questions later. =) He was always the first one to try to escape the bathroom or playpen and chewed under the door and the baseboards. In general, he was one grumpy rattie. He enjoyed scowling at us with a look on his face that said, "Don't you try to pick me up or nothing. No touching!" When you did pick him up, he would twirl his tail wildly like a helicopter perpeller. He wasn't as greedy about food as the others either. When I handed out treats, he never came running to the cage bars like the others did. He would stay in his hammock or cube and sometimes stick his head out. "I'm not coming out so bring it to me, lady!" He occassionally tussled with Oreo and would make his furry all puffy to look big. (He was the smallest rattie.) Even though I knew it meant he was anger, I thought it was the cutest thing. Even though he was a grumpy guy, he was still my baby Mozzie. He had the cutest face and it always made me call him "Baby Mozzie". LOL. I'm sure he didn't appreciate it, especially now that I know he was old. =) My baby Moz was feisty to the end. Dr. Whetstone was surprised that he lasted as long as he did in his condition. And even when he couldn't eat and could barely move, he still gathered the energy to give me a few kicks to tell me he wanted me to put him down or turn his away when he didn't want any more food from the syringe. My little feisty Mozzie. We'll remember you forever.

Mozzarella (? - 2008)

Rest in peace, my baby Mozzie. We love you.

Mozzarella (he's the rattie on top in my icon) has been sick since Tuesday and it's getting really bad. We've already seen three vets but he keeps getting worse. We're feeding him through a syringe right now but he still doesn't eat and drink much. I think we're going to lose him.

Please keep him in your prayers...that he'll either get better soon or that he won't continue to suffer. =(

I've decided to buy a new sewing machine for cosplay and making things for my ratties. My budget is $200. Do you have any recommendations?

I've been asked to be Sailor Venus in a group for A-kon in May so I need to get around to finally remaking my Venus fuku.

Also, if anyone needs an extra person in their group for the Comic Con Masquerade, please let me know!

On Sunday, Chris and I went to the new Irish Pub, Lochrann's, in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The pub had a tent set out where they had live Irish music and some food but it was relatively dead. However, the put itself was packed! Chris and I shared a glass of Harp Irish beer. He had a corned beef sandwich and I had Irish beef stew. It was good but the place was really busy. Near the end of our meal, a real bag pipe player came into the restaurant and performed! That was cool!!

In other news, work has been crazy this week. I've got a big deadline on Monday plus my boss went on vacation this week and put me "in charge" so I've had to sit in on extra meetings. I've been working overtime (without getting paid extra, might I add) yesterday and today. Poo!!