So, as you can imagine, problems arrise with costuming and my reaction is to make backup costumes. so I now have a female Kyuubi no Kitsune that is very close to done, and there is very little to do on Fantasia's Nibi cosplay. I'm super happy with this cosplay though. I'm very excited to show it off as I made it all by hand and you'd be hard pressed to find a thread showing. Just so you know, I will not be posting any pictures until the convention at this stage. I figure you can wait and I need to have something to surprise you with.Adam is now responsible for all final details on his costume. He's going to get the jacket embroidered...I don't do that. But the jacket is done...I say that, but I'm not exactly pleased with it. It works, but it's not perfect and that's going to bug me.My Blake cosplay is still coming along. I still have some details to finish, like the tights, but those are being dealt with this weekend. Other than that, I need to finish the shorts, iron the tail coat, do final fit, and make the arm pieces. That's it. So, it shouldn't be long. :)Weiss....Oh my gosh...That cosplay will be amazing! when I finish it. If I finish it in time, to my standards. Fantasia will be here tomorrow afternoon and I'm strapping her into it so I can finish the dress. Then we still have the jacket and shoes I haven't even started on. So yeah. Lots left to do there and less than two weeks to get it all done.
It should be a fun event though, I'm getting excited!
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You're last pic til the con is of my ears. I took the advice from another con-goer to use crayola modeling clay to create the shape. I think they turned out rather well. I'll be covering them this weekend and then Fantasia can do a make-up check. And don't mind the stuffed animal. I can't exactly keep the drying ears on my head for three days.
 
Summer is nearly over and it's time to get back into school. So far, I have everything but books. That's on my list to get soon.

In the mean time, I am apparently expecting. It's kinda of exciting. If all goes well, all three will be here the end of September. Yes, three. Triplets! A bit unusual, but exciting. Right now, they're little white eggs about the size of beans. What? Did you think I was referring to me? Haha! No. My long tailed lizards are breeding and I'm currently trying to create a proper environment to incubate the eggs. The only problem is that there is close to no information about care and raising eggs of long tailed lizards, so I'm going to add a section to my blog about "Things the Internet is Missing." You can read all about the trials and tribulations of hatching lizard eggs. My biggest concern right now though is that my female is going to lay another clutch of eggs. It's only a two week incubation and hatching takes 6 weeks. So by the time they hatch, I could have up to 6 more eggs. I'm tempted to let them continue this for now, but then I may have to just pull them and be like, "No more." Or, once I get these eggs into a proper incubation type thing at 83 degrees with 75-80% humidity, I switch them over to a winter environment so they stop trying to breed. Anyway, there will be more news about that in the new section of the blog.

Moving on, I'm moving my 55 tomorrow. It's going into my fish closet.  I will be setting up an Asian tank soon. But I need to not have a broke pet budget first. So that won't happen anytime this month. Maybe when the eggs hatch.

My geckos are doing well. I say geckos since I got a second one yesterday. He's so tiny! Literally, about as long as my thumb nail so I'll be getting him flightless fruit flies since they're the only thing small enough for him. I will take pictures soon.

Kk is doing better. She had been doing terribly, but after a visit to the vet, some new food and some supplements, she seems to be doing okay. So, word of advice, when you parents tell you they want to move their cat into your house as a temporary measure, make them sign a legally binding contract that they will take said cat back by a certain date and pay all said cat's expenses. That way, you don't end up like me. Basically owning a cat that has never been your cat, with a congenital eye problem that causes tear drainage and sneezing. Constant cleaning of snot off the walls, furniture, pictures, tables, fish tanks, windows, etc. What feels like up to your eyeballs in cat expenses just for the one cat and once again hearing your parents tell you to take said cat to the pound...where bad things have happened to good cats. Be sure to put into said contract that they will not take said cat to pound. 

There is my mini rant for the day. Mittens, Mary the new roommate's cat, is doing well. I'm calling my roommate Mary after Mary Poppins since they both bring smiles to children while they learn something. Anyway, Mittens has acclimated well to the other cats and the dog. She and Tibolt are the best of friends. Tibolt, on the other hand, has taken to peeing on my couch. *insert chasing cat around house here* So new problems arise in place of old ones. 

Fun times as always. 
 
Well, I had 3 days off work and Fantasia's cosplay is finally nearing a draft form. My cosplay is pretty much done. Just a couple of detail things to do and I'll be set. Still haven't started on Adam's coat and he won't be here til next weekend.Speaking of next weekend, I'm getting the stand for my 110 next Friday!!  :D The Discus are coming! Life is amazing! My friends are awesome! etc...and if I don't stop here, the entire post will be nothing but fish.As for other stuff, I paid bills. This was new, but they are paid so all is good. I also finished the rough draft of my book. After 3 years of writer's block, who knew all I needed was a new laptop to jumpstart the author again.Speaking of the new laptop, I now have the Acer Aspire R7. The single greatest piece of tech on the market. It is a gaming ready combination laptop/tablet. Just check out the video on their website and you'll understand why I love my new pc!
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Blake's Tailcoat-complete
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Weiss' dress lining-no longer a sack.
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The amazing R7!
 
Progress continues despite interuptions. Today, was continuing work on Blake's white top. I was finally able to get all the hand stitching done, a few seams aren't even, but once everything is together, you honestly won't notice since they'll be hidden. Tomorrow, I need to go back over the two exposed seams with the sewing machine to get a nice, tight, thick, black stitch to match the models. Then, that piece will be done and I can start on the shorts.
This piece is now two layers and I did just finish hemming the bottom, just didn't get a picture. Short and sweet for tonight!
 
So my awesome friend Adam (as we will call him), decided that for my birthday present, I would love an all expenses paid trip to Anime Weekend Atlanta. Adam was right! So, we started planning. I got home from Myrtle Beach and find out that Fantasia loves anime as well and is super jealous, so now the three of us are going and cosplaying as characters from this new show called RWBY. It's amazing!Adam and I are going as the Black characters, Blake and Adam, while Fantasia is going to be the White character Weiss. It's going to be awesome! Super excited!We have split up tasks. Adam is building the weapons, I'm taking the actual outfits and Fantasia is the make-up artisit/my assistant. So far, I've just started working on my outfit. I'm currently building the interior of the top and will then add a second layer so that all the stitching matches the newly uploaded 360 view turnarounds.
A lot is left to be done on this, but I think progress is good. Will hopefully finish the base pieces tomorrow and then be able to start working on the parts people will actually see. I still need to find those shoes and get some purple tights.That's it for now. Working tomorrow, so I need sleep!
 
Fantasia came over yesterday and helped me sort through all my clothes. Needless to say, it took a few hours. We took two stuffed bags of old clothes to the Salvation Army. It was kina scary actually seeing what all I still had. I found a few things I've had for almost 10 years. It's kinda nice having space again. I can actually go through my stuff and find things now. We have done a little bit of shopping. I've found some awesome deals at Ross. Got a pair of jeans and pair of work pants for $4/each. Then found a pair of blue shorts for $3, and Fantasia finally found a dress we both agree on and purchased that for me for my birthday.I'm starting to get prepared for the semester. Need to start purchasing books and get a new laptop. I really want the HP Envy convertable laptop. Specifically the one that has the removable tablet screen, 8 GB RAM, and a 750 GB harddrive. Need to save a bit first though.In other news, I'm finally back down to 5 tanks. I'm going to set up 1 more after I scrub it and that will be my asian tank. My smallest cichlids need to grow more first though. For now though, I have 5 tanks.

21!

7/23/2013

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I am now officially legal! And that's the most excitement I have about turning 21. I'm honestly more excited about being able to purchase alcohol to bake with than I am to drink. I know, that sounds so lame, but I've been to countries where I am legal and it's just not that exciting to me.

Anyway, now that I am 21, it is finally time for me to take on the trials and tribulations of dating. I've gone out a few times, but never been in any relationships were things really clicked. Honestly, I'm more interested in courtship than dating. This is what Urban Dictionary says about dating, " The modern day battlefield of romance where hearts are won and broken, the not-quite so version of chivalry and wooing, an interview for a lover; the lay down some time-and money and see if you get some candy routine; the progressed game of cat-and-mouse; the human courtship ritual; playing baseball for the home run." I find this a bit entertaining, especially since Webster's Dictionary only recognized date as a fruit and a time of an event. The definitions are similar for courtship though, they both basically state that it is seeking the affections of someone without any sexual interaction.

So yes, it's time to really enter the trials. First step is cleaning out the closet. I have gone through most of my stuff and started throwing out things and shelving other things that simply shouldn't be worn anymore. Next up, will be going through what's left with my fashionista friend who we will call Fantasia. Fantasia will help me sort through the rest of my stuff to get the final sort done before the shopping begins. We've already made a couple of purchases, need to look for some more stuff though. My closet looks a bit empty. Once the wardrobe is done, it's onto the hair and finally the make-up. Think of this as the at-home version of "What Not to Wear". I could get on that show simply by my mass stash of T-shirts and jeans with holes from use.

Thus far, I've been asked out once. I turned it down as it simply wouldn't work. I apparently need to have an convo with an ex too as I'm pretty certain he's wanting to re-start a relationship, that I don't want to re-start, so yeah. I have a pretty bleak start, hopefully the stats will rise from here.

That's all I've got for now! haha! Just kidding. I went to Myrtle Beach this past weekend! It was awesome! Myself, parents, and a few good friend stayed at a resort and it was amazing! We got to hang out at the beach, spend time at the resort's two lazy rivers, 5 swimming pools, 12 hot tubs, etc. Then, we went to Broadway at the Beach where The two nerds of the group spent the day at MagiQuest and the other two went to the water park. Again, it was a great weekend! Can't wait to go back again with everyone!
 
PictureCookie is acting playful again!
First topic of the day is the wondrous change in Cookie. Needless to say, There have been ups and downs with the whole cat situation, but the biggest issue was the Cookie was terrified of Tibolt and had absolutely no confidence. She was hiding all the time! Now, I have a very happy, confident kitten again! She has been stealing Tibolt's food bowl during feedings and thankfully, Tibolt just looks on patiently. Cookie even chased the laser pointer with Tibolt just a few feet away and better yet, she didn't flinch when Tibolt ran straight at her while chasing the laser pointer. I have peace in the house again!

This was no easy task. I had to create new spaces for Cookie, play with her, pet her, coddle her, re-introduce her to Tibolt, add litter boxes, spoon feed her,....the list goes on. It has been a very long four months. Now I have a new problem. Kk has recently decided to attack Tibolt whenever I try to get him to play. Don't misunderstand, I play with Kk too, but even after she's done, she'll come out of nowhere to attack him. It's not even Kk trying to play, it's all out war. Poor Tibolt, just backs down with this expression of sheer shock and confusion. So, now the games continue, but Kk is a bit more manageable than Cookie, as long as I keep an eye out for her and stop play as soon as she nears, the attacks never happen and the day continues once she walks off. 

Tilly is doing great! She went through an evaluation/orientation at Petsmart for Training. I love my dog and she is awesome for 90% of things, but she has a couple quirks that need some work. Loose leash walking is very high on my priority list seeing as she get's super excited when she goes anywhere out of the house. Then there's also the whole deal with jumping onto people as a greeting. If I didn't worry about her accidentally knocking down a child, it wouldn't be a big deal, but I have two nieces and a nephew all under the age of 5. There is simply no way I can allow her to not understand the rules of "sit for a greeting".

Orientation introduced me to the Easy Walk harness. Greatest thing ever! No joke, it went on and the difference was noticeable. She went from dragging me around the store, to not putting any pressure on me in the slightest with a simple change of harness. Needless to say, I'm sold! Walking the dog is now an enjoyable experience rather than a task out of duty.

The one thing I'm having to readjust to is the clicker. It's been 13 years since my last Petsmart Training class and 13 years since I last used a clicker for training. So yes, it's an adjustment, but it's coming back rather quickly.

PictureAll three boys piled in for the night
As much as I hate to admit it, I'm past the two bird point I had mentioned planning on previously. Bit of a funny story actually. I couldn't find any Zebra finches here in Greenwood, so I contacted a dude on Craigslist and was planning to get his one male zebbie baby. Sounds perfect right? Well it was: $5 finch, right sex, perfect age, great! Well, I get up there and the guy asks me if I was his sister too, she can't fly. So of course, I can't leave the poor girl behind and she comes home with me. It actually worked out well, since there was a female I could and did adopt with a missing toe. I was going to create a custom cage for them as my special needs birds. Well, I get home and about when I go to pick up the other female, guess what? Baby can fly! So I rush to finish half of my flight cage just enough for them to go into it since clearly the tiny travel cage wasn't going to work for two birds. So all was good, I had the divider panel built on the flight and I was all set to go on my four finches. Well, then we get this adorable little penguin zebra finch in. I had to buy him. I could not pass up that level of cute. And so, I'm at five finches. Meep, my largest and standard grey zebbie. Thunk, Meep's planned friend, a lightback. Eep, Thunk's supposedly flightless sister. Khaleesi, a light patterned chestnut flanked white with a missing toe, she's pretty. And finally, Guin, the last of my zebbies and an adorable little penguin.

 
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Everybody loves sales on products they use. I took full advantage of this friends & family discount at Petsmart this weekend. I left with enough stuff to last all my critters for a few months for around $100. That's a big deal as you'll see when I go through this list.

So I had started out with a plan, but as always happens I never quite stick with it. So let's start with the dog supplies. Tilly is awesome, she only eats about a cup of food/day and will usually eat about anything. I have noticed though that she always looks better when on a higher end brand of dog food. She does however have a flaw. She is super attached to me, so when I leave the house, she gets destructive. Unless she has something to entertain her. I tried the Kong, turns out Tilly doesn't eat Peanut Butter and she ignores the treats. Shocking, I know. If I were a dog, I'd be all over that thing. So here's what I got for the dog.

1 32 lb bag of Authority Dog Food
1 8 lb bag of  Authority Dog Food
4 Cans of Authority Dog Food
1 Big Bag of Dentley's Bones
2 2pk bags of Dentley's Skin and Coat Bones
1 bag of Authority Dental Health Treats
1 Top Paw Dog Bowl
1 Clearance Treat Dog Toy
1 2013 Puppy Kit
1 Furminator Premium Dog Bath Package
So by combining coupons and sales, I made out really well here. I bought that 2013 puppy kit because you don't have to have a puppy to use it. Literally paid for itself that day. I was impressed.

The Authority dog food was on sale and for every bag of dog food you bought you got 2 cans of dog food. The huge bag of bones was on clearance for less than $5. The Treats were on sale, the dog bowl was on sale and that treat dog toy was in clearance for about $3. 
Now the puppy kit comes with coupons so I got $15 off one bag of dog food and the two cans for pocket change, then I used a $2 off coupon on that dog bowl to get it for 99 cents. The coupon for $10.99 off a dog bath (aka free puppy bath) paid for my upgrade. Then I still have more coupons to use which we'll cover later. Next up would be all the cat stuff. I have three cats, so a few coupons can go a long way with me.
1 5 lb bag Authority Cat Food
3 Cans Authority Cat Food
4 ProPlan Cat Food Cans
1 5 lb bag of Blue Buffalo Cat Food
1 10 lb Bag of Blue Clumping Cat Litter
1 Tag Works Fish Tag for Cookie
I made out like a bandit here. No joke. I knew this sale was coming up so I had started hunting down coupons. Authority Cat Food just so happened to be 20% off and for every bag of food you buy you get 3 cans free. So my I got all the Authority food for $6. I had a coupon for BOGO ProPlan Cat Food Cans which were also on sale, making them 35 cents 
a can. The Blue Buffalo Cat Food was on Clearance for $9.27, but I had a coupon for $3 off any bag of Blue Cat food, making that $6.27. The litter was sale priced at $6 and with my $2 off coupon, came to about $4. The Tag Works Tag, I had used the coupon from the puppy kit on bringing it $5.50. As I said, gotta love sales. Then we have my two other species fish and my finch.
1 Small Bird Cage
1 Bird Protector
1 Package of Bird Vitamins
1 Bag of Rite-Size Filter Pads
1 Bottle of AquaSafe
2 Glass Catfish
I didn't do as well here as I did with the others, but it's all stuff I needed. The birdcage was not on sale, but I loved it and needed to have a secure travel cage on hand. The Bird Protector is supposed to keep fleas and mites off your bird. With my animals and all the animals I work with/come into contact with everyday, this was a necessity. Again, no sales. 
The bird vitamins I wouldn't have gotten if Meep was a little older, but he's been a bit down the last few days and I've been concerned, so he needs the extra boost. The filter pads are never on sale. Neither is AquaSafe, but I had a $1 off coupon. The Catfish did have a slight sale though. They were $5.47 each.


Now I know that doesn't seem like the great sale I was talking about at the beginning, but you're forgetting something. This was during the Friends and Family sale, or better known in the store as Associate Appreciation Weekend. I got 30% off of my total. Now you can see where that turned out nicely. So yes, I was quite pleased and I still have more coupons to use as the sales arrive. However, I will be using that free puppy orientation seminar coupon shortly as I really want to see what it's like. It's been years since I've been to a Petsmart Training class. 2000, shortly after we got Drumsticks and there was an orange male tabby kitten learning all the puppy education. So yes, it's been 13 years since I've been to a petsmart training class. It certainly has expanded. They used to only offer puppy obedience, now there are about 6 different class offerings. Anyway, I was pretty impressed, but I'm working tomorrow, so I'm off to bed.
 
Well, I woke up Sunday morning to Meep acting really lethargic and sounding hoarse. That was scary. I had never seen the baby so still. So following the advice of the internet (not always the best idea, but I had little choice), I added a heat lamp and electrolytes. Today, he's back to his perky self. In fact, he escaped earlier and took a nice little flight around my bedroom. It was kinda funny when Meep was sitting on the saddle of one of my toy horses and then him hiding between the heads of some stuffed cats was just as interesting. I finally herded him into my bathroom and was able to catch him. It didn't take much to tire him out. So I reworked my whole cage set-up and he now has some extra room to fly around in. Now  the cats are mad that they are completely banished from my room, but tough.

In all seriousness, the cats will eat my finch if given the chance. No doubts about that. So to keep Meep safe from the cats and the cats safe from my wrath, it's just better to banish them from my room. Tilly is still allowed in my room though, but it's restricted. I'm back to sleeping on the futon since I can't seem to sleep with this heat lamp on so the cats still get to sleep with me. So now I just need to build a new cage. I'm going to match the size of my 55 gallon aquarium so it will be plenty big enough for the two tiny birds. I could even get a third if I wanted, but I think I'll start with two.

Meep is still a baby so I can't really say much about his mess. No joke, the kid throws half his food out of the silo. I have given him a bowl to help with that and I'm not planning to refill the silo anytime soon. I'm hoping he'll grow out of wanting to play with his food, but no promises. I still find him adorable, just you're typical little boy - wants to get into everything.

I'm going to be putting him on vitamins though. He was basically weaned on the truck, so he needs some extra tlc. I'm hoping to  have my flight cage built before I make a trip to Greenville this month, then I can hopefully find an adult male to keep him company.

Now I totally can't forget about the interesting window watcher Meep and I had the pleasure of meeting. This bird was a brown thrasher and it perched on my window screen. Meep and I got a bit of a shock by this thing about four times his size, perching on our window. He stayed there for a good 30 seconds and stared down my little finch, who huddled along the back of his cage. It must have been overly curious about the odd sounds coming from my window since zebra finches have a very distinct call. It's hard to mistake them for other birds here in S.C. All sorts of fun stuff has been happening here since I got Meep. :)