Term two at the Job is ending in two blissfully short (but not short enough) weeks. *Sigh* I can not wait. I feel like I'm burnt out, but rationally, after two years of teaching, I don't think I can be burnt out.... can I? I've blogged about this before, about how I think the Little Darlings at my current job are kind of... sub par, for lack of a better word. And I wonder if the antipathy of my students combined with the overwhelming amount of work that I have yet to complete (and no time to complete) is just getting to me... or what. So, needless to say, I am very much so looking forward to the term ending and having 10 wonderfully school free days all to myself. In that time I'm hoping to:

1. Finish Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and start Simulacra, both Phillip K. Dick books.
2. Write... God I hope I get to write! I've had this idea bouncing around the inside of my skull and aside from a few hastily jotted notes I've nothing to show for it...
3. Finish the new rat cage. It needs shelves and a house.
4. Go outside and enjoy the freakin' sun. Sometimes I can see it from my very high, very tiny basement, er... terrace level window in my office but just barely...

God, I can't wait.

A couple months ago I added two new critters to my ever expanding menagerie... I'm pleased to introduce Harriet (she's the masked one) and Sinead (she's the one with the five o'clock shadow on her body):



Yes... yes... they're rats. And no, there is nothing wrong with Sinead--she's hairless as all get out. Which makes her really cute in my eyes (whatever, I'm odd. I accept this fact so should you). They're pretty smart, even if they're still babies (only 4 months old and all). They're not disease ridden--they're actually really clean (as long as the human remembers to clean out the poo every three days) and really affectionate. Sinead is a kisser--she'll lick the back of my neck when she's ridding around on my shoulder--and Harriet chitters when you scratch the back of her neck.

The cats are a little too interested sometimes and wail something fierce when I lock them out of my room so the girls can have play time but other than that, they don't attack or anything.

So this brings the menagerie grand total to (drum roll please): 2 cats (Tai and Pretty), 2 Fish (Feesh and... other Feesh), 2 rats.

Yep...