Frogs, Frogs, Frogs!

I have frogs coming out of my ears!

I finally have three Cryptophyllobates azureiventris in my hands, as well as some lovely green legged lamasi froglets. I have two more vivaria in progress for the new species, but it has been a slow process. I finally cut enough glass for one tank, and all I'm waiting for is a miraculous windfall of money so I can afford all the lovely plants that are necessary for making a tank worth of putting $50 frogs in.

Some pics of my project:



How awesome does it look to have three tanks neatly in a row? It's froggy feng shui!



This is the current interior of the tank to the right. For the price of a 10 gallon tank ($9.99), polyurethane foam ($6), gorilla glue ($12), and coconut fibers ($3), you too can build yourself a Taj Mahal of froggy bliss.



And this is why I do it. Imagine having a teeny tiny frog (smaller than your thumbnail!) this beautiful in your dining room. Suddenly all the fly cultures you must devotedly make are completely worth it.

Frogs, Frogs, Frogs!

I have frogs coming out of my ears!

I finally have three Cryptophyllobates azureiventris in my hands, as well as some lovely green legged lamasi froglets. I have two more vivaria in progress for the new species, but it has been a slow process. I finally cut enough glass for one tank, and all I'm waiting for is a miraculous windfall of money so I can afford all the lovely plants that are necessary for making a tank worth of putting $50 frogs in.

Some pics of my project:



How awesome does it look to have three tanks neatly in a row? It's froggy feng shui!



This is the current interior of the tank to the right. For the price of a 10 gallon tank ($9.99), polyurethane foam ($6), gorilla glue ($12), and coconut fibers ($3), you too can build yourself a Taj Mahal of froggy bliss.



And this is why I do it. Imagine having a teeny tiny frog (smaller than your thumbnail!) this beautiful in your dining room. Suddenly all the fly cultures you must devotedly make are completely worth it.

100th Post!

So the last few days have been nothing short of crazy. My father ended up in the hospital on Saturday. His multiple infections started to really act up. At one point, we really thought that this might be his final battle. I rushed home last night after I called him on the phone. He told me "Julie, it hurts to talk... I have to hang up. I love you. I'm so sorry. I love you, I'm so sorry.." and he was crying. It scared the hell out of me, I really didn't know if I would see him again. Turns out he had a bad reaction to some very strong medication. His condition is stabilized right now, and we're all very grateful that he's so delightfully stubborn.

This brings up another area of stress- where should I be living right now? I have a job I can tolerate, working with people I genuinely like. I don't want to toss everything away that I have here. We just bought a place, I have a boyfriend who loves me, and I may eventually move up at work and earn some decent money. On the other hand, I have a wonderful family, who unfortunately happen to be mortal. I'd really like to be there for them.

It wouldn't take all THAT much to move back home.. .I love the area, and it's always easy to find a bank that is hiring. For what I'm paying on my mortgage right now, I can get a decent bit of land and have more room for my dart frog hobby.

Speaking of dart frogs, I'm building 2 more frog tanks. I have 4 green legged lamasi tadpoles that will occupy one tank, and I'll be getting a couple of adult P. azureiventris- essentially ninja dart frogs. They're freaking sweet.

That's enough rambling for now. Hope everyone is well and happy.

Happy birthday, Amber!!!

To Amburger:

Happy 26th Birthday!

Welcome to the dark side of your 20s- we're only a slippery slope away from hitting the big 3-0. Which isn't too much of a crazy thing- we're both like fine wines. We're only getting finer as we age!!

I've already starting using anti-wrinkle cream.

Hope this year is the best one yet!

Tamagotchi?

Remember those irritating little egg shaped things that everyone had when you were 14? Well, guess what? They're still around!

I was looking for a tamagotchi-like application for my new Sidekick and discovered that the old school tamagotchis were still around. I convinced the hot programmer boyfriend to drive me to Target so I could have something to entertain myself with while he attacked the people at the Verizon store. Lo and behold- I picked one out (a green and purple one) and bought it.

Oh the shame.

I really don't know which is worse- the fact that I bought one in the first place, or that I actually enjoy it. The detail in the game has changed significantly- you are in charge of raising generation after generation of Tamagotchis, guiding their career paths, helping them earn money and perhapes even earning status with the King of Tamaland (seriously).

You even get an online code for tamaland.com, and you can play games, earn money, and meet computer run tamagotchi characters to help further your own tamagotchi's purpose.

Sounds a bit lame, I know... but it works. Cheap entertainment is always a good thing.

Upgrade!

I have been with Verizon for a year and a half now. I have the older version of the ENV phone. Well, recently I decided that just wasn't enough, and Verizon's customer service is anything BUT accomodating.

Now I am blessed with a lovely brand new phone with T-Mobile- Sharp's Sidekick 3. So lovely that even the hot programmer boyfriend wants one.

Life Update!

I haven't been feeling too verbose lately... so here's a summary:

Promotion. Check.
42" LCD tv courtesy of the hot programmer boyfriend. Check.
1000 days celebrated with said hot programmer boyfriend. Check.
Tickets to see Walking with Dinosaurs Live in Spokane. Check.

It feels like life has been going at 75 miles per hour. Weeks are speeding by, months feel like minutes, and before we know it we'll be in 2008. Insanity!