Friday

I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep... so I sat on the floor with Sally and Harry and reviewed for today’s exam. For once, Harry was awake on his wheel, whereas I had to nudge Sally into alertness (I’m sure she was immensely pleased to leave her warm cup for the cold impartiality of a carpet and floor cage).

It’s quite chilly out today... and overcast... and windy... boy, it just keeps getting better. I’m royally irritated that the Research exam is from 3-4 because Property (which usually runs until 2:50 on Fridays) was called off today, which would have enabled me to head home at NOON as opposed to FOUR, but I guess I need to just chill out; as Dad would say, what’s the difference. Well, I guess the difference is my irritation factor – four additional hours spent at home is four extra hours.

This is rather silly, but I am looking forward to playing computer games with Ali this weekend. When I was little (littler?), I would creak around on my ancient Apple Mac with a roller coaster game consisting of a great deal of solid-color blocks and tiny rotating circles which my imagination had to convert to roller coasters and theme part customers. The Roller Coaster Tycoon game of today is infinitely more impressive, and supremely entertaining. The people even barf when they get off an intense ride! And the Zoo Tycoon game is comparatively entertaining – breeding lots of tiny animals and watching them grow, planting trees and simulated volcanoes, setting up themed scenery... and then, after we’ve coaxed an impressive array of paying customers into our jurisdiction, hatching a T-Rex in an electric-fence cage and accidentally-on-purpose letting him escape to start picking off unsuspecting passerby. The little alert notes are hilarious: “Customer 621 has been eaten!” “Customer 702 is terrified and will never return!” Anyway.

I’m going back to Petsmart today to scout around for Zipp bones, and at my last visit I noticed Traveling Hamster cage, roughly akin to a miniature dog tote case. I’m going to see if I can fit it in my backpack, as I have a considerable reluctance to leave my new little buddies outside in my car for any extended period of time. What if they get too cold? I know they’re covered in fur, but... it just seems unduly inhumane.