February Chat!

[Tony's Mum]

White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit! It’s my birthday this month and I’m really excited (I’ll be 30). Any other February babies?

[Luna]

Happy early Birthday! Mine is at the end of the month .

[GeorgieTheBunny]

Mine too.

[LBJ10]

Wooly’s blaze, Wooly’s blaze, Wooly’s blaze!!!

Leopold’s tummy, Leopold’s tummy, Leopold’s tummy!!!

[Q8bunny]

Was it the longest January, or what? Ooof…

[Bam]

I’m a day late =( =( =(

Bindi, Sterling, Buttercup, Bianca, Apollo. Chewie, Olaf, Wooly’s blaze, Henry’s tummy, Podge. Wick’s nose and foot.

(For newcomers: The BB forums have a chat-thread tradition of naming at least 3 white or partly white bunnies on the first day of a new month. If you don’t know any white buns, saying “white rabbit” three times will do excellently.)

January was long and rainy, Q8. It’s still raining here.

Tony’s mum, how exciting! Are you doing anything special?

[Sirius&Luna]

I’ve been waiting for my chance to get Nimbus in now I finally have a white rabbit! And I missed it!

Oh well – Nimbus, Chewie and Buttercup <3

I’m glad it’s finally February.

[Heaven]

Wick’s nose & foot! About 50% of Sam. And about 50% of Garfy ;p

[Vienna Blue in France]

Bunny blanc, bunny blanc, bunny blanc !!!!

[Bam]

Oooohhh, Nimbus!

Nimbus, Nimbus, Nimbus!

[sarahthegemini]

Buttercup, Chewie, Sterling, Bindi and NIMBUS!!!! 

[sarahthegemini]

And Olaf !

[Sirius&Luna]

I’m going away for 3 nights this weekend, and my sister is coming to stay and bunny-sit. They are all pooping absolutely everywhere though, so I’m not sure she knows what she’s let herself in for.

Also made unfunny jokes about ‘putting them together’ herself, so I have stressed a million times that all bunnies must always be let out separately. Ugh :/

[Deleted User]

S&L your sister sounds similar to my sister in-law, except she’s really weird. Every time she wants to know about the boys, she insists we punishes them and then giggles about it. A typical conversation with her is like this:
Mel: how’s Bombur feeling?
Hubs: better, still peeing brown and occasionally outside his litter box.
Mel: you should spank him. tehehe spank him hard.
Hubs: no…
Mel: he needs to be taught a lesson. cover his cage so he can’t see anything. that will teach him.
Me: *trying not to scream at her about her suggestions being animal cruelty*
I swear some people should never have pets. -_-

ON A HAPPIER NOTE: where are you going? anywhere fun and relaxing?  

[Sirius&Luna]

Spank him? That’s super weird…. I think lots of people just don’t believe bunny bonding is a thing, and if we just put them together and stopped making all this fuss everyone would be fine! Anyway, I have left many many instructions, and I’m pretty confident that she will be sensible in reality.

We’re going to Madrid I’m hoping for some sunshine, or at least less cold than London. If there’s any BBers with Madrid tips, please send them my way

[Deleted User]

JEALOUS! I’ve always wanted to go to Plaza Mayor and Buen Retiro. Have fun! Oh and all the tapas. eat like all of them.

[Heaven]

I swear some people should never have pets. -_-

It’s worrying what people think is acceptable… When I first got Sam my boyfriend joked “Can I give him an M&M?” and I jokingly replied “yeah, go on” when he got one out the bag and rolled it towards him! I was like WHAT ARE YOU DOING & had to scramble over and grab it because Sam obviously ran straight over to investigate – “well you said I could!!”

Needless to say that did not happen again xD;

[Blue Moon]

i am a February B-Day too!
Poppy, Apollo, and Chewie!

[GarfyTheLop]

My boyfriend often uses the term “it’ll be alright, he’s just a rabbit”
How many times is it acceptable to eye roll your boyfriend?!

@S&L have fun in Madrid! I’m so jealous, the UK is just getting colder and colder!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

S&L: wonderful, enjoy your trip! Wishing you lots of sunshine
Breintje has totally had it with the cold too. Instead of sleeping on the floor he’s been following me around all afternoon, hinting that it’s definitely snuggle time on the couch.

@Garfy: “Just a rabbit…” Pfffft!
“Free to good home: well-cared-for male, fully vaccinated, mostly house-trained. Listens to the name of…”

[Sirius&Luna]

Thank you all If only you could bring back biscuits for forum members like I do for work

[Vienna Blue in France]

S&L. My tip of the day re Madrid : “Don’t mention catalonia”…..

[joea64]

Fernando, Chewie, Sterling. And I said “white rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit!” to Fernando last night, when he looked rather astonished at the proceedings.\\

Turns out a root canal in one of my bottom front teeth went bad and caused an infection, it needs to be repaired. I’m on amoxicillin to clear the infection and Anbesol to relieve the pain. It’s a real turn-up for the books when your bunnies, who are supposed to have such delicate teeth, have better dental health than you do!

[Deleted User]

I don’t envy you, Joea. I’m petrified of the dentist! I have to have like 10 shots of novacaine for just a simple filling because I can still feel the drill, and it really hurts. I can’t even imagine the agony of a root canal. At least you can eat lots of ice cream

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Ouch, that sounds so painful Get well soon Joe!

After last night’s “Battle of the Brushed Butt” I thought Breintje was going to give me the butt for the next couple of days. But after an hour of sulking and feeling really violated he became incredibly cuddly. He sat next to me on the couch with his nose facing my leg, and fell asleep. His head slumped forward until his nose bumped into my leg, and he lay there snoring for a long time. I didn’t dare move and was in bed at 4:30   Worth it!

[Bladesmith]

My month is starting off weird. The transmission in my car, which I JUST replaced last April, at great expense, just up and disintegrated on me. Warranty? Whats that? So now having to replace it, at expense, again. Oy!
The weird bit is, my ex wife and her husband just gifted me with the installation of both a cable and internet hookup. I mean, I don’t speak to them for weeks, sometimes months at a time, and this was completely out of the blue. Odd.

[Dface]

I finally got a job!
It’s terrible hours (shift work) but im getting paid, so thankfully I can go back to spoiling my rabbits (like they are so used to)

I had actually applied for a PhD that I really thought I was a good candidate for, but I didn’t hear back from them by the date they said they’d contact people by, I kinda held out hope a bit longer, thinking maybe it was a college delay type thing , but I think I was being overly optimistic.

Kind of bummed me out a lot more than I thought it would if I’m honest. It was abroad, so before I even applied I had to make sure it’d all be okay, best way of bringing my rabbits, looking up vets etc so I think I made it all too real in my head !

[Deleted User]

Dface, you make me feel so unoptimistic for my own PhD dreams. My undergrad GPA was around a 2.7 because I was supporting myself while getting a degree and had a lot of health issues to contend with as well. I decided to get my masters first where I have a 3.8, but I fear they’ll only care about undergrad.

[Dface]

you make me feel so unoptimistic for my own PhD dreams

Ah no don’t feel discouraged! A lot of people I know ‘walked’ into PhDs with lower marks or with just an undergrad (I have a master’s with a distinction) so I think I just got it in my head there was no way I wouldn’t be at least a candidate (particularly because it’s an area I’m so passionate about)

But like as I said majority of my friends are doing PhDs (although there is generally a small level of rejection) but perserverance is probably the key to it !

[Sirius&Luna]

What are you both hoping to do PhDs in? I used to want to do one, but funded PhDs in my area (history) are basically non-existent.

I got back from Madrid… guess what. It SNOWED for 3 days in Madrid ah well. We got to eat lots of Tapas, even if the sun wasn’t out.

Bunnies were well looked after by my sister, and she somehow managed to keep the flat far cleaner than I ever manage…

[GarfyTheLop]

Glad you had a nice time can’t believe it snowed though!

I bet you missed the buns!

[Deleted User]

S&L food is the important part, right? That is a bummer that it snowed, which means it was undoubtedly cold. I’ve lived in New England my whole 26 years on earth, and I still hate the cold xD

I’m hoping to get my PhD in accounting! I know, boring. Believe me, I think being in the field is super boring. I really just want to teach. Before I realized I wanted to teach I wanted to double in history and English Lit, but then I was reminded that those degrees don’t get you jobs in this part of the world. So I majored in accounting, and surprisingly loved it. My first love will always be history though. LOVE the classics.

[MountainBuns]

Its not my birthday this month (mine is in August) but happy b-day to all of you!

Madrid sounds so cool S&L hope you do a lot of fun things there! Be sure if you can to post some pictures!

[Deleted User]

Lmao if you think you are boring A&B, I am seriously considering switching to economics….. But I’m in the home stretch for my bachelor in healthcare administration, so might as well finish. I think economics is so interesting, and I am now that super annoying person that has to bring up stuff like law of diminishing marginal return, inelastic demand and the incidence of tax in casual conversation….no wonder I have no friends XD

My TRUE LOVE is microbiology. When I took micro, I was obsessed and I couldn’t stop reading my textbook and making detailed study guides. I wanted to know everything. Microbes are SO interesting to me. Then I took intro chemistry and FAILED. miserably. INTRO CHEM!!!! I was so disappointed in myself. If I can’t master freaking intro chemistry, there’s no way I could get a PhD in molecular biology with all that organic chem nonsense. Also, my husband’s aunt got her PhD in molecular biology and she had AMAZING grades, and she didn’t want to teach so ended up working in a lab with terrible pay and hours. She actually applied for some type of grant and got 100k to go back to school, so now she is a veterinarian.

[Deleted User]

HAHAHAHA literally laughing at how much we continue to have in common!
One of my professors married me (he was practically a father to me in college), and in his ceremony talk he told everyone about my constant major changes. I think I had changed majors 10 times between freshman and sophomore year. I really wanted to be a journalist or a doctor since I was like 13. My school cut journalism from their majors the year I got there, and I got a D in animal bio and failed intro chem, so I knew that wasn’t going to happen. After being a communications, english, philosophy, history, sociology, international affairs, biology, chemistry, music, and linguistics major, I finally settled on finance and accounting (I had to drop finance for lack of schedule space). My absolute favorite class was microeconomics! Literally my favorite class ever. Inelastic demand and market structures are music to my ears. I was so so hoping to change one last time to just econ, but I got a D in calculus, and realized that was also not going to happen.I also had the worst macro professor who gave the whole class C’s because he didn’t teach and no one knew anything.

[Deleted User]

Math is not my strong suit! lmao glad to know that I’m not the only dweeb to fail intro chem XD I also probably should not have taken it as an 8am lecture… pretty much fell asleep every single class!

English has always been a strong suit of mine, I was 3 points away from a perfect score on the English portion of the ACT. I considered something in English/philosophy but I don’t think that it’s a practical degree for me. Ethics classes are also quite interesting to me. Before I started working at the hospital, I worked at a restaurant and I was promoted to a management position within like 2 months, but that job sucked so I quit after a year and was hired on as a shift manager at Starbucks. Everyone I worked with always said that they really liked my management style, I was approachable and didn’t expect anything out of my employees that I wouldn’t do myself. So when I was looking at going back to school I thought I would do healthcare administration so I would be in a management position. I kind of hope that my misdemeanor marijuana charge doesn’t totally ruin any job opportunities for me….

But, I actually really enjoy most of the classes I am taking! I expected to hate economics and accounting, but I actually really enjoyed taking financial and managerial accounting, and definitely fell in love with economics. Now I am taking some courses on the U.S. healthcare system, and I really enjoy making the connections back to economics. It’s really enjoyable to me to have more of an understanding of the whole system, considering the aspects of market forces and such. I’m actually writing my paper for this class on the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. and how capitalism allows drug manufacturers to price gouge consumers on products that have inelastic demand (like EpiPens, ya can’t live without it!).

Are we twins A&B ? XD

[Deleted User]

Right? So freaky!
Misdemeanor marijuana charge sounds so BA xD I had never smoked it until college (super strict religious mom), and the first time I ever did it was in the woods behind campus at a camp out. I never knew how much I could laugh at fire pit. literally nothing except the fire pit. I went to a Christian school in MA. Dry campus. Saddest thing ever. But the woods behind campus. Man are those good memories xD

[Deleted User]

lmao, oh my mom was SUPER religious too, but I went to a tiny school in the middle of nowhere. Like this town wasn’t even on the map! So, needless to say the kids get bored. We all started drinking and smoking at 13. Which I never realized was absolutely horrible until I realized that my niece is almost 12, and I would be DEVESTATED if she started doing that in a year! Whew. My mom was just so oblivious though, and my dad was never around so we got away with a lot of crap that we shouldn’t have. Honestly if Florida ever gets with the program and legalizes then I’d probably do it again. Controls my anxiety better than Xanax, Ativan, Valium or anything else I have taken over the years!

[Deleted User]

Didn’t mean for this post to take a sharp turn from academics to drugs XD

[Wick & Fable]

Hello. I usually don’t participant in the monthly chats (though I enjoy reading), but this one has veered in a very relevant direction for me, and I’d like advice if anyone has some to offer.

I have a PhD program (Clinical Psychology) interview literally next week and am in a grey area of preparing/not trying to get tweaked out by it. Does anyone (applicants/people considering/already enrolled) have advice, or could contribute to my running list of “potential interview questions”?

@ Dface – Yes, perseverance is key. Unsure your intended area of study (couldn’t find it above), but a lot of PhD application acceptance deals with timing. If you’re applying for a program at a time when the best advisor(s) for you isn’t very active, isn’t accepting, or would not be able to cater to mentoring an incoming student, you’ll be rejected right off the bat. The program I’m interviewing at next week is one I applied to before, identifying literally the same person. This year though, everything ended up lining up better for an interview invite.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Deleted User]

I hadn’t even thought about that, Wick! I totally forgot about the faculty advisor component.

[Wick & Fable]

Yeah, reaching out to your desired advisor before starting applications can be a critical step!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Deleted User]

I know clinical psych can be tough for getting in. Hubs’ professor applied to the same few programs 3 or 4 times and finally had someone accept him on for research. 

[Dface]

I studied zoology as my undergrad and then went on to do bioinformatics and genomics in my master’s. I love both, so want to be able to combine them in a statistics heavy animal research/disease research PhD. The one I applied for was unusual in that field work was also part of it, which was an exciting aspect cause most phds will see me staring at a screen (which is still interesting to me )

[Muchelle]

Posted By Wick on 2/07/2018 10:36 AM

Hello. I usually don’t participant in the monthly chats (though I enjoy reading), but this one has veered in a very relevant direction for me, and I’d like advice if anyone has some to offer.

I have a PhD program (Clinical Psychology) interview literally next week and am in a grey area of preparing/not trying to get tweaked out by it. Does anyone (applicants/people considering/already enrolled) have advice, or could contribute to my running list of “potential interview questions”?

Omg, you a fellow psychologist Wick?

First of all, how’s the selection process? Is it first by titles and THEN you get to do the interview or it’s just the interview?

If you’re going directly to interview make sure that your CV is complete (add also any collab/poster presentation/lesson/etc you may have done together with any publications), that your scientific/professional language is doing fine and dust off those statistics notions because if they want to be bothersome they may ask if you know how to operate SPSS and all that good stuff. If you’re not applying for a specific project, check beforehand the research topics that they are interested in and make sure you can sustain at least a general conversation about them/their research method.

Generic questions should be: what’s been your study iter, what are your main interests, why are you applying, what makes you interested in X topic, what are you expecting to learn from this project + specific questions about the position they are hiring for, as I’ve written just above.

Anyways, 90% of selection is based on what happens before the interview (CV review, political matters -sigh-, etc) so don’t get too stressed. Have a nice clean haircut, nice clothing, sit down without fidgeting and show them who’s boss

I’ve been kicked out of PhD selection cause of political matters and I’ve kinda given up at this point, but I’ve helped other colleagues get in, so I hope the advice can be useful. 

[LBJ10]

Where I went to grad school, you could not be accepted into a program UNLESS a professor agrees to sponsor you and be your adviser before you apply. That means you basically have to know what your thesis or dissertation will be on and you have to “sell” it to the professor you wish to have as your adviser. It doesn’t matter if you get offered a funded position or not, you had to have a professor agree to take you on first.

I have a Masters and it about killed me. I had funding for the first half and then budget cuts resulted in a lot of people losing their funding. So I went from being a teaching assistant with a stipend to nothing. I was so screwed! I didn’t have a regular job and I didn’t qualify for unemployment. So I ended up taking out loans so I could finish my classes. =\ I managed to finally get a job. The pay was horrible, but I needed the experience. So I was all but thesis on my Masters for a few years while I worked. Trying to get it done was terrible because I was having to do it in my “free time”. Plus I ran into quite a few road blocks along the way and, at one point, almost had to start over from scratch.

Sorry, I’m a negative Nancy when it comes to grad school. There are times when I think to myself that it wasn’t worth it. At the same time, the thought of a PhD has crossed my mind… but only because I have the desire to teach. I don’t think that will happen though. There just isn’t funding available.

Wick, this may be bad advice, but it seems more and more that you cannot answer “no/no experience” to any of the questions asked. I’m not saying lie, but you might want to find ways to spin stuff. Someone can be the perfect candidate, but they get overlooked because they don’t sell themselves enough. Not saying that is you! I was just putting that out there.

[Muchelle]

Here it’s the same, you have to go in with some pre-“contract” with a specific teacher or you’re automatically out, they’ll just throw you out at the early stages of selection :/ I love to teach as well, but that path’s been barred for me unless stuff changes. But guess what, there are no funds so it’s always gonna be the same fight between the most politically powerful professors. It’s bad to say but I’m kinda glad it’s not just Italy in this situation, means we’re not worse than the other countries at least.

[Wick & Fable]

Thank you all for the insights. I’ll let everyone know how the day goes next week. If I do get accepted, Wick and I will be moving, which is exciting and nerve-wracking because we are very attached to his vet. I hesitate to let any other vet operate on and do Wick’s dental grindings because he bounces back so well, and a lot of it has to do with how skilled Wick’s vet is. Very little stress on his body. Thankfully, Wick can tolerate car rides of 2hrs, so we may just make the trek every month if I cannot find someone reliable in that area.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Exciting times, I hope you’ll get the job! And hopefully there will be a good vet around, but let’s not get ahead on matters…

[BunBuns]

Could I ask for help? I don’t know how to make my own forum and I need to ask a question? If no one would mind that is >-< Sorry If I sounded rude

[Deleted User]

How would you guys feel about an online PhD? I’ve been giving them some thought lately. I know you won’t get the experience and benefit of face-to-face time with an advisor, and the financial aspect is certainly much different, but you could be working in the field while doing getting a doctorate. Maybe it’s different for accounting? idk

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Posted By BunBuns on 2/09/2018 10:04 AM

Could I ask for help? I don’t know how to make my own forum and I need to ask a question? If no one would mind that is >-< Sorry If I sounded rude

You probably want to make your own topic, if I have it right? Here’s how you do that:

– Check if your question has been asked before by someone else, all the answers you seek may already be here The “Search” function is in the light blue ribbon on the right side of the page.

– If you couldn’t find the info you were looking for, visit the right subforum for your question. For instance: does it fit in the “Diet” or “Behaviour” subforum? You’ll get a page with all the topics in that subforum, and on the bottom you’ll find a button that says “Add topic”.

[Wick & Fable]

@ BunBuns – Not a problem! You want to start at the regular forum page: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/Default.aspx

From there, select a category you think your question/topic falls into (no penalty if it’s a weird question and you’re unsure of a category, just choose one!). Then, once you click on the category, you’ll see a [ + Add Topic ] button on the top left, on the other side of the Page number count on the top right.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Bam]

BunBuns, I’ve sent you a pm.

You can find your thread here, I started it for you: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/165299/Default.aspx

[LBJ10]

Muchelle – There are no funds for natural resources… just like history, literature, etc. Now, if it were something like microbiology, it might be a different story.

[Q8bunny]

I really should start a thread to document the steps involved in Chewie’s relocation, but I’m too lazy and the odds of another bun moving from Kuwait to Ontario are so slim…

Anyhoo… now that we’re into T minus 2 months, I submitted his import permit application last night and notified the vet who will inspect him at the airport of his flight info.

On the bummer side, the nice vet who was supposed to oversee his quarantine in London has relocated to a different field office and was replaced by an utterly unhelpful and unpleasant wanker. He flat out refused to answer a single question, sending me the same three links to the gov site which didn’t answer my questions (which is why I was asking in the first place). I hope he gets transferred before April.

[Bam]

It’s really cool, Q8. T minus 2 months!!! How long will he have to stay in London? I too hope that vet gets transferred. To Gulag or someplace.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Oh great, now that’s going to help your worries Q8

* Puts on evil scientist coat *

Akzident always around corner in busy job, no? Nao we take zee rabbid woolverine und tape two floffy eers like zo..und nao for ze switching of ze crates… MUHAHAHAHA! HUHUHUHUHU!

Hey! Zere is zomeone at doorbell. IIIGOOOOR!

[Bladesmith]

Posted By bam on 2/10/2018 3:43 AM

It’s really cool, Q8. T minus 2 months!!! How long will he have to stay in London? I too hope that vet gets transferred. To Gulag or someplace.

Not one to wish others ill (Clover sez: ” Don’t believe him, he totally is when it comes to animals.” ), but let’s hope he gets transferred somewhere to spend the rest of his career checking male camels for venereal diseases.  Against their will.

Hope you and Chewie get home soon and safe, Q8!  If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, drop by!

[Bladesmith]

@Garfy: Wake the boyfriend up in the middle of the night, backlit by the hall light so you’re just a silhouette, holding a sharp knife and say, “What? It’s JUST a penis….”

[Hazel]

Wick: Good luck! 

Ellie, Bladesmith: 

Q8: Sorry you lost the good vet. Nothing worse than having to deal with a moron like that. I’d love to read about Chewie’s progress, I think it would still be informative for others trying to move with their buns.

It looks like I might be getting a new car in a few days! We were going to get a used one, but it just so happens that everyone is trying to get rid of their 2017 vehicles right now to make room for the 2018’s. So we’d just at a couple of grand more for a brand new one than we would have for a used one. Never had a new car, so exciting! 

[Dface]

Q8 – thats so exciting, but boo over the vet is there a chance you can get a different vet?
Maybe under concerns of his rabbit prowess?

I’ve been watching the winter Olympics all day today ! It’s my favourite thing, all of the sports are such a foreign concept to me and I just find something so magical about it lol.
I was supposed to go on a date today with my boyfriend but unfortunately I had one of my fainting spells. It lasted about four hours where I was in and out of consciousness and was in too much pain to move for most of the day. Thankfully my family where there to help me. I’m really dejected over it. It had been a while since it was this bad, and a sharp reminder that I need to find a doctor that will agree to try help find out what’s wrong with me. Most doctors just tell me I’m making it up or being dramatic *sigh*
Rant over !
At least my bunnies are great nurse maids – kisses and cuddles in bed all day.

[Azerane]

Dface I’m sorry to hear that. I’m assuming they’ve ruled out simple stuff like blood pressure?

Hubby and I had our first “date” in a while yesterday. Between work and the weather and other commitments we just really haven’t spent any time together in ages. Yesterday we went go karting It was so much fun. I may be a little competitive (read a lot) and am not one to be outdone by men in traditionally “manly ” activities ? so I went all out in both sessions. I actually recorded the fastest time in the second session (apart from one guy who worked there but i don’t think that counts when he probably drives every day). We also went to a restaurant and ate way too much food. We ended up completely exhausted and I have seatbelt burn on my neck, lol. Hubby was so tired he crashed on the couch at 9:30 and I found him still in the same position when I got out of bed this morning!

For any who may be wondering, Luna is 100% recovered from her polyp removal. I’ve been trying not to irritate the area but did check it today and it’s looking good. Apollo started shedding yesterday. Friday he looked perfectly normal, then Saturday morning he looked like some kind of homeless bunny with fur tufts just exploding out in every direction. This morning both bunnies were groomed at the home salon and had a mani-pedi

[Bam]

Dface, that sounds quite bothersome, to say the least =(

Azerane, that sounds like lots of fun! And yay for Luna’s little butt having healed up =) Bam started shedding last week too, after a non-shedding period of like 3 weeks, which is sth of a record lately.

[Vienna Blue in France]

All 5 shedding here.
You know the tv programmes about when all the corals in the sea release their eggs in one night when the moon is right and all the water is filled with spores….? Well, that is pretty much the same as Chez Vienna at the moment!! Hahaha
Az, sofunny.
Hazel soexcitng
Dface. So sorry. I watched the documentary about the Indian coma boys this week where two brothers became paralysed when the Sun went down !!!!
this had been happening for years and eventually a specialist doctor suspected that there was a hormone missing and everything is ok now.

[Dface]

Don’t mention the word shedding ! I’m shedding my hair, the rabbits are shedding theirs, not to mention the dog and cat… Happy spring -_-
I swear we have tumbleweeds of fur blowing around the house. Peep actually leaves a trail of fur on the carpet as he goes.. Like a weird snail 😆

Thanks guys! I think I posted about it before actually, but it’s to do with an evil uterus ha
I’ve been to several doctors about it but they don’t seem to believe me, which makes it hard to keep going back to be told there’s nothing wrong with you(despite none of them doing any tests) , and you’re ‘just being dramatic’ and being told to just go on the pill as ‘fix all’.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@Azerane: glad to hear she’s doing well ^_^ And that sounds like a really fun night!

@Vienna: Yikes! It’s the furpocalypse! Be strong, be brave

@Dface: Sorry to hear that, doctors often don’t take womens’ troubles seriously. Keep searching though, because there will be someone with the answer!
Just to show how much doctors can differ: I’ve had chronic pain there for 8 years now, making intimacy difficult. My previous doctors always insisted on using a big speculum for every exam, which was excruciatingly painful. They also never found any oddities and blamed it on hormones. I started to avoid them because it was so demeaning and painful. However, I’ve switched GP last year and decided to bring up the issue again. He flat out told me: you don’t need a speculum for these exams. I’ve been in pain for nothing all these years! He told me a lot of doctors get stuck in a rut and will do things “because I’ve done it like that for 30 years”. Turns out there was a minor imbalance in the flora, which is often overlooked but can give a lot of discomfort. I’m on meds as we speak

[Blue Moon]

@dface: sorry to hear that you aren’t doing well
poppy is on the sunporch/green house with my breeding flock of chickens

[Blue Moon]

here is the picture

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Aww, that’s a really adorable pic! And it looks so warm and sunny where you are Any chance Breintje and I can bunk on the couch for a night? We’re having freezing temperatures and wet snow again tomorrow…

Today a friend came over and we made costumes all day. Just when I was waving goodbye to her I saw Breintje from the corner of my eye, and he had a long strip of material hanging his mouth. We don’t know whether it was pattern paper or a strip of fabric. No idea where he got it from, because we cut all the pattern pieces in the hallway. Great, so now it’s hay for him and counting poops for me…

[Dface]

BM – my chickens loathe my rabbits, especially my rooster, so we can’t let them be out at the same time ! But yours loo fairly at peace !

Ellie- I’m sorry to hear it took so long to get something that was so easy to fix in the end sorted, but I’m glad to know it worked out okay
I often wonder how my bunnies get their paw on things like that, especially free roam brats. We once found peep playing with a lightbulb one day. We don’t know who left a lightbulb lying around or how he got it *shrugs*
I feel like mischief is their sole purpose in this life sometimes.
Maybe breintje was feeling left out :p

[Bam]

Ellie, someone had eaten holes in my gym bra the other day. Found out when I put it on to go to spin class. It must’ve been on the floor at some point. I asked Bam but he claimed to know nothing about it. But I’m not sure I really believe him =/

[Deleted User]

Dface, I know exactly how frustrating it can be when a doctor just writes it off as nothing wrong with you -.- I have been dealing with back pain every day for the last 6 years. I’ve seen three different doctors about it now, who all just did one xray and said that I’m fine and I just need to lose weight. They don’t seem to understand that this all started when I was a 16 year old girl that was NOT overweight…yes, over the years I have become overweight, because exercise and physical therapy are both very painful, so I have been quite sedentary for the past years. I just had a flare up that started on Thursday and I have been in a miserable amount of pain since then. I’m talking crying in my bed because it is too painful to even roll myself over. My husband has had to help me get dressed every morning, and I feel bad waking him up all night from yelling in pain when I have spasms and sciatica… so I went to the doctor on Monday, who again only ordered an xray and physical therapy. This time though, the xray is showing that I’m having disk degeneration in my lumbar spine, which sucks to have starting so early (I’m 22). I start physical therapy on Feb 27th, which I am not excited about. Last time I did PT for this, all the exercises left me in excruciating pain. My twin sister has ankylosing spondylitis, which is basically a condition where the bones in your spine end up fusing, leaving you rigid with limited range of motion. For some reason my physician does not think that it is necessary to test me, even though AS has a strong genetic correlation…. It’s so frustrating to pursue this that I just keep giving up and I live with the pain every day so I have gotten so used to it.

[Heaven]

I’m really sorry to hear that, BunNoob I’ve recently been suffering with back pain and it’s extremely difficult and frustrating to pinpoint the cause accurately. Physiotherapy hasn’t helped me either, am now waiting on a hospital referral (but could apparently take up to 2 months). I know user Ellie from the Netherlands has back problems too. Surprising how common it is but how little can be done to treat it.

[Bladesmith]

Posted By bam on 2/15/2018 3:41 AM

Ellie, someone had eaten holes in my gym bra the other day. Found out when I put it on to go to spin class. It must’ve been on the floor at some point. I asked Bam but he claimed to know nothing about it. But I’m not sure I really believe him =/

I HATE when that happens.  

What are these “Date” things you folks refer to?  I am unfamiliar.  Are they fun?

@Those with pain issues:

I was in a massive car accident in 2005, after breaking my back in 2004.  A week before back surgery, my then wife and I got t boned by someone running a yellow light as we were turning (Florida drivers…..)  I was on the side that got hit.  3 broken ribs, lung punctured in 2 places and collapsed, and a right hip shattered into many many pieces (I have a titanium plate and 9 bolts holding it together.  I’m officially a cyborg.  Sadly, I didn’t get the Phased Plasma rifle in the 40 watt range).  According to the Trooper who interviewed us, I saw it coming, unbuckled, and threw myself over my wife, who was 9 weeks pregnant at the time.   Otherwise I’d have been smashed into paste.  I died twice, once on the Helo flight, and once on the operating table.  (No in flight movie either time, so I came back.)  I was never supposed to walk unaided again.  Once recovered from that (nominally),  I finally had my back surgery which failed (Natch.).

So I’m familiar with pain, live with it daily.  I did all the rounds, the physical therapy, the meds. Oy with the meds.  They stuffed me with every type of pain meds known to man.  Oxy, Fentynal (which damn near killed me again.  Heat released pain patch in summer?  In FLORIDA?  After a Hurricane and there’s no power for A/C?), you name it.  Finally, they went with the classic, plain old morphine.  Which, huzzah!  Works.  And over time, I’ve managed to reduce the dosage to the point to where it’s the bare minimum, and gives me some higher quality of life.

I too spent years laying in bed weeping in pain.  It SUCKS, especially when you’re used to being an active, go go go kind of person.

And doctors really don’t listen to you when you’re trying to explain pain they can’t quantify, and either throw drugs at you or tell you it’s all in your head.  When they’re telling you more physical therapy is needed when you’re telling them that a half hour of therapy means 2-3 days in bed weeping in pain, unable to function.  It’s ridiculous.  It’s a reason I’m an advocate for medical marijuana, though I don’t use it now and would never smoke it (Tried it once, hate the stuff, but I cannot deny it’s medicinal uses).

I don’t have any cures to offer.  I can walk now without a cane most of the time, when I was regulated to a walker for life (Because screw THAT noise…)  All I can say is find what works for you, move as much as possible within your limits (I was lucky, I had a newborn daughter to keep me mobile and engaged.  Taking care of her healed me in many, many ways…), and do what works for you.  We may not be able to get a pain free life, but we can get a good quality of life in there somewhere.

Also, a sense of humor really helps.  I’m a complete idiot, which provides me many chances to entertain and laugh at myself.   Plus, Bunnies!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I’m so sorry to hear about that BunNoob, it’s horrible if doctors don’t take you seriously
The condition your mentioned your sister has is also called Bechterew’s disease, right? They tested me for it last month because I also have lower back pain. You can’t exclude it just by making an X-ray. They should run blood tests too to check for rheumatic blood factors, inflammation factors and the genetic predisposition. You can’t have Bechterew if the gene HLA-B27 is normal, but in a certain percentage of the population it’s abnormal and those people have a chance to develop Bechterew. The only way to fully exclude it is to do the full works.

Lower back pain is a really difficult condition because it can be caused by so many things. It could be a rheumatic illness (Bechterew or Fibromyalgia), or a neurological condition (herniated discs), or osteoporosis, or something as simple as bad posture. Whatever causes it, it’s horrible for the patient. The pain is often so severe that it interferes with all daily activities like sleeping, personal care and tasks around the house.
From firsthand experience I know that the diagnosis can take a long time, and sometimes nothing can be found. It may take several professionals from all these different fields. In my case the doctors concluded that my FM has gotten worse and they’ve referred me to a rehabilitation centre. I’m starting in 2 weeks as well. If you want to talk about it, you’re welcome to talk to me via PM or Skype chat. *big and careful hug*

[Deleted User]

Migraine sufferer here, and it is an absolute nightmare. I was diagnosed a few months after turning 15. A few days after my 15th birthday I started getting severe agonizing pains on either side of my temples. It would feel like someone was stabbing my head with an ice pick. Literally nothing helped. I would take the highest dose/strength of all the pain meds, to no relief. The pain was so bad I wasn’t able to sleep all night, so I’d end up missing school and sleeping all morning. I was constantly exhausted and sick. My mother was pretty relentless, and I had a CT scan, MRI, EEG, and PET scan done. They finally came to the conclusion that I have migraines, and I was currently experiences the severest form, Status Migrainosis. Here I am at 26, and I still suffer as much as back then. I honestly have a migraine most days of the week. I lay in bed at night crying because it hurts. Then I’m so exhausted all day, but I still have to work. I’ve been prescribed a low grade narcotic for the pain, but when you work full and take grad classes full time, medicine like that isn’t really an option, so I suck it up. What has been the best help though, is my little bundles of messy joy (A&B of course!). They give me so many reasons to live and be thankful. They both always seem to know if I have a really bad migraine because Bombur will lay next to me and stay forever, and Asriel will crawl on my chest and nap with me.

[Heaven]

Aww, big hugs guys <3 saddened to hear everyones experiences but also grateful we can share & know we arent alone. Bunnies are such little delights! I've been off work lately with my back but one huge positive at least is being home to watch Sam be silly & make me laugh throughout the day.

[Deleted User]

@Ellie, exactly what I’m saying! I work with neuro radiologists, and they see how often I am in pain and how susceptible I am to back injury and they tell me all the time that I need an MRI, because xray doesn’t show a whole lot aside from fractures and arthritic changes. My sister had all kinds of labs and stuff done, but for whatever reason my doctor won’t even order the bloodwork for the HLA-B27 gene. and I do have a family history of rheumatoid disorders. It’s so irritating that I can’t get the doctor to order further testing. I feel like I’m just being disregarded for being overweight… which I could change if I could actually exercise without my spine feeling like it is literally going to break in half… I’m actually extremely frustrated because I started taking my bike to work three weeks ago trying to lose weight. It was hard enough to bike 5 miles with my moderate pain, but then I had this flair up and I have hardly been able to walk for a week, so I’m again forced to abandon my exercise regimen. It just pisses me off, I stick with something and do really well until my back decides to take me out. GAH!

@Bladesmith man, you have been through a lot! Makes me stop and think how it could be so much worse. Have you ever tried edible form? I’ve cooked some up before and helped me, but of course if you don’t like the effect of it…there are definitely some benefits to be had though. I used to do it to control nausea, I had horrible anxiety for a period that was so bad that it would make me vomit.

@Heaven, as Ellie said, it’s so tricky to get a diagnosis because there are SO many different things that can cause back pain. It’s so exhaustive to go through all the motions and never get any answers. Then you start to feel discouraged because you feel like something is definitely wrong, but you’re just being told there isn’t!

@A&B, migraines are no joke! That sharp, stinging pain is a horrible, horrible experience. I’m a total baby about migraines when I do get them. I get you about the meds when you have so many other responsibilities. Can’t go getting loopy when you have a paper to write XD Good thing that your mom was diligent though, my mom’s solution was to pray for me and put in prayer requests at the church. Finally I got so pissed at her and just laid into her about being a bad mom, which I feel horrible about. But when your 16 year old daughter can hardly ambulate out of the bed for 2 months, should tell you that a doctor is needed…

[joea64]

Compared to you guys, I have it easy – type II diabetes for the past decade or so (at least – I was diagnosed in 2008 and may have had it for some years before), high cholesterol issues, arthritis in my knees (I wear SAS shoes, which is a very good but very expensive brand in the U.S. which is designed specially for people who need comfort when walking), and of course, my bad teeth (a longstanding problem on the maternal side of my family; I’m going in tomorrow to have that faulty root canal repaired and the first stage of a thorough “deep cleaning” of my teeth). I don’t include my hearing impairment, really, since I’ve had that since birth and don’t see it as a medical problem, just part of the overall whole. Oh, and I have to wear different glasses for “regular” reading and for staring at a computer monitor.

[Deleted User]

Joe, oh my family is notoriously unhealthy so I’m sure I’ll be experiencing some of those things at some point… which is why I’m really trying to get healthier and exercise more. Everyone is overweight, got diabetes, high BP, heart disease, arthritis, you name it. I’ll just stick to bunnies instead of children, no need to pass on my crappy genes

[Dface]

Do people with bad backs just gravitate towards rabbits?
This thread is making feel like they do :p
I have had back problems since I was 17 (now 24) I spent years going in circles about what was wrong. Some said it wasn’t my back, it was my hips, then others said it was my feet then others were saying it was normal pain for a sports person.
Eventually they found that there was a fusion in the bones of my feet, a misalignment of my hips and a slight curve in my spine. It’s not as bad as a lot of what you guys have at all, and I manage it easily enough now but I suffer with bulging discs from a sport injury that pinch nerves in my upper and lower back , and have almost no cartilage left in one of my hips.
But getting the MRI scans and x-rays was such a long battle .

BN- I can’t believe the unwillingness of doctors to perform tests. I also asked to be tested for things(not that I want the invasive tests done, but I feel I should have things checked) and was told no. It’s absolutely horrible to be denied something so simple THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR. it’s so ridiculous. Like what harm is it to them to do?

[Deleted User]

LOL BN: Sames! I sadly got all my mother’s horrendous genes. Do you want to know how much fun I had as a 4 foot 5, 120 pound fourth grader? My family’s version of healthiness was to make a salad of meat, cheese, pickles, croutons, and half a cup of dressing, and exercising was walking to the cupboards for chips and back to the TV.

[MountainBuns]

Jeez, I am just about the average weight for my age! Not to tall either. Eat a lot though, lol!

Just for the fun if it Bunny Pics!

         What is she looking up! She was sitting on the “a” key.

[Deleted User]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 2/15/2018 10:24 AM

LOL BN: Sames! I sadly got all my mother’s horrendous genes. Do you want to know how much fun I had as a 4 foot 5, 120 pound fourth grader? My family’s version of healthiness was to make a salad of meat, cheese, pickles, croutons, and half a cup of dressing, and exercising was walking to the cupboards for chips and back to the TV.

L M A O  YASSSS. Your maiden name didn’t happen to be Martin?  haha!!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Well, bunnies love a quiet household with people who aren’t too high-energy. And people who deal with chronic pain love to have a cuddly companion around who doesn’t judge you if you’re on the couch all day, but will gladly join you.
Rabbits are also easy to clean up after and don’t need to be walked. They’re also super sociable and will actively seek you out to comfort you.

I think bunnies are the perfect pets for people with chronic illnesses or disabilities

[Sirius&Luna]

To be fair, I strongly believe cheese improves ALL salads.

[Deleted User]

I strongly agree with that assessment S&L xD it improves the quality of life.
BN: I was a King. Now I’m an Ingemi. I gave up my royal status.
Ellie: 100% agree with you about buns being perfect for chronic illness and disabilities.

[Deleted User]

lol the hubs made you a commoner!

Ellie and S&L, I completely agree with both statements XD

[Bladesmith]

@BunNoob; Oh that was just 04/05, and not counting the Hurricanes. Or the years in the military. Those were fun. You should have been around for the great leaf pile explosion of 2010, when I almost burned my arms off.

(Holy crap, I just realized life is trying to KILL me!)

[Heaven]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 2/15/2018 11:15 AM
100% agree with you about buns being perfect for chronic illness and disabilities.

At the risk of sounding bleak, they give you a reason to get up in the morning (in the best possible way)

[MountainBuns]

My favorite Salad:

Corn Chips(Like Fritos)
Romaine Lettuce(Why is Caroline staring at me?)
Mozzarella Cheese(YAASSSSS)
Grated Carrots(Mmmmmm, crunchy)
Spicy Taco Dressing(Who said Taco sauce was only for Taco’s?)
Croutons(Optional if your want some extra flavor)
Chopped Radishes(Trust me its good)
Iceberg Lettuce (Just as a filler)

Preparation: Mix for like a minute and then EAT

*This is basically a Doles Salad kit called Southwest Salad just without red cabbage, BECAUSE RED CABBAGE SUCKS!

[Deleted User]

@Bladesmith I remember the hurricanes those years! And we still went to school with cat 2 or 3 storms passing through… now Alachua county cancels school for a tropical storm or a cat 1…. actually, they also cancelled school for two days in Jan when it was in the 20s and raining… oh Florida, can’t handle a little cold?

And I concur… life IS trying to kill you!

[Deleted User]

Here in the north we just have our blizzards, though this year has been relatively calm. We obviously don’t get bad hurricanes up here that much, but it’s kinda funny when there’s even a threat of a tropical storm. My college evacuated 2 dorms and cancelled all classes during a tropical storm in 2012. We ended up with 25mph winds and barely any rain.

[Deleted User]

lmao I honestly get excited when a hurricane is coming because that means I don’t have to work (nonessential personnel) and so we just have “hurricane parties”… these consist of nonperishable snacks, lanterns, and of course a cooler full of various alcoholic beverages

…although, I would probably be much less excited if I were a homeowner LOL

[joea64]

*grumble* Got to wait another week to get my tooth fixed. The dentist had a last-minute family emergency and all her patients had to be rescheduled. Fortunately, the amoxicillin has done its work and I’ve not had any pain in a week and a half or so.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Glad to hear that the pain is over at least

[Hazel]

Bladesmith: Have you considered getting yourself a medical card? (if it’s legal where you live). If I remember correctly, you used to be a police officer, I would be interested to hear your take on the whole legalization thing.

I’m sorry to hear there are so many here with chronic pain issues.  So far I’ve been lucky in that regard.

Within the first 10 minutes of me getting home from work yesterday, Otis managed to grab a sock out of the hamper and swallowed it whole before I could catch him (how does one swallow a thick woolen sock while running at full speed??) I spent a few minutes freaking out, thinking he would have to have emergency surgery and whatnot. Then I remembered the hydrogen peroxide trick, looked up the right dosage and syringed it into him. Worked like a charm, after 10 minutes the sock came right back out, along with his breakfast. For future reference, always remove the rugs before you make the dog puke all over the kitchen floor. 

The hubby got me a copy of the SOTC remake. LOVE it. Bought this game three times now, played it countless hours, still the best game ever made. This remake is so beautiful, I spend more time just riding around gawking at the sights than I do playing the campaign. The new photo mode doesn’t help to keep me on track, either.

[LongEaredLions]

I’ll add my white bunnies (Lionel and Roxanne) because I feel like February just started. Where did the month go?!?!
In other news, is anyone eating FAR too much Valentines chocolate? I’ve consumed my body weight and then I sit there wondering why I don’t look like the Olympic figure skaters.

[LBJ10]

Hazel – My dog had an ulcer and would throw up if her stomach was empty. If I heard the “urge” coming on, I would race her outside so she could throw up out there. I hope Otis is alright. It sounds like he really enjoyed that sock!

LEL – I bought a big bag of Valentine’s Day M&Ms. That was the only chocolate I had. My husband got me a bag of Trolli sour hearts. Not as good as the worms, but still yummy!

[LongEaredLions]

I haven’t eaten the trolls sour worms for a long time (not veggie) but there was a point I was absolutely addicted! We buy sour worms from our local bulk food store occasionally..they aren’t quite as good..but maybe that’s better

[Vienna Blue in France]

On the subject of animals in the first stages of throwing up, never, ever, NEVER pick up a cat doing the stomach waves (to remove it from home furnishings for ex)
Experience has recently taught me that if you do pick them up at this point, it will very efficiently aid in the projectory power of said contents towards the nearest home furnishings…. entice it, chase it, but do NOT squeeze the middle !!!!!!!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Warning, I have a sick kitty and I’m not afraid to use it!

[LongEaredLions]

I giggled, Vienna. Yuck!

[LongEaredLions]

Ellie, your profile picture is distracting me immensely. Too cute!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hehe, that’s one of Breintje’s most sassy looks ^_^ He had just torn up all the cardboard flooring in his hutch, and was giving me this cheeky look when I went over to check where all that noise was coming from.

[Azerane]

Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 2/18/2018 3:53 AM
On the subject of animals in the first stages of throwing up, never, ever, NEVER pick up a cat

Lol, Vienna. I learned that years ago though fortunately i was the observer, not the person picking up the cat, haha. So gross!

I cleaned out the pantry today and Jasiri spent the whole day “helping” me, lol. She was so busy though and a combination of that and eating an enormous amount of food today she has been in a coma for the past 3 hours Usually she follows me everywhere but even when I got up to pet her I was barely acknowledged.

Heading to my mum’s tomorrow, we’re making tomato sauce. Can’t wait!

[jerseygirl]

Wild’s Ezy sauce tomato sauce, by chance? Or a passata like in “looking for Alibrandi”? Or something else entirely??

[Bam]

We were on an owl excursion last night. I’ve been once before, that time we heard several owls and saw one. Yesterday we heard only one male and one female, and the male was rather far off. The tawny owl’s call can be mimicked by a human, and this time of year, if you go out among big old trees when it’s dark and mimick a tawny owl, there’s a very good chance real tawny owls will answer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bBLGlRoWsM

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

That’s so cool Bam! I love owls, they’re so fascinating ^_^

Oh my oh my oh my!!! News from NL:
Weather predictions: an unusually cold time ahead: a whole week of good frost…
All waterways along the Elfsteden route have been blocked off for non-essential water traffic….
Does that mean? Does that mean it may? May it actually happen again? An Eleven Cities Tour???

Skating fever is hitting NL, people are starting to hope and prepare, with one eye on the weather predictions for Frisia. It’s looking good so far:

I’ll keep you all posted, the whole tour is broadcast online as well

[Deleted User]

As someone who lives in New England, I really can’t understand your excitement for cold spells. It is nearly 70 degrees here in Boston today, and I’m the happiest I’ve been since the start of December. I really hate anything under 50. Sadly, we drop almost 30 degrees tomorrow with 40 degrees and snow. New England, the most bipolar weather on earth.

[Bam]

Ellie, How exciting!! If you get cold weather, maybe we’ll get some of it too! This morning the world I woke up to was fuzzy white with snow, unfortunately almost all of it was gone by noon

A&B, bipolar weather The weather in the south of Sweden rather seems to be suffering from chronic depression.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 2/21/2018 11:18 AM

As someone who lives in New England, I really can’t understand your excitement for cold spells. It is nearly 70 degrees here in Boston today, and I’m the happiest I’ve been since the start of December. I really hate anything under 50. Sadly, we drop almost 30 degrees tomorrow with 40 degrees and snow. New England, the most bipolar weather on earth.

We have a maritime climate which means means wind and rain from September to May. In winter temperatures will fluctuate around the freezing point so we get sleat, wet snow and other slushy muck which freezes up overnight. No romantic walks in powdery fluffy snow here, but half-molten/half-frozen muck to trip you up unexpectedly. Always being paranoid when biking to work: is that just a wet piece of road or a…. *clang*… ouch, yeah, that was ice…

So yes, we love it when the weather gets really cold and predictable for a change ^_^ We’re a nation of skaters and snow-lovers, enjoying the fun sides of winter whenever we get the chance. 

[MountainBuns]

The sun is having mood swings over here at Baltimore! It snowed last Friday and now its 79 degrees today. Make up you mind sun, lol!

[Reesebun]

The weather is also crazy where I live. A couple days ago there was a foot of snow, then yesterday the temp got up to 60 degrees F and it all melted. It also rained 1.4 inches yesterday, the day when it got really warm and everyone wished they were outside, and flooded everything, then today it got below freezing and everything was covered in ice. Make up your mind weather!!!

[Muchelle]

Eh, sorry, I need to spam a bit of a rant. Do skip ahead if bureaucracy makes you go homicidal ^_^”

So, Florence’s town hall is doing a public selection for some office jobs. It’s not really my thing, but I’ve been unemployed since forever so it can’t hurt to try.
Deadline should have been on the 28th, but surprise surprise! It’s tomorrow! So me and my friend rush on the site to do the online pre-registration. Should be just matter of putting in our names, fiscal codes and address like usual (nope.jpg).

Turns out they introduced a new “digital identification” program, which you can bypass if you have an account linked to your healthcare card and a card reader. I totally have it, so I go ahead with the procedure. I get to the card authentication part and…. the site messes something up and my account is blocked! Which means a trip to the hospital to have someone unblock my damn healthcare card.

So we try another method, we register to a gov site to create a verified digital identity account…. it requires the card anyways, or you can pay 14.99 dobloons to have a WEBCAM IDENTIFICATION. I would have laughed if I wasn’t about ready to kill someone. Other way around to get it for free is to print the screen and take the signed printed paper to the nearest authorized office, which closes at 15.00. It was 15.30.

So tomorrow morning, the day I could have slept till noon, I’ll have to A) go to the hospital to unlock my card; 2) go to the office to unlock the digital identity tomfoolery; 3) go to the post office to pay the access fee to the selection.

WHY GOD WHY
/end rant/

[MountainBuns]

Glad I am not the one weather’s weird behavioral problems, lol.

[LBJ10]

Don’t get me started about the weather! OMG! I’m just done with winter. Done. Period. It’s supposed to snow tonight and this weekend. *grumbles*

Muchelle – I don’t think I followed all of that. LOL But that would be super annoying. Of course, I shouldn’t talk. The application process for getting a city government job here is ridiculous. And it’s long too. It takes them months to hire someone after an application period ends. Um… but applying doesn’t involve any sort of healthcare card. Why would they need that anyway?

Speaking of work… things have been frustrating lately. It feels like not everyone is on board and there really isn’t much I can do about it.

[Muchelle]

Posted By LBJ10 on 2/21/2018 9:01 PM

Muchelle – I don’t think I followed all of that. LOL But that would be super annoying. Of course, I shouldn’t talk. The application process for getting a city government job here is ridiculous. And it’s long too. It takes them months to hire someone after an application period ends. Um… but applying doesn’t involve any sort of healthcare card. Why would they need that anyway?

yup yup super slow hiring here too… at the local hospital they’re still fishing people from the same selection from 2012!

Eh, healthcare card cause they’re doing this online identity thing and it’s super hard to fake or to use someone else’s card also because Italy is the homeland to bureaucratic nightmares! Here’s totally normal to take a day off work to go take care of taxes or bills or anything else that involves the town hall or the government ^__^”

[Azerane]

@JG just ordinary tomato sauce from scratch. It’s a recipe that my mum and her friend put together years ago.

@Bam, owls are fantastic, those Tawny owls look like they’re pretty big! We only have smaller owl species in my state. I Ioved hearing the barred owls in the USA because they sound the way owls were described in every picture book from my childhood! Here our most common owls say “boo-book”

Want to talk about weather? We’ve got the air con on today It’s 33C at 9am!

[MountainBuns]

@ Azerene Wow! The weather in Australia is hot! At 9am, jeez. Must be horrible if you do not have air conditioning! Is the weather always like that, even in the winter?

[LBJ10]

Azerane – A barred owl says “Who cooks for you?” ;p I love owls. We mostly have screech owls in town and some great horned owls. We would find owl pellets in the park.

Muchelle – I think we just have to enter a driver’s license or state-issued ID number. I mean, if you are offered a job then they will confirm your identify by asking for multiple forms of ID in person.

[Bam]

LBJ: The great horned owl (bubo virginianus) seems to be closely related to our eagle owl (bubo bubo). They’re huge! They don’t live in cities though.

Azerane. That’s an awesome temperature. Our weather resembles Ellie’s. Further north they have 6 feet of snow right now. We’ve had a measly half inch at best. Very good for Bam though, it’s meant fresh grass daily all through winter.

At woodcarving class yesterday I cut myself with the knife (pinky finger), a saw (thumb) and an axe (index finger). 

Here’s a pic of Bam from minutes ago, all flopped out on his cardboard house. His feet are just killing me. 

[Wick & Fable]

Sorry to cut into this owl-heavy conversation! I wanted to let everyone know I was accepted into my program, so Wick and his parents will be moving in the summer!

As many of you know, I am very satisfied with Wick’s care at his current vet, but we cannot keep going there after the move if anyone knows of rabbit vets experienced in small rabbit dental care in the DC (USA) area, please let me know! I know there are rabbit vets in the area but I’d like someone with heavy experience with grinding teeth. Tiny tiny teeth.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Muchelle]

congrats Wick such good news!!

[Burichi]

Phew!

My fiance and I will be eloping in March. His family is nuts. Thank goodness they live 2k miles away from us. My other half is the black sheep of his family. I’m loving the eloping a lot more than having the anxiety over wedding stuff.

Prescott the bunny is doing well! He didn’t need his tooth pulled last summer. His teeth trims have become less frequent and he has put on a good weight. He is SWEET AND LOVING. What did I do to deserve this? I am so not used to having a cuddle bunny who barely thumps and grunts! He is no longer the shy boy he was when adopted. He puts his head down for pets and even wakes me up by jumping on the bed for cuddles and loves.

Washington has beem BRRRR!!! SNOW again? I can’t wait until Spring!

[Heaven]

@Wick huge congratulations ! I’m sure you’ll find a good vet in DC

@Bam don’t even get me started on bunny feet. You’ve seen my Instagram!

[Deleted User]

Wick that’s awesome! congrats!

[Sirius&Luna]

Congratulations Wick! Also for some reason I thought you lived in France… I have no idea where I got that from.

[Bam]

Congratulations, Wick!!!

Heaven: Yep, I follow your Insta =) Can’t ever get enough of bunny feet!

S&L: “Our” Vienna lives in France. So we do have a member who’s an expat in France.

[jerseygirl]

Wick, congrats!!!

Congrats to you also, Burichi !!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Bam. Sirius. The clue is in my name….. hahaha.

Wick…. CONGRATS !!!!!!

[LBJ10]

That’s wonderful Wick!

Yes, our beloved Vienna. I still enjoy thinking about the time she tried to explain to the people at the vet how to pronounce Henry.

[MountainBuns]

Congratulations Wick!

 Also It must feel nice to gain a bunnies trust like that Burichi! I’m still working with my bunny but I’ll have you know I got to rub her head for like a ENTIRE minute today, lol.

[MoxieMeadows]

Bam– Bam is simply precious <3

I’m currently wearing a shirt that has many holes that were chewed in it by Moxie, and I was looking at photos and reminiscing about the times gone by. I decided to pop in and say hi and see how everyone is doing. I’ve missed you all. <3

[LBJ10]

We miss you too Moxie! I hope everything is well. Do you still have your chickens?

[MoxieMeadows]

LBJ— Yep, we do! We ended up losing a few over the winter, since it was so harsh this year (even though they had a heat lamp) though. But they are well, along with the dogs and Cleo and Kiko.

I may be getting new fish for my aquarium soon. Squiggles (My goldfish of 2 years) unexpectedly passed away 2 months ago due to a swim bladder issue. It’s strange how we can bond with things so small … Anyway, I’m thinking about swinging by the fish store sometime this week. I’ve been keeping my tank cycled. I might get a pair of goldfish or something. =)

[Vienna Blue in France]

Moxieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!

Ahhh, i remember the name thread for Squiggles !!!!
And oh yes, please get a bonded pair of fish, then you won’t have to go throguh a bonding session in the bath !!!!!

[Azerane]

@EatSleepBunny, no that’s just summer temperatures. Sometimes the first month of Autumn (March) can also be very hot. Winter is quite mild 0-17 celcius on average probably where I am.

@LBJ10, I meant the “to-whit to-woo” sound they write in kids books, lol. How funny would that be and confusing for children if in all the books it was written as “who cooks for you?”

Bam, how long have you been learning woodcarving? Sounds like fun, though dangerous

Had an interesting moment today. I was outside hanging up some clothes to dry and heard a noise from the bunny pen. Thinking Jasiri (our kitten) might be in the bunny cage I peeked in the door to see her in there. I yelled through the door for her to get out and she did. I went back to hanging up the washing but within 10 seconds I just had this knowing feeling, you know the one. I didn’t even bother to look in the bunny door. I went straight inside and stepped into the bunny pen, only to see Jasiri standing next to their litter tray trying to work out how to bury her poop in the pile of hay that was in the bunny tray… Ugh! Well that was just great. Needless to say I cleaned the tray straight away and Jasiri was promptly shooed away. Now I have to constantly be on watch for her using the bunny tray. I may have to consider moving the bunny litter tray upstairs in their condo.

[Bam]

Hi Moxie!!! We’ve missed you too! I have so many t-shirts and bed sheets that Yohio chewed holes in =)

Burichi, congratulations on gaining Prescott’s trust and love!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az. She will get up there too !!

[Deleted User]

Congrats, Wick! It is great that you were accepted, though I am sure you are a bit wary to trust a new vet!

I’ve stopped posting lately but I’ve been checking the chat every now and then to stay up to date with everyone’s happenings! Anyway, I just came to clarify the details of what some of you may have seen on my insta!

I have been taking my bike to work for the past 3 weeks or so (when my back allows it) and on Wednesday I was struck by a car that approached a stop sign and completely failed to even slow down. Luckily, it was a small car and it was low impact. He wasn’t slowing down to stop, but he was probably only going about 10 mph. Nevertheless, I was hit on the left side and had several bruises on my arms, legs, and a bad bruise on my knee. The seat of my bicycle flew from under me on impact, and the metal seat frame smashed into my inner thigh, creating another big, purple and black bruise that made walking and sitting quite uncomfortable for a few days.

Initially, the driver got out of the car and begged me not to call the police. Knowing that my bike was in need of repairs and that I may have worse injuries once the shock wore off, I told him that I was calling the police so that an official report would be generated. At that time, he got back in his car and sped off before I had a chance to call. The police came and helped me get my bike to the shop and gave me a lift back home. Later that evening, the driver turned up at the police department to give his information. I suppose he knew that he would be in a lot more trouble if he left it at a “hit and run” status. He was given a citation for “careless driving” and I have placed a claim with the insurance company and hopefully they will reimburse me the damages for my bike.

Of course, this has all made my back turn to $hit again. woo hoo. . .

[Bladesmith]

Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 2/18/2018 3:53 AM

On the subject of animals in the first stages of throwing up, never, ever, NEVER pick up a cat doing the stomach waves (to remove it from home furnishings for ex)
Experience has recently taught me that if you do pick them up at this point, it will very efficiently aid in the projectory power of said contents towards the nearest home furnishings…. entice it, chase it, but do NOT squeeze the middle !!!!!!!

Agh!  Assault kittehs!

Mine did the hairball thing in my bed a few weeks back.  Only she pulled back the comforter, puked it up, then put the comforter BACK.  So I got SUCH a nice surprise when I went to bed.  I’m sure she was laughing when I did.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Bunnoob. You did good. Just seen a report on a bike that got knocked down (his fault), got up and said he was fine, everyone went on their way. Cyclist collapsed and is now a tetra i think. The driver wouldnt have got into any trouble but without the insurance details the disabled guy is NOT covered at all for medex… they are actively searching for the driver….

So lesson learnt. Even if you dont have pain, or think youre fine always get details…. just in case….

Glad you’re not more seriously injured.

[Azerane]

Vienna I know she can get up there, I have found her up there on more than one occasion. But far less often than she has ever been in the bunny cage, and I figure not being able to see the tray directly from the ground as easily may be at least somewhat of a deterrent? Maybe that’s wishful thinking I just have to work out a better hay containment system if I do that. I bought one of those ikea plastic bag holders for hay and what a mess my pair have created. I have to lay it horizontally, so they just pull the hay out the open end and it is everywhere!

BunNoob, that is so scary! I’m so glad that you are ok and that’s it’s “only” bruising. It could have so easily been much worse! I’m glad the driver went to the police station. I think in that situation, it’s hard to place yourself, but I can imagine being in such a panic about having hit someone that you drive off because of it, only to calm down later and be able to think rationally about it and do the right thing. Panic/shock can do crazy things to the human mind. I do hope you have a swift recovery and the the insurance covers your bike.

Also I bit the bullet and invested a hundred bucks in needle felting supplies. Half of that is the basic equipment to get started, the other half is the wool. I bought a small bulk amount (300g) of a wide array of colours to play with to get me started. They’re not natural colours so I’m either going to have lots of vibrant little felt animals (or blobs, lol), or I can make a whole heap of cat toys, haha. I bought them online which was way cheaper than buying in a local store, the equipment was half price or less than in store and I was able to get wool far cheaper too. If I don’t stick with it, I can always re-sell it (or set it aside for years to come, haha).

[LBJ10]

Azerane – That’s literally what a barred owl says. They say “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you alllll?”.

Moxie – Aww, that’s too bad. Hopefully your remaining chickens are doing well then. Glad to hear everyone else is doing fine.

BunNoob – Oh wow, I’m glad you’re (more or less) OK! What’s really scary is the fact that he took off. I’m glad he “turned himself in”. Hopefully your bike will get fixed. You’re very lucky that it wasn’t worse than it was. Car vs. bike often doesn’t end well. That’s why I’m terrified to ride in the street. =\

[Azerane]

I know but it still sounds like the “to-whit to-woo” written in books of my childhood

We seem to be able to collect animals. A fancy pigeon flew into our carport about 45 minutes ago. I managed to walk it slowly in towards the corner of the carport and drop a towel over it and bring it inside. It has a leg band but no letters or numbers on the band. There’s no lost pet posts and when hubby rang the pigeon association they just recommended to let it go (we rang two different groups). The pigeon drank the moment I offered it water so I suspect it’s dehydrated. We’ve got it in a pet carrier in the laundry and it’s had sprouted and dry seed and plenty of water. I’m not keen on letting it go overall, but it is pretty normal for people to let them out for the day so in reality it might actually be the quickest way to get it home. Who keeps a photo library of every single one of their 100 pigeons? At the very least, I’m going to wait till tomorrow morning when it’s cooler and the bird will have more daylight time to get home and more time to recover. Will check the lost pet pages again in the morning to double check for lost pigeons. It just goes against every fiber in my being to let a domestic animal go like that.

[Muchelle]

@Azerane sometimes they do over here when they find birds is to take a pic to the band only and post it on social media (like the city’s facebook page or a page of local enthusiasts for that animal) at least to try and locate to what area such band belongs. We usually just bring them to the bird rescue center or to a governative vet and they take care of it, but sometimes people try fb when they can’t make time to specifically drive the bird around.

EDIT: 

So, just back from vet! Temperature’s exceptionally cold right now so we went out with a whole blanket quite weird sight to behold.
K’s reached the venerable weight of 2,005 kgs, is super healthy and vet said he has such a beautiful fur he’d win prizes if he were a show bun. Do they have special buns olympics somewhere?  

He also got the new vaccine for myxo2 and it should be available in all of Europe now, so in case someone didn’t get notified about it, know that it’s ready to go. Hopefully we won’t have an epidemic like in 2017 :/ 

EDIT 2: Btw, vet said that EU guidelines say that vaccines for myxo1 (old one) and myxo2 (new one) shouldn’t be taken in one go, they are both annual but 6 months have to pass between the two. So, also please make sure your vets are abiding by the protocol. 

[Bam]

BunNoob, so glad your (mostly) ok! You should always have a police report when sth like that happens. It’s such a reflex to say “Oh, I’m ok”, but you really can’t know that until later when the adrenaline is gone.

Azerane, I hope you’ll find the pigeon-owner. Could you keep it otherwise? Needle felted stuff looks awesome. I have no idea how you’d start though. Don’t you need to take a course?

Muchelle, great news about our favorite little pirate! It’s crazy cold here as well, just when we thought spring was about to start. No snow though, just really cold. What’s myxo 2? Did you mean RVHD2? They’ve said here that there should be 2 weeks between the RVHD2 and the myxo/RVHD1 shots. Bam is due for both in April, he can’t wait 6 months with either of them. I’m confused now, please explain.

[Muchelle]

Sorry I was in a hurry and wrote (yup) hurriedly. I was referring to the RVHD2 vaccine (FilaVac). I knew the same as you do, that there should be a couple of weeks between shots, but vet told me he’s taken part to the discussion about the new vaccine and they concluded that, being both vaccines for two viruses belonging to the same family, leaving more time between the two ensures that they’ll both be well received by the animal’s body, so the “golden ratio” established is six months apart. I didn’t ask questions and right now I’m trying to find if the log of that forum has been published anywhere on the internet.

I don’t think it’s a problem if you get both shots closer as long as they’re not done together (UK sites still report the 2 weeks distance for example). Will dig down the rabbit hole and hopefully come back with more info!

EDIT: I do love my edits today….I realized that in my previous post I made that mistake cause  RVHD1 and 2 called MEV1 and MEV2 in italian ^__^””

Ok, I’ve successfully fell down the rabbit hole and found the answers!! It’s sort of a long explanation, should I make a whole new topic? 

[Sirius&Luna]

I also thought it was two weeks between them – Luna is in for hers on Saturday, which is already overdue cos of her stasis episode, so I don’t think she can wait 6 months between them either. I’ll ask the vets if they know about this then.

[Bam]

Muchelle, it would be very nice if you created a new topic, because this is interesting to all European members. Everybody in Europe should have their buns vaccinated against Myxo and RVHD1 and 2. I wish that option were available for Aussies and New Zealanders as well, but it sadly isn’t, by law they can only vaccinate against RVHD1 and they don’t get the same vaccine as we get here.

Americans don’t have any of the vaccines available to them, but the risk of these diseases is much lower in America. American wild rabbits are not of the same species as domesticated rabbits, so there’s no natural reservoir for these viruses in the American wild rabbit population. When outbreak occurs it’s among domesticated rabbits and the outbreaks can be contained a lot easier.

[Muchelle]

@Sirius no panic! The discussion went on in private between me and Bam as we dived down the rabbit hole. With the complete info we now have I can make a pretty nice “”guide”” about the new vaccination plan.

I’ll open the topic as soon as I’m back from work

EDIT: The info topic about RVHD2 is live! RVHD2 EU Info

[Azerane]

Just posting in here to get back to Bam

We couldn’t find an owner because there’s no identifying band and no one from pigeon clubs seemed interested it taking it off our hands, just all “let it go, it will go home”. Admittedly I caved to the pressure even though it felt wrong. Bird flew up and stayed on our roof for four hours. After 2 I decided I’d done the wrong thing and tried to catch it again but with no luck. At some point it flew off. I’m trying not to think about it. Could not have kept it, plus after just one night it stank. Couldn’t believe how much poop it did!

Regarding needle felting, that’s what youtube’s for. It seems fairly straightforward, it’s a simple process it’s more the learning how to mould the shapes you want I think. Hopefully my supplies come today

[Author]

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