I HAZ A HAMSTER

So, I'd been missing Per

pretty badly for a while.  And then my parents had to put down one of our family dogs, Sadie,

and our last family cat, Ernie,

at the same time.  So my life was beginning to become very pet-less and very pathetic.

So that's why I got Humbert!

Humbert is a roborovski hamster.  Robos are from Mongolia/Northern China, are omnivorous (You can feed them beef! How cool is that?), and are only about two inches long.

Humbert, in particular, is named after the unreliable narrator of Lolita, the controversial 1955 book about a middle-aged man who's sexually-involved with a twelve-year-old girl named Dolores Haze (nicknamed "Lolita").  Humbert is terrified of everything, suicidal (he jumped out of his house, off my desk, and onto the floor--he's lucky he didn't break his legs and/or back), ridiculously fast, and obsessed with his wheel.

I've had him only since Saturday, so there's still time for me to tame him (at least to the point where he doesn't feel like he needs to leap to his death).  In fact, last night, Jake helped me bring Humbert's house into the bathtub (robos aren't very good vertical climbers, and the "bathtub method" is a common one among robo owners) and tried to coax him into taking a piece of carrot from our fingers.  Humbert got pretty close to taking the carrot a couple times, and we counted that as a success.  This morning, I woke up to find Humbert actually sleeping outside his hidey-hole--a first since the night I brought him home (when he was so stressed, he fell asleep in one of the tubes).  Baby steps...

So, look forward to more Humbert stories/pics/vids/explanations of shenanigans in the future.  For now, enjoy these:

Sitting in one of his food bowls/eating.

Sleeping.  If it wasn't for his whiskers, I'd have no idea where his head was.

Neighborhood cats, reading on lawns, internships, and other things

OK PEOPLE CHILL THE HELL OUT

I realize it's been several months.  I have no excuse.  I've been working, reading, and playing TWEWY.  Oh, and eating.  A LOT.

Here are some pictures:

My parents got me TWO cakes for graduation.  This is the second, weirdly-shaped one.

I moved in June!  I had a whole box just for tea.  A whole box.

This summer, I've been working as an admissions counselor intern in Undergraduate Admissions.  It's pretty sweet.

I share an office with Joe, my fellow intern.

My name badge.

My International Relations thesis, "Speech We Hate: An Argument for the Cessation of International Pressure on Japan to Strengthen Its Anti-Child Pornography Laws" was published in the Augsburg Honors Review! Hot damn.

I've been biking to work almost all summer (except for when it got stupid hot/humid and when I got really sick).  My mommy bought me a Chrome bag so my stuff is protected from the weather/easier on my back!

Joe and I at the Admissions staff retreat.  We bowled.  I totally rocked up my first round (a turkey!), but halved my score the second round.

I went up to the top of the Witch's Hat Tower, a once-a-year event in the Twin Cities.

I have a yard at my new place! It's pretty slick.

My diploma. I'm a BAMF.

Reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, my new favorite Murakami book.

Jake and I spent an afternoon lying on a beach along the Mississippi River.  I live in a beautiful city.

McDonald's had a Pokemon toy promotion.  I went to McDonald's a lot during those couple weeks.

Alan and Lily at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight premiere.

Jake and I at the premiere.  This picture was taken before I spent at least an hour-and-a-half bawling my eyes out.  THE PRINCE'S TALE D:

Jake, after he finished eating the meterwurst (yes, a meter of bratwurst) at Gasthof's.

Jake made me a mix-tape.  A legit mix-tape.  We're so hip.

I read all three of The Hunger Games books.  I won't deny fangirling.

The neighborhood cat that sometimes comes to visit us.  This time, he followed me home after a walk around the block.

So, that's that.  I've also been tutoring a girl in Japanese, going up north to Milaca, and writing my COMM 1101 syllabus, too.  It's been a pretty good summer.  And there's a WHOLE MONTH LEFT! :D