Gem (and MoMo): I'm gonna be a big sister (again) and news

Hello, everyone! Some of you know my Gem from her ER thread, but if you don't, you will soon.

Gematria was a rescue (I definitely consider her one) that I found on Craigslist. After e-mailing the owner, I got an (obviously out-of-date) photograph of a healthy-looking but obviously annoyed dragon.

So, we went to meet the owner. After examining the dragon, I couldn't see anything that couldn't be fixed immediately. But, after interrogating the owner (who, mind you, thought she was in perfect health) we learned that she'd been put on sand and eating bugs from OUTSIDE. I knew that I had to take her home, so I paid the guy the $100 for her and all her stuff.

Upon arriving home, I did a quick inventory.

- 1 55 gallon tank, complete with poo and sand. Nice.
- 1 heat rock (threw that away....)
- 1 water dish, complete with algae! and a water pump to make it bubble. (That thing was caked with algae)
- 1 food dish, complete with dried poo and carrots (yummy)
- 1 hide, which was way too small
- 1 light fixture with a blown bulb (useful)
- 2 UVB fixtures, with the glass still over the bulb, and a bulb that put out 2% UVB (also useful)
- 2 thermometers, one a stick-on that doesn't work, the other so caked with sand and dirt that I had to throw it away because the buttons wouldn't push and it was trying to tell me my room was 34*F

Then there's the dragon herself. Obviously female, but she'd never been handled or bathed, and had obvious MBD. After removing some yellow scab substance from her mouth, I found two sores on the inside of her lip. I knew that she had to have parasites, considering her conditions. She definitely wasn't underweight, at least. I also found a large lump on her right ankle which we haven't identified yet.

We made her a vet appointment (for 3:00 today) and tried to treat what we could. I put Hibiclens (which is like Betadine) on her mouth sores, got some babyfood into her, and wrapped her in a towel.

She was vicious, gaping at everything and anything, hissing, trying to bite, bearding, the whole 9 yards. However, as I type, two days after buying her, she sits in my lap in her 'security towel' (she freaks if she's completely exposed to the air). She has learned to tolerate me after I talked and read to her (yes, read to her).

Since she had no name before, I decided to call her Gematria, or Gem. Her head is simply beautiful, yellow with orange and red in the beard, with golden eyes. The rest of her is grey, but that will change in time, I'm sure.

Soon, we'll be headed out for the vet.
I will definitely post updates on that.

Jacqui

 

[jacqui778]

Please excuse me while I vent.

I AM SO ANGRY at my grandmother it isn't even FUNNY anymore. Yesterday, I went to visit my uncle and cousin, to wish them Merry Christmas. They live 2-3 hours away in Pittsburgh, and were at my grandmother's house. My grandmother and I do NOT get along, but I really wanted to see my uncle and cousin, so I went over to visit.
There, we ate, we talked, and then my GRANDMOTHER wanted to play a card game. I refused, as I didn't want to play. APPARENTLY that was the wrong answer! My cousin was playing, and she threw guilt trip after guilt trip after guilt trip at me, saying how my cousin was soooo excited to come in and now I wouldn't even talk to him. So, I LEFT. My mother took me home, trading me off for my sister, and went back.
THEN my grandmother sends me a message on FACEBOOK (of all places, she couldn't just say it to my face!) saying how "I made her sad" because I didn't want to play a CARD GAME!!! She called me rude, and said "all she wanted was to get the family together." She then said, "So I guess this means you don't want to have a game night, huh?"
Let me take this moment to

I replied (taken directly from FaceBook):
I most certainly do not want a game night, if you are going to disparage me the way you did yesterday. If Taylor (cousin) would like to come over and play games here, by all means he has my invitation at the very least. But I will not stand to visit and be belittled and have guilt trips thrown at me because I do not want to play a CARD GAME. Apologies to you.

She replied that "someone has to tell me when I'm being rude". She, of all people, telling me I'm rude! My grandmother, who recently told my mother, for the whole world to read on FaceBook, that she looked fat and my stepfather looked like a kidnapper in their Christmas pictures! My mother took such a hit on her self esteem she started to cry and erased all traces of those pictures.

I AM SO SICK OF MY GRANDMOTHER'S CRAP! I am SICK of her ripping this family to shreds because she thinks it's her place to tell us all of our faults. I'm just about ready to let all these angry words flow out and let her make what she may of them, nevermind what hits our relationship may take. I'm sick of this!

Jacqui

 

[Goonie]

Jacqui sweetie, you have to understand that the older people get, the more outspoken they are -- in other words, they will speak their mind regardless of how hurtful it may be to the recipients. My only 'justification' for this behavior is what I call "the elder syndrome" -- where they are the oldest and believes everyone has to bow down to their every word, and god forbid if/when someone doesn't.

It's not easy having to appease someone you dislike, especially if that person's a family member. But because she's your grandmother, you really don't have a choice, unfortunately. All you can do is just shrug off her insults and belittling and move on. It will get easier to deal with once you're older (like twenty-something) because then she won't have as much to say because you're no longer a child.

Sorry she ruined your visit with your uncle and cousin.

By the way, did you get the memory card yet? I can't wait to see pics of your babies.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Jacqui... sorry to hear about the tiff between you and your grandmother. It is never easy to have it out with a family member. I know you are hurt and upset with your grandmother right now... but be the better person by not allowing it to get to you. As Gina mentioned... elderly people can sometimes say rude things without thinking. Most of them do not tolerate what they would consider someone(a child) being disrespectful and this is exactly how she saw you. I don't know your grandmother and don't want to jump to any conclusions... so I will shut my mouth.
I have a family member who thrives on saying rude things to anyone and causing friction. This person loves to see others more miserable than herself, so it gives her great pleasure to point out their faults. Generally when someone is forever pointing out others faults they are very insecure with who they are. This makes them feel better about themselves. Unfortunately, they seem to target the people closest to them without realizing the consequences of their actions. You just have to learn to blow it off. Believe me I know how hard it is. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they got under your skin. That's what they want.

Keep that chin up sweetie!


Like Gina... I want to see pics with that new camera too! :wink:

 

[ghr15]

Was reading this and wondered why the OP would throw the heated rocks away. Cut the cord off them they make perfect basking rocks. I actually ended up getting heat rocks from a pet store clearance and simply cut the cords off. The heat rocks I have were pretty good they end up being much lighter then normal rocks and they can hold a bit of heat so they are warm but not hot.

Also the last bit makes me happy my family does not talk to me. Never had a relationship with my grandmother. She kind of hated kids and by the time I was not a kid she was senile with dementia which caused her to be not all there making a relationship with her impossible. My other family members I have barely even met.

LEts just say I know the mailman more then I do many of my family members. This is over a small argument with my mother and the familly. So they pretty much stopped associating with me as well. It was simply the family did not like a guy she was dating she told them to butt out which she had full right to say. But my familly is petty they stopped talking to my mom and me.


But don't feel bad for me its really not as bad as it sounds they are not really nice people anyway.

 

[jacqui778]

Was reading this and wondered why the OP would throw the heated rocks away.

It was rubbish. Completely broken, destroyed, whatever you want to call it. Plus it was really small, not even sufficient for a basking rock. I had no use for it. Satisfied?

Dawn, your description of your family member matches my grandmother exactly. We've never gotten along, mainly because my grandmother shows obvious favoritism towards my aunt and just sort of belittles my mom because she isn't like my aunt. We've gotten into a lot of fights. I don't remember a time in my life when I ever liked her, I'm sorry to say. Never even liked her as a baby. :roll:
I can agree with the Old Person Syndrome. She may only be 55-58 (I don't even know how old she is, she's somewhere in that range, phew I'm pathetic), but she's obviously suffering from that. The only reason we don't get along is because I'm the one who won't put up with her insults. I'm the only one in the family who stands up against her. I refuse to adapt and accept it as a way of life.

Another great example of how pleasant she is to my mom can be dated back to June 17th. That was the day I left for Texas. My mother was 1hr away, in a hospital, recovering from surgery. My grandmother gives me an earful for leaving the state while my mother was unwell (as if I had the choice not to go!), yet not once did she call my mother or visit her. We got into a fight about that as well....
Guess it all just circles back around to the fact that some people are put in the world to teach others how NOT to act. My grandmother is one of these.

Jacqui

 

[ghr15]

Was reading this and wondered why the OP would throw the heated rocks away.

It was rubbish. Completely broken, destroyed, whatever you want to call it. Plus it was really small, not even sufficient for a basking rock. I had no use for it. Satisfied?

Jacqui

Yep I'm satisfied with that LOL.

 

[jacqui778]

Was reading this and wondered why the OP would throw the heated rocks away.

It was rubbish. Completely broken, destroyed, whatever you want to call it. Plus it was really small, not even sufficient for a basking rock. I had no use for it. Satisfied?

Jacqui

Yep I'm satisfied with that LOL.

Good. Another problem solved. :roll:

 

[Freeie]

I have to agree with everyone about the family issue with your grandmother. I loved my grandparents they were wonderful people. My mom on the other hand is something else. So negative all the time. When my girls were little if my mother started anything or went on her negative kick we just went home it didnt matter if it was a holiday or not. I chose to raise my girls with love and happiness they didnt need all the crud my mom loved to spurt off. I grew up with it didnt want the kids around it. So were not close. I did try and reason with my mom and talk to her about it but she always felt like everyone was attacking her. Im a quiet happy loving kind person i take care what and how i say things to people im not rude or hurtful but in her mind she sees it that way. I went on my 3 week vacation with my mom and dad. I had to grit my teeth quite a few times and just let it go. I'm really happy your able to vent and let it all out. I never did only people for me were my kids and i chose to not subject them to it.

One more thing to add and i seen that dawn told you this also. Shrug it off and dont let them know they got to you. Try not to argue even tho i know you want to slap them her silly. Thats all she wants is to see that shes gotten to you.

*hugs*

 

[jacqui778]

Christy, that's exactly what's going on. Except for one difference.... most of the time, my mother doesn't have enough guts to just leave.

Oh, yes, and my wonderful grandfather, married to my wonderful grandmother, fed Jethro a FRIED OYSTER on Christmas because we brought him over to their house (Jeth has seperation anxiety and we didn't want him wrecking the house), and he's still sick. He did that on purpose, then lied about what he fed him, saying it was a dog treat. Yet I clearly saw a fried oyster.
Poor Jethro....

Anyway, my grandmother send my mum one last dramatic message, then deactivated her FaceBook. :roll: We keep laughing because she wrote, "We tired of be disrespected". I keep saying it in a ghetto-gangster voice, which makes everyone laugh (I'm pretty good with accents, makes it convincing). How's that for shrugging it off? :wink:

Jacqui

 

[ghr15]

I have to agree with everyone about the family issue with your grandmother. I loved my grandparents they were wonderful people. My mom on the other hand is something else. So negative all the time. When my girls were little if my mother started anything or went on her negative kick we just went home it didnt matter if it was a holiday or not. I chose to raise my girls with love and happiness they didnt need all the crud my mom loved to spurt off. I grew up with it didnt want the kids around it. So were not close. I did try and reason with my mom and talk to her about it but she always felt like everyone was attacking her. Im a quiet happy loving kind person i take care what and how i say things to people im not rude or hurtful but in her mind she sees it that way. I went on my 3 week vacation with my mom and dad. I had to grit my teeth quite a few times and just let it go. I'm really happy your able to vent and let it all out. I never did only people for me were my kids and i chose to not subject them to it.

One more thing to add and i seen that dawn told you this also. Shrug it off and dont let them know they got to you. Try not to argue even tho i know you want to slap them her silly. Thats all she wants is to see that shes gotten to you.

*hugs*

My mother is negative but in a different way she always says things. She seems a real alarmist if you know what I mean. For example when I broke my ankle all my mom did every time she saw me with the cast was talk about what if my leg healed crooked and I needed surgery to correct it and it got infected. She seems to think something is wrong if I don't worry about things 24 7. It got to the point where I had to tell her if you are going to do that when you come over don't come over at all. She is one of those people who believes the end of the word theories that pop up all the time and things there is something wrong with me when I don't believe them.

Lol my family is nuts its like i the only sane one in my family. I am the black sheep of the family for being normal :lol:

 

[jacqui778]

Okay, so I must tell you that I just got back from seeing Sherlock Holmes.
Usually I'd be mean and not tell you anything, but I can't hold it in.
It was positively BRILLIANT!!! Awe-inspiring, clever, very amusing at times. Just the right about of humor and jaw-fracturing. I was constantly chortling at little antics the characters got into.
Anyone who hasn't already, go see it.

I got so into the plotline.... I didn't finish my popcorn!! Anyone who has known me since I was small knows that this is a VERY FIRST for me!
Which means it must've been really good!

Jacqui

 

[spurlee01]

I've heard it's really good. I want to go see it sometime soon.

 

[Jasper's Mom]

I saw it yesterday, and I agree! I went in wanting to like it but expecting to be disappointed. I could not have been more wrong! No spoilers from me, but I will say that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are both excellent. I really, really enjoyed this movie and will probably see it again when my boyfriend returns from South America. I know he'll love it too!

 

[jacqui778]

....I will say that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are both excellent.quote]

I think that they were excellent together. My mom says she saw other movies with Jude Law in them where he wasn't that great, but I must agree that he was excellent in this one. He and Robert Downey Jr. seem to be good at working together.

Jacqui

 

[gulfbrzdawn]