Nala and Gaz

[lovelops]

Hey there
They don't allow you to renew online or in mail? I know here in Maryland and in the past in DC they changed the way people were able to get licenses renewed since DC at that time only had ONE DMV, yes, ONE.. I was born and raised there and only moved to Maryland about 10 years ago... so I remember standing in line at 6am to get my license renewed.

I'm sure from how strong your post is that they probably don't have an online renewal where you can print out a paper attachment to add to your license that expired until they could send you a new one with the same photo? That is how they do it in Maryland.

 

[Imbrium]

Nala will "pay me back" whether I deserve it or not, so I may as well have the fun of earning my punishments! That bunny is... there's not even a word for it. Genius IQ (probably even by human standards) with a soul that's way too big for her tiny bunny body and a bit restless to boot.

Like our 15 (nearly 16) year old cat, she possesses the ability to send telepathic messages that bypass language/species barriers. Roo's a charming motherf*cker; he uses his communication skills to assert himself as an equal (he seems to think he's more human than cat), usually by insinuating that he's entitled to his fair share of whatever food we're eating.

Nala, by contrast, is a bunn hell-bent on world domination. She doesn't converse - she gives commands, attempting to assert herself as the alpha over all of us (it's vaguely drill-sergeant-like in tone, if silent thoughts can convey tone). Usually when we catch her commanding Gazzles, it's because Gaz is startled out of her own little world by the abrupt command. When we catch her commanding Dusty (the "kitten"), it's because the command involves telling her to GTFO and Dusty obeys it. With Roo, it's because we see a body-language exchange - a look from her and possibly the slightest of head tilts; a barely perceptible scoff-like movement from him and a dirty look sent in her direction (occasionally accompanied by him sending a message back, which is never anything polite, lol). Because he blows off her commands, it's nearly impossible to even guess at what she's telling him most of the time. She tries to command us as well, though we'd like to think we catch on and deny her the majority of the time. Her commands don't come across to us as words, per se, more like impulses or intangible thoughts. The face of bunny disapproval when we disobey her is priceless. Gazzles can "talk" a bit as well, but only to Nala (not to us or the other animals, as far as we can tell).

I realize all of that may sound completely insane, lol. I probably wouldn't have admitted to any of it if it weren't for Jay - I never said anything about it to him, either; after we'd lived together for a while, he started to see the same things for himself and he's the one who mentioned it first. It feels less insane when you're not the only one thinking they see the bunny displaying telepathic abilities!

We assert our dominance by scooping her up and getting that little tum of hers regularly, hehe. She always acts like she doesn't want to share that tum, but we can tell she secretly likes the attention as long as she got to make us chase her down for it first.

 

[Imbrium]

Hey there
They don't allow you to renew online or in mail?

I'm sure from how strong your post is that they probably don't have an online renewal where you can print out a paper attachment to add to your license that expired until they could send you a new one with the same photo? That is how they do it in Maryland.

Texas drivers licenses have to be renewed every six years (well, I think it was annually at 17 and 18, then every 6 years... though you can't get a full-fledged license at 16 any more, I don't think - the laws changed after I was too old to be affected). At 24, I renewed online, printed out a paper/temporary license and they mailed me a new license with the same photo as the previous one.

Unfortunately, every other time you renew (ie every 12 years), they insist on getting a new damn photo of you and it has to be done in person. I won't have to go through this ordeal again until I'm 42, assuming I haven't escaped Texas before then .

 

[JBun]

Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas!

From reading your description of Nala and her extreme cleverness, I'm starting to think she's really the one in charge there and just lets you human slaves, believe that you are and she isn't. Much easier to make bunny plans when the humans are unsuspecting

 

[Aubrisita]

Happy birthday!

 

[Chrisdoc]

Happy Birthday Jennifer. Have a wonderful day :great:

 

[aozora]

Happy birthday!!

 

[lovelops]

Texas drivers licenses have to be renewed every six years (well, I think it was annually at 17 and 18, then every 6 years... though you can't get a full-fledged license at 16 any more, I don't think - the laws changed after I was too old to be affected). At 24, I renewed online, printed out a paper/temporary license and they mailed me a new license with the same photo as the previous one.

Unfortunately, every other time you renew (ie every 12 years), they insist on getting a new damn photo of you and it has to be done in person. I won't have to go through this ordeal again until I'm 42, assuming I haven't escaped Texas before then .

Yeah, MD does the same thing to us. We can only use the same photo two times for two renewals and then when you go to renew the license a third time you have to come in for a new photo which I hate doing. I say keep the old one if it looks good!!!

Well good luck and the time my license expired and I had to go in, I drove anyway. I know that's throwing caution to the wind but the lines here take forever and I hate to subject any friend to the boring task of sitting and waiting in the DMV while I wait to get my license renewed...

 

[Imbrium]

the time my license expired and I had to go in, I drove anyway. I know that's throwing caution to the wind but the lines here take forever and I hate to subject any friend to the boring task of sitting and waiting in the DMV while I wait to get my license renewed...

Pfft, like I was gonna do anything else. I have no problem driving there on an expired license, I just think it's stupid that I have to . I've actually been driving with an expired registration sticker for a full year now, lol. I paid it last December but the new sticker never arrived... they wanted $7 to send me a new one. F- that. I figured if I ever got a ticket, then I'd cough up the $7 for the sticker. Failing that, I'd just wait until I renewed again this year and hope my sticker actually arrived this time.

The back of traffic tickets have all the fines listed if you want to just pay them online/by mail and be done with it but if you're willing to go to court, you can get out of most fines. I got caught with expired tags (inspection and registration) once when they were actually expired - I just paid to get them up-to-date, took the proof to the court place and they dismissed the ticket without charging a fine. All told, I think I paid a whopping $10 more than if I'd done it on time and never gotten the ticket... and that was because the place where you renew your registration charges extra for whatever reason if you've been ticketed for letting it expire and I had to pay $3-4 for parking at the court house.

Besides, I'm good with cops - if I got pulled over for some reason, I'd probably manage to escape with just a warning after explaining that the DPS had been closed since noon on Monday and I was on my way there now to renew my license. Heck, I got pulled over twice in a week not long after moving to Houston, both for a tail light being out, and all I got both times was a warning (the first time was in a rental car that I had while mine was in the shop, the second was in my real car after I got it back - weird coincidence).

Big-city cops are generally easy to deal with, as they've got better things to do than get on your *** about a license that's been expired for all of a day. In Houston, especially, routine traffic stops are mostly just an excuse to sniff around for the bigger stuff - they're after DUI/DWIs, drug dealers/traffickers, active warrants, that sort of thing. If you don't appear to be what they're looking for, they're eager to move on to the next traffic stop.

As long as you're sober, give the appearance that they'd come up empty handed if they searched your car and are polite, respectful and compliant (ie look innocent and don't piss them off) then more often than not, you'll get a warning for anything minor and only get ticketed for major stuff.

When I got pulled over in San Antonio for expired tags, the cop didn't even write me up for not having proof of insurance (I explained that I had forgotten to print out an updated copy the last time I renewed it and did have a long-since expired copy in the glove box but he had no way to know for sure that I wasn't lying, except perhaps an internal BS meter).

When I got pulled over in my real car for the tail light last summer, the cop didn't say sh*t about the registration sticker... and I saw him look at it as he was turning to go back to his car after he'd already run my license and finished giving me a warning about the tail light. He had already decided I wasn't "up to no good" and opted to move on to someone else, I guess.

 

[Imbrium]

There's a 24'' long box that's rested on one end (so it's 2' tall) sitting across from the toilet in our main bathroom. It's been there for like 4-5 months, even though when I moved it in there, it was only supposed to be there for a day or two - the damn kitten fell in love with it and thought it was there for her; I didn't have the heart to take it away because that room's kind of "her place". (She doesn't like to do her loafing in the living room because she's intimidated by the bunnies, the 2nd bedroom is always closed off because the gliders are in there and she can't seem to stay in our bedroom with us for very long without doing something that gets her thrown out.)

So I go in there and sit down to pee. I look at the "kitten" (Dusty's actually around 14 mos old and weighs over 11 lbs but she still acts like a kitten); she looks at me. Before I know it, she's climbing across the small gap from the box to my lap. I'm like, "no. No. NO." and she keeps coming anyway. Before I know it, she's laying in my lap, rubbing her face against my arm/hand trying to get love... I was pretty much held captive by how pathetic it all was - I couldn't bring myself to shove her off my lap. Surprisingly, I was only stuck there for about five minutes before she got down on her own (this time >.>).

Here's the little demon kitten... being good, for once in her life:

On a side note, those are the best shoes EVER!! Normally, pink would be a deal-breaker... but on those shoes, it's actually *perfect*. It really helps them look like innocent girly sneakers - I doubt anyone would guess that they're actually steel-toes! No one would ever see that coming; one minute they'd be starting sh*t and the next, they'd be on the ground wondering what the blinding pain in their shin is all about .

Shoes that turn you into a weapon = badass.

 

[Imbrium]

Did not get my DL renewed. Thought it would be ok to put it off until the end of the day because it's standard protocol with businesses that operate out of a "storefront" that as long as you get in the door before closing time, you're good (within reason - obviously stores don't want you shopping for an hour past close, hehe). Well, turns out I didn't get through the front door in time. Why? Because there was a f*cking LINE out the door and around the corner of the building. Anyone in line at 5 pm who hadn't gotten through the door yet got told to piss off... and some of them had been waiting half an hour or more! So rude. The line outside the door wasn't even that long anymore at 5 pm, there was no reason not to let us get stuff done >.>.

Anyway, after the stupid wannabe-Texas-Ranger in a freaking cowboy had told me to eat a **** (I'm paraphrasing ), I went back to my car and hoped there was still time to catch the HSPCA foster coordinator before she left for the day. I had a good talk with her and I go in at 2 pm today for an orientation class .

Since I knew I'd to have to explain to Jay where I was going this afternoon, I went ahead and told him on Friday that we were going to be fostering another rabbit at some point. His response was: "Bunions!" (as in "bunny minions," not a foot problem).

I have a feeling it's going to be up to me to make sure we don't end up being the couple equivalent of a "crazy bunny lady" because I suspect he'd take in as many bunnies as I let him . I would've thought Nala and Gaz would be enough to make anyone new to bunnies say "two is enough"... but not Jay! He loves their brand of naughty.

 

[Imbrium]

On a side note... I want this little guy! Hope I can meet him today when we tour the shelter, hehe.

I also fell in love with this face:

Not bringing the kitty home either, though - Jay and I both agree that a household should never have more cats than people!

 

[Chrisdoc]

I hate it when places don´t have rules set in place and let people waste their time and then tell you to get lost. I´d have been ready to swing at him.

That little bunny is so cute, hope you get him, I´m sure he´d be really happy going home with you. Cat is cute too but I agree, if you let them, they´ll take over the world lol.

 

[Imbrium]

I was NOT planning to get the rabbit. I was planning to pet him if I got the chance and then walk away like I normally do. There were a few rabbits, all of them cute, most of them friendly. This one, though... he just felt meant to be ><

They don't allow bunny dates, but they do allow you to return/exchange a pet you adopt. I wouldn't want to try another bunny if he doesn't work out and if I returned him I wouldn't be able to get a refund... but the adoption fee is only $30 for rabbits anyway and it's a worthy cause. Little brat kind of won my heart when I met him, so I came home to ask Jay and fetch a carrier. I knew Jay would say yes, but it's still nice to ask instead of making a 10 year commitment on someone else's behalf. Jay said he was surprised I hadn't already brought the rabbit home with me . Now it's up to Nala and Gaz whether or not we can keep him, heh.

 

[Aubrisita]

Good luck, I am keeping my fingers crossed that your girls like their new brother.

Ps. That is a really cute cat. Good luck with volunteering, when I worked at the SPCA, I brought home 2 cats and 3 guinea pigs. XD

 

[Tauntz]

Sorry about your being unable to get your driver's license renewed! Your story reminded me of an incident with a freezer & a not-so-near Sears several years ago. Found a chest freezer I liked & price I could afford arrange for a friend to take me to get it. Unfortunately my friend couldn't get there until late in the day but it was before closing time. Salesman asked to help me I told him I was ready to make my sale, showed him the freezer & had my money in hand! He said he would go back to check on it. Waited & waited! Then another "salesman" comes up & tells us we need to leave they are closing the store. I said the salesman has gone to check on the freezer I WAS IN THE PROCESS of purchasing! He tells us we have to leave & come back tomorrow even if we did drive a long distance! I was fuming! I called Sears & they did nothing & I refused to set foot in that store again even if they had what I wanted at a better price! Haven't purchased anything from them since! I'm a woman of my word! Give me good business/service & I will sing your praises but treat me like a dirty piece of chewed gum on the sole of your shoe then expect me to keep my word & never do business with you again & be assured I will share my experience with anyone I can!

I'm so glad you took bunny boy home!!!!! So sorry you couldn't give kitty a home! I could not have resisted that cute little kitty face! That's why I have to stay away from the shelters & pet stores that have animals to sell/adopt. What's the new bunny's name? Forgot to ask in your other thread.

Hope you will soon get your driver's license without any further problems too!

 

[Imbrium]

He doesn't know what he wants to be named yet... but we all agree that "Thumper" just doesn't suit him (especially considering he didn't thump once today, even with cats staring at him).

So I drove all the way out there with the carrier and they asked for my driver's license... I came up empty-handed after rooting around in my purse, went and checked the car and still couldn't come up with my wallet - meaning I'd somehow managed to leave the damn thing at home.

It was only about 5:20 and they closed at 6 pm; I chose not to take the wallet issue as a bad sign (or the crapton of cop cars I saw on the way home) and went back for it. Got back to the shelter around 5:40; I'd left the carrier there and he was already loaded up and ready to go. I filled out the paperwork and they pulled out the carrier. I looked inside, and he was giving me the butt. "Figures," I commented - it wouldn't be a bunny if it didn't give me the butt, lol.

I pet him a bit and secured his carrier in the car... unfortunately, because of the unanticipated trip back home for my wallet, there wasn't going to be enough time to take him home, get him set up/out of the carrier and get back to a hardware store before it closed and I *really* need to get a bookcase/storage unit made to clear up some space around here to make room for the extra bunny... so the poor guy had to sit in the car while I ran into the store. He waited very patiently as I made an *** of myself in front of the whole parking lot (an inherent part of using a sports car to transport a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood - I keep rope in the car and know exactly how to tie it down so that it's secure, but it still looks like a foolish thing to be doing ).

Finally, we made it home. Cats took turns staring into the carrier and getting yelled at while I was trying to throw together a temporary set-up for the bunny. I should've asked Jay to do it while I was gone, but when I left to get the bunny I hadn't decided yet what I wanted to do with him, heh. Anyway, the bunn made himself right at home and was munching on hay, washing his face, etc. right away. At the moment, he's flopped out between his cardboard box and his litter box looking super cute.

Recycling pictures that I posted in the other thread, heh - memory card ran out of space and I haven't gotten around to finding the other one to put in the camera.

 

[Imbrium]

On a non-bunny note... I hate stupid parents. I really think you should have to pass some sort of qualification test before you can have kids.

I wandered across a cell phone app that makes annoying noises (was looking for an air horn or foghorn noise to harass the cats with when they were being bad)... someone gave it a 1-star review because they blame the app for their own bad parenting:

Of all the apps out there my 4 year old had to find this one. And she always thinks its the app to play during long car rides. Most annoying app EVER!

First of all, why does your 4 year old know how to download apps? And why are you using your cell phone as a baby sitter? In my day, kids kept busy on long car rides with toys and coloring books and such. I couldn't help myself, I had to instigate by posting a comment in hopes of shaming her a little:

Uhh... you realize you could just take the phone away and/or uninstall the app, right? No four year old actually *needs* access to a cell phone and part of being a parent is setting boundaries.

Because seriously, why WOULDN'T you take the phone away if your kid was pissing you off with it? Has she forgotten who's the boss in a parent/child relationship? I hate to imagine what that kid is going to be like as a teenager if she can't even set boundaries for a 4-year-old.

 

[Tauntz]

If you ask me giving a 4 year old a cell phone is beyond ridiculous! I can see teaching a 4 year old how to dial 911 for help & how to behave on a regular phone but why in the world does a 4 year old need a cell phone. If I had a 4 year old child I would not be letting the child play with my cell phone! They are too expensive & not a toy!

 

[Imbrium]

I suppose now that I think of it, she can't be the *worst* parent in the world if her 4 year old can read (which I assume she can to some degree if she's downloading apps)... but seriously, teaching a kid how to dial 911 or how to call the home phone or w/e from the cell phone for safety reasons is reasonable; teaching them how to get on the internet and download apps, not so much. Think of all the crap online that's not even remotely suitable for 4-year olds that she could easily find if she's wandering the internet unsupervised .

Anyway, I don't know what this thing is that I've brought home, but I don't think it's a bunny. At least, it doesn't fit what I've been taught is the definition of a bunny.

I came home from the grocery store and the x-pen was as clean as I'd left it (if not cleaner, from him eating some of the stray hay). There's a TON of bunny poop... and it's all in one neat little pile IN THE LITTER BOX! Not one stray poop. On the pine pellet side, too, not even the hay side. I went to pet him and he didn't run just to make it a hassle for me. I put out some freshly-washed green leaf lettuce (I know they get fed greens at the shelter but I'm not sure how much of what greens, so I only gave him a small handful to make sure he tolerates it well) and he went *right* to the bowl and started destroying it! No snubbing, no pretending he doesn't appreciate, no looking at me like "is that the best you've got to offer??"

WTF is this thing?

God, I hope he rubs off on my girls and not the other way around! This bunny's impeccable litter box habits alone are going to spoil me. His previous owners had NO idea how good they had it. What losers. Anyone who can't appreciate a bunny after *choosing* to bring it into their home is no one I'd ever want to meet!

I really hope my girls get along with him, because I don't know that we have space for a permanent bunn who has to be separate and I don't think I could bear to make him go back. I wonder if I could free-range him while leaving the girls in their pen (with the pen lined with cardboard or coroplast or something to prevent fighting through the bars, of course) if they just won't bond. I get the feeling he could actually be trusted to free-range a bunny-proofed apartment without being a total motherf*cker (which my girls have proven they can't)... it's just a matter of whether it would upset Nala to know that another bunny was roaming free while she was stuck in a pen and if it did, whether she'd get over it after a while (I don't think Gaz would care and she might not even notice, but Nala's a completely different story).

The girls are very obviously aware that there's a new bunny in the house - they seem extra curious and even nosy today it instead of being off in their own little bunny world. After I went shopping, Nala ran right up to the door of their x-pen when I approached to give them their lettuce - she doesn't normally do that.

The good news is that they don't appear upset or threatened by it... possibly because I've gone out of my way to not give the new bunny anything without giving them some first. I gave them craisins before bringing the bag to the room to give him some, I gave them pellets (even though it wasn't time for their second serving yet) before giving him pellets and I served their lettuce before bringing him his. Gaz probably doesn't notice or care but I KNOW Nala keeps tabs on stuff like that and would be quick to get offended if she felt like a new bunny were a threat to her craisins .