The Torture Game

Every once in a while I a come across a person that makes my inner serial killer want to come out and play. So instead of going bat shit crazy and spending the rest of my life in prison (I hear the food there is horrible) I just play The Torture Game. 

The picture I posted is tame compare to what I could have posted. My favorite weapon happens to be the saw there, but there's also nails, spikes, razors and guns you can use to beat this fake human to death. It gets bloody and calms my inner serial killer down for a while. 

Wanna play?

The Torture Game

What weird games have you played lately?

I'm A Great-Aunt!

My niece and nephew had their first child this month. Here is Sophia Liliygrace Kirkland. She's a tiny little thing, she weighed 5 lbs 14 ounces and was 18 inches long. 

Newborns are so cute. Hi Sophia. 

My nephew Billy, with his newborn daughter. 

I have A Kindle...

I have a Kindle. I bet you never thought you'd hear me say those words now did you? LOL

A few months ago Ken's sister gave him her older Kindle when she upgraded to a newer one. But he hasn't used it so I thought I would check it out. 

First off...I could not for the life of me figure out how to register this damn thing without a wifi connection, so thankfully my daughter and he boyfriend came over with one and I was able to register it. Then came the fun part...Reading the instructions. 

Ken's sister was nice enough to print out the entire user's guide and send it along with the Kindle. But it's huge!

It's more than 100 pages long!

I just wanted to know how to download ebooks from my computer using the USB cable. So I finally get to that section and try to follow the instructions...and nothing. I couldn't figure it out to save my life. So what do I do?

I Google the question. And ask a friend how to do it and she was able to simply explain how to save the book to the computer and drag and drop it into the Kindle documents folder. 

There were no words about dragging and dropping in this user's guide. I really don't have a lot of patience and I was getting reading to throw this thing across the room and smash it into a bazillion tiny pieces. Good thing I didn't. lol 

But I've now read through the entire user's guide and think I have the hang of this Kindle thingie. I even downloaded a couple of free ebooks from Amazon onto it. 

So what ebooks did I get, you may be asking yourselves?

A Bit of Bite by Cynthia Eden

 Bewitching the Werewolf by Caroline Hanson 

 Claimed (The Circulate Series) by K.R. Smith

 Ten Shades of Sexy by Shelly Thacker (Author), Kathryn Shay (Author), Patricia Ryan (Author), Julie Ortolon (Author), Patricia McLinn (Author), Julianne MacLean (Author), Wendy Lindstrom (Author), Allyson James (Author), Emma Holly (Author), Lori Devoti (Author) 

I'm still not an ebook lover and I still don't see myself buying ebooks, not when I can buy a paperback book for just a little more and have the actual book in my hands. But we were given the Kindle and there are free ebooks available, so I see no reason not to take advantage of that. 

Weekly Rat Facts: Bathing

Most rats do not need to be bathed. I've been asked this question several times and I give the same answer every time. If they smell bad it's probably time to clean the cage instead of giving them a bath, a dirty cage will make them stinky. But sometimes a rat may need to be cleaned and some rats like water and some do not. It's not a good idea to force your rat into water if it's scaring them. But sometimes it is necessary to clean them and I'll give you tips on how to do this while not stressing your rat out. 

Rats only need to be cleaned or bathed if they get into something sticky, smelly or they are getting so old they stop cleaning themselves, which does happen to older rats. In which case you will need to help clean your rat. 

You will need:

A small bowl with warm water

2 medium size towel

A wash cloth

Unscented Baby wipes

Q Tips

Small Animal Shampoo

The small animal shampoo I've used is called Squeaky Clean and you can find it at most pet stores but you can also use Baby Shampoo or Dawn Dish soap. 

To begin you should give your rat a treat like a yogi drop and sit somewhere they are comfortable. I do this on the couch because they are very comfortable there. 

Put one of the towels on the couch next to you and put your rat on it. This is so your couch doesn't get wet. 

For small areas to clean like a spot in the fur, a dirty tail or just cleaning the genital area for older rats. You can use just the baby wipes and wipe your rat down and clean them off. 

For tougher more serious smells, a really dirty rat, just dip the wash cloth in the bowl of water, wring it out and wipe your rat with a wet wash cloth. use a tiny bit of soap and keep dipping the wet wash cloth into the water until your rat is clean. Giving them a treat while you do this will keep them distracted long enough for you to finish. 

If your rat has hind leg degeneration, you may also have to clean their ears out for them. To do this just hold your rats head under his jaw in one hand and pet him, once he is relaxed gently pull the ear slightly back and gently wipe the inside of the ear canal with the Q tip. Do not insert the Q tip into the ear canal without a veterinarian's assistance as you can hurt your rat if you go to far. 

After you're done, wrap your rat in the other towel and pat them dry as much as possible. Some rats will curl up in the towel and let you hold them until they dry. But most will start cleaning themselves right away and will keep cleaning until they are dry.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I received a full size tube of John Freida Brilliant Brunette. All you have to do to get free samples from them is sign up for an account on their website. 

I was sent a coupon for a free jar of Best Foods Mayonnaise from Smith's Grocery store. 

I received a sample of Bounty Duratowel. 

And I received a BzzKit from BzzAgent containing a free full size Cottonelle Fresh Care Flushable wipes and a coupon for a free 4 pack of Cottonelle bath tissue. 

How To Make A Clickable Link on Blogger

Rats 101: What is Buck Grease

Are you just starting out on Blogger and wondering how to make a clickable link?

Well, I'm going to show you how. First make sure you are on 'compose' and not HTML. 

Just click on "compose" in the upper left hand side of the screen.  

Now to make a clickable link you have to write the words you want people to click on like I did for a link to my article. Once you've done that, click and hold the right mouse button and drag it across the words until they are highlighted and then let go of the button.

Now open another window or tab and pull up the page you want to make a clickable link to and copy the URL. You do this by clicking on the URL and when it is highlighted right click your mouse and click on 'copy'.

Now go back to your blogger page and make sure the words on the page are still highlighted and click on 'link' on the blogger tool bar.

A window will pop up and this is where you 'paste' the URL you just copied. All you do is put your cursor in the box and right click the mouse, when the box pops up click on 'paste' and that will paste the URL into that box. Then click on "ok" on this box. 

Your link is now clickable. 

Mine Doesn't Look Like Theirs *Subway Sandwich*

So a couple of days ago we went to Subway to get sandwiches. This is half of the footlong Turkey Bacon Avocado sandwich that I got. I got it because the picture on their website looked pretty good. 

This is what it looks like on their website. It looks NOTHING like what I got. The avocado is even on the bottom on my sandwich. and don't even get me started on the bacon. It was a joke. There were 4 tiny pieces of bacon *1/2 slices if that* that were taken out of the the fridge and put in the microwave and then put on my sandwich. They had crumbled into nothing by the time I got home. 

Look at the difference. *click on the pictures to enlarge them* You can see the avocado in the picture from their website. So where's all that avocado on mine?

Buried under a ton of lettuce! On the bottom and it was just a smear of avocado.

This is the last sandwich I will be getting from them. It's just not worth it. 

I'm Not The Only One Who Spoils The Rats...

That's Ken *hubby* with Bandit. He wasn't a rat person before we brought our first rattie girl into the apartment. But he sure is now. 

And as you can see, they love him. Bandit laid there for a while getting snuggles from Ken. 

Weekly Rat Facts: Treats

Lucky with a Yogi in his mouth.

It's ok to give rats small treats every once in a while, but it shouldn't be an every day thing. I give my rats a yogi treat or small piece of chocolate a couple of times a week. 

Unlike dogs, rats can eat chocolate in small amounts without any harm. In fact dark chocolate is good to give to a rat if they are having breathing problems because it works as a bronchial dilator and helps rat breathe a little better if they are having respiratory problems. But it should be given in small amounts. 

As long as you are feeding your rat a nutritionally complete diet, there's no reason not to give the occasional treat. 

Rats don't know what treats are, they like pretty much all food. So you should give healthy treats when possible. Things such as fresh fruits and vegetables should be a daily part of their diet along with a staple dry food. I use Oxbow Regal Rat food as the dry food they always have available and during the day I give them different fruits and vegetables to go along with the dry food. 

Any fresh foods you put in their cage in the morning should be removed by the end of the day if not eaten because it can spoil and make your rat sick. 

Some foods that can be given as treats are:

Carrots, banana, apple, pear, yogis, dark chocolate, yogurt, broccoli, corn on the cob, watermelon, cherry tomatoes, white rice, brown rice, oatmeal, wheat germ, and pretty much any other fruit of vegetable. 

My boys love oranges but because of something in the rind of the orange that can cause cancer in male rats, if you are going to give oranges as treats you should peel the orange and rinse it off before giving to rats, especially male rats. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I received a really nice card and 4 samples of Avon from the lady I buy my Avon through. If you'd like to order some Avon products, did you know you can now do it totally online? I know! it's so convenient. My Avon representative is:

Cynthia Netherton and you can use this link to order through her store.  

I also received a box from Smiley360 with the three sample tubes of Arm & Hammer Advanced White toothpaste. 

I also turned in My Coke Rewards points for a free 20oz bottle of coke and got the coupon in the mail.

I received two sample packages of Tums Freshers and a FREE Uniwigs Colorful Clip-in Hair Extension and a free Futuro Brand Carabiner bottle opener and I found the link for all of these freebies on Freebie Shark. 

 This week I was also fortunate enough to win a box of romance books from SOS Aloha in a blog contest. Kim is a delightfully fun woman who owns the blog and has contests to win books all the time! You should definitely check out her blog. 

The Triple Double Oreo

Now this is new *at least to me*. Hubby saw this at the store and thought I might like it. *well yeah!*

It's three crispy Oreo cookie wafers and in between is a layer of chocolate and a layer of the white creme. *Is that vanilla? Not sure*

Talk about improving a product. I approve.

The Big Shirt

The other day my daughter came over with my grandson and Ken thought it would be cute to put one of his big shirts on Logan. 

Logan looks thrilled. LOL 

Grandpa is goofy. 

Leash Training Animals

My brother had a pot bellied pig and he was able to leash train his pig by starting out when he was young and letting him get used to the harness being on him. When my brother brought Wilbur over, he didn't mind the harness or the leash at all because he was used to it. 

This was my sweet Dusty. I had him and his brother Oreo back in 2008 and while Dusty didn't mind having the harness on him and the leash, Oreo wanted nothing at all to do with either of them. I was able to put the harness on Dusty and take him for walks outside, which freaked out several people in my apartment complex. lol 

I started out letting him see, smell, and play with the harness. After a few days I slipped the first loop over his head and let him get used to me putting it on and taking it off. After a few times he didn't care and didn't try to stop me from  putting it over his head and I was able to get the second loop around his body. Then I would give him a treat like a yogie and after he ate it I would let him walk around on the couch, the floor or on me with the harness on. After a couple of days I attached the leash to it and let him walk on the floor which he loved. 

Then I took him outside for a couple of minutes and he loved it. He was sniffing everything and didn't seem scared at all. If he had seemed scared by trying to crawl up my leg, or get out of the harness, I would have taken him back inside. But he was happy to sniff the grass, the tree's, and get a pet from a few people who he came across. Of course I ONLY took him outside for a walk when the temperatures were cool. The sidewalk was not hot or even warmer than warm because I didn't want the heat to hurt or burn his tiny paws. 

He had a lot of fun but Dusty was the only rat I've ever had that let me put the harness on him and take him for a walk. You can't force an animal like a rat to do something they really don't want to, that's not fair to them.

Oh and if you're wondering what type of harness I got for my rat, it's this one. 

Ferret Harness

Homemade Rat House

Marbles and Bandit shredded their last fleece cube so I thought I would give them something different to play with for a while. So I took a small cardboard box, cut off the top and cut two holes in two sides the put it in their cage. Bandit was scared of it at first, but he quickly started sleeping in it and now I find them in it all the time. 

Of course while I was trying to take a picture of it, Bandit came over to see what I was doing. 

Weekly Rat Facts: Re-Homing

Lucky sitting on the couch watching tv with me. 

Re-homing an animal can sometimes be necessary but sometimes it's just an excuse to get rid of a pet you no longer want. 

My Thoughts

Re-homing can be necessary if a family member passes away and they have an animal. You can either take the animal and give it a home or find a suitable home for it. In that circumstance I can understand re-homing an animal. 

What I cannot understand are people who come up with excuses to get rid of pets because they just don't want them anymore or have become bored with them. Once you bring home a pet, that animal is yours! They rely on you for everything and you should not adopt an animal if you aren't prepared to keep it for their entire lives. 

Recently I read a discussion where a person was trying to find a new home for her 2 year old rats because she was pregnant and didn't think she would have enough time for her new baby and the rats. Really? I mean, really? If you had another child would you be looking for a new home for her because the new baby was going to take up too much of your time? No, of course not. It was a total cop out. I sure hope this woman doesn't have any other responsibilities because she might not have enough time to do them due to having a newborn. People have dogs, cats and goldfish and newborns all the time and you don't see them getting rid of their pets. Unless they are a little stupid that is. 

This type of thing makes me so mad. I read another discussion where a couple was moving into another apartment and the new apartment wouldn't allow them to have their 6 rats. So they gave them away. If you're already moving, why not find a pet friendly apartment complex instead of moving into one that won't allow you to bring your furry friends. I know when I move, I will not move into an apartment complex that won't allow me to bring my rats. There are plenty of pet friendly apartment complexes but to give away animals that you took in and supposedly cared for because you are too lazy to look for a pet friendly apartment is beyond callous. 

The fact is, some people see animals not as pets but as disposable entertainment and that's just sad. I cannot tell you how many hamsters I took in back before I started having rats. Back when my daughter was in elementary school the neighborhood had a lot of kids with hamsters as pets. I took in 5 hamsters, a bunny and then my first rat from people who no longer wanted their pets. Most times the kids weren't interested in taking care of the pets any longer and the parents never wanted them in the first place so when they found out I would take them in, they brought them to me. 

We found a home for the bunny after realizing that my daughter was allergic to the little guy and I do advocate taking in animals with the sole purpose of finding a forever home for them. It's better than sending them off to the shelter where they may or may not find a home. I would have kept the bunny if we hadn't been able to find a home for him.

 It's ridiculous to think that you're going to get your 5 year old a hamster, rat, or dog and they are going to take care of that animal all by themselves. If you're not willing to take care of the animal you get for your child if that child becomes bored with it, don't get them one. 

Review: Lightpoints by Peter Kassan

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

What if you suddenly discovered you had a sense—and powers—that almost no one else in the world did?

When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light—but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they’re the happiest they’ve been.

But not for long. All over the world, people who’ve been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them—some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows—and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life.

My Take:

I can read most genres of books but it's been a while since I read a book like this one. I haven't really given any thought to near death experiences or what happens when you die. Would you see the bright white light? The tunnel where all your family and friends are supposed to meet you and usher you across to the other side? In this book we get an in depth look at what one author thinks it might be like to have a near death experience and come back...back with with an unusual power. Some use their power for good and some use their new power for bad, very bad. 

We meet a lot of different characters who all have had near death experiences and get together to help each other out like a support group would. I liked the inter-dimensional side of this story, learning about so many other people that have to face the same sort of challenges after having a near death experience. Lightpoints is an eye opening read, with accounts from several different people and their experiences with near death experiences. The author made me want to read what the next person had to share and read what their experience had been, as well as follow the main story of Amanda and Chris.

I'm not religious and was happy to see that this wasn't filled with religious quotes, bible thumping or trying to shove the belief that touching the light at the end of the tunnel is like touching god. There were a few religious characters that believed the new gift they brought back with them was a gift from god and they had to pray in order to use their new gifts for good, but what little religious reference there was made it easy to read it and move on ahead to the other story lines.

I really thought I knew how this book was going to end but I was totally surprised to read what the author came up with. I loved the ending of this book.

If you like near death experiences, bad guys, good guys, a slight paranormal feel and a little romance throw in for good measure, you're gonna love this book.

Now if I can just find a near death experience book that takes a look at people who have been to hell and come back. Maybe I've just given Mr. Peter Kassan an idea for his next book?

You can find this book at he following links:

Amazon

Goodreads

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I received a BzzKit from BzzAgent that included 3 Special K Nourish cereals, and three Special K Nourish Breakfast bars. As well as coupons. 

I also received a free Schick Quatro Silk disposable razor. 

Free sample of Frizz Ease Shampoo and conditioner. 

I found the Schick Quatro and Frizz Ease on Freebie Shark

My Pen Collection

So I've showed you my book collection, book mark collection, Not pad collection and now...the pen collection. Although, I don't have nearly as many pens as I do other collections but there are still a good number of them here.. Last count was 71 pens. 

And again, I didn't buy a single one of them. I have been given them in swag bag prizes or with book wins from authors. 

What are you collecting these days?

Video of Lucky

Review: Northman's Passion by Kate Hill

Now you guys already know I don't write many reviews because frankly, I don't think I do them well. lol So instead of calling this a review, how about we call it a "I loved this book so much I wanted to let all my friends know so they will read it too" blog post. *wink*

Description from Ellora's Cave...

Erik Ice Tooth is used to getting what he wants. Undefeated in battle, no man is his match and no woman resists him, until he meets Bera, daughter of his King.

Disgusted by the hulking brute who asks for her hand in marriage, Bera adamantly refuses him, but Erik is determined to have his way. He abducts Bera, vowing that theirs is a match made by the gods—and he has many lusty tricks in store to prove it.

My Take...

Now it's been a while since I read a Historical because I've been on a crazy vampire high for a long time. But I won this ebook and decided to read it and you all know how I feel about ebooks. o.o I don't usually read them unless they are by authors that I already like because too many times I start reading one and it's bad...Bad I say!

But...this was so good! Oh My Gawd...I got it in my email and I decided to read the first few paragraphs to see if it looked like something I might like. I didn't stop reading until I was done. It didn't even occur to me that I was reading the entire book until I got to the end and was like..omg, that was fantastic!

The funniest part of the book by far is Erik meeting Bera for the first time because he had fallen into a dung heap and smelled really bad. He didn't even bathe before asking for her hand in marriage! It's no wonder she said no to him, I mean really...who wants to be proposed to, or in this case be bartered over for a bride price like some piece of cattle *now I remember why I don't read many historicals, I want to reach through the book and bitch slap the men!* by a man who smells like a filthy beast? Not me...

But the best part, *are you ready for this* I'm actually thinking of buying the second book after this one! *I know! Gasp! She's gonna BUY an ebook?* Kate Hill told me that Northman's Pleasure is now out and it's about Erik's brother, Grim. 

For those of you who would like to buy Northman's Passion, you can find it at this link on Ellora's Cave. 

While I was looking at Kate Hill's different books on Ellora's cave, I found that she also writes PNR! Hubby is going to dog sit for a few days at the end of this month and I think I just found a few books to keep me busy. *rubs hands together excitedly*

If you like paranormal reads then this one might peak your interest, I know it did me. 

Moonlight on Water

Oh, and since I won this first book on Shelly Munro's blog Taste of Kiwi, here's a link to one of Shelley's eBooks on Ellora's Cave. Because I never would have found Kate Hill without her. 

Playing To Win

Description Via Ellora's Cave

Professional rugby player Lane Gerrard is used to women throwing themselves at him, but a scurrilous tabloid article naming him as father of a child sends his temper soaring. The woman he confronts doesn't fit the blackmailer profile. Kate Alexander is attractive with an enchanting innocence, enticing. A total stranger. Her feistiness draws his unwilling admiration, but the child…he is the image of Lane.

Kate can't deny her son's similarity to the sexy man at her door but no way will she hand him over without a fight. Kate doesn't possess money but she can shower her son with love. With public speculation rife, Kate reluctantly works with Lane to discover the truth. They grow closer as distrust slowly turns to mutual fascination, but the tabloid articles bring out a stalker. Mild pranks escalate into danger, and suddenly Lane realizes Kate is a woman he could love. With Kate and her son, he could have a family. Now, with his heart on the line, this is one game he's playing to win.