Yes, bunnies can go to the veterinarian.
This past week, I took the bun to the Ryan Veterinary Hospital here in Philadelphia. It’s the only small animal hospital in the area, and let me tell you, there are some really wonderful people there. While sitting in the waiting room, a lot of curious pet owners asked me what kind of cat I had inside my animal bag. They commented on how large and fluffy it looked through the screen mesh window. When I laughed and revealed the bunny, about half a dozen elderly people came over to pet her and take photos. It was a nice moment.
The patient rooms really weren’t what I expected. I felt like I was in a patient room for a person, and not a small animal. The doctors there also treated the bunny like she was a person, keeping her in a blanket so she wouldn’t get cold, holding her after checking her ears, teeth, etc (buns don’t like that), etc.
She goes back tomorrow for an overnight stay. She’s getting spayed (ouch!) and having some blood work done, since she has some swollen glands on the side of her neck. The vets were impressed with how well behaved she was though, and they all can’t wait til I bring the chinchilla in for his first check up.
Vet visits are fun. It’s like, a trial run for when you have children. Except vet visits probably cost a little less, and old people won’t come over to pet your children. If they do, you need to find a new doctor. Seriously.
Reading up on various graduate schools. Now that is one ambitious bunny. Everyone should set their goals so high.
I’m sure a lot of people are going to be traveling in the next few days, spending the holiday in various locations. I’ll be spending the holiday in New Jersey with family, friends, and the little lady. With that idea in mind, I’ve put together a digital mix-tape. You can follow the respective links to download the tracks off the artists’ Purevolume pages. Burn them on a CD or put them on your fancy iPod, and you’re set to go.
Eric’s Real-Ultimate Turkey-Day Travelin’ Mix
01. Anberlin – A Day Late
02. As Tall As Lions – The Carousel
03. Between The Trees – The Way She Feels
04. Farewell – Stay Pretty
05. Foreverinmotion – The Rain
06. The Higher – Weapons Wired
07. Houston Calls – Bob & Bonnie
08. Just Surrender – Tell Me Everything
09. Moneen – If Tragedy’s Appealing, Then Disasters An Addiction
10. Self Against City – Ready & Willing
11. Sleepaway – Best Unspoken
12. Socratic – I Haven’t Seen You In Years
13. This Day & Age – Always Straight Ahead
Foreverinmotion’s song The Rain, is probably the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year. Pick up his album on 111 Records / Warner.
And if all that isn’t enough for you, well, go download Ronnie Day’s self titled album off his website, for free.
Happy Turkey Day everyone!
So one of my co-workers has a sister who wanted a bun. Since Heather and I are bunny barons, this little one found her way to a new home here in Philadelphia.
But look at this little rabbit! Heart-meltingly adorable, and many different colors. Her black fur has light brown highlights, her underbelly is white and tan, and her little nose is white! She also has a little white stripe on her forehead (which could possibly be a third eye, making her a psychic bun) and will definitely be missed. And not just by me…
… but by her kitty cat look alike! Here’s Diesel reaching out to grab a bunny ear. Want to see a few more photos? Hit up the Flickr, I’ve got a little photo set on there.
But you know, not all little furry creatures here in Philadelphia are as lucky as this bun. If you’re looking for a bunny, puppy, kitty, etc, well, check out Philadelphia’s Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS. There are a lot of animals out there who need a home!
In fact, I’m bringing one of these little guys home on Tuesday. Adopting him from a place up in Levittown, PA. He’s a little exotic, and extremely cute. Pictures soon!
Meet Tim and Meg’s new bun, Darth Vada.
Heather smuggled this little bun onto the Amtrak train from Albany, NY all the way to Philadelphia, passing through the Port Authority of NYC with no problems. She constructed a rather clever duffel bag that contained Vada’s cage, which was packed with lettuce, carrots, and water. The bun made it, and when she was set loose in Tim and Meg’s apartment, she hopped around merrily on the carpet, pondering what computer parts she would chew on first.
The last time I went up to Albany to visit Heather, I tried to bring this precious little bun home, but was thwarted by Amtrak when they told me no pets were allowed on board the train. I wrote a rather angry, irritated email to customer service. Not because they didn’t allow the bun on the train, but because some hipster woman got on at the next stop with an ugly little dog in her Prada bag.
Thanks Amtrak, it’s good to know pretentious rich women with giant Gucci sunglasses get preference over the scraggly looking college student dressed in ripped jeans and a leather jacket. Customer service called me to apologize for this, saying that only service dogs aiding those with disabilities were allowed on the train. That ugly pomeranian wasn’t a service dog. It was an accessory.
Heather, Secret Agent Double O’ Bun, accomplished her sneaky bun-smuggling mission with success.
Take that, Amtrak. pWn3d!
Or better yet, buNN3d!!1!
I’ve never really had a real birthday party before. I mean, I had a bunch when I was a little kid. The usual deal. Chuck-E-Cheese, Sports World, rollerskating, etc. But once you hit a certain age, your parents stop taking you and your friends to fancy, exotic places like Bowcraft, and start substituting Dunkin Donuts munchkins or cupcakes for your class. Then, that starts to disappear, and birthdays slowly become just like any other day, with the exception of the occasional awesome present.
When I turned 21, I had a serious throw down at my buddy Joel’s apartment near Philadelphia on his b’day, October 24th, with plans to party late into the next day. On the way to partying on the 25th, the car broke down, and we spent my 21st birthday at a Pep Boys. The night before was at least awesome though.
This year, living in a city on my own, I decided to do things differently, especially since I was hitting the big, scary two-five.
Lots of my friends came in for some serious partying from all over. I spent the greater part of Friday getting things ready and spending time with my girlfriend, who surprised me by making some amazing monster cupcakes with my roommate Tess.
They were insanely delicious. More photos soon.
When the night hit on Saturday, lots of great friends from home and college, a few new ones from Philadelphia, my rockin’ roommates, and my lovely girlfriend all came out to dress up in costumes, eat lots of snacks, and drink all of my Arbor Mist. The original plan was to bar hop around Old City, but as more people poured into the apartment, everyone was just way too comfortable. And that was just fine with me.
I was heavily dedicated to my costume as Thorny from Super Troopers. So much so that my roommate and I downed half a bottle of maple syrup, just to see who was, in the almighty words of Thorny, “all that is man.” The answer? My roommate. Man that stuff was gross.
The Halloween costume contest was won, hands down, by my friends Darlene and Cristina. They dressed as Naomi Campbell (Cristina on the right) beating up her executive assistant (Darlene on the left) with her cell phone. We captured an action shot, and Darlene had a fabulous black eye painted on. Good job guys!
A lot of my friends were telling me that this is the golden birthday and therefore, the golden year, since I turned 25 on the 25th. So, here is to making this an amazing year. I already know I’ll be finished with my MFA and my second book, so lets see what else can get added to that list.
Life is good.
Here’s to another good year.
Want to see more? Take a look at the Flickr account, and prepare to smile.
See, the great thing about this sign, located in the parking lot of the Greyhound station in Center City Philadelphia (11th & Arch), isn’t just the horrible, horrible grammatical mistake. The truly splendid thing about this sign… it’s enormous. HUGE. The sign is a banner, hanging above one of the parking garages. Yes, that’s a parking garage. So you can easily gauge from the fence above it and the large heat pipe below, that this banner is gigantic.
Another fun fact? Friendly Donuts… out of business. According to my roomies, who have been living in our building for well over a year, Friendly Donuts has not existed for nearly 8 months.
I wonder why?
I’m turning 25 in 10 days. In bunny years, Ash turns 16. He really should have outgrown cardboard boxes by now. Hmph, kids.
So Sara, my favorite craft maker, and Mark, the king of dating in Philadelphia, posted cool images from their respective apartments, and seriously, I couldn’t resist. It took me a while to find my place, since the addresses are a bit off, but I was pretty happy when I finally found my building. Maybe I’ll photoshop myself in the window later.
Now that Philadelphia is officially part of Google Streets, I’m excited to start finding some crazy images. Be it on a blog like Mashable’s Top 15 Google Street Sightings or on a full site like Google Street View Sightings, I’d love to see Philly representin’ with some truly wacky images.
For those of you who have Flickr, sign up for Bunny Lovers Unite. I’m in love with this group. I think I might adopt another bunny this weekend. Ash needs company, and nothing is more calming and heart warming then a new baby bun. Pictures of that adventure to follow.
A few weeks ago, I commissioned my favorite online comic artist, Anthony Clark, to create a painting of Heather and I. If you haven’t heard of this guy, well, shame on you. He does some seriously wonderful work, comics and paintings that genuinely make you laugh, consistently funny without ever becoming perverse or absurd. I even own a few prints of his. I’m especially fond of his wandering robot series. Go visit his site, and prepare to smile.
Someone really needs to finish his Wikipedia entry. He just has his name listed. Dude deserves more, and is way better then the guy who played the barber in The Rock.
I gave the print to Heather as a surprise. Not for an anniversary or anything, though I sort of intended it to be for that, but just because. Presents and little expressions of love shouldn’t just be set aside for special occasions or lame designated holidays.
You love someone, you tell them. Go out of your way to do something wonderful. Hire an artist you both love, take them on a special date (or make a show about said date), do something, just don’t be that couple who end up being those sad sacks sitting in restaurants, not speaking to one another, and wondering how the hell they got there. I’ve seen too much of that lately.
God, we are so damn cute.
Thanks Anthony.
My debut novel comes out this Fall. You'll be able to download free audiobook podcasts 
