Bobling Update

Not much new to report here.

I checked on Bob, and moved some of the towels around in an attempt to raise temps. It was very cold last night. Colder than it had been. I'm trying to balance warmth with airflow, and seem to be fighting a losing battle. I can't seem to get the entire tank above 65. The area he's in is about 75, but if he has to get up to get a drink, it's freezing on that end.

Ugh.

I wonder if the temps have anything to do with his unusually long molt cycle?

Once he does shed, I'm going to double-check the molt for sexing purposes, then I'm sticking it in a plastic globe. I promised the molt to George, a friend at school. Who knows what he's gonna do with it, but it should prove interesting, to say the least. The last time I brought a molt to show some friends (Bob's first molt, very cute and very wee), George put it under his coat and scared girls with it. And some guys. Heh. We're all five.

I'm pretty much convinced that he's not ill, though. He's responsive and alert now. Moreso than a week ago. So no more worrying for that reason. I'm tempted to offer a cricket today, just to make sure that he's in molt, but then again, I've tried that five times already.

Bob, please. Just molt, already. The birds are doing it. Why can't you?

A Dilemma:

Friend Hissy was dead-set on joining the Peace Corps right out of high school.

After both I and my fatherly unit told her this was a bad idea (and not allowed due to age), she figured she'd sign up after a year in college. Tried to deter her again, but she seems stubberon on this.

There are alternatives that I've gathered, and I'd like some opinions on what I could offer to her to try and... change her mind?

Hissy wants to go to Africa. Specifically, Uganda. Good. Great.

Problem: Disease (Hissy's madly aniemic, and vulnerable to tons of things others aren't), water quality, and the fact that she'd be some random Chinese chick in Africa. ...Okay, we all find the last thing hilarious. *petpets Hissy* The thing that worries me most is that the Peace Corps would be more likely to get involved in the war zone areas of Uganda. None of us wants to see Hissy come back missing a limb. Or not come back at all.

Heifer is arranging a trip this year to Uganda as part of a study program.

An organization like Heifer would be a wonderful thing for Hissy to get involved in. Heck, I'd like to get involved in it (if we didn't fall so damn close to actually qualifying for a free cow ourselves). Plus, as she's currently worried about college, I'm sure it would look great on a resume. She wouldn't be allowed to go this year, but if I instilled a liking for the organization now, maybe she'd make enough friends to go in a few years.

And, more importantly, it might wean her off the Peace Corps idea. She's hotheaded and doesn't always think things through. It's not that the Peace Corps is a bad idea for everybody else... just Hissy. She's 17 and obsessed and I don't want to see her do something stupid.

The other idea doesn't even involve Africa, but Hissy seems to want to go into medicine...

Cuba (yes, that one) offers free medical training, room, and board to American and Western European medical students, complete with a "salary" (enough to afford treats and shiny bits each month), and a free body guard -- as long as they promise to stay in Cuba for a few years after completeing their medical training to do clinic work, and do low-cost medical work when they return to their home countries.

The main problem is... well... Hissy's mom hates Communists, and made Hissy think Cuba is the literal Hell. Hissy also would not agree to do low-cost anything. Probably a by-product of living in the U.S., as she's perfectly willing to volunteer. Yes. Logic go boom.

Ah, the brain pain this all brings.

Any other suggestions MORE than welcome.