Phoenix

My spouse and I have came to a consistently reoccurring problem in our communication values and expectations. Here is a summary of our situation. I really, really need help and advice.

I've always been level headed and "Mature for my age." At 15, while playing a popular MMO called World of Warcraft, I ran into another character of the same faction, same character race, same server, and..opposite gender. He was 21, then. Fast forward 1 year. We have spoken on the phone every day for more than 4 hours (almost always 8 hours) without fail, and often fall asleep on the line. We know every family member, interest, hate, and childhood memory of the other. At this point, he moves 849 miles to move in with myself and my family. (16)

After 2 more years, we are standing before a judge becoming wed. (18)

1 year following, our first child has arrived. (19)

2 years later, our second child has arrived. (21)

It's now six years into our relationship. I'm going to medical school. We both come from a poverty ridden family, myself due to parents hitting retirement and earning little in old age, and my partner because his entire family are southern deep fried, own 12+ indoor dogs, hick red necks. (His accent is attractive, though.)

It seems like whenever we try to converse, there is a massive wall, some sort of communication barrier. The innate feeling of talking to an intimate object is eerily overbearing. I've tried and tried to ask him basic, simple questions. (If you could go anywhere for a vacation, what do you find most attractive about people, if there was one thing you could change about the future/past, ect.) I've also discussed world affairs, sociology, and psychological concepts. Most of the time if I go deeper into astronomical concepts, he literally zones out with a wide eyed face and locks up. He can't handle topics bigger than ourselves, but cannot answer basic opinion questions without much pushing and many minutes of struggle.

The only thing we can do is watch TV, laugh at obnoxious youtube videos, play video games together, raise our children, and have standard immediate physical object-oriented involvements. (E.g. "How are you feeling today?" "Do you want a glass of water?" "How did you sleep?" "I'm going to class at 1. Stop freaking out when I get home at 3 and do not call anyone.")

I'd much rather be doing and discussing other things, but his ability to do so is exasperating. Now that I'm older and more mentally developed, he hasn't changed as much and my 15 year old self would be thrilled with him, still. My adult self is not. What can I do to break down the wall between us?

I'm trying to find the name to a cryptid/mythical creature/paranormal entity. (It has to be one of the three, right?) Unfortunately, as these things go, I can't quite find something close to the description to put a name on it.

Basically, it's a large bird, black in color, and larger than an eagle, about twice as tall vertically. It has the heavier body shape resembling an owl, and the eyes distinctly glow a read hue. It's fairly interesting in that the expression of the creature looks like any other calm unconcerned bird. It just sits there, and the light itself emitted from its gaze reflects off the nearby limbs and trunk of the tree, especially if it's head is turned to face it.

I doubt these details will help narrow the search, but it is a fairly passively observing creature, and has a very natural appearance. No shadowy mists, appears openly in broad day light, no horrible events following. It really does resemble the posture of a larger than life owl in how it sits and clings to the branches, the only thing that really sets it apart from a real animal is the slightly unusual size and distinctly glowing eyes. The gaze itself isn't 'piercing' like some demonic thing from hell, you can barely tell its glowing in broad daylight if not for it being so close to another object to pick up.

I'm curious if anyone can help me track down a name or origin of something similar, since, you know.. Black creatures with glowing red eyes are so rare. Ha. I did meet one other person that had the same experience in the midwest united states; a large black owl like bird with glowing red eyes, that acted like any other bird. Maybe someone else knows more about it?

It's very difficult to accurately phrase a question when extremely upset. I cannot stress how irritating the amount of falsified information on BCC/BCI boa growth out there can be. Basically, around 80% of the time when someone asks "How fast will my boa grow?" They get ridiculous answers. For example, "They will get 6-8 feet by the second year!" That is absolutely not true. In fact, it generally takes 5 years to reach these adult sizes.

The tendency for people to falsify boa growth information is so common due to trying to deter other people from getting them or shame them for not knowing the answer already when they are about to purchase or have already purchased a baby boa. - -For those of you wondering yourself, you can house a 1 day old boa for 2 years in a 12 gallon tank, then seriously need to make an upgrade. I don't care what anyone says, I've grown many of them this way with no problems, then went from the 20 inch tank to a 40 inch adult grow out tub.

I realize that you CAN get your boa to 5-6 feet in the second year by force feeding them, which is extremely detrimental to their health. So, what I'm asking, is are there any experienced breeders or personal hobbiests out there who can actually clarify the average growth rate of a baby red tailed boa to adult hood? Specifically, I'm referring to the mixed blood designer morph lines that include blood relations from two sub specieis, not specifically common boas and true red tails. (Which practically don't exist 100% pure in morph breeding anyway.)

I've had 6 of these snakes so far, and my oldest is 3 years old. She's about 42 inches long, while the second oldest female is at 38 inches long already. They are primarily fed weekly on rats, but have gotten mice (less nutrients, slower growth) for a few month spans as well. I got the 3 year old when she was already 2, so are these normal growth rates? Is my 3 year old not growing as well? She IS extremely thick around the middle without being obese, and sub adult boas tend to slow their eating curve around this mark, so she's taken to bi weekly feedings.

Any information about personal experiences with snake growth in each year, or links to articles (not care sheets, which are usually way wrong) on forums/blogs would be great. I've tried doing my own research outside of my own personal experiences, but have gotten too angry to continue. Thank you for the help!

I always spend so much time answering other people's questions that I never get to ask them myself.

Besides the type of morphs themselves, what are things to look for when picking out the highest value/quality in morphs? For example in red tail boas, you would look for clean (no speckling), contrast (sharp patterns), and color. (A bold tail color.) How is quality judged in ball pythons?

If you were breeding normals, 100% het for albino, would it matter if the normal ball has a yellow/faded belly versus one that is uniform solid coloring? Are there pattern variations on normal balls (not morphs) that make a difference? What I mean is you can have two from the same clutch hatch with a variation in pattern, but both be 'normal' ball pythons. What matters?

Does it matter if one is a hue darker or a hue lighter, size, ect?

Any information is appreciated. I'm an experienced reptile and snake keeper, but new to BPs and buying my first albino/pied hets.

So apparently in the United States, you can enter medical school with a Bachelor's degree in anything. However, you need credits in things such as:

General biology

Physics with lab

General chemistry (inorganic chemistry) with lab

Organic chemistry with lab

Calculus

English

So.. Can I take my Bachelor's in anything, then complete scientifically required courses separate at another college and it would be fine? Thanks!

Side note: I absolutely love science, I just can't afford the tuition for anything outside of accredited online learning.

I'm obtaining a motherboard that has two NVIDIA (and other brand) compatibility for crossfiring. When actually purchasing the graphics cards themselves, what option is better:

*One extremely expensive high end card.

*Two medium quality cards of the exact same kind.

*One extremely expensive high end card, and one rather low end card, same brand different model.

Sorry for my noobishness, but I do thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. =) Feel free to discuss the 'Whys' and educate me.

Hello. We are a small farm that raise quail, chicken, and turkey for egg and meat consumption. Currently, we are sending our live stock to a local processing facility that packages the products for us and phones for pick up.

Sometimes we'll raise a few steers for the same outcome, so I was wondering, is llama also processed for meat consumption in the United States? In South America they are/have been widely used as a meat animal for centuries, and it's getting expensive buying 50 dollar chops. Is it hard to fine someone to process this type of meat in the US? And is it legal? I'd rather "buy in bulk" by purchasing healthy stock, then just pay for the processing.

Thanks for any information you can provide.

No, I don't want your opinion on what constitutes an edible or non edible product, please don't waste your time.

On reptile forums and when going to purchase boas online, I see a lot of number dot number readings. 1.0, 1.1, 0.01, ect.. What is this?

I keep and breed a number of exotic birds, snakes, and a few lizards- so the cost and labor of husbandry isn't a factor. (That is, feel free to recommend touchy exotics who need fruit fly cultures, special nutrition, advanced lighting, ect.)

Can someone who knows amphibians and high humidity reptiles recommend a list of possible pet candidates for this enclosure I'm about to describe?

Size of tank: Can be anything from 36 inches to 60 long. This factor depends more on the adult size of the pet I'm designing for.

Conditions: I'd like to go with a tropical rainforest theme, complete with a continuous waterfall in a shallow mini pond. Mosses, false vines, real plants, high humidity, drift wood for perches and places to climb, fake stone backdrop.

So I'm looking for a pet that would enjoy sitting (or maybe even swimming, could make it deeper) in a small pond with a gentle water flow. I'd be willing to add feeder fish to it, but not a big desire. (Please don't suggest Anacanda due to their adult size)

However, the pet should enjoy being outside of the water as well, maybe hiding or climbing on the many plants and stone hide areas, basking, hunting insects, ect.

My main problem is I cant think of any pets that will enjoy both the water and the rainforest parts in tandem. I'd REALLY like poison dart frogs (no worries, they aren't dangerous depending on diet) but have no idea if they'd like the water or not. And finned frogs seem to rarely leave the water and wouldn't be happy in a shallow dish. Turtles are cumbersome, not quite what I had in mind.

Ideas?

There are obviously different lines of tyrosinase positive albinos. (VPI, B.W, ect) My question is, if you take a het for caramel albino (T+) from one line, and cross it to a het for caramel albino from another line, will the resulting offspring (assuming they inherited the T+ Albinism from both parents) show caramel albino?

What I'm asking is can you take a VPI caramel albino, and breed it with a B.W/Prodigy/Blonde and still get T+ albino offspring? Or are they like Khal/Sharp in that you have to stay on the same strain to get a morph result?

I'm an excellent graphic designer, but still picking up advanced programming languages. What kind of programs would be used for a site that takes two inputs of variables (Such as color A and color B) and then produce an output variable (color C) based on the original parameters/variables. The output would be in the form of a templated image, such as a colored animal.

I'm thinking PHP/MySQL would be the best for that. However there is a catch that makes it harder for me to determine the answer.

That output image (the animal) also has to have a twin image that is 3D/animated also generated from the same two variables. So you have a still, templated image and a moving 3D one.

I guess a good example of the website like that would be a breeding simulator. Dog A and Dog B are designated to "breed" by a user. The user "breeds" them, and after a predesignated period of time, a puppy is generated between the variables of the parent dogs.

What would a person need to create that kind of site? The thing that is eating me is the animated 3D graphics working in harmony with the rest of the site. I've seen it done countless times, but have no idea what the original programmers have used to create it.

If a weanling/yearling is particularly good at something, say jumping an object that stands higher than it does, would that essentially make it a good jumper as an adult? Or is that type of aptitude rather hit and miss?

My main question is if an extremely young horse excels in any given trait, would it's adult version also generally be good at it by nature?

I have an albino female and a typical store brand black hooded male. They bred, and produced black hooded babies. However, at the age of 7 weeks, one of the males is displaying an unusual coat pattern. 2/3 down his back, there is a huge splotch of dark grey interrupting the black blaze going down his back. It merged into his tail. I've never seen this in rats before.

My question is, is this a known genetic pattern we have a name for? Or is it something new?

I happen to own a number of exotic animals, including reptiles, but iguanas are fairly new to me.

For starters, he has enough space, proper humidity, UVA lighting, plenty of cover to shade in and lots of basking areas. His appetite is normal and he happily drinks from his dish and licks moisture from the tank walls. He is a baby and generally sheds over the course of two days. The rest of his colors are bright green with some brown shoulder markings, brown on his spines, and almost all of his tail. They appear to literally just be brown markings, not signs of overheating. This picture was taken two days ago and doesn't show his current problems very well:

http://im1.ponyisland.net/gallery/887810/423824.jp...

However, there are black areas/no scales under his arms and between his toes. He had a mite infestation when purchased, in which both him and the whole tank and every last thing in it was treated. The skin is not growing back though.

Now he has developed what looks like a marble under his skin on just one side of his lower abdomen within 12 hours. Anyone have any ideas? The nearest vet for an iguana is hours away and it will be a few days before they can see him.

I am just beginning to ship captive bred boa constrictors across the United States. It would be nice to add a certificate or paperwork that either proves they are captive bred or states their genetics.

I feel it would make my customers more inclined to purchase from me. I already provide images of parents and grand parents to prove the genetics of the babies, along with a photograph of the litter just born from that specific pair. However, it would be more professional to have some documentation.

Any ideas? Being a digital artist I can easily whip up a certificate. But it's not quite the same.

I purchased a pair of triple het boas.

Male: Hypo, 100% het Albino, 50% het Anery

Female: Hypo, 100% het Albino, 50% het Anery (Same)

ASSUMING they both do in fact carry anery, what different morphs could potentially show up in their litter?

Please do not lecture me on 'put it back where you found it.' I wouldn't be asking if that was the circumstance. Yes, I'm sure it is a crow. =)

I know what to feed it, I just need someone to explain HOW to feed it. It isn't showing the typical signs of fear, but it is obviously not happy. Is there any tips or tricks for getting it to accept food? Is there a way to force feed it if it simply refuses for too long?

Additionally, what should I do about its hydration needs? Just feed moist food or add some lactose free baby formula?

We have a baby arriving next month and certainly cannot afford counseling sessions. Our marriage is exceptionally healthy. No one has any kind of bad habits or addictions, there is no violence, yelling, or acts of revenge. We resolve our problems in a calm, controlled manner. However, there is one thing we just can't seem to get over. Can anyone lend some good advice?

When we met, I was 15 and he was 21. It's been four years, we've been married for 1 of them, and I've matured a great deal. I write poetry, songs, and do some pretty amazing digital art. But my man is stuck on trading card games, hand held devices, and anything electronic. Which is fine. Gaming is great! Though he only makes friends with socially outcast individuals who hold up in the library playing magic the gathering.

It's not that I want him to have my interests. I don't. I just want him to pick up some skills or hobbies. While I may be good at certain things and make daily commitments to develop those abilities, he makes absolutely no effort to even read the news. How can we find something he will enjoy? Or do I have to accept that my 24 year old is still 15 in his head, and may be for several more years to come?

Also he is very good with electronics, but it isn't really helping. We don't need to fix computers every day of the week.

While physiological concerns can be difficult to help with online, this is a specific event that someone reading may have experience with. Can someone throw some advise? Usually it's a problem children encounter more than adults.

I am a well adjusted adult who has grown up in a regular middle class family. We do not raise our voice or have any kind of violent history. However, I have always always had a problem with evening hours or bed time. From ages 3-12 I was nearly 100% a co sleeper. (Slept with parents as a regular routine.) Sleeping or being in a dark room was impossible. It still is without running for the door or lights, or jumping to get to the 'safety' of bed quickly. After 12 I was able to usually get by with having a pet in bed with me, but became a serious insomniac/nocturnal human. Naturally that used to affect school and social life greatly.

I literally sleep only during the day light hours even as an adult, but my husband and I have a baby on the way and that routine wont work any more. (We cannot sleep in the same bed or room due to small living quarters.)

Every night is started with a routine of trying to make my heart stop racing, paralyzed in fear and trying not to open my eyes. It's difficult to breath and no limbs can slip off the bed. Some of you have a different view on religion, but it has lessened the intensity of fear by prayer, but not the anxiety and stress. The "high alert" fight or flight feeling persists for nearly an hour or more, but I only try rest in the dark when really tired to begin with in order to help shorten the time it takes to finally fall asleep through it. I generally only sleep a few hours as my schedule is reversed, and have quite a few nightmares. It's hard to work up the courage to reach for the lamp light or bolt for the door in order to leave the room when it is still dark after awaking.

Thanks for any advice, links, or ideas you can come up with! Please disclude pregnancy related information as I am fully aware the need for good rest and stress free days for baby's health. I get plenty of sleep with support from my family by sleeping during the day or having hubby nearby until I zonk out and he can leave, but this habit needs to stop now.

Other information:

Part of the reason the unnecessary terror and anxiety is so hard to give up is because a large fear of mine is seeing something in the dark that doesn't belong there. This stems from having seen a few scary things in rare occasions through the years in the old house I grew up in. The events, rather "real" or my minds very well simulated creation, had a lasting impact for years to come.

I no longer have an environment where these odd happenings continue, but the expectation of experiencing them is hard to crack. =/

Yay, another pet store adventure! We have experience in handling/taking care of boas as good pets, but not so much luck identifying morphs. The store owner claimed the particular baby boa I purchased was a motley morph. However upon farther investigation, it doesn't seem so. In fact, I can't tell what the heck it is.

The body isn't all that special, showing regular boa colors of a slightly darker hue. However, the tail is more on the lavender side with deep red spots highlighted with black. Please look at the included images of our odd boa.

If anyone knows what morph combination/lack of combination is being displayed in this little guy, we would really like to know!

Full Body: http://imageshack.us/m/684/913/picture026hv.jpg

Tail View: http://tinypic.com/r/4ig5g0/7

Close Up: http://imageshack.us/m/843/9141/picture032n.jpg

My best guess is that it is a breeder's best attempt at creating a motley line. As you can see from the pictures, the tail (yes I know there is a little unshed skin, he JUST shed) has a portion of connected pattern, then thin breaks between the red marks. His eyes are really dark despite his pale face.