I hadn't slept on the plane, so I was tired. We got to Pittsburgh and ate and then went to bed. We woke up later in the afternoon and started doing the walking around carnival thing. I was REALLY tired, because I was running on VERY little sleep, so we had to call it a day after looking at some of the booths (and playing cheesy fun games to get really cheesy prizes). We wandered around after booths to meet up with Ryan's friends. We were going to go to dinner with them, but somehow the plans got all screwed up and we ended up going to some really loud bar/restaurant. The food was excellent, though. (I had a tortilla wrapped BLT with chicken and cheese... what a great combo!!)

After about midnight or so, Pittsburgh time, we headed back to Brett's place (the guy that we stayed with had an extra room.. worked out great). We got to bed really late and I was so tired that I told Ryan I didn't want to wake up to go see Buggy. He, Tim, and Brett did go though. I slept in. We all went to lunch at this really good sub shop. It was better than Subway! I was shocked. Then we finished going to all the booths we missed the day before. I had fun playing them, and the sun was out in full swing. Ryan got sunburnt. I was playing around in the booths enough that I didn't just stand in the sun.

Let me explain the booths. Each organization makes a booth that relates to the yearly theme. This year it was "great moments in history" or something like that. One group had a walk-through booth of Disney's Fantasia. That was cool. They had it all decorated to show the different stages in the movie. The outside of their booth had huge waves of crashing water (like the scene where Mickey gets the baton and conducts the water). Another booth had famous baseball stats. one with "escape from Alcatraz", an assembly line, like Ford did, riding a train to show the trans-atlantic express -- just walking through a train, really), an Egyptian pyramid inside (sorta), and my favorite was a movie booth. They had several movies and each room was seperated by a curtain. They had motion-activated music for each room relating to that movie. IT started out with Casablanca, had Wizard of Oz, and then you walk through another curtain and find yourself standing in a shower and the Psycho music plays and you see a shadow of a person with a knife behind the shower curtain! Made me jump!, Willy Wonka had glass pebbles all over the floor for a walkway, Gone with the Wind, and then finally, Back to the Future, complete with a computerized game to play -- trivia of the ages).

I had cotton candy and got to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl, so I was content the 2nd day. Then we went to see TMNT -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was the movie of the weekend.. hehe. We ended up getting home late again, but that's okay. Tim and Brett went off in the morning to do something. Ryan and I slept in again. Ryan went to his friend's house while I just decompressed (being around people that much for 24/7 was really getting to me). Brett and Tim showed up again, and I saw where Brett worked. He works at a start-up company, so it was very barren. Kinda interesting how companies start out.

Then we were on our way home. (Well, after we picked up Ryan and went out to eat again). Overall, I think I had a good time in Pittsburgh. I discovered that Carnival is more of a Homecoming for CMU alum than the real Homecoming. So many people come back for Carnival that it was swamped with Ryan's friends and other alumni the whole time.

One thing I left out: Tim got really drunk at a party we went to on Saturday night. At this party, there were people playing this game called Typing of the Dead for Dreamcast. It's crazy... to kill the zombies and whatnot, you must type your way to the end of the level! You kill zombies by typing the words or phrases that they are attacking you with. Chees-y!

Reports of my girls: Maxine is fine and happy. Not much else to say about her, other than she has new furniture that she just loves... Tierna, on the other hand, has been sick. She's been acting normal, but her poop is not saying the same thing. Her little tummy must be upset about something, but I don't know what it is. I got her some Pepto-Bismol, as suggested by Mom. She liked it just fine. It is REALLY pink (when I put it in her light blue dish).

Her tumor is slightly larger than the last time I wrote about it. Not in length and width, but roundness. She doesn't notice it... doesn't pick at it or anything, so she doesn't seem to care that I look at it whenever I can. She's been needing a lot of attention lately, and I feel almost afraid to hold her... I don't want to get pooped on, or have her little (now) pink butt rub against me, so I wrap her in paper towel to hold her. I cry a lot about her.

Ever since I got her, she's been my baby. She's just too innocent to not care about her. Ryan says I'm doing the best I can for her. He says that she knows I care about her. I just can't stop thinking that she isn't getting what can help her. She's dying, and I can't help.

On a more uplifting rat note, I was reading this awesome webpage about rats, that tells about the joys of having rats, maintaining rats, and other cool stuff about rats. I was reading that rats like companions. I know how cool Tierna was around Sally and Quincy (Dave's rats), and I even put her in their cage. They all got along better than expected. I wonder if I get Tierna a companion, will she accept that new rat as readily as she did Sally and Quincy? Or because she's gotten older, and crotchetier, will she get too stingy to share her life with another rat?

I have ordered a wheel and a hammock for Tierna, in hopes to make her more athletic, and have a comfier place for her to sleep. I was also looking at wire cages. Should Tierna get a roomate if I get her a larger cage? I wonder how it would go. Ryan doesn't seem opposed to the idea, as long as we make sure they would both have space to adjust to each other. Maxine is strongly opposed to the idea. She thinks she needs to be the sole pet in the household. In fact, yesterday, I heard Maxine say that she wished Ryan would move out and take Tierna with him. She's a little stingy when it comes to me.

I bought food coloring, in hopes to make some colored Easter eggs. Ryan doesn't like vinegar, so there was none in the house to mix with the water and food coloring to make the color stick to the eggs. Low and behold, the color stuck to the shells as much as... umm... as opposite as Maxine fluff to anything in this house. (No vinegar, who knew?)

Erich's birthday is coming up, but I need Ryan to drive me someplace to get him a present. I hope I can get it out in time. I don't know when he's shipping out to Texas and all (for Air Force).

My goodness, this ended up being an entry and a half, didn't it? Makes up for lack of writing, I'd say.

Carisa