I Am Slowly Wearing Andrew Down

Don't worry, it isn't as bad as the title makes it sound.

So I've really wanted a fish for awhile now (I've been asking if we could get one since before Thanksgiving), but Andrew wouldn't let me get one because what were we gonna do with it over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks? So I patiently waited for winter semester so I could get my fish. Well it's now winter semester, and after asking a couple of times and begging if we could go last Saturday, Andrew (rather reluctantly) gave in and said we would go Monday (as in yesterday). Well on Saturday night Andrew, Alex, and I went up to my grandparent's house and Alex told us he wanted to bring his dwarf hamster with him but he was afraid of being caught on his way out of the building. Obviously this implies that they're not allowed to have pets in his dorm, so please please don't turn him in or show this blog post to his RA (or any other RA for that matter, unless you know they aren't gonna do anything) cause I would feel really bad if I got him in trouble and you would be a jerk. I mean, neither my brother nor his hamster are doing anything to you, so what would you possibly gain from turning him in? Nothing, that's what, besides maybe a new reputation as a jerk. So anyway, Alex told us we should come look at his dwarf hamster when we got back to Provo, so when we got back to Provo on Sunday night after a relaxing day with our grandparents, we did indeed go look at his dwarf hamster. It was freakin' cute. Either Alex would make a good salesman, or I'm just a sucker, cause after that I wanted a dwarf hamster.

Monday came around and Andrew and I had lots of errands to do, like grocery shopping, going to Plato's Closet to get some new jeans, and picking up our new pet. Oh and here's a random story that made me super happy but has nothing to do with our new pet. A couple of weeks ago Andrew and I went to Big Lots to look for stuff to hang one of our new Christmas presents (it's obviously a picture), and there's a Dollar Tree next to the Big Lots, both of which happen to be next to the Macey's at which we shop. We stopped by the Dollar Tree too, and I found some two-packs of nail polishes that were the one of the brands I like and were only one dollar (because they were at the Dollar Tree). These nail polishes are like $2.79 or something at Target and $3.79 at the Macey's next door, so I was amazed at what a steal that was. I didn't get any then though, but since we're over there like every week when we go grocery shopping, I figured I'd get them eventually. So yesterday when we went to Macey's to do our grocery shopping I ran over to the Dollar Tree to get some of those nail polishes. I ended up getting a 4-pack of emery boards, two of those two packs of nail polishes (one of them had one nail polish and this Vitamin E nail and cuticle oil), and base/top coat. I go up to the register thinking this is gonna cost me $4 (which is actually really good for all of that), and the lady rings me up and tells me my total is $2.17. Thinking something is wrong she checks the price, and sure enough, the two packs of nail polishes are ringing up at one cent. She calls her manager, who calls another manager, who says that that is indeed what the price is. She actually yells this across the store, as she didn't actually come over to the register. So if any of you need new nail polish, you should definitely check out the Dollar Tree next to the Macey's on State Street and Bulldog, right across from the hospital. Even if they fixed it so they don't ring up at one cent, you're still getting a $7 value for $1, and who doesn't want to save $6?

Anyway, back to the pet story. After we did everything else, we stopped by Petsmart (even though Alex told us he got his hamster at Petco) and we found out that while Petsmart may be the superior store for pet supplies, it is most definitely not the superior store for actual pets. They did have way cooler fish than Petco did though, so if I ever convince Andrew to let me get a fish too (I still want one), then we will definitely be getting it from Petsmart. So anyway, by this point Andrew was in one of those pissy moods he gets in when he doesn't want to be doing something or is mad about something, but we went to Petco and found our dwarf hamster. We ended up getting this cute little female one, who, while she may look cute, is actually quite feisty and somewhat vicious. Sounds like a lot of women doesn't it? She spent the whole ride home trying to claw and bite her way out of box she was in and if you put your finger anywhere near her, she'll try to bite it. We figured it was just because of her eventful day and because she probably wasn't happy about being taken away from her two pals that she shared the cage with at Petco. We decided to name her Harley, because we couldn't think of any other names and that was one of the suggestions when I Googled, "What should I name my hamster?" We also Googled stuff about how to get your hamster to stop biting, and there were lots of good suggestions, and if you have a biting hamster you should also check it out. I actually don't know if we're allowed to have pets in our apartment complex, but another couple who lives here got a dog, and they got permission from the managers, so if they can have a dog, I'm sure it will be okay for us to have a hamster. Oh and if you're wondering how they can have a dog in a tiny apartment, it's just a little pug puppy, so it's probably okay. It's not like they're trying to cram a Great Dane into their apartment.

So anyway, here's why I'm wearing Andrew down. I really really REALLY want to get a dog eventually, but Andrew absolutely refuses. He says it's the one thing he won't give in on. He basically thinks they're a waste of space and money and if he's gonna spend money on something, it's gonna be our kids. My dad pretty much felt the same way when I was growing up (though his big things were that a dog sheds all over the furniture and that he'd end up being the one taking care of it), but eventually he gave in when my Grandma Kalauli actually gave us a dog. I'm holding out hope that Andrew will eventually give in, even if it takes 16  years, which is how long it took my dad to give in. I've always wanted a Great Pyrenees, or at least since my Auntie Nani got married and we went over to my Uncle Walter's friend Geo's house and he had one. If you don't know what they look like, they're white, and they're massive. They're one of the biggest breeds of dog. Anyway, Andrew didn't seem too happy about getting this hamster at first. He said it was "my thing," and he claimed he didn't care either way. As soon as we brought Harley home though, she started growing on him. He doesn't like "bitey things" (his words), but that doesn't stop him from going over to the cage to look at her, or talk to her, and when I suggested we look up ways to stop your hamster from biting, he was all for it.  He even used one of the suggestions and went and got some gloves that he got from my parents for Christmas to mess with her inside the cage. I guess it's just too hard to resist the allure of your first pet (his first pet of course, not mine). So that's how I'm wearing his resolve down. I know there's a big difference between a hamster and dog, but I'm warming him to the idea of pets, and you have to start small right? I'm performing inception on his mind, and eventually he will give in, because he always gives in if it's important enough to me. I'm not saying I always win arguments, nor am I saying that I don't ever give in, but what I am saying is that he might one day give in on the dog issue, and when that day comes I will be very happy indeed. Oh and as soon as he saw this post he said, "No. No. We are not getting a dog, so you can just forget about it." We'll see about that.

*Wrap*