They were later found to have had a suicide pact, one was just a procrastinator
Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 5:53AM I'm playing Bex's photo meme again this week, Funky Foto Flashback. Even though I take slight issue with the spelling, you should head over there anyway and play. It's fun! And you get to dig through your old embarassing pics, and then make yourself feel better by laughing at other people's embarassing pics.
Or by consuming an entire tray of cupcakes. Whatever blows your skirt up.
Anyway, this is from 87? 88? Somewhere in there, when my family decided to pick up and move to New Zealand for a few years. To smooth the transition, my parents bought both my brother and I guinea pigs.
I was obviously feeling the social pain of that bad hairdo and unfortunate choice of boyish jacket, and lashed out by inflicting the name "Meepsie" on my guinea pig. My brother followed up by naming his "Hiffy".
Hiffy promptly died of distemper. Or something twitchy and gross, anyway. Here I think I'm checking to see if I can finish digging the tiny cemetary plot.
Hiffy was never replaced, because, as it turns out, ONE guinea pig is quite enough for any family. Those little fuckers are loud and obnoxious and produce an obscene amount of shit for such a small rodent, and they suffer from the same problem beavers do: their teeth never stop growing, so they have to chew on something to wear them down. Lacking any miniature trees, they gnaw constantly on their cage.
Or on the buttons on a remote control, or on the door frame, or on their owners.
Anyway, Meepsie lived an inordinately long time for a critter with a death wish - almost two years. I was pretty lazy about cleaning it's cage, and, like I said - lots of poop. So my Dad eventually insisted the beast and it's pungent cage stay outside, which is easy to do in New Zealand, except for - oops! - that one night where it gets a little TOO cold. Cold enough for a rodent that was past it's expiry date to, well, expire.
I think my Dad felt a little bad about that one.
You know what, Dad? DON'T.
Reader Comments (32)
In the 80s there was bad hair every where I guess. Housing, feeding and cleaning up after a rodent is fun how?
My mother always took my old pets to the vet without consulting me to have them put down. Now, if they get themselves expired or run away, I don't care so much. Thanks Mom.
LOL, WOW, that Guinea pig had lived past his prime! They got a life expectancy of a fish!
And that is why my mom never allowed us to have any pets. I just thought she was being mean.
Ewww Guinea Pigs are SICK. They smell horendous, too. Also, I am IN LOVE with your mullet and velcro shoes. Teehee...:)
I hate a pet rat so I can relate.
That thing lived for years! Way longer than they are supposed to.
I kinda like the name Hiffy. Very funny.
Your mullet is lovely!
Rodents as pets just never works it seems.
With the exception of the bangs, I think I HAVE that hair-do!
I can so relate to the guinea pig hate, except I happen to be the parent who got my kids the pigs. I 'accidently' let the shit-machine out in the back yard where it promptly 'got lost'.
Great post!
I love the whole look BTW but I thought that was your brother ;-)
Let's touch on another subject...New Zealand? That would be incredible. I have to say that I envy you, if only that about this story.
did you mention they stink?! I had a rabbit when I was little that didn't survive a cold night either. and it's name was snowflake.
Your hatred for guinea pigs really puts them in a new light for me.
You moved to New Zealand?! I'm impressed. I hear its really difficult to move to New Zealand, that they are very choosy about who gets to stay in their land of kiwis and sheep.
Thanks for playing even though I spell like a tard.
As a general rule, I have always hated rodents. The gerbils that the girls had for a while have sealed that particular deal.
Wow! New Zealand!
Unfortunately, I am a minority in the comments. I like guinea pigs. In fact, I was the proud owner of "Beauford"...He smelled some days rather ripe, and his cage was a constant project to keep clean, but dang, that little guy lived for 6.5 years. I kid you not! Life expectancy of 4-7 years, in general, so not so bad for Beauford! I didn't let him outside. He was definitely my alarm clock for many years. He liked his carrots promptly at 5:30 a.m., which that is one thing I defnitely do NOT miss about him and the cage cleaning wiped me out. I've been pet-less ever since his death!
Poor Meepsie... hopefully he/she didn't feel anything because he/she was numb!
And I love the hairdo and jacket. Very '80s... which is where it should stay but for some reason everyone is insisent on bringing it all back... I'm bitter, can you tell?
umm...yeah, i don't even like cats and dogs, rodents as pets would never cut it. and...i was totally psyched when i got my hair "feathered" in fourth grade. i even vaguely remember my diary entry about it.
Your title made me LOL.
And you were a gorgeous child! Like, this photo could have come from a Ralph Lauren campaign, if it weren't for all the rodents and poop.
Totally talked me out of a guinea pig, thanks!
We had hamsters that didn't fare too well either, not sure where they ended up actually...
Great photo though, hair aside you were a cute kid. ;)
Oooooh! Guinea pigs are as bad as cats (sorry cat people). They are loud and do that squeal and are just....blobs!
My sister had one named Scooter that she loved. But the thing stunk and was annoying.
I feel your pain...
Good thing you didn't move to Peru. Then the pets would have wound up on a dinner plate.
I'm in awe of your hair, that look should really make a comeback.
We had a pet rabbit who was forced to live in our hot FL backyard but she lived FOREVER. Grr.
I hate rodents for pets... it's just ew...
after reading your description of a guinea pig (Those little fuckers are loud and obnoxious and produce an obscene amount of shit), I realized that I AM a guinea pig! LOL!
What a title! poor kitters.
don't listent to the nay sayers (or is it naysayers?). that mullet was fucking sweet. almost as sweet as your velcro shoes.