I’m sorry for the absence this past week – I’ve been busy! I rarely do personal posts, so bear with me this once while I explain myself (or skip ahead to tomorrow’s post if you hate this sort of thing).
First off, I’ve finally graduated, which means I’m now officially Dr Muffin! Here I am in my pimping robes, with an inexplicable awkward Force Choke hand happening there:
I’ve also been frantically helping the boyfriend with his move overseas – he’ll be in Switzerland for a year, working on some neglected disease drugs and jumping off some cliffs. I’m joining him for a few months next year, so I’ll be exploring some European skincare and cosmetics brands then (and probably muling some back for my Sydney peeps). I’m also hoping to perhaps get some work experience in some cosmetics laboratories in Europe while I’m there, but I’m not entirely sure how to approach that yet – fingers crossed the boyfriend can ask around his lab and sort something out!
With the boyfriend’s move overseas, I’ve inherited his bearded dragon (that’s not a euphemism, I swear), which has brought out all my maternal instincts, and it turns out I’m the worst kind of Tiger Mother. It may be because he’s a tiny little thing, or perhaps because I haven’t had a pet since my mice died in 1998. I’ve been trying to make him eat vegetables and micromanaging his environment, which is a bit of a change from the boyfriend’s laissez-faire, devil-may-care approach to dragon upbringing. As an indication of how loopy lizard lady I’ve gotten, I’ve spent about $150 on supplements and lighting for him, and on Tuesday I’ll be taking delivery of 800 conservation crickets from the Amphibian Research Centre which I’ll be raising for him in a DIY cricket cage. I even learned how to use a jigsaw while making that cage, and gouged a bit of my finger out as well! (Not on the swatching hand, luckily.) He doesn’t actually have a name yet – I haven’t been able to come up with something witty enough in between stressing about him having metabolic bone disease or being impacted or eating too much potassium or being poisoned by eucalyptus leaves.
So with finding graduation clothes, tessellating stuff into boxes, listening to the boyfriend yammer on about the mechanics of BASE jumping, and dipping crickets into mashed banana, I haven’t had much time to blog in the past week! I’ll be back to regular programming tomorrow though 🙂
DR MUFFIN!!!! So excited for you.
Also, dragon lizard thing seems hard. I much prefer cats – see they tell you when they’re about to die of starvation (or think they will anyway).
I’m sure I’m making it harder than it is – the bf left him for a week without food at one point, and according to other lizard owners that’s not really bad for them? I’m feeling pretty paranoid though because I would feel so bad if he died on my watch!
Congrats on your PhD, Michelle!!!
Thank you!
Congrats Dr. Muffin! 😉 Now it’s the next step in your life. So happy for you and can’t wait to see what awaits you next year. Hoping you do get to work in those European cosmetics labs.
You need to update your bio, clever clogs! I’m so happy for you. Which city is your good bloke off to? Maybe you’ll fancy a trip north when you come to Europe? 😀
lol this is the only place to read about someone dipping crickets in mashed bananas..
CONGRATS!! 🙂
Dr Muffin! Well DONE 😀 Amazing achievement, and I cannot WAIT to get your take on all those foreign skincare items and so forth! 🙂
YAY! CONGRATULATIONS! Both on graduating and on becoming a new mama. Hopefully all your worries work out and little What’s-His-Name becomes the world’s healthiest bearded dragon!
Congrats on your graduation! 🙂
Congrats!!! I hope you get everything out of your trip to Europe that that are looking for. And I am so jealous of your acquired bearded dragon. They are my favorite lizards!
NOW WHO WILL BUTTER YOUR MUFFIN? Would you like me to assign someone to butter your muffin while BF is gone?
I’m so sorry, I’ll stop now.
Congratulations on graduating! Your must be so excited! And I’m sure you’ll do fine in the lizard department. 🙂
xxLissa
Congrats on the PhD! I have been locked away like a hermit writing mine for the past two months and I am so close! Huge achievement for you!
Congrats Dr Muffin!!! Sounds like some exciting times ahead for you! Very happy for you!
Congratulations on your degree! Best of luck with all your new endeavors!
Congratulations!
Oh, congratulations Dear Michelle, I’m so happy for you, Dr Muffin 😉
– aka dragon lady, I’m sure the little dragon will appreciate his life with you 🙂
Congratulations, Dr. Muffin! Wishing you, your man and the little dragon the best of luck as you sort everything out in the next few months. 🙂
What can you possibly do with 800 crickets, other than freeze most of them? You only have one little dragon. Hmmm, do you think he’s lonely. Maybe he needs a playmate!
Haha maybe he does! I’m not actually sure of his/her gender yet though (too small to see!) so unfortunately he’s going to be alone for a while longer.
He’ll happily eat more than 20 crickets a day if I let him, so I’m hoping the 800 last around a month 🙂
Congrats! And I think we’ll need more dragon pics from now on. You know, for science. 😉
YOu sound like an excellent Lizard Mother! I have 4 lovely box turtles who have lived with me for over twenty years. I work hard to keep them healthy without going into hibernation, but lizards are even more delicate so bully for you! I also keep their shells glossy and healthy with PAM –a spray on cooking oil and often decorate their shells for the hoidays with ribbons and bows.
And congratualtions on your scholastic achievements! You are a fantastic role model for all us women.
Oh my gosh, congratulations brainbox! You’ve got some exciting times to come too. And now a dragon mummy. It’s all go in labmuffin land, amazing! x x x
Congrats on graduating, Dr. Michelle/Muffin! I know it’s a big deal! I can’t wait till I get my doctorate.
Oh, I’m super late replying to this (and I almost never comment at all, on top of that) but congratulations Doctor Muffin!
I forgot to congratulate you earlier. So… CONGRATULATIONS!! You should be super proud. I hope you will be reaping the fruits of your labors for years to come!
I for one love personal posts 🙂 Congratulations Dr Muffin! And the little bearded dragon is lucky to have you as a tiger mother!