We met Ping Pong shortly after we adopted our little mouse Charlie, he was the next small animal to arrive at the PEI Humane Society. When we volunteered we never saw him much cause he was always sleepin, or just shy. When we had to put Charlie down we remembered Ping Pong and felt sad for him; no one had adopted him in the months that he had been up for adoption. We filled out the application and were immediately approved to be his parents! We picked him up this afternoon, and became the sixth member of our household, joining us and Sonnen our hamster (named after our favorite UFC fighter Chael Sonnen!), and Milo & Casper our rats.
Ping Pong is a busy little guy, always rushing around doing something. We are just barely getting to know him but he is so different than our hamster is, or our mouse was. Neither of us have ANY experience with gerbils, so it should be a fun experience. Ping Pong is between a year and 2 old, and possibly could live up near 5 years! So we may get to know this little guy quite well before we graduate with our degrees.
Welcome Ping Pong; hope you enjoy your stay!

2011 was the best year for reading that I have had in my entire life. I completed 46 books, and was challenged and engaged more than I have ever been. This post includes the 4 books I 'most enjoyed' this year.  I am aware of the subjectivity this post presents, but alas, such is life. While many may think these books are the 'worst ever' I admit this post is extremely unorthodox. These are my own views, and should not be taken to meant that these books are neither bad, nor unbeneficial; just that I, personally, really enjoyed them. To see a complete list of all the books I read this year, click -->HERE<-- 

A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches From Chechnya
Anna Politkovskaya/07

A heartbreakingly powerful account of civilians caught in the war between Russia and Chechnya. Politkovskaya's fearless reporting recounts tales that make even the most hardened heart cringe in sympathy. I have been (or at the least, near) the areas Politkovskaya writes about in this book and have met the people she met and wrote about; they have been some of the most inspiring I have ever known. Unless you have a vested interest in Russian politics or history, or are a fan of Anna's work, this will probably not be a book you will pick up, but for those who do, it would take much resistance to not come away changed.
This book seems all the more powerful given the fact that Politkovskaya was murdered in 2006. Some say the government had had enough of her. She definitely did not endear herself to the Kremlin.

Early Christianity
Roland Bainton/84

It's under 200 pages, and limits itself to the first 500 years or so of the Church, but this book is one of the most interesting I have yet read. I literally couldn't put it down. I enjoy Bainton's writing, and was definitely not disappointed with this. I found it in a Salvation Army bookstore and got it for $0.25 or something; what a steal. I can't wait for it to come out as Kindle format so I can take it everywhere, forever!!

The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales
Peter Rollins/09

I am generally not a fan of Rollins. He seems to be one of those with a message characterized by 'shock', and "OMG, did he just say that?!", to such an extent that it seems he does it just for effect. The man is brilliant though and even though I went into this book heavily biased against him I loved almost every page of it. Not that I agree with Rollins theologically, but in regards to orthopraxy (right living) the stories contained in this book were among the most convicting I have ever been faced with. Putting aside the "all deed, no creed" mentality that is often suggested by many in the Emergent camp, this book is a treasure that must be mined continually until we throw our religious mindsets off, and follow Jesus as practically as He intended.

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived 
Rob Bell/11

This attempt by Bell is a great reason why everyone aspiring to publish a book should have multiple people help with editing! Bell's excursion into heterodoxy wouldn't have been so alarming had he admitted it was just that, instead of claiming orthodoxy. Attempting to put the doctrine of 'hell' out for discussion, I see few people who are discussing the subject not much more than 9 months after the book was released. All it did was generate a bit of short-term controversy and make Bell a bunch of $$$. IMO this book was embarrassing, and should only be read by those people (like myself) who cannot resist slowing down at the scene of an accident to see what kind of damage has happened. I hope Bell rebounds from this kind of notoriety, because his spoken words are actually very good and worthy of serious consideration.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality 
Don Miller/03

I used to really enjoy reading Don Miller's blog, but that was before I read Blue Like Jazz, now I can't take him seriously. I thought this book was like eating marshmallows, or Rice Crispies, or anything else that had no substance. I kept wondering why this book is one of the most popular Christian titles in recent years? Why did I pay $$ for it? Who do I contact for a refund?
To say that this is a popular book would be an understatement :s
I finished this book back in August and I am still sitting, trying to figure out if was all a clever marketing ploy designed to make some cash for him. Besides a few impressive philosophical one liners, I was shocked at the immaturity of someone considered a leader in the Emergent movement. Miller is smart, of that I've not much doubt, therefore, it seemed like he was cleverly (not in a good way) writing with a clear demographic in mind. Lets just say I thought Love Wins had some solid theology compared to this one :s

Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics 
Thomas Aquinas

Maybe a classic, but too repetitious for my liking. There are aspects of Aristotle I enjoy, and there are aspects of Aquinas I enjoy, but this is not one of them. I was forced to read this as part of a university course called Thomas Aquinas and the Thomastic Tradition. I struggled chapter after chapter to stay awake long enough to actually complete my readings. I am thankful we were not tested formally on this work, as instead, we had to write a major paper on any aspect of Aquinas' theology.

Jenny & I were (and still are, for that matter) pretty saddened by the premature death of our mouse, Charlie. But we wanted to give a home for some more of God's wonderful creatures so we started scouring Kijiji and UsedPEI.com to see who needed a home.
I used to have rats when I was in high school, and they were amazing pets. They are probably by far the best starter pet to have in a home, and they are the best small animal by far.

Milo & Casper came to us from Kinkora on Boxing Day, their owners just not having enough time to provide adequate care for them. They are extremely social critters, with hearts that have the potential to be as good-as-gold. Milo is the sweetest rat I have ever seen. He is incredibly gentle and loving; it's weird. He has been handled from birth and is very comfortable around humans. Casper has not been handled as much, and as he is very nice, he is not as comfortable being handled as Milo is.
They are about a year old, and rats generally live to between 2 and 3 yrs, so we may have them for a year, maybe a year and a half? 
I am excited to learn from these guys, as domesticated rats have so much personality.
And our family grows, a little bit.

I have never done well with the death of a pet. Spot (dog), Bandit (dog), Venom & Thanos (rats), and now Charlie (mouse), are some of the rough spots I've tread in my life regarding animals. When I was young I used to want to be a veterinarian, until I realized I couldn't be around animals in pain.
In the past couple of years, my passion for animals has fired up like it has never been before. We turned vegetarian mid-August/11, then vegan a couple of weeks later. I've found myself obsessed with moths, like I used to be when I was a child. Sonnen (our hamster) has invoked a wonder within us for small animals. Charlie and his unfortunate story grabbed at our hearts in such a way that we had to take him home with us, which we did on September 29. I won't recall the struggles he had before and after we met him, as they have been documented on this blog, but it is safe to say, once again, that life was never fair to Charlie.
We took him in to see Dr Nielsen this morning. By this time his scratching had resumed awful proportions, and his right ear was bleeding again. She took him and ended his discomfort.
We took him out to Milltown Cross (the Line Rd to be exact) where my Mom lives, and where I buried my best friend a little over 13 yrs ago, and put him in the ground near that amazing dog.
We are sad now; we lost an amazing living being in Charlie. He reshaped my whole paradigm regarding small animals (especially mice), and neither of us will be the same for having had the chance to spend some of our lives together.
There is not enough support systems for people who grieve over the loss of a pet, and I hope this changes; maybe I will help change it. There should be more for people in these times. Death makes life feel hollow.
I said a brief eulogy for Charlie at the gravesite; recognizing the fact that God had given him the breath of life, as He did to man, and that now it had been taken away; that God has compassion on all He has made; and that Charlie might be received back to his Maker, to live a life eternal that he did not get to live here in the temporal. I actually firmly believe that animals will inhabit the coming Kingdom; how that will work out logistically, I don't know, but I am convinced God has it worked out.
Until then, I leave Charlie in the hands of God, and St Francis of course. Take good care of him guys, until we meet again.
Goodbye Charlie, we love you, and will never forget you

Using sandpaper to try and file Charlie's nails down didn't really work; I think it made his feet hurt so he wouldn't go on his wheel. The itching has also not gotten better at all. We get to a point where his wounds are almost healed and he opens them up again. His poor ears have been reduced to about half the size of what they were. The only times it appears he is at peace is when he is sleeping, snuggled into Jenny or I.
Tomorrow, Dr Nielsen returns from her holiday time-off and we will try to get an appointment with her. It doesn't look good though. I truly do not know what else we could do for him. I am hoping for a miracle in the next 12 hrs or so, but am also content that if one doesn't happen then Charlie will return to That which he came from.
It's in His hands now. Father, Your will be done.

If you own a Kindle, YOU NEED THIS app, seriously. Ever see an article online that you want to put on you Kindle? I don't know what you do to get it there, but I copy and paste it to Word, and either convert to PDF and manually transfer, or transfer as a Word doc. This changes EVERYTHING. Installing it as an extension to Chrome, Firefox, or even Android, it creates a button on your toolbar; once clicked it automatically converts it to an extremely nice format and sends it as an email to your Kindle email, which automatically send it to your Kindle (when your wireless is on). It works like a charm and is invaluable, and FREE!!! Crazy! I recommend you do it NOW, NOW, NOW.
The only thing, remember to use your '******@free.kindle.com' rather then '******@kindle.com' for transferring. This may sent save you a couple bucks depending on your Kindle email settings. Anyways, enjoy!

Things are slow-going in the recovery process. It seems like there is progress, then there seems like there's not. There are times throughout the day where he attempts scratching but a little, but other times are incessant. The wound on Charlie's right shoulder is not cooperating with any treatment and resists healing. We determined that Charlie's nails are razor sharp and even a quick scratch here and there is enough to prohibit the wounds from healing. I read online that people put sandpaper in their small animal's cages to file down the nails, so that is what we are trying. If his nails are less sharp and pointy, maybe that will hinder the cutting associated with his scratching. 
Dr Nielsen is back to work on the 22nd (the same day I get all my wisdom teeth out) and we will take Charlie in and see what she has to say. If she is content and optimistic with the progress then we will continue on our demanding recovery schedule, if not, well.............we did every possible thing we could for him. We want Charlie to be happy, comfortable and at peace; and we want to be fair to him, not giving him a constantly uncomfortable life. We would miss him, sure, but that is secondary to 'his' needs. Sometimes, there is only so much you can do. Sometimes, life is unfair. Sometimes, life actually sucks. Sometimes, death is preferable to life.
I never gave mice enough credit before; they can be the most amazing pets. I can't get over how much Charlie likes to burrow into my arms to sleep. He is so vulnerable, like many of the guinea pigs, rats, bunnies, gerbils, hamsters, and other small animals entrusted to our care. I thank God for Charlie; he has truly changed our lives.
We, humanity, need to start taking better care of animals. Much of the treatment we have given them throughout history is a blight on our existence.

If you don't know who Christopher Hitchens is (was) then you would do well to get out more.
I'm not sure what my first exposure to Hitchens was, but of the New Athiests (most notably, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and he) he was definitely the one I took more interest in. I found his demeanor to be much less childish than Dawkins or Harris; he seemed to have actual questions and concerns at the heart of his arguments rather than immature pettiness. His wit was undeniable and rarely matched, and his writing, sharp. I regretfully did not have much exposure to the vastness of his expertise save from God Is Not Great and debates/discussions against the likes of Rev. Al Sharpton, Todd Friel, and William Lane Craig. While I found (and still find) his scientific arguments against intelligent design rather compelling, I thought his Biblical exegetical skills were poorly developed and disappointingly lacking.
The Church needs men in this world like Christopher Hitchens; for one, to unconditionally, selflessly love. And two, to hammer out what we think, or believe, to be true. Without the unorthodox there is no orthodox.
I don't presume to judge where Christopher Hitchens exists right now. I wasn't there when he went face to face with God. It's not my call.
I do hope though, that some of the faithful will develop a kind of backbone like Hitchens had.

Jenny and I have been trying to function on 4hrs sleep each a night while we strive to restore Charlie to health. We each take 2hr shifts at night starting at approx 11pm.
As you can see from the above picture, Charlie's right shoulder still has a pretty good gash on it. Not letting him scratch it, and keeping it dosed with antibiotics/steroids  and olive oil is definitely making a difference. It was much worse a few days ago, and is even better today. A little setback happened yesterday as Charlie managed to get a scratch in and opened up a small scab that had formed on his other shoulder; but that is minimal and I hope we can clear that one up again within a day or two. He is scratching a lot though, and I think the healing wounds must be extremely itchy.
As I spend upwards of 16hr/day with Charlie I am seeing a personality emerge that I would never have thought could exist in a mouse. I have said before how good-natured and docile he is, but he is also extremely attention/contact craving. He now does the majority of his sleeping in my hand or nestled in the crook of my elbow. I will set him back into his cage to get some food or drink and when he is done he will waddle back out and climb up into my lap, looking for a place to nuzzle in. He will look up into my face often, and I wonder what is going on in that little head of his.
The odd time he will lift his back leg to scratch and then slowly lower it, like he knows he is not supposed to scratch. 
It is amazing the things that are revealed when one takes the time to look. Charlie is helping me grow as a person, and as a Christian. He is helping me cultivate compassion to such an extent as I have never thought possible. God is using him, a wee little mouse, to form character and Christ-likeness in me. What are we doing with those little things God has given us to steward? How faithful are we being? With what else is He willing to entrust us with given our past experiences?