Last week we went to the dollar store, and Brandon, in a generous mood, informed me that I could have any one item I wanted. I almost got a cactus, but I have a few of those already. Plus, they aren't easy to transport (I would be the one holding it on the way home), and we had the drive back from Brea to look forward to. So, I got an ivy plant. I wasn't so sure how a plant that's only worth a dollar would hold up, but so far it's doing well. I read that it's hard to kill ivy, so that could explain it. As is my tradition, I named my new plant. So now we have Oskar the ivy, Morris the tree of some sort, Polycarp the cactus, and other miscellaneous cacti that aren't big or alive enough to name. I think I name my plants not just because I think that if they have a name, they will feel like they have more to live for, but because really, it's a pet that I want. And since anything furry will cost us a $300 pet deposit and $30 a month, it could be a while before I get a real pet.

But last night we sort of got a pet. It's another betta. I wanted to name him a nice German name, so Brandon suggested Hans Dieter Betz. We're calling him Dieter. It's much easier that way.