| Me My name is Vickie. I'm a graduate student at Marshall University in West Virginia. I've lived in WV my whole life, and I wouldn't mind staying here. I also like to travel. I've been north (and east) to Maine and Canada, south to Alabama and Georgia, and west to California, but I still think West Virginia is the most beautiful place that could exist. I have my BS in Zoology and am pursuing an MA in Biology. I hope to find a career in a park or museum, where I can help people learn and maybe do some work in field research. I personally own a cat in addition to my rats. Many of the pets we've had in my house have been my fault. Some of our pets included mice, turtles, frogs of various kinds, anoles, fish, a hedgehog, a rabbit, several cats, and many rats. I've also cared for orphaned and injured wildlife from mice and voles to bats, bunnies, and baby birds. I love animals very much, but rats are the best pets available, in my opinion, and wild animals should be respected and left in the wild. Some other interests I have include web page design, theater (watching, not acting -- though I used to enjoy that too), psychology, reading, and writing. My favorite author is Agatha Christie. I don't watch a lot of TV, mostly Animal Planet, Discovery, and TV Land. I don't really like most of the shows and movies that have been shown in recent years. Religious discussion to follow. :) I am a Christian and prefer reading my Bible with my knowledge of history and what parts are figurative or litteral. I feel that a lot of religious sects cling too closely to one specific interpretation and/or translation of the Bible. I put a lot into my prayers and no longer question my personal faith. I do not believe that any scientific theory or historical discovery challenges or disproves anything in the Bible. To me, God is something that you cannot prove or disprove; otherwise,what is faith for? I do a lot of praying. It consoles me, keeps my mind straight, and gives me answers I need. Prayer is really my foundation far more than church or the Bible. Anyway, I always trusted God to guide me (which really helps eliminate stress), and I feel His purpose for me is to care for animals. He has never given me more than I can handle and gives me the strength and courage to always do my best and learn from the mistakes and tragedies. I also believe in witnessing because it is part of Christianity but not the "witnessing" that people in internet forums or door to door "church pushers" do. You know the kind. People with different beliefs start tryng to force each others beliefs of others, everyone using the same arguments and not budging on their stands. That is not witnessing. Witnessing is (to me) letting people know what you believe in and if they want to know more, share more. It isn't debate. It isn't "I'm right, you're wrong." It is saying "this is where my faith is," and let others choose their own paths. You do not needs facts and arguments or even the Bible to back up faith. God will never allow us to have "proof" of his existence. Otherwise, it wouldn't be faith. And that is the only religious discussion you will get from me on this site or any other. I am secure in my beliefs and not ashamed to share them, but I know a lot of non-Christians out there who don't want to be "preached" to, and I don't want to be "preached" to by people with other beliefs, so let's all accept each other and coexist peacefully. (Yes, the Bible tells us to do that, but humanity and good will dictate the same things. There are many things that are universally "good.") Okay, God talk is over. Sorry if I was long winded. We all get that way when talking about things we really believe in. I've been making web sites since 1998 but have no desire to make a career out of it. (Sorry, Mom.) I built this site by writing raw code in Notepad and made the graphics in PSP. I also enjoy taking pictures of my rats for the site. Anyway, I guess that's a good intro of me.  Hobbies I guess you could consider rats a hobby the same way you'd consider kids a hobby... I get a real kick out of buying them things, writing pages about them, taking pictures of them, playing with them... But I have other hobbies too--when I have time for them. I play the following games semi-regularly: The Sims 2, Petz 4, and Zoo Tycoon 2. I also have a Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance. I love the old Final Fantasy games (FF3 and FF7 were great) and Lunar. My other big love is Detective Conan. I have a good-sized collection of subtitled DVD's plus most of the dubbed stuff (called "Case Closed" in the dubbed version) and a few mangas. My (and my family's) Other Sites
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