Faux Queue

If only I played an instrument… or could sing… or had any sense of rhythm…

I get back from the gym and head for the showers here at the office. There’s a shower room in each of the first floor men’s and women’s bathrooms, as well as another separate shower & locker room for each sex.

So, I’m standing in the shower and thinking, “My bosses are out there, my co-workers are out there, building staff, visitors, customers. And I’m in here, wearing nothing but a smile.”

Weird feeling. What if the door opens? What if there’s a fire? It reminds me of that recurring dream I used to have where I’d walk into school, ready for class, not realizing that I was stark naked. (Sometimes the dream would be disturbing because everyone noticed; sometimes it would be more disturbing when no one noticed.)

There are plenty of jobs where nakedness is normal — anything medical comes to mind. Also, the entertainment industry.

But here at the cube farm…

I’ve got a Schneider’s skink (also known as a Berber skink). He’s always been pretty shy, but lately, I’ve hardly seen him at all. Even more worrisome, though, is that he isn’t eating.

He’s always been picky; skinks are supposed to be insectivores, going ga-ga over gut-loaded crickets. (Gut-loaded means that the crickets have spent some time gorging themselves at the all-you-can-eat grain buffet.) Caliban, however, has never been interested in crickets. We tried live ones, but they just hopped around him while he ignored them. I tried killing the crickets for him — I felt like I was a hypocrite to my strict vegetarianism — but… he couldn’t have cared less. We tried some freeze-dried crickets (pre-gutloaded), but he didnt touch them. We finally discovered that he likes wet dog food, but he’s been pretty much ignoring that, too, lately. I find the dessicated dog food chunks in the same place I left them when I go to feed him again.

Not sure what to do, although, when I do see him, he looks healthy, his color is bright, and he still goes to attack my finger when I try to pet him.