Wednesday, October 04, 2006

my new boy


houseofchad
Originally uploaded by peas on toast.
On Sunday Third Roommate and I went to toss a Frisbee at Zoo Lake.
And I made a decision, and acted on this decision yesterday at 12:34pm.

I’ve bought a rat. That’s right. A real pet.
Haven’t settled for a collection of cats, just a rat, so no spinster jokes please.

He is my boytjie. My boy!

We spent the latter half of the afternoon deciding on names, making him agree to be the surrogate father on my sudden passing if sees fit, and a rat rather than a hamster. Rats have a bigger brain.
They’re more, you know, astute.

The names we decided on have to be laced with a certain irony. I don’t want to own a pet with a distinctive pet name, like Spot, Rattie or Rex. I want a pet with a name so unpet-like, it’s almost too much.

These were some of the multi-gendered options:
Alexander Forbes
Arthur Andersen
Accenture
Jean-Michel
Claude
Gilles (Sjeel)
Benoit
Niles
Giles
Miles
Murray
Audrey
Lassie
Fabio
Nigeria (Meet my rat…Nigeria…he’s cute.)
Rio Tinto
Toyota Conquest
Pajero
Saxonwold
Roodepoort
Emmarentia
Dudley
Fern
Jesus (pronounced Hayzoos)
god (with small g)
Craig
Klaus
Colleen
Matthew
Plymouth (and New Plymouth if we got a new one)
Croydon
Normandy
Bologna
Poisson (Fish in French)
Naples
Gian-Luca
Frank
Roberto
Guillaume
Octavius
North Dakota
Detroit
Mogadishu
Bob
Siphiwe
Knowledge (This is my rat…Knowledge)
Pegasus
Typhynniii
Mahommed
Ichbal
Guy

We have settled on: Chad.
How awesomely random is that? Chad, our rat.
But we had a bloody hard time deciding on names. So his full veterinary-certificate name is: Chad Jean-Gilles Craig Jesus Fabio O’Toast-Da Gama.

Check out his supersonic lots-of-cool-tunnels house. House of Chad. Yay! I have something to love! Chad the vermin.

21 comments:

Carlz said...

how can you get a rat and no parrot? hmpf!!

Peas on Toast said...

Carlz - parrots bite me. ;)

Although, tempting!

Anonymous said...

Was it the Chad? (think it was in Charlie's Angels or something with Drew Barrymore in it)
Rats are cool. Intelligent. Affectionate. Completely unlike men.

Revolving Credit said...

Well it appears you have developed an affinity for rhodents!!

It is the question said...

Pffft! at Jam.

Peas, did you get a building permit for the House of Chad?!

Bloody hell.

Dan Lurie said...

Wooow. Easy there fella. You can't just throw around terms like that with such wreckless abandon.

Is it Chad. or The Chad?? (like Tom Green's character in Charlie's Angels)

I know it's too late now, but how about Hansel. This is my rat... Hansel. Then see how many people say "He's so hot right now.."

A rat.. huh!! Next thing you'll be getting a parrot

Katie Possum said...

No! The Chad was great!

Still, you should have called him "Sir Cedric Cyril Flugal-swat the third, Lord Mayor of Snolville" - or is that just me?

Paul Thornton Page said...

Hey peas, that is great, I used to be an avid rat boy with names ranging from Fivel right through to a rat named G, after Warren G, this really really crap rapper from like the 80's 90's transition.

I have decided the next pet I get will either be called Clavi [kla-vee] or Gilligan.

Lots of love Pooki

The Armchair Coach said...

Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in the cage.....

andrea said...

A rat! I love rats (strangely enough) and had two once. They are the most interactive of the caged animals and I, personally, find them attractive. They usually do well with a companion because they're social, unlike hamsters who, given half a chance, will eat their cellmate.

You don't know me, dropped in by chance and just had to weigh in.

Anonymous said...

Chad is good, Elvis Bacon is better.

Elvis Bacon is a name that conjures up so many sweet, sweet thought's in the mind of the average person, from foot tapping tunes, velvet suit's covered in costume jewely and the incredible fashion trump-all that is the blue suede shoe, to the smell of a lovely cooked breakfast in the home of your mother after a night on the town that, strangely, included more than one trip to the car park for a wee..

Yes, the name to top all names.:)

Peas on Toast said...

Ha ha thanks Chaps for all your anme input!

Penut - sorry to get back to you so late, but the people I go to when it comes to private label/FMCG stats are ACNielsen. Will email you some contact people there now.

Jam - I chose Chad cos it's so random. Like, 'this is my rat...Chad.' :) Yes and he is affectionate thus so far. Bugger men, I should've got this rat ages ago! :)

Rev - It would appear so! :)

It is question - I know, how's that house? Supersonic. Love it.

O-D - It's just Chad. Although The Chad sounds better. Perhaps I'll ammend it. ;) Hansel is great, but I dated someone called Hansel once. No kidding.

Kate - I thought of names like that too, but Chad just seemed to roll off the tongue...

Pookie! - Hello m'darling! Where've you been? Warren G - I LOVE IT. Pehaps I should've called Chad MC Hammer or Punjabi MC. ;) Loving my rat.

boskaki - I'm sorry to hear that mate.

Andrea - Hi! That's what I heard. Definitely more intelligent and socially interactive than hamsters. Although that said, he got tuck in one of the tubes last night. What a palaver.

Pete - Elvis Bacon? You've given this some serious thought I see! ;)

It was close chaps. For the first 5 minutes after my adopting him from Mr Pet in Sandton, I named him Jean-Claude. But thought better of it. I'm pretty happy with Chad.

Chad kept me up all night with his noise. Mental note: move cage out of bedroom at night.

Anonymous said...

Of course! If one day I manage to spawn a mcPete, he will have an 'EB' in his name, and I will gain endless amusement from it. Also, we spoke about this yeaterday, and now you've gone and broken the chain..

tsk, tsk:)

Koekie said...

Awesome! I love rats - and not just because they go so well with Parrots.

I wish you and the Chad many happy adventures together.

Peas on Toast said...

Pete - just read your post - frigging hilarious! I had a potplant, Juan, and he pegged. Plus they no fun. I can't smother him in affection. :)

Koekie - thanks dollface! xx

Anonymous said...

:)

Anonymous said...

it is the question
;-)
Love it when men take the bait too.
Thanks OD for clearing up the origin of The Chad.
Peas I hope you and The Chad are going to have many great nights asnuggling, and that in the eventuality of another man arriving in your life, The Chad will be gracious enough to give you up again!

Peas on Toast said...

Thanks Jam. I'm certain The Chad wouldn't mind if I bought a guy home. In fact, would he even notice? He's cool like that. :)

Anonymous said...

very cool pet!

I would have gone for the name Arthur...
Say it with a slur and it becomes Arfur...
Which sounds like R-for...

R for Rat... anyways, thats just me!

I am moving out soon and I intend my first pet to be a corn snake. maybe we should arrange a play date for Chad and (insert snakes name here)

Peas on Toast said...

Anon - I like Arfur.
I repel snakes. I'm completely over-the-top terrified of snakes. Please never bring your snake round to play. I think Chad and I share the same sentiment. ;)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. A rat. Not a cat. A rat for a Chat. A rat called Chad. Chad the rat. Chat with Chad. Vive vive flat pack chap for the happy rat. Buff.