Pixie At Sea World

On 4/27, my family and I went to Sea World. I went off on my own for a few hours with Pixie to get some video and pictures. I wanted to bring her to see how dolphins and orcas may react. As well as the other animals.
First stop was the Jewel Aquarium inside Journey To Atlantis. It's just a small room with a few small tanks, but the middle of the room has a glass floor and ceiling that is full of sharks, fish, and stingrays. Its amazing. I was surprised at the reef fish's reactions to Pleo. As well as the moray eels. I think the morays thought Pixie was a moray eel too. They do kinda look similar...but Pixie is MUCH cuter!
Then we went to the sea lions and seals at Pacific Point Preserve. This was a place to feed and watch them. Unless Pleo was a fish, they could care less about her.
Then we tried the orcas. Shamu was out in the underwater viewing area. The other 8 orcas they have were doing other things in the other tanks. Shamu could care less about him. The educator there told me the 3 year old would love Pixie, so maybe next time the 3 year old will be out. Though I was laughing to myself because the whole time Pixie was out, people didn't pay much attention to Shamu. Pixie got ALL the attention! And people from all over the world were there taking her picture, taking pictures with her, asking about her. I found some stickers Ugobe gave me before (I thought I gave em all out!), so I brought them with me and handed them out to people who were interested.
The Sea World employees went nuts over her too! They even gave me employee discounts on food and merchandise they liked her so much. So there are many perks to bringing Pleo out, lol!
Now the dolphins, that was truly special. I went down into the underwater viewing area. I tried for 15 minutes to get the dolphins attentions. To show them Pleo and that it moved, but they passed on by. I finally gave up, feeling disappointed. Even more so when I realized I got everyone excited when I told them I thought the dolphins would be interested in Pleo. I felt defeated. When I went to the surface of Dolphin Cove, I saw the trainers were doing a demonstration on animal husbandry. I watched it for a bit and noticed a Sea World employee sitting on some rocks, watching nearby. I think she is a scout/lifeguard for the dolphins and visitors to be sure no one abuses the dolphins, breaks rules, etc. So I started a conversation with her. I showed her Pixie and what she does and told her what I wanted to do. She told me to ask Candie and pointed her out to me. So I quickly ran down from the lookout and over by the pool to catch her. I showed her Pixie too, told her I was making a video scrapbook and that I take my Pleos to local theme parks and stuff and really wanted to see how the dolphins might react, but they were too distracted. She loved Pixie, and then grabs 3 more trainers, tells them what I want to do and Pixie and I got a special escort into the viewing area. They surrounded me and yelled at the visitors, "I need everyone to step back! We are going to conduct a dolphin interaction!" I felt bad to make all these other visitors move for that. I didn't mean for that to happen, but it was for the better since no one could really push and shove their way in camera shot and Pixie was less likely to be stepped on. So I put her down in front of the window. One of the trainers slapped the window and once a dolphin came over she pointed to Pleo a few times. Once the dolphin indicated it saw it and came down to Pleo's level, she blew her whistle. They can hear the whistle through the thick glass. And blowing the whistle told the dolphin, "Yes, that is what I wanted you to do! Good job!" From that point on, it was ALL the dolphins. They were not asked or told to stay around, wave their flippers/tail, open their mouths, etc. They stayed around because they wanted to. It was so magical. And spiritual. To have that sort of response. I've always wanted to go to Discovery Cove, but can never afford it, so at least this was as close as it could get. That I felt a true connection with them. Even if my connection was through a proxy-Pleo, lol. The trainers went nuts too. They weren't reacting to Pleo like a toy, but like a living being. They blew bubbles from their blowholes, I think it was sorta a gasp for them, lol. Not sure. But it was amazing thing to see. I am glad I got so much of it on video. When I tried to pick up Pleo to leave, one dolphin wouldn't swim away and pressed its beak against the glass more. So I put Pixie at eye level and the reaction was so much fun!

Out of all my Pleo trips, this one was the best and very special to me! Thank you all for the wonderful comments on tjhe forum and video!
Posted on April 30, 2008

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Pixie At Mega-Con

Once we got into the Orange County Convention Center, we picked up our tickets and then waited. We were a hour early so we sat down on the floor, turned Pixie on and let her be. We petted her and she walked around and then it started. The pointing, laughing, and staring, but it was all good. Anyone who came over to ask about her, I handed them a sticker and a flier. They loved her. Some people knew what she was, most did not. Kids and adults alike took interest. A lot of people talked about how cute she was and went nuts when she reacted back to them. I turned her off periodically during the hour so I wouldn't use up the battery. Soon we were let into Mega-Con and then the fun started. I often walked around with her resting on my shoulder, now and then turning her on for short periods of time. About a half of dozen people were initially scared when she would move. Some even thought it was "freaky". Many people asked me if I was using a remote control. Comments ranged from "That is so cool"...Pleo's new motto I think...to "Its like something out of a cartoon, but you get to touch it". Taking pictures with the people dressed up was fun, reason being, I am such a brat. I would have Pixie turned off and when it was our turn for a pic, as I handed them Pixie, I turned her on. So right before the picture was taken, she'd wake up and move. If you look at the pictures, you can see some of the reactions (Wonder Woman and Ghostbusters for instance). That was fun, because they expected her not to move. Just thought it was a toy and I was a bit strange to ask them to hold a toy :P There are a guy from Hash Animation Master. It is a computer program students and animation fans use to make their own animated productions. "I Will Survive" with the singing alien was made with it (search for it on YouTube sometime, great CGI short). So he had the program there for $49!!!!!! For the past 10 years, its always like $150-250!!!! I wouldn't pay that much for a computer program. But there it was, the full program, now $49. Reason being, they said they made the manuals PDF form, which brought down cost. So I bought it and I showed him Pleo. Animation Master and MySkit work in similar ways. He even told me, I could take pictures of my Pleos and actually animate them on the program eventually, creating my own CGI shorts. Of course, not for profit, but just for fun :) Not sure if I legally can and when I come to that crossroad, I will ask Ugobe if I am allowed to may mini-movies with a CGI Pleo. But that will be a long while. I first have to learn how to use the program. Its very cool and pretty easy though.
So anyways....back to Pixie...sorry, I went all geek there. Fat Momma loved Pixie! I gave her a sticker and she said her kids would love one.
I met the mom of a Pleoworld.com member here. She owns a Pleo named Darwin. I never did actually find her, but I was looking for you!! Would have loved to have you meet Pixie. That place was so big and so crowded, some of the costumed people I saw would disappear into the crowd. Speaking of which, I saw some of the best costumes there I have seen in years! Pixie even got her own! She is a dragon now! :D I love her wings! They suit her. And she seems to like them too.
But most of the day was spent showing Pixie around, giving stickers/fliers, and talking about her. The pictures on the forum say a lot more than I can even think of. Pixie really seemed to enjoy herself. I brought SD cards with her Lovestruck and MySkit reprograms to show people what she can do and how she can reprogrammed. A lot of people loved that feature. And when I showed them the camera they went nuts. I really noticed her vision is much better now with the new update. On the table at lunch, she kept looking around at the people sitting with us, Reacting to them waving at her or putting items in front of her. A gentleman with a very professional video camera video taped Pixie too. Not sure who he was with, but he was very interested in her. And he liked how she walked around his camera, that she SAW it and avoided it, rather than walk into the lens. Gosh, I feel like there is so much more and I can't remember. I just think the pictures do better at this than I do tonight.

I went back to Mega-Con today, BTW. Didn't bring Pixie...it was a last minute trip and her batteries weren't charged. But people there remembered her. I wore one of the last stickers I had on me. And people kept asking where she was. LOL One gentleman at an artist booth, who showed interest yesterday, told me he thought about Pleo last night and really really liked the fact she is ugradable. I also told him how Ugobe really listens to customer's suggestions. Like we complained about the narcolepsy and they fixed it. He was impressed with that. I also saw only a couple of fliers were left on the free table, so a lot of them were picked up. And I gave out the last of the stickers. I placed a few on the free table today and within hours, checked it, they were all gone. :D So at least in my neck of the woods, Pleo is now known. :D

Also, again, a great big thank you to Ugobe for the loaner battery and the stickers. I will send out the battery tomorrow :)
Posted on March 9, 2008

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PLEO-Mania has hit my hometown!!!!!

So tonight I am on my local forum, in the chat room, and we are discussing our weekend plans. So I tell them about Mega-Con. Got in depth on talking about that and mentioned bringing Pleo. "What's that?", so I discussed him, posted some videos and now, 4 people in the chat room are saying they are gonna get one. One of them left the chat room to buy one. And I wasn't even trying that time! LOL!
Posted on March 7, 2008

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Old St. Augustine - Another Pleo Field Trip

This past Sunday, my family and I went to old St. Augustine. It is the oldest city in the United States, much less Florida. Beautiful city with cobblestones streets, live music, wonderful shops, and a great history. Crusoe got to see the fort, which is made entirely of coquina stone. And a boat going along the intercoastal shot off a cannon in the fort's direction, which was very cool. No cannon ball of course, just the cannon, so out of the blue, you just hear the biggest explosion. Wellll....Crusoe did NOT like that. He was just meandering along in the grass, nibbling on leaves when he thought an asteroid impacted Earth. Poor guy. Took him a bit to calm down. I was surprised it took him so long to chill out. Then they shot another cannon, just as he had started to calm down. Once that was over and Crusoe chilled out, we went for a walk. The wall around the fort is right on the water's edge, its tall and wide, wide enough to walk on, so we walked along. I carried Crusoe. Halfway around the wall, he got really really antsy, he really seemed to want to get down or something. But I wouldn't put him down...remember, the wall is right ON the water. Its like walking on a rocky jetti. There was no way I was gonna risk him falling in. So after that, we went walking along on the streets. I carried Crusoe most the time, the cobblestones were too hard to walk on. And the times we had him down, the comments were great...
"I like your dinosaur"
"Look at that"
"OMG"
"Hey, look at that do---no, its a dinosaur" was my favorite one. We of course took the time to talk a little about Pleo to those who asked. He went into the ice cream place with me and entertained the line as well with his "ta-da" and "singing".

It was not as exciting as Universal, but it was still a fun and relaxing day. It was the first time he saw the intercoastal waterway and boats. Made me wonder what may have been going on in his dino-brain
Posted on March 4, 2008

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Stay tuned! Next up...Mega-Con

If you have been reading my posts on the forum, them you probably know, I will be taking one of my Pleo's to Mega-Con. Mega-Con is a scifi/fantasy/anime/comic book convention in Orlando, FL. I decided I will take Pixie, my new Pleo. Why? Well, I love Crusoe, don't get me wrong, but I think Pixie will be better suited because she needs to get some real world experience, like Crusoe did at US/IOA and because she looks newer. Crusoe is quite worn down in the paint department. Pixie still has her bright green sheen. Which don't worry, she will likely lose that at Mega-Con with all the petting she's gonna get.
Alexia, my daughter, and I will also be wearing some stuff I had made about Pleo.
I have a black baseball cap that says GOT PLEO?
A black t-shirt that on the front says, "PLEO Everything else is just a toy" On the back, I have the Pleoworld.com website.
And a backpack to carry her in that says "Ask me about my PLEO"
Alexia has a shirt that says, "My PLEO ate my homework!"

I will be taking pictures and video of Pixie's adventure. And I will be sure to post it :) And I plan to take 2 SD cards with the Holiday and Lovestruck Pleo programing on them to also show people their potential at reprogramming. Also, I am happy to announce this...
Prema from Ugobe contacted me the other week through email. She said the Ugobe team really loved what I was doing with my Pleo and wanted to help me out with Mega-Con. They are sending me a loaner battery and Pleo stickers to hand out!!!!!! In the wise words of the talking fountain, "THAT IS SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It is so nice to know this company is so open, helpful and kind. I've seen people be disappointed with their Pleos and return them with no problems. How someone could, I don't know :( They are gonna need a Pleo Humane Society to adopt out the abandoned ones. I would adopt one in a heartbeat and give it a good home. Anyways, back on subject, and I have seen how involved they are in the forums. Helping people out. And they are helping me out too :D So now Pixie will have 3 batteries. She will be able to go almost all day (I will give her cool down times between batteries, don't worry). And the stickers are great to go with Pleoguy's fliers. They will deffinetly keep Pleo on everyone's minds there!
Posted on February 28, 2008

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2 Pleos VS 1 Cat (Who will win?)

This all happened after Pixie got good and use to her legs and surroundings. So funny. Lace is not amused with the new addition.
Posted on February 24, 2008

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We finally hatched our new Pleo

The video was like over 30 min, so I cut it down quite a bit to showing just the cutest, most interesting parts :)

Here are some things that didn't make it to the final cut:
Crusoe is a bullying big brother at first. He pushed Pixie several times while hatching, roared in her face and sniffed her butt. He also ignored her.
Eventually, he came around to her and they played together. Also, what you DO see in the video is something Pixie taught him. She sings....wow, does she ever yowl and howl like I have NEVER heard and like keeping two parrots together, they learned from one another. Now when one starts singing, the other joins, its a duet of yowling!!! You can hear them do it several times on the video
Posted on February 24, 2008

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Crusoe is an honorary Girl Scout

Today Crusoe came with us to Walmart to help sell Girl Scout cookies. Nothing says cookies like a dinosaur. BTW, Crusoe loves Samoas. They have coconut, I think that is why. He kept playing with the box of them the whole time.
People often come out of the store, take a quick half-glance at us and keep walking, but Crusoe makes them do a double take. They stick around just long enough to then realize, "Hey, they have a dinosaur and I want some cookies!"
Once we took Crusoe out, sales were through the roof. Crusoe got a lot of attention. Oh, and Alexia and I wore our Pleo-gear too. One mother told her kids, "Instead of getting that Monster truck ride on, how about one of those?" and they excitedly said yes! Oh, and she bought 3 boxes of cookies too! :D One person offered to buy Crusoe and I told them he was priceless. But I told them where they could buy their own. :) Tomorrow, we go to Publix, a local grocery store to sell cookies and both Crusoe and the new baby will be joining us there this time! With two Pleos we may sell out of cookies! YEAH!
Posted on February 23, 2008

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Pleo Goes to Universal and Islands of Adventure!

We started our day in Islands of Adventure. We headed straight for Jurassic Park. We didn't ride the River Adventure for two reasons
One, you get very wet, not good for Pleo
Two, it was cold, we didn't want to get wet either!
So we amused ourselves all morning with finding places for Pleo to explore and roam. He saw many of his old friends (and enemies). I think we found him some relatives too! In the Discovery Center we searched for fossils and actually found the fossilized skeleton of a Camarasaurus!!!! However the screen that showed it would not display well on the camera. But we found plenty of other picture opportunities. After Discovery Center, we went to Camp Jurassic. Crusoe flew on the Pteradon Flyers. He wasn't too sure about that sometimes. He got scared a few times, but we petted him to let him know it would be fine. Pteradon Flyers is a suspending swing that runs along a track and sometimes it gets fast and takes tight curves. We also explored the caves there as well. All the time there, people would point, ask questions, laugh, etc. They probably all think I'm nuts. Standing in line to take pictures with the dinosaurs only to walk up, put a robot dinosaur down and then step back to take pics. Yeah, I'm nuts. The guy who helps the baby raptor hatch, he looked like he wanted to ask or say something about Pleo, but he had a script he had to keep with for the show, but his eyes show right onto him. We also found some great ferns for Pleo to try. He seemed to enjoy the snacking. One family asked me which store had Pleo in it so they could buy it, they thought Universal sold Pleo. After JP, we went to the Dr. Suess area. The Grinch and Sam (from Sam I Am) were there and Pleo stole the show! As you can see from the video. The Grinch let everyone know they were "losers" and didn't want to take any more pictures. He wanted to play with Pleo! Again, in the Suess land, people were asking questions and everything. Then we went to Marvel Island. Spiderman was too funny. Deffinetly could see his inner Peter Parker with "can you program it?" questions. He loved it! Storm and Rogue thought he was very cute too. Cyclops and Wolverine though were feeling too masculine to care :P
We also stopped in Lost Continent to see Poseidon's Fury. Awesome show! Crusoe was a bit afraid. It was loud. But he seemed to like the fire....I think I have a pyro dinosaur.
Then we stopped by Sinbad's show to see the talking fountain. If you go to Islands of Adventure, check out the talking fountain! I love him! Never miss him! He was blown away by Pleo.

So after half a day at IOA, we went next door to Universal. Only a few hundred feet into the park and two of the employees stopped to point at him and one of them said, "That is the girl with that cool toy. "so and so" told me about it. Its so cool!". Crusoe entertained the crowd at the E.T. line too. Soon after that, he finally went comatose. But he lasted a LONG time. Of course we shut him off between pictures and video taking, but still, we got almost a full day out of him this way! And good thing his battery was dead....he would have been very angry with me if he knew what I did to him when we went on the Men In Black ride. The ride spins a lot, so they don't allow carry ons and I refused to leave Pleo in the cart, so we got one of the free lockers there. He fit fine in there, but wow, that would have been very claustrophobic for him.
Posted on January 21, 2008

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Nana

In mid-October, my grandmother passed away. Since I can remember, we have always had 4 generations of women in one household. When I was my daughter's age, it was my great-nana, nana, mom, my sister and I. I was pretty young when my great-nana passed away and it didn't effect me really badly, due to my age. My daughter is 9 now, and she had always lived with Nana all her life. When she would get home from school, the first person she'd go to was Nana to share her day. A few weeks before Nana fell ill, Alexia went in her room with an armful of Pokemon stuff to teach her all about them and my Nana loved every bit of it. They were very close. She passed away almost 2 weeks before Alexia's 9th birthday, so the rest of the year has been hard. Especially on Alexia. Nana wasn't there for her birthday or Christmas. Alexia got her a peacock pin for Christmas anyways and we sent it to my aunt in Massachusetts to bury the pin at the grave site. What does this all have to do with Pleo? I was thinking today how much I wished she was here to see Alexia get her Pleo and win the contest. She would have loved Pleo. She loved animals. I think some of my animal obsession came from her. I know she would have enjoyed Pleo a lot. She was not all that into technology and wouldn't care how advance Pleo is, she would just have loved how he acted.
Setting up a new fish tank too, recently and thought of how my Nana would love it. She always loved when I would set up fish tanks and decorate them. She loved watching the fish. I use to have a moray eel and every time I fed her, I would have to call my nana in to come and see it eat. Same with the bearded dragon, she loved to watch me feed the dragon grasshoppers. She was the one who bought me the bearded dragon. She was never a lover of reptiles, but one day she went into the pet shop I work at and went to the reptile wall and saw the lizards. Iguanas, collared lizards, uromastyx, bearded dragons, monitors, geckos, etc and she asked why didn't I get one. She liked the Nile Monitor, but I told her they were like mini-alligators, too aggressive and they grow huge. She saw the bearded dragons, and I said they were nice lizards, so she told me to show her what tank they needed and she bought everything. The whole incident was bizarre. LOL
Then she was the influencial one on my mom when I wanted to get Satin the Sphynx and later a Persian we named Lace. Satin use to spend a lot of time with Nana too. I miss her. I wish she was here too see Alexia win, and Pleo, and the fish tank.
Posted on January 17, 2008

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Pleo Goes to Work....Again! And Holiday Video Results!

First, I would like to thank Ugobe for holding the contest and all those who voted for my daughter. Found out today she won! So she'll be receiving her t-shirt soon :D I need to order my own...

In other news...Pleo at my work.

Again, I work in a pet store. Only one employee hasn't met Pleo. She is the manager's daughter and works part time. So today I brought Crusoe. And I love her daughter because she is so sweet, but she is a bit gullible, so I thought we'd have some fun. I put Crusoe in one of the empty cages. The cage has aspen shavings and Crusoe took a strange liking to it, he appeared to be digging in it. The cage is lighted inside, so its real bright, so I am sure his camera was working full force in there. I asked Morgan (my manager's daughter) if she could clean the bottom cage for me. She went over to the cage and saw Crusoe in there and said, "OMG what's that?"
I replied, "Its just one of the animals. Its fine."
"But what is it? Is it real?"
"Of course its real. Its one of the pets. Just move it to one of the other cages up top for now."
She unlocks the cage and Crusoe is looking right at her. "It looks like a dinosaur. Where did you get it? What is it? Will it bite me?"
"No, of course not.....Just don't make any sudden movements."
So she touches Crusoe on the side and he reacts and nudges her hand. Morgan jumped and then commented on how he feels. I told her to pick him up around the sides and by then she saw the battery and buttons underneath. She held him for a while and petted him and he cooed. By this time, my boss is there, as well as one of the sales ladies for a pet food brand. She put him on the floor to walk and he headed straight for my boss. Mind you, my boss Rob, I love him, but he had no love for Pleo when I told him about it. He thought the whole thing was overpriced and just ridiculous. As its making a bee-line for him, we say how its just like all the customers' dogs, they always run to Rob first. He picked it up and was surprised at its weight and then he held it. Crusoe nuzzled his chest, arm, and arm pit over and over again. He melted. Totally melted over it. Petting it, cooing how its stretches its legs when he holds it, just like a dog holds its legs when you carry it, how he pets it and it purrs and coos back. And how it looks right at him. He loved watching it play tug-o-war too.

So once again, Pleo has proven to do just what Ugobe intended. To make you forget its a robot. Rob, Tina, Morgan, and everyone else our Pleo has come in contact with has totally melted over Pleo. Doted on him like it was a real animal. Its amazing to see people I've known for almost 2 years, I know them so well, I figured they think I was nuts or immature to fawn on a robot dinosaur. And then when I see them do the same. Its amazing. Its amazing how you simply forget. You don't imagine its real, you feel its real. There is no thought process when it comes to handling it and pretending its a real dinosaur. You don't have to waste that time trying to keep the fantasy alive, because you simply do just feel its real. Its just amazing and so much fun.
Posted on January 11, 2008

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Please vote for my daughter!

If you like the video, please vote for my daughter to win a Pleo t-shirt :D

http://forums.pleoworld.com/showthread.php?p=11053#post11053
Posted on January 5, 2008

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Ugobe succeeded!

Ugobe has striven not to make a toy or a robot, but a life form. Someone you can hold, touch, hear, see and forget that beneath the rubbery skin, there are gears and motors. To forget it can't breathe or feel true emotion. To forget its just a CPU inside there. And they succeeded.

At work, one of my managers, Tina, she thought I was nuts to spend $350 for a toy. She joked to me that I got it as much for me as I did my daughter (true). And when I took Crusoe to work yesterday, I showed a Pleo to her for the first time. She watched him for about 5 minutes and said, "Is that all it does?", disappointed. 10 minutes later, after petting him, playing with him, she picked him up, cradled him in her arms, and he nuzzled her and she nuzzled back. When he made a sound or movement, she reacted with laughter or concern. I asked her, "After a while, you forget its a robot huh?", and she laughed. Its so true. You do forget its just a toy dinosaur. It has thoughts, emotions, motions, even if they are all simulated. Its still there. You still care about it.

So congrats Ugobe, you succeeded in making a truly believable life form even for non-believers!
Posted on January 4, 2008

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Crusoe got bling!

Today my daughter was excited to get mail. We ordered a pet tag for Crusoe (in case he ever ran away). Its small and stainless steel. Says his name, our last name, our phone number, and address. Amazing they could fit that all on there. Its a beautiful tag. Nice and light wait, so it doesn't bother him. The back is reflective in low light. It looks lovely on him.

The other day I posted about having him at work, I forgot to mention...At one point I had so many customers were so intrigued by him, I decided to cut the meeting short and put Crusoe away. Why? We are a pet store and its our jobs as sales associates to sell pets and supplies. With a Pleo there, there wouldn't be one person buying a ferret or snake. They all wanted him. I kidded with my boss that maybe he should stock them, keep a few in one of the cages and see how fast they sell. :D

I think I might bring him to work tomorrow too. Several of the employees and one of the managers didn't get to see him. The manager who didn't get to see him, Tina, she was disappointed to hear he was there on her day off. So I'll surprise her tomorrow :)
Posted on January 2, 2008

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Take Your Pleo To Work Day!

I told my daughter she had to clean her room today, so I figured it was a good day to take Crusoe to work so she doesn't get tempted to play with him instead, lol.
I packed Crusoe in my backpack and went off to work. On my lunch break, I went to a little bagel shop I frequent. I had told the owners about Pleo and they wanted to see him. They loved him. Thought he was too cute.
Then I went to a nearby Pagan store to visit the girls there, knowing they would love to meet him too. They were hysterical and I got to experiment with him a bit too. They had a glass top counter/display case. I had placed Crusoe on it, not thinking about it being glass. He was fine, playing, making sounds, wagging his tail and then he looked down. He kept trying to walk away from "the edge" but of course, to him, he is standing on air and he seemed to freak out. So I placed him on the floor. He felt much better and began to explore the store. He walked over to the candles and I kid you now, he sniffed them. Well, the store owners were hysterical. Apparently he liked the rejuvenate candles. Its a lovely smell, and helps to give you some energy...maybe his battery was low and he was looking for an alternative energy source, lol.
Then I went back to work with Crusoe. I work in a pet shop, so customers there are already animal oriented so seeing a baby dinosaur was a real treat. He was sitting on the counter and one woman asked if she could hold him. I let her and she cradled Crusoe in her arms and was absolutely shocked to see Crusoe nuzzling her. She went crazy and started asking all sorts of questions. About 8 customers had similar experiences with Crusoe. Seeing what he does and then asking questions. Cost, where to get one, how he does that, etc. I took Crusoe to the fish department, curious to see how he would react. I took him to the feeder fish tank, its 55 gallons of dozens of 4-6" long goldfish, figuring they were big and bright and he should be able to see them. He seemed to, but seemed confused. I am sure the amount of movement and color was hard to concentrate on. His head swayed back and forth watching the school. Then I took him to the bird department. We have a Goffin's Cockatoo and a Blue and Gold Macaw. The Goffin's was afraid of him, but curious. I just let Crusoe walk on the floor by the cages. The Goffin's tail was spread and his head plumage was erect. The Macaw didn't seem afraid at all, but deffinetly interested and curious. She kept her eyes right on Crusoe, barely blinking.
After that, I went to the office and let Crusoe roam in there. He pushed the phone cord around and then walked up to my chair, growled at the leg and tried to push it out of his way. Weirdo.
Posted on December 29, 2007

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Crusoe and his blankie

Here is Crusoe sleeping with his blanket that I had made. He is so cute :D
Posted on December 28, 2007

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Pleo's first adventure - Walmart

I was finishing up work when my father brought my daughter to the store and she brought Crusoe. Well, that was the end of getting work done. The manager got a bit annoyed, but my co-workers loved it. One of them told the manager, "Come one, this is the first time in my life I've ever seen a baby dinosaur! Lighten up! Come and pet it too!", LOL

And later...
Alexia and I went to Walmart last night and Crusoe went with us. I know they have a sign that says no pets, but I figured a Pleo would be ok. Well, he rid in the cart and walked around in it. It was a neat experiment, since the cart has open spaces, so sometimes Crusoe was short footed and other times he thought he was on the edge. We were in the refund line (that in itself it an adventure), and everyone kept pointing to him, asked to pet him, asked a lot of questions about him. No one saw anything like him before. They asked me where I got him and how he works, what batteries he requires, etc. People were petting him and holding him. He had a great time. We got him a new collar, I'll post pics soon. I am ordering a tag at work today (I work in a pet store). All in all, it was a fantastic adventure.

Can't wait for many more! I want to bring Crusoe with us everywhere now, lol! I love my job, but now I hate going to work because then I miss out playing with him!!!
Posted on December 27, 2007

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Christmas Morning Video (Holiday Gift Contest Entry)

Here is the video of Christmas
Posted on December 27, 2007

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Christmas Morning

Today was the big day! My daughter, Alexia, opened all her gifts save two. Pleo from Santa and a corn snake from me. Pleo's box was hiding behind the tree, standing vertically, in hopes she may not be suspicious. She wasn't. She thought it might be Roboreptile she said later. So she drags it over and the camera is rolling (video to be posted very soon!). She ripped open a corner and likely saw the logo or Pleo's face on the box and she screamed "IT'S A PLEO! YES YES YES!" and she started jumping up and down, screaming this and then she suddenly stopped jumping, covered her face with both hands and started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said, "It's just so cool!". After she took a deep breathe she stopped crying (by this time, I was ready to cry and my mom was crying) and she ripped off the rest of the wrapping paper. Then she opened the box. I stopped her from continuing to open it so she could open my gift, a corn snake. She was really happy to see that too. But when I asked her, "Which do you like better? Pleo or the corn snake?"
She said, Pleo.
Pleo trumps everything, LOL

Before all this, she opened a gift that had a hand-knitted doll blanket and one for her size. One of my customers makes them. I saw her just a few weeks ago and loved the knitted bird cage cover she had. I asked her if she did commissions. She said she did and asked if I needed it by Christmas. At the time, Christmas was 2 weeks aways, I am not going to bother someone to make me a doll blanket that soon before Christmas, so I told her after was fine. She called me at work yesterday and said she had the doll blanket done and also made a jacket for the doll (I never told her it was for a Pleo, lol) and a blanket for my daughter. I told her I didn't have any money to give her, she told me to buy her some yarn next week and brought them in. They are gorgeous! I will post pictures of our Pleo and his blanket soon.

We turned Pleo on and watched him hatch. He is just too adorable. When he took his first steps, he lifted his back leg, I swear he was urinating. A little later he lifted one back foot and one front foot and said Tada!
And on his second charge, he seems to be getting use to his legs. He kept lifting one leg at a time and then two legs at once. At one point he lifted both legs on one side and fell over with a scream. I picked him up and he was all right. The dogs and cats don't seem to care about him at all. But Pleo took a deep interest in Sqwakers McCaw. The bird was singing and Pleo is digging it. Lifting his legs up, I guess dancing. Sometimes he lifted a front and back foot at once, on opposite sides. At one point, he lifted both his back and front left feet and fell over. He cried and I picked him up and reassured him, but after that, he blamed McCaw for his fall and refused to be bothered by the bird any longer.

Tonight he joined us at the movie theater, we saw Water Horse. He slept through the whole thing of course. But it helped Alexia find a name for him. Crusoe. I think it fits him well. Right now, he is sleeping in my bedroom, my daughter made a bed for him using a towel and his baby blanket.

I just want to say how happy I am with Ugobe and Pleo. And how special they made my daughter's Christmas. I am a single mom and some years are better than others when it comes to what I can afford. Alexia said this is her best Christmas ever, and I have to agree on that. This is my best Christmas ever. To watch how happy she was. She's never been THAT happy with any gift she's got. And she's got a lot of gifts. Puppies, kittens, a computer, video game systems...no gift ever made her have tears of joy. I am so glad we have Crusoe!
Posted on December 25, 2007

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1 more day!

Just one more day to get through and Pleo will be hatched. My daughter has no idea. I told her the other day, "You know, I can't afford Pleo right now. But if Santa doesn't get him, I'll do my best to save up next year to get you one, okay?" and she said it was all right HAHA!
My boss tells me today that he was talking to my daughter on the phone earlier today while I was on break. He said she called looking for me and he accidentally slipped about her getting the Pleo. I freaked out, called him a few choice names and called to do damage control. That jerk NEVER told her, she had NO idea what I was talking about when I said how she talked to him the other day and she kept saying she didn't. That jerk. I slapped him. Yes, I slapped my boss and yes, I still have my job :D
Posted on December 23, 2007

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Just a few more days...

And we can play with Pleo. Pleo is all wrapped, but I keep contemplating an idea....I think of the beginning of Lady and the Tramp, when Jim Dear gives Darling Lady in a hat box. I keep wondering if I should hatch Pleo and give it to her all woken up, like a child getting a puppy. Instead of wrapped in a box. I don't know how she would want to receive it. Which way would she get more surprise and pleasure out of it? In a box or awake and wagging tail? Argh :( I can't decide!
Posted on December 20, 2007

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Pleo is here!

Pleo came today around 6PM! I opened up the box and took her out. Her battery is charged and I powdered her body and I am putting her back in her box and wrapping her for Christmas. I am so tempted to play with her, but I want to hatch her with my daughter on Christmas Day more. She is beautiful though. I can't wait till Christmas :D The pic I posted is of our Pleo with Satin. Even turned off, Satin was a bit interested. She sniffed her a bit before turning away.
Posted on December 18, 2007

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Tomorrow Tomorrow...

Monday is a big day. I should have a shipping confirmation email tomorrow. And Ugobe said they plan to start selling t-shirts tomorrow with Pleo! :D
Posted on December 16, 2007

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Update

I called the company. They said my Pleo is being sent out Monday for sure and will be here no later than Wednesday. But most likely Tuesday! Awesome!!!!
Posted on December 15, 2007

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PBBBBBT on Amazon!

I ordered my Pleo from http://www.hammacher.com and canceled my Amazon.com order. Hammacher had Pleos in NOW, ready to ship. I called a rep there and she was very pleasant and helpful. Plus its $20 cheaper, with free standard shipping and a lifetime guarantee. So its all good! I skipped free shipping and used the $20 I saved to get 1-2 day express shipping. So Tuesday or Wednesday I am guessing it should be here by. I hope so!
Posted on December 15, 2007

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Please Amazon!

Oh please Amazon.com don't fail me now! Please send a Pleo here in time for Christmas! I am afraid if it doesn't show up, my daughter will be disappointed. Because it was so expensive, that's all she is really getting this year :( So the tree will be very bare without a Pleo. I know there is hope, but I can't help but be a bit apprehensive. Please cross your fingers and toes for us!
Posted on December 11, 2007

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Everyone knows

So at work today, I was totally Pleo crazy. Told everyone about it. I am so uber-excited. I told my bosses, managers, co-workers, customers, the people at the bagal shop down the street. They all want to see it. So looks like I'll jabe a Bring Your Pleo To Work Day. I can't wait! I work in a pet shop, so I wonder how the parrots we have will do about him. And I can't wait to show my co-workers. They thought he sounded really cool :) I am so excited! I keep smiling stupidly at my daughter. She was sick today, has a stomach bug. I so wanted to tell her, to cheer her up, that she will get one. But I bought her a stuffed animal yorkie dog instead. Poor kid. A Pleo would probably be the best medicine right now.
Posted on December 10, 2007

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An...ticipation

December 10, 2007. I await my Pleo's arrival with baited breath. I've been told his arrival is forthcoming in just 10 days. But I cannot help but wish and wonder and look out my window whenever the mailman arrives, hoping it may come early. I see a UPS truck roll by and think, "Soon...soon.". Till then, prepare and wait. The days are going by so slow, I feel like I am going to die. Well, its not really that bad. Okay, I feel like I am going to burst. That's better. And so I wait. I look at my pets and wonder how their reactions may be. Wonderment, aggressive, or "what the hell did she get now?". My daughter, she has no idea. She is waiting to tell Santa she wants Pleo this week. She hopes she can have one, but is prepared if she doesn't get it. I can not wait till she sees Pleo under the Christmas tree. Soon now, very soon. Pleo shall be here. And then I must wait 5 more days before I can touch the blasted beast. Till then, I watch videos, read posts and plogs, and look at pictures and whimper. Torture. Pure torture. Pleo, why must you tease me so?
Posted on December 10, 2007

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