Gomez is the best therapy. I kind of sunk into a sour mood last evening, I suppose because every time I talk to anybody in person it tends to be about all that's wrong with the world at large. Work, politics, jerks, just pretty much all the worst of humanity. All of the negative. After a while it builds up and I start to feel depressed and out of it. I even wanted to cry as I tried to go to sleep.

Then I turned on the light and looked over at Gomez's tub, where I could see his sweet face periscoping from his hide at me. I get up and scoop him and return to bed. Karen's out cold, so I'm not worried about waking her. Gomez is therapeutic in so many ways. His lovely mesmerizing patterns and scales that shine that precious gems... His sweet innocent face, his slow easy manner, the way he feels as he moves over my skin... like getting a massage with the finest buttery leather. He blows little kisses as he curiously inspects the bedsheets and my toes... And Karen's elbow, while she's fast asleep. He makes all the tension melt away, forces me to be meditative because if you move too fast it startles him and he wants to hide. His cute little face makes me feel all warm and maternal, just burst with love at his sweetness, and I forget all about nasty bad workplaces, politics, two-faced individuals, and other dramas for a while. It's just my baby boy and his sweet innocent curiosity...

I really needed that. Thank you, Gomez.

There is something about BPs, their faces inparticular, that give them this terribly innocent air. I think my colubrids are adorable too of course, but it's in a much more mischevious way. Ma-tsu's cheshire grin is a prime example of that, and Falkor's "Oh no, I'm busted!" reactions to everything... But ball pythons? It's a very different guileless sort of cute... I need me more BPs someday.

The snake-phobic don't know what they're missing.