RIP Podo & a pony dilemma

[advokitsgirl]

I know it's been awhile, but this year has been really hard on me.

Some of you may remember me (SkittlesAngel), but as I haven't been around in well over a year I'm sure there's plenty of new faces. I'm not much into collecting anymore, not because I don't love ponies - more because I have a terrible job and never have money to spend on "fun stuff". I honestly don't even remember the last pony I bought. =/

Since my last visit, our ferret duo became a trio with the addition of my first female, Blaze. She's aptly named for her markings and is indeed a deafy (and a brat, most of the time). Last christmas Podo got very sick and lost a lot of weight, forcing us to make a vet visit that ended in an emergency surgery for what my vet thought may have been a blockage. The surgery was high risk and Podo flatlined on the table but was revived.

He didn't have a blockage - instead, she found his intestines riddled with cancer and removed 29cm of necrotic tissue. Some extreme after care and medicine helped him recover but I was warned the cancer was very aggressive and that during the surgery, cells may have leaked into his body cavity and could attach to literally any part of his body. I wasn't given a time frame, only hope.

Podo gave us a solid five months before declining rapidly again, and to make a very long story short, we had to put Podo to sleep just two weeks ago. He was my snuggle-bug, my sweet boy :( Our trio is once again a duo.

With that said, my boyfriend's moms just got married last week (it was the first wedding I've been to since I was eight), and there's a terrible picture floating around on facebook of Dane and I. I was already pretty toasted and they caught me off guard.. it's just.. horrible to look at. I wish I could blast it off the face of the planet and forget that it ever existed. I look awful, which is really why I hate it.

I'm stressing out about trying to save money to go back to Alaska next summer for my birthday. Dane has never been, and I haven't seen my mom since 2006. I want to show him where I grew up, take him to all my cool places and just have somet time away from this place together. But I'm still working at BK and don't get vacation time. Mom and gram have offered to help pay for at least one ticket (and gram will let us sleep in her RV while we're there so we won't need a hotel). But even if I can manage to save up the $ for a ticket, I've got to worry about money to spend while I'm there and then dread coming home to neither of us having a paycheck.

I would also like to get a tattoo of my sweet little Podo on my arm - there's a picture of him on my facebook that is much deserving of this honor.

It's taken me the better part of a month to come to a decision about my money situation (because as much as I hate my job, I remain thankful to at least HAVE a job right now). I'd like to go through my ponies, sort them, and try to get rid of some. At this point in my life I've pretty much decided that unless I win the lottery or get my book published that I'll never have space to display my ponies and there's no sense in having them stored in totes for the rest of my life. Someone else could enjoy them more than I, and give them the spotlight they deserve.

My issue remains, however, that I'm so apart from the pony world that I have no idea where to start. I have no sense of how to price them anymore. Heck, I probably can't even remember most of their names anymore :( Sad, but honest.

I would like to extend my hand to the community and ask for help. If there is anyone willing to assist me in pricing ponies, I would be eternally grateful. I can offer pictures and condition descriptions if needed. I just don't see any other way right now. I will be sad to see them go, but there are some that will definately stay with me no matter what. As unfortunate as it is, I'd rather have the money to see my family than have ponies hiding in the darkness of my closet :(

[advokitsgirl]

I've been a member of the MLPTP since 2002, and a lurker for more than a year before that. When I first joined here, I was 13 years old and had just re-discovered my love for ponies. It all started when I purchased my first pony (at least since childhood) on Ebay. I was nine. And my Surprise probably came from a member here. It was a spark and happiness I had long forgotten, but cherished ever since.

I was lost when I came to the TP; a confused young girl looking for acceptance and friendship I had a difficult time finding with people my own age, in real life. I fell into place here (or there, I should say - I remember the EZBoard days). I remember the Ghetto and other unmentionable boards, and was a part of them as well. The pony community was somewhere I could come to discuss ponies or whatever else was on my mind - mostly problems most of you had already gone through. I was always greeted with kind words and honest, wise advice.

I was one of two Alaska pony collectors (Tikibirds being the other) - and I even attended the very first MLP fair in Las Vegas. The TP was a huge part of my life, and for years I couldn't imagine a day going by where I didn't come to this website. I had never felt more accepted anywhere than I did here, and I knew I'd found a place where I belonged.

But life got difficult and after my dad and my cousin passed away so closely together, I kinda lost my place here and drifted away. Work, pets and a boyfriend leaves little time for me to be online anymore.

And then when life got even worse, I turned to the one place I knew I could come to find solace and acceptance - only to recieve silence from the people I once considered friends.

This place has changed, and not for the better - that much I am sure of. I came, bearing my heart on my sleeve and was turned away like a sick cat. I don't need your sympathy, I just needed somebody to listen. I extended my hand to the community, asking for help, and couldn't even get that.

This isn't the TP that I remember.

[ristvak]

Oh hey advokitsgirl! I remember you =) sorry to hear about your past year, it sounds like its been a rough one for a lot of people =/
As far as pricing ponies, the market isn't terribly strong at the moment, but if most of what you're looking to get rid of is g1s I'd recommend you take a look at bluerose's price check site. That'd be the quickest way to get a good starting point.

Unfortunately a lot of people have gotten silent on the boards. I'm sorry your post didn't receive any replies for so long, but it happens sometimes =/ maybe if you changed the title or started a thread in general discussion looking for price checks?

[Taffy]

I'm sorry to see that your first post didn't get any replies. I did read it when it was originally posted, but was unsure as to what to say being a newer member. I did say a little prayer that things would get better for you, and I guess I could have said I did instead of staying silent. Now that this post has re-surfaced, I'll say another little prayer for things to look up.

I think, when more serious things like this come up, people just don't know what to say and remain silent. It's not the best solution, but people always think, "The next person will say something" and then nobody does. I know it's not right and I've been on the receiving end of all this silence when I looked for help from family and friends before, but people aren't always the smartest of beings...

So, if you need somebody to talk to in the future, please send me a pm! I'd be happy to offer any advice I have, or to just be there to listen. I feel like we've got a lot in common; My dad is getting remarried this coming August after being single for the good part of the last 20 years, I'm having some financial problems myself (resulting in the selling of a few collections), and I've also been debating on a tattoo for personal reasons. Perhaps we could be friends?

~Derpy

[Angel_Foil]

Like Derpy, I really didn't know what to say; I just joined last month and am new as well. I'm sorry you feel this way, and hope your life improves. I realize you need support at this time, and I believe we were all counting on each other to come up with the right thing to say. I decided not to say anything rather than say something I didn't mean and come off rude/unsympathetic. Again, I wish you the best.

[josiekat]

I'm sorry to hear about what's going on. I would have posted earlier, but I am not on here as much as I would like to be. I agree with Rist about prices. It's so hit and miss these days.

I hope that things change for you, and somewhere down the road, you find a gaping hole that screams "fill me with ponies!"

*hugs*

[advokitsgirl]

Thanks guys ...the last few weeks have been tough. We're so broke right now that I couldn't even afford to go get Podo's ashes from the vet (my vet is about an hour away from here). We're finally going to go get him back this week, and maybe I'll be able to put a little closure to his passing.

As far as the pony situation goes, it's hard going through them right now. I don't even really know where to start =/ But this week I'm going to go through them and decide which to keep and then go from there. I'll definately check out the price check site when I get to that point. Is there any references for g2s or g3s?

Derpy, I will definately send you a PM We should hook up on facebook or something. I usually don't have much time online but always at least lurk facebook to see what's going on.

[Taffy]

I do have facebook if you want to add me on there. Might give me a chance to actually use it again, ha ha. PM me if you're interested!

Also, I'm glad to hear that you've got your Podo back. I hope that has given you some peace of mind and heart. *hugs*

[Stormness_1]

I never saw your first post, I've also only just returned to the tp after about nine months, since I've been married things have been tough financially, and I too put my ponies away. But thankfully I've hung on in there and things have gotten better - one of my friends from work has migrated into another department and our boss has given me most of her shifts. So last week I went out and found some ponies, and am enjoying reviving my collection - it's been a long time.

I'm sorry to hear about Podo, it's always hard when you lose a special pet and especially so when things in other parts of our lives aren't going so well. During our rough patch, we lost our lorikeet Lil. We found her wandering out on the road as a baby who seemed to have fallen from the nest, and my hubby actually didn't see her at first and ran over the top of her while she crouched on the road! She wasn't hit though and we took her home. She could talk, and mimic almost every sound in the house, from the microwave to the security alarm. She was a great companion and spent most of her time on someone's shoulder, chatting away. Her loss hit us hard. She was like a housemate!

I'm sad to hear that things haven't started to look up for you yet. But they will! And I'm glad to know that you have a positive attitude about it all, and about parting with your ponies, I know I never could without shedding a LOT of tears, they mean so much to me. I probably won't be much help on the pricing front, but if you need any help, I'm a great researcher, so hit me up! PM me your email, and I could add you on fb or something.. I'm more available there with the app on my phone, and I can be more helpful that way!

A million hugs!

xoxo!

[skyrocketneko]

I do remember you! Glad to read from you, but sad about all the problems you've been having. I've been on and off the TP too lately- have had rough times myself and still in the middle of deciding whether I want to stay where I am.

Feel free to PM me and add me to your Facebook too- I'm not on here a whole lot, but still love and have a few ponies.

I wish you the best!