Ever since Lovefraud launched in 2005, my goal has been to educate people about the dangers of sociopaths—preferably before their lives are shredded. One effort in that direction is the Lovefraud high school education program—I’ll be doing my first three classes next month.
Another effort is my next book—tentatively called Red Flags of Love Fraud—Signs that you’re dating a sociopath. It will identify behavior that may indicate a prospective romantic partner is not all that he or she claims to be, and explain how what seems to be expressions of love may, in fact, be strategies of manipulation and control.
We’ve discussed our experiences here on Lovefraud, and through the telling, identified many behaviors that all seem to “come from the same playbook.” However, I’d like to collect that information in a more structured way so that I can use it in the book. Therefore, I invite you to participate in the Lovefraud Romantic Partner Survey.
Most of the questions are multiple choice, but there are a few places where you can write out your observations. It would probably be best to do the survey when you have about 20 minutes of free time.
Thank you for your contributions. To start the survey, click the following link:
Lovefraud Romantic Partner Survey
Stargazer
Hey! Snakes make fabulous pets. They are quiet, cuddly, and don’t require much work. I have two boa constrictors. I’ve had them for many years. If you give them large enough enclosures, they can live long happy lives for 20+ years. Go for it, one step. You can just get a corn snake or a ball python. Ball pythons are the cuddliest snakes in the animal kindgom.
one/joy_step_at_a_time
oxy – no animals, period. the only hypo allergenic dog for me is one that has been dead for 6 weeks.
a hairless cat might be possible, not sure. but i’d have to make clothes for it – it’s too damn cold here. i am not the type to dress animals. little cowl, and leg warmers, a sweater….no no no, don’t wanna be that lady.
I have snorkeled a lot and i totally love watching fish. My folks have a koi pond and i have taken care of the fish off and on for years. But i have the same issue for fish as for snakes, they would be out of their natural environment. (same way i wouldn’t have a caged bird, as much as i wold love to hang our with a parrot.) It’s just a personal thing (there probably some really small fish that wouldn’t roam more than a large tank would provide space for – but usually all kinds of fish exist together. I would have to do some more research on this.)
Cats are best – they can roam, and I have always made sure they are vaccinated, fixed, have access to safety, love, food – but also they have some freedom to be a ‘cat’.
i will keep working on my allergies and I hope to get to the point again when i can have a cat, and if i am out of the city, a dog, too.
one/joy_step_at_a_time
hey Star! figured you’d weigh in sooner or later. 🙂 thing is I don’t have space to build a large enclosure, and I am not comfortable with caging them up in something small. I have watched snakes move in the wild, and they need space to do what they do.
Do snakes need snake company?
Stargazer
No, snakes are solitary, and it’s best they don’t cohabitate unless for breeding. A small snake like a milk snake or garter snake only requires something like a 20-gallon tank. My boas have giant stacked enclosures, and I let them out to exercise a few times a week. They actually feel insecure if they have too big of an enclosure. They like to hide all day. A 4X2X2 enclosure is plenty of room for something like a ball python or corn snake, both of which will top off at about 4′.
You’d be surprised how easy it is to tame garters. They will curl up on you and go to sleep. It’s pretty adorable. My boas lie in my lap and watch movies with me.
Stargazer
One step, an added bonus of become a snake keeper is that you get to join a reptile site such as mine. It has added a whole new dimension to my life and many new friends. I will be going on a herping (snake-finding) expedition in Costa Rica in May. One of my reptile site friends helped fund the trip for me. Snakes are fascinating creatures and full of surprises. And snake people are a hoot!
Eva
Thanks Ox. You can also be quite funny sometimes. I still remember the story of the psychopath chopping the boat or something similar. 🙂
Ox Drover
Glad you like my humor, Eva, sometimes it’s pretty dark! LOL But I figure we have to laugh at something, either that or cry all the time! (((hugs)))
ErinBrock
I can see it now……
Here comes Rockstar……with her snakes…..out for a stroll…..
🙂
one/joy_step_at_a_time
Star – I saw a corn snake in the wild last year. i saw him long before he sensed me and i watched him move….once he sensed me he froze – didn’t move for half an hour. they are beautiful snakes. Didn’t know that they needed so little space, or that they are solitary. thanks for the info.
there is a young guy in town who has a snake rescue, and i am sure i could get a snake from him – and lots of advice. no offense, but another online forum isn’t in my immediate future! 😉
skylar
Star,
don’t forget to tell One about how to FEED her snakes…. 😛
🙂