Hi Taz - Vegas is a great place to visit, but I haven't been there for years myself. I keep meaning to get down there. I'd like to add my vote for your current avatar, definitely the best one.
How could you miss the frozen rats in the freezer? Miss M only mentioned it in one post, so it was easy to miss. I'm dying to know more about that, but don't want to push any buttons. Although your explanation sounds quite reasonable. Edit- I had a pet snake once, it ate baby mice but the hassle of keeping it fed was just too much, plus it escaped from it's cage once, so that was enough of that - bye bye Mr Snake.