Halloween 2005

Everyone had a great time. Lindsey's Cat-in-the-Hat costume was a success. Macy's dress evolved from Cinderella to Alice-in-Wonderland (sans sleeves due to time constraints), but she later decided that she really looked more like a "pregnant lunch lady" (cafeteria worker). heheheh

Eeeww

So last night I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed. My cat Pi is sitting on the counter next to me. Suddenly, Pi's ears prick up and I see her bolt out of the bathroom. About the same time, I swear I hear a very faint cry coming from somewhere in the house. "Something is not right", me thinks, so I go to investigate. I peer around the upstairs bedrooms, nothing. Then I hear the sound again, a faint screeching coming from...gasp!...downstairs. So I'm tip-toeing down the stairs, fearful of what might be making the screeching noise, then out into the foyer where I find...gasp again!...my other cat Tiki, delicately holding this tiny little screaming gray mouse IN HER MOUTH! "Oh god, oh god" I'm thinking, "what do I do?!" A mouse is not something that you want to retrieve using only a Paper Mitt of Protection (PMoP)! So I hiss, "Tiki!" whereupon she looks very, very guilty and sort of "racewalks" past me (not running, mind you, so as to not drop the mouse, but rather walking very quickly) and up the stairs. "Aaaaah, no no, not upstairs!" I'm shrieking as I follow her up. So she gets to the top, looks side to side, nowhere to run, so back down the stairs she goes again (racewalking). So I follow her down again, she panics, back up the stairs she goes, with me (and Pi) right behind her. So this goes on and on for like...FIFTEEN times up and down the stairs. During this entire episode I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I will do once I catch her (and stalling, which is why I didn't catch her sooner...and hoping my spousal unit will take pity on my pleas and come do the dirty work for me, which he didn't). So finally I grab the cat and she drops the mouse, which is THANKFULLY still alive, and I gently pick up the little mouse...with a pair of tongs (no way am I touching that!)...and take it outside and set it free...in my neighbors yard (muahaha!). The entire incident was horrifying. So now I'm a little worried because I have to ask myself, "Where did that mouse come from?" Obviously from somewhere inside the house, seeing as my cats' feet have never touched the ground outdoors, but egads, that means that I had a MOUSE inside my HOUSE! And I keep a clean house...really! To make matters worse, this is actually the second mouse to turn up...the first being a dead one found in the garage last week, which my son was gracious enough to dispose of for me. So I suppose this means that as the temperatures outside have been dropping, the little mousies in the woods behind my house are seeking warmer accomodations. I hope the little guy carried word back that they can't stay here.

[Edit 8:15pm: OH, GROSS!! Tiki - 2, Mice - 0. Again, the same chase (between me and the cat) ensued, except this time Tiki jumped up INTO MY BED with it. This is no longer funny. Bleeeeeeech. Hardware store, here we come.]

they call me Wonder Woman!

As in, "I wonder what the hell she was thinking?!!" Because today is Halloween, I decided at the last moment that I would take the day off of work. I envisioned a leisurely day of light housekeeping and errand-running in preparation for the annual "potluck" party that will take place in our cul-de-sac later this evening. Oh, how wrong could I be! My 14-year-old daughter Macy had not planned to dress up this year, that is until 9:00pm last night while we were at Walmart (my least favorite place on earth...*shudder*) picking up last minute Halloween supplies. And of course, if you knew Macy, you would know that picking out something easy like an already-made costume simply would not do. So after an hour of listening to me protest, we left the store with one McCall's pattern for a Cinderella dress and an armload of fabric, armed with the knowledge that we must possess some kind of mad sewing skills, what with our 2 days worth of mother-daughter sewing classes! So Macy was up until the wee hours cutting and sewing and so far she has managed to make...the top part of the dress (bodice, no sleeves). As she was leaving for school this morning, I took pity on her and said, "Hey Macy, if you show me any of the easy parts you have left, I could sew them for you while you're at school." In my mind I fantasized that she would come home from school this afternoon to find a beautiful Cinderella gown finished and hanging on a hangar, with bluebirds singing while flying around in little circles over our heads. Well that brings me to the "I wonder what the hell I was thinking" part. What a nightmare...the fabric...the pinning...the cutting...the bleeding...and I have no idea how to make a bobbin on her machine. Argh. In addition to the sewing project, I have to go out and comb the city searching for a black long-sleeved leotard and black leggings because, according to my other daughter, the Cat-in-the-Hat simply cannot wear a black long-sleeved t-shirt and black tights, "OH NO, HE CAN NOT". (Okay, that probably sounded better in the Cat-in-the-Hat voice that I heard in my head as I wrote that.) Wish me luck! (You may or may not get to see the finished results, depending on how things turn out.) More later.

Roooooaaaarrr

Rooooooaaaar!! Like a lioness protecting her cubs, my adrenaline has been racing the past 24 hours because of rude, rude, RUDE people who leave RUDE comments on blogs of people that they do not even know. What kind of JERK** does a thing like that?

To the people that I care about...meaning everyone who has read and commented on my blog so far, as I've been fortunate to not have any JERKS (except for the spammers) visit me yet:

Please, PLEASE utilitize that little trash can icon and wipe out the ugly commenters when they spew their trash into your personal space! Please...if you won't do it for yourself, do it for the Empath. (me) (gasp...inhale...exhale... inhale...exhale...inhale...exhale)

**Name withheld by request to avoid further flame wars

desperate housewives

As I've said before, life can be amusing if you pay attention. Now, normally I'm not the type of person that would post something catty about anyone that I know personally, but this time I can't resist. This weekend the girls and I attended our local elementary school's Fall Festival, an annual event that we look forward to every year. It just so happens that we live in one of those Desperate Housewives-type of neighborhoods, and there's this one woman who lives down the street who is really quite...unique. Not that I'm any kind of fashion expert, but this woman usually dresses like she's still living in the early 80's. Example: it isn't unusual to see her out mowing her lawn in full Flashdance attire--spandex body suit, tights and leg-warmers (damn, where's my camera?) Her hair is usually bleach-fried until it's literally yellow, and her skin is like rawhide from baking in the tanning beds. And although I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this woman's face is...umm...let's just say "not pretty". But the thing that mystifies me most about her is that she is SUPER snobby! She and her husband have a daughter who they treat as if she is a princess. The daughter has inherited the snob-gene as well, and both mother and daughter treat most of the other girls on our street pretty badly. (The mother referred to the family who lives across the street from her as "white trash", when in fact they are a really nice family--both parents are professionals, with a beautiful home, private schools for their gorgeous and highly-intelligent kids, BMW in the driveway, etc.) Anyway, this woman just offends me, so you can imagine my glee when I spotted her at the Fall Festival, looking all "pretty in pink" (not!) with her matching pink disco shoes. (Matching daughter as well!) As the summer has begun fading away, so it seems has her hair color and her tan, but you still get the picture. :)

Nip/Tuck

I just got home from work a little while ago and finally got to watch this week's episode of Nip/Tuck. OMG, this show has become my new favorite guilty pleasure! I'm kicking myself hard for not watching during the first two seasons (though I do have season 2 on dvd, if I could only find time to catch up). Christian and Sean...raaaawwrrr.

words

"You must be very patient," replied the fox. First you will sit down at a little distance from me--like that--in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."

From one of my favorite stories, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. Words are the source of misunderstandings. This line has been going through my mind over and over the past several weeks. Lately it seems that no matter where I turn, words are there causing some sort of trouble. Words that I've said or written that have been misinterpreted. Words that I've read or heard others say that have been misconstrued. It has become so problematic that I should probably quit here while I'm ahead. I guess it's no wonder that I scored low on the Verbal/Linguistics portion of the Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences test. *sigh*


On a happier note, this little guy is on his way here to me, all the way from Montreal. He will provide much comfort when those pesky words are getting me down.


And finally, my results from Saint Exupery's 'The Little Prince' Quiz:


You are the drawing.

I'm not surprised.

engineer humor

You know you're a geek when...

On my way to my desk this morning, I passed by a table in the hallway on which there was an assortment of small packages of candy corn and other baked goods for sale. The sign read "Mil Spec Calorie Enhancers, 50¢". I found that rather funny. :)

(I would have snagged a photo of it since a picture is worth a thousand words, but cameras are a big no-no here.)

all filler, no thriller

You scored as Intrapersonal. You prefer your own inner world, you like to be alone, and you are aware of your own strengths, weaknesses, and feelings. You learn best by engaging in independent study projects rather than working on group projects. People like you include entrepreneurs, philosophers and psychologists.

Intrapersonal		96%
Musical/Rhythmic		93%
Visual/Spatial		82%
Logical/Mathematical		79%
Interpersonal		61%
Verbal/Linguistic		57%
Bodily/Kinesthetic		54%

The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com

(Busy week. Real post coming soon.)

better late than never

So I didn't end up going to see a movie on Friday after all. Instead, I took my son out for a nice sushi lunch. (Er, he ate sushi...I still prefer my food cooked, thankyouverymuch.) It was great spending a little time together and made the day turn out to be not wasted at all.

On Saturday, the girls and I went to see Wallace & Gromit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. (This picture is from one of my favorite scenes.) The movie was adorable, but then there's just something about Wallace & Gromit that makes me feel all nostalgic and happy. I guess it reminds me of a different time, which is funny now that I think about it, because the particular time period when we were watching a lot of Wallace & Gromit wasn't all that particularly happy. Oh, I love how the mind works. :)

get your porn ready

This coming (huh huh) Sunday is National Porn Sunday. That rocks!

(I know, I know...it isn't a national celebration of porn, but I couldn't resist.) ;-)

wasted day off

Yippee, I have a day off today. (And even more importantly, I have a day off and NO ONE IS HOME! Yesss!) You know, you sit around fantasizing about having a day off and about all the things that you would accomplish if you just had that little bit of extra time (well, that's what I do). But then the day comes and what happens? Let's see, I'm now looking at the clock and it's NOON, and so far I've: 1) sat around in my pj's all morning watching back-to-back episodes of King of the Hill, 2) surfed the net perusing my favorite blogs for any overnight updates and trying to decide which movie I should go see today, and 3) ate a big, giant bowl of chocolate pudding. Now THAT'S accomplishment! Well, in the process of checking out showtimes, I did discover a few useful pieces of information that I thought I'd pass along. First of all, Saw 2 opens October 28th. I'm jazzed...I personally loved the first one, and even though Saw 2 has a different director, I'm game. I'm not sure I'll be able to shake off seeing Beverly Mitchell as anything other than Seventh Heaven's Lucy, but we'll see. Other news is that High Tension and Me and You and Everyone We Know will be released on dvd this Tuesday (Oct. 11th). I'm definitely buying both. Well, I'm off before any more of the day is wasted. I think I might go see A History of Violence (or maybe Wallace & Gromit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). There are a few others I'd like to see more, but our local art theatre is all the way downtown (not a place you want to be on a rainy Friday afternoon...traffic is a nightmare!) Grrr.

I always feel like somebody's watching me

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I'll take the half-empty glass, thanks

Lately there's just something not quite right about my house. Or at least there is something amiss during the early morning hours. I think it must be trying to tell me something. First, it was noises in the attic. Then this morning, just as I was finishing rinsing (after brushing my teeth)...I glance down into my little solo cup to see that the water is the palest shade of BROWN. Or maybe it was YELLOW. (Yeah, now that makes me feel better!) Well, color me DISGUSTED! I checked the other bathroom sink, which ran clear for just a moment before the repulsively-tinged water began to flow. And then, as if I wasn't already convinced, I start going from room to room, flushing toilets, turning on faucets, etc., carefully inspecting the color of the water. The color that ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!! Of course everyone else was still sleeping, so I didn't have anyone to share the drama with. I hate when that happens. ;-)

One of these things

is not like the other,

One of these things

just doesn't belong

Surface

Sigh. I hate when I read negative reviews and gloom-and-doom predictions of cancellation for shows that I'm already getting hooked on. This season, it's NBC's new show Surface. Episode #3 aired last night and I am just loving this show! As a kid (and as an adult), I was always fascinated by dinosaurs, the Loch Ness Monster, and the like, and so a new series about mysterious sea monsters is right up my alley. I feel fortunate that I don't require a lot of "reality" in my movies and television in order to be entertained. It annoys me to no end to be watching with someone, only to hear "oh yeah, RIGHT! As if..." It's FICTION, people! To be honest, I hadn't even seen the previews for Surface and had no plans of watching it, but after hearing about the pilot episode, I managed to catch a repeat of it on the Sci-Fi channel. I'm so happy that I did. The casting and the overall "feel" of the show is great. I am particularly liking the fact that we actually get to SEE the monsters (and we're only into episode 3...wow!) Some people might think the baby sea monster "Nimrod" is a little cheesy, but not me...I think it adds an element of "family friendliness" to the show.
Since the show airs at 8pm, my 11-year-old daughter can watch with me, and I've come to really cherish the times when my whole family piles in the bed together each week to watch our favorite shows. (Lost is another one...you know right where to find us on Wednesday nights.) So I hope the naysayers will give this show a chance and stop spewing out negativity that might influence those who haven't seen it yet. And if you get a chance, watch it...and then tell all your friends how great it is. I'd really like to see this show succeed. :)

who puts the Slash in "Slasher"?

One, two, Freddy's coming for you
Three, four, better lock your door
Five, six, grab a crucifix
Seven, eight, better stay up late
Nine, ten, never sleep again!

Happy October, Everyone!