Things That Bug Me: Mice

Over the last year or so, Mike and I have noticed a sound coming from the attic. No, it wasn't a ghost (although that might have been a far more interesting blog post than what you're about to read). It was an occasional squeak, scratch and rustle. Both of us were pretty tolerant of it - I don't really mind harboring a critter as long as it leaves me alone.

That all ended on Wednesday night.

We both awoke at three in the morning to hear a rolling sound... it started at the top of the roof and continued all the way to the bottom... then moved back to the top, over and over again. This continued for the next two hours, at which point the mystery critter fell asleep. Unfortunately, both Mike and I had to get up for work (someone had to put a roof over the critter's head). It was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

Today I called in the big guns - a local pest control company with a good reputation (a lot of the neighbors use them). There was both good news and bad news. The good news is that we have now retained the services of said pest control company who is going to help with the ants, mice and woodpeckers. Yup, they can actually do something with those suckers - apparently there's a spray that deters them from banging on the side of your house. Honestly, that was the selling point for me! Well, that and I don't have to see anymore of the creepy millipede things. Or black widows. Or any other kind of thing with too many legs.

The bad news is that the critters in the attic are mice (the climbed up there and found all sorts of "droppings"). While that would seem like an easy thing to take care of, the company was very honest with me in saying that sticking traps, baits, poisons up there is only a band aid - the biggest thing we have to do here is to find where they're getting in and close that up. The really bad news is that a mouse can get in through an opening as small as a quarter of an inch.

So, Mike and I have our work cut out for us over the next few days, but at least there's something we can do that (hopefully) works!

Anna Get Your Shot Gun

On Sunday I did something I never thought I would do... I fired a shot gun. Several recent events prompted me to pick up a gun for the first time in my life. I don't care to go into too much detail regarding one of the incidents, but I'll just have you know that I feel the need to be able to protect myself and my home. The other is the latest in pictures on our game camera:

Mountain Lion

Here Kitty Kitty!

Yup, we've definitely got mountain lions. Big ones. Well fed ones. Who apparently don't have any issues hunting.

Mike and I went out with our friend Logan to teach me how to use the gun. I was scared to death... it probably took me a good ten minutes to pull the trigger the first time. Even after being told how powerful the shot gun is, I was still a little surprised (and very surprised the next day when I had actual bruises on my shoulder from the kick!). Once I got going, the shooting part was not hard at all.

I hope to never have to use the gun, but I feel more confident that I can take care of myself now. I spent a long time thinking about whether or not I would actually be able to pull the trigger, and I believe I could if faced with serious danger. I feel really good about being able to protect myself, my family and my home.

Things That Bug Me: Cars With Snow

Today I was treated to one of my pet peeves on my drive to work: people with snow on top of their car. Obviously, my move to Amador County last year put me much closer to snow. We get it several times a year and the cities just above us get it more than that. Add to that the fact that Highway 88 is a main thoroughfare from Tahoe to Sacramento and you get a lot of cars that have been in the snow.

Here's where my pet peeve kicks in. Most of my drive to work is on Highway 16, which has a 65 miles per hour speed limit. That means most people are doing 70-75 miles per hour. Most of these people have been driving for a while by the time they get to Highway 16 and the snow has started to melt. It then slips right off the roof of their car and lands in one of two places - on the road or on another car.

In case some of you are thinking I'm just being picky, keep in mind I'm not talking you have an inch of snow on the top of your car - I'm talking you have a foot of snow teetering on the roof rack of your SUV.

My point? Knock the snow off the top of your car. You know it's going to melt and you know it's going to fly off. It scares the crap out of the people behind you. Plus it's just rude!

Blame

A few weeks ago we had a horrible car crash near my house. The weather had been horrible and it had been raining. Overnight, the clouds cleared and the temperatures plummeted. Roads all over the county iced over. One of the main roads leading out the highway has a notorious stretch that gets icy and is hilly and curvy. It doesn't take much thinking to realize that those three things are not a good combination.
Late that night, a couple was driving back from the casino. They were both locals, but were driving way too fast for the conditions. They hit the ice and tumbled 400 feet down an embankment, landing near a creek. Neither person was wearing a seat belt and both were ejected from the vehicle. Both died at the scene.

Our local newspaper ran several articles on this crash. The first was a story that told of the multiple crashes that had happened due to poor weather conditions and ice. The second was an opinion piece about how difficult it is to write about accidents. It was followed by a brief piece written by a friend of family member of one of the people who died in the jeep. He basically stated that the woman who died was a lovely woman and that the County should be held responsible because they don't mark that the road is icy.

Is this a terribly tragic situation? Absolutely. Could it have been prevented? Maybe. If you read the first article, you will see that before this accident, a very similar one happened in almost the same spot. The occupants of that vehicle were all wearing seat belts and survived the accident.

I honestly do not understand why people always try to blame someone else for their mistakes. I understand it must be horribly hard for the friends and family of the two people who died in the accident to come to terms with the fact that their loved ones are gone, let alone that it was their own recklessness that caused their deaths. But I do not understand blaming county officials for not doing something more on the roads. Instead, use their tragic deaths as an opportunity to promote wearing seat belts (seriously?! who doesn't wear a seat belt?!) and safer driving in hazardous weather conditions. It just makes me really mad that someone wants to place the blame other than where it actually lies...

Water Ballerinas

I'm going to preface this post by asking all of you faithful readers to not be offended. I am a strong believer that everyone should and can exercise and I know that not everyone does it how I do.

Which brings me to my pet peeve. Water ballerinas. Like I said, if people have medical issues, swimming can be one of the best ways for them to lose weight, build strength and work up to stronger workouts. Some movement is better than no movement, right?

Fast forward to today. I hop in my lane at the pool and, excuse the pun, dive right into my 2,500 yard workout. I'm not just floating along - I'm working through my strokes (yes people, doing all four - butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle), drills and kicking. Mid-swim, there's just a person standing right in the middle of my lane. I almost ran right into her.

Allow me also to say that I swam competitively for ten years. I'm no stranger to sharing lanes, bumping arms and getting kicked every now and then. I honestly don't mind it. But, for God's sake, at least tell me you're jumping in on top of me!

This woman says nothing to me (by the way, pool etiquette is to say hi, ask if someone minds sharing their lane, etc) and starts kicking down the lane... with her noodle. That's right, not a kick board, not a pull buoy, a noodle.

Again, let me sidetrack to say that noodles are very effective rehabilitation tools... but that said, you don't typically DIVE IN THE SAME LANE AS SOMEONE WHO IS DOING SERIOUS SWIMMING!!! There are other lanes (including the lane with the grown men doing handstands) and the shallow end (which is deep enough to do some noodle floating).

The reason this really bothered me was that she started swimming some weird-noodle-backstroke thing that then zig-zagged across the lane. Here I'm trying to do a butterfly set while also figuring out where the hell in the lane this woman is going to end up. I was not a happy camper.

Moral of the story... be considerate when you're in the pool. I never would have thought twice about what this woman was doing in the pool (I commend anyone who is willing to get wet and move around), but when you start to impede someone else's workout, it's just plain rude.

Catch Up

Hi faithful blog followers (ok, well, there's like 2 of you and I don't know how faithful you are since I rarely  blog regularly anymore)...

So sorry it's been so long... life has been super busy! I'm working on training in my new job, unpacking and settling in with Mike and getting the Mather house ready to rent out! They finally came to fix the floors, so now I'm working on getting rid of the extra furniture that we have (seriously, a lot since we've combined two households!) and getting the house ready... I think next week I have to go in and touch up on the paint and do some more clean up. It's all been pretty darned stressful! I am trying to sell the furniture on Craigslist, but am not having the best of luck... people keep saying that they will meet me but then they stand me up! It's so frustrating because it's not exactly like I have a ton of extra time right now!

Ok, back to work now... I just got the new Train album, so I'll do an album review soon!

Construction Workers SUCK!

So who in their right mind thinks it's ok to be moving heavy machinery in a residential neighborhood at 6:15am!?! And for God's sake, turn the damn beepy thing off or stop driving up and down the street backwards!!! And finally, don't park outside my window and congregate with all of your other construction worker buddies to chat. I can hear you and I'm trying to sleep! @&%!

It's been an interesting few weeks with the road work going on here. I can't quite figure out the method to their madness... they've repaved patches of the street, but have left others all torn up by the bulldozers. Now, maybe it's just my organized mind, but I would have started at one end and paved to the other until I was finished. The way it is now, you'll be driving down the road and it's all smooth. Then all the sudden you hit this drop in the pavement (I'm not kidding - it's 2-3 inches) that feels like you've just run something over. Then you're back on bumpy road. Scares the crap out of you if you're driving home and not really paying attention to the road (and I mean that in the sense that you're focused on driving, just not expecting that kind of jolt).

Sorry I've been a slacker posting as of late. It's not for any great reason other than I've been busy and lazy. It's an interesting combo, I assure you. I promise to blog more often from now on! :)

Costco

Today was a pretty normal day. I worked from home (yes, I'm rubbing it in) and actually got a lot of stuff done. I had lunch with my friend Dan from high school and swung by Jason's house to return Season 4 of "24" that I've had forever (thanks J, I'm TOTALLY hooked now). But the highlight of the day was my trip to Costco to pick up my contacts.

As you well know, there is never an uneventful visit to Costco. It just invites far too many interesting people. Today it was the lady in the leggings. People, leggings should stay in the 80's. It's bad enough that little girls are wearing them now under jean skirts, but what I saw today was an absolute monstrosity. There was a lady in capri length leggings and a tank top. Nothing over. Wrong in so many different ways. Spandex is for the gym and even then, it should be used sparingly.

Now, my pet peeve with Costco. What's up with the carts? And how the heck do people decide where to set up those little clusters of carts that look like an empty parking space but end up being just a cluster of carts? Seriously, who decides which spot is going to be the cart return spot? And why the heck don't they just take them to the cart return?

Finally, I'm sad to report that I think the ghost shrimps are no more. I can't find them, which doesn't necessarily mean that they're dead, but I'm pretty sure they ended up a nice afternoon snack for the angel fish or Sucka. *sigh*

Products That Scare Me: The Vibrance Razor

Tonight I saw a commercial for a new women's razor blade - the Gillette Vibrance Razor. Here's the claim: by using this special razor blade not only will you get a closer shave, but you'll also get more radiant skin. How, you ask? Well, you simply turn on the soothing vibrations and shave like normal to gently exfoliate. Not only that, but it has new moisture strip technology and three comfort coated blades.

I have several problems with this.

1. You have to turn it on. Does anyone else have a problem taking battery operated things into water with them? The only way you could make it any better is to say "plug it into the wall and then jump into the shower for the most invigorating shaving experience of your life!"
2. "Soothing vibrations" sounds a whole lot like itchy skin, doesn't it?
3. New moisture strip technology? Are those the little things that dry up after the first time you shave and fall off after the second time? Maybe the new technology is that they last more than 2 times.
4. Three comfort coated blades. Two issues here. Number one, how many blades could you possibly need? I would take one sharp on that gets rid of the hair over three that do an "eh" job. Number two, "comfort coated"? That translates to dull if you ask me...

If any of you out there have tried this fun contraption, I'd love to hear your review...
Bought the new Christina Aguilera CD today. I know, I know. It's actually a very good CD - a throwback to the days of the great jazz singers like Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. I love it.
I'm a sleepy girl and I'm off to bed. Good night!

Wanted: Sock Roller

Help Wanted/Laundry

Do you love doing laundry?

Do you have an uncanny knack for folding socks into those perfect little balls?

If so, this job is for you! Young woman seeking experienced sock roller to complete the most tedious part of laundry. Please inquire within.

Can you guess what I was doing tonight? You've got it - laundry! I know, fun and exciting, but it has to be done. In all seriousness, I really hate folding my socks. I always leave it for last because it's the worst part! First of all, I hate matching my socks up. Because somehow, within that 30 foot walk from the dryer to my room, socks magically go missing. I have no idea where they end up - maybe the dog eats them or something, but they're definitely gone. I have this mini-graveyard of loner socks in my sock drawer... it's really very sad. Once you have them all matched up you have to then fold one over the other and tuck it. Generally it's about this time that one of several things happen:

1. I learn that my matching skills suck (or maybe it's my eyesight) and I've matched up the wrong socks.
2. I learn that the socks aren't quite dry. At this point it's decision time. Do I drag out the process by tossing the semi-wet socks back in the dryer or do I fold them and hope they don't mold? These are the serious choices young people of America face...
3. I learn that I have one of Mom or Dad's missing in action socks. This is very rare, but quite a surprise as I have small feet and Daddy's sock pretty much eats mine up.

Well, that's about all the excitement in my day. I know, try to contain yourself.

And, dang it, comment people! It's very easy... click the little comment button, leave a little message and we'll all get a good giggle. And that way I know I'm talking to people other than myself, Eva and Matt. Not that we're not great people to talk to, but I like to think more than three people (gosh, two if I don't include myself) are interested in my little life...

Airport Extravaganza

Oh. My. God.

Talk about an interesting day (I know, two in a row!). So Kati missed her flight this morning, so she was a little delayed. I went to go pick her up at 6pm today and ended up circling the airport for almost 2 hours. Literally circling. Because I had the dog with me (as a surprise) and couldn't park and go in. I got sick of doing left hand turns and ended up trying to find ways to do figure eights just so I could squeeze a few right turns in. Dad had left earlier today and so he left the van in the parking garage. We get all the way up to the top (I swear to God the dog was about to barf) only to find that he accidentally left the lights on and the battery was dead. I called airport security who said it would be another half an hour before we would get someone to jump the car. Half an hour in airport time actually equals 45 minutes. So I didn't eat dinner until 9:30ish (and we KNOW how I get when I'm hungry). I'm going to bed. Now. I'm sure this will be funny tomorrow, but right now I'm just plain cranky.

Movie Etiquette

So I went to the movies tonight with Brig and Amber to see "United 93". Great movie (see reviews) but horrible movie-mates. The lady next to me sits down about 10 minutes into the movie with a big smelly hot dog (eww! - love the taste, hate the smell!). Then she starts coughing. And coughing. And coughing. It gets to the point that the lady in front of us asks her if she needs water or fresh air. It gets to the point that I begin counting the seconds between coughs. Approximately 20-30 seconds for the entire hour and 51 minutes. I am not kidding. She had a napkin held up to her face for the whole time - she didn't even bother to take it off between coughs. This brings several things to mind:

1. What the heck kind of disease do you have that makes you cough for 2 hours straight?
2. What the heck kind of disease do you have that requires you to cover your mouth with a napkin for an hour?
3. Why the heck would you go to the movies with this mystery disease?!

So, I will take it upon my self to educate the free world through my blog. I assumed (and we all know what happens when you ass u me...) that people understood movie theatre etiquette. I now know that this is incorrect. Here's a little refresher course:

1. When you go to the movies, turn off your cell phone. I'm trying to get into the movie, which is why I'm in a dark theater, watching it on a ginormous screen. The last thing I need is your Britney Spears ring tone killing the mood.
2. Don't talk.
3. Don't bring smelly food. You're at the movies... it's time for a snack, not a meal! Eat some popcorn, some Mike and Ikes, but for God's sake, leave the hot dogs at home!
4. Stop kicking my chair. Now. Once, I'll overlook. Twice, I'll forgive. Third time and you're getting a glare.
5. Do not go to the movies if you're sick. Common sense says that if you have some disease in which you're coughing, vomiting, sweating profusely, feverish, gassy or even vaguely feeling nauseous, STAY AT HOME. The last place you need to be is crammed in a room with a hundred people in close quarters.

Thank you. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled movie.

Good night! :)

Stupid People - Motorcycle Riders

Here's the first edition of "stupid people". I tend to be running across them more and more lately, so I thought I'd call them out.

For our first edition, I'd like to discuss motorcylists. I know you may think that you're the best driver in the world, or that you're going too slow to get hurt. Well guess what, you still can get hurt.

Today I was the passenger in a car on the way back from lunch. We were driving down a road that has two lanes on each side. There was an SUV in front of us and in the lane next to us, so we couldn't really see too far ahead. All of the sudden, there are plastic parts flying everywhere. We all slam on the brakes and come to a stop. Up ahead is a motorcycle laying completely on the ground, smashed to pieces. The rider gets up and is stumbling around, looking pretty dazed. We're not sure if he hit someone, or they hit him, but he was the one that ended up on the ground. Very stupidly, he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and was missing much of the skin on both of his forearms - like he threw his hands out in front of him to stop himself while flying through the air, only to slide across the concrete on his arms. His legs were all cut up and he had a major limp.

Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like all that much fun. In fact, I can think of a lot of other things I would like to do besides sliding across concrete on my face. I think the guy was ok (I talked to him to ask if he wanted me to call 911 and he pointed at the 10 other people who were calling on their phones and said "I think they've got it"), but he could have very easily gone under the wheels of one of the cars driving behind him.

So, if you're out there riding a motorcycle because you think you're cool, heed my advice. I saw an accident today that looked very ugly and could have been MUCH uglier. It's not worth it!

Things That Bug Me Part Deux

Remember this one?! :)

1. Jealous people. I can't stand people who are jealous. Helllloooooo, the grass is always greener on the other side. Contrary to popular belief, most people's lives aren't perfect, even those people that you are jealous of. And if they're doing well, great for them. Don't bring them down just because you are unhappy!

2. Long talkers. OMG. Say what you have to say and be done. It's fine to be long winded when you're talking to friends or having a nice chat with your family. But at work, let's be short and sweet. If I can cover three things in the time it takes you to do one that is of equal importance, something is wrong. Say it and shut up. We have other things to do.

3. Annoying laughs. Do people who sound like idiots laughing know they have annoying laughs? Someone needs to tell them...

4. The guy who goes slow in the fast lane. I'm just reiterating. Here in the great state of California we have two lanes going most directions. If you're going slow, MOVE OVER!

5. Fresh Basil. I had a hard time finding it at the store tonight and looked stupid in front of the cute produce guy. It blended in with all the other leafy green herbs!

Driving

 think I might have road rage. I firmly believe that I should own the road. No one else should be on it because everyone else drives like idiots. Several scenarios led me to believe this today:

1. Don't go slow in the fast lane. Unacceptable. They call it the fast lane for a reason - it's for the people that are at least going the speed limit. 25 in a 40 zone is not going the speed limit.
2. When you are turning out of a parking lot and would like to cross all lanes to go the other direction, please use that little pedal on the right. It's called the accelerator. The whole point is that you can get your car moving. You are probably going to cause an accident if you swing across 4 lanes doing 25 mph while the people coming at you are doing 40. And also, wait until people aren't coming! That way they don't all have to slam on their brakes and honk!
3. If you're an old man, don't stare at me at a stoplight. In fact, I don't care who you are, don't stare at me period! First of all, it's rude to stare. Secondly, if you're an old man, chances are that you aren't going to get a date out of it. I admire your courage and all, but quit it!
4. Finally, a word of advice. We live in the 21st century. Your car is not supposed to blow smoke. Never. Only big rigs get to do that. It's really gross to drive behind you and smell the yuckiness because you're too lazy to fix the car. If there's a black cloud that seems to follow you everywhere, I'm talking to you.

Thank you for listening. Now get off my road.

Banana Strings

Ok, so I have a bone to pick with bananas. Now, I hate them because of swim team. Back in my competitive swimming days I used to get cramps in my calves. My lovely swim coach, John, knew that this was caused by a lack of potassium and he knew that bananas have a lot of potassium in them. So, before each practice, I had to eat a banana in order to try to keep my legs from cramping. Now, I hate eating before I do any type of exercise because it makes my tummy feel yucky. So imagine eating bananas before swimming 250 laps. Yeah. Yuck.

But there's something else about bananas that I really dislike. That's the banana strings. You know what I'm talking about. When you peel the banana, take that first big bite, and then have this tough stringy thing stuck to your lip and in your mouth. It's the color of banana, but its definitely not smushy enough. I can't stand them. I don't know why the banana strings stick to the banana and not the peel, but they're disgusting. They make me not want to eat a banana. because you know you can't pick them off - they then break into ten little banana strings. Gross.

In other, more important news, we have a new pope! I was listening to the radio, and they announced that there was white smoke. Then they cut to audio coverage of Saint Peter's Square. But there were no bells (something that Pope John Paul II added, as there sometimes is confusion as to the exact color of the smoke). Suddenly, there was the glorious sound of the HUGE bell there, followed by a roar from the crowd and the ringing of church bells all over Rome. It was so beautiful and it gave me goosebumps. I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear the new pope's name!

Things That Bug Me

Good morning!

First of all, I would like to pause to say a little prayer for the Pope. He's definitely not doing well right now.... this is a wonderful article that my mom sent to me about him: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6999966/site/newsweek/

*insert moment of silence or prayer here*


Ok, on to "Things That Bug Me".

1. Posers. Now, those of you who are my age will know what this is, but for those of you who don't know, a poser is someone who is fake, someone who acts like one thing, but is really another. The worst part is that they make other people feel bad while they're doing it. Yes, I know that deep down, we all do this a little, but there are some people who do it all the time. People, don't try to be something you're not!

2. Blamers. These are people who blame everyone else for their problems. Yes, crap happens to people in life. Yes, there are sucky people out there who will screw you over. BUT YOU MAKE YOUR LIFE HAPPEN. Stop blaming other people. If you're in a bad situation, get yourself out of it!

3. Thoughtless people. I think, perhaps, that I worry too much about how my actions affect other people. There are others who don't worry enough... take just a minute to think about what you say or do to others and how you will feel if you were in their shoes!

4. Spiders. Enough said.

5. People who let their kids scream. I know that I may not have been the perfect child. BUT I know that I never screamed through a mass or had major tantrums all of the time. Watch "Super Nanny". It makes you firmly believe that sometimes, a kid just needs to be smacked.

Well, happy April Fools Day. It's a BEAUTIFUL day today! I'm a happy girl!

Things That Worry Me Part One

At long last, the blog entry you have all been waiting for. Or not. :)

Before I begin, I have on brief announcement. MY FAMILY IS COMING TOMORROW!!! Woo hoo! I'm seriously so excited!

With that being said, let me keep you in suspense no longer. Ladies and Gentlemen, things that worry me:

1. People who load their own trucks and are driving on the freeway: Yes, this seems odd. But, have you ever been driving behind one of those little pickup trucks loaded with sofas and boxes all piled in weird little towers? And if that doesn't worry you, you then look to see that it's all tied in with a little spaghetti-thin string? Yeah, I can just picture someone's sofa flying off the back of their truck and on top of my car.
2. Elevators that don't get inspected: How do I know that they're not inspected? Because they don't have the little paper in them saying "This elevator was last inspected on April 10, 2001." At least then I would know. And really, if that little paper isn't in there, how do I know how many people we can cram in? I mean, what happens if we're only supposed to have 10 and we have 12?!
3. Grown adults who can't spell: Take no offense if you are a naturally bad speller. I understand. It happens. However, take note that in this wonderful modern age of ours we have this creation called ... *cue drum roll* ... spell check. It's amazing. It can spell almost any word. And what's even better is that it's included in almost every email program and word processing program. In fact, my blog even has one. Half the time they run automatically. There's no excuse for spelling things wrong is this technologically advanced age. None.
4. Middle aged men in sports cars: Men, accept this one fact. You will get old. Chances are that you will lose your hair. And get a little pudgy. Don't buy a sports car. Please. I beg you. Us younger women do not find this hot. Nor will we date you just because you have a red sports car. You see, we're in that young phase of life where we have OUR OWN red sports car. We don't need yours. In fact, ours is probably faster than yours. Also, please note that owning a sports car does not give you the right to cut us off and act like you own the world.
5. People driving in the rain: Folks, really it's not that hard. Turn your lights on, slow down a little and try not to crash. You won't get there any faster if you're involved in a 20 car pileup. Just SLOOOOOOOW down.

Alright, that's it for today's things that worry me. Stay tuned for more!