After the dust finally settled on our move, we started unpacking – both
physically and mentally. One of the boxes in the back of my mind was on
the Vintage shelf, where I store my love for many things vintage,
retro, antique and timeless.
Continue reading...
It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.
- George Bernard Shaw
Never tell everything at once.
- Ken Venturi
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
- Confucius
While getting ready this morning to go pick up our new garbage & recycle bins at the collection center, Jason casually mentioned "Hey, you probably don't want to go in the kitchen".
Oh yes. Thanks for the warning. I just knew that it was one of those things where you think, "That seems cryptic, yet it is indeed probably just what I don't want."
After the bins were acquired, and en route home, I asked for clarification, with the caveat of knowing that he was right. One word in response was enough to strike fear and loathing into my heart.
"Ants."
For a moment I had a brief thought that it was probably just a single-file line, coming out of the drain, and it would be easy. We arrive home (hooray for finally having a city-approved garbage can!), and I think it's probably time to take a peek in the aforementioned kitchen.
Ladies and gentlemen, when my brain processed what was going on in there, the resounding noise that issued from me was something I did not realize my vocal chords were capable of. It was a cross between your standard "ew", your ultimate "gross!", a slight gagging, and a piercing girlish shriek.
The sink, the counter, the walls, the brand new Kroken dish drainer (with clean dishes in it!)... were black. And moving. (I know the dish drainer was already black, but this was different. Much worse.)
Not just ants, but "ANTS!!!!"
FURIOUS ANTS WITH A VENGEANCE, BEING FURIOUS...and ant-y.
Even thinking of this now, the nausea is coming back.
We'd been trying to keep things as clean as they could be, at least with having no outside city-approved Refuse Container, but it's tough. Last night we ordered a pizza with a side of wings, and due to a mistake that put New York Giant Pizza on the Ban List, we ended up with two pizzas and three sides of wings. Their awful customer service on the phone (both times we've ordered, and ESPECIALLY after yesterday) guarantees we'll never order from there again, but anyway... there was an ample amount of leftovers and trash.
The leftovers went in the fridge, the trash had to just sit on the counter. Not a big deal, with the bins coming today I wasn't as concerned, though my need to keep everything in the kitchen all 409'd was kind of whimpering.
Do you see where this is going?
A couple days ago there were some ants on Brak's dry food and near the base of the dining room. Maybe thirty; enough to be more than just a handful, but not more than a quick shoe stomp wouldn't take care of. The kitchen & dining room were getting close to done, but I still had quite a bit to do, so it was time to tackle the big stuff instead of just cleaning up his food area. I scrubbed, vacuumed, Swiffered, 409'd, put out the ant traps and washed up everything, which left me with clean, ant-free areas. Plus the smell of citrus is nice. It would be easy to keep up the cleaning habit since we were starting with so little, and there's a lot of organization in place to help as well.
This morning, the Ants![tm] decided they were going to help us get rid of all the trash sitting on the counter. How thoughtful, how delightful... how completely horrific.
After shrieking (in that very-girlish fashion), I got angry. And the Raid (safe for indoor use & in food prep areas!) came back out.
My friends, it was the Ant-ocaust. I became Der Führer with the Third Reich in spray form; the kitchen was my gas chamber. I don't think you understand how AWFUL it was. It was like every ant I've stepped on came back for revenge. My fury was played out in the form of food-prep-area-safe spray. I sprayed, they died. Their antennae waved in pleas for mercy that would never come. The tiny corpses were instant and numerous; it was Me against Them and they were not to win!
After spraying (and spraying, and spraying), I turned on the fan, opened the windows, and went out to get breakfast at Starbucks. It seemed only fair to celebrate with caffienated sugary goodness in the aftermath... plus, Raid is one of my least favorite smells ever.
Returning home, the stench of death-by-areosol still hung in the air, guaranteeing the beginnings of a pretty solid headache. The corpses littered the kitchen counter, and I began pouring water to rinse them down the drain, to cleanse the scene of the crime, as if it had never happened. [Though it most assuredly had, and who would convict me?] My nausea stayed away until the waves of tiny insect bodies started washing down the sides of the counter, into the sink... oh it was SO gross. I had to go in the other room. You see, a few ants (even a single-file line) ain't no big thang, but waves of them? Armies? Yes, even I have my limits.
So while I finish up my grande-soy-no-whip-white-mocha, and watch Brak (aka Moodini) try to plot his next escape through solid glass, I will organize all my other morning tasks and hope that WWIII doesn't break out before lunch.
Here's hoping all of you have an arthropod-free day.
We're still in the midst of moving, but it's getting to the point where We Are Actually Moving and not just working on getting the house ready to move into.
Typing this is something I never thought I would. It still hasn't sunk in.
Woo!
Prompted by an article about the Kindle on the NYTimes blog, I've taken a moment to review my own thoughts on the product and various things surrounding it.
Crosspost! http://adviceandfables.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/the-kindle/
Morning, all.
An interesting thought came up in conversation with a friend some time ago, and we both decided that life is easier when it isn't governed by work. Not to say that we (most of us) don't need to work - a sad realization that is hammered home with that goddamn alarm every Tuesday through Saturday - but we don't need Work to be our defining calendar.
For example: recently I have discovered that going out on a weeknight (specifically Thursday) is not taboo. As long as I get a solid six hours of sleep I'm fine for the next day; a little tired, but nothing that will make me struggle through a shift. It's nice to get together with a collective group of good folks for a few hours and just de-stress. Not that there's much stress in my life, but there is a lot of depression and frustration, so I want to try and be around people/places that make me feel better. Going out on Thursday also makes the weekend feel much longer, and sort of like I have a three-day workweek. From that perspective, things aren't terrible.
Whatever works, I guess.
Yesterday was also the first day I used my patio in a very long time. A friend helped me put up a reed fence on Tuesday, and last night I covered the whole roof with three rolls of plastic floor mat, so now it doesn't look as barren and exposed up there. Not the mat in the picture, mine's green & white, but similar material. The fence, once rolled out, is also kind of see-through, but hopefully still gives the message that I just want to be left alone.
Our patio is pretty big (about 18' x 10'), so tasks to update it are not something that can be done in a couple minutes. Besides the ongoing struggle to keep it (and the mini-patio below) clean, the stairs up there are pretty treacherous. It's similar to climbing a ladder, only slightly more stable. Having lived at the water's edge for a while now, I've had the displeasure of seeing what the atmosphere can do to materials - even to wood. So when the wooden staircase seems a bit more bendy and creaky than normal, it starts to worry me.
A lot of people say, "Why do you sound so distraught about it all the time, it's on the ocean! Your view is awesome!!" and it IS, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy the fishbowl effect that area creates. I am a fairly private person when it comes to being seen at home, especially when it includes sitting in sweats and painting or reading a book. If anyone sees me it's my other half, my cat, or a close friend. People I know and am friends with, not random neighbors who might be loud or overly chatty or just staring to see what I'm up to. I don't want them to see! I want to just sit and not think that someone is watching me!
Ahh, I digress. Things will get better. I'll put some plants up or something and feel okay about it, and hope that the landlord doesn't ask me to take the fence down. But if I hear any Bob Ross comments from across the way, I will launch up with the fury of a thousand kittens and put paint in someone's eye.
Happy Thursday!
50 refreshing business card designs. Just passing along the daily dose of self-loathing that might inspire some of you.
If you're a fan of Reno911 or Kids In The Hall or just good sketch comedy, MARK YOUR CALENDARS: July 14, 2009! Just in time to work up a good hangover for the sixth Harry Potter movie coming out the next day. ;)
I used to watch this show growing up with two of my BFFs. We spent many a day rehashing the amusement, so this is exciting. :)
Full post with info over here: http://adviceandfables.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/the-state-on-dvd/
Michael Jackson impersonator/dealer in action: 1
Unconscious people lying full-length on the ground outside: 1
Unconscious people lying full-length outside the elevator doors when they opened: 1
Arrests: 1.5
Actual strippers (female): 40
Actual strippers (male): 2
Girls who just wanted to look like strippers: 500
Bums: 5
Beers: 4
Shots: 2
Wine: 5
Other drinks: 4
Guys in drag: 2
Rpattz lookalikes: 1
Blisters: 2
Girlie cards collected: 60
Bachelorette parties seen: 2
Brides seen in full dress running through a casino: 3
People getting tattooed: 1
Limo rides: 2
Hours to drive round trip: 11
Regrets: 1 [not bringing comfy shoes]
Full entry over here: http://retention.livejournal.com/776687.html?mode=reply
Full album over here: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=799177&albumId=3460442
Jim Gaffigan was on <a href="http://91x.com/main.html">91X's morning show</a> today... and no, I won't say Hot Pocket. You can't make me. ;)
In any case, despite my commute being too short, listening to him and a skit of his definitely brightened my mood. I recommend him as well as Brian Regan for a quick pick-me-up when you aren't feeling good. Maybe I'll just turn on YouTube in the mornings while I'm getting ready, nothing like some decent stand-up to get things started off right, yeah?
At the moment I stream my Myspace music playlist, which consists of Pitbull, 50 Cent, Eminem, Flo Rida, Britney, and TI. Definitely gets me moving, but feeling the need to dance doesn't carry over so well when you get to an office. Usually.
