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2/06/2015 6:33 pm  #11


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

02/06/2015 

Mouse War Day 2 

The mood is swinging wildly. 

I'm wound up far more than is usual. I'm trying to analyze my thoughts and feelings and reflecting on the day but I'm drawing a blank. 

I can't sit still. 

My fingers are flying over the keys in a blur. I keep moving my feet around. Just twitching and rocking as I'm typing this. I'm applying some of the things I learned from my therapist. Deep breaths from the diaphragm, breathe in, breathe out, slow and focused. 

It's not helping. 

Mind you, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm just overcharged and twitchy. I'm not down or dismal or anything, it's just that the rest of the world is moving too slowly. It needs to be cranked up. Zip, zip, zip. Come on already. 

Okay, I've analyzed the crap out of this, that's enough. On to other things. 

There are days when I feel like I won the job lottery. I'm just amazed that I have the job that I have and I have the coworkers that I do. This is genuinely one of those days. 

I usually get to work at around 7:30am. I start at 8am but I always like to leave some extra time in case there are travel problems. I also like to have the extra time so I can ease in to the morning. This morning I was sitting in my car, running the heater and reading a little, when one of my coworkers stopped by. She had read the post about the mouse war yesterday. She explained that she had had a mouse problem too. Then she handed me a bag full of disposable mouse traps.

 How cool is that? 



This is why it's one of those “I Love My Job” kinda days. Some days the work sucks and it's frustrating but the people are terrific! 

The picture is a little blurry but there are two types of traps. The round ones get wound up and the tall, white ones have a lever you push down. The packaging for both say they are lethal. I examined them and near as I can tell, the white ones just squash the mouse. I'm not sure what the round ones do. 

I really hadn't wanted to go to lethal force as a first option. 

I would really like to be able to issue an Old-Tomato first. 

An Old-Tomato, you know? 

Like a letter that says “Get lost or else”? 

But since I don't speak mouse and I don't have a mouse-font on my computer and since they probably can't read anyway, I feel it's a little unfair to put down deadly traps as my opening move in the war. They're just mice, doing mousey things. They haven't been aggressive and, so far, they've only ruined one packet of tortillas and two potato-bread rolls. 

So I'm going to back-burner the lethal traps and see if I can find some non-lethal ones. If they don't produce results, then the enemy can consider that their Old-Tomato. 

Nice Wendy had ordered seat covers for my car back in December and had received them just a few days before Christmas.

They were charcoal, just like she ordered, but they had pink and baby blue stitching...which she did not order. Knowing me as she does, she realized there was no way I would be caught with pink and blue seat covers.

It's not a sexuality thing, it's just that I dislike bright colors. 

So she called the company, sent the covers back, and had to scramble at the last minute to find another Christmas present. I didn't know any of this until Tuesday. Needless to say, she made my whole week.

The seat covers are custom made for my make and model. Installation is required. She watched the instructions on You-Tube and is coming by on Saturday to put them on.

I'm excited. 

Since I'll be completely useless with the project, I'll do what I'm best at—grilling. I'm leaning toward shrimp, possibly some ribs too.

Some seafood, a few ciders, new seat covers, and a good friend for company. 

It's going to be a nice weekend. 

Thanks for listening.


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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2/06/2015 10:32 pm  #12


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Best cure for a mouse problem is a semi-hungry cat or two.

The first cat I had, I swear, had ADHD.

He'd sport and toy with a mouse the way that cats do, but if he heard another scratching sound, or a peep out of me, he'd let go of the mouse-in-paw to turn his attention to the new sound.   He always ended up recatching the original prey, but sometimes the interval from release to recatch got pretty long and the humans got pretty anxious.


Life is an Orthros.
 

2/07/2015 6:45 pm  #13


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Tarnation wrote:

Best cure for a mouse problem is a semi-hungry cat or two.

The first cat I had, I swear, had ADHD.

He'd sport and toy with a mouse the way that cats do, but if he heard another scratching sound, or a peep out of me, he'd let go of the mouse-in-paw to turn his attention to the new sound. He always ended up recatching the original prey, but sometimes the interval from release to recatch got pretty long and the humans got pretty anxious.

Spazz-Cat also love mouse hunting.

The problem was, after she finished beating them to death (never used her claws or her fangs), she would bring them to my bed to show me what a cool toy she found.

The first time she did it, I thought it was one of her mouse toys.  I grabbed it to throw it into the hallway so she'd leave me alone and realized it was a real mouse.

Ack!
 


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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     Thread Starter
 

2/07/2015 6:51 pm  #14


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Okay, this one's different:


5 MILLION USD DONATION FROM BILL GATES   Allen Large  Today at 5:42 =0.9emPMYou have been gifted a 2MUSD donation funds, contact us via email for your claim:allen.large9090@aol.com

I have to admit, this is the first time good 'ole Billy threw some cash my way.

Should I write back and tell him an Ethopian prince has me covered?


 

Last edited by Conspiracy Theory (2/07/2015 6:52 pm)


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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     Thread Starter
 

2/07/2015 10:24 pm  #15


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Or a Nigerian! 

 

2/08/2015 4:56 pm  #16


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

02/08/2015 

The mood is comfortable. Still a little twitchy. 

Had a great day yesterday and today. I posted the attached pictures in an earlier Facebook post. The seats in my Elantra are tan. This is generally okay but they show every little stain from anything ever dropped on them. At a glance, it looks like whoever is driving it had a bladder control problem. I hate that.        





After listening to me bitch about my seats for a year, Nice Wendy decided to give me seat covers for Christmas She found a set of custom covers from a company in California. They're specially made to fit my specific seats. She had ordered a charcoal set but when they arrive, she discovered they had pink and baby blue stitching. 

Anyone out there who knows me knows that I do not do bright colors. I just don't.

So, two days before Christmas, she sent them back for another set, then she had to scramble to find a different Christmas present. Mind you, she could have just told me the covers were on order and that would have been fine, but Nice doesn't roll that way. 

Anyway, we carpooled on Wednesday and she sprang the surprise when she dropped me off. She also volunteered to come by on Saturday to install them. Now, this is a big job. Some dis-assembly of the seats was required. Since I am completely useless for bending and lifting, I decided my contribution to the project would be food. 

I charcoal grilled a choice rib roast and six skewers of shrimp. 

Just an aside, if you've never charcoal grilled shrimp, you're missing out. You really should try it. You'll never eat another steamed shrimp again...ever. So Nice started around four in the afternoon. By 7pm I convinced her to leave the rest until the morning; like I said, it was a big job. So we had steak and shrimp, some Windridge ciders, and watched a movie on Netflix called World War Z. I hadn't seen a movie since the Wendy's were over on Christmas Eve. I have to tell you, this movie was exciting. I was on the edge of my seat. Just, wow! 

Nice slept over in the spare room since I didn't want her driving after drinking. She got up at about 9am and was right back to it. She finally finished up at around noon. All told, the project took about four or five hours. I'm just flattered beyond belief. Nice, being who she is, would have done this without me having to bribe her with a barbecue but we both had fun so I was a nice day all the way around. 

We went to breakfast at Round-The-Clock, then I went to Lowes for some indoor/outdoor thermometers and mouse traps. I was a little disappointed. They only had two live mousetraps. So, my opening shot in the World War M was to deploy two live and two lethal traps. Things are to the point where I can't leave anything edible sitting out for any amount of time. I had a scoop of ice cream with some cake after dinner yesterday. I had sat the used scoop on a napkin on the kitchen counter while putting the ice cream back in the freezer, the put the scoop in the sink but forgot about the napkin. 

Between the time I took my treat to the living room and the time I brought the plate back to the kitchen (about ten minutes tops), one of the mice had climbed onto the counter and ate the center out of the napkin that had ice cream on it. 

Yes, they ate a flaming napkin. 

Their efforts to breach the kitchen cabinets continue. I'm finding more and more droppings on top of the microwave. They even assaulted a packet of Club Crackers in the living room—which is a clearly defined demilitarized zone. 

They go too far. 

So, the old-tomato has been delivered. They have a fifty-fifty chance. They ether go to the cemetery up the road, or they go to mousey heaven. Their choice. 

I'm taking some cold medicine and going to be early tonight.

It's been a good day. It's been a good weekend. 

Thanks for listening. 


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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     Thread Starter
 

2/09/2015 10:32 am  #17


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Had a good weekend here too. A couple of my friends posted the following on FB and you may have seen it, but it made me laugh and think of you:


 


Joan
I'm just here for the party.
 

2/09/2015 1:15 pm  #18


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Every one needs a friend like Wendy! 

 

2/09/2015 5:53 pm  #19


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

Thanks Joan, got a laugh!  


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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     Thread Starter
 

2/09/2015 6:02 pm  #20


Re: The Random Thoughts Thread

And you're right Flower, she's the best!  


If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.

-Me again

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     Thread Starter
 

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