I have some ambitious plans for this weekend and am hoping that by putting them here, it will give me some accountability to complete at least HALF of whats on my to do list.
1. Gardening
I know I'm getting a rather late start on this, but yesterday I purchased two tomato plants, one crookneck squash and one zucchini plant.
I'm going to put together a little container garden. Yes, I know the zucchini needs a lot of room, so I may actually put that one in the ground... I'll have to double check exactly big my largest container is (a half wine barrel) and see if that will be large enough.
I'm not sure what suddenly motivated me to try gardening. I've never been successful with plants in the past but I want to grow my own vegetables. Its often hard for me to get to the farmers market downtown on the weekend, and the grocery stores can be so pricey for fresh produce that is often tasteless and bland. And, theres not much that I love more than a homegrown tomato.
IF this experiment goes well, I'm probably going to put together a larger garden for next year. Building a few raised beds wouldn't be too challenging and then I could have a wider variety of produce. I definitely have the room for it, our property is close to half an acre, so if I was REALLY feeling ambitious I could, theoretically, have a more traditional garden in the back portion of the property. However, that would require things like getting a rototiller and a lot of manual labor.
2. PATIO
I SERIOUSLY need to clean up the back patio - primarily the bbq grill. I plan on having a bbq-tastic summer this year.
3. GOAT CHEESE
I'm going to be making my own goat cheese this weekend.
This idea started while brainstorming ways to deal with keeping the weeds and grass in check on our property. My brother had been coming around and mowing our back yard but totally slacked on it the past few months and the next thing we knew, Cooper was getting lost in the jungle that is our back yard. I COULD do it myself, but I can be rather prone to laziness and social obligations on the weekends. We COULD hire a lawn service, but with how large the property is, thats a couple hundred dollars a month. I'm trying to save some money here. My sisters boyfriend COULD come and do it but he's a jackass and you can't rely on him for crap (note, since this brainstorming session he has come over and cleared the jungle). Then I remembered reading how you can rent goats to come and clear overgrown weeds and brush. I looked into it, and with what it would cost to rent two goats for a day you could buy two pygmy goats of your own. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and she pointed out that if I got one that was a milker, I could also make my own goat cheese with the milk she produced. I thought this was a FANTASTIC idea. I LOVE goat cheese.
So, I did a little research and found this. Making goat cheese is SO incredibly easy! Or at least it sounds that way.
So, I was all gung ho on the idea of getting two pygmy goats. Pygmy because they don't get too terribly big (they can use a large dog house as their shelter as opposed to a barn) and that breed is very social and playful. I figured this would be good because Cooper is very social and playful and I know that if I brought a couple goats onto the property, Cooper would at least try to play with them.
Then I REALLY started thinking it over. I would have to get up at the ass crack of dawn every day to milk them, and I HATE mornings. They would have to be milked daily and I know that I couldn't count on anyone to come and milk them if I go away for a weekend, let alone a week in Europe or somewhere.
If I do end up with a larger garden next year, I would have to build a fence to keep them away from it otherwise they would eat all of my gardening efforts. If that happened I would have to invite all of my friends over for a fire roasted goat one night. So, ixnay on the oatgay.
However, the idea of making my own goat cheese stuck with me. Last night I stopped at Whole Paycheck, I mean Whole Foods, and picked up some goat cheese. If this first attempt goes well, I found a rancher up in El Dorado Hills where I could purchase raw goats milk for future batches of goat cheese. Yes, raw goats milk would be unpasteurized, but that just means that its full of probiotics.
4. PHOTOSHOP
Four weeks ago a couple of my friends got married and I photographed their wedding. At first, I just started working on the photos slowly because, they're going to be in Ireland on their honeymoon for three weeks? Pshaw! I've got plenty of time! No reason to rush!
Then I started having all sorts of dental complications and was on either valium and/or vicodin and/or white wine each night. Now, I'm confident enough to work my photoshop magic with a glass or two of white wine, but I am not going to work on a friends wedding photos while hopped up on vicodin and/or valium. Next thing I knew, they were home. Now I've got to haul ass to get the photos done.
ALSO, last weekend I belatedly took some photos of one of my younger cousins for her Senior Portraits. The kid graduated high school early a few months ago but wouldn't coordinate with me for when we could get them done. Every time she wanted to get together it was a weekday when I was working and she only wanted to spend the weekends with her boyfriend. We finally got together last Sunday and now I need to go through those photos.
5. THIN OUT MY BOOKSHELVES
I seriously have too many books. Its a sickness, really. I keep every single book that I buy, with the exception of the ones I loan out and don't get back. THEN whenever anyones getting rid of books I always take a healthy portion of them. As a result, I've got books everywhere. I figure that I'll take some to a used book store and try to sell them and the ones that they don't take I'll donate to the library or goodwill or someplace.
6. FLIRT WITH THE BUTCHER
Last weekend I decided to stop into my local butcher and support the local businesses. Can I just say that the guy working the front counter was super cute?
Now, I'm BAD a picking up on when a guy is flirting with me. My natural thought and reaction is that he's just friendly.
When I went to the butchers, I had my cousin with me (we had just finished her portraits) and when we walked out I said "WOW. He was cute." Cousin said "He totally was! AND he was totally smiling and flirting with you!"
So, I think I need to go back this weekend.
Hopefully I'll be able to get at least half of this done.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I Need To Learn How To Follow Directions
I've never been big on directions... especially recipes.
I've always thought that recipes were a loose guideline, really just a set of suggestions, and I have always ventured off on my own. I've come up with some great meals this way.
However, I recently had an experience that made me think that following a recipe can be a very good thing. That sometimes, sometimes, recipes are the way they are for a reason and that diverting from them can result in an outcome that is not desired.
A couple of months ago I made my own powdered laundry detergent, read the details here.
I have been extremely satisfied with the detergent - it works FANTASTICALLY and I have used it on everything... including some VERY dirty loads of laundry (dog beds, towels used to clean up mud, all kinds of nastiness). The only thing that was a bit of a pain was that since it was a powdered detergent it had to be used in hot water so that it would dissolve. It wasn't too big of a pain, if I needed to do a load in a cold wash I just turned on the hot for about 20 seconds at first, then switched it to cold, then loaded in the items I was washing.
This dilema had me wanting to make my own liquid detergent (recipe here). The recipe for the liquid detergent essentially calls for the same ingredients that I used in the powdered version, just melt them together, pour into a 5 gallon bucket, add water and let sit overnight to gel, then use 1 cup per full load of laundry.
Thats what the recipe said. However, that is not what my insane mind said.
My thoughts went like this:
"What if I used double the ingredients so that you would only have to use 1/2 cup per full load?"
"Heck, if I'm going to make a concentrated version, then I could quadruple the ingredients so that you only use 1/4 cup per load. Thats even MORE environmentally friendly! Its conserving water, and since Northern California is practically always in a drought conserving water=GOOD!"
So, this past week I set about making my super concentrated laundry detergent. I did not end up with laundry detergent. What I ended up with was something closer to a super soft playdough. Now, I have to go buy a couple 5 gallon buckets so I can mix some of this stuff with hot water and try to thin it out to an actual detergent like consistency.
I've always thought that recipes were a loose guideline, really just a set of suggestions, and I have always ventured off on my own. I've come up with some great meals this way.
However, I recently had an experience that made me think that following a recipe can be a very good thing. That sometimes, sometimes, recipes are the way they are for a reason and that diverting from them can result in an outcome that is not desired.
A couple of months ago I made my own powdered laundry detergent, read the details here.
I have been extremely satisfied with the detergent - it works FANTASTICALLY and I have used it on everything... including some VERY dirty loads of laundry (dog beds, towels used to clean up mud, all kinds of nastiness). The only thing that was a bit of a pain was that since it was a powdered detergent it had to be used in hot water so that it would dissolve. It wasn't too big of a pain, if I needed to do a load in a cold wash I just turned on the hot for about 20 seconds at first, then switched it to cold, then loaded in the items I was washing.
This dilema had me wanting to make my own liquid detergent (recipe here). The recipe for the liquid detergent essentially calls for the same ingredients that I used in the powdered version, just melt them together, pour into a 5 gallon bucket, add water and let sit overnight to gel, then use 1 cup per full load of laundry.
Thats what the recipe said. However, that is not what my insane mind said.
My thoughts went like this:
"What if I used double the ingredients so that you would only have to use 1/2 cup per full load?"
"Heck, if I'm going to make a concentrated version, then I could quadruple the ingredients so that you only use 1/4 cup per load. Thats even MORE environmentally friendly! Its conserving water, and since Northern California is practically always in a drought conserving water=GOOD!"
So, this past week I set about making my super concentrated laundry detergent. I did not end up with laundry detergent. What I ended up with was something closer to a super soft playdough. Now, I have to go buy a couple 5 gallon buckets so I can mix some of this stuff with hot water and try to thin it out to an actual detergent like consistency.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Reason #83 Why I Should Not Be A Mother
This morning I went to the Susan G Komen Race For the Cure. I walked it. I do not run.
After the run, I mean walk, my friend and I went to lunch with her 4 year old son. As we're leaving the cafe, I'm hugging him goodbye in the parking lot when his hand accidentally gets caught in the neckline of my blouse and he copped a little bit of a feel. He put his hand back, patting my chest, saying "ooooohhhhhh. Whats this?".
I was all "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh?" and looking toward his mother for help because, really? I have no clue how to handle that situation.
So, lil' guys mom was all "Those are Vanessas doobs" apparently thats what he calls them, and yes he fully knows what they are and was just trying to play dumb/cute so he could cop a feel, "and they're not for you to touch. You don't get to play with doobs for a very long time."
And I'm all "Yeah kiddo, you've got about another 14, maybe 13, years before you can play with doobs"
And his mom is all "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Twenty! Thirty! Fourty! Years before he can play with doobs!"
And I'm all "Yeah, you can't play with doobs until you're your grandpas age"
and in my head I'm thinking "damn, I just said 13 or 14 because that would make him 17 or 18 years old and I thought that was a conservative estimate of his approximate age before he'd cop a feel on a girl and actually my gut reaction, which I quickly shot down, because I do have a LITTLE sense about me, was to say 10 years because I'm thinking 14 is probably the young side of average for a teenage boys first grope. Damn. I'm glad I didn't say that."
After the run, I mean walk, my friend and I went to lunch with her 4 year old son. As we're leaving the cafe, I'm hugging him goodbye in the parking lot when his hand accidentally gets caught in the neckline of my blouse and he copped a little bit of a feel. He put his hand back, patting my chest, saying "ooooohhhhhh. Whats this?".
I was all "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh?" and looking toward his mother for help because, really? I have no clue how to handle that situation.
So, lil' guys mom was all "Those are Vanessas doobs" apparently thats what he calls them, and yes he fully knows what they are and was just trying to play dumb/cute so he could cop a feel, "and they're not for you to touch. You don't get to play with doobs for a very long time."
And I'm all "Yeah kiddo, you've got about another 14, maybe 13, years before you can play with doobs"
And his mom is all "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Twenty! Thirty! Fourty! Years before he can play with doobs!"
And I'm all "Yeah, you can't play with doobs until you're your grandpas age"
and in my head I'm thinking "damn, I just said 13 or 14 because that would make him 17 or 18 years old and I thought that was a conservative estimate of his approximate age before he'd cop a feel on a girl and actually my gut reaction, which I quickly shot down, because I do have a LITTLE sense about me, was to say 10 years because I'm thinking 14 is probably the young side of average for a teenage boys first grope. Damn. I'm glad I didn't say that."
Friday, May 08, 2009
Theres A New Phone In Town
For the past couple of years I've been using the LG Fusic phone from Sprint.
Overall, it was decent, but in the past year it had developed some... issues.
For example, while closed, it would randomly turn on the speaker phone and redial my last call. Keep in mind, this is a flip phone so while closed the phone should not be making or receiving any calls.
Also, it had these little buttons along the sides. Those buttons had become hyper-sensitive... I guess.
While in my purse or pocket, again closed, the MP3 player would randomly turn on and start playing music. Sometimes the camera would turn on by itself and I would end up with extreme close ups of the contents of my purse.
However, the weirdest and hardest for me to figure out, was a voice I heard in my ear one day as I was driving down the road. I had my headset in my ear and out of nowhere theres a voice saying "Call from Mom" except this voice almost had a british accent, so it was more like "Call frum Mum". What the bloody hell? I jumped to the point of almost causing an accident. What else do you expect my reaction to be when I'm alone in my car and hearing british accents in my head?
That one took a while for me to figure out. Apparently the phone had a "Voice Guide" mode that had somehow been turned on.
AGGRAVATING.
So, I've been wanting a new phone for a while now. Of course, being an Apple junkie, I really wanted the iPhone. However, that would involve switching carriers. I've had Sprint for 8 years now and am content to stay with them. Also, the iPhone, while coming down in price in the past year, is still rather pricey and my understanding is that the plan needed to support the iPhone would be a substantially higher monthly bill than what I currently have.
I decided to stay with Sprint and was initially just thinking that I would get a phone that has a full QWERTY keyboard because I text a lot and was tired of texting on a standard phone key pad. Then, a coworker who has the Samsung Instinct (Sprints iPhone knock off) let me play with her phone for a bit this past week.
I went with the Instinct.
It is taking a bit of getting used to, and I'm trying to fully explore it this evening so that I'm not a bumbling idiot with it when actually trying to make/receive calls.
Also, normally I am one of those people who always passes on the additional insurance for electronics. Everything I've read about them says that they're a total waste of money. However, considering my luck with anything technological this past year, I did opt for the insurance this time. Hopefully I won't have to take advantage of it too many times
Overall, it was decent, but in the past year it had developed some... issues.
For example, while closed, it would randomly turn on the speaker phone and redial my last call. Keep in mind, this is a flip phone so while closed the phone should not be making or receiving any calls.
Also, it had these little buttons along the sides. Those buttons had become hyper-sensitive... I guess.
While in my purse or pocket, again closed, the MP3 player would randomly turn on and start playing music. Sometimes the camera would turn on by itself and I would end up with extreme close ups of the contents of my purse.
However, the weirdest and hardest for me to figure out, was a voice I heard in my ear one day as I was driving down the road. I had my headset in my ear and out of nowhere theres a voice saying "Call from Mom" except this voice almost had a british accent, so it was more like "Call frum Mum". What the bloody hell? I jumped to the point of almost causing an accident. What else do you expect my reaction to be when I'm alone in my car and hearing british accents in my head?
That one took a while for me to figure out. Apparently the phone had a "Voice Guide" mode that had somehow been turned on.
AGGRAVATING.
So, I've been wanting a new phone for a while now. Of course, being an Apple junkie, I really wanted the iPhone. However, that would involve switching carriers. I've had Sprint for 8 years now and am content to stay with them. Also, the iPhone, while coming down in price in the past year, is still rather pricey and my understanding is that the plan needed to support the iPhone would be a substantially higher monthly bill than what I currently have.
I decided to stay with Sprint and was initially just thinking that I would get a phone that has a full QWERTY keyboard because I text a lot and was tired of texting on a standard phone key pad. Then, a coworker who has the Samsung Instinct (Sprints iPhone knock off) let me play with her phone for a bit this past week.
I went with the Instinct.
It is taking a bit of getting used to, and I'm trying to fully explore it this evening so that I'm not a bumbling idiot with it when actually trying to make/receive calls.
Also, normally I am one of those people who always passes on the additional insurance for electronics. Everything I've read about them says that they're a total waste of money. However, considering my luck with anything technological this past year, I did opt for the insurance this time. Hopefully I won't have to take advantage of it too many times
Monday, April 13, 2009
Adventures in Dentistry
I will be the first to admit that I have more than just a little dental anxiety. I'd even be willing to classify it as a neurosis...I would even go as far as to say that it could be categorized as dentophobia.
I definitely go through the "cycle of avoidance" in that I NEVER go in for regular check ups or cleanings. I wait until I am in pain and then go in in crisis mode and end up having to have a whole laundry list of procedures done... root canals, abscess, pulp capping, multiple fillings, extractions.... NO BUENO.
My personal dental experiences have been nothing less than horrific.
Disclaimer - DO NOT read further if you have dental anxieties and are easily freaked out. I will be detailing my horrifying experiences. However, if you are morbidly curious or need motivation to maintain your regular dental appointments - a "don't let this happen to you" - then please, read on....
My earliest dental memory was at approximately the age of six. I had been racing bikes with my cousin and a couple of the neighborhood kids. At one point I look back over my shoulder to see how far ahead I am and steer my bike, at full speed, directly into the back of a parked van. I was a bloody mess. Four teeth, thankfully all baby teeth, were broken off at the gum line and one of them went through my lip. I spent a few hours in the emergency room that afternoon getting stitches in my lip, I still have the scar, and had to wait until Monday to go in to the dentist so that they could dig out the root structures of the four teeth that had broken. This was my regular dentist for a LONG time. Lets call him Dr Black (since that may or may not be the opposite of his real name).
It was a while until I had my next horrific dental experience.
When I was 18 I had to have my lower wisdom teeth pulled. Dr Black said that they could be pulled under local anesthetic, Novocaine, and nitrous oxide if needed. At that time he informed me that he wouldn't touch the upper wisdom teeth.
He said that the wisdom tooth on the upper left didn't need to be removed at that point so why go in there since the uppers can be more difficult and painful. Then he told me that on the upper right I had TWO wisdom teeth. Yes, TWO. I'm a freak. He told me that he would never touch those because with how far up the root structures went into the cheek bone area, that if not done right the result could be facial damage and because of this he would never touch them, that I would need to see an oral surgeon. Fantastic.
The day I went in to have the lower wisdom teeth pulled I stayed awake all night the night before at the suggestion of a friend. She had told me that if I was exhausted and on nitrous oxide that there was a good chance I would sleep through the whole ordeal. No one has ever been more wrong in their entire life.
I was loaded up with Novocaine and he started digging in. Even being numbed I was still experiencing pain and pressure. So, he gave me more Novocaine and turned on the nitrous. I still felt uncomfortable pressure, so they turned the nitrous up. Then the Novocaine started wearing off, so they gave me more injections.
This cycle kept repeating itself, the Novocaine would wear off, they'd stop to give me more injections. It finally got to the point where he said "I've given you the maximum Novocaine I can safely give you, the nitrous is turned up to the maximum level I can safely have it at, but we're too far in to stop". It was so incredibly painful, and all I could do was sit there and cry through the rest of it.
As an added bonus, I got dry socket almost immediately afterwards. That is a pain I would not wish upon anyone. Seriously, it was the worst pain I have ever experienced.
It was about six years until I went back to the dentist.
I was employed part time and didn't have any dental benefits, or any benefits at all, when I got a horrible toothache. I went into a random dentist - lets call him Dr Forget since I can't remember his name or the name of his office, that advertised themselves as affordable for any budget and Dr Forget told me that I needed a root canal on the last molar on my upper right side. I did not have the funds to pay for a root canal, so I went with the more affordable option of having the tooth extracted. My rationalization at the time was that not only was it more affordable, but it would also give room for one of the double wisdom teeth to come down.
Dr Forget had a horrible time removing that molar. The root was curved in a C like shape, so he couldn't just pull it. He had to break the tooth into pieces and remove them all individually. Again, painful. The Novocaine kept wearing off and he had to continuously stop to give me additional injections. Apparently my body processes Novocaine rather fast.
The removal was done, and I was sore. I expected to be sore though - I'd just had a large molar removed. However, the pain was awful. It was almost to the level that I started to wonder if I was developing dry socket again. After a few days I went back to Dr Forget because of how painful the pain still was. That was when we discovered that when Dr Forget had broken the tooth into pieces, HE HAD LEFT A FEW SHARDS BEHIND.
So, once again, I didn't go back to the dentist for a couple years.
Once again, I found myself in extreme pain and made an emergency appointment with Dr Black. I needed a root canal, a pulp capping, and a few fillings. Three or four appointments later I was all fixed and all dental issues were remedied. However, I was left with some hefty bills. Since I'd gone in to Dr Black in extreme pain I hadn't bothered to confirm that my insurance covered him. They didn't, and they wouldn't.
Did I learn from these experiences and go in for regular check ups and cleanings after that? Ummmm....no.
Because I can, at times, be incapable of learning from my past mistakes I went another couple of years with no dental care. Even though I had insurance. Yet again, I found myself in the position of extreme pain, again in need of a root canal, on the phone with my insurance crying and begging them to find me an appointment with anyone who would do a root canal. The only dentist in my area who performed root canals on my coverage had a month long waiting list. Because I was clearly in a "position of crisis" (thats what the insurance lady said) they extended emergency coverage to the dentist of my choice. Not knowing many dentists I went back to Dr Black. He performed the root canal and did a couple of fillings as well.
Again, my dental issues were all solved.
A while after that I became aware that some fillings had fallen out and that I probably had new cavities as well. However, I also hated my dental insurance and didn't want to go to the dentists that they covered. This was in mid-2007. I rationalized that during the benefits open enrollment at work I would switch to the better dental coverage and in early 2008 I would research a good dentist, take recommendations from friends, and go get these issues addressed. I kinda didn't do that. I didn't switch my coverage during open enrollment, and when 2008 rolled around I still had the coverage that I didn't care for and didn't want to go have the issues addressed. Last fall it started becoming increasingly apparent that I needed to have dental care, so when benefits open enrollment came around I changed my coverage almost immediately. However, when 2009 began I still didn't make an appointment. The anxiety and dread were there. I would take recommendations from friends, but never actually call for an appointment.
Then, Thursday before last, I bit down on a piece of crispy bacon with the upper right wisdom tooth that had come down and was in extreme pain. Recognizing this pain I was certain that I was in need of yet another root canal.
The next day, a Friday, I started calling dentist. I was amazed at how many dental offices are closed on Fridays. I was thinking I was going to have to suffer through the weekend and try to find a dentist on Monday. I finally found a dentists office conveniently located partway between work and home (closer to home) that was open and could schedule an appointment for me. The drawback was that even though I was in pain, they couldn't see me until Tuesday morning.
I went to my appointment Tuesday morning and had x-rays done then the dentist, Dr Thompson (real name), examined my mouth and said this
"Well, here's the good news. First, you don't have any signs of oral cancer. Second, with all of the work you need done we can give you free whitening."
From there he went on to tell me that the exposed wisdom tooth on my upper right was decayed to the extent that any efforts to save it would first be extremely complicated because of its positioning (at an angle) and heroic and should just be extracted by an oral surgeon. While in there, they should remove the other wisdom teeth on both sides. Then he went into the complicated issue. The last molar on my upper right had been root canal treated by Dr Black several years prior. He asked me if there had been any complications during the root canal process, if there were I don't recall. He went on to show me in the x-ray where one of the files used to clean out the root canal had broken off in one of the canals and Dr Black left it there. In addition to that, the decay had not been completely cleaned out and had continued up the root and was now encroaching on bone. The solution - remove the tooth before the decay could affect (effect?) the bone and cause even more extensive damage that could potentially require bone grafts and such.
The dental office I went to only has an oral surgeon in once a month and he would be in on that Thursday, just two days later. The dentist then asked me if I wanted to have this done with local anesthetic, Novocaine, to which I replied "HELL, NO. Knock me out. Put me under. General anesthesia and nothing less".
Unfortunately, he couldn't guarantee me an appointment that Thursday if I was requiring general anesthesia. I was having to hope for someone to cancel their appointment, otherwise I would either have to wait a month OR find an oral surgeon who could get me in ASAP.
To recap, I went in anticipating that I would need a root canal and a handful of fillings. I left being told that I needed to have my upper left wisdom tooth, two upper right wisdom teeth (freak weirdo) and upper right molar removed. Thats right, FOUR teeth. Three of which were all right in a row.
Wednesday morning I got the call from the dental office that they had a cancellation and would be able to get me in at 11:30 Thursday morning.
I was simultaneously relieved and terrified. That night after work I went out with some friends. Figured that I'd been eating soft foods for nearly a week at that point and knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat anything other than soft foods for at least another week, I wanted meat. We went to the pub where I had a few pints and a few buffalo wings and distracted myself from my anxieties. But they came back. When I went to sleep that night I had a dream that only demonstrates my anxieties.
I dreamed that I showed up at the office and had the following conversation with the receptionist:
Receptionist: Okay, have you taken the Valium we gave you?
Me: Umm... you didn't give me a Valium. Do I really need it since I'm having general anesthesia?
R: Oh. Well. Um, here take this now and it should kick in by the time we're done with all the paperwork.
M: Okay.
R: So, did you eat or drink anything after midnight last night
M: No
R: Good. Did you go to the pub with your friends for a couple beers last night?
M: Yes
R: Oh. Thats not good. Did you have buffalo wings?
M: Yes
R: You weren't supposed to do that
M: Nobody told me!
R: Did you have ranch dressing with the wings?
M: Yes
R: Ohhhh, not good. Not good.
M: Wha...?
R: Did you stop on your way home last night and buy yourself a new set of loungewear for today?
M: Yeahhhh.
R: Sssssssssss. That was not a good idea.
M: How....?
R: Did you fall asleep watching a movie last night?
M: Yes
R: Oh no, you shouldn't have done that.
M: But...?
R: Did you take Sunrise to get here this morning?
M: Yes, you're ON Sunrise!
R: Not good. Not good at all. Just so you know, theres probably going to be some complications.
M. But? How? Why? What????
and thats all I remember of the dream. Seriously? WTF? Nice little peak inside of my twisted brain, huh?
Just to note - I think the part about taking the valium got put into my head because every friend I talked to the night before asked me if they had given me a valium to take in the morning. Apparently all of their experiences of being rendered unconscious for dental procedures was via valium as opposed to general anesthesia.
I went to my appointment Thursday morning and had no issues at all. I sat in the chair, they put in the IV of a saline drip and the oral surgeon came in. He said "You look like you are a nervous wreck". I told him yes, that my anxiety was rather high, and he said "Well, I'm going to give you some stuff here thats going to make you feel like everythings alright with the world."
Thats the last I remember.
The next thing I knew, I was being woken up so that I could get into a wheelchair and was wheeled out to my car where my mom was waiting for me.
I was pretty much prepared to get dry socket almost immediately like had happened when Dr Black removed my lower wisdom teeth so I kept myself heavily sedated with various strengths of vicodin the rest of the day Thursday, all day Friday, and part of Saturday and Sunday.
To be honest, everything has gone rather well. Yes, I have been sore and tender but that is to be expected with what I had done and it has been getting better daily. I haven't gotten dry socket, I haven't been in excruciating pain, and I even felt up to running a couple of minor errands Sunday.
Looking back at my dental history, I think I can attribute a great portion of my dentophobia to repeatedly returning to Dr Black. Looking at all of this objectively, I don't think he's the best dentist out there.
However, I do think I have found a good dentist. Friday, while I was recovering, my dentist called me personally to see how I was doing, how I felt and how I was recovering. Granted, I was sedated so he left me a message, but still... he followed up personally. Any of my experiences with dentists or doctors or anything of that nature in the past was that if they followed up at all, it was a receptionist or assistant who did it, not the dentist or doctor. Also, in my initial appointment last Tuesday, Dr Thompson said that once the surgery was done, before proceeding with any other procedures, he wanted to talk about my dental anxieties, find out why they were so extensive that I would willing go as long as I do without having these issues addressed so that he could tailor his approach to suit my needs.
I think I may have found a good dentist. Its an abstract concept for me.
I will be making an appointment to go back in and have all of my other issues addressed and I think I will take him up on the offer for free whitening. I just hope it doesn't turn out like this (it's long, but watch through to the end if you haven't seen it already. Heck, watch through to the end anyways because its funny):
I definitely go through the "cycle of avoidance" in that I NEVER go in for regular check ups or cleanings. I wait until I am in pain and then go in in crisis mode and end up having to have a whole laundry list of procedures done... root canals, abscess, pulp capping, multiple fillings, extractions.... NO BUENO.
My personal dental experiences have been nothing less than horrific.
Disclaimer - DO NOT read further if you have dental anxieties and are easily freaked out. I will be detailing my horrifying experiences. However, if you are morbidly curious or need motivation to maintain your regular dental appointments - a "don't let this happen to you" - then please, read on....
My earliest dental memory was at approximately the age of six. I had been racing bikes with my cousin and a couple of the neighborhood kids. At one point I look back over my shoulder to see how far ahead I am and steer my bike, at full speed, directly into the back of a parked van. I was a bloody mess. Four teeth, thankfully all baby teeth, were broken off at the gum line and one of them went through my lip. I spent a few hours in the emergency room that afternoon getting stitches in my lip, I still have the scar, and had to wait until Monday to go in to the dentist so that they could dig out the root structures of the four teeth that had broken. This was my regular dentist for a LONG time. Lets call him Dr Black (since that may or may not be the opposite of his real name).
It was a while until I had my next horrific dental experience.
When I was 18 I had to have my lower wisdom teeth pulled. Dr Black said that they could be pulled under local anesthetic, Novocaine, and nitrous oxide if needed. At that time he informed me that he wouldn't touch the upper wisdom teeth.
He said that the wisdom tooth on the upper left didn't need to be removed at that point so why go in there since the uppers can be more difficult and painful. Then he told me that on the upper right I had TWO wisdom teeth. Yes, TWO. I'm a freak. He told me that he would never touch those because with how far up the root structures went into the cheek bone area, that if not done right the result could be facial damage and because of this he would never touch them, that I would need to see an oral surgeon. Fantastic.
The day I went in to have the lower wisdom teeth pulled I stayed awake all night the night before at the suggestion of a friend. She had told me that if I was exhausted and on nitrous oxide that there was a good chance I would sleep through the whole ordeal. No one has ever been more wrong in their entire life.
I was loaded up with Novocaine and he started digging in. Even being numbed I was still experiencing pain and pressure. So, he gave me more Novocaine and turned on the nitrous. I still felt uncomfortable pressure, so they turned the nitrous up. Then the Novocaine started wearing off, so they gave me more injections.
This cycle kept repeating itself, the Novocaine would wear off, they'd stop to give me more injections. It finally got to the point where he said "I've given you the maximum Novocaine I can safely give you, the nitrous is turned up to the maximum level I can safely have it at, but we're too far in to stop". It was so incredibly painful, and all I could do was sit there and cry through the rest of it.
As an added bonus, I got dry socket almost immediately afterwards. That is a pain I would not wish upon anyone. Seriously, it was the worst pain I have ever experienced.
It was about six years until I went back to the dentist.
I was employed part time and didn't have any dental benefits, or any benefits at all, when I got a horrible toothache. I went into a random dentist - lets call him Dr Forget since I can't remember his name or the name of his office, that advertised themselves as affordable for any budget and Dr Forget told me that I needed a root canal on the last molar on my upper right side. I did not have the funds to pay for a root canal, so I went with the more affordable option of having the tooth extracted. My rationalization at the time was that not only was it more affordable, but it would also give room for one of the double wisdom teeth to come down.
Dr Forget had a horrible time removing that molar. The root was curved in a C like shape, so he couldn't just pull it. He had to break the tooth into pieces and remove them all individually. Again, painful. The Novocaine kept wearing off and he had to continuously stop to give me additional injections. Apparently my body processes Novocaine rather fast.
The removal was done, and I was sore. I expected to be sore though - I'd just had a large molar removed. However, the pain was awful. It was almost to the level that I started to wonder if I was developing dry socket again. After a few days I went back to Dr Forget because of how painful the pain still was. That was when we discovered that when Dr Forget had broken the tooth into pieces, HE HAD LEFT A FEW SHARDS BEHIND.
So, once again, I didn't go back to the dentist for a couple years.
Once again, I found myself in extreme pain and made an emergency appointment with Dr Black. I needed a root canal, a pulp capping, and a few fillings. Three or four appointments later I was all fixed and all dental issues were remedied. However, I was left with some hefty bills. Since I'd gone in to Dr Black in extreme pain I hadn't bothered to confirm that my insurance covered him. They didn't, and they wouldn't.
Did I learn from these experiences and go in for regular check ups and cleanings after that? Ummmm....no.
Because I can, at times, be incapable of learning from my past mistakes I went another couple of years with no dental care. Even though I had insurance. Yet again, I found myself in the position of extreme pain, again in need of a root canal, on the phone with my insurance crying and begging them to find me an appointment with anyone who would do a root canal. The only dentist in my area who performed root canals on my coverage had a month long waiting list. Because I was clearly in a "position of crisis" (thats what the insurance lady said) they extended emergency coverage to the dentist of my choice. Not knowing many dentists I went back to Dr Black. He performed the root canal and did a couple of fillings as well.
Again, my dental issues were all solved.
A while after that I became aware that some fillings had fallen out and that I probably had new cavities as well. However, I also hated my dental insurance and didn't want to go to the dentists that they covered. This was in mid-2007. I rationalized that during the benefits open enrollment at work I would switch to the better dental coverage and in early 2008 I would research a good dentist, take recommendations from friends, and go get these issues addressed. I kinda didn't do that. I didn't switch my coverage during open enrollment, and when 2008 rolled around I still had the coverage that I didn't care for and didn't want to go have the issues addressed. Last fall it started becoming increasingly apparent that I needed to have dental care, so when benefits open enrollment came around I changed my coverage almost immediately. However, when 2009 began I still didn't make an appointment. The anxiety and dread were there. I would take recommendations from friends, but never actually call for an appointment.
Then, Thursday before last, I bit down on a piece of crispy bacon with the upper right wisdom tooth that had come down and was in extreme pain. Recognizing this pain I was certain that I was in need of yet another root canal.
The next day, a Friday, I started calling dentist. I was amazed at how many dental offices are closed on Fridays. I was thinking I was going to have to suffer through the weekend and try to find a dentist on Monday. I finally found a dentists office conveniently located partway between work and home (closer to home) that was open and could schedule an appointment for me. The drawback was that even though I was in pain, they couldn't see me until Tuesday morning.
I went to my appointment Tuesday morning and had x-rays done then the dentist, Dr Thompson (real name), examined my mouth and said this
"Well, here's the good news. First, you don't have any signs of oral cancer. Second, with all of the work you need done we can give you free whitening."
From there he went on to tell me that the exposed wisdom tooth on my upper right was decayed to the extent that any efforts to save it would first be extremely complicated because of its positioning (at an angle) and heroic and should just be extracted by an oral surgeon. While in there, they should remove the other wisdom teeth on both sides. Then he went into the complicated issue. The last molar on my upper right had been root canal treated by Dr Black several years prior. He asked me if there had been any complications during the root canal process, if there were I don't recall. He went on to show me in the x-ray where one of the files used to clean out the root canal had broken off in one of the canals and Dr Black left it there. In addition to that, the decay had not been completely cleaned out and had continued up the root and was now encroaching on bone. The solution - remove the tooth before the decay could affect (effect?) the bone and cause even more extensive damage that could potentially require bone grafts and such.
The dental office I went to only has an oral surgeon in once a month and he would be in on that Thursday, just two days later. The dentist then asked me if I wanted to have this done with local anesthetic, Novocaine, to which I replied "HELL, NO. Knock me out. Put me under. General anesthesia and nothing less".
Unfortunately, he couldn't guarantee me an appointment that Thursday if I was requiring general anesthesia. I was having to hope for someone to cancel their appointment, otherwise I would either have to wait a month OR find an oral surgeon who could get me in ASAP.
To recap, I went in anticipating that I would need a root canal and a handful of fillings. I left being told that I needed to have my upper left wisdom tooth, two upper right wisdom teeth (freak weirdo) and upper right molar removed. Thats right, FOUR teeth. Three of which were all right in a row.
Wednesday morning I got the call from the dental office that they had a cancellation and would be able to get me in at 11:30 Thursday morning.
I was simultaneously relieved and terrified. That night after work I went out with some friends. Figured that I'd been eating soft foods for nearly a week at that point and knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat anything other than soft foods for at least another week, I wanted meat. We went to the pub where I had a few pints and a few buffalo wings and distracted myself from my anxieties. But they came back. When I went to sleep that night I had a dream that only demonstrates my anxieties.
I dreamed that I showed up at the office and had the following conversation with the receptionist:
Receptionist: Okay, have you taken the Valium we gave you?
Me: Umm... you didn't give me a Valium. Do I really need it since I'm having general anesthesia?
R: Oh. Well. Um, here take this now and it should kick in by the time we're done with all the paperwork.
M: Okay.
R: So, did you eat or drink anything after midnight last night
M: No
R: Good. Did you go to the pub with your friends for a couple beers last night?
M: Yes
R: Oh. Thats not good. Did you have buffalo wings?
M: Yes
R: You weren't supposed to do that
M: Nobody told me!
R: Did you have ranch dressing with the wings?
M: Yes
R: Ohhhh, not good. Not good.
M: Wha...?
R: Did you stop on your way home last night and buy yourself a new set of loungewear for today?
M: Yeahhhh.
R: Sssssssssss. That was not a good idea.
M: How....?
R: Did you fall asleep watching a movie last night?
M: Yes
R: Oh no, you shouldn't have done that.
M: But...?
R: Did you take Sunrise to get here this morning?
M: Yes, you're ON Sunrise!
R: Not good. Not good at all. Just so you know, theres probably going to be some complications.
M. But? How? Why? What????
and thats all I remember of the dream. Seriously? WTF? Nice little peak inside of my twisted brain, huh?
Just to note - I think the part about taking the valium got put into my head because every friend I talked to the night before asked me if they had given me a valium to take in the morning. Apparently all of their experiences of being rendered unconscious for dental procedures was via valium as opposed to general anesthesia.
I went to my appointment Thursday morning and had no issues at all. I sat in the chair, they put in the IV of a saline drip and the oral surgeon came in. He said "You look like you are a nervous wreck". I told him yes, that my anxiety was rather high, and he said "Well, I'm going to give you some stuff here thats going to make you feel like everythings alright with the world."
Thats the last I remember.
The next thing I knew, I was being woken up so that I could get into a wheelchair and was wheeled out to my car where my mom was waiting for me.
I was pretty much prepared to get dry socket almost immediately like had happened when Dr Black removed my lower wisdom teeth so I kept myself heavily sedated with various strengths of vicodin the rest of the day Thursday, all day Friday, and part of Saturday and Sunday.
To be honest, everything has gone rather well. Yes, I have been sore and tender but that is to be expected with what I had done and it has been getting better daily. I haven't gotten dry socket, I haven't been in excruciating pain, and I even felt up to running a couple of minor errands Sunday.
Looking back at my dental history, I think I can attribute a great portion of my dentophobia to repeatedly returning to Dr Black. Looking at all of this objectively, I don't think he's the best dentist out there.
However, I do think I have found a good dentist. Friday, while I was recovering, my dentist called me personally to see how I was doing, how I felt and how I was recovering. Granted, I was sedated so he left me a message, but still... he followed up personally. Any of my experiences with dentists or doctors or anything of that nature in the past was that if they followed up at all, it was a receptionist or assistant who did it, not the dentist or doctor. Also, in my initial appointment last Tuesday, Dr Thompson said that once the surgery was done, before proceeding with any other procedures, he wanted to talk about my dental anxieties, find out why they were so extensive that I would willing go as long as I do without having these issues addressed so that he could tailor his approach to suit my needs.
I think I may have found a good dentist. Its an abstract concept for me.
I will be making an appointment to go back in and have all of my other issues addressed and I think I will take him up on the offer for free whitening. I just hope it doesn't turn out like this (it's long, but watch through to the end if you haven't seen it already. Heck, watch through to the end anyways because its funny):
Sunday, April 05, 2009
I Blame The Drugs
If this post makes no sense at all, blame the drugs.
I've been taking massive amounts of vicodin over the past couple of days due to a toothache. A horrible horrible horrible toothache.
I haven't just been taking vicodin, I've also been mixing it with large amounts of acetometaphin, and at times.... booze. Like this morning I drug myself out of bed to go to a friends bon voyage brunch before she leaves for Nepal tomorrow. There I had a couple of bloody marys... that made for one sweet sweet nap once I got home.
Why do I have such a horrible toothache? Because I'm a giant wuss and am afraid of the dentist. I will avoid the dentist at all cost. Yes, when an issue pops up I am aware that if I went in and had the issue addressed right then, it wouldn't be too big of an issue and that if I put it off its only going to progress into something horrible. Like what I have right now. But, I put it off because to me, a trip to the dentist is an awful experience, rife with pain and blood and lectures about brushing and flossing. So, I put off the needed dental appointment until it is a self fulfilling prophecy in which I am in pain like I am now.
So, there you have it. I am phobic about going to the dentist. I'm sure theres a technical term for this condition, but for now I'm just going to call it "hurts-my-teeth-achondria" or "pain-in-my-mouth-aphobia" or maybe "ouch-my-tooth-aphobic" or even "don't-put-that-in-my-mouth-achondriac". Actually, I'm thinking that last one could apply to a lot more than just a fear of the dentist.
The only thing that I didn't factor in to my phobia surrounding the dentist is the 12+ year old black lab lying at my feet and farting like I have right now.
Over the past 2 days I've been neglecting my doggy babies. Since I got home from work Friday, my routine has been this:
take vicodin, let the dogs out, sleep, take vicodin, let the dogs in, sleep, take vicodin, sleep, take vicodin, eat something, sleep, take vicodin, let the dogs in, sleep... you get the gist.
Sam and Cooper are feeling a bit neglected. Coopers being more vocal about it, sitting here next to me saying "arawwrrawawarr" which we all knows translates to "pet me and give me pup-peronis, NOW PLEASE!"
So, now I have a dilema. I'm low on vicodin - I have enough to get me through tonight and possibly through tomorrow. My mom went to refill my prescription... a prescription that was given to me for a different ailment last summer. The pharmacy said that they can't refill my prescription because the original prescription was given to me over a year ago. This is not true. I just dug out the other prescription that was given to me at the same time and I got it last July. Do I go back to the pharmacy myself in my ratty pajamas and unkempt hair and smelly unshowered self and argue with them, or do I just make do with what I have until my dentist appointment Tuesday morning?
Also, I've been using this Toothache Kit
It works okay, takes the edge off of the pain. I think that if I were dealing with your typical cavity pain that this would work perfectly. However, since I think I'm dealing with root canal pain it just takes the edge off - takes it down a couple notches to a dull pain.
The drawback, it tastes like death. Death with a slight clove like aftertaste.
I've been taking massive amounts of vicodin over the past couple of days due to a toothache. A horrible horrible horrible toothache.
I haven't just been taking vicodin, I've also been mixing it with large amounts of acetometaphin, and at times.... booze. Like this morning I drug myself out of bed to go to a friends bon voyage brunch before she leaves for Nepal tomorrow. There I had a couple of bloody marys... that made for one sweet sweet nap once I got home.
Why do I have such a horrible toothache? Because I'm a giant wuss and am afraid of the dentist. I will avoid the dentist at all cost. Yes, when an issue pops up I am aware that if I went in and had the issue addressed right then, it wouldn't be too big of an issue and that if I put it off its only going to progress into something horrible. Like what I have right now. But, I put it off because to me, a trip to the dentist is an awful experience, rife with pain and blood and lectures about brushing and flossing. So, I put off the needed dental appointment until it is a self fulfilling prophecy in which I am in pain like I am now.
So, there you have it. I am phobic about going to the dentist. I'm sure theres a technical term for this condition, but for now I'm just going to call it "hurts-my-teeth-achondria" or "pain-in-my-mouth-aphobia" or maybe "ouch-my-tooth-aphobic" or even "don't-put-that-in-my-mouth-achondriac". Actually, I'm thinking that last one could apply to a lot more than just a fear of the dentist.
The only thing that I didn't factor in to my phobia surrounding the dentist is the 12+ year old black lab lying at my feet and farting like I have right now.
Over the past 2 days I've been neglecting my doggy babies. Since I got home from work Friday, my routine has been this:
take vicodin, let the dogs out, sleep, take vicodin, let the dogs in, sleep, take vicodin, sleep, take vicodin, eat something, sleep, take vicodin, let the dogs in, sleep... you get the gist.
Sam and Cooper are feeling a bit neglected. Coopers being more vocal about it, sitting here next to me saying "arawwrrawawarr" which we all knows translates to "pet me and give me pup-peronis, NOW PLEASE!"
So, now I have a dilema. I'm low on vicodin - I have enough to get me through tonight and possibly through tomorrow. My mom went to refill my prescription... a prescription that was given to me for a different ailment last summer. The pharmacy said that they can't refill my prescription because the original prescription was given to me over a year ago. This is not true. I just dug out the other prescription that was given to me at the same time and I got it last July. Do I go back to the pharmacy myself in my ratty pajamas and unkempt hair and smelly unshowered self and argue with them, or do I just make do with what I have until my dentist appointment Tuesday morning?
Also, I've been using this Toothache Kit
It works okay, takes the edge off of the pain. I think that if I were dealing with your typical cavity pain that this would work perfectly. However, since I think I'm dealing with root canal pain it just takes the edge off - takes it down a couple notches to a dull pain.
The drawback, it tastes like death. Death with a slight clove like aftertaste.
Friday, March 20, 2009
I Thought I Had a Leprechaun
Theres been a few times over the past couple of weeks where I have randomly found money is strange places....
A $10 bill in my bed
A couple of $1 in my pile of dirty laundry
A $5 under one of my pillows
and more like this.
The ones in my bed I figured had probably fallen out of my purse and the ones in the laundry I figured that I had left in my pockets.
It was either that, or I had a leprechaun.
A viable theory since this was in the weeks leading up to Saint Patrick's Day, right? RIGHT?!?
I actually spotted my leprechaun ON Saint Patrick's Day....
He's black, furry, and has 4 legs.
I was sitting at my computer and out of the corner of my eye, I see Cooper stick his head in my purse and pull out a few $1 bills and go trotting off with them.
He's stashing cash around the house!
He's not chewing it up. He's just stashing it.
I have no idea what this is other than maybe he recognizes that we're in a recession and wants to build a little nest egg to ensure there are funds available for the future purchase of pup-peroni and fauxreos?
A $10 bill in my bed
A couple of $1 in my pile of dirty laundry
A $5 under one of my pillows
and more like this.
The ones in my bed I figured had probably fallen out of my purse and the ones in the laundry I figured that I had left in my pockets.
It was either that, or I had a leprechaun.
A viable theory since this was in the weeks leading up to Saint Patrick's Day, right? RIGHT?!?
I actually spotted my leprechaun ON Saint Patrick's Day....
He's black, furry, and has 4 legs.
I was sitting at my computer and out of the corner of my eye, I see Cooper stick his head in my purse and pull out a few $1 bills and go trotting off with them.
He's stashing cash around the house!
He's not chewing it up. He's just stashing it.
I have no idea what this is other than maybe he recognizes that we're in a recession and wants to build a little nest egg to ensure there are funds available for the future purchase of pup-peroni and fauxreos?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I'm Beginning To Think It Might Be Me
I think technology hates me. Not just Macs/Apples, but all of technology.
I've told you of some of the technology problems I've experienced this past year. Thats right, some. I know what you're thinking "Dude, theres more? Seriously? What more technology problems could one girl possibly have?"
First, there was the situation with the iBook and the iPod.
Then there was the issue with the PowerBook.
Last you heard was the troubles with upgrading the OS on the iMac.
Well, to be honest, my technological trainwreck goes back further than what I have let on.
About a year and a half ago, my brother accidentally cut the power cord to my TV. He was ripping the carpet out of our hallway, and when he took took the blade to cut the carpeting at my doorway, he didn't move the power cord to my TV out of the way and accidentally cut it in half.
Yes, I was annoyed, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. At that time I thought that I had three options to remedy the situation:
1. Buy a new TV
2. Take it to a repair shop and pay to have it fixed.
3. Fix it myself.
Well, anyone who knows me knows that I went with option three. I will DIY just about any project when that is a viable option. I look at it as an opportunity to learn a new skill or further develop a skill that I may already have, and save some money to boot.
I know a little about electrical type stuff.
A little.
My great-grandfather was a electrician and I remember sitting in his workshop with him, watching and helping him with some basic electrical repairs. My grandfather, while not an electrician, did possess a basic knowledge of electrical repairs - I also helped him with all kinds of home maintenance around the house, including some tasks of electrical nature.
Looking at the issue in front of me, I knew how to fix the problem of the cut power cord. I had the piece that had been cut off, all I had to do was strip both of the cut ends, match the ends up, splice them together, and seal well with electrical tape.
I set about my project, cleanly stripped the ends and spliced the appropriate copper wires together.
Here is where I faltered. I did not have any electric tape.
I searched the house with no luck. In a lapse of judgement I thought to myself, "Duct tape. Duct tape can fix everything, right? I've got duct tape!"
And I duct taped the cord together. I taped the two separate sides (I forget the technical term) and duct taped the entire outside of the spliced area to ensure that it was completely sealed and protected. Heh. Those of you with more knowledge of the composition of duct tape are already shaking your heads.
I plugged the TV in, and it worked. It worked well for a couple of weeks. Then, one day, I come home and go to turn on my TV. It starts to turn on, then theres a "pop" and as the TV turns back off, theres a "pssssssssss" type sound.
I assume that perhaps I didn't twist the wires together tightly enough, or didn't tape them together securely enough, when I was splicing the cord.
So, I start to remove the layers upon layers of duct tape. A couple of layers in, I find that parts of the duct tape appears to be charred and I think to myself "hmmm. Thats odd". Once I remove all of the tape I am really confused because there is no visible copper wire. Instead, there is this black dust like substance. I do not know what caused this, I just know that it is BAD. My thoughts, in the order that they occurred, were:
1. I'm not sure what I did wrong here, I just know that I was thisclose to having a fire here.
2. Crap, a fire! My TV is right in front of my bedroom door. I wouldn't have had an exit other than to jump out the window!
3. Holy hell! If I had to jump out the window, what would have happened to Grandma? Would she have been able to get up and out of the house in time considering the difficulty she has walking?
4. F! Would I have even woken up? The battery in the fire detector was dead and the beeping was driving me nuts so I took the batter out and keep forgetting to replace it!
5. F, I'd have died!
So, I go down to the pub and tell my guy friends what has happened hoping that they can give me some insight. One of them happens to be a fire fighter. He starts to chuckle, puts his arm around my shoulder, and says "Vanessa, God bless you. People like you give me job security."
He proceeds to inform me that duct tape actually contains metallic filaments so the duct tape was conducting electricity then entire time. I am very lucky that there wasn't an electrical fire.
He also tells me that he thinks the "pop" sound I heard most likely was the tube in my TV blowing out (or something like that - its an old TV, and this scenario took place a year ago... I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details) and its probably dead now.
After this, I decided not to have the TV fixed since it would be beyond just replacing the power cord and I'd be best off to just replace the entire TV. I don't watch a ton of TV in my bedroom since I refuse to have cable hooked up in there (I would never sleep. Instead I would get sucked into Project Runway or What Not To Wear marathons). All I really use my TV for in my bedroom is to watch DVD's.
For a while, I used my laptop to watch DVDs and the occaisional streaming of TV shows that I had missed during their original broadcasting.
Then, my laptop died.
I took advantage of this situation to buy a portable DVD player. It just so happened that I'd been considering buying one of these for quite a while.
I'd like to say that I did extensive research and bought something that was top of the line but still at a reasonable price. I can not say that.
What I can say is that I went on ebay and bought one that was cheap and that I recognized the manufacturers name. I ended up getting a 7" Polaroid portable DVD player, in blue, for something like $50. I was never THRILLED with the purchase - the battery only lasted about an hour when fully charged, so I had to have it constantly plugged in... which defeats the whole purpose of it being "portable". Plus, a 7" screen is pretty small.
But overall, it served its purpose. I set it up on my nightstand and have been using it there since last August.
This past week I went to put a DVD in, and it gave me an error message stating "No Disc". I knew this was BS because I had very plainly JUST put a disc in there. I took the disc out and tried the very high tech attempt to repair... I blew on the disc tray. I know, I know, revel in my technological savy. It actually worked.
I put the disc in and watched my movie.
The next night, I put another disc in. Once again "No Disc". The "blow" technique did not work this time. I tried a different disc, same problem. A third disc, Same. Problem.
I turned it off, waited a minute, turned it back on. No difference.
I turned it off, unplugged it, removed the battery, waited a minute and put everything back together.
I put a disc back in. It acted like it was loading, then made a weird noise and said "no disc". This time when I removed the disc and looked at the disc tray, the lens had moved. The lens normally is positioned towards the center of the tray. Now, it had moved towards the outer edge and is not moving back into place.
It is now clear, technology hates me.
Its not limited to just computers, TVs, and DVD players. No. It also encompasses cell phones and radios. I have a long history of Walkmans breaking for no apparent reason. I've purchased a couple of satelitte radios for my car only to have them randomly stop working.
My cell phone, a flip phone... which should not do anything when its closed, will suddenly turn itself on in the speakerphone mode and call people when its sitting on my desk, not being touched. It also is an MP3 player and will start playing music out of nowhere. I'll be in the middle of a phone call, or text message, and it will just TURN. OFF.
I don't know what this all is. Did I offend the technology gods in a past life and this is their retribution? Fifty years ago, was I one of those old farts who ran around speaking crazy talk along the lines of "That tel-e-vision is the work of the devil! Its Satans Soapbox!" and now the technology gods are exacting their revenge?
Whatever it is, I wish to atone. Because this is getting old. And expensive.
I've told you of some of the technology problems I've experienced this past year. Thats right, some. I know what you're thinking "Dude, theres more? Seriously? What more technology problems could one girl possibly have?"
First, there was the situation with the iBook and the iPod.
Then there was the issue with the PowerBook.
Last you heard was the troubles with upgrading the OS on the iMac.
Well, to be honest, my technological trainwreck goes back further than what I have let on.
About a year and a half ago, my brother accidentally cut the power cord to my TV. He was ripping the carpet out of our hallway, and when he took took the blade to cut the carpeting at my doorway, he didn't move the power cord to my TV out of the way and accidentally cut it in half.
Yes, I was annoyed, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. At that time I thought that I had three options to remedy the situation:
1. Buy a new TV
2. Take it to a repair shop and pay to have it fixed.
3. Fix it myself.
Well, anyone who knows me knows that I went with option three. I will DIY just about any project when that is a viable option. I look at it as an opportunity to learn a new skill or further develop a skill that I may already have, and save some money to boot.
I know a little about electrical type stuff.
A little.
My great-grandfather was a electrician and I remember sitting in his workshop with him, watching and helping him with some basic electrical repairs. My grandfather, while not an electrician, did possess a basic knowledge of electrical repairs - I also helped him with all kinds of home maintenance around the house, including some tasks of electrical nature.
Looking at the issue in front of me, I knew how to fix the problem of the cut power cord. I had the piece that had been cut off, all I had to do was strip both of the cut ends, match the ends up, splice them together, and seal well with electrical tape.
I set about my project, cleanly stripped the ends and spliced the appropriate copper wires together.
Here is where I faltered. I did not have any electric tape.
I searched the house with no luck. In a lapse of judgement I thought to myself, "Duct tape. Duct tape can fix everything, right? I've got duct tape!"
And I duct taped the cord together. I taped the two separate sides (I forget the technical term) and duct taped the entire outside of the spliced area to ensure that it was completely sealed and protected. Heh. Those of you with more knowledge of the composition of duct tape are already shaking your heads.
I plugged the TV in, and it worked. It worked well for a couple of weeks. Then, one day, I come home and go to turn on my TV. It starts to turn on, then theres a "pop" and as the TV turns back off, theres a "pssssssssss" type sound.
I assume that perhaps I didn't twist the wires together tightly enough, or didn't tape them together securely enough, when I was splicing the cord.
So, I start to remove the layers upon layers of duct tape. A couple of layers in, I find that parts of the duct tape appears to be charred and I think to myself "hmmm. Thats odd". Once I remove all of the tape I am really confused because there is no visible copper wire. Instead, there is this black dust like substance. I do not know what caused this, I just know that it is BAD. My thoughts, in the order that they occurred, were:
1. I'm not sure what I did wrong here, I just know that I was thisclose to having a fire here.
2. Crap, a fire! My TV is right in front of my bedroom door. I wouldn't have had an exit other than to jump out the window!
3. Holy hell! If I had to jump out the window, what would have happened to Grandma? Would she have been able to get up and out of the house in time considering the difficulty she has walking?
4. F! Would I have even woken up? The battery in the fire detector was dead and the beeping was driving me nuts so I took the batter out and keep forgetting to replace it!
5. F, I'd have died!
So, I go down to the pub and tell my guy friends what has happened hoping that they can give me some insight. One of them happens to be a fire fighter. He starts to chuckle, puts his arm around my shoulder, and says "Vanessa, God bless you. People like you give me job security."
He proceeds to inform me that duct tape actually contains metallic filaments so the duct tape was conducting electricity then entire time. I am very lucky that there wasn't an electrical fire.
He also tells me that he thinks the "pop" sound I heard most likely was the tube in my TV blowing out (or something like that - its an old TV, and this scenario took place a year ago... I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details) and its probably dead now.
After this, I decided not to have the TV fixed since it would be beyond just replacing the power cord and I'd be best off to just replace the entire TV. I don't watch a ton of TV in my bedroom since I refuse to have cable hooked up in there (I would never sleep. Instead I would get sucked into Project Runway or What Not To Wear marathons). All I really use my TV for in my bedroom is to watch DVD's.
For a while, I used my laptop to watch DVDs and the occaisional streaming of TV shows that I had missed during their original broadcasting.
Then, my laptop died.
I took advantage of this situation to buy a portable DVD player. It just so happened that I'd been considering buying one of these for quite a while.
I'd like to say that I did extensive research and bought something that was top of the line but still at a reasonable price. I can not say that.
What I can say is that I went on ebay and bought one that was cheap and that I recognized the manufacturers name. I ended up getting a 7" Polaroid portable DVD player, in blue, for something like $50. I was never THRILLED with the purchase - the battery only lasted about an hour when fully charged, so I had to have it constantly plugged in... which defeats the whole purpose of it being "portable". Plus, a 7" screen is pretty small.
But overall, it served its purpose. I set it up on my nightstand and have been using it there since last August.
This past week I went to put a DVD in, and it gave me an error message stating "No Disc". I knew this was BS because I had very plainly JUST put a disc in there. I took the disc out and tried the very high tech attempt to repair... I blew on the disc tray. I know, I know, revel in my technological savy. It actually worked.
I put the disc in and watched my movie.
The next night, I put another disc in. Once again "No Disc". The "blow" technique did not work this time. I tried a different disc, same problem. A third disc, Same. Problem.
I turned it off, waited a minute, turned it back on. No difference.
I turned it off, unplugged it, removed the battery, waited a minute and put everything back together.
I put a disc back in. It acted like it was loading, then made a weird noise and said "no disc". This time when I removed the disc and looked at the disc tray, the lens had moved. The lens normally is positioned towards the center of the tray. Now, it had moved towards the outer edge and is not moving back into place.
It is now clear, technology hates me.
Its not limited to just computers, TVs, and DVD players. No. It also encompasses cell phones and radios. I have a long history of Walkmans breaking for no apparent reason. I've purchased a couple of satelitte radios for my car only to have them randomly stop working.
My cell phone, a flip phone... which should not do anything when its closed, will suddenly turn itself on in the speakerphone mode and call people when its sitting on my desk, not being touched. It also is an MP3 player and will start playing music out of nowhere. I'll be in the middle of a phone call, or text message, and it will just TURN. OFF.
I don't know what this all is. Did I offend the technology gods in a past life and this is their retribution? Fifty years ago, was I one of those old farts who ran around speaking crazy talk along the lines of "That tel-e-vision is the work of the devil! Its Satans Soapbox!" and now the technology gods are exacting their revenge?
Whatever it is, I wish to atone. Because this is getting old. And expensive.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Yawn
I had a full weekend, but didn't go out at all.
Saturday I stayed in and got a few things done around the house - mainly I went through the cabinets and disposed of all of the empty coffee cans, butter tubs, and jelly jars that my grandmother has been hoarding. The recycling bin is quite full this week.
Today, Cooper and I spend about two and a half hours at the dog park. He is quite worn out and has been sleeping well ever since.
I also conned my brother into doing some manual labor around the house.
My only activities outside of this house all weekend were to the dog park, and to Home Depot to pick up some materials for the fence repairs.
I was able to get quite a few chores done, and some quality cuddle time with the doggies.
Saturday I stayed in and got a few things done around the house - mainly I went through the cabinets and disposed of all of the empty coffee cans, butter tubs, and jelly jars that my grandmother has been hoarding. The recycling bin is quite full this week.
Today, Cooper and I spend about two and a half hours at the dog park. He is quite worn out and has been sleeping well ever since.
I also conned my brother into doing some manual labor around the house.
My only activities outside of this house all weekend were to the dog park, and to Home Depot to pick up some materials for the fence repairs.
I was able to get quite a few chores done, and some quality cuddle time with the doggies.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Obedience Class
We had our first obedience class this past Monday, and overall, I think Cooper enjoyed it. He got to sniff a bunch of new butts and got a number of treats. He was one of the better behaved dogs in class, not the best, but not the worst either.
Unfortunately he did the shortest attention span.
Treats are definitely his motivation. If Coop knows that you've got a treat in your hand, he will track you. Even if he is sitting still, his head follows you wherever you go -- thats what he did to the trainer. He knew that she had a treat in her hand, I wouldn't let him go and jump on her, I kept making him sit, so he tracked her with his eyes willing her to give him a piece of that puperoni.
Shes telling us to not tell the dogs "no" when they do some undesired behavior, because then if they hear us say "no" in normal conversation it can be confusing to them. So, shes telling us to try to come up with some other sound, like how Cesar Millan says "Tsshh!" or something similar. She goes on to say that if we're already in the habit of saying "no" and can't break that habit, to always pair "no" with the action so that we're saying "no jump" or "no bite" or "no bark"
This whole time, Cooper has been staring her down for that puperoni in her hand. Right as she says "no bark" he lets out with a not too quiet "ARARRWARORWERAROW!"
Of course, she starts laughing and walks over and gives him a treat. She said "no bark" so he barks, and she gives him a treat. I'm thinking she's a worse pushover for his cuteness than even I may be.
About half way through class he started pawing at the door and standing up, trying to paw at the door knob, to let me know that he needed to go potty. So, I take him outside and he goes potty, but once we got back into class his attention was no longer the same. He was fixated with searching the floor for remnants of puperoni that may have been dropped by the trainer.
We do have 2 items for homework this week
1 - "Watch me" for Coop to look me in the eye when I say "watch me"
2 - and this is the one he hates - "Massage and cradle". Yes, I have to massage and cradle him as part of this weeks homework exercise. I'm not exactly certain why, when she was going over that I was also trying to convince him that there were no bits of puperoni that he hadn't already found.
Unfortunately he did the shortest attention span.
Treats are definitely his motivation. If Coop knows that you've got a treat in your hand, he will track you. Even if he is sitting still, his head follows you wherever you go -- thats what he did to the trainer. He knew that she had a treat in her hand, I wouldn't let him go and jump on her, I kept making him sit, so he tracked her with his eyes willing her to give him a piece of that puperoni.
Shes telling us to not tell the dogs "no" when they do some undesired behavior, because then if they hear us say "no" in normal conversation it can be confusing to them. So, shes telling us to try to come up with some other sound, like how Cesar Millan says "Tsshh!" or something similar. She goes on to say that if we're already in the habit of saying "no" and can't break that habit, to always pair "no" with the action so that we're saying "no jump" or "no bite" or "no bark"
This whole time, Cooper has been staring her down for that puperoni in her hand. Right as she says "no bark" he lets out with a not too quiet "ARARRWARORWERAROW!"
Of course, she starts laughing and walks over and gives him a treat. She said "no bark" so he barks, and she gives him a treat. I'm thinking she's a worse pushover for his cuteness than even I may be.
About half way through class he started pawing at the door and standing up, trying to paw at the door knob, to let me know that he needed to go potty. So, I take him outside and he goes potty, but once we got back into class his attention was no longer the same. He was fixated with searching the floor for remnants of puperoni that may have been dropped by the trainer.
We do have 2 items for homework this week
1 - "Watch me" for Coop to look me in the eye when I say "watch me"
2 - and this is the one he hates - "Massage and cradle". Yes, I have to massage and cradle him as part of this weeks homework exercise. I'm not exactly certain why, when she was going over that I was also trying to convince him that there were no bits of puperoni that he hadn't already found.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Super Lazy Weekend.. Well, Not Really
I had two photography jobs this weekend - both were for a non-profit charity, photographing a childrens fashion show. It was for next to no pay, but I have zero experience photographing fashion shows, so I figure that it got me some experience out of it and I was able to learn that I don't particularly care to photograph fashion shows - at least not low budget ones that have horrible lighting that create a nightmare for me to go through and make lighting corrections in photoshop afterwards.
Saturday, the job was in Emeryville, and today the job was here in Sacramento.
Yesterday, on the way to Emeryville, I stopped off in Fairfield on the way to drop Cooper off at my aunts house so that he could play with her dogs all day. He LOVED it, it really tired him out and drained him of all energy. He SLEPT like you wouldn't believe last night, and so did I. I am severely allergic to cats, and my aunt has a couple, so when I stopped off at her house in the morning I started having reactions. My aunt gave me one of her Zyrtec, and while this is one of the few drugs that typically doesn't make me drowsy, it did make me drowsy yesterday. I had taken it at about 9 in the morning, and thankfully it didn't cause the drowsiness until that evening. However, once it kicked in, it kicked it... and it kicked in about 1/2 way home from Fairfield. I got home around 6:30 last night and thought that I would just take an hour or so nap to sleep off the drugs. I didn't wake up until about 10:30, and then only got up long enough to get something to eat, then I was back in bed until 9 this morning when I had to get up for todays job. I got home around 4, and again went to bed - this time only until about 7pm. Once up, I ran a bunch of errands and fixed dinner. Considering how little I've actually been awake this weekend, I've gotten a decent amount of chores done.
Tomorrow is Coopers first obedience class. I'm hopeful that he'll do well, he can be a stubborn little bugger though.
This is one of my favorite photos of him from the dog park. He just looks like he's having so much fun!
Saturday, the job was in Emeryville, and today the job was here in Sacramento.
Yesterday, on the way to Emeryville, I stopped off in Fairfield on the way to drop Cooper off at my aunts house so that he could play with her dogs all day. He LOVED it, it really tired him out and drained him of all energy. He SLEPT like you wouldn't believe last night, and so did I. I am severely allergic to cats, and my aunt has a couple, so when I stopped off at her house in the morning I started having reactions. My aunt gave me one of her Zyrtec, and while this is one of the few drugs that typically doesn't make me drowsy, it did make me drowsy yesterday. I had taken it at about 9 in the morning, and thankfully it didn't cause the drowsiness until that evening. However, once it kicked in, it kicked it... and it kicked in about 1/2 way home from Fairfield. I got home around 6:30 last night and thought that I would just take an hour or so nap to sleep off the drugs. I didn't wake up until about 10:30, and then only got up long enough to get something to eat, then I was back in bed until 9 this morning when I had to get up for todays job. I got home around 4, and again went to bed - this time only until about 7pm. Once up, I ran a bunch of errands and fixed dinner. Considering how little I've actually been awake this weekend, I've gotten a decent amount of chores done.
Tomorrow is Coopers first obedience class. I'm hopeful that he'll do well, he can be a stubborn little bugger though.
This is one of my favorite photos of him from the dog park. He just looks like he's having so much fun!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Frugal Living
The past couple of months I've been staying in a lot more - less going out to the pub with friends, less dining out, less entertainment.
I wish I could be virtuous and say that this was all in an attempt to save money, or to curb the extravagances. I am not that virtuous.
All of this started when Cooper went missing, I was coming home in the evenings because I didn't feel like being out with friends while he was missing - I wanted to be near home in case anyone called saying that he'd been found, I wanted to drive around my area to check on all of the flyers I'd put up to ensure that they were still there.
This had a domino effect in that it resulted in me staying in and cooking the household meals more often, spending less on dining out, less on going to the pub, less on entertainment.
Theres been a couple of byproducts of this. The first is that I'm exploring my culinary skills more than I have in the past, and with some pretty good results. I've discovered the slow cooker. I can not believe that I have never cooked with a slow cooker before - its like magic! I put some stuff in the pot in the mornings, and when I get home from work that night, VOILA! Dinner is ready and the house smells heavenly.
Since its been chilly, grey, rainy and dreary for what feels like well over a month now, I've been doing some comfort foods - chicken breasts with stuffing, beef stew, chicken and dumplings (not in the slow cooker). I've been looking up various slow cooker recipes, getting tips from friends and coworkers, and experimenting a little on my own.
I've gotten some good results, and I've gotten some "eh" results. Thankfully, I haven't gotten any horribly disgusting results.
I've been able to catch up on a few long neglected chores around the house, I've read some good books, watched some good movies. Its nice to be a homebody for a while.
My newest experiment? I'm making my own laundry detergent.
Thats right, bitches. I'm making my own laundry detergent.
I'd seen this about a year or so ago and was curious to make my own laundry detergent at that time, but just never got around to it. Why would I want to sit at home and grate a bar of laundry soap when I could be out doing stuff with friends?
Tonight, I started the process. I had finally found all of the ingredients (bar laundry soap, Borax, washing soda, oxy clean) so this evening I sat down to watch Survivor with a cheese grater and a bar of soap - only took about 10 minutes. Totally worth it to save the amount of money, and phosphates, that this is supposed to.
The hardest ingredient to find was the washing soda. I couldn't find it at my normal grocery store, it wasn't at Walmart (and they carry everything!). I finally found it at my local Food Maxx, but I imagine that it would probably be at similar non-unionized discount grocers - possibly Food 4 Less or WinCo. The other item I had a little trouble locating was the bar soap - I found bar soap everywhere, it was just the specific brand, Fels Naptha, that was indicated. After reading a few other sites about making your own detergent, I went with Zote brand - that I was able to find EVERYWHERE. I also read sites that indicated the Fels Naptha brand is sometimes found with body soaps despite it being labeled as a laundry soap, and I also read that castile soaps, such as Dr. Bronners, works well too.
The recipe indicates that one bar of Fels Naptha is supposed to yield about 2 cups when grated. I got a considerable amount more - SIX cups. I don't know if the Zote bar is larger than the Fels Naptha, or what - but this allowed me to triple the recipe.
The cost savings is amazingly cheap. A box of Borax was about $3, the box of washing soda was around $2, the bar of Zote was about $1.50, and I was able to pick up the Oxy Clean at a local $1 store. Total cost - roughly $7.50, plus I have enough Borax, washing detergent, and Oxy Clean left for at least another triple batch. Estimating I can buy another bar of soap for $1.50 and make another triple batch, that brings total costs up to $9 - lets say $10 when you factor in the sales tax.
Another perk is that a light load of laundry uses only 1 Tbsp, a large or heavy load takes 2 Tbsp. That means that ONE batch will give you enough detergent for approximately 35 large or heavy loads, so six batches will accommodate 210 large or heavy loads... I'll round down to 200 for easy math.
200 loads of laundry for a total cost of $10 - thats only 5 cents per load. Much cheaper than Tide or Arm & Hammer.
I haven't actually tried this just yet - I only finished mixing it all together about 30 minutes ago. However, as soon as I finish my first load, I'll let you know how it turns out. Just from looking at it I would suggest that you keep it in an airtight container, obviously, but would also suggest that you shake the container before each use. From what I can tell already, it seems as though the powder ingredients (Borax, washing soda and oxy clean) have a tendency to settle to the bottom.
Reading through the comments on the original recipe that I followed, people seem to indicate that this formula is great for HE washers because it generates less suds, and that it is ideal for hot temperature washes. However, if you need to do a load in a cold wash, users seemed to have good results when they ran the washer on warm or hot for the first 30-45 seconds or so, then switched to cold water.
Users also said that this worked perfectly for those with ultra-sensitive skin, ideal for babies, and much better for the environment than standard commercial detergents. When I make the next batch, I think I will consdier using a Dr Bronners castile soap rather than the Zote. I would definitely use a castile soap if I were using this on laundry for an infant - more natural ingredients since the Zote or Fels Naptha do still contain some petro-chemicals.
I've been told that there is a way to use these same ingredients and by boiling them down you can make a liquid laundry detergent... I just didn't feel like "cooking" laundry detergent and thought I'd go with the powder formula first. However, here is the liquid version in case you're interested, I may try this next time rather than another powder version.
I wish I could be virtuous and say that this was all in an attempt to save money, or to curb the extravagances. I am not that virtuous.
All of this started when Cooper went missing, I was coming home in the evenings because I didn't feel like being out with friends while he was missing - I wanted to be near home in case anyone called saying that he'd been found, I wanted to drive around my area to check on all of the flyers I'd put up to ensure that they were still there.
This had a domino effect in that it resulted in me staying in and cooking the household meals more often, spending less on dining out, less on going to the pub, less on entertainment.
Theres been a couple of byproducts of this. The first is that I'm exploring my culinary skills more than I have in the past, and with some pretty good results. I've discovered the slow cooker. I can not believe that I have never cooked with a slow cooker before - its like magic! I put some stuff in the pot in the mornings, and when I get home from work that night, VOILA! Dinner is ready and the house smells heavenly.
Since its been chilly, grey, rainy and dreary for what feels like well over a month now, I've been doing some comfort foods - chicken breasts with stuffing, beef stew, chicken and dumplings (not in the slow cooker). I've been looking up various slow cooker recipes, getting tips from friends and coworkers, and experimenting a little on my own.
I've gotten some good results, and I've gotten some "eh" results. Thankfully, I haven't gotten any horribly disgusting results.
I've been able to catch up on a few long neglected chores around the house, I've read some good books, watched some good movies. Its nice to be a homebody for a while.
My newest experiment? I'm making my own laundry detergent.
Thats right, bitches. I'm making my own laundry detergent.
I'd seen this about a year or so ago and was curious to make my own laundry detergent at that time, but just never got around to it. Why would I want to sit at home and grate a bar of laundry soap when I could be out doing stuff with friends?
Tonight, I started the process. I had finally found all of the ingredients (bar laundry soap, Borax, washing soda, oxy clean) so this evening I sat down to watch Survivor with a cheese grater and a bar of soap - only took about 10 minutes. Totally worth it to save the amount of money, and phosphates, that this is supposed to.
The hardest ingredient to find was the washing soda. I couldn't find it at my normal grocery store, it wasn't at Walmart (and they carry everything!). I finally found it at my local Food Maxx, but I imagine that it would probably be at similar non-unionized discount grocers - possibly Food 4 Less or WinCo. The other item I had a little trouble locating was the bar soap - I found bar soap everywhere, it was just the specific brand, Fels Naptha, that was indicated. After reading a few other sites about making your own detergent, I went with Zote brand - that I was able to find EVERYWHERE. I also read sites that indicated the Fels Naptha brand is sometimes found with body soaps despite it being labeled as a laundry soap, and I also read that castile soaps, such as Dr. Bronners, works well too.
The recipe indicates that one bar of Fels Naptha is supposed to yield about 2 cups when grated. I got a considerable amount more - SIX cups. I don't know if the Zote bar is larger than the Fels Naptha, or what - but this allowed me to triple the recipe.
The cost savings is amazingly cheap. A box of Borax was about $3, the box of washing soda was around $2, the bar of Zote was about $1.50, and I was able to pick up the Oxy Clean at a local $1 store. Total cost - roughly $7.50, plus I have enough Borax, washing detergent, and Oxy Clean left for at least another triple batch. Estimating I can buy another bar of soap for $1.50 and make another triple batch, that brings total costs up to $9 - lets say $10 when you factor in the sales tax.
Another perk is that a light load of laundry uses only 1 Tbsp, a large or heavy load takes 2 Tbsp. That means that ONE batch will give you enough detergent for approximately 35 large or heavy loads, so six batches will accommodate 210 large or heavy loads... I'll round down to 200 for easy math.
200 loads of laundry for a total cost of $10 - thats only 5 cents per load. Much cheaper than Tide or Arm & Hammer.
I haven't actually tried this just yet - I only finished mixing it all together about 30 minutes ago. However, as soon as I finish my first load, I'll let you know how it turns out. Just from looking at it I would suggest that you keep it in an airtight container, obviously, but would also suggest that you shake the container before each use. From what I can tell already, it seems as though the powder ingredients (Borax, washing soda and oxy clean) have a tendency to settle to the bottom.
Reading through the comments on the original recipe that I followed, people seem to indicate that this formula is great for HE washers because it generates less suds, and that it is ideal for hot temperature washes. However, if you need to do a load in a cold wash, users seemed to have good results when they ran the washer on warm or hot for the first 30-45 seconds or so, then switched to cold water.
Users also said that this worked perfectly for those with ultra-sensitive skin, ideal for babies, and much better for the environment than standard commercial detergents. When I make the next batch, I think I will consdier using a Dr Bronners castile soap rather than the Zote. I would definitely use a castile soap if I were using this on laundry for an infant - more natural ingredients since the Zote or Fels Naptha do still contain some petro-chemicals.
I've been told that there is a way to use these same ingredients and by boiling them down you can make a liquid laundry detergent... I just didn't feel like "cooking" laundry detergent and thought I'd go with the powder formula first. However, here is the liquid version in case you're interested, I may try this next time rather than another powder version.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Dog Days
It wasn't that long ago that Cooper spent a week at the vets, being treated for parvovirus. At that time, I was worried that he wouldn't make it through the illness, or that if he did, he would never be the same energetic pup that he had been just days before.
Then, he managed to escape from my yard. Twice. The first time was just for 3 days, but the second time was for three entire weeks. Thankfully, I was able to bring him home where he has remained ever since.
Once he was neutered, microchipped, fully vaccinated, and had healed from the neutering, I wanted to take him to the dog park. I wanted to get him out with other dogs so that he could play off some of his excess energy and socialize with other dogs. Unfortunately, the weather the past couple of weeks has prevented a trip to the dog park. Saturday, there was a break in rain so Cooper and I went.
It was fantastic to watch him play with everyone. Hilarious because you could tell that he was a little overwhelmed at first... so many butts to sniff, where to start?
It was wonderful to see him running and playing with all of the other dogs -- he was especially interested in a Miniature Australian Shepherd and a Pug mix. He was also intrigued by the big dogs (he thinks he is one) on the other side of the fence.
An hour at the dog park works up quite a thirst.
Then, he managed to escape from my yard. Twice. The first time was just for 3 days, but the second time was for three entire weeks. Thankfully, I was able to bring him home where he has remained ever since.
Once he was neutered, microchipped, fully vaccinated, and had healed from the neutering, I wanted to take him to the dog park. I wanted to get him out with other dogs so that he could play off some of his excess energy and socialize with other dogs. Unfortunately, the weather the past couple of weeks has prevented a trip to the dog park. Saturday, there was a break in rain so Cooper and I went.
It was fantastic to watch him play with everyone. Hilarious because you could tell that he was a little overwhelmed at first... so many butts to sniff, where to start?
It was wonderful to see him running and playing with all of the other dogs -- he was especially interested in a Miniature Australian Shepherd and a Pug mix. He was also intrigued by the big dogs (he thinks he is one) on the other side of the fence.
An hour at the dog park works up quite a thirst.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
"So, thats what it takes to get Vanessa to exercise"
Yesterday I came home from work and as I pulled into my driveway, I saw a woman down the street trying to get a hold of a small black dog that was running down the road.
Initially, my heart skipped about a dozen beats. My very first thought was that Cooper had somehow managed to get out of the yard, again. Thankfully, that was not the case. I ran up a little ways to ask the woman if she needed help catching her dog. The dog wasn't hers, but we could see that the dog had a collar with tags so we wanted to grab him so that, one, he wouldn't get hit, and two, we could call his owner.
The dog was being INCREDIBLY evasive, so I ran into my house to grab some milk bones, hoping to lure him close enough for me to get a grip on his collar. He did come up for the milk bone, but snatched it out of my hand and took off before I could grab him. This woman (who's name I never got) and I walked/jogged/ran this dog for over 40 minutes. Two more women in the neighborhood joined us in our efforts.
Collectively, were getting really concerned for this little guy. It was getting dark and our street is not well lit in addition to having a lot of trees, so it gets pretty dark, and this dog is solid black. On top of that, people have a tendency to drive down our street way too fast. One man in particular came flying down the street as we're standing in the middle of it, waving flashlights at him and waving our arms for him to slow down. He sees the dog at the last minute and slams on his brakes, barely missing this dog. He was suddenly ambushed by four women cursing him out to "Slow the F down when you drive on our street!"
For 40 minutes we followed this dog, circling back, venturing down different driveways in the attempt to get him out of harms way and back to his home.
In the end he ran into someones front yard where there were two children, a boy and a girl. When he allowed the little girl to hold on to him, we thought he'd found his home. Not so, he lives in the house across the street. The little boy started walking over to the dogs home, telling me that he had been trying to bring the dog home since he got out of school that afternoon and had chased him about 2 miles down the road, but stopped when they got to a busy intersection because he was afraid that the dog would run out into traffic and get hit.
When the boy went up to the door of the owner and told her that her dog was over in her yard but that he didn't bring him over because he didn't have a leash and was afraid that the dog would get away again.
Now, if I go back to last month, and if a neighbor had come over to tell me that Cooper was in their yard across the street, I would have been pounding pavement to get my behind over there to bring him home. This dog had been out at least since that boy had gotten out of school that afternoon - about 4 hours - and this woman was not out looking for him.
Do you want to know what he said to the boy who had her dog over in his yard?
A flat toned "oh, do you want his leash so you can bring him over?".
I was outraged that she showed so little concern over her pet. Add that lack of concern to how obvious it was that the dog was not well socialized around people, and I would be willing to bet money that the poor thing is put out in a yard and left there, alone, given very little interaction with people. At that point, I just walked away because I knew that if I started to say anything to this woman, it would not go well and that I would probably be less than kind - not a good example to set in front of the boy that was there. So, I walked back home.
I was sweaty, out of breath, and realized that considering I had just had more exercise in those 40 minutes that I have had in several months, that I am in the worst physical shape that I have ever been. When I got home and sat down, I started coughing... a very productive cough. Not. Good. Smoking. Bad.
So, what did I do? I sent the following text message to a couple of friends:
Because what do you do after coming to the realization that you're in incredibly poor physical shape? You go drink and smoke.
Cooper and I get to the pub and as I walk in to the bar, one of my friends looks at me and starts laughing.
"Can I tell you what my first thought was when I got your text?"
"Sure."
"So, thats what it takes to get Vanessa to exercise. Just dangle a poor lost animal in front of you."
I looked at her and said, "yep, you're about right."
So, if I could just find a lost animal to chase for about 40-45 minutes, twice a week, then that could save me from some monthly gym fees. Or, I could just join that gym.
Initially, my heart skipped about a dozen beats. My very first thought was that Cooper had somehow managed to get out of the yard, again. Thankfully, that was not the case. I ran up a little ways to ask the woman if she needed help catching her dog. The dog wasn't hers, but we could see that the dog had a collar with tags so we wanted to grab him so that, one, he wouldn't get hit, and two, we could call his owner.
The dog was being INCREDIBLY evasive, so I ran into my house to grab some milk bones, hoping to lure him close enough for me to get a grip on his collar. He did come up for the milk bone, but snatched it out of my hand and took off before I could grab him. This woman (who's name I never got) and I walked/jogged/ran this dog for over 40 minutes. Two more women in the neighborhood joined us in our efforts.
Collectively, were getting really concerned for this little guy. It was getting dark and our street is not well lit in addition to having a lot of trees, so it gets pretty dark, and this dog is solid black. On top of that, people have a tendency to drive down our street way too fast. One man in particular came flying down the street as we're standing in the middle of it, waving flashlights at him and waving our arms for him to slow down. He sees the dog at the last minute and slams on his brakes, barely missing this dog. He was suddenly ambushed by four women cursing him out to "Slow the F down when you drive on our street!"
For 40 minutes we followed this dog, circling back, venturing down different driveways in the attempt to get him out of harms way and back to his home.
In the end he ran into someones front yard where there were two children, a boy and a girl. When he allowed the little girl to hold on to him, we thought he'd found his home. Not so, he lives in the house across the street. The little boy started walking over to the dogs home, telling me that he had been trying to bring the dog home since he got out of school that afternoon and had chased him about 2 miles down the road, but stopped when they got to a busy intersection because he was afraid that the dog would run out into traffic and get hit.
When the boy went up to the door of the owner and told her that her dog was over in her yard but that he didn't bring him over because he didn't have a leash and was afraid that the dog would get away again.
Now, if I go back to last month, and if a neighbor had come over to tell me that Cooper was in their yard across the street, I would have been pounding pavement to get my behind over there to bring him home. This dog had been out at least since that boy had gotten out of school that afternoon - about 4 hours - and this woman was not out looking for him.
Do you want to know what he said to the boy who had her dog over in his yard?
A flat toned "oh, do you want his leash so you can bring him over?".
I was outraged that she showed so little concern over her pet. Add that lack of concern to how obvious it was that the dog was not well socialized around people, and I would be willing to bet money that the poor thing is put out in a yard and left there, alone, given very little interaction with people. At that point, I just walked away because I knew that if I started to say anything to this woman, it would not go well and that I would probably be less than kind - not a good example to set in front of the boy that was there. So, I walked back home.
I was sweaty, out of breath, and realized that considering I had just had more exercise in those 40 minutes that I have had in several months, that I am in the worst physical shape that I have ever been. When I got home and sat down, I started coughing... a very productive cough. Not. Good. Smoking. Bad.
So, what did I do? I sent the following text message to a couple of friends:
Omg. Just spent 40 mins running trying to catch a lost dog in my neighborhood. fat + smoker = not meant for running. So going to pub
Because what do you do after coming to the realization that you're in incredibly poor physical shape? You go drink and smoke.
Cooper and I get to the pub and as I walk in to the bar, one of my friends looks at me and starts laughing.
"Can I tell you what my first thought was when I got your text?"
"Sure."
"So, thats what it takes to get Vanessa to exercise. Just dangle a poor lost animal in front of you."
I looked at her and said, "yep, you're about right."
So, if I could just find a lost animal to chase for about 40-45 minutes, twice a week, then that could save me from some monthly gym fees. Or, I could just join that gym.
Monday, February 16, 2009
It's Time To Reclaim My Position
As the master of the house that is.
Before Cooper went missing, he was no where near perfectly trained. He would sit the majority of the time, occaisionally it took more than one time of saying "sit", he would sometimes "stay" but most of the time not, he would occaisionally "heel", and he had gotten past the chewing stage. He definitely needed training. Then, he went missing for 3 weeks and everything regressed.
He will not "stay".
He will not "heel".
He will "sit"... when he thinks theres a treat coming his way.
He is back to chewing on things. He hasn't destroyed anything of worth. Yet, but if he can get something out of the trash, such as an empty treat container, he will chew it up and will chew on USB and power cords that hang off the back of my computer desk. Also, he has started chewing on my hands and arms and on Sams ears and legs.
Like I said, what little training I had accomplished was undone those weeks that he was missing, and I take full responsibility in not correcting it the minute he returned. I've spent the past 2 weeks since he's been home being overindulgent and letting him get away with all of this poor behavior. Now, I'm paying the price in that he does not listen.
It's time for obedience school or training classes of some sort. It is time for me to reclaim my position as the alpha dog in this pack... as his master.
What I need help with is finding classes. Can anyone suggest affordable and effective training? Any opinions on PetSmart or Petco? I think he would do better with a smaller class since he does get very excited whenever he sees other dogs (he wants to play and make friends!!!) but I do think a class setting would be better than private training since we do need to work on his behavior around other dogs.
Before Cooper went missing, he was no where near perfectly trained. He would sit the majority of the time, occaisionally it took more than one time of saying "sit", he would sometimes "stay" but most of the time not, he would occaisionally "heel", and he had gotten past the chewing stage. He definitely needed training. Then, he went missing for 3 weeks and everything regressed.
He will not "stay".
He will not "heel".
He will "sit"... when he thinks theres a treat coming his way.
He is back to chewing on things. He hasn't destroyed anything of worth. Yet, but if he can get something out of the trash, such as an empty treat container, he will chew it up and will chew on USB and power cords that hang off the back of my computer desk. Also, he has started chewing on my hands and arms and on Sams ears and legs.
Like I said, what little training I had accomplished was undone those weeks that he was missing, and I take full responsibility in not correcting it the minute he returned. I've spent the past 2 weeks since he's been home being overindulgent and letting him get away with all of this poor behavior. Now, I'm paying the price in that he does not listen.
It's time for obedience school or training classes of some sort. It is time for me to reclaim my position as the alpha dog in this pack... as his master.
What I need help with is finding classes. Can anyone suggest affordable and effective training? Any opinions on PetSmart or Petco? I think he would do better with a smaller class since he does get very excited whenever he sees other dogs (he wants to play and make friends!!!) but I do think a class setting would be better than private training since we do need to work on his behavior around other dogs.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
It Runs In the Family
Overall, my family is a fairly intelligent group of people. Of course there are certain areas where this is more prevalent than others... as a whole, we tend to pick up languages easily, there a couple very gifted writers, we tend to be ahead of the curve when learning new topics. For some of us, this translates to very practical purposes, for others it applies to more abstract topics.
Despite this, we are all prone to moments of extreme.... dippyness. We all do things that make a person look at us and want to pat us on the head while saying "you're pretty". The one who does this the most frequently is my aunt, Gloria.
A few years ago Gloria was over one day and used my shower. This is something that her and her daughters love to do - use my shower - because one of my self indulgences is bath products. In my shower you are guaranteed to find at least 2 different types of shampoo & conditioner, 3 body washes, and a variety of loofahs and loofah type products.
Anyways, Gloria used my shower and when she came out she said "Hey Ness, I LOVE your new exfoliating glove. Its fanastic! I hope you don't mind that I used it".
Vanessa: No prob... what?
Gloria: Your exfoliating glove.
V: What exfoliating glove?
G: The one in your bathroom. It was on top of the toilet.
V: I don't have an exfoliating glove.
G: Yeah you do - the blue rubbery one.
V: ... :::blinking:::....
G: Hang on, I'll get it.
and she comes back out with this
I busted up laughing.
G: Whats so funny?
V: hahahahaha..snort...hahaha
G; What?
V: Take a good look at that.. hahahaha
G: What?
V: Thats not an exfoliating glove. Thats a grooming glove. I bathe the dogs with it... you're so pretty.
Despite this, we are all prone to moments of extreme.... dippyness. We all do things that make a person look at us and want to pat us on the head while saying "you're pretty". The one who does this the most frequently is my aunt, Gloria.
A few years ago Gloria was over one day and used my shower. This is something that her and her daughters love to do - use my shower - because one of my self indulgences is bath products. In my shower you are guaranteed to find at least 2 different types of shampoo & conditioner, 3 body washes, and a variety of loofahs and loofah type products.
Anyways, Gloria used my shower and when she came out she said "Hey Ness, I LOVE your new exfoliating glove. Its fanastic! I hope you don't mind that I used it".
Vanessa: No prob... what?
Gloria: Your exfoliating glove.
V: What exfoliating glove?
G: The one in your bathroom. It was on top of the toilet.
V: I don't have an exfoliating glove.
G: Yeah you do - the blue rubbery one.
V: ... :::blinking:::....
G: Hang on, I'll get it.
and she comes back out with this
I busted up laughing.
G: Whats so funny?
V: hahahahaha..snort...hahaha
G; What?
V: Take a good look at that.. hahahaha
G: What?
V: Thats not an exfoliating glove. Thats a grooming glove. I bathe the dogs with it... you're so pretty.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A Nessacery Tutorial
Last week news broke that a mortgage company located in Sacramento turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. As this news was about to be broadcast and published, one of the key players chartered a private jet and fled the country. Then it came to light that there were actually three key players and all three had fled the country within the past year.
I've been following this story because the mortgage company in question spent the past year leasing one of the suites in the office building where I work.
The further things unraveled, it turned out that this mortgage company was not actually a Ponzi scheme, but allegedly was purchasing real estate and selling the properties to "straw buyers".
This scheme has allegedly resulted in the fraud of about $100 million from lenders.
On Tuesday, two of these men were detained. One was arrested in Spain where he is being held, and is currently fighting extradition to the US. A second, the one who chartered the private jet, had flown from Las Vegas to Ireland, then from Ireland to Lebanon, then from Lebanon to Canada. In Canada he was attempting to take a taxi across the border where he was arrested.
What have we learned about attempting to flee the US?
1. Research what countries have extradition treaties with the US. Then don't go there.
2. Once you've fled the country, DON'T COME BACK.
3. Criminals are dumb.
Read the whole story here.
I've been following this story because the mortgage company in question spent the past year leasing one of the suites in the office building where I work.
The further things unraveled, it turned out that this mortgage company was not actually a Ponzi scheme, but allegedly was purchasing real estate and selling the properties to "straw buyers".
A "straw buyer" is someone whose credit is used to purchase a property and secure financing. Sometimes they cooperate willingly and sometimes they are victims of identity theft, but it's always illegal.
This scheme has allegedly resulted in the fraud of about $100 million from lenders.
On Tuesday, two of these men were detained. One was arrested in Spain where he is being held, and is currently fighting extradition to the US. A second, the one who chartered the private jet, had flown from Las Vegas to Ireland, then from Ireland to Lebanon, then from Lebanon to Canada. In Canada he was attempting to take a taxi across the border where he was arrested.
What have we learned about attempting to flee the US?
1. Research what countries have extradition treaties with the US. Then don't go there.
2. Once you've fled the country, DON'T COME BACK.
3. Criminals are dumb.
Read the whole story here.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Pork 'n Pasta
A couple days ago I mentioned my compulsion for stocking my pantry with canned beans and tomato products. In an attempt to use up some of those items, I prepared dinner with a couple of them this evening.
I didn't want to go with the obvious chili or stew, so I took a peek at what else I had in the fridge and pantry to see what else I could come up with. I have no idea of what I should call the resulting dish. I'll try to write it up as much like a real recipe as I can.
Ingredients
1 lb gemelli pasta, or similar
1 lb ground pork
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
2 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can canelini beans, rinsed & drained
1 bag spinach, rinsed and torn into pieces
16 oz package sliced mushrooms
Italian seasoning
pepper
olive oil
shredded parmesan (the kind in the little tub, not in a can. Cheese should never come in a can)
Prepare pasta according to package directions (see! already sounding like real recipe). As a standard rule, I always add a little bit of olive oil and garlic salt with parsley to the water that I prepare the pasta in.
In a large pot, pour in a little bit of olive oil. Add in the garlic, onion, and pork and brown all 3 together. Once the pork has been adequately browned, add in the beans and tomatoes (do not drain the tomatoes). Stir in the mushrooms. Allow this mixture to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. At this point, it should look like this:
Rinse, drain and tear the spinach into pieces
Gradually add the spinach to the pork mixture, stirring as you go to allow the spinach to wilt into the sauce. Once you've added in all of the spinach, season to taste with pepper and Italian seasoning. I use the Italian seasoning that comes in one of those grinder bottles.
Serve with shredded parmesan cheese.
I'll probably make this dish again, but do some alterations to it. I think the sauce could have used some tomato past, not much though, maybe just one small can. OR, if I do it again, I may drain the tomatoes completely and add some cream and allow it to cook down some. I'll continue to experiment with it and see what develops.
I didn't want to go with the obvious chili or stew, so I took a peek at what else I had in the fridge and pantry to see what else I could come up with. I have no idea of what I should call the resulting dish. I'll try to write it up as much like a real recipe as I can.
Ingredients
1 lb gemelli pasta, or similar
1 lb ground pork
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
2 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can canelini beans, rinsed & drained
1 bag spinach, rinsed and torn into pieces
16 oz package sliced mushrooms
Italian seasoning
pepper
olive oil
shredded parmesan (the kind in the little tub, not in a can. Cheese should never come in a can)
Prepare pasta according to package directions (see! already sounding like real recipe). As a standard rule, I always add a little bit of olive oil and garlic salt with parsley to the water that I prepare the pasta in.
In a large pot, pour in a little bit of olive oil. Add in the garlic, onion, and pork and brown all 3 together. Once the pork has been adequately browned, add in the beans and tomatoes (do not drain the tomatoes). Stir in the mushrooms. Allow this mixture to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. At this point, it should look like this:
Rinse, drain and tear the spinach into pieces
Gradually add the spinach to the pork mixture, stirring as you go to allow the spinach to wilt into the sauce. Once you've added in all of the spinach, season to taste with pepper and Italian seasoning. I use the Italian seasoning that comes in one of those grinder bottles.
Serve with shredded parmesan cheese.
I'll probably make this dish again, but do some alterations to it. I think the sauce could have used some tomato past, not much though, maybe just one small can. OR, if I do it again, I may drain the tomatoes completely and add some cream and allow it to cook down some. I'll continue to experiment with it and see what develops.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
This. Is. WAR.
Last week, before Cooper came home, I went out back to feed Sam on our patio one evening. Rather than eat, Sam wanted to stay inside. So, I left the bowl of food on the patio thinking that he would eat it when I let him out to go to the bathroom later.
Later, when I let him outside, his dish was empty. What?
So, after he'd gone to the bathroom I put him back in the house, put a little more food in his dish on the patio, and then watched out the window. Within 2-3 minutes, a couple of rats come up and start eating out of the dish. RATS. Mother effing rats! I know that I have to do something about this so I start asking around at work for advise on how to deal with this.
Of course, a number of people suggest that I get d-con, but after what I went through with Maddie last year I am beyond hesitant to use d-con.
I consider the traditional spring action traps, like what you would see on an old episode of Tom & Jerry. But, I'm sure that just like happened to Tom, I would set the trap on myself and only succeed in breaking a finger which in true cartoon fashion would immediately swell to 5 times the size of any other finger and visibly throb a glowing red.
So, I decide to go with glue traps. The last time I went to the store, I did not take a list so of course I forgot to get them. Today I went back to the store. With a list. With the glue traps on the list.
I decided that the only sure way to put the glue traps in a path that the rats would take, would be to put them near food. So, tonight I filled a small bowl with food and completely surrounded it with the traps. An hour later I go to look out the window to see what kind of progress has been made. When I go to the window, what do you think I saw?
THE MOTHER EFFING RATS HAD EFFING MOVED THE G.D. GLUE PADS OUT OF THEIR MOTHER EFFING WAY AND EATEN THE MOTHER EFFING BOWL OF FOOD!!!
Thats right, they moved the traps out of the way so that they could get to the food.
I have no clue what step I will take next, but I WILL win this challenge. I WILL come out the victor.
Any tips or suggestions?
Later, when I let him outside, his dish was empty. What?
So, after he'd gone to the bathroom I put him back in the house, put a little more food in his dish on the patio, and then watched out the window. Within 2-3 minutes, a couple of rats come up and start eating out of the dish. RATS. Mother effing rats! I know that I have to do something about this so I start asking around at work for advise on how to deal with this.
Of course, a number of people suggest that I get d-con, but after what I went through with Maddie last year I am beyond hesitant to use d-con.
I consider the traditional spring action traps, like what you would see on an old episode of Tom & Jerry. But, I'm sure that just like happened to Tom, I would set the trap on myself and only succeed in breaking a finger which in true cartoon fashion would immediately swell to 5 times the size of any other finger and visibly throb a glowing red.
So, I decide to go with glue traps. The last time I went to the store, I did not take a list so of course I forgot to get them. Today I went back to the store. With a list. With the glue traps on the list.
I decided that the only sure way to put the glue traps in a path that the rats would take, would be to put them near food. So, tonight I filled a small bowl with food and completely surrounded it with the traps. An hour later I go to look out the window to see what kind of progress has been made. When I go to the window, what do you think I saw?
THE MOTHER EFFING RATS HAD EFFING MOVED THE G.D. GLUE PADS OUT OF THEIR MOTHER EFFING WAY AND EATEN THE MOTHER EFFING BOWL OF FOOD!!!
Thats right, they moved the traps out of the way so that they could get to the food.
I have no clue what step I will take next, but I WILL win this challenge. I WILL come out the victor.
Any tips or suggestions?
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