There isn't much to tell, but I thought I'd write a quick update on the Skunk Saga. My skunk guy came over last week to evaluate the hole I saw the skunk retreat into when I saw it. To monitor the situation, he put a board loosely over the hole to see if there was any activity coming or going from the cozy little home under the shed. Several weeks later, the board (and the opening) remained untouched. From this, the skunk guy assumed that perhaps I had simply scared the little critter under the shed when we met face to face a few months ago, but the skunk did not take up a permanent residence under the shed. What a relief!
So the skunk guy removed the trap and went on his merry way. It wasn't much later that I realized, "hey!", I paid him $105 to catch a skunk. He left without reimbursing me any money so I phoned him up to inquire if I get a refund since there was no skunk. He said that he charges for a "set up fee" which is nonrefundable (to help pay for gas...whatever). So out $105 I am.
When I first hired the guy, I was under the impression that he "relocates" the critters he catches, but when he arrived at my house he informed me they actually "put them down" because there are just too many. Not to mention that skunks will travel far and long to return to their cozy homes (especially if they have a pantry awaiting them). From another source, I soon learned that the manner in which they "put them down" is death by drowning. This did not sit well with me, and I kept having visions of a pregnant skunk gasping for breath to save her own life as well as the lives of her unborn babies. Too much. Imagine my relief each day I awoke to find that trap empty.
For me, its totally worth $105 to not have the drowning deaths of a cute little skunk family on my conscious. My neighborhood has one lucky skunk mama in its midst.
Showing posts with label Soapbox issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soapbox issues. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How Adam Lambert Ruined American Idol
OK, so I don't focus on pop culture much, but thought this was important enough to write about. Adam Lambert killed American Idol forever. Casual viewers might not notice, and some others might blame the absence of Simon for its demise, but for me, Adam murdered it.
The reason for this is quite simple. Nobody else can live up to him. Nobody will be able to top his eccentric, unpredictable, electrifying performances. The boy has kind of let me down with his post Idol career, but he is the most talented Idol contestant. Ever.
This season's Top 13 are good. They all sing well. Some even have the anticipation factor that makes you eager to see what they are going to do next, but none to the degree that Adam did. Every time he donned the Idol stage, he slayed it. From his costume, to the performance, to the Adam Lambert Scream, that boy slayed it.
I still anticipate him to come into his own and be at the top of his game, I just thought he would be there already. In no way am I the biggest Adam Lambert fan ever, but he did change American Idol. He changed for it for good by raising the bar so high that those who follow, fall short.
And that is my pop culture rant. Hmmmpfh.
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| Adam. He isn't fashioned with a studded codpiece here. At least that we can see. |
The reason for this is quite simple. Nobody else can live up to him. Nobody will be able to top his eccentric, unpredictable, electrifying performances. The boy has kind of let me down with his post Idol career, but he is the most talented Idol contestant. Ever.
This season's Top 13 are good. They all sing well. Some even have the anticipation factor that makes you eager to see what they are going to do next, but none to the degree that Adam did. Every time he donned the Idol stage, he slayed it. From his costume, to the performance, to the Adam Lambert Scream, that boy slayed it.
I still anticipate him to come into his own and be at the top of his game, I just thought he would be there already. In no way am I the biggest Adam Lambert fan ever, but he did change American Idol. He changed for it for good by raising the bar so high that those who follow, fall short.
And that is my pop culture rant. Hmmmpfh.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Gifts that Keep on Giving
The holiday season is upon us. More than that, my Birthday season is upon us as well. In two short months, I get bombarded with unwanted gifts that have no meaning, do not fit in the decor of my house, or do not appeal to me.
To make that point, let me disclose to you what I encountered in a prematurely opened Birthday gift lovingly given to me by a coworker: A set of Thanksgiving kitchen towels likely bought from last year's clearance bin. A dollar store frame outlined with the words "meow". And a cat pin that says, "cats are angels without wings." OK, not a horrible gift to open had I not opened that exact gift one year prior. I have received the exact same contents from the exact same person last year for my Birthday.
Hidden in the depths of my closet sits a bin full of such gifts. A piece of masking tape written with the name of the gift giver sticks to the bottom of each untreasured trinket. The tape reminds me who gave me the present so that I don't end up regifting that gift back to the original purchaser.
There have been Christmases where I have accomplished my entire shopping from that bin in my closet. Since I have made a "no present" pact with most of my friends, my bin is growing sparse. At least sparse of meaningful regiftable gifts; I'm not quite sure who would appreciate a cat frame. More than one resides in that special bin.
The act of regifting is a skilled talent not for the disorganized. I got in trouble twice by my lack of organizational ability when I gave a friend a regifted candle with the name of the giver still attached to the bottom. Oops. Another faux pas was made when I regifted a "New Home" Hallmark Ornament to a friend with the previous year's date on it. Sure, it makes for a fun memory, but really, it just made me amp up my organizational regifting skillz. Yo.
There are rules for regifting. The number one rule is that you must never regift to the person who gave you the gift in the first place. Unless its your Grandma who has dementia. Then it might be acceptable.
You must also never regift to people in the same circle of friends. Say Friend A gave you a present that you in turn gave to Friend B. Friend A and Friend B are also friends. When Friend A visits Friend B and sees the regifted present, you are busted.
Do regift within the same year so you don't have my expired gift faux pax experience.
Most importantly, give the gift to someone who would appreciate it.
My problem this year is that I have an over abundance of cat frames, Thanksgiving kitchen towels, and cat pins. Nobody else would appreciate them. Guess I am stuck with them.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind receiving gifts; however, I don't enjoy getting gifts simply for the sake of getting gifts. If they have meaning, great! But a person can only have so many cat frames laying around.
The gift of time is much more cherished and valuable.
To make that point, let me disclose to you what I encountered in a prematurely opened Birthday gift lovingly given to me by a coworker: A set of Thanksgiving kitchen towels likely bought from last year's clearance bin. A dollar store frame outlined with the words "meow". And a cat pin that says, "cats are angels without wings." OK, not a horrible gift to open had I not opened that exact gift one year prior. I have received the exact same contents from the exact same person last year for my Birthday.
Hidden in the depths of my closet sits a bin full of such gifts. A piece of masking tape written with the name of the gift giver sticks to the bottom of each untreasured trinket. The tape reminds me who gave me the present so that I don't end up regifting that gift back to the original purchaser.
There have been Christmases where I have accomplished my entire shopping from that bin in my closet. Since I have made a "no present" pact with most of my friends, my bin is growing sparse. At least sparse of meaningful regiftable gifts; I'm not quite sure who would appreciate a cat frame. More than one resides in that special bin.
The act of regifting is a skilled talent not for the disorganized. I got in trouble twice by my lack of organizational ability when I gave a friend a regifted candle with the name of the giver still attached to the bottom. Oops. Another faux pas was made when I regifted a "New Home" Hallmark Ornament to a friend with the previous year's date on it. Sure, it makes for a fun memory, but really, it just made me amp up my organizational regifting skillz. Yo.
There are rules for regifting. The number one rule is that you must never regift to the person who gave you the gift in the first place. Unless its your Grandma who has dementia. Then it might be acceptable.
You must also never regift to people in the same circle of friends. Say Friend A gave you a present that you in turn gave to Friend B. Friend A and Friend B are also friends. When Friend A visits Friend B and sees the regifted present, you are busted.
Do regift within the same year so you don't have my expired gift faux pax experience.
Most importantly, give the gift to someone who would appreciate it.
My problem this year is that I have an over abundance of cat frames, Thanksgiving kitchen towels, and cat pins. Nobody else would appreciate them. Guess I am stuck with them.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind receiving gifts; however, I don't enjoy getting gifts simply for the sake of getting gifts. If they have meaning, great! But a person can only have so many cat frames laying around.
The gift of time is much more cherished and valuable.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
On My SoapBox
This may come as a shocker to the general public, but dogs and cats have some bad habits. Before one decides to adopt a dog or cat, one must first educate themselves on some of those "bad habits". Take cats, for example; some cats meow incessantly, some are counter walkers, most are early risers and, in so doing, will wake their respective person. By nature, cats are hunters. Unless a person has an indoor cat, be prepared for gifts of mice, birds, and various other creatures. Its in their nature and should not be punished for such acts. If you, as a human, do not approve of some of these habits, please do not bring a cat into your household.
Dogs: Loveable, Loyal, Excitable, Cuddly....just to name a few of the positives. Along with the good, come the "bad". Poop, Dependency and Barking. Dogs, being dogs, bark. That is what they do. Any human with an ounce of brain matter know that dogs bark. Two year olds learn that.
"What does a doggie say?"
"Woof Woof".
When dogs bark continually, it can be rather annoying and should be handled in a very effective and humane manner. If disciplined appropriately, dogs can learn not to bark, or at least respond to a command to stop. They should not be shocked, hit, kicked or have an object thrown at them for barking! Dogs bark, people!
Not to be mistaken for a hyprocrite, I admit that I have given my naughty dogs and naughty cats spankings. Much the same as a parent might tap their child on the fingers or swat their child on a diapered tushie, I have given spankings. Alternatively, I have also used a squirt bottle and, in fact, sleep with one at my bedside for early morning shenanigans from any one of my 4 felines.
The past few days, I have spoken my mind on two separate occassions to strangers who have, in my opinion, mistreated their furry family member.
The other day, I was outside with my 2 dogs, and the neighbor dog was outside as well. Of course, the neighbor dog saw us and began to bark at us. He just wanted to play too. Then his owner came out the door, yelled at the dog, and then proceeded to hit the dog forcefully. I spoke out and told that guy he didn't need to hit his dog. He looked at me surprised and brought his dog back inside the house. Hopefully he didn't hit him anymore.
Then today, I took my dogs for a walk on the street. We passed a house that had dogs in the yard and the owner was outside doing yardwork. Naturally, his dog began to bark at us trespassers and the guy picks up what I thought was a rock and threw it very hard at the dog.
I spoke up. "Dogs bark. You don't need to throw things at him!"
He responds, "Oh, it was his tennis ball". As if that made it alright. He threw that ball at that dog so loudly that I could hear it hit the dog from where I was standing; across the street.
It feels good to stand up for what I think is right and I am going to continue doing so. Whether it be animals, kids, or the elderly, I'm going to tell it like it is, and report anything I think needs to be reported.
Be kind!
Dogs: Loveable, Loyal, Excitable, Cuddly....just to name a few of the positives. Along with the good, come the "bad". Poop, Dependency and Barking. Dogs, being dogs, bark. That is what they do. Any human with an ounce of brain matter know that dogs bark. Two year olds learn that.
"What does a doggie say?"
"Woof Woof".
When dogs bark continually, it can be rather annoying and should be handled in a very effective and humane manner. If disciplined appropriately, dogs can learn not to bark, or at least respond to a command to stop. They should not be shocked, hit, kicked or have an object thrown at them for barking! Dogs bark, people!
Not to be mistaken for a hyprocrite, I admit that I have given my naughty dogs and naughty cats spankings. Much the same as a parent might tap their child on the fingers or swat their child on a diapered tushie, I have given spankings. Alternatively, I have also used a squirt bottle and, in fact, sleep with one at my bedside for early morning shenanigans from any one of my 4 felines.
The past few days, I have spoken my mind on two separate occassions to strangers who have, in my opinion, mistreated their furry family member.
The other day, I was outside with my 2 dogs, and the neighbor dog was outside as well. Of course, the neighbor dog saw us and began to bark at us. He just wanted to play too. Then his owner came out the door, yelled at the dog, and then proceeded to hit the dog forcefully. I spoke out and told that guy he didn't need to hit his dog. He looked at me surprised and brought his dog back inside the house. Hopefully he didn't hit him anymore.
Then today, I took my dogs for a walk on the street. We passed a house that had dogs in the yard and the owner was outside doing yardwork. Naturally, his dog began to bark at us trespassers and the guy picks up what I thought was a rock and threw it very hard at the dog.
I spoke up. "Dogs bark. You don't need to throw things at him!"
He responds, "Oh, it was his tennis ball". As if that made it alright. He threw that ball at that dog so loudly that I could hear it hit the dog from where I was standing; across the street.
It feels good to stand up for what I think is right and I am going to continue doing so. Whether it be animals, kids, or the elderly, I'm going to tell it like it is, and report anything I think needs to be reported.
Be kind!
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