Saturday, April 22, 2006
In praise of desperation
First, the news:
We saw an ad for the new movie "Over the Hedge"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327084/
and they showed a bit where Sammy the squirrel sticks the nozzle for a can of Cheez Whiz in his mouth, and the cheese (cheez?) squirts out of his nose in long streams; my husband laughed... and laughed... and laughed. I finally protested:
Me: It's not that funny!!
Him: Yes it IS!!
Me: No, it's NOT!!
Him: Are we talking about the same thing? The squirrel and the...
Me: Yes, and the Cheez Whiz, and it's NOT that funny.
Him: To a guy it is.
Me: {sigh}
Him: Aw, come on, that's funny.
Me: Call me crazy, but I don't find stuff spouting out of an animal's nose to be amusing.
Undaunted, he laughed on and off for most of an hour. {rolls eyes}
A little later, I was coming back from a bathroom break, and was slooooowly approaching the area near the sliding glass door so as to not frighten any animal visitors, craning my neck to search the patio... and a startled raccoon looked back in at me. I started in with the usual croon of "Hi, hi baby, hi precious"... and he RAN!! For a moment I thought it was the beta male, who's become much braver but is still skittish, but this coon had no tail; this was another new one, our FOURTH!! I was very distressed to see that he'd suffered such a major loss, and that I'd inadvertently timed my return so as to scare him away from the food; I hope he comes back soon, and that we can make his life happier by providing him with easy meals.
It wasn't long after that that the alpha male and the female came; we here horrified to see that he was limping, holding one of his front paws up so he wasn't touching the ground with it... there was no sign of blood or wounds, but it was swollen. He didn't appear to be having any trouble using his "arm," and none of his "fingers" looked messed up, so he must have sprained his "wrist" or injured his "palm"; we'll never know for sure, as we unfortunately can't take him to the vet as we could with a pet. He ate plenty of food, but didn't look like he'd be able to climb back up the patio pole; the female climbed up a bush and then onto the fence, which none of them had ever done before, and my husband said "It's almost as if she's trying it out to find a way for him to climb up," and I think it's entirely possible... they're THAT smart. He did eventually manage to climb up somehow; after they were gone, my husband put a ladder against the fence, and propped the gate open enough for the coons to get through it, to facilitate the male getting in and out, but, although they appeared briefly walking along the top of the fence (they'd been on the roof) and sniffed and touched the ladder, neither of them tried it, and they didn't come back.
We're deeply concerned about the male's fate; raccoons need to be able to run and climb, and they use their paws constantly, the way we use our hands, so if he has broken bones in that paw it could easily lead to his death from falling or being run over, and he'll be severely limited as to how he can feed himself... our only consolation is that he has unlimited food and water on our patio, so if he can manage to get in one more time, and find the open gate, he won't starve. If he has a long walk to where he sleeps, though, or alot of climbing to do to reach it... if he can't get to safety by daylight... the downside of all the pleasure we get from the wild animals that visit us is that we suffer endlessly when something happens to them, because there's nothing we can do to help them.
And now for the main course: If there's one thing that's a sure bet to scare someone off from becoming romantically interested in you, hiring you, or even befriending you, it's desperation; even the tiniest hint of desperation will usually do the trick. WHY? We're not put off by EVIL, in fact we're usually attracted to it, so what possible excuse is there to head for the hills at the 1st sign of desperation, which is harmless and not generally indicative of any problems with the person projecting it (there's an exception, which I'll get to)? Let's take it case by case:
1) Romantic desperation: all this means is that the person didn't hook up with someone right away when they started trying, and the normal self-doubt and worry that any normal human feels when it starts to seem as if something important might be beyond their reach has set in... it does NOT mean that they're not 100% as terrific as any other person you'll meet. Nearly everyone is desperate at some point in their single life, usually more than once, so to dismiss someone as a romantic possibility, to reject or ignore them, when you might be interested in them were they NOT desperate, is flat-out stupid... and that goes double if you have no other prospects at that time. Heck, a desperate person will go out of their way to accommodate whoever they end up with, so they're a BETTER deal than a non-desperate one; if I were ever single again, and was acquitted (lol), I'd head to a scifi convention and make a beeline for the geeks who haven't had a woman in 10 years, believe me.
But, won't a desperate person be clingy and needy in a relationship? No more so than anyone else, since EVERY sort of person can be a desperate single... provided that they're not in the "exception category" discussed below.
2) Workforce desperation: this is most often seen in job interviews, and simply means that the person has been unemployed long enough that their bills are looming large... which these days can be a matter of a week or 2. Studies show that employers decide if they want to hire an applicant within 30 seconds of meeting them, and, sadly, this means that the negative reaction people have to desperation often prevents the folks who need jobs the most from getting them; not only is this unfair and bound to be karmically bad, it's foolish as well, because a person who's desperate will work 10X as hard as a person who's NOT, who has options and doesn't need the job as intensely... and isn't a really hard-working employee the best value for your company's $?
3) Friendship desperation: here's where you have to make a judgment call. A person can be desperate for friendship because of circumstances, such as just having moved to a new place, or their best friend having moved away and left them at a loss, or because they've entered a new phase of life, such as marrying or having kids, and their old friends can no longer empathize with their troubles... OR, they can be desperate for friendship because they have clinical depression (or some other so-called "mental" illness) and/or are wildly socially inept, haven't had ANY friends in a long time, or maybe never, are lonely and unhappy, and are trying mightily to have someone in their life to provide them with some human contact. The former are just regular folks, and you can have a regular friendship with them, with the added bonus of their gratitude that you were there for them when they needed someone. As to the latter group... I hate to have to say this, but... after years of offering friendship to any who asked for it, I've seen over and over that people like these are incapable of accepting and appreciating friendship, incapable of BEING friends, and no matter how much you bend over backwards for them will either end the relationship (because they can't handle it) or mistreat you until YOU do so in self-defense; with folks like this you DO need to see their desperation as a sign that you should avoid them, but they're the ONLY exception to the otherwise superior benefits of bringing desperate people into your life.
You can't stop having the knee-jerk aversion to desperate people, but you can choose, CHOOSE, to ask yourself why you're put off by someone, and, if desperation is all you can honestly come up with, you can decide to get to know them better and judge them on their actual merits... and to remind yourself that their desperation works in your favor (with that 1 exception) if your resolve fails. Why should you make this extra effort, aside from the fact that it'll BENEFIT you? Because it's the nice thing to do. Because it's the right thing to do. Because one day YOU will be the desperate one, and you'll want people to give YOU a chance.
This is one of the scariest things about human nature; that all too often, if you want to have the most positive possible experiences with people, your best bet is to pursue those you're repelled by, and reject those you're overwhelmingly drawn to ("bad" boys/girls, charming sociopaths and other evil types). Most folks tell you to "trust your gut" about people, but not me; while I DO think you should listen to your gut if it's telling you that someone is doing something wrong, or getting ready to, because those sorts of feelings tend to be accurate, in general I say to IGNORE your gut... use your BRAIN instead, because it's the only organ in your body that can truly tell a good person from a bad one.
We saw an ad for the new movie "Over the Hedge"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327084/
and they showed a bit where Sammy the squirrel sticks the nozzle for a can of Cheez Whiz in his mouth, and the cheese (cheez?) squirts out of his nose in long streams; my husband laughed... and laughed... and laughed. I finally protested:
Me: It's not that funny!!
Him: Yes it IS!!
Me: No, it's NOT!!
Him: Are we talking about the same thing? The squirrel and the...
Me: Yes, and the Cheez Whiz, and it's NOT that funny.
Him: To a guy it is.
Me: {sigh}
Him: Aw, come on, that's funny.
Me: Call me crazy, but I don't find stuff spouting out of an animal's nose to be amusing.
Undaunted, he laughed on and off for most of an hour. {rolls eyes}
A little later, I was coming back from a bathroom break, and was slooooowly approaching the area near the sliding glass door so as to not frighten any animal visitors, craning my neck to search the patio... and a startled raccoon looked back in at me. I started in with the usual croon of "Hi, hi baby, hi precious"... and he RAN!! For a moment I thought it was the beta male, who's become much braver but is still skittish, but this coon had no tail; this was another new one, our FOURTH!! I was very distressed to see that he'd suffered such a major loss, and that I'd inadvertently timed my return so as to scare him away from the food; I hope he comes back soon, and that we can make his life happier by providing him with easy meals.
It wasn't long after that that the alpha male and the female came; we here horrified to see that he was limping, holding one of his front paws up so he wasn't touching the ground with it... there was no sign of blood or wounds, but it was swollen. He didn't appear to be having any trouble using his "arm," and none of his "fingers" looked messed up, so he must have sprained his "wrist" or injured his "palm"; we'll never know for sure, as we unfortunately can't take him to the vet as we could with a pet. He ate plenty of food, but didn't look like he'd be able to climb back up the patio pole; the female climbed up a bush and then onto the fence, which none of them had ever done before, and my husband said "It's almost as if she's trying it out to find a way for him to climb up," and I think it's entirely possible... they're THAT smart. He did eventually manage to climb up somehow; after they were gone, my husband put a ladder against the fence, and propped the gate open enough for the coons to get through it, to facilitate the male getting in and out, but, although they appeared briefly walking along the top of the fence (they'd been on the roof) and sniffed and touched the ladder, neither of them tried it, and they didn't come back.
We're deeply concerned about the male's fate; raccoons need to be able to run and climb, and they use their paws constantly, the way we use our hands, so if he has broken bones in that paw it could easily lead to his death from falling or being run over, and he'll be severely limited as to how he can feed himself... our only consolation is that he has unlimited food and water on our patio, so if he can manage to get in one more time, and find the open gate, he won't starve. If he has a long walk to where he sleeps, though, or alot of climbing to do to reach it... if he can't get to safety by daylight... the downside of all the pleasure we get from the wild animals that visit us is that we suffer endlessly when something happens to them, because there's nothing we can do to help them.
And now for the main course: If there's one thing that's a sure bet to scare someone off from becoming romantically interested in you, hiring you, or even befriending you, it's desperation; even the tiniest hint of desperation will usually do the trick. WHY? We're not put off by EVIL, in fact we're usually attracted to it, so what possible excuse is there to head for the hills at the 1st sign of desperation, which is harmless and not generally indicative of any problems with the person projecting it (there's an exception, which I'll get to)? Let's take it case by case:
1) Romantic desperation: all this means is that the person didn't hook up with someone right away when they started trying, and the normal self-doubt and worry that any normal human feels when it starts to seem as if something important might be beyond their reach has set in... it does NOT mean that they're not 100% as terrific as any other person you'll meet. Nearly everyone is desperate at some point in their single life, usually more than once, so to dismiss someone as a romantic possibility, to reject or ignore them, when you might be interested in them were they NOT desperate, is flat-out stupid... and that goes double if you have no other prospects at that time. Heck, a desperate person will go out of their way to accommodate whoever they end up with, so they're a BETTER deal than a non-desperate one; if I were ever single again, and was acquitted (lol), I'd head to a scifi convention and make a beeline for the geeks who haven't had a woman in 10 years, believe me.
But, won't a desperate person be clingy and needy in a relationship? No more so than anyone else, since EVERY sort of person can be a desperate single... provided that they're not in the "exception category" discussed below.
2) Workforce desperation: this is most often seen in job interviews, and simply means that the person has been unemployed long enough that their bills are looming large... which these days can be a matter of a week or 2. Studies show that employers decide if they want to hire an applicant within 30 seconds of meeting them, and, sadly, this means that the negative reaction people have to desperation often prevents the folks who need jobs the most from getting them; not only is this unfair and bound to be karmically bad, it's foolish as well, because a person who's desperate will work 10X as hard as a person who's NOT, who has options and doesn't need the job as intensely... and isn't a really hard-working employee the best value for your company's $?
3) Friendship desperation: here's where you have to make a judgment call. A person can be desperate for friendship because of circumstances, such as just having moved to a new place, or their best friend having moved away and left them at a loss, or because they've entered a new phase of life, such as marrying or having kids, and their old friends can no longer empathize with their troubles... OR, they can be desperate for friendship because they have clinical depression (or some other so-called "mental" illness) and/or are wildly socially inept, haven't had ANY friends in a long time, or maybe never, are lonely and unhappy, and are trying mightily to have someone in their life to provide them with some human contact. The former are just regular folks, and you can have a regular friendship with them, with the added bonus of their gratitude that you were there for them when they needed someone. As to the latter group... I hate to have to say this, but... after years of offering friendship to any who asked for it, I've seen over and over that people like these are incapable of accepting and appreciating friendship, incapable of BEING friends, and no matter how much you bend over backwards for them will either end the relationship (because they can't handle it) or mistreat you until YOU do so in self-defense; with folks like this you DO need to see their desperation as a sign that you should avoid them, but they're the ONLY exception to the otherwise superior benefits of bringing desperate people into your life.
You can't stop having the knee-jerk aversion to desperate people, but you can choose, CHOOSE, to ask yourself why you're put off by someone, and, if desperation is all you can honestly come up with, you can decide to get to know them better and judge them on their actual merits... and to remind yourself that their desperation works in your favor (with that 1 exception) if your resolve fails. Why should you make this extra effort, aside from the fact that it'll BENEFIT you? Because it's the nice thing to do. Because it's the right thing to do. Because one day YOU will be the desperate one, and you'll want people to give YOU a chance.
This is one of the scariest things about human nature; that all too often, if you want to have the most positive possible experiences with people, your best bet is to pursue those you're repelled by, and reject those you're overwhelmingly drawn to ("bad" boys/girls, charming sociopaths and other evil types). Most folks tell you to "trust your gut" about people, but not me; while I DO think you should listen to your gut if it's telling you that someone is doing something wrong, or getting ready to, because those sorts of feelings tend to be accurate, in general I say to IGNORE your gut... use your BRAIN instead, because it's the only organ in your body that can truly tell a good person from a bad one.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Odds and ends
What does a pedophile buy for the little girl of his dreams? How about a padded satin pushup bra with Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street on it, and matching "boy short" panties? I'm not making this up, they actually exist
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5472554023&ssPageName=MERC_VI_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT
Isn't that revolting? Seriously, what other situation does this particular bra fit? {gag}
Ebay sellers are getting stupider; I've had THREE of them in the past few weeks decide to remove the hyphen from my email addy, and then not understand why I didn't get their emails. Did some magazine (Moron's Quarterly, perhaps?) mention in an article that people who post their addies on websites are sticking in spaces or substituting "-at-" for "@" to foil the spambots, and these folks read it and made the leap to assuming that all special characters are to be removed from all addies under all circumstances? The belief that they can pluck pieces out of an email addy at their whim and still have it reach the same person is so idiotic that there's no way to correct it without it sounding condescending; luckily, everyone thus far has eventually decided to give my complete addy a whirl, so I haven't had to try and find a way to educate them and still do pleasant business with them.
My body keeps coming up with new weirdness as the years march by; for the 1st time in way too long, I did crunches last night (I do 1500, and that's not a typo), and, although I felt no discomfort at the time, this afternoon my abs started feeling sore, and it's gradually escalated since then, to the point where even when I'm holding still they bother me... who ever heard of pulled muscles taking so long to start hurting? I think I'm in for a couple more painful days; it's worth it, though, to see those upper abs looking like little clenched fists again.
A few days ago, my husband and I saw "One of the Hollywood Ten"
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=7427
"The troubled career of blacklisted director Herbert Biberman, who endured a considerable struggle to make the 1954 pro-Labor film 'Salt of the Earth,' provides the centerpiece for this historical drama. The film opens at the 1937 Academy Awards, where Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), wins the first ever 'Best Supporting Actress' Oscar. Although the anti-Fascist sentiment in her acceptance speech gets her labeled a 'commie' by some observers, she and Biberman (played here by Jeff Goldblum) are placed under contract at Warner Bros. Ten years later, with Cold War paranoia growing, a group of predominantly Jewish Hollywood directors -- Biberman, Sondergaard, Danny Kaye, and Dalton Trumbo among them -- are labeled Communists and questioned before Congress. Refusing to name names, Biberman is thrown in prison for six months; his wife's similar refusal to testify severely threatened her career as well. After his release from prison, Biberman, no longer able to work in Hollywood, strikes out on his own with other blacklistees, producer Paul Jarrico (John Sessions) and writer Michael Wilson (Geraint Wyn Davies), to make 'Salt of the Earth.' Biberman's production is far from easy, however, as it comes under attack from both the FBI and redneck vigilantes."
I know, it doesn't sound exciting, but it WAS, especially once they got to the part where they were struggling against the odds to make "Salt of the Earth"... so much so that by the end we were eager to see said movie, and put it at the top of our Blockbuster online queue. Given that it was made with a tiny budget, with most of the roles played by folks who weren't actors, and under dreadful circumstances, we didn't expect much... but it was brilliant.
So, what's it all about?
"Set in a New Mexico mining town, the film concerns the measures taken by the largely Hispanic union to improve working and especially living conditions for the poverty-stricken workers. Remarkably prescient, given that the film was made long before the women's movement, is the fact that it is the wives who keep the strike alive while their husbands are beaten and otherwise oppressed by the owners."
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=23010
That probably doesn't seem too promising, BUT: The script for "Salt of the Earth" was written by Michael Wilson, who's better known for "A Place in the Sun," "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia"; does that pique your curiosity? How about the fact that this was the only US film to ever be blacklisted? Heck, it was nearly OBLITERATED:
http://www.answers.com/topic/salt-of-the-earth?method=5&linktext=Salt%20of%20the%20Earth
"The film was denounced on the floor of the United States House of Representatives for its supposed 'Communist' sympathies, and the FBI investigated the film's financing. The American Legion called for a boycott. Film-processing labs were told not to handle it. Unionized projectionists were instructed not to show it. After its opening night in New York, the film languished for ten years as all but 12 additional theaters refused to screen it."
Still unconvinced?
"In 1992, the film has been deemed 'culturally significant' by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film has also been preserved by the Museum of Modern Art in New York."
Yes, it's that good; it's also based on a true story, and most of the parts were played by the people who lived it, so it's got a really authentic feel that's rarely found in American films. I'd suggest watching "One of the Hollywood Ten" 1st to be able to fully appreciate the talent, effort and determination that went into producing it, but that's not a requirement to enjoy it; just watch it, you'll be glad you did.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5472554023&ssPageName=MERC_VI_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT
Isn't that revolting? Seriously, what other situation does this particular bra fit? {gag}
Ebay sellers are getting stupider; I've had THREE of them in the past few weeks decide to remove the hyphen from my email addy, and then not understand why I didn't get their emails. Did some magazine (Moron's Quarterly, perhaps?) mention in an article that people who post their addies on websites are sticking in spaces or substituting "-at-" for "@" to foil the spambots, and these folks read it and made the leap to assuming that all special characters are to be removed from all addies under all circumstances? The belief that they can pluck pieces out of an email addy at their whim and still have it reach the same person is so idiotic that there's no way to correct it without it sounding condescending; luckily, everyone thus far has eventually decided to give my complete addy a whirl, so I haven't had to try and find a way to educate them and still do pleasant business with them.
My body keeps coming up with new weirdness as the years march by; for the 1st time in way too long, I did crunches last night (I do 1500, and that's not a typo), and, although I felt no discomfort at the time, this afternoon my abs started feeling sore, and it's gradually escalated since then, to the point where even when I'm holding still they bother me... who ever heard of pulled muscles taking so long to start hurting? I think I'm in for a couple more painful days; it's worth it, though, to see those upper abs looking like little clenched fists again.
A few days ago, my husband and I saw "One of the Hollywood Ten"
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=7427
"The troubled career of blacklisted director Herbert Biberman, who endured a considerable struggle to make the 1954 pro-Labor film 'Salt of the Earth,' provides the centerpiece for this historical drama. The film opens at the 1937 Academy Awards, where Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), wins the first ever 'Best Supporting Actress' Oscar. Although the anti-Fascist sentiment in her acceptance speech gets her labeled a 'commie' by some observers, she and Biberman (played here by Jeff Goldblum) are placed under contract at Warner Bros. Ten years later, with Cold War paranoia growing, a group of predominantly Jewish Hollywood directors -- Biberman, Sondergaard, Danny Kaye, and Dalton Trumbo among them -- are labeled Communists and questioned before Congress. Refusing to name names, Biberman is thrown in prison for six months; his wife's similar refusal to testify severely threatened her career as well. After his release from prison, Biberman, no longer able to work in Hollywood, strikes out on his own with other blacklistees, producer Paul Jarrico (John Sessions) and writer Michael Wilson (Geraint Wyn Davies), to make 'Salt of the Earth.' Biberman's production is far from easy, however, as it comes under attack from both the FBI and redneck vigilantes."
I know, it doesn't sound exciting, but it WAS, especially once they got to the part where they were struggling against the odds to make "Salt of the Earth"... so much so that by the end we were eager to see said movie, and put it at the top of our Blockbuster online queue. Given that it was made with a tiny budget, with most of the roles played by folks who weren't actors, and under dreadful circumstances, we didn't expect much... but it was brilliant.
So, what's it all about?
"Set in a New Mexico mining town, the film concerns the measures taken by the largely Hispanic union to improve working and especially living conditions for the poverty-stricken workers. Remarkably prescient, given that the film was made long before the women's movement, is the fact that it is the wives who keep the strike alive while their husbands are beaten and otherwise oppressed by the owners."
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=23010
That probably doesn't seem too promising, BUT: The script for "Salt of the Earth" was written by Michael Wilson, who's better known for "A Place in the Sun," "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia"; does that pique your curiosity? How about the fact that this was the only US film to ever be blacklisted? Heck, it was nearly OBLITERATED:
http://www.answers.com/topic/salt-of-the-earth?method=5&linktext=Salt%20of%20the%20Earth
"The film was denounced on the floor of the United States House of Representatives for its supposed 'Communist' sympathies, and the FBI investigated the film's financing. The American Legion called for a boycott. Film-processing labs were told not to handle it. Unionized projectionists were instructed not to show it. After its opening night in New York, the film languished for ten years as all but 12 additional theaters refused to screen it."
Still unconvinced?
"In 1992, the film has been deemed 'culturally significant' by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film has also been preserved by the Museum of Modern Art in New York."
Yes, it's that good; it's also based on a true story, and most of the parts were played by the people who lived it, so it's got a really authentic feel that's rarely found in American films. I'd suggest watching "One of the Hollywood Ten" 1st to be able to fully appreciate the talent, effort and determination that went into producing it, but that's not a requirement to enjoy it; just watch it, you'll be glad you did.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Happy Easter :-)
If you're reading this on the 16th, you saw my nifty JavaScript thingie wishing you a Happy Chocolate Bunny Ear Eating Day... because that's what today's about for most Americans; an official excuse to eat candy. It's supposed to be a religious holiday, but even amongst those who go to church today there are many whose actual focus of the day is the special dinner and/or the treats... this is America, after all.
My husband and I, being true Americans, are planning to have a roast for dinner; I say "planning" because we don't HAVE the roast yet... since we're geeks, we lost track of the holiday preparations we needed to make. (Update: we DID find a roast-whew!!) Weirdly, this year I didn't want a bunch of candy; I had a couple of Cadbury's Cream Eggs a month ago, and that was it for me... my husband isn't into sweets, so we just didn't buy any. Even if we HAD gotten candy, though, I would NOT be eating the kind with ears; even as a kid who was rarely allowed to have candy I didn't much care for chocolate bunnies. I've never understood the nationwide passion for this particular Easter staple, which is after all made of the worst-quality chocolate on the planet, or, even worse, brown stuff that they have to call chocolate-FLAVORED (and what it really is is anyone's guess); it's bad enough that our sugar-junkie kids eat them, but why are their parents, who are supposed to know better, so consistent about stealing the ears that it's a standard joke at this time of year? I don't know what's worse; stealing food from a child, or making that level of effort to eat something gross when far better stuff is on every store's shelves.
For the 1st time in several years, we have our full Easter display out; not only is it a real pleasure to look at it, at the bottom of one of the Easter boxes I found a Halloween doodad that had been missing for, as you'd expect, several years... and you get ONE guess as to who put it there, declaring with false confidence, and no small amount of belligerence, that he'd remember where he'd put it, and so it was fine to store it with the bunnies and eggs rather than investing 2 minutes of "effort" getting a Halloween box out to stick it in.
Our Christmas tree is still up, but there are only a few ornaments left on it, so we got closer to having it put away by Easter than we usually do; we DID manage to get the Valentine's and St. Patty's stuff put away, so at least we don't have 4 holidays' decorations out all at once... much to my husband's disappointment.
Hey, it could be worse; imagine if we didn't have an artificial tree.
For many of you, your enjoyment of today is marred by taxes being due tomorrow (did you know that in some states they have until the 18th?), but I might be able to help ease that burden a little; I discovered today that there are a slew of websites where you can do your taxes for FREE. I'm not talking jokes or scams, I'm talking about sites that are listed on the official IRS website
http://www.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp
as offering free online tax preparation AND e-filing for folks who made less than $50K last year... H&R Block is one of them, can you believe it? The catch seems to be that it's FEDERAL tax prep only, and they're hoping that you'll be willing to pay a few bucks to be able to get your state taxes done almost instantly once the Federal return is done; it'd still be way cheaper than buying tax software or going to a human tax preparer, so if you're getting bogged down and stressing out, give it a try.
Nothing will be able to mar MY enjoyment of today, because I got the best surprise imaginable, aside from if my husband suddenly started flushing the toilet more than 1 time in 10; a THIRD raccoon!! The new one's the biggest so far, and presumably male; we thought he was the other male at 1st, and couldn't understand why he was hanging back and acting so skittish all of a sudden... but when he got closer, I saw that his facial markings were very different, and we realized that it had to be a new one. Coons aren't jumpy critters, especially big ones like this newbie, so I'm guessing he was smelling the other male and was afraid he'd show up and try to drive him away from the food; we're worried about that too, but all we can do is make sure there's plenty of kibble and hope they'll be willing to share the feeding zone as raccoons often do around human homes.
Although the landscaping and the post they use to climb onto the patio cover are taking a beating, I'm the happiest I've been since the early days with the possums, or maybe even since my little squirrel girl used to come daily to be fed and petted; I hope your Easter brought you something as nice as I got. :-)
My husband and I, being true Americans, are planning to have a roast for dinner; I say "planning" because we don't HAVE the roast yet... since we're geeks, we lost track of the holiday preparations we needed to make. (Update: we DID find a roast-whew!!) Weirdly, this year I didn't want a bunch of candy; I had a couple of Cadbury's Cream Eggs a month ago, and that was it for me... my husband isn't into sweets, so we just didn't buy any. Even if we HAD gotten candy, though, I would NOT be eating the kind with ears; even as a kid who was rarely allowed to have candy I didn't much care for chocolate bunnies. I've never understood the nationwide passion for this particular Easter staple, which is after all made of the worst-quality chocolate on the planet, or, even worse, brown stuff that they have to call chocolate-FLAVORED (and what it really is is anyone's guess); it's bad enough that our sugar-junkie kids eat them, but why are their parents, who are supposed to know better, so consistent about stealing the ears that it's a standard joke at this time of year? I don't know what's worse; stealing food from a child, or making that level of effort to eat something gross when far better stuff is on every store's shelves.
For the 1st time in several years, we have our full Easter display out; not only is it a real pleasure to look at it, at the bottom of one of the Easter boxes I found a Halloween doodad that had been missing for, as you'd expect, several years... and you get ONE guess as to who put it there, declaring with false confidence, and no small amount of belligerence, that he'd remember where he'd put it, and so it was fine to store it with the bunnies and eggs rather than investing 2 minutes of "effort" getting a Halloween box out to stick it in.
Our Christmas tree is still up, but there are only a few ornaments left on it, so we got closer to having it put away by Easter than we usually do; we DID manage to get the Valentine's and St. Patty's stuff put away, so at least we don't have 4 holidays' decorations out all at once... much to my husband's disappointment.
Hey, it could be worse; imagine if we didn't have an artificial tree.
For many of you, your enjoyment of today is marred by taxes being due tomorrow (did you know that in some states they have until the 18th?), but I might be able to help ease that burden a little; I discovered today that there are a slew of websites where you can do your taxes for FREE. I'm not talking jokes or scams, I'm talking about sites that are listed on the official IRS website
http://www.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp
as offering free online tax preparation AND e-filing for folks who made less than $50K last year... H&R Block is one of them, can you believe it? The catch seems to be that it's FEDERAL tax prep only, and they're hoping that you'll be willing to pay a few bucks to be able to get your state taxes done almost instantly once the Federal return is done; it'd still be way cheaper than buying tax software or going to a human tax preparer, so if you're getting bogged down and stressing out, give it a try.
Nothing will be able to mar MY enjoyment of today, because I got the best surprise imaginable, aside from if my husband suddenly started flushing the toilet more than 1 time in 10; a THIRD raccoon!! The new one's the biggest so far, and presumably male; we thought he was the other male at 1st, and couldn't understand why he was hanging back and acting so skittish all of a sudden... but when he got closer, I saw that his facial markings were very different, and we realized that it had to be a new one. Coons aren't jumpy critters, especially big ones like this newbie, so I'm guessing he was smelling the other male and was afraid he'd show up and try to drive him away from the food; we're worried about that too, but all we can do is make sure there's plenty of kibble and hope they'll be willing to share the feeding zone as raccoons often do around human homes.
Although the landscaping and the post they use to climb onto the patio cover are taking a beating, I'm the happiest I've been since the early days with the possums, or maybe even since my little squirrel girl used to come daily to be fed and petted; I hope your Easter brought you something as nice as I got. :-)
