Between a rock and a hard place
Beauty thrives
Deep in the darkness
Strength is found
Against all odds
Life persists
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Spider Update
The monster spider is dead. My hero, the great spider slayer, Carl, beat it to death with the mop yesterday. The mop is also now dead. It was a worthy sacrifice.
I can now resume my laundry duties without looking over my shoulder for the next sneak attack.
I can now resume my laundry duties without looking over my shoulder for the next sneak attack.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Big Frickin Spider!!!!
Headphones on, Stevie Wonder playing loud, I walked barefoot into my garage to move around a load of laundry. I usually wear some slippers (flip flops for those of you not from Hawaii) around the house. I have dogs, and well, you never know, it's just not a chance I'm usually willing to take, Anyway ... today I seriously mopped the ENTIRE floor so I have been enjoying walking around barefoot completely secure in the cleanliness of it all. So, as I was saying, in my clean bare feet, I strolled on out to the garage to do a little laundry. I opened the door and this GIANT freakin' spider pauses ever so briefly to take me in, then CHARGES me!!!! What the crap???/!!!!
Paralyzed, with shock and fear, "Boogie on Reggae Woman" still blasting away in my ears, I uttered some sort of guttural scream. I don't scream like a girl. My screams are deep, and come from some primitive part of me, that has nothing in common with a slasher movie soprano scream. The thing was CHARGING me! (did I say that before?) Ya, charging me! Crazy! Did I mention that I was barefoot? So, I can't stomp on it, More than anything I want to get my naked feet as far away from that thing as I can. At this point it's within a couple inches of my foot, and I can just feel it running up my leg and biting me on the face! My imagination is quick, when my body is frozen. The adrenaline starts to flow and I think flight, flight, that's what I want to do - run!!! but I can't go forward cause that thing is in front of me, and I'm sure as heck not turning my back on it! So, then fight, ok, I'll fight - but what do I fight with? I need a weapon. No hand to hand combat here. No sir! So with my feet still stuck like they are in sold concrete, I reach around and grab .... the MOP! Oh ya! That's the weapon of choice here! It's a sponge mop, so it's a little more of a weapon on the business end, than one of those string models, but still - HIGHLY ineffective. I manage to plop the mop directly on top of it, and the legs are sticking out the sides!!! I told you it was BIG!!!! I push it down hard a few times ...... hold it there ... press it into the floor some more ..... lift it just a tiny bit to see .... and it's OFF and running into the corner. Of COURSE it runs toward the door, to the house ... Great ... is that thing gonna come in the house now??? or will it wait til later and come curl up in bed with me?
Normally I have 3 furry dogs that follow me everywhere I go, especially into the garage. One even fancies herself a bug hunter. Where was my fearless pack during this attack? As far away from the garage as they could get!! So much for protecting me!
All hyped up on adrenaline I hit up Google for some answers. Apparently that monster in my garage is a cane spider. They are BIG, but harmless to humans, unless you think maybe a heart attack is a health threat ..... I might just be a little glad that I didn't kill it. They love to eat roaches, and other large, nasty things like silverfish. I really, really, really, REALLY hate the giant roaches we have here, so maybe I am willing to live with a BIG, gross, aggressive spider in my garage if he eats all the roaches. Maybe ....
As for the garage, well, I'm not going back there ... ever. .... we will just have to go buy new clothes cause I'm not opening that door again! .... at least not tonight anyway ... Maybe we will just have to move. We don't live here anymore, a big creepy spider does.
 |
| (I didn't take this photo - too busy freaking out to take a pic - found this on Google) |
Paralyzed, with shock and fear, "Boogie on Reggae Woman" still blasting away in my ears, I uttered some sort of guttural scream. I don't scream like a girl. My screams are deep, and come from some primitive part of me, that has nothing in common with a slasher movie soprano scream. The thing was CHARGING me! (did I say that before?) Ya, charging me! Crazy! Did I mention that I was barefoot? So, I can't stomp on it, More than anything I want to get my naked feet as far away from that thing as I can. At this point it's within a couple inches of my foot, and I can just feel it running up my leg and biting me on the face! My imagination is quick, when my body is frozen. The adrenaline starts to flow and I think flight, flight, that's what I want to do - run!!! but I can't go forward cause that thing is in front of me, and I'm sure as heck not turning my back on it! So, then fight, ok, I'll fight - but what do I fight with? I need a weapon. No hand to hand combat here. No sir! So with my feet still stuck like they are in sold concrete, I reach around and grab .... the MOP! Oh ya! That's the weapon of choice here! It's a sponge mop, so it's a little more of a weapon on the business end, than one of those string models, but still - HIGHLY ineffective. I manage to plop the mop directly on top of it, and the legs are sticking out the sides!!! I told you it was BIG!!!! I push it down hard a few times ...... hold it there ... press it into the floor some more ..... lift it just a tiny bit to see .... and it's OFF and running into the corner. Of COURSE it runs toward the door, to the house ... Great ... is that thing gonna come in the house now??? or will it wait til later and come curl up in bed with me?
Normally I have 3 furry dogs that follow me everywhere I go, especially into the garage. One even fancies herself a bug hunter. Where was my fearless pack during this attack? As far away from the garage as they could get!! So much for protecting me!
All hyped up on adrenaline I hit up Google for some answers. Apparently that monster in my garage is a cane spider. They are BIG, but harmless to humans, unless you think maybe a heart attack is a health threat ..... I might just be a little glad that I didn't kill it. They love to eat roaches, and other large, nasty things like silverfish. I really, really, really, REALLY hate the giant roaches we have here, so maybe I am willing to live with a BIG, gross, aggressive spider in my garage if he eats all the roaches. Maybe ....
As for the garage, well, I'm not going back there ... ever. .... we will just have to go buy new clothes cause I'm not opening that door again! .... at least not tonight anyway ... Maybe we will just have to move. We don't live here anymore, a big creepy spider does.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Sound of Memory
Why do I often feel like writing when I can barely keep my eyes
open? When my rational, organized, motivated mind gets sleepy, my
creative mind has a few moments where it can sneak in and take control
before the entire system shuts down.
Today I was thinking about how music is so tied to memory, and then I thought about how it is more than just music, it is sound. The sound of your mother's voice, the sound of your baby's cry, the tornado siren, the school bell, the sound of caulk on the board, the vibration of the diving board, the phone ringing - all bring a vivid picture to mind, an instant reaction, an automatic time travel, mental teleportation to another time and place. If you indulge your imagination, you can drag it out for a few more moments and experience again times gone by. The unpleasant ones are a shock, a startling emotional jar that you can't slam the door shut on fast enough.
I listen to a lot of audio books. It's funny how the sound of the stories become attached to the location where I heard them, or the activity I was doing. For example, I was listening to this book I didn't really like, but was persevering to at least finish it while I was helping my husband do a final clean on a wood floor job of his. I was on the floor, scraping bits of dried glue while I listened to that lame story. Every time I drive by that house, I think of that stupid book! It's stuck. That memory is all tied up in the sound of that story. Too bad it wasn't a great book that I would love to remember. When I mop a certain hallway I think of this fantasy novel about fairies. It's kind of nice to be reminded of a pleasant little story while doing such a boring household chore.
I can't tell you how many times I have been in a store and snapped to attention when I heard a child call out , "MOM". It's not my child, but the sound of a distressed child calling my "name" gets my attention. It's an automatic reaction. A baby crying will do similar things to me. It's a deep response, at my core, the need to respond to that sound.
There is the song one of my yoga teachers used to play during the final relaxation phase. Five notes in and I'm relaxed. It's awesome. I should keep that song cued up and ready to play when the day gets too tense and I'm ready to scream. Instant relaxation.
Kashmir, that takes me back to one of the most enjoyable times of my life. Band practice, in the basement of our house in Utah. I hear that song and I am happy. It's pretty awesome that song is as long as it is. Keep the good vibes rollin' ...
There is nothing like the sound of a good rain storm to put me to sleep. It can be 2pm, and I am in the middle of a project, if the rain starts, I want to go to sleep. It's auto pilot, rainy day, sleep mode for me. Riding in a car has that effect on me too. If I am a passenger I will likely fall asleep. I think that might have less to do with sound, and more to do with all the Dramamine induced sleepy car rides of my childhood.
When I fly I often fall asleep to the sound of the flight attendant's voice telling us about seat cushion floatation devises and wake up to the sound of the wheels dropping. More sound induced conditioning. Just like that dog of Pavlov ....
Often as I work I listen to music. It keeps me company. The memories the songs evoke bring old friends along to hang out while I sit here at my desk. Without them, the silence is deafening, the solitude suffocating.
Today I was thinking about how music is so tied to memory, and then I thought about how it is more than just music, it is sound. The sound of your mother's voice, the sound of your baby's cry, the tornado siren, the school bell, the sound of caulk on the board, the vibration of the diving board, the phone ringing - all bring a vivid picture to mind, an instant reaction, an automatic time travel, mental teleportation to another time and place. If you indulge your imagination, you can drag it out for a few more moments and experience again times gone by. The unpleasant ones are a shock, a startling emotional jar that you can't slam the door shut on fast enough.
I listen to a lot of audio books. It's funny how the sound of the stories become attached to the location where I heard them, or the activity I was doing. For example, I was listening to this book I didn't really like, but was persevering to at least finish it while I was helping my husband do a final clean on a wood floor job of his. I was on the floor, scraping bits of dried glue while I listened to that lame story. Every time I drive by that house, I think of that stupid book! It's stuck. That memory is all tied up in the sound of that story. Too bad it wasn't a great book that I would love to remember. When I mop a certain hallway I think of this fantasy novel about fairies. It's kind of nice to be reminded of a pleasant little story while doing such a boring household chore.
I can't tell you how many times I have been in a store and snapped to attention when I heard a child call out , "MOM". It's not my child, but the sound of a distressed child calling my "name" gets my attention. It's an automatic reaction. A baby crying will do similar things to me. It's a deep response, at my core, the need to respond to that sound.
There is the song one of my yoga teachers used to play during the final relaxation phase. Five notes in and I'm relaxed. It's awesome. I should keep that song cued up and ready to play when the day gets too tense and I'm ready to scream. Instant relaxation.
Kashmir, that takes me back to one of the most enjoyable times of my life. Band practice, in the basement of our house in Utah. I hear that song and I am happy. It's pretty awesome that song is as long as it is. Keep the good vibes rollin' ...
There is nothing like the sound of a good rain storm to put me to sleep. It can be 2pm, and I am in the middle of a project, if the rain starts, I want to go to sleep. It's auto pilot, rainy day, sleep mode for me. Riding in a car has that effect on me too. If I am a passenger I will likely fall asleep. I think that might have less to do with sound, and more to do with all the Dramamine induced sleepy car rides of my childhood.
When I fly I often fall asleep to the sound of the flight attendant's voice telling us about seat cushion floatation devises and wake up to the sound of the wheels dropping. More sound induced conditioning. Just like that dog of Pavlov ....
Often as I work I listen to music. It keeps me company. The memories the songs evoke bring old friends along to hang out while I sit here at my desk. Without them, the silence is deafening, the solitude suffocating.
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