I am the left lane squatter. I sit in the left lane and refuse to cede my spot. I exist primarily to annoy those of you who want to get to someplace as quickly as possible.
I love two-lane highways, especially ones with trucks and lots of cars in the right lane. That way, I can stay in my spot and look in my rear view mirror to see the long, long line of cars behind me that I am forcing to go at my speed. Such power! It gives me a thrill. Sure, I could pull over into the right lane at any time, but I get a certain satisfaction in knowing that in one small act, I am impacting so many lives.
I have to admit, though, that trucks do frighten me. That's why I stay in the left lane and refuse to pass them. And I like hanging right on the corners of other cars, to keep an eye out for people who are trying to move around me. It's my job to keep them in line.
After all the speed limit is 55, right? I'm doing 55, and I'm saving all of you speeders from a ticket. You should thank me. It's not MY fault that you're in a hurry. I'm a citizen, and this is my road. I pay taxes, too, and I'm not breaking any laws. In fact, I'm enforcing laws. I am a hero.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mouse (plural, mice)
When you put "mouse" into Google's search window, the mammal "mouse" doesn't show up until the 3rd return. Computer mice, it seems, are more important to us than the poor little rodents.
Why am I writing about mice? Actually I'm writing about mouse, a mouse, the mouse that my cats caught and played with and eventually hid somewhere in my house. I am less than thrilled at the prospect of coming across mouse remains.
The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most successful mammalian genera in existence, mostly due to its environmental adaptability. A newborn mouse is called a pup, and is full grown and ready to breed by 50 days of age. The little furries breed year round. A mouse in captivity can live up to four years, but mice in the wild rarely make it to a year due to predation.
Why do I care? I don't, really, except I have mice on my brain because if there was one mouse to be caught in my house, there are other mice lurking somewhere. The mouse in question was found in an open vent- the vent is open because it is also the pathway for our TV cable, which comes into the room from the basement. I'm certain that other mice are happily breeding in our basement somewhere. They're kind of cute, if you can get past their rodent-ness, and I was amazed to watch this mouse play dead when one of the cats dropped it. When she tried to play with it, it took off and hid behind our Tyler water bottles. Have you ever seen a cat try to climb over water bottles? It's pretty funny.
Which brings me to my next point. My cats are lazy and too well-fed. If there are mice in the house, then the 3 felines are falling down on their job. I don't ask for much. I feed them regularly and clean their litter boxes, provide toys and soft beds, and provide hours of ear scritching on demand. The least the cats could do is take care of the rodents in an efficient and silent way, so that I don't have to think about mice. Don't you agree?
Why am I writing about mice? Actually I'm writing about mouse, a mouse, the mouse that my cats caught and played with and eventually hid somewhere in my house. I am less than thrilled at the prospect of coming across mouse remains.
The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most successful mammalian genera in existence, mostly due to its environmental adaptability. A newborn mouse is called a pup, and is full grown and ready to breed by 50 days of age. The little furries breed year round. A mouse in captivity can live up to four years, but mice in the wild rarely make it to a year due to predation.
Why do I care? I don't, really, except I have mice on my brain because if there was one mouse to be caught in my house, there are other mice lurking somewhere. The mouse in question was found in an open vent- the vent is open because it is also the pathway for our TV cable, which comes into the room from the basement. I'm certain that other mice are happily breeding in our basement somewhere. They're kind of cute, if you can get past their rodent-ness, and I was amazed to watch this mouse play dead when one of the cats dropped it. When she tried to play with it, it took off and hid behind our Tyler water bottles. Have you ever seen a cat try to climb over water bottles? It's pretty funny.
Which brings me to my next point. My cats are lazy and too well-fed. If there are mice in the house, then the 3 felines are falling down on their job. I don't ask for much. I feed them regularly and clean their litter boxes, provide toys and soft beds, and provide hours of ear scritching on demand. The least the cats could do is take care of the rodents in an efficient and silent way, so that I don't have to think about mice. Don't you agree?
It's been awhile
It's been a very long time since I blogged. In fact, the last time was after the most disastrous Christmas of my life. Lots has happened since then, so let's play catch-up.
The bad stuff that happened Christmas has pretty much been put aside. Nothing was resolved or dealt with but that's the best way, in this case. All the parties involved have agreed to move on without rehashing the issue to death.
Dan has been overseas and back, and is deep in wedding preparation. Caitie is continuing to love her job with an advertising company. Ken is still trekking back and forth to Cleveland every week. And I continue to be very happy with my job at a software company. I went on my very first business trip, to a Clinical Documentation Specialist convention in Orlando. I took and passed the Clinical Documentation Specialist certification exam in May. We bought a "bleather" sectional sofa for our living room (blended leather).
the "big thing" coming up in our lives is, of course, the wedding. The clothes have been purchased, the gifts bought, vast amounts of money spent, and in less than 2 months my son will be a married man. Time does, indeed, fly.
The bad stuff that happened Christmas has pretty much been put aside. Nothing was resolved or dealt with but that's the best way, in this case. All the parties involved have agreed to move on without rehashing the issue to death.
Dan has been overseas and back, and is deep in wedding preparation. Caitie is continuing to love her job with an advertising company. Ken is still trekking back and forth to Cleveland every week. And I continue to be very happy with my job at a software company. I went on my very first business trip, to a Clinical Documentation Specialist convention in Orlando. I took and passed the Clinical Documentation Specialist certification exam in May. We bought a "bleather" sectional sofa for our living room (blended leather).
the "big thing" coming up in our lives is, of course, the wedding. The clothes have been purchased, the gifts bought, vast amounts of money spent, and in less than 2 months my son will be a married man. Time does, indeed, fly.
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