Anogete's Journal

I'm on the bandwagon. My Dreamwidth account is anogete, like it is here. I've done fuck all with it because I just haven't had the time or energy. Plus, creature of habit here, always going back to the LJ. I haven't yet figured out how to friend or subscribe or whatever it is you have to do, so you'd be doing me a favor by friending me there since I don't yet know how to friend you. Is there just a little button by the person's name?

( drama llama )

I really dig J.R. Ward's writing style. She cracks me up with the badass banter between the Brothers in her books. ::huggles Rehv and keeps him away from the scorpions and spiders:: Also, holy shit, I love Xhex to death. She's must be one of my all-time favorite female characters ever in the entire world. I absolutely cannot wait for the next novel centered around her and John Matthew.

I've talked for pages (almost?) about how I recently moved to a new apartment which happens to look out over a beautiful undeveloped basin. The place is teeming with wildlife, including rabbits, quail, squirrels, various birds, and a wealth of native bugs. Because we live on the first floor, I was passingly concerned about bugs squirming their way into the apartment though itsy bitsy cracks around the doors. In the two weeks since we've been living there, we haven't seen any bugs inside.

UNTIL YESTERDAY.

I'm traumatized. I went home for lunch to let Ferguson outside for his mid-day business. The entryway to the apartment is tiled - about three feet wide and five feet long. There was nothing in the floor when I got home. I took Ferguson out, and when we returned it was sitting in the middle of the tiled entryway.

What was it? A gigantor bug with the biggest eyeballs I've ever seen on an insect. I squealed, danced around a bit, then went to get a tissue to pick it up and throw it away because I thought it was dead. It was not dead and, when I tried to pick it up, proceeded to scramble away. Holy crap, it's alive. So, I told Ferguson to keep an eye on it (like a dog knows how to monitor a bug) while I went to get a container suitable for catch and release. I ended up trapping the monster in a bowl and taking it outside, many many yards away from my door. I released it into the grass beneath a shade tree, and it burrowed down into the ground.

Gross.

Then I proceeded to call Jason and explain that I may or may not have found a queen ant in our apartment, and that I certainly hoped this wasn't an indication of other ants that might be traipsing into our place. He assured me that I'd lost my mind and that, from my description, I'd encountered a Child of the Earth.

( You want to see? )

Glad I put that behind a cut, aren't you?

So, when I got back to work, I looked up Child of the Earth on the internet and discovered that they are actually called Jerusalem Crickets. They aren't dangerous, but can bite. They live underground and are not considered to be pests like ants or other colony insects. I still have no effin' idea how the damn thing got into the apartment. It was at least two inches long and half an inch tall. There is no way it could have squeezed through a crack. I can only guess it followed me in when I got home. Which freaks me out to no end. Uninvited visitors are following me in the door!

I am glad I did not kill it, though. Apparently, there is a scientist in California who has spent years studying these guys. He wants you to ship them to him if they show up around your house. I did not know this until after I released my little (big) friend. I asked Mr. Jerusalem Cricket not to return to my abode, and I haven't seen him since. Maybe he took my request to heart.

You can ignore my last exhausted voice post. I was half out of my mind because I had not eaten anything that day except for a small bowl of Raisin Bran that morning. No food, moving heavy pieces of furniture, and the looming pain of not having internet or phone service do not go well together.

Everything has been moved from the old apartment and put away in the new apartment. I felt like throwing myself in the floor and wriggling around in hysterics and tears several times during the process, but I'm feeling much better now. Now, for the pros and cons (with pictures when available!)...

PROS:

* Waking up this morning and having a cup of pomegranate white tea >outside in the misty morning air while Ferguson explored the shrubbery along the building. And all without seeing a single soul and in my pajamas.

* Two bathrooms. I, of course, commandeered the larger one for myself. Both baths have Roman Tubs with tiled walls, which are heavenly next to the crappy ceramic (tiny) shower stalls in the last place.

* The oven, which has a timer, light, and so many other features, including a self-cleaner. Our last oven was a piece of crap next to this one.

* The extra capacity washer and dryer. Yay for not having to take my comforters to the laundry mat.

* Ferguson making friends with two neighborhood dogs.

* Luella, the super awesome older lady (70+ years old?) who lives a few apartments down. We became fast friends yesterday when I was about to lose my mind. She walked by, gave me a sympathetic look, and confirmed that moving really did suck. It was just what I needed to hear to make me laugh again.

* The crazy amount of channels that DirectTV offers. I've been watching '80s videos on VH1 Classics for the past two days.

*The ice maker in the freezer. Yay for ice!

* Plenty of room for the library! The fish and gerbils/hamsters are hanging out in the there with the books, but there is still room for two more bookshelves. All the books are stacked two deep and two high when possible.

* The pond, which is a short walk down the basin that is my backyard. Jason was amazed that he could hear frogs down there last night. City boy.

* All the fantastic amenities this place has, including: a pool, a tanning bed, a dry sauna, a fitness center, and a business center. Not to mention the gated access to the complex so not just anyone can cruise through the neighborhood.

*The park and jogging trail across the road. Ferguson and I will be making liberal use of them until the weather gets too chilly.

* Keva Juice, Starbucks, a grocery store, and Hollywood Video, all of which are just two blocks away on the main street.


CONS:

* The debacle with the phone and high speed internet. I'm not even sure what was wrong, but it is fixed now, It took a great deal of assertiveness on my part to get two different technicians out here to fix the damn thing. Living without internet for nearly three days was so sad, you guys. I missed you.

* My complete 'effing up of the DirectTV box and the long hold time to get a technical support fellow on the phone.

* The outsourcing of technical support positions to India. I'm usually fairly good with accents, but I cannot understand a word they say when the connection is so weak I have to strain to hear.

* Jason throwing away a fantastic pair of wedge heels I loved. It was an accident, but those babies cost me fifty plus bucks. I miss them already.

* Jason (accidentally) throwing away the remote for the television and VCR. Now I have to order a replacement online.

* Renting a U-Haul that was too damn small for all our furniture. We had to make two trips with it, which was a pain in the ass. Oh, and the stupid woman who took forever to rent two freakin' hand trucks at the rental place. I wanted to throttle her by the time she had argued with the clerk for fifteen minutes.

* Jason's mother and her constant nagging. She means well, but OH MY GOD, I can't deal with her when in stressful situations.

*Jason's constant whining over the lack of internet, like his voiced displeasure could fix the stupid situation.

* My aching muscles. They are recovering today, but I still wince if I move the wrong way.


So, more pros than cons, I think. That's good. In hindsight, everything went pretty well. But, at approximately 3:00pm on Saturday, I was nearly in tears over nothing going right. What a chick I am, right? And I'm going to go ahead and say what everyone says after moving. I AM NEVER MOVING AGAIN. That's untrue, but that's how I feel right now.

- Why do I love this Jesse McCartney song so much. It's been stuck in my head all day.

- My next knitting project has been lined up. I even went to the craft store on Sunday to pick up some suitable yarn. I'm going to make the belle epoque knitted shirt from Knitty. How gorgeous is that? I might even feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel when I wear it.

- I made cupcakes for the accountant this evening. He's retiring, and his last day of work is Friday. I won't be at work Thursday or Friday (moving!), so I'm going to miss his retirement lunch. He's completely bummed because I've somehow become his favorite person in the world. I figured I should do something extra special for him since I'll be gone on his last day. I made a gazillion cupcakes for the office, and I took a few of them and wrapped them individually in a little gift bag. I also picked up some decorations for his office which I hope I'll have time to hang tomorrow morning before he gets into the office.

- I'm so glad I've only got a few more nights left in this place. The new fellow that moved in downstairs left his alarm clock radio outside on his fenced-in backyard last night. The alarm on the radio went off at midnight and continued sounding for an hour. It was loud. Jason had no idea what it was, and he called security to tell them that an alarm was sounding somewhere on the premises. Security were assholes and didn't even bother to come out, so he called the police. Someone else must have called the police earlier because in five minutes, they rolled up to the building. They investigated the ridiculously loud alarm and then beat on this fellow's door for a good ten minutes before he crawled out of bed to turn it off.

EDIT: I just had a revelation. I *love* the BeeGees' music, but only when sung by other singers. Example.

Why is this day so loooooong? Why is this week so long? Progress has been made on the big move front. The electric and gas are scheduled to be switched over, and I just spoke with the Qwest representative today regarding our phone/internet/television. The apartment complex does not offer cable; they have a contract with DirectTV, which is offered through the phone company out here. There is a dish on each building, and the apartments are pre-wired for it. I've been pushing DirectTV for a year now, and I'm finally going to get it. Jason has no choice in the matter. Ha!

The new girl (boss's daughter) may have West Nile. Eek. She came in yesterday with a gazillion mosquito bites on her arms, hands, legs, and feet. Apparently, El Paso is infested with bugs. The bites looked really bad and very swollen. After running a fever for the entire day, she went to the doctor. He suspects the flu or West Nile, but is pretty sure it's West Nile. Gross-o.

I love this video, and I love this song even more. It brings up memories from years ago when I spent my days cruising around po-dunk West Virginia between classes. I particularly like the line, "The last time I saw you act like this we were kids," since it is used in a chastising sort of way.

I'm so addicted to Kiva.org. I got into it a few weeks ago. A few days ago, it was featured on Oprah, and now they are having a difficult time actually keeping loan requests up on the website for long. People donate so fast that my head spins. It's great.

Anyway, I just sent in another $25 to my second borrower. Her name is Sarah Nsangi, and she lives in Uganda. I contributed to her loan request because she plans on buying yarn to make sweaters with it. A fellow knitter (and cross stitcher) from Uganda! I hope she does well.

My first loan was to Mok Sokhoan in Cambodia. I got a notice this morning that she's received the loan she requested. I cannot wait for another update on how she and her husband are doing in a month or two.

( and now for some serious drama with the neighbors )