Lord of the Flies

Here are a couple photos I took today of a few of the unwanted visitors we had this morning.  Horribly, they were in our kitchen--more than 60 of them-- and they seemed to have come from a tiny gap between the molding at the top of one of our cupboards and the ceiling.  Many of them had fallen to the counter below, as the majority of them were oddly flightless.  It took awhile to catch them all and take them outside--they just kept coming! 

 

Anyway, here's where it gets a little more strange:  I haven't had many reasons to climb up into the attic in the 9 years we've lived in this house, but I've been up there twice in the last few days.  The most recent time was today to see if I could find the source of the sudden infestation (because from the top of that cupboard, where the flies appeared to be coming from, it turns out that there is a little gap where the exhaust tube for the stove fan exits into the attic and beyond), but I found nothing.   The other time was Monday afternoon.  

The reason I went up there on Monday was because Nina and Cooper had heard "someone walking around on the roof," and when I went outside to see what was going on and found nothing, I thought that the sound might have emanated from the attic.  If it had, I couldn't find the source.  When I descended, covered in dust, Nina said that my clambering around up there sounded exactly the same as the noise they had heard previously.  That's a little creepy, right?

And, also, while I was battling flies this morning, Nina was battling the television in the bedroom because it kept turning on and off by itself!  

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I stayed home today, because I'm sick.  I caught the cold that Cooper and Dean have (and that sent them both to the doctor with breathing problems-- I can hardly wait for my turn to have my torso turn into a bag of phlegm!)  Anyway, here is one of the several trains I drew for Cooper today.  I'm too lazy to color it, but I bet it would look groooovy if I were to try.  Oh well.  Sorry.

Customer Service

Well, thanks for trying.

Oh Yeah...

(NOTE: I've removed the video because of that god-awful Neo-Pets Commercial. It's just too obnoxious, and I think I've given them enough free advertising. Here is part of a drawing that I did for the Blog at SpongeBob.com)

I forgot to tell you that I did the storyboard for this 30 second short... I think it was last year. It was my first attempt at "professional" storyboard directing. I've done a few more shorts since, but I guess they aren't ready for you to see yet. I think I'm improving as I go, so get ready for more. This is from SpongeBob.com (forgive me the commercial you have to sit through first).

Lesson One

What kind of class is this, again?

Benighted

Sorry...

I know this isn't the sort of thing you come here for.

Starry-Eyed

The Walls Have...

...Uh...Ears.

Tastes Change

Last night I decided that I really enjoy drinking white wine. I've never had any interest in white wine before, and I always drank red. I was pretty much anti-white wine.

I should have known that that would happen one day. Here's why: back in the early 90's I was very anti-sideburn. I mocked their very existence and thought that sideburned guys were just stoolfools. Then, I think it was in '92, I grew sideburns and had them until just a couple months ago. I had a 17 year loving, supportive relationship with sideburns--after cruelly despising them!

I wonder what I hate right now that I will come to embrace down the road. Maybe cucumbers-- but I doubt it.

Why do we sometimes become that which we most loathe? Is it because we constantly feed the hated thing with the energy of our attention-- and it grows stronger in our lives? Or, could it be that we feel, on some level, that we must deny our affinity for something because we feel that it is somehow forbidden? Is it just easier to live in denial than to have to face some uncomfortable truth about ourselves? I suppose it could be either. Or both. Whatever... time for some white wine.

Square Peg

I don't belong among the humans today.

That's Not What I Meant to Say

Recommendation

It's kind of sad that I've come to expect horrible service from most any business I have to deal with. On the other hand, it just makes those rare places that have friendly, helpful, honest, efficient, knowledgeable customer service shine all the brighter.

I do hereby thank, and heartily recommend Computer Country (in Burbank-- sorry rest of the world) to anyone who needs to have a computer repaired (or updated, or whatever). Our computer started to reek of burning plastic and then shut itself down a couple days ago, and I brought it to Lorie and Dave at Computer Country yesterday about an hour before they closed. They were friendly, personable, and obviously knew what they were doing (they have a nice dog, too!) Lorie called this morning the minute they opened and told me my computer was ready to be picked up!

As an aside, it turns out that our computer has the somewhat dubious honor of having had the most "crap" (like temporary internet files and stuff) on it of any computer that has ever darkened the door of Computer Country! We suck! But, that wasn't the problem-- it was a fried power supply thingy. Thanks again!