I'm so sick we never went to Gram's house for Thanksgiving, but I was going to cook us up some righteous vittles here, except that I'm sick enough that I never had the energy to wash to pots and pans, never mind do the actual cooking. So I'm poking around for something to eat and since I really can't smell or taste anything right now I settle on...CoCo Wheats. For Thanksgiving. Pathetic, I know, but I need nutrition.

I get them all cooked up in the microwave while trying to process laundry so I'll have something besides pyjamas to wear tomorrow. The food's cooling while I'm taking care of the cats and coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose everywhere. Finally I get a chance to eat, and by now I'm starved because I've been up for nine hours without having anything besides milk and water cold meds.

What do I find when I look in my CoCo Wheats? COOKED DERMESTID BEETLE LARVAE. Cue the tears. DH is at the store now getting micro mac-n-cheese so I can at least eat without expending too much effort.

Well, I got myself a new Hoover Wind Tunnel.  I got a really good deal on the price and was very proud of myself.  Then I tried to use it.  OMG, what a monster.  This thing is so big and so heavy that it was difficult to use.  My joints and muscles would hurt for days afterwords.  It can't get under the furniture because the canister is so big.  It's so heavy that it shuffles the area rugs around like papers on a desktop.  There's no cord grip near the operator's handle, so the power cord keeps flopping off the machine at your feet as you go.  Who designed that?!  And even though it has an automatic brushroll shutoff when the handle is in the upright position, the handle release pedal malfunctioned the first time I used the on-board tools and extension hose, causing the head to fall heavily to the floor and engaging the brushroll.  Like I need to be sucking up cat toys, draperies, rug fringe and the power cord?! 

OMG, what a monster.  Just taking it up the stairs to do the second storey was painful, never mind that the extension hose and wand are too short to do an entire flight of stairs or anything above eye level.  Oh, man, I missed my old Eureka.

And then, knowing that returning the new Hoover would be even more of a hassle than getting it was in the first place, I decided to give it a second chance.  That's when it did something I've never seen another vacuum do:  with no effort on my part, it removed all the loose cat litter from between the slats of the old hardwood floors.  These floors are gorgeous maple and over one hundred years old.  We never aligned the slats because we only found the floors a few years ago underneath recent carpeting.  But with nine cats in the house, litter gets deposited everywhere.  This machine cleaned it up beautifully.  Of course, with nine cats we also have a significant problem with cat hair and dander.  This machine does a decent job of cleaning (although not really any better than my old Eureka) and it's fairly easy to empty the dirt reservoir.

Okay, I miss my old Eureka, which only died because filters were not available for the motor.  But this machine is a pretty good substitute.  I won't call it an improvement because frankly it's not doing much more than the old Eureka did.  But even after being frustrated with my first use of the new Hoover I'm willing to give it another chance. 

I guess that more than anything, I need to learn how to use it properly.  I'm so used to my old lightweight Eureka that the Hoover was a real bear to use the first time.  If I can teach myself how to use it more ergonomically then it just might be the machine for me.

She was a good machine for fifteen years, but now it's time to put her out to pasture.  There's still some life left in her, but it would require time, money and work to get a few more passes out of her.  Right now she's unusable.  It would be nice to get some money out of her for parts, but I doubt anyone is still fixing these machines.  It's a shame she's not in good enough shape to donate to a charity; that would be my preferred way to say good-bye to her.

So I'm limping along with the glorified dustbuster designed for hard floors and debating which vac to buy next.  One of the biggest factors in my decision will be where I can buy it.  Since I figure I'll need belts, bags and possibly a repair shop then it's probably not a good idea to buy a commercial brand over the internet (as much as I'd like to).  I'll probably end up paying too much money for a popular machine that's only mediocre and lasts only a few years. 

Mom had an ECG last week which showed that two of her heart valves are leaking, one more than the other, and backing serum up into her lungs.  She'll go in for a cardiac catheterization soon to explore those heart valves in more detail.  Right now she really doesn't want to make a fuss about it, but I made her promise to tell me when her appointments are and how the results turn out.

Oh, drat.  I love my Eureka Excalibur dual-motor vac.  I've tried to keep it well maintained for fifteen years, but parts got difficult to find as time went on.  It hasn't had a proper pre-motor filter or HEPA filter in years and now the vac motor is whining so loud I can't use it any more.

I've been searching online for a replacement but I'm just not impressed with the ratings.  Many people who give current models a good rating still mention drawbacks which make me realize the model's just not right for me.  I really do need to have a dual-motor model and the prices are much more than I can afford.  And yet DH supports me buying any model I want because he knows I'm frugal and VERY picky.

But I found the owner's manual from when I bought my machine back in 1994.  YAY! (especially since the Eureka website had no record of my model.  *headdesk*).  There's a repair shop about 20 minutes away which might be able to fix my machine.  I sure hope so, because I really love that vac.  In the mean time all I have is a little glorified dustbuster to get the hair from NINE cats up off the floors.  yeah, right...

This just makes me sick.

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Stepdad Bob came over this morning to tell me in person that Mom's not doing well.  It started about a week and a half ago.  Her heart is racing and her blood pressure is sky high.  She'd had both under control with medication, but she might have switched meds recently.  She runs out of energy quickly and has to take it easy.  Bob said she'd like to see me.

I've been thinking about her a lot lately, missing her and wanting to visit.  But my own energy is in the tank and yesterday was such a bad day that I took TWO sedatives during the evening just to get a grip on my out-of-control emotions (I hate PMS.  I so fucking hate PMS).  So I really wasn't very lucid when Bob came by today.  In fact, I slept until DH came home from work at 6 PM.  Still feel like I need more sleep.

I'll call tomorrow and ask if Bob can pick me up for a visit.  After visiting if he can shuttle me to the grocery store that'd be great, since I haven't had access to the car since last weekend. 

Mom will turn 73 this month.  If you think of it, please send some healing light her way.  I'd sure appreciate it.

My energy hit a wall last Thursday night and I haven't managed to get it completely back since then.  I'd been doing great for two weeks, then suddenly *SMACK*!  I feel as though my body is either entering hibernation mode or I'm fighting off a virus.  I do not want  to hibernate!  And anyway it feels like a cold virus to me.  *sigh*  Oh well...  at least I'm getting a lot of beading done.

I found this plant outside the picture window underneath the bird feeders.  I've only seen one like it in the yard once or twice before.  Obviously, it germinated from something in the millet mix I use.  It's pretty big: the center stalk is at least 18" and the total diameter is easily 30".  It had been growing in the shade of a small sunflower plant, so neither of us noticed it until last week.  I like it so much I potted it up today.  :)

Today is my beloved's 42nd birthday!  He just keeps getting more wonderful with age. 

I bought three bunches of Gladiolas at Meijer yesterday afternoon and got 30 stems for about $9.  I can't believe I got all 30 stems into this one glass vase.  Today they look so gorgeous I had to take a pic.  Kismet was enjoying the breeze on the countertop in spite of the vase being in his way.

The last time I went to Bath & Body Works I had a coupon for something free from their True Blue Spa line.  I'd never looked at it before, so it was kinda fun to browse the products.  What I settled on was Shave The Day, a creamy lotion for shaving.

This isn't like anything else I've ever used.  It's not a gel and it's not a foam.  It doesn't even do either of those things.  It's like shaving with body lotion, probably due to the shea butter. 

They recommend exfoliating first; I always do anyway.  Like the instructions say, apply a thin layer on skin.  It can become runny if you've got the water splashing on you, so make sure you're out of the stream.  It's surprisingly smooth; my blade didn't hang up on my knees like it does with other products.  But be absolutely sure you rise the blade often in warm/hot running water with good pressure; otherwise this lotion WILL clog your blade.

Because of my extremely sensitive skin I use a wire-wrapped blade to shave to prevent that nasty razor burn.  None of that happened with this lotion.  The shave was close, smooth and the fragrance was delightful (somewhere between orange blossoms and sandalwood).  Furthermore, even at the end of the day my legs felt smooth and touchable.  I can't say the same for regular women's shave products. 

For those of you with really dry skin, you'll notice silkier, smoother skin after shaving with this product.  But I won't guarantee that you won't need a further moisturizer.  I still see a slight dryness to my skin in just the right light.  But considering that I'm not supposed to use moisturizers, I have to say I really like this product. 

The Pros:  Silky smooth, moisturized skin that's touchable; a close shave; pleasant fragrance

The Cons:  At $12 a tube it's expensive; if you don't rinse your blade often it will clog; be prepared to scrub and  "defilm"  the shower curtain liner, rubber tub mat and bathtub once finished.

The Bottom Line:  if a close, smooth shave is for you, you'll be delighted with Shave The Day.  If you'd rather not have to bother with cleaning up afterwards, then stick with what you're using (after all, there's really no magic pellet).

When I started reading Wil's blog I thought, "Isn't this the whiney kid from ST:TNG?"  But I really enjoyed some of his stories.  So I decided to order  "Dancing Barefoot " and  "Just A Geek" from Amazon.  I also preordered  "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives", which really looked promising.

I had one problem with  "Just A Geek" though:  He retold half of a story that appears in  "Dancing Barefoot", which only has five stories in it to begin with.  And then, the more I read the more I thought  "He really IS a whiney self-absorbed kid!".  Honestly, I don't know why his friends describe him as Taoist, because he's so ego-centric.  Granted, writing is easiest from the first person, and he is describing events from his own life.  But he rarely, if ever, makes more than a half-hearted attempt to see the world through someone else's eyes.

When  "The Happiest Days..." publication kept getting moved back Amazon sent me a message requiring me to decide if I still wanted it delivered.  But  "Just A Geek" had left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth, so I cancelled the preorder. 

It takes a lot for me to cancel delivery of a book.  I love books.  I devour them.  I just wasn't impressed enough.

I just learned a new off-loom beadweaving stitch:  Ndebele (Herringbone).  After a few simple bracelets I decided to tackle this gorgeous piece from Lisa Kan's book Bead Romantique.  The main band is split in the middle, twisted, then rejoined for the ends.  The ends of the band were a bit difficult, but cleverly designed.  I'd never made a blossom, so starting off with a three-layer one was perhaps a bit much of a challenge for me, but I certainly learned a lot.

I think I found out what species is bothering us:  Ochlerotatus trivitatitus.  It is described as being a pest because adults will attack anyone or anything intruding into their territory as a giant swarm.  They're persistent and their bite is painful. 

Yup.  That pretty much describes our experiences in our own backyard.

Two references for your interest.  The second is from 1990 and refers to the insect within its former Genus, before it was changed in 2005.
Species images at BugGuide.net
Presentation and discussion at Rutgers

What I'd like to know is this:  What could possibly be the evolutionary advantage of a mosquito whose bite is so painful that they're swatted away before they have a chance to feed?!

This is Toonces.  He has thumbs.  One of his favorite games is to use his big paws like badminton raquets and swat a ball we toss his way.  His aim is uncanny: when he wants to catch it, he does just that; when he wants to continue playing, the ball gets swatted right back into our laps.

He's also a very long feline.  Long, lean and graceful, with a voice like a Siamese.  When he wants through the kitchen door (from either side) you find out soon enough.  He's so long, in fact, that when he stands on his hind feet he can wiggle the doorknob.  I've made jokes about how, with those thumbs of his, he'll soon learn how to open the door.

You can see it coming, can't you?

The kitchen door was open when we came downstairs first thing this morning.  Toonces was happily snoozing on the wicker chair in the bathroom, where he prefers to spend his afternoons.  But many other kitties who were NOT supposed to get through that door had been having the time of their lives exploring.  It took a while to round up the whole herd of them. 

I'm going to have to start using the deadbolt on that door at bedtime from now on.

Question(s) of the day:
Why are vacuum cleaners so danged loud?!  Do they really have to be that loud?!  Why hasn't someone invented a household vacuum with the motor mounted in sound-insulated housing?  Seriously, I've got a little vac for light touch-ups and that darned motor is as loud as a small jet engine!  You can imagine how deafening it is to use it in a room like the kitchen, which is all hard surfaces that don't absorb sound.

Observation of the day:
Everybody's moving out of the neighborhood.  There are  "For Sale" signs everywhere, and the two houses directly behind us are both empty now.  One has been vacant for a year, but the owner comes by frequently to care for it.  The other went into disrepair several months ago and the owner snuck out.  The grass is so long that the mosquitos are as thick as thieves...and NASTY! 

We can't enjoy the back 20 of our own yard because of those mosquitoraptors!  Or Velociskeeters, as DH calls them.  I coined the former term after running for cover in the garage, where citronella lanters were burning.  I had been trying to water potted flowers but ended up doing a bizarre limb-flailing dance with my mouth closed lest I inhale a bug.  As I stood panting in the garage, safe for the moment, a particular phrase came to me.  It's from the first  "Jurassic Park" movie, when Dr. Grant is telling whiney-boy about the Velociraptor hunting method:   "The point of it is, you are still alive when they begin to eat you."  Which is today's Quote of the Day.

Todays' "I'm proud of myself" moment:
I taught myself herringbone stitch a few days ago.  I bought two simple patterns online and sat down with the beads and thread I already had set up for a different project.  I'd been wanting to learn herringbone stitch for some time, and when I started making something else which was beginning to look pretty boring I stopped and took it apart, thinking this was the perfect time to learn herringbone.

Okay, so what I made is pretty boring, too, but it was an experience.  A not entirely pleasant one, in fact.  The beads wouldn't fall into place, so I had to manually adjust them for every stitch.  The thread I had loaded probably didn't help matters, either.  And when I finished the main band I discovered that the beads I'd chosen didn't lend themselves to the surface embellishment which was the final step in the pattern.  So I set it aside to sell for a few bucks.

Next I decided to use entirely different beads and thread and voila!  Everything went smoothly.  So smoothly, in fact, that I made several spur-of-the-moment major alterations to the pattern I was using.  On only the second project using a stitch I'd just learned.  W00t!  It turned out so pretty and feminine, just like something one would gift their daughter with.

I'm on my third herringbone project now.  It's Lisa Kan's "Herringbone Twist" bracelet from her book Bead Romantique.  Using only beads I have on hand, you'd swear it's an exact replica of the printed project.  Of course, I'm only working on the band right now.  My accent beads don't match hers, but I think they're pretty darn acceptable just the same.

Wildlife observation of the day:
I turned on the sprinkler in the back yard today because everything's so wilty and dry.  As soon as I walked back into the garage I turned around to see several species of birds and a baby bunneh romping and playing in the sprinkler!  I swear the Grackles were jumping for joy and doing little jigs.  Not kidding.  ;)

There's a very cool article in Saturday's Washington Post about a new exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History.  The museum has a forensic anthropology exhibit entitled  "Written in Bones" and the last display is the skeletons of a man and his beloved dog embracing.  Very cool.

Not that I ever do.  It's a matter of preference and principle.  But just in case you do, here's a video I found that might interest you.  Warning:  icky content!

Why You Should NOT Eat McDonald's Food

Warning:  "House, M.D." spoilers (for those on the West coast)

Yes, I'm a big fan of House.  DH and I like to sit together and watch every week.  But we had no idea what we were in for this week.

The character of Kutner took his own life!  At first I refused to believe it was suicide; that seemed too simple an explanation for such a complex show.  But the episode title was  "Simple Explanations".  And indeed, the simplest explanation was the correct one.  This totally blindsided us; we never saw it coming.  And apparently we're not the only ones. 

I could hardly believe the posts on the official House message board over at Fox.  Only three weren't about Kutner.  And the content?  Those people are just crazy nutz over there.  All sorts of people were claiming that  "OMG, Kutner's dead in real life!"  I wanted to say,  "People!  Get a grip!  It's only a TV show!"  Kal Penn is alive and well.

But I can't figure out why his character was written off the show.  I haven't heard any news about the network having difficult contract negotiations, or anything about Kal Penn wanting to leave the show.  This was kept under wraps very well.

I can't say I'm very impressed with the previews of next week's episode, either.  They really oughta let Cameraon's obsession with House just die, already.

In other news, I'm reading Wil Wheaton's Just A Geek.  I've really been looking forward to it, since I follow his blog and I know he's a decent writer. The beginning is pretty much what I expected--lots of teen angst and a look inside his thought processes.  At one point he reprises a story from his first book, the self-published Dancing Barefoot, which I also bought...and haven't read yet...and which only has five stories in it...one of which I already know now...   (Where's my smilies?  I need an eyeroll here!)

 I'm only about halfway through so far.  At this point he's 30 years old and returning to the studio for a bit part in one of the TNG movies.  He doesn't say which but I think it's Nemesis.  But geez, the kid is wrapped up in himself!  I'm having a hard time swallowing that his friends call him Taoist.  He just can't seem to get out of his own head and into someone else's shoes.  There's a whole lot of "me me me" and a whole lot of finger-pointing.  Well, in all honesty I'm actually enjoying the book, but I guess I had a hard time with the last chapter I read.  Updates as I finish it.