Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Do you think it's bad luck/bad karma to kill bugs?

I'm not like some tree-hugging hippie, or even a vegetarian, but I always feel a little twinge of remorse when I kill a bug. One time a couple of years ago at the apartment complex where we were living, there was a wasp's nest on the railing of the stairs leading up to our floor. I got stung on the foot and came back with some bug spray and annihilated those suckers. Then I felt like crying. They didn't sting me to be mean. They were protecting their nest. I feel sad thinking about it now and every time I walked by that dead nest for the next few days I felt like I'd run over a kitten or something.

Also, I hardly ever kill spiders, if I can help it. Not only because they trap and eat other bugs (like mosquitos) but because I saw Charlotte's Web and it really resonated with me. (Aside: Last week we went out to eat and walked by a pet store on the way to the restaurant and they had little piglets. Piglets!!! I really wanted one but Mike said no. If I ever got one, his name would be Wilbur.)

Anyway, also, our volleyball coach says killing spiders is bad luck. I don't know about all that but I do know that unless it's like a black widow or something really huge and hairy I hardly ever kill them. If I see them in the house, I get a cup and a piece of paper (unopened mail works well) and trap it and let it go outside. Silly? Maybe. But it makes me feel a little bit better about myself.

I do discriminate, though. Mosquitos for example never get my sympathy. Neither do ants. Especially when they get into leftover chocolate cake on the counter that was really really delicious but you had to throw away because the ants got into it, and then you spend half an hour spraying said ants with bug spray and wiping them all up and wiping everything down because you don't want any bug spray residue on the countertop where you prepare food. That was just an example.

So let's hear it: do you feel bad when you kill bugs?

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Cats in funny places & new stuff

So now that I'm a boring married lady, the exciting things in my life are, in no particular order:

-our new house
-our pets
-our new(ish) car

So here are some pictures of our cats, as well as our new house (and furniture).


Mike got a laptop in the mail from his friend and we left the open box on the table. This is where we found PJ when we got home. She was asleep before we so rudely interrupted her. And as I type this, here is what I see:

Right after I took that (with flash), I got the evil eye for a good 30 seconds.



"What? This is where cats go."


That's our new dining room furniture. It's "pub height" which means it's kinda like sitting at a bar.


That's the guest room. It used to have baby blue walls and ceiling. Yes, the ceiling was painted the same color as the walls, and it was all baby blue.


That's the guest bathroom. It used to be a bright aquamarine color.


That's our room. It used to be a taupe/khaki color and we painted it a light creamy yellow, although it doesn't show up too well in the picture. You'll have to take my word for it. If you don't believe me, well, I don't care.


That's the master bathroom. We didn't paint it but I just like it so I posted a picture. Got a problem with that?


That's our TV room/den/office/dog's room. That's also P.J.'s butt.
We moved our old couch & recliner in this room. It also used to be a taupe/khaki color with lots of holes in the walls where the previous owners hung stuff.
The dog has a better room than I did growing up.


That's our new sofa, chair & ottoman. And pillows. And a whiny dog. I can't believe she walked into the shot. She usually puts her tail between her legs and turns away from me when I have the camera. Definitely not an attention whore like P.J.


And that's the matching love seat. I always wondered why it's called a love seat. It's not really big enough for anything but sitting.

We still have a lot to do around the house (mostly involving hanging curtains) but it is really starting to feel like OUR house, finally. Especially since we have to pay the mortgage every month. And had to get the AC fixed when it went out last week in 105 degree weather instead of just calling the front office/landlord. But we love it and can't wait for people to start visiting us. That's a hint. Come visit us, damnit.