Damn. I hate being here alone.

Nicholle wrote:

How is a guest viewing Writing Challenges?

They really can't as far as I can tell. Even if you Google it, I don't think you can find it. And you can't search for any of the challenges while signed in as a guest, though you can as a member. And you can't copy and paste a URL in the Writing section as a guest; it requests your log in.
So, it must have been either a fluke or a bot (sometimes they're recognized as guests instead of bots, as we've observed), unless we have some serious hacker guests.

I got a kitty! Oh, he's so cute. And the best part -- I convinced my family to name him Albus.

How is a guest viewing Writing Challenges?

Paul wrote:

Paul vs. squirrel:

Last week I found a squirrel under one of my eaves trying to chew its way under my roof. I tossed a stick at it and it scampered back across the telephone wires to the telephone pole, where it had staged this initial assault. I took out my extension ladder and climbed the 20 feet (2-story house) to inspect the damage. There was a good amount. I am no handyman, but I patched it up as best as I could, noticing there was a distressing amount of rotted wood up in that area.

I called a contractor who looked at it. My house is 100 years old, and apparently at one time it had wooden gutters. Once those wooden gutters rotted away in years past they were replaced with aluminum ones, but the wood behind it, which was also rotting, was never replaced. Now I have to get new wood along the top of my house where those gutters were. I am also replacing the gutters and drain pipes I have now, as they are pretty old and falling apart.

This is going to cost me in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000.

Last night when I got home from my parents' house I saw the damned squirrel up there again. I chased it off and doused the area with Raid bug spray in the hopes that the toxic scent will keep the little tree rat away. I have to wait for the contractor to call me back to tell me when he can start work on my house.

The joys of owning a home!

Paul. Here's an equation you might like.

Squirrel + Live Trap + Relocation to nice forested area = Happy Paul!

Paul wrote:

Paul vs. squirrel:

Last week I found a squirrel under one of my eaves trying to chew its way under my roof. I tossed a stick at it and it scampered back across the telephone wires to the telephone pole, where it had staged this initial assault. I took out my extension ladder and climbed the 20 feet (2-story house) to inspect the damage. There was a good amount. I am no handyman, but I patched it up as best as I could, noticing there was a distressing amount of rotted wood up in that area.

I called a contractor who looked at it. My house is 100 years old, and apparently at one time it had wooden gutters. Once those wooden gutters rotted away in years past they were replaced with aluminum ones, but the wood behind it, which was also rotting, was never replaced. Now I have to get new wood along the top of my house where those gutters were. I am also replacing the gutters and drain pipes I have now, as they are pretty old and falling apart.

This is going to cost me in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000.

Last night when I got home from my parents' house I saw the damned squirrel up there again. I chased it off and doused the area with Raid bug spray in the hopes that the toxic scent will keep the little tree rat away. I have to wait for the contractor to call me back to tell me when he can start work on my house.

The joys of owning a home!

Feeling with you over here, Paul. It is so annoying when you think that you are making ends meet just fine, and then a squirrel (or a broken sink, as with me) comes along and ruins your perspective of owning a TV (or similar).

Paul vs. squirrel:

Last week I found a squirrel under one of my eaves trying to chew its way under my roof. I tossed a stick at it and it scampered back across the telephone wires to the telephone pole, where it had staged this initial assault. I took out my extension ladder and climbed the 20 feet (2-story house) to inspect the damage. There was a good amount. I am no handyman, but I patched it up as best as I could, noticing there was a distressing amount of rotted wood up in that area.

I called a contractor who looked at it. My house is 100 years old, and apparently at one time it had wooden gutters. Once those wooden gutters rotted away in years past they were replaced with aluminum ones, but the wood behind it, which was also rotting, was never replaced. Now I have to get new wood along the top of my house where those gutters were. I am also replacing the gutters and drain pipes I have now, as they are pretty old and falling apart.

This is going to cost me in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000.

Last night when I got home from my parents' house I saw the damned squirrel up there again. I chased it off and doused the area with Raid bug spray in the hopes that the toxic scent will keep the little tree rat away. I have to wait for the contractor to call me back to tell me when he can start work on my house.

The joys of owning a home!

I've never worked in a fast food restaurant. I never even applied to work at the local McDonalds for fear they would hire me. I did weekend cleanup in a sawmill when I was in highschool. The shift sucked, midnight-8am saturday, but the money was great, I got $14/hour at that job.

Oh, I lied, I did work at a fast food restaurant. I worked at a Quizno's for about a month before I told my boss where he could stick his job. That was the only job I ever quit with no notice. I wonder if Murry ever learned how to remove his head from his ass?

The worst job I had was as a chambermaid in a hotel in Jasper, Alberta. It's amazing the things people do, and don't do, when on vacation. *shudder*

The best job I ever had...being a mommy! Corny as hell, but true. Sure, the hours suck and the pay is worse, but I wouldn't do a nine to five job again. I love staying at home with my kid too much.

Got to the beach house today. We made pretty good time, considering it's two states away (I'm in Surfside, SC). I was up pretty late and we left really early, so I slept the whole way down; my hair was a disaster, but it made the car ride short.
I made it to the beach twice already today. There's something about the ocean that can make you realize how small your issues really are.

Nicholle wrote:

Paul wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

Allison wrote:

I am officially on the hunt for a job. This should be interesting. I just hope someone has the bad sense to hire a fifteen year-old.

You know what makes me mad? Even if I do get a job, I'm only allowed to work three hours a day, and never after seven.

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

Burger King, eh?

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce..."

Sorry. I'm in one of those moods.

Hey, at least it's not KFC. I have a friend who works at KFC/Taco Bell (the restaurants are combined) and she gets some disgusting jobs. One time she had to clean chicken parts out of the sink. Yuck.

Tell her to save me a neck and a gizzard.

Paul wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

Allison wrote:

I am officially on the hunt for a job. This should be interesting. I just hope someone has the bad sense to hire a fifteen year-old.

You know what makes me mad? Even if I do get a job, I'm only allowed to work three hours a day, and never after seven.

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

Burger King, eh?

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce..."

Sorry. I'm in one of those moods.

Hey, at least it's not KFC. I have a friend who works at KFC/Taco Bell (the restaurants are combined) and she gets some disgusting jobs. One time she had to clean chicken parts out of the sink. Yuck.

Allison wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

I think grocery stores hire fifteen-year-olds. Where have you applied?

Honestly? I hate the idea of working at Burger King, too. But my dad worked there as a teenager, and a woman he worked with still works there, and her son even works with her now. So, I guess I have connections.

Connections are always good. And you can sneak fries now and then, maybe. It might be fun.
The two places I've found are Bruster's Ice Cream and Chick-Fil-A. I tried McDonalds, Kohl's, and Sonic, but they won't hire fifteen-year-olds. I'm about to call Publix, TJ Maxx, and Dairy Queen. I've heard they might hire me, but I don't know for sure.

I doubt I'd want to sneak those fries; I'll get so sick of the smell. My dad said he used to come home smelling like a French fry.

TJ Maxx wouldn't be too bad; air conditioning, and you wouldn't have to deal with food. I've heard Dairy Queen is an awful place to work, though.

Nicholle wrote:

Allison wrote:

I am officially on the hunt for a job. This should be interesting. I just hope someone has the bad sense to hire a fifteen year-old.

You know what makes me mad? Even if I do get a job, I'm only allowed to work three hours a day, and never after seven.

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

Burger King, eh?

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce..."

Sorry. I'm in one of those moods.

Nicholle wrote:

I think grocery stores hire fifteen-year-olds. Where have you applied?

Honestly? I hate the idea of working at Burger King, too. But my dad worked there as a teenager, and a woman he worked with still works there, and her son even works with her now. So, I guess I have connections.

Connections are always good. And you can sneak fries now and then, maybe. It might be fun.
The two places I've found are Bruster's Ice Cream and Chick-Fil-A. I tried McDonalds, Kohl's, and Sonic, but they won't hire fifteen-year-olds. I'm about to call Publix, TJ Maxx, and Dairy Queen. I've heard they might hire me, but I don't know for sure.

Allison wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

But that's only if I manage to get hired anywhere. So far only two places around here would be willing to hire me, should they have any positions available. You've got a lot more options than me (although I would hate to work at Burger King, honestly).

Not too many places will hire a 15-year-old, I'm afraid. Between child labor laws, insurance premiums, and the crappy economy I'm afraid you will not find much. Good luck, though.

Allison wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

But that's only if I manage to get hired anywhere. So far only two places around here would be willing to hire me, should they have any positions available. You've got a lot more options than me (although I would hate to work at Burger King, honestly).

I think grocery stores hire fifteen-year-olds. Where have you applied?

Honestly? I hate the idea of working at Burger King, too. But my dad worked there as a teenager, and a woman he worked with still works there, and her son even works with her now. So, I guess I have connections.

Nicholle wrote:

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

But that's only if I manage to get hired anywhere. So far only two places around here would be willing to hire me, should they have any positions available. You've got a lot more options than me (although I would hate to work at Burger King, honestly).

Paul wrote:

Well, I had an interesting night last night. My wife and I ended up taking our youngest son to the emergency room after he was hit in the face with a baseball.

He was standing at the plate, ready to bat, when the pitcher threw it in. The ball was thrown fast and it curved inward, hitting my son square in the face right below the eye. It was an accident, of course. It was not intentional. He had glasses on with break-proof lenses, which we were told later probably helped to protect his eye. He went down and his nose immediately started gushing blood. Of course we ran out to him. He was able to stand back up. I think he was more stunned than anything else. He was given ice for his face, which was swelling up pretty good. We took him to the hospital where they took X-rays and gave him more ice.

Thankfully the X-rays came back negative, no broken bones. We got back home around midnight. This morning the whole left side of his face is swollen, with his left eye swollen completely shut. Besides that, he seems to be all right. He is acting his usual self. He's just going to have one hell of a shiner for the next couple of weeks. He's going back to see the family doctor in a few days just to make sure everything is all right. He's also going to need new glasses.

It helped cheer him up when his baseball coach came to the hospital after the game and told him that his team, who had been behind when that happened, rallied after that and played with a vengeance, winning the game. The coach gave my son the game ball, which brought a smile to his face.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Oh, Paul! I'm sorry. I hope your son is okay. At least he rallied the team, eh? That's kind of neat.

Allison wrote:

I am officially on the hunt for a job. This should be interesting. I just hope someone has the bad sense to hire a fifteen year-old.

You know what makes me mad? Even if I do get a job, I'm only allowed to work three hours a day, and never after seven.

I'm picking up an application for Burger King later today. Ugh.

Three hours a day is nothing. I'd say you're almost lucky.

I am officially on the hunt for a job. This should be interesting. I just hope someone has the bad sense to hire a fifteen year-old.

You know what makes me mad? Even if I do get a job, I'm only allowed to work three hours a day, and never after seven.

Paul wrote:

Well, I had an interesting night last night. My wife and I ended up taking our youngest son to the emergency room after he was hit in the face with a baseball.

He was standing at the plate, ready to bat, when the pitcher threw it in. The ball was thrown fast and it curved inward, hitting my son square in the face right below the eye. It was an accident, of course. It was not intentional. He had glasses on with break-proof lenses, which we were told later probably helped to protect his eye. He went down and his nose immediately started gushing blood. Of course we ran out to him. He was able to stand back up. I think he was more stunned than anything else. He was given ice for his face, which was swelling up pretty good. We took him to the hospital where they took X-rays and gave him more ice.

Thankfully the X-rays came back negative, no broken bones. We got back home around midnight. This morning the whole left side of his face is swollen, with his left eye swollen completely shut. Besides that, he seems to be all right. He is acting his usual self. He's just going to have one hell of a shiner for the next couple of weeks. He's going back to see the family doctor in a few days just to make sure everything is all right. He's also going to need new glasses.

It helped cheer him up when his baseball coach came to the hospital after the game and told him that his team, who had been behind when that happened, rallied after that and played with a vengeance, winning the game. The coach gave my son the game ball, which brought a smile to his face.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Oh no, you must've been so scared! I am glad that everything is ok - Churchill was quite right when he warned his fellow people against sports

Well, I had an interesting night last night. My wife and I ended up taking our youngest son to the emergency room after he was hit in the face with a baseball.

He was standing at the plate, ready to bat, when the pitcher threw it in. The ball was thrown fast and it curved inward, hitting my son square in the face right below the eye. It was an accident, of course. It was not intentional. He had glasses on with break-proof lenses, which we were told later probably helped to protect his eye. He went down and his nose immediately started gushing blood. Of course we ran out to him. He was able to stand back up. I think he was more stunned than anything else. He was given ice for his face, which was swelling up pretty good. We took him to the hospital where they took X-rays and gave him more ice.

Thankfully the X-rays came back negative, no broken bones. We got back home around midnight. This morning the whole left side of his face is swollen, with his left eye swollen completely shut. Besides that, he seems to be all right. He is acting his usual self. He's just going to have one hell of a shiner for the next couple of weeks. He's going back to see the family doctor in a few days just to make sure everything is all right. He's also going to need new glasses.

It helped cheer him up when his baseball coach came to the hospital after the game and told him that his team, who had been behind when that happened, rallied after that and played with a vengeance, winning the game. The coach gave my son the game ball, which brought a smile to his face.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Rhea wrote:

This is really creepy. You can actually watch live security feeds from businesses and houses on the internet. I don't know why you would want to, but you can do it. Some feeds (usually from ones with off-site security, I suppose) go into the internet and are free game for anyone who wants to watch them.

Kelsey, that is the logical next step after reality TV, I believe. I never understood why that concept worked in the first place. There is a very successful show in Germany called "So leben wir Deutschen" ("That is how we Germans live"), and it consists of a single camera man following some people around, filming them as they do their grocery shopping, feed the dog, mow the lawn... If it works in TV, it must work online, right?

This is really creepy. You can actually watch live security feeds from businesses and houses on the internet. I don't know why you would want to, but you can do it. Some feeds (usually from ones with off-site security, I suppose) go into the internet and are free game for anyone who wants to watch them.

Queen Rhodantia wrote:

I found out yesterday that my mom broke her leg....LAST MONTH!

Yup, that's right, my mom was walking around on a broken leg for a month. It's just a hairline fracture though, and is now mostly healed.

Here's how it happened.

My parents were putting vinyl siding on their house and building a deck out back. They had to remove the steps from the backdoor to put the siding on. My mom, in a moment of sheer brilliance, opened the back door and stepped out. Without the stairs, it's only like a 4 foot drop, but my mom tried to turn in mid air to get back into the house. She didn't even realize her leg was broken. She went to the doctor yesterday to get Champax (a stop smoking drug, YAY mommy!) and mentioned that her leg still has a slight bump and a bit of a bruise. After a set of x-rays she was told that she did in fact fracture her leg.

God I love my family! They amuse me so!

In other news, I'm no longer speaking to my cousin. She has it in her mind that she can say and do whatever she wants to people and never has to apologize. She thinks all she has to do is give you enough time and hopefully you'll be stupid and forget that she was blatantly rude and ignorant toward you and all can go back to normal. WRONG!

Out of family obligation I would call her once in a while to check in and chat. On more than one occasion she was rude to me for no reason. The last time was just that, the last time. Thank god for caller ID.

I think she's so rude to me because she's 38 and has it in her mind that I'm her little cousin. Well, news flash, I'm not little. I'm 26, an adult and should be treated as such. But it's not like that would be much better. She doesn't treat the adults in her life with much respect either. I'm not really broken up about it. Once I got over being pissed off over her blatant rudeness and ignorance toward me, I've rather enjoyed blatantly snubbing her. Yes, I am that evil.
I just don't deal with bullsh*t and the best way not to deal with bullsh*t is to cut it off at the source.

Life is good.

1. Don't worry about the fire. My personal impression of Canadian authorities include their being considerate enough to warn you ahead of time when things get ugly - but then run, Forrest, run!
2. Your mother is hilarious - I wish my family members did something like that once in a while! (Though I am sorry for her, it must have hurt badly. But still, funny )
3. Good work about your cousin. I remember you complaining about her rudeness before, and I think you took the right decision. Pity that my cousin is a stupid b*tch, but not exactly rude, or I could give her the same treatment

As for me, I am covered in paint, decidedly dizzy, and I feel a migraine coming. Good thing my VBF has opened up her swimming pool. We'll spend the rest of the day in there.

I found out yesterday that my mom broke her leg....LAST MONTH!

Yup, that's right, my mom was walking around on a broken leg for a month. It's just a hairline fracture though, and is now mostly healed.

Here's how it happened.

My parents were putting vinyl siding on their house and building a deck out back. They had to remove the steps from the backdoor to put the siding on. My mom, in a moment of sheer brilliance, opened the back door and stepped out. Without the stairs, it's only like a 4 foot drop, but my mom tried to turn in mid air to get back into the house. She didn't even realize her leg was broken. She went to the doctor yesterday to get Champax (a stop smoking drug, YAY mommy!) and mentioned that her leg still has a slight bump and a bit of a bruise. After a set of x-rays she was told that she did in fact fracture her leg.

God I love my family! They amuse me so!

In other news, I'm no longer speaking to my cousin. She has it in her mind that she can say and do whatever she wants to people and never has to apologize. She thinks all she has to do is give you enough time and hopefully you'll be stupid and forget that she was blatantly rude and ignorant toward you and all can go back to normal. WRONG!

Out of family obligation I would call her once in a while to check in and chat. On more than one occasion she was rude to me for no reason. The last time was just that, the last time. Thank god for caller ID.

I think she's so rude to me because she's 38 and has it in her mind that I'm her little cousin. Well, news flash, I'm not little. I'm 26, an adult and should be treated as such. But it's not like that would be much better. She doesn't treat the adults in her life with much respect either. I'm not really broken up about it. Once I got over being pissed off over her blatant rudeness and ignorance toward me, I've rather enjoyed blatantly snubbing her. Yes, I am that evil.
I just don't deal with bullsh*t and the best way not to deal with bullsh*t is to cut it off at the source.

Life is good.