I'm so glad I don't sleep with my mouth open. The stories I've heard about the amount of bugs people ingest at night makes me quiver.

But, spiders... if it was a fly, I'd be all "Gross!", but a spider I'm all about insane body shivers and clenches and panic, even at the memory of it.

Just think of spiders as terrestrial crabmeat.

Spidra, that's horrible.

But I now want to attend that fall festival that's being planned. I am SO looking forward to the weather cooling off. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year.

Just think of spiders as terrestrial crabmeat.

But there was no lemon and butter!

Also gross (in theory): giant spiders cooked like crabs to eat.

I need to remember to get out to a vineyard to harvest some Concorde grapes for snacking and for pies. They make the best pies ever. It's what I imagine the bubblies tasted like in Dragon Riders of Pern.

Veteran fizzers? How can you tell when the cylinder is getting low? I have the one that is 100 liter capacity, and have been doing roughly 2 bottles per day for the last month. It shouldn't be running out just yet, I don't think...but I'm getting a bit of a stutter.

I think my cylinder does about 2 bottles a day for roughly 2 1/2 months, sometimes 3.

Also, does anyone else have a loooong first pump before you get the burpy sound, or am I doing something wrong? It's like the pressure has to build up in the bottle before the actual fizzination occurs.

Yup. As you said, I think it's a pressure thing.

And I get some leakage too...no matter how tight I screw the bottle on.

I don't get leakage every time, but I get it often. I was assuming I just need to buy new bottles, because mine are fairly old (almost 3 years).

The family day was good -- there was even a bonus second cousin I wasn't expecting! (She lives outside of Chicago, so it was really a surprise.) Now I am home with fresh mani-pedi and thinking about using last night's leftover yolks (and white) for a omelette.

Also gross (in theory): giant spiders cooked like crabs to eat.

They are. That's how I heard they taste like crab. Apparently tarantulas are eaten in Cambodia and an article I read once talked about a tribe in the Amazon also doing it.

Not that I'm rushing to try it out, mind you. I don't even like seafood so the crabmeat thing isn't at all appetizing to me.

Just made my first Zipcar reservation and I'm nervous about it. For one thing, I have to pick up and drop off at USC and I've always heard what a badass neighborhood that is. And for another, I'm worried that somehow I'm going to mess up the technology in a way that has people honking at me or something...

Managed to move a bookcase into my room. Removed all the shelves but one to make it lighter. Ended up getting help from my sister for the last bit. Very quickly became exhausted from moving boxes and the growing heat of the day so I'm either going to concentrate on the boxes I already have indoors or take a nap.

People need to stop talking about spiders as food,'kay? The placenta conversation was bad enough.

Thanks Steph. Nice to know I'm in the norm. Mercy! I lurve my bubble machine, yes I do. So do my clients. yay.

ION, I'm maximally hormonal right now and in a very EAT BIG frame of mind. So, instead of getting the french fries I really wanted, I went to the grocery and brought home the stuff to make faux pasta.

I can report that the Shiritaki tofu, 'miracle noodle' is, indeed, awesome. Zero native flavor but a sufficiently 'noodley texture. Plus, the entire packet is 40 calories and 1 gram of fat. Boooyah.

Paired with a sauce into which I added fresh onion and peppers...topped with these amazing, gluten-free chicken meatballs with parm and some cheese curds from the local gourmet grocery.

The added cheese negates the healthiness of the pasta, but hey, I take the win where I can. In the end, a thoroughly satisfying bowl of yum.

Long story short, NOM.

PS: I should add that the faboo meatballs came from Costco. Muy delitsioso.

After the market, bagged up all the stupid linden debris. Then off to haircut, target and then swim. Strip paint. Go to TJs. Eat dinner. About to strip some more paint (and then I'll be done with using the stripper on the top post!) after I give MK his shot.

I don't think I'm going to do anymore tonight. I think there is time tomorrow to clean (and hopefully I'll be able to take all the plastic and tape up before that.