Sorry to everyone here who just received a spam message from my old hotmail account. Argh.

Take a look at this Google Trends page for "bed bugs". [link] Damn, there's been a huge jump just in the last few months.

Somewhat relatedly, Google's New York office has bed bugs.

It's so weird -- I couldn't read the Times article last week or whenever about bedbugs, but apparently they ("They") have no idea why they suddenly had this huge resurgence over the past few years? Bananas.

My nice coworker gave me a nice ride home! Too bad we only decided on the way to the T which I thought would be more convenient for her, so we went a stupid way and it kind of took forever. But nice! And good to talk.

The thing about bedbugs that amazes me is the stigma. They don't cause disease, they are not associated with uncleanliness - they are itchy and annoying, but so are mosquitoes and there is no stigma about those!

so are mosquitoes and there is no stigma about those!

Really? I've always looked askance at them, what with the whole stagnant water requirement.

Which, in Jamaica, is pissing against the wind, but I can't help but think if we were doing something right we wouldn't have that problem.

Mosquitoes can breed in tiny tiny puddles. Unless you live in a desert, they are very common. If you live somewhere humid, they are guaranteed.

I should note that 2 years in GA has also completely desensitized me to cockroaches, the big ones. They are a native fauna; I see them walking down the sidewalk in the evenings. It's a serious bad-pesticide-requiring accomplishment to keep them out of the house (one we do not accomplish ourselves.)

Mosquitoes can breed in tiny tiny puddles. Unless you live in a desert, they are very common. If you live somewhere humid, they are guaranteed.

But there are steps that can be taken to minimise their prevalence, and I judge when people don't. We have a lot of unmanned stagnant water in Kingston that's just breeding and breeding--of course there would be fewer mosquitoes if there was less water.

I've got a four-day weekend coming up--taking Tuesday off to spend time with MOm. She came out here for Uncle Ray and Aunt Denise's 50th anniversary party (a small one, just for their kids and siblings, since they had the big blowout party for their 40th) on Sunday, and then she's driving up to spend Sunday night through Tuesday afternoon with me.

I really have to clean my apartment tonight and tomorrow afternoon after class is done!!

Timelies!

Happy birthday, Liese!

Last night I took my first Metro Rail ride/s to see Jerry Beck's cartoons and Janet Klein & the Parlor Boys at the Steven Allen Theater. That's an interesting venue. They handed me a folder of posters for upcoming attractions that must have cost a mint to print.

There's a "slumber party" coming up there in late Oct. that I'm thinking about attending.

Anyway, I learned that the Gold Line goes to at least three places I'd like to visit but are too far away for me to bike to (unless and until my knee heals) so that's good news.