Argh. Just into my flight from Vienna to Frankfurt, I realized my ears were stuffed up. OW! Took four sudafed, but ear did not pop until back on the ground. Is still dodgy. Am hoping to avoid java-esque situation. Or six hours of pain. And then five more.

Someone entertain me? Im stuck in Frankfurt for two more hours.

• does a dance for meara* *shimmy* *glitter throw*

I don't mind mice, at all, but one of our cats occasionally kills them and brings them to us, so we must have them in the house. The other cat catches them but doesn't know what to do with them, so she just holds them ever so gently in her mouth until we take it away from her.

I have some bug stories from growing up in Malaysia, but I won't repeat them.

We had mice one winter, set traps and apparently caught them all. The traps were reset and not bothered, but I kept smelling dead mouse. If you've ever smelled it, you know what I mean--it's a unique odor. It faded away in a few days and I forgot all about it.

A few years later we remodeled the kitchen. When we tore out the sink cabinet, there was a nest under the cabinet with four tiny skeletons in it. That still haunts me, a bit.

In this house (which we've lived in 2 years now) we've had fleas, roaches, ants, squirrels, and possums all inside the house. The roaches and ants are endemic; short of bombing the place with icky chemicals there seems to be nothing to be done. We sealed the possum entrance after the second incursion, and the roof work going on should be sealing the squirrel entrances. Oh, I also had a bird try to build a nest in the laundry room.

In other houses I have had mice, bats, and cave crickets. Vermin don't really bother me much anymore, although the possum with a pouchful of babies was a little alarming. As I think Ginger said, "sheer hissing evil." MAN are they ugly.

I've had ants, but not for a couple of years. The main vermin I have to deal with are camel crickets. [link] Those buggers can jump as high as my head and try to move in when it's too dry (most of the summer) or too cold (most of the winter). Luckily, my cat thinks they're the best toy ever, so while they may come in they don't stay long.

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year, Billytea!!!!

Kat, can you embroider over the clipped patch? If you use the same fiber content yarn it should wash and shrink/not shrink the same as the body of the sweater.

Nope. The hole is about the size of a sharpie marker. Then there is still tape residue on a patch the size of the tape which is about the size of my palm. AM not amused.

The the thing that has really broken me of the ick factor is having Grace home. The sheer amount of bodily fluids I deal with on a day to day basis are kind of intense. Let me just say, there is nothing tactile-y worse than stomach acid.

20 car pile up on an icy hill in Colorado Springs

Huh. Just west of Powers near S. Carefree. I used to deliver pizzas for Domino's in that neighborhood back in the mid-80s.

Morning, all. And Happy New Year to billytea!

I had crap sleep and my jaw is all yonked. Un-yonk, jaw!

We've never had a mouse in the house, and I'm not surprised, with 4 cats and a Corgi. Minnie deposits little gifts on the stoop all the time, though. I praise her and dump them in the trash. Mice don't bother me.

Mmmm, coffee.