Pepe le Pew, You Haunt Me

Last night, for the second game in a row, my volleyball team made it to three sets. Wahoo! For a team that never practices, rarely "warms up," often doesn't have enough players for a full team, and doesn't have any rehearsed "plays," I think we are doing great. And we have a blast, and that is what I think matters anyway. The sets last night were really fast-paced and so much fun. I was in a great mood on my way home.

Then.

About three miles from the house on the highway, I see -- too late -- a black and white furry little critter ambling across the highway. I was afraid that if I tried to swerve to miss this little, very-much-alive, skunk I would either 1) roll the car and kill A., the skunk, and myself or that 2) I would end up lining my tires up squarely over the skunk's little body. I braked as hard as a I could and tried to keep my tires clear of the skunk, but my little Civic just doesn't have the clearance to pass over a critter in the middle of the road.

I killed a skunk last night.

It was the most grisly sound I've ever been unfortunate enough to hear.

I cried (A. would say hysterically) for an hour.

I woke up three times last night from nightmares.

I am very seriously reconsidering becoming a vegetarian.

So, I guess this settles it: I will never join A. out on a hunt.

(Note: A. has actually been struggling for some time with his role as a hunter, and every season it is harder and harder for him to take down an animal. I won't be surprised if this fall ends up involving a lot of hiking and not much else. He is the most considerate and thoughtful hunter I've ever met. He is not a bloodthirsty or nonchalant hunter -- at all. He spends a lot of time wrestling with the ethics of hunting.)

Inching Closer

Rep. Kucinich is inching a bit closer to filing the necessary papers to start the impeachment process against Cheney.

I refuse to get excited about this prospect yet, but I am hopeful...

Give me my money, bitch!!

Sorry (to you, my four faithful readers) that I haven't posted in a bit. I've been trying to catch up on laundry, thesis and work after recovering from last week's near-bronchitis. Bleh.

One thing that has definitely lifted my spirits lately is this "home" movie by Will Ferrell called The Landlord. I still laugh out loud, and I think I've seen this video 15 times. I cried the first time from laughing so hard.

Enjoy!



Courtesy of Funnyordie.com

Rep. Kucinich Just Got a lot Sexier

The Washington Post reports that Rep. Kucinich (D-OH) plans to begin proceedings necessary to impeach -- Cheney.

Awesome.

Update: The Nation's John Nichols weighs in here.

Captain Crunch and Tony the Tiger Save the World

Breakfast of the Gods. I am totally smitten with this comic. It's a bit dark, twisted, and smacks of postmodernism.

Enjoy.

After clicking on the link, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and hit "Next" a couple of times to get to the comic's first story...

A Tribute to Folk Medicine, If in a Snotty Sort of Way

I've been under the weather this past week. Friday, until most of Tuesday, I was in bed just trying to breathe. Finally, on Tuesday, I went to the doctor. (Or, rather, I could finally get an appointment thanks to the town's overwhelmingly overbooked health care providers.)

In my doctor's words, I was "knocking on bronchitis or pneumonia's door." Along with amoxicillin, she prescribed Mucinex, regular irrigation of my nasal passages, and gargling with warm water five times a day. All of this is to loosen the congestion in my head and chest -- and it all results in some really disgusting behavior.

The point of these activities is to get me to get rid of the slimy germiness that has taken over my respiratory system. Basically, my goal for the next week is to blow, spit, and cough up as much snot as possible. Fun.

Another woman used to prescribe activities to accomplish these very same results.

My Great-grandma Defa would have smeared me with J.R. Watkins Apothecary Menthol Rub and wrapped my chest (soooo tightly) with a hot, moist towel instead of telling me to pop two Mucinex tablets a day. And she would have made her awesome chicken soup with homemade kluski noodles instead of tracking down Amoxicillin.

But she would also prescribe the nasal irrigation and the gargling with warm, salty water. She'd tell me I had to "spit out the snot." Anyone who knows me knows I don't have the stomach or gag reflexes for this, so I'd throw a fit and fight her until she'd exhibit the strength that comes with a ranching woman and pin me down. (And she could do this without ever hurting a hair on my head, breaking a sweat, or losing her composure.) My Great-grandma knew what she was doing.

I really miss her. Especially her hands, I always miss her hands. They were surprisingly soft for a rancher.

I wish I could visit with her, sitting next to the fire, even if I have been gagging for the past two days.

New little sprouts delivered Easter tidings

Happy belated Easter, and I hope Passover has been a special time for everyone (especially those of you with new little ones in your lives!).

I've been home sick, sleeping nearly 20 hours a day for the past four days. I am so bored of it, but I still manage to fall asleep after being awake for 20 minutes or so. I am happy that it seems I am past the worst of it. I've been too sick to stay awake or concentrate for too long so unfortunately, I didn't get much work done on my thesis the past few days. I am chomping at the bit to get something done!

A. and I had a basil plant that grew so quickly we couldn't make enough pesto fast enough and we had to constantly trim the leaves back. Aphids got it a few months ago, and even though A. was armed with a spray bottle of soapy water, the aphids won that battle.

I miss the smell of the fresh basil so much (and the pesto!) that we've decided to try again. We planted seeds just two weeks ago and already we have sprouts! Yeah! Waiting for the plants to get big enough to produce mature leaves will be a true test of my patience!

Definitely grant-worthy research

Well, my favorite season of the year has come to an early close; the Cadbury's Mini Eggs season. I am so sad - they are my favorite candies. They are hard to find to begin with, but it appears that every store in town is already sold out of them.

However, this little project has lifted my spirits in the area of Easter candies! If you have any heart at all you'll be interested in this research examining the well-being of Peeps!

Thanks, L. for the hot tip! Good luck with your paper - I am sure it will be brilliant, illuminating and excedeingly well-written!

Taxes as a happy diversion?

Not too much going on. To put off working on my thesis for at least an hour or more, I've decided to do my taxes (11 days before the deadline - that is a record!).

Last night A. and I had our first volleyball game in the city league we joined. We got our butts kicked, and our opponents were really rude. A. did a great job; he looked like he knew what he was doing. I looked (and sounded) like I was going to hyperventilate.

I am happy to report that there is an air of Run Bill Run to my team! So, even though I can be heard from across the court wheezing for lack of oxygen, I'll be grinning.

72-56 – Cowgirls Win!! Wahoo!!

The Wyoming Cowgirls played a solid game on Saturday and beat the University of Wisconsin Badgers, 72-56!

It was exciting (if not as gut-wrenching as the triple-overtime against Kansas State) and again, I was so proud of how the women kept their cool throughout. At 15,462 fans in attendance (almost exclusively Wyoming fans), it was the second highest attendance in WNIT history and in the Arena Auditorium’s history.

It was so much fun to be at the game! I’ll post a photo to this entry tonight.

Good job, Cowgirls!! L. – the Lady Badgers were all good sportswomen – I was impressed!