mish mosh
Some very random thoughts:
An electric blanket makes everything better…
Did you know that in the Listerine commercials, the actors don’t really have anything in their mouths? They make all those swirling, swishing, and gargling motions with nothing but air. Hmph.
Remember my disdain of moths? Yeah, me too. Tonight I had a tiny bit of lemonade left after dinner, which I set on my bedside table to help my melatonin go down at bedtime. A little bit ago I started to hear splashing. Confused, I looked around my room. THIS is what I found:
Demon moth.
It’s hard for me to not feel guilty that I’m not doing much (work-wise) and my husband is back in South Africa hard at work. He deserves a break more than I do, and yet here I am… the one on vacation. Sorry, Hombre. I love you!
a: we too love our electric blanket…whoever thought of plugging in an blanket was a genius…he probably had the first idea of plugging in pink underwear and everyone laughed at him…but look at him now, just look at him now!
b: melatonin was a good idea at one time, but it forgot how to work through the 3 am blog calls
c: I’m so glad you said that about the Listerine commercials, cause, girlfriend, I can’t do 15 seconds of that stuff without fierce recollection of the I Love Lucy “Vitameatavegamin” health tonic episode. Whose eyes don’t leak like the hoover dam when swishing that green lava liquid anyway?
d: no worries about the vacation, doll…just think…the hubs doesn’t have to worry about moths in his lemonade
[make it 4 am blog calls]
A) you’re probably absolutely right!
B) yeah… i haven’t taken my melatonin yet. but i know it’ll be a 2-pill night for me! (man, i think i need me some ambien, like for reals…)
C) i’ve never seen that i love lucy episode. i wonder if i can find that on youtube…
D) nope. he doesn’t. there’s no lemonade in south africa. (not like ours anyway. when they say “lemonade”, they really mean “spite”. argh.) and it’s so freezing there right now that all the african moths are in hiding. and who can blame them.
@moweezle says:
Ok, seriously: you have major problems with moths. They are just attracted to you like a …. well you know…moth to a flame. hehe.
Don’t worry about Niel working too hard. I’ve seen him slacking a bit here and there! :)
Love ya!
@moweezle says:
ps. I like the new look!
Next time you’re feeling insomniac…
here’s a little bed-time reading for you (note: Roles in Humans chapter well):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
Cathi – feel free to share :-)
<B
@mandythompson says:
ewww…
but, i like your clock
@atangie says:
Plain and simple you need an insectivore to intercept your nocturnal heterocera infestation.
According to this article the moth has various predators:
Nocturnal insectivores often feed on moths, these include some bats, some species of owls, but also other species of birds. Moths are also eaten by some species of lizards, some cats some rodents and some bears.
Thus it would be highly advisable to consider the acquisition of one of these utilitarian animals. Due to the uncanny attraction that the heterocera has to you it might be good to consider one of the larger options such as the bear. Though the lizard can be quite charming, even more so than the grossly discussed puppy.
@atangie says:
BTW – there are some pretty pictures on that site linked in the above comment.
It is very sweet of you to acknowledge the needs of your Hombre, publicly affirm your love for him and be honest about your feelings. But I must say that it is OK that you are on vacation. (WARNING: following comment may cause reversal guilt – offense prone readers should refrain from glancing down to the next few words…)
Ditch the guilt and enjoy your vacation!!! Live it up! Have fun! Laugh lots! Selah! :-)
@danielleH says:
oh. Lece.
we love niel too. we also hate demon moths.
@tamhodge says:
OK- right to business here.
guilt no more!
God has gifted you this time. and for good reason im sure. you are gonna be totally refreshed and renewed and reignited when you go back home. it will be perfect timing for your husband too, im sure. but for now, enjoy the gift of time and relaxing – bless the Giver by laying the guilt aside and taking every bit of it in. you need it too ya know.
i hate crickets.
@coloraturajoy says:
HAHAHAHA!
“demon moth”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
You heard splashing????? That was a big moth to splash!! (shock face here) ;-)
I always wondered on those commercials how they weren’t wincing in pain after spitting it out….like I always do when I spit it out. I though happen to like Listerine….feel the burn baby! Feel the burn!!!!
Ewww – It would have to be a moth, huh?
Don’t be a guilty workaholic. Be where you are.
I wonder those kinds of little things about commercials. Some of them are so ridiculous, they couldn’t possibly be real. Ever seen Rush Hour? I caught Chris Rock pretending to eat Chinese food. That “camel’s hump” part? Watch him. He doesn’t actually eat anything. Does a lot of stirring it around and some obvious air eating. :) Don’t know if it was the 20th take and he was full, or if he just really doesn’t like Chinese food. It was funny, though.
In the lemonade is better than in the ear!
Ew…that freaked me out.
mo — keep him in line! or at least bring him a cup of coffee…
mandy — i like my clock, too! and did you note what time it was?!?! eeek.
@ — i guess i need to get me a bat—or maybe a bear—to fight off the moths. thanks for that awesome idea. (and thanks for the nudge to “ditch the guilt!”)
yeller — i will see you in less than a month!
color — i’m glad i made you laugh!
brandy — fo’ sho’! “feel the burn!” i’m a fan of their pre-brush rinse… but that’s about it.
annie — i’ll have to look for that fake chinese-food-eatage in rush hour. (that movie makes me laugh an absurd amount. and my hubby likes it a lot…)
michelle — YES! definitely better than in the ear!!!
Splish, Splash I was takin’ a bath…
join the cat in the tub!
@tamhodge says:
i meant God has gifted you with “this” time. But maybe i am being too serious eh? but i still hate crickets :D
he has gifted me with this time… you’re absolutely right. thank you for that reminder that i should never feel guilty for being given a gift.
and yeah, i can’t say i’m too fond of crickets either.
love — your insomnia comment got caught by the spam monster. i just freed it.
did you notice in my recent post that i take melatonin? yep. every night. sometimes more than one pill.
::sigh::
melatonin can sub for tic-tacs!
::sighing w/ you::
sub for tic-tacs!? dang straight!
The moths really didn’t drink that much did they ??
yes! they had the nerve to nearly-finish my cold, frothy beverage!
sheeeeesh.
Enjoy your time to relax, I doubt you get to experience it much.
I don’t have to worry about moths too much the big, scary, spiders that I share my condo with snack on them. :)
My perception is that you would need mesquite netting in your home in South Africa. I would guess that is not something you need where you are now. I think I would prefer the “demon” moths of Wisconsin(?) to the critters you have back in Africa. :)
@20BOLD11 says:
When I lived in Pakistan there were moths everywhere. And these little insects that for the life of me I can’t recall the name of in English but in Urdu they are called a “tidi.” Oh and cockroaches EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK super-phobic. One night I stayed up all night on a little chair because a cockroach was roaming around. Yup 8 hours straight.
In other words, ewwww, that moth looks icky. Sowwieeee.
I experience guilt when I have time off and my hubby is off doing some hardcore work. I am praying that I don’t experience that after my last day of work. Let’s pray for each other regarding that!
Thank you sooooo much for sharing that about the listerine commercials. I’m telling you I thought I must be stupid or something because a swish here and a swoosh there and I was THROUGH.
LOVE YOU ALECE!!
before @ngie can jump in here:
Mesquite: The bean pods of the mesquite can be dried and ground into flour, adding a sweet, nutty taste to breads, or used to make jelly or wine.
When used in baking, the mesquite flour is used in combination with other flours – substitute ¼ cup-to-½ cup mesquite flour for each cup grain or rice flour. Mesquite is used in breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes and even cookies. Mesquite can also flavour steaks, chicken, pork & fish. It can be added to vegetable stir-fries, scrambled eggs, soups, even ice cream.
i need me some of that mesquite netting! YUM! :-)
Leesh – yes, i did note you planed on taking two melantonin pills that night with your moth flavoured lemonade. But since menalntonin is produced naturally by the body in the absence of light (read: ‘after sundown’ in most of the world’s populations) you are taking a pill to do what you are choosing to deprive your body of in the first place!
Melantonin is essential to the body for good sleep regulation. ( as you probably already realise?) :-)
<B
random dislikes – alece: moths. roo: geese.
though i don’t really like moths either. i just haven’t had enough bad experiences with them to have them etched into my brain as something to hate. geese on the other hand…. eugh.
ed — i would love to hang a mosquito net over my bed in SA. my husband isn’t too big a fan. maybe this upcoming summer there i’ll convince him. in the winter (right now), i don’t have to worry about it too much. it’s too dang cold for much bug action. oh — and you should know that i hate hate hate spiders!
gch — ew, ew, ew. i really detest all things insectful. yuck. that was one main reason most people were shocked when they heard i was moving to africa (a lifetime ago). i hate bugs and i’m not a fan of the outdoors! ha. yes. i did just write that out loud.
love — thank you for explaining about the mesquite netting. my hubs might like that much better than the plain ol’ mosquito variety. as for the melatonin… i’m helping my body out by supplementing what it seems to have trouble producing on its own… at least that’s how i like to look at it!
roo — you totally need to tell us a goose story.
@mandythompson says:
hi!
@atangie says:
Love – good thing you jumped in there… I didn’t even see that one…
Roo – I second the motion for a goose story.
Alece – I learned something from you this morning. Muchas gracias por tu ayuda. :-)
argg… demon moth indeed!!!
Have to say… the ONLY time I’ve ever used an electric blanket was in SA. These days… I don’t even use a sheet because I stay so hot and bothered. Crazy.
You deserve the break my friend… and rest up while you can… life in Iowa could prove to be a little hectic… but hopefully still great :)
I love you and I’m starting to count the hours till 6/1!!!
Alece, when you were in DC did you get to the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History?. They have an insect exhibit. You can hold a tarantula and a hissing cockroach in your hand.
I have no problem with creepy crawlies as long as I see them coming. It’s when that sneak up on me that makes me jump.
My funniest insect encounter was one night when I was taking a nice relaxing hot soak in the bathtub. I opened my eyes and there was a spider floating in the water in front of me. I did jump up out of the tub pretty quick. I will also admit I may have screamed, but it was a very manly scream. :)
i miss you, mandy…
angie — what did you learn? and what’s “ayuda”???
ayuda = help.
and now for the goose story:
hm. we had geese on our farm growing up. geese have a nasty habit of nipping people in the butt with their beaks. we called it “being goosed.” and of course i got that a few times (i was 6 or 7 when we had ‘em.) my favorite story, though, is the one i’ve told too many times.
i got too close to the nest one day. ganders don’t like that, apparently.
soon, i was face-down-on-the-ground with a goose on top of my back, beating me with his wings.
i hate ‘em.
@atangie says:
Ooooh, nope, no sweet dreams for you, roo, after any Mother Goose stories. Definitely.
and, yes, ayuda = help :-) gracias po TU ayuda roo.
de nada. estoy un spanish minor. ;)
@atangie says:
po – should’ve been por.
Now – how you helped me Alece, what I have learned…
One of the most frustrating cultural things I have hit my head against time and again is unsolicited advice. Perfect strangers will come up to me and tell me exactly what they think in no uncertain terms. And little miss recovering perfectionist missionary trying to adapt to a new cultural has to do something with it. In the past I have had a long string of potent rebuttals in my head and a big smile and a curt muchas gracias on my mouth. Today I learned a new way here in the culture of the blogoshpere.
My blood began to boil as I watched over and over certain dear someones just not leave you alone about your nocturnal tendencies. I had a few words of defensive admonition typed out and then I said to myself, “Wait. She’s a big girl. She can handle herself. She doesn’t need you to open your big mouth and make a mess of things. Just watch. Watch and learn.” So I hit the backspace key a bit too forcefully and waited watching.
It was like art. You truthfully yet kindly were able to have a very public discussion about what could have been a touchy issue. And you ended still friends. I learned that there a quite a few things that came into play such as: transparency, truthfulness, validating the opposing opinion, humor, kindness, and probably some other stuff too. Good mediating. Good communication. Good results.
When I start having more traffic on my site (soon :wink:) and as I encounter unsolicited advice I will keep in mind my owlish friend and engage the other in kindness valuing them as a person and seeking peace.
Also I learned I don’t have to take things so seriously – but that is for another blog – I mean comment. :-)
@atangie says:
Que bien roo! Siempre mi corazon se goza cuando escucho que hay alguien tan dedicada al aprendizaje de un idioma nuevo. Que Dios te bendiga amiga.
@atangie says:
Que bien roo! Siempre mi corazon se goza cuando escucho que hay alguien tan dedicada al aprendizaje de un idioma nuevo. Que Dios te bendiga amiga.
@atangie says:
Que bien roo! Siempre mi corazon se goza cuando escucho que hay alguien tan dedicada al aprendizaje de un idioma nuevo. Que Dios te bendiga amiga.
@atangie says:
crazy Bolivian internet connection… !!!
:D Bolivia, eh? Ahhhhh… jealous. Tengo un amigo que esta alla ahora. Esta en La Paz. Necessito mucho practico en espanol… no hablo muy bien… pero entiendo mas que hablo. Y tengo unos amigos de Argentina. Necessito ir al America del Sur!!! Y… los idiomas… estoy aprendiendo griego, tambien! Ay de mi!
this has instantly gone over my head…like a moth drowning in a cup of lemonade
way to bring it back around, cathi!
@ @ng – no problem ( the mesquite thing) – i’ve got your back!
and some people just love to offer free advice!
i’d only get cranky and defensive if they ask to be paid for it :-)
Alece is just so NICE…
… and helpful :-)
<B
@mandythompson says:
hellooooo!!!!
:)
so i had a dream again last night… this time @ngie texted me to tell me you were in a car accident. i mean, how much more DISTURBING can that dream get???
i have way too many alece dreams. and i’m not even living on the internet these days.
i heart you.
@atangie says:
How wild. The only thing Mandy knows about me is the little letters on a screen – so the only way I could show up in her dreams is in a text message. That is too funny! Yet – I do agree – disturbing. :-)
So the other night we, with some friends were drinking wine and 3 of us got those little mites in our glasses…because they are all tough, they just pulled them out and kept on drinking. Me, I was done. What? Like I am going to keep on drinking when there is bug crap in my drink. Gross. I think God was laughing at me. dang.
roo — i loved hearing your goose story again. i think i would hate all things goose now too… except for down. i couldn’t give up my love of feathery warmth.
@ngie — thank you for sharing what you learned from me!
you two — i love that you two had an entire spanish conversation in the comments!
manders — i strangely find solace in the fact that you dream about me every now and again. (i miss you.)
KA — that happens to me all the time back in SA! and then i can’t drink anymore. i’m in the habit now of leaving a napkin spread across the top of my wine glass and removing it only for sips. i am SO classy!
@mandythompson says:
AND I YOU, ALECE!!!!!
@ngie: i called you as soon as i got the text. but, yes, how STRANGE is it that i only know you in the world of text…
@atangie says:
Cousin Mandy – I know what you sound and look like because I have watched the MTTV videos and heard the wonderful clip of your song on your site. I befriended you on Facebook so that you can watch the video I have on there of some of the work we do so you can get a snippet of who I am – beyond the text that is. :-)
(Alece – I hope you don’t mind hosting our convos here.)
so much talk about bugs and animals and all that..
remember they were created first and then you came to be in their way and kill them and soon ..goose down blanket !!!!!!
i wonder what they would have commented.. freakin human put a glass full of lemonade exactly where uncle joe land ever night. with his bad eyesight did see the clear glas… what a way to go..now we dont even know what they did with his body….
moweesle.. my man niel is not one of slacking of .. he is well rested after sleeping 13 years in school and so he doesnt need naps , sleep or slacking of…he is like the main dude in we were soldiers . forst on the cround last off.. first in office last out…i suggested my man Niel turns of your hot water and so you can be awake when you se him slack of…slack off isnt that someone whitout pans?/????
alece… spoek to my man and he says he misses you.. hates waking up alone.. maybe thats why he hasnt slept much lately..he says he thought you usely drink your wine out off the botle and were confused by you saying you use a glas and napkin..says he also know that when you get excersize before bed you are tooo tired for melitonin..lunch anyone?
he misses you.. not the same without you ,, cant wait to hear your laugh…and share stuff with you..
he is such a softy…
for me i wont think about missing any of you bloggers… pain in my butt…
ausie dude .. no mesguite crap for south african… we are build tough..even down under…
tam i am Gods gift to blogger world .. not anything else..
roo dint know you can speak more than english…didnt know you can speak english
ok my fingers is tyred of all this typing … could use it to do better things like scratching my batt..
all you poopheads out there that went agains big dog .. i pray someone will buy you a little crapper on ebay and send it to your house for christmass..someone like me
@moweezle says:
I do value my hot water waayy tooo much, so I must retract my “slacking off” statement. He’s working sooooooo hard. I guess I’ll have to make a Wimpy breakfast run for that one.
*gasp*
i don’t know what to say.
apparently not much…
since i DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH!
oh, and i can do without feathery warmth… but i don’t mind down. i just don’t think about it. :)
me gusta hablar en espanol… solamente necesito practica.
A-B – your built tough Down Under? Down under what??
Aussies don’t meed mesquite netting either ( to the best of my knowledge it is not available in my country?) – but it sounds so damm tasty!
Leesh – your tagged !
http://lovewillbringustogether.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/favourite-book/
<B
@mandythompson says:
@ngie: i’m going digging for that video! HECK YES i am!!!! its like an ongoing family reunion between us. :)
anti: she drinks outta the bottle huh? that’s MY kinda girl!!! maybe we’ll be splitting a bottle soon…
Shame, the moths followed you to the states! Not many moths around here lately, now we have a new threat – BIG FUZZY caterpillars. ewwww
@ — i don’t at all mind hosting dialogues here. talk away!
anti-blogger — i’m so pleased you chose to grace my blog with your presence once again. it’s been a while. i must say, you made me laugh a lot, a lot, a lot. and i’m pretty jealous that you get to hang out with my man niel. (what are you calling him yours for?!) next time you see my hombre, please tell him that i miss him. and that i love him more. (oh… and let him know that i’m worried about getting flabby without my pre-bed exercise… and i can’t wait for a lunch date!)
@mandythompson says:
i miss you
i like the surpreme softness kleenex. makes me want to blow my nose.
HA! that’s great. i can’t imagine *wanting* to blow my nose. i hate that feeling.
Too funny. Anti made me laugh out loud too. :D And I’m rather proud that I understood almost all of the conversation between roo and @ngie … and I never studied Spanish!
mandy — i miss you too. a lot. what ever will i do after july?
hannah — i smiled that you noticed those. becca and i enjoyed mocking that name.
roo — i like a good nose blow sometimes. i have to blow my nose each morning in fact. post-shower.
annie — how did you manage that without ever studying spanish?! i’m impressed!
:) Well, working with entirely Latino back-of-the-house guys for 10 years … you pick up stuff. Luckily the @/R conversation didn’t use too many big words. :)
@atangie says:
Anita – ique bien que entiendes al espanol! Usualmente son las palabras grandes que son las mas faciles. Es cuando llegamos a las palabras chiquititas como: su, se, me, que, te, ti, tu, la, lo, le, les, las, nos, y los que me pierdo a veces. Roo me impresiono con su capacidad. Hay veces que las personas dicen que estan estudiando al espanol en la universidad pero cuando inicio una conversacion es obvio que no saben mucho. Entonces, felicidades para las dos de ustedes. :-)
niiiiice.
@atangie says:
I thought you would like that. :-]
@mandythompson says:
that just made me sad…
why?
Am i going to be the ONLY one crass enough to pick up on Alewe’s ‘pre-bed’ exercise comment???? :BUGeyes:
I guess so! ;-)
My ugly past rears its head ;-)
<B
ha ha! bub, i’m actually glad you said something. i was also surprised that no one else had seemingly noticed my not-really-so-subtle conversation with hubby!
They’re all way too polite ( no! – please – leave me some of my fantasies!) to menion it
I’m so not! :-)
so – do you normally do pushups? or sit-ups??
Can’t imagine you staying ‘flabby’ for long :-)
We both need to keep our ‘Temple’ toned i guess?
Try eating less moths in your lemonade! :wink:
<B
@mandythompson says:
i noticed the not-so-subtle-convo. sheesh… y’all need to get a room!
why? because july is all we got.
i have this thing where the closer i get to vacations, the less i look forward to them, because i know they will be over soon. then there’s nothing to look forward to.
make sense?
I think lots of us noticed – just too polite to mention – and respecting your “privacy” lol!
Love – I’m surprised you let that side of you out, being the English gentleman I’m sure you are most days!
bub — if ever i would use the bug-eyed guy, it would be now. i think my face matched his when i read your comment, and then my laughter quickly followed. holy crow, you made me laugh. and my exercise regimen will stay “for me to know” only! :-)
mandy — “y’all need to get a room!” — we would if we could! (and i totally hear you about knowing visits/vacations will be over soon — i do the same thing!)
michelle — i’m glad you set your politeness aside for the time being! and hopefully you got a good chuckle out of our “privacy”! :-)
@mandythompson says:
LOL
hee hee…
::blush::
@mandythompson says:
it made me happy…
and you make me happy. even though our texting was all about being sad…
I laughed so hard I cried! ;)
you did?!?! wow. isn’t that wonderful? i love when i laugh like that. (and it’s pretty amazing to know i’ve made others laugh that hard…)