Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

I haven’t used a three ring binder since high school, which was mumbeldy years ago. The fear of pinching my finger in the ring is still strong.

Refrigerators only go on the fritz when you’re out of town. We came home from the ranch (95 degrees? In November? Madness!) and got to play “What’s That Smell??” Someday I will remodel my kitchen and get a Sub Zero.

I am ready for cold weather. Every year I feel less capable of dealing with heat.

I got to do a little shooting this weekend and completely got my confidence back with my deer rifle when I hit the little “X” at 100 yards. I also saw two very nice bucks while hunting, but it was too dark to shoot. One of them had a really interesting rack. I think he was post-mature. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t shoot him, because who wants to butcher a deer in that much heat? I also got to shoot a suppressed .22 pistol and felt like a Mafia member. Because all good Mafia members whack their victims with suppressed .22s, you know. I whacked the hell out of a coke can.

I’ve had a tummy bug for about a week now, so hub and the kids went to Houston and I stayed home to recuperate. It’s a pretty night outside – temps in the low 60s – so I have the porch door open. So far I’ve heard:

Some sort of amplified auction, with items ranging from $350 – $thousands
A band after the auction was over
A buck right outside the porch snorting at my cats
The soprano next door practicing her scales

It’s amazing what you can hear when you think it’s quiet.

We’ve discovered Netflix, and through it rented the first season of Lost. I’ve since been obsessed with finding clues and websites and theories about the show. It’s similar to finding clues in the Harry Potter or Dark Tower books, and it’s a lot of fun. Anyway, I wrote up an article for ARGN about it.

I’ve also gotten involved in Last Call Poker, a new ARG from the makers of The Beast and I Love Bees.

In a couple of weeks I’ll be attending the Austin Game Conference as a media representative for ARGN, so keep an eye out for my byline.

Here’s how to get the heebie jeebies.

First, get the mentally handicapped neighbor girl up on her roof about dusk, screaming at the top of her lungs for help and that she doesn’t want to die. Have your husband go to the roof with possibly unstable girl to calm her down.

Then after everything’s all settled, have the wind blow stuff around on your doorstep.

Nothing like a volley of good bloodcurdling shrieks to get the willies in full flow.

Oh, for extra credit, ponder why the mentally handicapped girl is continually left home alone by her parents when they jet off to Las Vegas. She may be 25, but she obviously does not need to be on her own. Last month she busted into my next door neighbor’s party to complain there were cars parked on the street.

If you thought the Shining trailer was bad, check out:

West Side Story, the zombie movie
Titanic, the horror movie

There is a post on Boingboing explaining why these were done.

I can hear the Austin City Limits festival from my bathroom window. Coldplay is on. They’re playing “In My Place”.

That is all.

I have got to start watching less news. The last week’s worth of CNN/MSNBC/Fox News 24/7 has really taken a toll on me. I haven’t had but one good night’s sleep in a week. I’m having nightmares. Last night not even a sleeping pill helped – I kept flashing through all the images I’d seen on TV and my eyes stayed wide open like peeled grapes. I finally drifted off at dawn, later to wake with a migraine.

My continued prayers and tears go out to the Gulf Coast. Cannibalism. OMG.

Looking at some of the news coverage from New Orleans and other disasters has got me thinking. Why is it human nature to grab one’s head while watching something catastrophic? Also, why cover your mouth or eyes? These are universal gestures which make me think it’s instinctive. What sort of survival mechanism caused these reflexes?