Dance This Mess Around!

This Is What I Think of 2013 Thus Far

clairvoyant — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:13:59 GMT

But this is what I would prefer...

I think it was the funny and wise Charles M. Schultz who said, "Happiness is a warm puppy." My Fyfa would say, "Happiness is a fuzzy stuffed squirrel with a squeaker in its voluminous tail." Obviously, she got one of those Word a Day calendars as a Hanukkah gift.

Hubby Health Update and Miscellany

clairvoyant — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:59:23 GMT

Mr. C is two days post-op from his back surgery. He had the disc removed between L5 and S1, freeze-dried bone placed between the vertebrae and held in place with a cage, screws, rods, yada, yada, yada. As of last night, he reports an improvement in his symptoms, specifically diminished pain and numbness in his legs... He thinks, that is. He said it was difficult to discern because he was in so much pain from the surgery. Hey, he's got a long road to recovery, with more surgeries for certain, but we'll take this as a good sign. A very good sign.

He'll be released this afternoon, and I will pick him up after work. Yeah, I said work. I'm a glutton for punishment, but you just gotta love procrastinating patients who wait until the last minute to take advantage of their insurance benefits. *sigh* Hey, it's a living.

After I drop Mr. C at home, I will pick up Fyfa from doggy daycare. She was boarded by the owner for two nights while Mr. C was in hospital and I was working. Yeah, the last thing I needed besides a pre-teen boy home alone for hours on end was having the aforementioned fella responsible for puppy care and entertainment; Lil' C is just not all that comfortable with Fyfa yet, as she's not grown out of her I-want-to-gnaw-your-hand phase. With time this will pass, and he'll become closer to her... I hope.

In other news... Look, I found my scarf.

Wow, the perspective is a bit skewed there! But yeah, that's my scarf, warm and woolly.

Southeast Michigan was blasted with our first snow storm of the season -- with the added bonus of high winds. I don't have the exact figure for my areas (I lump home and work together because I have driveway and a parking lot to worry about), but it looked like four to six inches. It's a boon to the winter sporting industry in the area -- sales of snowboards and skis jumped -- and a headache to the rest of us.

Those blustery gales blew off the lid from one of our garbage cans; it's the good one that's missing, not the one that was damaged by our neighbors car and subsequently duct taped back to health. The back yard is a beautiful blanket of white, unsullied by dog or human or garbage can lid. That just pisses me off. Those are new cans, bought to replace eight-year-old cans with holey bottoms; at least I never lost the lids to those. And you know you can't buy a replacement lid without buying a whole new can -- I say can, but it's a plastic monstrosity, not an olde timey galvanized can. I'm going to search for ones with an attached lid, kinda like our recycling container but much smaller; it cannot exceed 32-gallon capacity, so says the municipal Powers That Be.

One last item... Last week I received a gift from the lovely, witty and talented proulxes, a gift full of fun (a frilly pink hula skirt) and fabulous -- English boiled sweets, a.k.a. hard candy!

Look at the bounty of sugary goodness! There was some black licorice too, but Mr. C nommed that one minute after the box was opened. The Blackpool Rock candy comes with a warning label. What has our world come to that simple sugar goods have to come with a caveat?

Who would be that audacious to send sweets to a dentist? Well, she's just wickedly sly and funny. If you haven't checked out her epic SS/HG tale, Anima Mea, which I have the pleasure of beta reading, what are you waiting for? Click that link, and you will be led to a compelling action-adventure-romance set in ancient Pompeii... or is it? It really is an excellent read, and I wholly recommend it. The story is a WIP, but she's very close to the end and sweet resolution!!!

Since I'm getting my husband and beloved dog back this afternoon, I expect to be busy again, waiting on them hand and foot and paw. As it's unlikely I'll have another post before the end of the year, I'll bid you all a Happy New Year 2013. *throws confetti* Woo hoo and hooray!!!

Happy Birhtday, kittylefish

clairvoyant — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 02:09:02 GMT

Happy birthday, my dear friend. I hope your fangirl celebration in LA is absolutely fabulous. May the year to come bring you peace, prosperity and good health. May it exceed your expectations and go well beyond all your dreams! Cheers to you! *hugs*

Flowers! We Got Flowers! We Got Lots and Lots of Flowers!

clairvoyant — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:06:08 GMT

As promised, here's my flowery picspam!

Not bad for Walmart bargains, eh? I've got variegated vinca, creeping jenny, violas, dwarf snap dragons -- I typed it as snape dragons originally! -- and... I don't remember. Sorry. But I can happily report that all these annuals came from Kalamazoo, MI, not China. ;)

The snapdragons have been a little disappointing, however. Maybe in time they will bloom nicely.

Next up are the perennials. These are from Meijer. I don't know where the plants were grown, but the store is Michigan based. Here I've got wormwood (silver mound artemesia) again, delphinium and... once again, I don't remember. But the effect I was going for is 'maize and blue.' However, I misjudged the bloom time: one will be spent before the other has a chance to show off. :(

The clematis vine is big and bushy this year. I took this photo about eight days ago. Oh, look! Mr. C's in the background.

Compare that to this one taken three days ago. What a blooming beauty! Oh, noes! Don't look at the lawn. I'm a bit embarrassed by that. But it's nothing a little watering won't fix. And speaking of water...

Look at the variety of sprinklers I have. Mr. C forgets the sheer number of sprinklers we have already, and he manages to buy at least one every year. Maybe this photo will remind him. ;)

And here's one more for the road. This is the front bed, also know as 'the place where plants go to die.' But this year... success. I transferred last year's urn flowers (wormwood and springwells) here in the fall, and they continue to thrive. And the maiden grass returned this year, although the one on the right is sort of sad, right?

Thanks for letting me share my pretties with you all. :D

*mwah*

Murphy's Law à la Clairvoyant

clairvoyant — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:42:35 GMT

The day I forgo my allergy medication is the day I sneeze immediately after applying mascara... to both eyes.

Who Says Accountants Don't Have a Good Sense of Humor?

clairvoyant — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:12:35 GMT

This little gem arrived in my virtual mailbox via my accountant Mr. Lou.

Don't forget the second part.

Now This Is What a Vampire Should Look Like

clairvoyant — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:46:04 GMT

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins is creepy, sexy and, most important, not sparkly. A vampire should be equal parts attraction and repulsion, you know. Add a bit of quirky into the mix, and you've got the makings of another Tim Burton winner.

You can read more about his Dark Shadows look in The Hollywood Reporter article.

Doing my part to support the multi-billion dollar cosmetics industry.

clairvoyant — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:47:22 GMT

Every day, I'm blown away by the sheer number of products I use on my face and body simply to maintain a youthful appearance (HA!) and prevent small children from running away in horror when they gaze upon my visage (Oy! Sometimes I'm even too purple for my own taste).

This is what it takes to keep a middle-age woman in halfway decent shape, aesthetically speaking. I don't want to discuss the physical aspect and my appalling lack of exercise. *sheepish look*

In no particular order...

1) C. Booth's Bath & Shower Cleanser
2) C. Booth's Ginger Sugar Body Scrub - once a week
3) DERMAdoctor KP Duty Moisturizer - for my pelle della gallina, the pretty name for chicken skin
4) DERMAdoctor KP Duty Scrub
5) Phytomer Hydracontinue Moisturizing Body Milk - very light and non-greasy
6) DevaCurl Low-Poo
7) DevaCurl One Condition - this brand is new for me, and the jury is still out; it doesn't smell great, but it does keep my curls hydrated
8) Curly Sexy Hair Curling Detangler - it's a leave-in conditioner
9) CHI Silk Infusion - restructuring treatment... in other words, it tames the curls
10) Papaya Enzyme Cleanser - chock full of alpha hydroxy acids
11) Papaya Enzyme Scrub - three times a week
12) Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion - an enthusiastic thumbs up as this doesn't leave my already oily eyelids any oilier
13) Glycolix Elite Treatment Pads 20% - this hydroxy acid is for the T-zone only, reducing pores and blackheads especially on my nose
14) Nature's Dermatology Action C Serum - it used to smell citrusy, and now I don't know how to describe the new scent other than blech
15) Nature's Dermatology Action C Mist Tonic
16) Phytomer Lift Contour - for the delicate eye area
17) Botanical Shadow Primer - yet another attempt to control the shweddy eyes
18) Mineral Sheer Tint SPF 20 - tinted moisturizer
19) stila prime pot - helps keep the shadow on my lids, not under them
20) stila smudge stick waterproof eyeliner
21) Too Faced Lashlight Mascara - at a glance, this seems like the best thing since sliced bread: a mascara with a mirror on the package and a light; but the brush is wonky, breaking off, and the mascara itself is nothing spectacular, but at least it stays on my lashes and doesn't give me raccoon eyes.
22) Aquaphor healing ointment - for teh lips
23) Dove ultimate visiblysmooth deodorant -- from the website's hype: From first use, you'll see smoother and softer underarm skin, and within weeks, you’ll start to notice that your underarm hair feels soft, fine and easy to remove. Over time, your underarm hair will look and feel less noticeable, letting you feel stubble free for longer. I guess it's working. I have a hard time visualizing my armpits.
24) Michael Kor's Very Hollywood Eau de Parfum spray - I don't feel complete without this lush and floral fragrance
25) Crest Pro-Health toothpaste
26) Reach Gentle Gum Care Woven Floss - the best floss... EVAH
27) Sonicare Flexcare + - gold standard
28) Schiff Super Calcium 1200 with Vitamin D
29) ProThera VitaPrime multivitamin/minerals/trace element supplement - oh, they forgot the kitchen sink
30) Vitamin Shoppe Vitamin D3 400 IU
31) Allegra
32) Flents Wipe 'n' Clear pre-moistened lens cleaning tissue - 'cuz I can't stand oily, smudgy, spotty lenses
33) microfiber cloth - 'cuz the above mentioned wipe leaves streaks... hey, nobody's perfect ;)

Not pictured

34) stila lip glaze - assorted colors
35) Flonase - generic

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes several dozen manufacturers to keep me together and looking presentable. ;)

Dreamwidth, Signal Boosting, Etc.

clairvoyant — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:45:12 GMT

Recently, I've noticed more and more LJ friends creating journals at Dreamwidth. I hadn't thought much of it, but after reading an article about LiveJournal's proposed changes for 2012 -- courtesy of a link on juniperus's entry of today -- I'm not taking any chances. I've created a Dreamwidth journal under the name clairvoyant12. It needs some tweaking (modifying circles and granting access, messing with journal style, bla, bla, bla), but I've imported all my LJ entries, tags, friends, communities, etc.

I'm just not confident LJ will remain the be-all and end-all of 'anonymous' blogging. If I wanted a social media site with real name restrictions, I would be on Facebook, MySpace, etc. But I don't want that -- at this moment, anyway! You might have noticed I'm dragging my feet on joining Google +. Rest in peace, Google Buzz. *sniff, sniff*

I'm also disturbed about the campaign to recruit new members while they institute changes which annoy their current, loyal (and paying, in some cases) members. I realize change is inevitable, but not every change is for the better. For instance, remember Verizon Wireless's recently proposed charge for payments initiated by phone and internet? There was so much customer venom generated over that announcement that it never made it to the realization stage; Verizon kiboshed that, much to their chagrin, I'm sure. Bank of America performed some similar backtracking last year with the retraction of their proposed $5 fee for debit card purchases.

In those examples, it's more about big companies making an even bigger profit than providing better customer service. That probably applies to LJ as well. Let's face it: in attracting more members, they hope to convert those new accounts into paid accounts. In the end, that almighty buck speaks volumes, but vocal consumers have power, too. /rant

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program for Some Fabulous Art!

clairvoyant — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:27:39 GMT

I recently received my prize as the winner of exchange_bingo's Mini-Round Six.

Feast your eyes upon the glorious, gorgeous, glowing art of windwingswrites.

Aren't Luna and her not-so-imaginary friends just so lovely?

The colors are so rich and vibrant. The faces are so expressive. The sweet little creature seems to be saying, "I don't think we should trust you, lady." Luna is utterly fascinated with her new friends. *happy sigh* It's just so, so beautiful! I love it!!

She created this on a tablet. I don't know thing one about that technology, but I'm just awed by her talent.

Thank you so very, very much, windwings!!!

Friday Squee, Courtesy of the quiz_sshg!

clairvoyant — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:30:36 GMT

My recent sshg_exchange story, The Ice-Cream Man Cometh, is one of the stories presented in this week's quiz on the Unspeakables. Check out my shiny!

Perhaps you'll be inspired to use your brainy memory muscles to match the quotes to the stories. Have fun!

For Your Amusement...

clairvoyant — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:48:49 GMT

I saw this featured on the local morning news.

It's called a Daddle, the saddle for dads! Kind of takes the spontaneity out of horseyback rides, ya think?

"Hey, son, hop on my back and we'll play rodeo! Oh, wait a minute. I have to strap on my saddle and knee pads... oh, and take some Ibuprofen, too."

To learn more about this fuckwitery, clicketh here.

Exchange Revelio

clairvoyant — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:12:54 GMT

Better late than never, I say.

With Wednesday's big reveal at the sshg_exchange, I can now express my gratitude.

To littleone_17: thanks for the adorable, funny, sexy Lavender and Associates. You took my late addition prompt -- by that I mean I came up with it at the last minute -- and turned it into something special. Squee!!! I really loved that decor glamour charm you created. This was my first exchange too! I hope there's more for us in the future. :D

It took a very small village to help me create the fic I wrote for labrt2004 -- The Ice-Cream Man Cometh. It's the first multi-chaptered fic I ever wrote... um, I meant, finished; I have multi-chaptered stories I started before this one that are still unfinished as of this point. ;)

I feel incredibly accomplished, and I couldn't have done it alone.

Thank you, karelia, for pointing me in the proper direction for driving on the left side of the road. Your advice on cars and driving schools was invaluable.

Thank you, shiv5468, for turning your Eye on my story and Britpicking it to perfection.

Thank you, astopperindeath and kittylefish, my beta readers and dear friends. You made sure the Oxford commas were cozied up to their coordinating conjunctions. Most of all, you held my hand and provided much-needed encouragement as I wrote during one of the most difficult times in my life. I truly owe you ladies a life debt. :D

Finally, thanks to those hardworking mods at the sshg_exchange, ginny_weasley31, scatteredlogic, and shiv5468, who put on one of the greatest fests in fandom. Period.

I raise my virtual glass of champagne to you all!

Garden Variety Picspam... and Pimping!!!

clairvoyant — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:42:36 GMT

I spent over three hours this morning planting and replanting. I tried to do it yesterday, but in 90-plus degree weather... yeah, no so much. So, the urns that looked this in late spring..

now look like this...

Come next month, the urns will be further embellished with dead branches and tiny orange lights, the same Halloween decorations I've done for years; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. ;)

With the effects of summer heat and lack of hydration (read: neglect), the flowers in the urns didn't look so good today as they did when they were first planted. I don't have a photo to show. Those flowers were planted in the front bed of doom, where good plants go to die.

That's the wormwood on the left, for all you fans of the Potions master.

I haven't figured this bed out fully. I used to lose plants to moles, not a problem this year, so far. *crosses fingers and loads fresh batteries into the electronic mole chasers* Nowadays, there seems to be no rhyme or reason why some plants thrive and others wither. Some areas are better shaded than others, and the soil isn't consistent, clay ridden in some spots. And don't get me started on those shallow pine tree roots; I seem to run into them whenever I dig a hole. Whatever the reason, it's a constant struggle to get anything to survive and flourish beyond a year.

In this picture, you'll see some transplants. I needed to move these little fellas because one of my Russian sages was sprawling all over the place, and hiding the tiny hostas and astilbes. Notice the healthy vital Russian sage in the upper right hand corner.

So, I thought I'd plant some taller plants (sedum) infront of the Russian sage and put a ring around it to prop it up. After defoliating the poor plant in the process, I removed the ring because I like the wild, unfettered look it had better. I was forced to crop it back because of the damage, the poor bunny. And I'm not touching the other one. Lesson learned: try those rings earlier next year, or just live with the chaos.

In other areas, my lamp post garden finally looks the way it's supposed to after five years.

This photo was taken in early summer before the ecchinecia and rudebekia had fully bloomed, but after the clematis had come and gone. Compare to the one I took today...

Ewww, kinda spent, eh? Fear not, for I shall repurpose the stalks as Halloween decorations in my window boxes. Speaking of which...

Look how fresh and perky the annuals looked in the spring. And they survived the summer and my vacation, thanks to the watering efforts of our neighbors. Here they are today...

Fuller, a bit leggy, and somewhat dry at the bottom, but ALIVE! I really like the combination of sneezeweed, vinca, summer snapdragon and creeping jenny. I hope to repeat it for next year.

In other productive news, I whipped up a batch of icons for us admins at The Petulant Poetess. I used mine for the first time yesterday in touting the Petulant LDWS Challenge. The sign-ups are open, so check it out, literary flisters!!!

For my friends in the US, enjoy the Labor Day weekend! :D

An Update on mischievous_t

clairvoyant — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:09:49 GMT

Courtesy of christev , here's the latest information on T.

Signal Boost for mischievous_t

clairvoyant — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:34:57 GMT

An update on T's condition: machshefa.livejournal.com/97505.html

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Signal Boost for mischievous_t

clairvoyant — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:41:24 GMT

For friends of mischievous_t , she needs your thoughts and prayers. To read more, go here: pyjamapants.livejournal.com/123359.html

Everybody Sing: The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring...

clairvoyant — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:47:32 GMT

If there's a theme this year, it's light, airy and delicate.

Hmmm, think I have to scrub those pots next year.

A close-up of Helenium 'Dakota Gold' (a.k.a. sneezeweed) with variegated vinca and Angelonia (summer snapdragon) with Lysimachia (creeping jenny).

The porch urns have Veronica Longifolia (long leaf Speedwells), blue Delphiniums (Larkspurs), and silver mound artemesia.

A close-up of the artemisia. This has another name many of you are familiar with. I'll award ten points to your House if you are the first to name it. Hint: it's one the ingredients in a helluva great sleeping potion.

Funny Things in my Garden This Morning

clairvoyant — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:40:03 GMT

Sorry about the fuzzy quality. Read the fine print at the bottom.

Who's gonna regulate that? Will the herbologists be knocking on my door if I attempt funky experiments on my shrubs?

I thought someone placed a highly symmetrical, very colorful stone on my patio chair.

Imagine my surprise when I touched it and found it to be soft and squishy; therefore, not a rock!

Movie Meme

clairvoyant — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:32:38 GMT

Ganked from beffeysue , irishredlass and voxangelus .

1. Pick 10 of your favourite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Fill in the film title once it's guessed.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.

1) Ok, I'll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time. Broadcast News silverdoe7127

2) No, no, I don't know, you said it. How do I know? You said I'm funny. How the fuck am I funny, what the fuck is so funny about me? Tell me, tell me what's funny! Goodfellas

3) Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The Goonies

4) Come on, Chief, this isn't no boy scout picnic. See ya' got ya' rubbers! Jaws

5) You're just going to have to trust me about this one thing. You need a lot of drinks.
To break the ice?
To kill the bug that you have up your ass. Terms of Endearment

6) Nine million terrorists in the world and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than my sister. Die Hard silverdoe7127

7) Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. The Shawshank Redemption mimimanderly

8) They're digging in the wrong place! Raiders of the Lost Ark silverdoe7127

9) You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Silence of the Lambs

10) I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash ya got. Raising Arizona silverdoe7127

And a bonus quote because I think some of these are pretty easy.

11) 'Cause, remember: no matter where you go... there you are. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai... morethansirius

Good Things Mother's Day Edition

clairvoyant — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:14:56 GMT

1) I celebrated Mother's Day with my son and my husband for the first time in... forever. I've officially been a mother for ten years, but in all that time, Mr. C always had to work on Mother's Day and couldn't be with me and Lil' C. I had usually spent the holiday delivering flowers to my mom and mother-in-law (I took care of that yesterday) and waiting for Mr. C to return home all cranky and tired. Today, we enjoyed a leisurely, sumptuous brunch at Guilio and Sons at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency Hotel. Mmm, cracked crab claws, lemon tarts and mimosa... there were a lot of yummies to be had. And actually, brunch was a twofer celebration because Mr. C's birthday was this past Thursday.

2) A new addition to my extended family, great niece B -- born to my oldest nephew and his wife -- shares her birthday with Mr. C. Another reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

3) The basement is shaping up nicely. Over the past few months, Mr. C had been updating the tired, old rec room and storage portions of the basement. Walls and flooring are done. The ceiling is a work in progress. Still to do is an electrical update of the storage room so we can utilize my dad's major power tools (radial arm saw and drill press). The plan for the rec side is to make it more user friendly so that Lil' C will have a place of his own for gaming and building Lego.

4) Yesterday, I finished building a more streamlined entertainment center for the basement. Hurray for IKEA!!! Then, I moved Lil' C's gaming system from the living room to the basement. If only I could get the Xbox Live to connect with our home network...

5) Just learned that Penzeys has opened a store in metro Detroit. Plotting summery food mischief.

6) Last but not least... SQUEE-EE-EE!!! I got a postcard from a few of the awesome fangirls who attended Aeternitas 2011. Thanks a bunch to mollyssister , lariope , m_mcgonagall_65 , maf779 , shefa , droxy , pokeystar , annietalbot , juniperus , sabrebabe , dixiebell12 , qui_quae_quod , sbrande , subversa , laiksmarei , irishredlass , averygoodun , dickgloucester , bethbethbeth , effronteaumonde , firefly124 . From what I can see in those gazillions of con pics recently posted, looks like y'all had a fabulous time. Hopefully, I can add to the mischief and mayhem at a future con.

Have a great week, flisters. :D

By Popular Demand, I Bring You the Zebra Story!

clairvoyant — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:29:49 GMT

My tale of woe took place at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch outside of San Antonio, Texas on February 7, 2002. It's billed as an African safari done Texas style -- in other words, a drive-thru wildlife park. It actually had numerous animals from countries other than Africa: Texas Longhorn cattle, Japanese Sika deer, North American elk, Barasingha deer from India, Barbado sheep from Europe, Australian emus, Sicilian donkeys, South American llamas, etc. At the time we visited, there were over fifty different species on the ranch, inhabiting terrain similar to their natural habitat.

We bought our admission, a guide book and a bag of food pellets to lure the animals closer to the car for purely photographic purposes. I took charge of feeding the critters. The park prominently posted their safety regulations regarding that: Feeding animals through the window of your vehicle is permitted, AT YOUR OWN RISK, remembering to drop the feed on the ground; do NOT feed from your hands. Remember, animals are unpredictable and may bite! Be careful. Even the guide book mentions this warning multiple times along with other safety regulations (stay in your vehicle at all times, drive slowly, do not litter, etc.). And remember, it's all AT YOUR OWN RISK.

So, this is the first thing we encounter on our adventure:

This aggressive ostrich showed us who's boss. He refused to yield the right of way to the large motorized vehicle, shimmying back and forth, protecting his territory. That should have set my spidey senses a-tingling, but, nooooo, I chose to ignore that bad omen. I mean, look at the cute animals we saw...

The South American rhea is another large flightless bird. They grow to a height of three to four feet. Rhea Perlman is tiny like that, too!

Mama and baby Sicilian donkeys. Cute!

The adorable llamas (Lama glama) weren't afraid to approach the car. They behaved like perfect furry gentlemen and ladies, waiting for the pellets to drop before swarming us.

The addax, or screwhorn antelope, knows how to accessorize. They're curious little beasties, too.

The Scimitar-horned oryx and the Blesbok antelope were rather standoffish, choosing not to partake in the movable feast.

What's gnu, wildebeest? Hahaha. These guys couldn't be bothered to look interested.

Would you look at the adorable... I can't remember what these are, for the life of me. Barbary sheep perhaps?

And finally...

This is not the zebra that bit me but a distant relative.

So, as you might have surmised, some animals had no issues approaching the cars and looking for food while others had no interest whatsoever in even standing up. The zebras fell into the first category.

As we drove into their habitat at the end of the safari, I dropped the last fistful of pellets outside my open passenger-side window, and the zebras came sauntering up to the car. A few of them honed in on the ground and contented themselves by eating the tiny brown food pellets, but one curious fellow stuck his long snout through the window and into the car. He proceeded to sniff me like I was an exotic flower... or a blue plate special. I was more than a bit anxious now -- what was this zebra looking for? And all the while, Mr. C was like a deer in the headlights, shocked and immobile, staring at the nosy zebra. Before I could move away, the zebra chomped down on my right upper arm -- luckily, I was wearing a denim jacket at the time -- and that sucker hurt me something awful. My prolonged yelp had no affect on Mr. C. I had to prompt him to raise the window, thus forcing the zebra to release my arm and exit the car. Well, even if we weren't at the end, we were definitely finished at that point.

Being the ever curious swot that I was -- and am still -- I consulted the guide book after the assault, only to learn that zebras are considered VERY aggressive. Ah, you live and you learn, right? So, back at the gift shop, I went to the restroom to inspect my arm. It sported a moderately reddened, arch-shaped mark -- it would be dark purple by the evening. As I was putting my jacket on again, I noticed the left breast pocket felt rather bulky. I opened it and pulled out the forgotten remains of Lil' C's day-old Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bar -- strawberry flavored. *sigh* I thought I was being a responsible mommy, saving that half-eaten cereal bar in case of... oh, never mind. I swear I'm my own worst enemy because my good intentions bit me on the arm rather than the ass that day. ;)

ABC Meme

clairvoyant — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:55:54 GMT

Ganked from just about everyone. :D

A. Age: 46

B. Bed size: Queen size.

C. Chore you hate: While I don't relish household chores, I don't hate any of them, including scrubbing the toilet.

D. Dogs: Nope. Perhaps we'll have one someday, but for now we are quite happy with Squeaky the Klepto Cat.

E. Essential start to your day: I haven't found a permanent replacement for Life 2 Go. I mix it up with coffee, tea, or V8 Fusion and oatmeal or Kashi GOLEAN Crunchy! Bars.

F. Favorite color: Pink. It's such a cheery color, but I don't wear pink clothing. *shudders*

G. Gold or silver: Both but mostly silver.

H. Height: 5'6"

I. Instruments you play: Nada. I played the flute in junior high because my parents had bought one for my sister, and it was just gathering dust. Speaking of dust collection, I have recently acquired a piano that needs tuning. I would like take lessons... someday.

J. Job title: Dentist

K. Kids: One boy who's almost eleven years old.

L. Live: Metropolitan Detroit.

M. Mom’s name: Dorothy, Dee, Dodo, Dotty, The Dot.

N. Nicknames: Laszlo, Lellie, Sissy.

O. Overnight hospital stays: One C-section/childbirth and one appendicitis scare.

P. Pet peeve: Mean people.

Q. Quote from a movie: Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: One sister (thirteen years older) and one brother (deceased).

T. Time you wake up: Officially 7 AM and unofficially 4:30 AM.

U. Underwear: Always matchy, matchy in boring neutrals of black, white, beige and pink.

V. Vegetables you dislike: Brussels sprouts.

W. What makes you run late: My kid and reading.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental, chest, ankle, knee, back, boobs.

Y. Yummy food you make: Beef brisket. Assorted cookies.

Z. Zoo favorite animal: I like zebras despite the fact one bit me many years ago.

I'll Show You Mine if You Show me Yours

clairvoyant — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:56:39 GMT

There was just too much heavy snow from Sunday night's storm. Our snow removal fellow's rear plow snapped off in our driveway, and it's still there this morning.

To give you an idea of perspective, that forsythia bush at the end of driveway is probably seven feet tall or more. We call it the Monster.

Here's a picture taken at my office.

I've lost an entire parking spot, and I don't have that many to begin with. When do you think that huge mass will finally disappear? I'm thinking April at the latest.

In other news, Lil' C had another snow day. Most of the side streets haven't been plowed, so the district closed the schools for the second day in a row. We may have one day of school this week due to winter break closure on Thursday and Friday. *rolls eyes* I hate this mini-break business anyway. Give us a whole week off or nothing; two days is a tease.

Bambi Visits my Hood!

clairvoyant — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:00:13 GMT

I just think this is so cool. I never get this kind of awesome fauna in my 'neck of the woods' because our subdivision is way too developed.

One is hiding behind the pine bough.

There were a total of four does just hanging out in my backyard.

I took these photos from the office on the second floor. If you look really closely, you can see where they have been altered to remove the electrical lines. The huge boughs in the foreground are the aftermath of a heavy snow/ice storm from December. We were lucky that when the branches broken they only pulled the internet cable from the house rather than the electrical lines.

Due to some unusually warm weather -- it was over fifty degrees two days ago! -- the snow is all but gone except for the huge mound at the end of my driveway. Unfortunately, we are expecting another storm system this evening which should muck up the morning commute. Such is life in southeastern Michigan in winter.