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Monday, March 12, 2012

Bits & Pieces from Last Week

1. Funny/awful car story. My three-year-old car started making a funny noise whenever we turned the fan on, sort of a fluttery whirring noise.  Since the wheel well cover had come off in my snowbank collision, I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone and get them both checked out.  As I turned the car on to drive to the mechanic's, I turned the fan on and some dirt sort of flew out at my face.  No big deal, I figured that the ample dust that we find here in Santa Fe was causing some sort of buildup.  Anyhoo, long story short, turns out there was a rat's nest in my blower motor. The mechanic told me that it's very common here, especially in more rural areas.  So that "dirt" that flew out at my face was probably some mixture of rat leavings.  Awesome.  $585 and a bunch of tears later, I have a new wheel well cover (from the snowbank incident a few months ago) and a completely flushed-out air conditioner. Plus a significantly higher credit card bill.  Sigh.  At least my insurance agreed, at least when I talked to them today, to cover the cost of the air conditioner nonsense after my deductible. My insurance now only wants to pay for the removal of the nest (after my deductible, around $37).  They're telling me that the air conditioner flush was "unnecessary" despite the fact that there were RODENTS LIVING IN IT.

2. You know you've been watching too much "Mad Men" when you crave a cigarette despite the fact that you've never been a smoker.

3. Not sure if apologizing is the right thing to do here, but I'm sorry for posting so frequently.  My blogging mojo has come back in full force and I've just felt like writing.  Interestingly that streak lost me followers, hence the confusion about it.

4. Does anyone watch the reality competition show Ink Master?  Rob and I love seeing tattoos--good and bad--so we've enjoyed it.  Better than LA Ink by far--Kat Von D and all of her obnoxious faux-drama annoy the living shit out of me. This show has drama but not nearly as annoying. Sadly the season just ended but we're looking forward to season 2.

5. We watched a documentary on Saturday night about this little girl with progeria.  The little girl won't live past 13, but her father in particular is so devoted and clearly just adores her.  I've noticed that as I've gotten older--and closer to having children--watching dads that are really into kids reduces me into a weepy mess.  Though we might not end up with children I still like imagining how Rob will be as a dad.

6. Has anyone been keeping track of "The Walking Dead"? Last episode was INSANE, eh?

6. Though it's been unseasonably warm in Maine, it's been cold and snowy here (as I mentioned in the photo post below) which does not make me happy.  I'm hoping to start seeing warmer days, and spending more time out on our patio.

7.  The countdown is on for Rob to start work.  At least for the first few weeks, it looks like he'll be working from Sunday-Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off.  This will change when he starts going out on fires--he could travel as far as Alaska to help fight fires, but from what I've heard the max amount of time that he'll be gone straight is two weeks. I'm interested to see how it changes our routine.  Since we moved in together (and really, the only experience I have living with Rob) he's been in school with a flexible schedule.  Now it'll be more like it was this summer--gone from 9-6 or later and no coming home.  No more cooking dinner together--if I'm working at home I'll have to be June Cleaver and have dinner at least started when he gets home.  It'll definitely reshuffle the cards.  In a weird way I'm excited to see how this blog will change this summer with this new experience...I feel like I'm becoming a military wife all over again. Does that make sense? Hopefully you guys don't mind hearing about this new facet of our lives.

Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend so far!

22 comments:

  1. don't ever apologize about how much you post! i still need to clean out my google reader (badly,) but i always enjoy having your posts pop up!

    sorry about the car troubles. i would probably cry too if we had to shell out $600. :-/

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    1. Thanks lady :) I feel the same way about your posts! And yeah, I almost cried in front of the mechanic but managed to hold it together until the ride home :-/

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  2. Oh Dear...sorry about the rat's nest...That would freak me out. I guess better than one in your house!

    I like bloggers that post frequently.

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    1. Ugh it was so gross, but you're right! Better than having it inside!

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  3. You lost people for posting MORE often? That's just... weird. Certainly nothing to apologize for, and personally I love that you've been posting more often. :) Maybe the quasi-political post the other day about women/women's rights scared some people off? (in which case, good riddance to them!)

    The rat's nest business made me shudder. Glad that's all cleaned out for you now. Icky.

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    1. Yeah I don't know! It's so frustrating, I always let it get to me way too much. Thanks for the kind words :)

      Ugh I'm glad it's cleaned up too, now I'm just worried about it happening again. The mechanic told me that he knew a woman who had to pay thousands of dollars because the rats chewed through a bunch of wires :-/

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  4. Actually i only ever gain followers when i disappear from the internet for a week or so. It's like they're waiting until i can't see them to sign up or something, so it's not just you.
    And, like most people who work in the industry, i never watch tattoo reality shows!

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    1. Yeah, it's weird. I know it shouldn't get to me but it's still just...weird.

      And about tattoo reality shows -- I really do hate most of them. LA Ink is stupid and Tattoo School--both the idea of the school and show--are dumb as hell. I only like Ink Master because it has people who are actually artists, and seeing the tattoos is pretty cool since generally they're well done. But that's just me :)

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  5. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

    And, no, you never need to apologise for posting more often. Just think of it as clearing out the people who didn't really get you in the first place.

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    1. Ugh, ew is right! Thank goodness I didn't see them. And thank you, I appreciate the kind words :)

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  6. such a bummer about your car and the insurance :(
    and don't apologize for your posting...i love that you post often!

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    1. Thanks! I'm so annoyed with our insurance company--we've NEVER had a claim and we've always paid on time, in full. You'd' think that would count for a little understanding! And thanks for the kind words, friend. :)

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  7. Your blog is one of my all time favs! I am sorry people have stopped following because of you posting more - that is so silly!

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    1. Thank you friend! I appreciate your kindness :)

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  8. Two winters ago I had two enormous mouse condos in my engine, one in the heater and one somewhere else in the system--the mechanics were very impressed. Luckily all my little stowaways had jumped ship before I left the driveway.

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  9. That happened in my Mom's old van except the mouse had died, so when you turned on the fan it smelled reaaalllyyy bad. I think he was dead before she bought the car. At least that's what I like to tell myself. I'd feel really badly if we were somehow involved in the little guy's auto-y death.

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    1. The mechanic told me that once a woman was having problems with her car's electrical system, and they found a charred squirrel underneath :( So awful!

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  10. We're catching up on The Walking Dead tonight... but last week's episode was nuts and I keep hearing this week is no less crazy!
    Also, don't feel bad about posting! We all love it, which is why we follow you in the first place! And I for one am EXCITED to see how your blog ends up this summer and where your new journey takes you!

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  11. A rat nest? That's crazy.

    And I hate to rub it in but it was absolutely gorgeous in Maine today... like high 50's/low 60's. The kids I work with were running around all over the place in just t-shirts... and I saw a few shirtless dudes out in their yards doing yard work.

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  12. First, I love hearing about this new facet of your lives! I'm sure you and Rob will figure it out, try new routines and schedules and see what works. And have fun with it ;)

    And a rat nest..seriously... gross.

    And, as a previous smoker, I CRAVE a cigarette every time I watch Mad Men. I haven't had a craving in forever until I watched that darn (yet fabulous) show.

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  13. Everyone at my work watched Ink master except me. I can not. It stresses me out.

    BUT freakin' The Walking Dead!!! YES

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