Snake in the Grass... er... Carpet

So imagine my surprise this past weekend when I walked into my living room to witness a small snake hightailin across my carpet in true sinuous fashion. At first I thought he was a rather large worm... and then I thought he was a rather fast large worm. At that point I decided he probably wasn't a worm, but by time I got close enough to check, he was already under the sofa.

Of course, this was not MY preferred destination for the li'l creature, but the good news is: he was fast enough to slip right past the nose of my sleeping cat... which, I imagine, was why he was bookin it. Actually, he probly would have been perfectly safe had she been wide awake, since she's a big fat fraidy cat and normally spends at least 5 minutes analyzing something before cautiously approaching it. But he had no reason to know that.

Of course, the cat didn't stay asleep long once I started the commotion of partially pullin out the sofa, extending the recliners on each end of the sofa, grabbing and emptying the bathroom trashcan (the closest one around that was solid, rather than wicker with great big holes), and running to find a flashlight and a yardstick.

As it turned out, he wasn't all that difficult to corral. Once I found him, of course. But then, all I had to do was nudge him along with the yard stick, and direct him towards the trash can laid on it's side, and he slid right in. Then I had to take a few pictures (which I will post as soon as I get organized), then escorted him out back, where there's a great big mess cuz of the construction back there, anyway. He happily lost himself in the grass, and I asked him kindly not to come back to the house because co-habitation was not an option.

I looked him up this morning, and I don't think the li'l dood was poisonous. He was dark, with a little orange band around his neck, and a thin sliver of orange at his tail... and that seems to best match the description of this guy: Prairie Ring-Necked Snake. Still... I'm sure all parties involved are much happier with him outside.

So amway, that was my excitement for the weekend.

October's Almost Gone

And I haven't posted anything for over a month. Oops.

Just had a lot goin on... primarily my trip to San Diego a few weeks ago. Just got back last weekend. Was a great trip... got to see Beav, Mrs. Beav (& the little Beav Jr.'s), Halloween Nut (& her two Jr.s'), Shorty (& visited Red's grave), and I stayed with Radish & Company. Complete with requisite roadtrip to Santa Maria for more tat work (Halloween Nut also got her first tat ever). And Radish and I spent the entire time I wasn't out visiting either watching movies or curled up with a book. I'd brought along a new series of books I wanted to get her hooked on (Sherillyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series... and I succeeded, by the way), and also a bunch of books for myself, so we had plenty for the two weeks. I haven't had a more relaxing vacation... well, ever. It was great. Mom teased me about enjoying spending most of my vacation reading, but I told her that Radish and I are kindred spirits that way. :)

The train trip out was great (had a roomette to lay out and sleep for two nights), the train trip back sucked (attempted and failed miserably at getting comfy in a coach seat for two nights... my back was wrenched for four days after). Since a roomette costs an arm and a leg, I figure next time I'll try the train with a roomette for the trip out, and the plane for the trip back. 'Specially since by the end of a vacation I'm thoroughly exhausted and three days travel is just WAAAAY too long to contemplate, let alone execute.

Since I've been back, I've been scrambling to catch up with my tv shows. There are entirely too many good ones this season. I'm back to being a slave to my tv. *sigh* I know, I know... I don't really HAVE to, but I kinda have to. lol Fortunately, DVR's are awesome. *grin*

I came back to work on Monday, which was mostly in good shape during my absence. I've never been important enough in my workplace for everybody to start fussin when I'm about to leave for two weeks. lol I'm still gettin used to it. Good news is: it looks like we're splitting the department up, and I may have decent chances for another managerial kind of position. Bad news is: I've spent a good portion of the last week putting out fires and fixing some messes that folks knew about and some that I accidentally came across. It's been a trial... especially since I'm PMS'ing this week... but it's Friday, and that makes a whole lotta things better.

I'll probably be spending most of the weekend helping Mom prepare for her haunted house for Halloween on Tuesday. She's really gettin into it this year. So, of course, I'll be brushin out the ol' reliable witch's costume to hostess the night. I've certainly gotten a lotta mileage out of that costume.

After October craziness is over, I'm gonna have to start hunkerin down and focusin on this year's Christmas letter, if I want to get it out by December 1st. The end of the year is just such a busy time. And I know that IHOP Buddy is itchin to get away... anywhere, soon, so we'll probably be figuring something up together, too. Mom's kinda ditched the whole "Chicago for King Tut" trip in December, but I think that's okay. There IS such a thing as too much to do. :)

Okee, well, I'd best put my firefighter's hat back on and dive back into work. Just got back in from a VA appt... they're gonna start me on a new drug for my migraines. Umm... I've already forgotten the name. I'll get some generic version in the mail soon enough. I believe it's primary function is to help prevent seizures. *shrug* Guess we'll see.

Until later...