That is clearly an Alien!!!

Okay I deal with all types of bugs.  99% of them really don't bother me.  I mean they startle me but I am not "frightened" of them.  Some still give me the heebie jeebies!

Since we haven't been living in our house while it was damaged and now being repaired we have to be mindful of what may move in while we are gone. 

After the holidays we had a lot of leftover Turkey.  I don't like to waste food so I decided after our fill of Sandwiches and salads, it was time for Gumbo.  I needed my gumbo pot.  There is a pot where we are staying but its not my gumbo pot...and if you know anything about making gumbo...you make it in your gumbo pot not just some rando pot haha. 

When I pulled it out I saw something moving INSIDE the pot.  1st thought, bug who shall not be named.  

Then I saw the culprit frantically scrambling around the inside. 

Uuuuuggggghhhhh what even are Silverfish?!?! *blech*  And this one was HUGE!!! Usually they are smallish but this mo fo was over an inch long.  *shudder*

I'm telling you....Aliens!

You can't tell me that doesn't look like a f**king Silverfish?!!?!?

So if you randomly start hearing "DELETE! DELETE!", remember I tried to warn you.

We've got a bleeder!

You know how they say animals are mirrors of their owners?  Whether its in looks or personality I can see it and I am sure people see it with me and my fur babies.  

Mine just happen to also have my propensity for clumsiness!  Let me set the scene. It's a lovely FREEZING morning.  The pups are in rare form because it's cold outside.  Neither like to be cold so they both have on sweaters. 

Of course they are not listening.  So there I am still half dying, COLD, and annoyed.  As I was standing in the doorway in my PJs hoarsely yelling for them I see a tiny shadow out of the corner of my eye.  

It took off running and the pups were in hot pursuit.  I yelled and Little Bit stopped and went inside.  Speedy on the other hand had tunnel vision and chased it into some bushes.

He was fine, sniffing around the fence trying to see where it went through.  

I yelled his name again and he turned to come and then let out the most horrifying screech but then came trotting inside.  

So I started to check him to make sure he was okay when I saw a drop of blood.  But he took off running.   I started to chase him and realized he was leaving a trail of blood droplets  through the house.

He kept worming away from me.  I finally stopped him and managed to find the source.  He had a teeny tiny tear in his ear.

The issue is ITS HIS EAR.  They are SUPER Veiny.  So it's an itty bitty cut but bleeds like crazy.  

Can you imagine trying to hold a 75lb bleeding dog still long enough to stop the bleeding?!?!?!  Also, he is a dog.  Do you know what dogs do when their ears feel "weird"?

When I say my house looked like a murder scene I am not exaggerating!!!  There was blood all over him, the floor, some walls, me, and the hubs. 

We finally got it to stop bleeding and cleaned up the mess.  Then he shook again.

Blood on the TV, floor, my laptop, and rug.

Everytime we got it to stop he'd shake. 

He finally calmed down and it stopped bleeding.  So all day every time he moved I stalked him to keep him from shaking his head.  I was a frazzled mess of nerves by the end of the day.  

For 7 hours no bleeding...SEVEN HOURS.  Then hubs came home and said outside but then got distracted and wasn't watching him.  He shook his head.  It started bleeding again.

He went buy that anti bleeding powder and liquid bandage and an ear wrap.  Poor dog.  

We tried just the powder at first but he kept shaking it and bleeding again.  We got it to stop and I attacked him with liquid bandaid.  But he still kept wanting to shake it.

So he got the ear wrap....

He HATES me!  But at least I can sleep knowing he won't shake his head and bleed out while I am zonked out.

PS I did call the Vet...they told us what to do and said they couldn't do more than that since it was such a tiny cut.  

PPS One of the bushes had thorns *ahhhhhhhh*

Is the plague over yet?

No, no it isn't!  You know how I know?!!?!  Because as careful as I have been, masks, vaccine, no big crowds.... I got it!!!!!!  And it wasn't because of my carelessness.  Nooooooo.

I, being responsible, got tested before Christmas because I had been exposed at work the week before.  I was negative.  But one of my lovely anti-pandemic (as in it is a scare tactic created by the Government and isn't real) family members came to a gathering KNOWING they had been exposed.  They tested +.  

Hubs started feeling bad first, then two days later me.  I was just going to quarantine and take it easy.  But my experience involved a STABBING headache.  Not just sinus pressure, a literal sporadic Ice Pick stabbing feeling behind my ear.  It got so bad I did a tele-doc appointment.  She wouldn't give me any Rxs without getting tested so I did and SHOCKING, it was +.  I ended up with multiple Rxs because well I was pretty sick at this point.  

Honestly the worst part for me was the Sinus Pressure.  It was SOOOOOO bad, I couldn't sleep.  Plus I had fever for 3 days.  I was fried!  Turns out the stabbing pain was probably something called Occipital Neuralgia.   And I can tell you with 100% certainty I would not wish it on my worst enemy.  I thought my brain was coming out of my ear. 

Thankfully the worst of it only lasted 5 days.  I'm still wonky, tired, and not 100% but it could have been 1000 times worse.  People who keep saying "Covid is just like a bad cold" as an excuse to be careless are PISSING ME OFF.  Because yes, that is a decent description but why the f**k would you want to get a really bad cold...KNOWINGLY?!!?!  

And honestly while I've had bad colds/Flus/sinus infections, this was different.  I am mostly recovered but I am still exhausted.  And I don't regret getting vaccinated.  Because I can't imagine how AWFUL it would have been had I not been vaccinated.  I know people not vaccinated and they got it way worse than me, like long lingering symptoms.  I'm not here to judge you if you don't want the vaccine I am just saying my experience.  I just really want to NEVER experience that again.  

Each day is better so hopefully that continues!

So like do I need to do a blood sacrifice or can I just light a candle?

I don't drive as much as I used to but holy crap other drivers are just as bad or possibly even worse!

The other night I was driving back to my temporary home very late.  It was dark and a little misty/humid but mostly a clear night. As I was approaching my exit I noticed a car weaving in and out of lanes a decent ways behind me.  I remember thinking, "what a moron!" as I pulled over into the exit lane.  The exit was backed up a bit so I was completely stopped.  I heard squealing tires and glanced up just in time to see a dark mass flying towards me.  It took a split second for my brain to process that the dark mass was in fact a car skidding sideways down the interstate and it was going to hit me.  All I could think was "oh $hit, this is gonna hurt".  I managed to kickstart my brain enough to cut the wheel towards the shoulder and gun it.  It all happened so quick but somehow the skidding car managed to regain control and missed me by mear millimeters.  She slowly went past me at about 5 mph and looked terrified.  I on the other had was wondering where the screaming was coming from and who $hit my pants. 

After I had a few sips of Whiskey and managed to finally get my heart rate below 150 bpm I began thinking.  She missed me by a HAIR!  Had I not managed to move the car ever so slightly to the shoulder I would have been CREAMED by a car flying sideways at about 70 MPH and I was at a complete stop.   

Exactly three days later in a steady rain I went to buy a last minute gift at lunch.  We are having our normal southern winter where it's either humid and 90 degrees or raining and 40 degrees.  It's super fun.  At least it's not snow/ice!  As I was driving in the RAIN, going the speed limit, I noticed some @$$hole tailing me.  I couldn't go anywhere but they insisted on just riding my @$$.  I couldn't see their headlights but could plainly see a giant Trump Flag & American flag flying above the roof.  Unfortunately they were also turning so they were tailing me into the shopping center.  When it opened to two lanes they gunned it passed me.  

They immediately lost control of their jeep, swerving into my lane. We were going maybe 30mph....I managed to slow down as I watched this jeep barely miss my front bumper, over-correct, and completely spin out.  

They ended up doing multiple doughnuts in the road and flying off into the grass.  Mind you there were other cars, signs, & posts everywhere, yet somehow this @$$hat managed to not hit anything.  The wheels rutted into the grass, yet again the lucky bastard didn't flip.  They were stuck but thankfully didn't hurt themselves or anyone else.  

In a few days I was almost clobbered twice by a reckless driver.  I feel like I should just stay home.  

Ya know Math just isn't for some people......

But those people maybe shouldn't work in the accounting or billing dept.....

Look I get it. I have besties who sometimes the numbers just don't click.  And its okay.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But when you work with money or better yet OTHER people's money, you should have a basic understanding of numbers. 

If you are AP or AR you should know that a number in parentheses is a negative.  A negative number...is a credit.  A credit should be SUBTRACTED from a total not added to it.  

You should also understand what "billing cycle" means.  And most times a billing cycle is billed AFTER the cycle ends.  So if say your billing cycle run from 11/11-12/10 and is due on the 1st of the following month.  That would mean they are due on 1/1....right?  Right.  This would also mean that the next billing cycle (12/11 - 1/10) would be due on 2/1, right? Right.  

So if you were me and got a bill for 11/11 - 12/10 AND 12/11 - 1/10 saying they are BOTH due on 1/1 you would have an issue, right?  How can you bill me for 12/11 - 1/10 when we are still in the middle of said billing cycle?!?!

Apparently that was confusing to the poor AR person I was speaking with.  He tried but he tried wrong.  He tried to make me feel stupid, tell me I needed to ADD the (12.66) to my total not SUBTRACT it, and mansplain how billing works.  That works never with me.  I was kind until he tried to make me feel dumb and spoke down to me.  

At that point I was not kind.  I didn't yell.  That isn't my style.  I started asking questions making him realize he was not in the right...to the point that he finally gave in and got his manager.  What was worse, that manager did the same thing, well he tried to.  Then when he realized I had a brain he told me to call in to customer loyalty tomorrow since it was clear my billing was incorrect and he didn't have the authority to pull the detail to actually help me.  

If you can't help someone that's okay BUT don't treat them like $hit, make them feel inferior, or speak down to them just to make yourself right.  That is crap customer service and you should not be in that position.  

Never alone in an empty house

Still displaced.  if you read my posts back after we flooded (2012/2013) you know how much I fought with insurance companies.  This time insurance hasn't been...as bad (not fun still) but I can't get a f**king contractor to give me a f**king quote to save my life!!!!!

Anyway, this means we still aren't home.  Since its still spooky season, I'll share some....fun.

So we know the persons here before us passed...unexpectedly.  Honestly we thought nothing of it....they passed many many months ago. 

We'd been here a week with nothing and just settling in.  But I started to notice sometimes I couldn't find little bit.  She's been glued to me since Ida (I think she has PTSD).  When I went serch for her she would be sitting....alone....in front of a recliner.  *hmmm odd*.  She'd see me and come running.  What got me was one day I heard her whining, not scared or in pain but like she was trying to get my attention...except she wasn't with me. *weird*.  When I found her she was sitting...looking at a chair.  She had her ball in her mouth, head cocked to one side, wagging her tail.

I got the frisons!  She saw me, looked back at the chair then came to me.  *WTF DOG?!?!*  This happens fairly frequently.  

Moving on.  I heard Speedy barking in the other room.  I went to check it out.... he had put his ball....in the CHAIR and was barking at it....like he does with us when he wants to play!!!

*freaking out*

Same chair turns.  I don't mean "cool, it swivels".  I mean we wake up and its facing the window.  Or we come home from the store and its angled to the TV.  I kept saying, clearly the pups are bumping it but sometimes it happens and well...they are locked up or with us and I just don't know. 

I was here alone one afternoon and went to get some water in the kitchen.  I was suddenly and inexplicably overcome with emotion.  I was fine before, watching TV.  Then I burst into tears.  My heart ACHED.  I was completely overcome with crippling sadness.  I left the kitchen...and was fine *WTF*.  That....it was crazy. 

Hubs was here alone one night in the bedroom when the puppers went bat$hit!  He opened the door to let them out.  He said Speedy rounded the corner and started backing up howling.  He thought for sure a burglar was in the place.  It was empty but Speedy REFUSED to go down the hall....

I woke up one night to Demon Spawn sitting near the edge of the bed purring and rubbing her head against...nothing...just air...  I...I'm just gonna pretend I didn't see that.  But I sure did snuggle back into the hubs. 

I don't feel scared or threatened but I also don't feel alone... so how on Earth I managed to live in a house with Spirits and have somehow found a temp house with...spirits is beyond me.  

I'm really tired of being "part of historical events"!!!!

Okay so I know I went MIA but its been a wild month. 

We are alive (yay!!!).  We are YET AGAIN displaced (Boooooo!).  Do not start with the whole "you live in hurricane ally what did you expect" bull$hit.  Yes I know we live where hurricanes happen.  I hate it but there are natural disasters everywhere and we usually can at least, prepare.  

But there was no time this time.  Ida went from a "oh look a 'storm'" to "Holy $hit RUN!"

No lie.  I've said it many times.  I get gut feelings.  I know most people do but I am not one to overreact.  Anyways, I was only ever fearful of one storm.  There was only ONE that scared the beejesus out of me and I cried to get my grandfather to leave his house, and that was Katrina.  All the others in between I was like "meh".  

But this one was different.  The path, the concern of the meteorologists, the WARM gulf.  And it was quick.  There was no TIME.  We heard about her on a Monday as a "little" something headed to the gulf and by Friday you could see the fear everytime the weather came on. 

I did what I always do.  I prepped my house, prepped my customers, and got ready to hunker down.  But as the days went on I started getting scared.  Like legit terrified.  By the time Friday came around my nerves were shot.  Work had me frazzled and well so did the path and strength.  Every advisory it ticked more towards us and got way stronger.  The hubs and I kept saying we were staying but as the day went on we both became even more concerned.  We said we will make the decision tomorrow to leave.  

Saturday morning was grim. They weren't saying get out but they were.  It was strong.  It was coming for us.  We were on the "bad side".  Words like total devastation and loss of life were said but we were still a little further east of the biggest concern.  But every advisory was more and more concerning.  Around 9AM, I booked a last minute hotel in Florida just in case.

We waited until 10PM advisory Saturday night.  We had already prepped the house and packed up some bags.  At 10PM they said "your window to leave is almost closed.   This storm is showing no mercy."  They were now predicting a strong Cat 4, 140 MPH winds and she moved more East.  They were saying she could very well be stronger than that.  I got scared...like started shaking scared.  My gut said we have to leave.

So we packed the car, loaded the animals, secured the house as best we could, and went to leave.

*tick tick tick tick* no no no no *tick tick tick tick*.  I am at my wits end.  The car wont start.  I don't generally panic but I was on the verge.  We need to leave.  Every fiber of my being said we have to leave NOW!  But it wont turn over!!! I was about to lose it. 

Thank God, my tiny old car was able to jump our bigger vehicle so we could GTFO.  We left her behind and started our journey.  We barely spoke because we were so scared.  What if we break down on I10 and become a statistic?!?!!?  We had to stop to pee and let the pups out but were scared to turn off the car.  He ran from 11:30PM until 7:30AM!!!  

No it didn't take us that long to get there but we couldn't check in at first.    So we drove up and down beach hwy until the front office opened.  Check in wasn't until 4PM but when I walked in and the lady about crumbled.  She told me to come back at 7:30 and she'd have a room for me.  I must have looked a fright!  At that point I had been awake for over 24 hours and it's not like I slept well Friday night...

We tried to nap after checking in but our nerves were shot and we were passed the point of exhaustion.  We watched helplessly as Ida approached the coastline. We had been up for 36 hours before we finally crashed.  

Sleep wasn't long because my phone started blowing up.  We had friends and family still in the area that didn't leave.  We eventually lost contact.  It was the most harrowing 24 hours until we found everyone safe and mostly unscathed. 

She battered SE Louisiana for something like 15 hours.  My area  had 155 MPH sustained winds for I don't know how long.  I'm not on the coast...she STAYED strong WAAAAAAY far inland.  I watched my camera until the power went out.  Before it did I watched something slam into my car.  Ida had just made landfall....I wasn't sure what I was going home to.