Monday, August 20, 2007

A Less than Noble Return


It is quarter to midnight on a Monday night. My throat is sore after screaming at the discovery of a dying mouse in the middle of my loft-like apartment. Mouse or no, I found myself paralyzed with fear -- screams, shrieks and body clutching is all I could afford.

The discovery came when I was on the phone with a friend, just having stepped in the apartment from a full day including a stop at the gym. Subsequently, my friend was stuck with the rarely offered damsel-in-distress side that I've been trained to conceal. My friend, a guy, felt this was a plum moment to mention that this is the sort of moment why women need boyfriends/husbands. Sexism aside, I am grateful that I can call on a friend at 10:30 PM to scramble to my aid to smash ailing vermin.

Prior to his arrival, I dialed my landlord with much screaming and such. During the discussion I found myself apologizing saying, "I'm trying to be a grown-up." The next call was to my Dad. All three men instructed me to grab a broom and smash it. EWWWWWWW! I could barely walk around the thing to see if the car honking outside was my buddy let alone hustle to the kitchen and destroy this freakin' weasel.

How do folks see films such as Ratatouille in towns such as NYC? There's nothing cute about the idea of a vermin anywhere near my food, let alone the gifted hands preparing my meal. EWWWWWWWW!

Ha -- how's that for a return to the Idle Chatter?!?!?! While I have attempted making posts in the last 11 months, Blogger had an update that prevented me to toss up thoughts and musings. I was truly surprised to see that I could make it through the gates tonight.

Changes since last post: MANY! When Idle Chatter started, this girl was a few months into unemployment after a long-anticipated corporate redundancy (aka downsizing). A job was finally snagged in November (seven months on the sidelines). While the commute is humbling (1hr 20 mins one way to Long Island), I can roll with it. It's a marketing role with a healthcare consulting group. Yeah, whatever.

Another change: a move. I moved to this mouse afflicted apartment in December after black mold surrounded my former bedroom, a duplex. The mold outbreak started about the same time I started my job. My scramble from the unit was rough noting that I was sick, arrived back in Brooklyn after dark and was just starting a new job -- only 2 weeks employed.

Let the record also note that I was jilted. My heart was busted-up rather coldly. Break-ups are a bitch. Wish I could say more on this -- I suppose I'm still mourning the rift, even though it's been more than six months.

After the mold evacuation, I continued to suffer bad allergy attacks along with asthma, infections and itching. Eventually, I found that I have a few new allergies to food that have changed everything. Once determining that I was allergic to wheat and to eggs, I became leery of much and changed the diet. Not only did I drop weight, the itching stopped, the lungs got stronger, and my facial puffiness is nearly non-existent.

Another change, a loss -- death of my grandfather. He was 84 and had been swallowed under due to medication and folks telling him to settle down. He settled down all right -- it freakin' killed him. He was his own guy and so determined. So what that his world was primarily local -- his family yearned for more due to what he could share. I'm a beneficiary of this gift. I don't know what Grandpa would've said to help me cope with the mouse thing, but I know he would've smooshed the booger with his boot -- no doubt.

An hour into writing this post and selecting out a few nasty pics to accompany it, I'm a bit too wired to settle down. The BBC is chirping out the news of the sub-prime market and the impact it's had on financial markets globally. Silly me, I missed the opportunity to buy a major piece of property without any money or assets. Eh, I've never been much of a gambler.

Speaking of gambling -- I've taken one spin out the area this summer. I helped my family with a garage sale in Las Vegas. Long story, but it was very hot. I'm certainly not a casino gal and have no interest in what Vegas offers. I'm not into bling, flashing lights, smoke-entrapped buildings with no windows -- masking the passage of time, and more than I care to recall. It's just not for me. Even with all the allergies, I like outdoor get-aways: beaches, boating, hiking, cruises, blah-blah-blah.

Uh-oh...I think that's my sandman getting in gear. It's really about time. I've got the broom nearby just in case, though.