29 posts tagged “dancing”

I've been bad and haven't updated in the past week or so.  Last week was kind of blah, because work was alternately busy and frustrating, and I was bummed out about Jacob.  But there were still good moments.

Friday, April 17 - Friday night blues dance was fantastic.  They had a really good live band, and the place was packed. Had a great time.

Saturday, April 18 - Had a really fun blues workshop.  Lucky Skillen taught it.  He was very funny and dynamic. Plus he had a NYC accent, so we Texans couldn't help imitating whatever he said ("Pantha, paht-na.")  The workshop was 5 hours total, so I was wiped when I got home.  One of the workshops was "Blues and Hip-Hop," and that class reminded me just how white I really am. 

Sunday, April 19 - FINALLY went to the Alamo Drafthouse.  Went with Katherine, which was a lot of fun.  Then I went to a barbeque and hung out with some people from my running group.

Tuesday, April 21 - I was at the downtown office. I walked outside to make a delivery to a building across the street.  I noticed a group of people standing outside, along with about four or five cops standing on the edge of the sidewalk.  I kept walking but was stopped by one of the cops.  "I'm sorry, you need to stay 10 feet away from the sidewalk," the officer said.  For a moment, I wondered if there had been a gas explosion.  "What's going on?" I asked.  The officer replied, "We're doing an escort."  I looked up and down the street, with the officers and their motorcycles stationed every ten feet, the streets completely devoid of traffic, and the pedestrians not allowed to walk on the sidewalk.  I knew this person must be pretty important.  "May I ask who?"  The officer paused and then said, "Biden." 

So I waited excitedly for a bit. A part of me considered going back inside to work, but then the rational part said, "When's the next time you're going to see something like this?"  I was soon rewarded.  A motorcade of at least 20-30 vehicles started passing.  There were cop cars, cops on motorcycles, even an ambulance.  It was hard to tell which car Vice President Biden was in (there were two black, official-looking cars, but the windows were too dark to see anyone). But I waved anyway.  It was a really cool moment.  It made me wonder what sort of the security the President has, because this seemed pretty hardcore.

Wednesday, April 22 - Hill workout.  It was my first time doing the hill workout in months, so it was ROUGH.  Did 4.5 of the .75 mile loops.  I think next time I should shoot for five, because my legs weren't even sore the next day. 

Friday, May 1 - Blues dancing was a little empty tonight (a lot of the regulars were out of town), but still had a good time.  I received two compliments on my dancing - one person said I was elegant, and someone said he liked my follow.

Saturday, May 2 - Man, this day was so much fun.  Katherine and I went to Macy's to see Clinton Kelly on his Makeover America tour.  He was really funny. One of the women from the audience volunteered to have her outfit critiqued (I raised my hand but he didn't pick me), and he totally eviscerated her. In a nice way.  But he was really funny and offered really good fashion tips. I really enjoyed myself.

Afterward he said he was signing autographs.  So Katherine and I hurriedly went downstairs and got in line, all happy and excited, until some snooty Macy's employee said, "Where are your books?"  Apparently we could not stand in line unless we had a copy of Clinton Kelly's newest book, available only with a HUNDRED DOLLAR purchase of Macy's clothes. Naturally, Katherine and I were like, "Eff this," (our decision was also aided by the fact that there was security standing around), so we went next door to Border's to see if they had a copy of the book that we could sneak in with.  No such luck - it was sold out. I guess meeting Clinton Kelly was not meant to be. Maybe he would have hated my outfit and it would have scarred my self-esteem forever.  This was as close to Clinton Kelly that we got:

Clinton Kelly

Afterward, Katherine and I made ourselves feel better by going into all the fancy shops and trying perfume samples, and going on a shopping spree.  Not gonna say all that I bought, except that the Back in Black album was an absolutely essential purchase.  We alternated between playing "Good friend/bad friend."  Later we went out to eat with Katherine's boyfriend Rob, and Katherine bought us all dinner because she's a sweetie <3

Now I'm just here exhausted after a long day of work.  Well, I'm not exhausted anymore, because I'm a vampire and I get this weird energy kick around this time.  I have meetings tomorrow downtown...I really hope I don't get to run one of them, because I don't have a grasp on the details that I need.  Ah, such is life.  We'll see in the morning.

P.S. My parents have vacation until next Thursday due to swine flu scares in their school district. Clearly I am in the wrong profession.

P.P.S.  There was ANOTHER hornet in my apartment last week. I'm starting to wonder if I have a nest in the vents or something. I got the little bugger. Jenny 5, Hornets 0.  This one was very efficient too. No Swiffers were broken.
  

When I was seventeen, I would judge how good a day would be by the music I heard in the morning on the radio. If I heard some Pink Floyd or something like "Enter Sandman," then it was going to be a good day (and funny enough, something cool would inevitably happen to MAKE it a good day).  I kind of gave up that idea up as I got older, but as I was driving in to work this morning, I heard "Flying High Again," which reminded me of high school (and no, not because I would get high), and "This is a Call."  "Man," I thought, "I bet it's going to be a good day."

And so it was.  Work is keeping me pretty busy with two projects, but I was able to enjoy myself with it today.  I had a meeting downtown today.  I ended up making a joke in the meeting...not on purpose, just kind of came out, and everyone started laughing. It really throws me off when people laugh at me because at work, I tend to be rather quiet and keep to myself...I think I'm a lot funnier with people I know really well, or on paper.  So anyway, that incident made me laugh.  After the meeting I got a chicken sandwich and a milk shake...yum yum.

Tonight I went running. It was an interval workout. I ran six .53 mile laps, with a walk break in between.  With the exception of one lap, I was actually getting faster with each progressive lap, so that was an improvement, because I usually run slower.  I ran the last one at 3:34, so I was pretty happy with that time.  I've been getting myself out of my winter laziness and getting back into my routine of running and dancing...and I'm LOVING IT. I just feel so much happier with it.  This next winter, when it's cold and miserable outside, I need to remind myself that it's worth feeling like crap during the run for how great you feel afterward.

This weekend was great. Blues dancing on Friday, watched a bunch of movies on Saturday, 8 mile run on Sunday.  Then yesterday, Katherine and I had a girl's night out.  We ate at Panda Express with her boyfriend, then we girls headed to watch 17 Again.  I really liked it!  It was funny.  I was remembering all the funny parts today during my meeting. I'm not a Zach Efron fan girl (to be honest, I wanted to see it for Matthew Perry), but he did a good job in it (and come on, I'm not BLIND. He is a good-looking guy).  Reno 911 fans, the guy who plays Dangle is in the movie and he basically stole the show.  My only complaint is that Matthew Perry deserved way more screen time. 

I have a lot of fun things lined up for this weekend, so I can't wait for it.  At least tomorrow is Thursday. It's flying by fast!    

This weekend was so much fun and exhausting at the same time.  I will write more later, but for now, I'll post the only known video of my dancing in existence.  This was from the competition. I didn't make it to finals (not like I was expecting to...there were at least 20 follows competing, and they only picked 5 to advance.)  But I had a blast fun out there and learned a lot, and, not to sound too Pollyanna about it, but that's all that counts, right?

Unfortunately, you can only see me for about two seconds in the video...I'm hoping more substantial videos pop up.  I'm on the far right side of the frame in the black floral print dress and tights. 

The link to the video is here. It took me a bit to figure out how to post a link that wouldn't provide my personal info or my friend's info on Facebook, and for some reason, the stupid video wouldn't embed.  I'm off to make dinner.  I will write more later!

I've put over 200 miles on my car just from driving back and forth downtown all this week for meetings.  It has been a little exhausting.  I'm glad the week is over, and I'm glad that next week, I won't have to be downtown for as many.  I wish I could put a moratorium on downtown meetings.

Another thing I would like to put a moratorium on is driving mistakes.  Despite my less-than-stellar driving record, I am actually a very cautious driver (most of the time).  I drive the speed limit, do not tailgate or run red lights, and drive 65 mph on the freeways.  But every once in awhile, I do something so idiotic that I'm like, "Really, Jen? Did the first accident not teach you ANYTHING?"  Tonight was one of those nights.  I have accepted the fact that I'll never be a...great driver, and that it is a skill that I have to hone.  I just have to remember to take my time ALL of the time and to be extra patient.  Patience is a virtue and it is one I lack. 

But despite my temporary idiocy, I had fun tonight.  Tonight was the start of the Championship weekend.  Last night there was a live band playing, so it was PACKED.  Tonight wasn't as packed, but there were a lot of out-of-towners. I like dancing with them because you learn new things.  I'm practicing on my styling and improvisation, so that was fun.  Another thing I would like to call a moratorium on - guys who only spin me around.  The entire dance.  That gets fucking tiresome. Do something besides stupid spins. One guy I danced with didn't throw ANY Lindy in there at all, just stupid spins. Uggggghhhhh. 

Competitions started tonight.  I didn't participate because the one I entered doesn't start until tomorrow.  It was the Strictlys tonight, where a couple signs up and is judged together.  They had some really good dancers tonight! It was fun to watch. I left around 11:30, though. I am going to be up early tomorrow (well, early for a weekend, at least), and I want to make sure I get enough sleep.  I feel really tired right now, so I'm glad I'm home instead of driving.  The dance was supposed to last until 4...yeah, no.  Maybe I would stay if I didn't have to compete tomorrow, and someone else was driving me. Ha!

Ok, I'm going to take a shower and head to sleep, I'm exhausted!

Well, January marks the 2-year anniversary that I've been taking Lindy Hop classes, so I figured it was time to try a competition.  Tonight I went to a practice competition.  The "real" competition is next week.  Like I said before, I'm nowhere near the level to where I have any serious notion of winning, but it seems like a great experience.

Jack and Jills are contests focusing on the individual dancer.  In the prelims, you are judged solely on how well you dance (which helps when you get a bad partner - more on that in a minute). You dance with three people or so total. In the finals, however, you are randomly placed with only one person, and that is when you are judged as a couple.

Tonight I was a bit nervous but I wanted to get good practice.  Next week I'll be competing as a Newcomer, but tonight all the experienced people were competing with newbs like me.  There were probably 14 follows (girls) total, and 12 leads (guys).

My first dance was BAD.  BAD.  And it wasn't my fault, I have to say.  The lead had an, um, interesting style.  He was literally throwing me all over the place, had bad form, and was doing a lot of solos.  Basically, the way this guy danced, he wasn't considering his follow, which is selfish in this sort of competition.  So that threw me off.  Luckily, I knew the guy for the second dance; we've danced a lot so I know his style.  (Plus he is a better dancer).  I still messed up on tandem Charleston though (which I went over this week in class. Damn!)  The third dance was pretty close to perfect, though.  Again, I knew the guy, so I was already comfortable.  I was able to throw in a little styling moves too, and we were doing cool stuff like turning all in synch.

I didn't make it to the finals, as I expected, but it was still a great experience.  I learned that it definitely helps to be relaxed out there. And, as our judges said, it helps to have some "self-preservation," which I will keep in mind in case I get paired with another nightmare lead.

I stayed around afterwards to hear tips, which was helpful, but by 12:40 I wasn't listening very much anymore.  Luckily, it ended then, and I was able to get feedback from the judges.

The Good:
-I was following pretty well.
-I "looked good" when I was dancing.
-One of the judges said that I was one of his alternates.  He put a checkmark by my name, and told me that I wasn't one of the follows that he wanted to see leave.

The Bad
-I played it too safe and wasn't taking any risks with my moves, so I didn't have very much to keep the judges coming back for.
-I need to give my swivels more pizzazz. 
-I wasn't matching the "bounce" that one of my partners had, and as a follow, I really need to.

I'm really excited about the results from this, because now I can take the feedback and really work on my moves before the competition next Saturday.  I've been taking a break from dancing since I got back from vacation, but tonight motivated me to get back to doing what I love!

In list format, for your convenience.

• Trying to avoid those post-holiday/January blahs.
• Feeling nostalgic...missing family and various friends scattered all over the place.
  
• Went running yesterday...hadn't been in awhile, so my coach asked me if it was my "New Year's Resolution."  Oh hale no, just tell the weather to stop being freezing and I'll be out there more often!
• I hate driving in this city sometimes.  It took me an HOUR to get to work today. An HOUR.
• Am glad the weather was sunny today.
• I parked outside a hotel instead of the parking garage and didn't get towed...success? Shall I try it again next week?
  
• I found out today that I have to go downtown twice a week for work again...yay.  
• Dropping off Pearl Jr. tomorrow to get the bumper scratch fixed.  Shoudn't take more than 2 days.
• Am grateful that the woman who hit me has insurance and that her insurance is making this pleasantly easy...they are paying for a rental, and they will be picking me up tomorrow from the body shop, so I don't have to get a taxi. Yay!
• Woke up early twice in a row...let's keep the streak going!
• Received good news at work today.
• Went out to eat sushi tonight to treat myself for the good news received.  Had a bento box dinner...yum yum!
• Lindy 2 lessons started tonight. This is my last month of Lindy 2.  Has it really been 2 years since I first started swing dancing? Wow.
• Wore the wrong shoes to class and got hit in the head by someone turning me.  Good times.
• Teacher told me that I would have the perfect swing out if I didn't tense my arm up during the third count.
• I'm going to go read now, because I need to make myself sleepy.
• Adios.
  

This show on the History Channel that I'm watching is playing "Saturday Night is Alright for Fighting," which is awesome, because I love that song.  I would never have chosen it to reference the Watergate scandal, but whatever, it works.

Anyway, my weekend was very leisurely and relaxing.  Friday night I went blues dancing. Sometimes it is hit or miss but this particular night was a lot of fun.  Lol this one person I danced with led me by my wrists instead of the hands. A special note to guys out there: leading a girl by her wrists is not original or creative, it's douche-y.

Yesterday, I went Christmas shopping.  I got my mom's gift and this really fun gag gift for my brother.  It is a Santa Clause that "poops" brown-colored candy.  The gift just screamed "Patrick" when I saw it.  I guess the fact that I found it hilarious shows my advanced sense of humor, but I don't care.  It is funny.  Oh! And I found $9 shoes for the winter formal.  I am going to wear this really pretty, navy blue dress of my mother's.  It has a vintage vibe and I love it.  Anyway, I found the perfect pair of shoes for it.  Now to figure out the hairdo for it...too bad my hair styling skillz are limited.

Oh I just got the point of the show I'm watching. They play full-length songs while describing historical events in a "pop-up" video sense.  This is pretty cool.

I didn't do a whole lot today, but it was a good day. I went running and re-signed my apartment lease.  I went food shopping and made chili. It actually came out good! I watched TV and relaxed. I'm making Harry a little blanket for Christmas for him to snuggle in.  He stole my brother's baby blanket for a long time, but my mother wasn't keen on the fact that Harry was chewing on it.  So she took it from him and gave him a towel for him to carry around. Harry doesn't like the towel very much, so she asked me to make Harry a blanket.  I bought some soft yarn with Christmas colors and am crocheting one for him.  I think he will like it. The yarn is nice and soft.

Okay, so people are progressively getting crazier as the holidays get closer.  One of my friends got into a crazy accident on the freeway here a couple of days ago (he was not at fault, but the person who hit him may have been under the influence).  Very luckily, my friend (and his vehicle) are okay, as well as the other people involved in the accident.  My brother narrowly avoided an accident the other day when a car pulled out in front of him at the worst possible time.  Patrick said that he had to slam on the brakes so hard that his truck ran over the sidewalk. I nearly got hit yesterday as well (thought it would have been minor compared to my friend's accident and Patrick's near-miss).  I daresay that this would not have been my fault. I was turning left out of a shopping center.  The light was not protected so I waited a bit to yield.  The cars opposite me were not moving, so I pulled out and started to make my left.  That's when the car opposite of me decides to turn right and cut me off.  So I slammed on the brakes.  As I'm marveling at this person, the car BEHIND HER decides to do the same thing! So I have to slam on the brakes again because this is a large vehicle encroaching my lane and is THIS CLOSE to hitting Pearl Jr's good side.  Ugh. Happy holidays, everyone.

I wish tomorrow were Sunday again, but at least there's only 2 more weeks until vacation.  I'm going to go read and watch some TV before bedtime. Adios.  

Sigh.  My Thanksgiving break went by so fast!  But I had several days off, so I can't complain.  It's absolutely, positively insane to think that Christmas is already only 3 weeks away.  And then it's 2009!  At this time last year I was still in school...it's just incredible how so much has changed.

Work has been a little slow since returning from break. I can't complain too much, but it's hard to stay focused when I'm bored.  I was at the downtown office today.  I don't know what was going on but the traffic was particularly bad this morning; it took me an HOUR to get there.  AN HOUR. Without traffic, it takes me 20 minutes.  Usually, it takes me 45 minutes with the traffic.  But this morning? No.  At one point, I'd gone 4 miles in 20 minutes.  I parked in the parking garage today too (cue horror music).  I parked on the roof, so that there wouldn't be any cars around me.  It's a bit narrow driving through the garage, because there are barriers there and if you zip around them at 30 mph like my project manager does, then bad things can happen.  I drive in there at 5 mph, so screw anyone who's behind me.

At 4:30 my project managers had already left, and all I had left to do was to modify some rights of entry agreements.  So I logged onto Gmail chat while correcting them. I know.  Bad.  I see people at work on MSN chat, and we even have a work chat through Lotus Notes, so what the hay (I never say "what the hay," but I figured it was appropriate in this situation).

Dance class was fun tonight. It's our last class for this month before break.  We learned the "pimp walk."  LOL.  "Please do not try to impress people with this," our teachers cautioned.  We also tried to dance some of the moves High School Musical-ish (like with the big wide smiles as you look at your partners), so I had the giggles for a lot of the class. 

I had two pretty decent runs so far this week.  On Saturday, I went running with my dad.  My dad plays mind tricks a lot when we run, so I decided to keep a steady pace that was comfortable for me to run at just in case he started sprinting on me or something.  But apparently the pace I picked was a pretty decent one, and my dad and I sprinted to the finish line.  Then yesterday, I ran 3 miles on the track (bo-ring).  The first lap of each mile was supposed to be at a 5K pace, and the next three laps at a 10K pace.  The fastest I'd done a 5K was in the 22 minute range, but that was almost 5 years ago.  So needless to say, my "5K pace" lap was a bit slower, and I ran my 10K pace laps a bit faster.  Anyway, I ended up finishing 25:39, which is not bad, I guess, but not as fast as I used to be at my peak.

Okay, I am going to blather on and on and I need to make my lunch for tomorrow.  I should get to sleep early, but I'm wide awake, unfortunately.  Good night!

...well, I did some stuff, but it was overall a nice, perfectly lazy weekend.  It has been cloudy up here, so it feels very wintery.  The weather is in the 60s, meaning that we Texans pile on the sweaters and coats.  To think in Virginia I used to run around in shorts in that weather, and how Pat and I would get in trouble for playing without our coats in the 50 degree weather. 

Friday night I went to the Welcome Dance for the Lindy Exchange.  I didn't pay $90 for the full weekend (which is a ridiculous price for just a couple of dances).  They were offering "a la carte" pricings of $20 for individual dances.  I still struggled with that one, since I'm pretty cheap, but I thought that going to just one would be an acceptable splurge.  Plus, it was a live band, so that's always worth it.  It was fun.  I was a little disappointed at the turn-out though.  There seemed to be fewer people than our regular Thursday night dances, not anything like the 200 people everyone was expecting.  Regardless, we still have one of the best swing scenes in the state and I enjoyed myself. I saw my old swing teacher from College Station there.  There were tons of amazing dancers there...I have a lot to learn, haha.  But I still enjoyed myself.  I am looking forward to the Championships in January...full weekend of dancing, PLUS workshops, and the registration price is actually cheaper than the Lindy Exchange's.  Seems like a much better deal to me. 

Yesterday I went to the ritzy little shopping mall, the place I go to when I want to window shop and not buy anything because I can't afford anything there. This is the place where people bring their children and nannies, and walk out of Louis Vuitton stores with large bags.  The only place I can semi-afford is Macy's, and I decided to go there yesterday to pick up some foundation.  I was amazed at the traffic there.  The parking lot was completely full, which never happens, and there were groups of people parking far away and walking towards the venue.  It was like ACL-lite.  Naturally, I had to see what the fuss was about.  It turned out that it was a tree-lighting ceremony, and apparently Jordin Sparks was supposed to be there.  I stayed for about five minutes and got bored, and decided that I didn't care enough about Jordin Sparks or seeing a tree being lit up to stick around.  I couldn't believe that so many people would put themselves through that traffic just to see a tree being lit up.  I mean, it's not the Rockefeller Center, you know?  On my way back to my car, I saw a limo driving in.  Maybe it was her? Of all the American Idol winners, I find her and her music pretty bland and boring.  And that's saying a lot.

Work tomorrow.  I'm like a college kid excited for vacation, except that you have five finals to go through before getting there.  My brain is already in vacation mode, and it makes for focusing on work-related activities rather difficult.  Sometimes I seriously wonder if I have some undiagnosed ADD. Remember that ADD commercial where the woman is in a work meeting but there's random thoughts going through her head, like her kid's birthday party or something, and she can't focus?  My brain is like that a lot, even when it's not almost vacation time. Haha. 

Before I go...remember that you can get your free Dr Pepper for today only if you log on.  I'm kind of disappointed that Chinese Democracy was finally released, you know?  It's like when you're a kid and you realize that the Tooth Fairy is really your mom or dad.  It was more epic when it was unreleased.  My brother, who's a pretty big GnR fan, says that it's not as bad as he was expecting but that it isn't an Appetite for Destruction.

I need to stop being lazy.  I have to go running today...the cloudy weather wants me to stay inside though.  I'll make it out there sometime today.  Have a good Sunday!   

So last night was pretty fun...I was under the impression that I would meet up with some of my swing friends at one location, but apparently this was not the case ;) I went to the blues concert and then the dance at the studio afterward.  The dance made me eat my words because people actually showed up.  The blues dance was fun, too, because they played some contemporary music (like Amy Winehouse) as well as the older stuff.  I wish the Thursday night swing dances would do that, too.  That's the only thing I miss about the College Station swing dances; they would mix up the traditional swing and big band music with some 70's and 80's music (like dancing Lindy to "Footloose" is a blast!) 

Other than that, I didn't do much yesterday. I just stayed home pretty much all the day and lounged around.  Sometimes those lazy days are good, but I don't like them all the time. They remind me of the boring weekends in College Station when I didn't have a car and had nothing to do other than go on my computer, study (boo), go running, or walk to Barnes and Noble.

Oh, I did go to Borders and bought a little journal for my notes and stories. Liz had gotten me a Moleskine notebook for work meetings as a gift, and I absolutely love it.  It made me want one for my writing.  Moleskines are too expensive ($17!), but I got one that is styled in the same way for $5.  I took it to Starbucks and wrote a little in it. I had the eggnog latte...it tasted weird at first but I liked it more as I drank it.  I wrote a poem about my dislike of people who shop at Central Market.  Seriously.  It's full of hipsters and walking in one is like walking into a giant cliche of everything about this city.  The guys look like they will blow away with the wind.  One woman didn't flush the toilet yesterday because ~it's not environmentally friendly.~  UGH.  I flushed it when I got in there to piss her off.  Yes, I'm an environmental engineer, and yes, I think that people should be aware of global warming, but don't get me started on this "green" fad.  Please.  That is an argument for a whole other post.  

Today might have been just as lazy, but this morning my dad called me and told me about the run he did. I thought, ok, now I need to go running.  I'm glad I went in the morning, as opposed to the afternoon as I'd originally planned. I went around 11 to the park, and it was an incredible run.  First, the lake looked really gorgeous.  The weather was comfortably warm (yay Texas), and there were many runners, walkers, bikers, and families just enjoying the outdoors.  I followed some runners and explored the park a little.  It was a blast.  I ended up running for a full hour (1:01:42 total), so that would be at least 6 miles, since I was trying to take it slow. Great run, and it eliminated some frustration, too. I love running (can't you tell?). I would be certifiably insane if I didn't run.

Then I went to HEB because my fridge was starting to look like Old Mother Hubbard's.  Got some food...trying to make myself eat fresh fruits and less carbs (I'm a total bread/pasta girl).  I'm not going on a diet, just restructuring my eating habits to eat healthier. We'll see how long it lasts.  Generally I eat pretty healthily, it's just my downfall is sweets.  I did have a Dr Pepper today, though.  SOME people have gotten me into the habit of getting a Dr Pepper after a long run.  I will not say who the guilty party is in this case.

There are now two hornets in my apartment. I have no idea how they got in here. I think they snuck through a crack in my door.  Either way, they are sitting quietly on the top of my window, where it would be hard to swat them. What am I saying? I am a total wuss when it comes to hornets and bees, so I probably wouldn't swat them even if I had the chance to.  I don't even have a flyswatter.  I've never been stung, but my mother and Patrick are allergic to them...so what if I am too? (Pat got stung twice near his eye when he was seven, and his eye swelled up so badly that it looked like Mike Tyson had punched him in the face).   If I open the door, more will come in.  Getting Raid is my last resort because that stuff isn't great for the environment.  I'm kind of hoping they'll just die naturally.  They stay in the same spot, at least.  If they start building a nest, then eff it, I'm going for the Raid. 

Well, I'm going to read.  A little later I have to make up an hour for work (for leaving early on Election Day, hee).  I'd like to make some meals for the week, too.  Have a good Sunday!