No Deal

Ben said no to the cute little puggle. For now, anyway.

It's not so much the money, it's the responsibility, he said. We lead "intense" lives. So it's in our best interest and that of the dog's that we wait.

That said, Ben is open to a cat. I don't mind cats, but I don't love them the way I really love dogs.
I blame it on all that hair...

My old roommate and I had a short-hair domestic kitten for a short while, and she didn't shed much. But I worry that we'll adopt one that will leave hairballs all over the house.

On the small chance that we get a cat, my vote is for this short-hair domestic.

The joys of marrying a financial anaylst

My desire for a dog has turned into a full-fledged obsession.

The other night, I dreamed about a batch of puppies. They were either Boston terriers or miniature schnauzers. They look dramatically different, but I can't recall my dream well enough to remember which kind of dogs they were.

Anyway...

A few weeks ago, Ben -- probably fed up hearing about dogs -- called and asked me to spend a few hours doing what he does every day at work. So I put together a spreadsheet, calculating the acquisition and annual costs of owning a dog.

Dogs are expensive. But I already knew that. And as my colleagues and sister, who are dog owners, said, you can't put a price on a dog. They're cheap therapy. Man's best friend.

So I think I'll be getting one of these anyway. Someday.

Ben just gave me $100, which I initially said I'd give back. Now I'm not so sure. Two words: Dog fund.

Today I smelled like my coffee drink

I treated myself to a cafe miel this morning on my way into work. It was my reward for crawling out of bed at 6:15 a.m. to run.

The cafe miel is my favorite froo froo drink. It's the perfect blend of sweetness and caffeine. The cinnamon and honey give the drink a natural flavor, unlike the syrups. Gross.

About 10 minutes into my ride to Anoka County, I grabbed the cup for a quick sip.

I don't know how it happened. Going 65 mph (in a 60 zone), the cup slipped from my hands. Instead of raising it to my lips, I dropped it onto my lap. Hot coffee onto my lap.

It burned slightly. But that wasn't the worst of it. The I-just-had-an-accident sensation was worse. The coffee soaked my black capris (thank God I didn't wear the white skirt). All this before a county board meeting.

So I stopped at a McDonald's, ran into the bathroom and stood under the dryer. I stayed in the bathroom as long as I could without a missing persons report being filed.

Then I drove the rest of the way to the board meeting and walked into the government center, soggy pants and all.

Fast feet in Duluth

I'm too tired to write something clever now, so I will just tease you with photos from the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon in Duluth over the weekend.

Enjoy.

Golden goodness

I can successfully make no-bake bars.

I made these beauties last night. I ate these bars until my belly ached while living in Centennial Hall during college. So after six years of not having that chocolate-y Golden Graham taste on my tongue, I found a recipe and made the bars.

They're good, but taste different. The bars from college had a pure chocolate flavor. This recipe called for melting the marshmallows and chocolate together, and as a result, they're not as rich. So next time, I may have to alter the recipe and hold the marshmallows until mixing the cereal with the melted chocolate.

Is my car trying to tell me something?

My car, at fewer than 90,000 miles, isn't just coughing. It seems to have a perpetual flu.

January: Forked out about $500 for a fix that I can't remember.
April: Tree fell on trunk. State Farm insurance will cover when it's fixed this week. Whew.
May: Another $700 for a new air compressor system.
May: Mom rolled down window. Family knows that it's a no-no to roll down windows on my car. Window won't roll up. Waiting for an estimate on the body shop.
June: Radio re-sets on car every time I start it. This weekend, symptoms worsen. Not only does radio re-set, but I have trouble starting the car. Battery is corroded. New battery plus labor: $143.

I told a colleague about my car. She asked me if it's trying to tell me something. I'm beginning to wonder about that myself.

Too many bumps in the night.

I feel violated.

We had an intruder last night. Don't worry -- it wasn't human. No, it was far, far from that. This had wings and likely fangs. It was a f&%*$@g bat. Our second bat during our tenure here. Dammit.

I understand that bats and other critters, namely mice, are a byproduct of century-old homes. But it's hard to accept their presence when they literally go bump in the night.

Early this morning, I had to wake Ben up because I thought a burglar was picking the lock downstairs. It's nights like this when I want to equip myself with a stun gun -- burglar or bat, that fool is going down. After disposing of the bat, we were up until nearly 2:30 a.m. watching an old episode of The Office so we could forget the swooping black beast. (I know bats have their benefits, but not when their flying into your face.)

After getting about 45 minutes of shut-eye, I woke up to the sound of the patter of little feet, scampering back and forth inside the wall and ceiling in our bedroom. Do you remember the post about the critters last summer? I'm not certain they ever disappeared. We heard them a few times this winter and for the last few weeks, they've been very active at night. This morning, they went back and forth for about an hour and a half. I seriously considered punching a hole in the wall and "disposing" of those damn critters myself. Cooler thoughts prevailed.

I e-mailed our landlord. Then I followed it up with a phone call to make sure he read every details. Turns out he's traveling in France, but didn't say a peep about it to Ben or me. We're getting a quote tomorrow for a pest control company -- not Orkin (because they're obviously not doing their job here) -- and asking our landlord if we can take care of the problem ourselves, provided he reimburse us.

Here's the much-too-long text of my e-mail:

Hi Andrew,

We had an intruder last night. I woke up around 1 a.m. to what sounded like someone breaking into the house. It turned out to be a bat. We're positive it didn't come through the kitchen chimney, as the previous bat did. Still, we're unsure how it got into the house. Our two main theories on how it entered the house:

-- Through the upstairs utility room. The door does not fit snugly, and therefore, there is a huge (big enough for a bat) gap between the bottom of the door and the carpet. It's also possible it could have gotten into the house through that room and traveled in the vent system. The vents in the bedroom and living room are wide enough for a bat -- or other critter -- to exit them. We propose adding some kind of mesh to prevent this from happening.

-- Through the back or front door. The front door does not close all of the way, so it'd be easy for a bat to hide out in the porch.

After we removed the bat, we investigated the upstairs area because we heard more noises (and thought someone could have broken into the house). Turned out to be the critters. We heard them near the utility room, the ceiling and the west wall.

We woke up around 3 a.m. again to more noise. The critters traveled back and forth along the eastern wall in the bedroom and in the ceiling. They didn't stop for over an hour.

I know you stopped by recently, but we have been hearing the critters for weeks, sometimes several nights a week. We're wondering if you could arrange for Orkin to come when one of us is home. That way, we can show Orkin -- or you -- exactly where we're hearing the animals. I will be home until 2 p.m. Monday.

If the bat and critters weren't bad enough, Ben thinks he saw a mouse yesterday in the living room.

Sorry for all of the drama! But we wanted to make you aware -- for your sanity and ours:)

Brady