Kyoo 189 - Aminal Encounters

Yes, aminal.  Aminal is more fun to say than animal.  And if you're dyslexic, you probably can't tell the difference between the two.  So there.

I went camping again last weekend.  This time at South Llano River State Park.  And, for the record, I'm not entirely sure how to pronounce that.  I know it should sound like South "Yawn-oh", but this is Texas so it could also sound like South "Lawn-oh" or South "Lane-oh" or even South "Shawn-oh".  So many possibilities.  I forgot to ask the rangers there for clarification.  I'd sure love to know so I don't sound stupid...

I could write a whole ton of blog posts about the pronunciations here...but this one is about my aminal encounters over the past weekend.

Encounter #1 - The Raccoon

I was pretty drowsy as I awoke on the third day of camping and had just moved Harold to my other side when I saw that...thing.  The thing was hanging out from under my sleeping pad.  I stared at it for a few milliseconds before it dawned on me that:

a)  the thing was unusual
b)  the thing was not anything that I recalled owning
c)  the thing looked strangely alive

Hoping desperately that Alisha owned a coon skin hat that she'd never showed off to me (not likely...) I nervously pointed at it and asked, "Do you own anything that looks like that?".

The answer?

A pale face and a choked out "No...".

That's about the time I glanced up and realized that we'd neglected to zip the tent up all the way the night before and there was a gaping 6-inch gap.  Realizing now that there was a good possibility we weren't alone in the tent, I did what any normal person would do in this situation...I planted my butt firmly on the sleeping pad so the "critter" couldn't escape while we were still in the tent...and called for the boys while Alisha and I both prepared to make a run for it.

We made a clean exit.  Real clean.  It was almost like we'd held raccoon infestation drills and practiced it before (but of course we hadn't...that would have been ridiculous...cough cough).

Too bad it was all a prank.  The kind, caring, concerned boys we went camping with had tossed the stupid tail into our tent the night before.  Unfortunately we fell for this classic prank...hard.

Go us.


Encounter #2 - The Feral Hog

Yes, more about feral hogs.

We'd been hiking for a good hour when we heard it.  A very distinct squealing noise.  Now remember, I've heard all sorts of stories about these elusive feral hogs and my curiosity is killing me to see if they're real.  Still, I don't know if it was my curiosity or the rapt eagerness of the boys to chase it down that got me on that excursion.  Either way, I left the rest of the girls and the safety of the trail to join in on the hunt.

I ended up on a sweep with Jed (the thrower of the raccoon tail mentioned above...but at this point I didn't know he was the raccoon tail thrower...so he wasn't on my hit list yet).  We walked off trail for a good hundred yards, carefully avoiding the many cactus plants and prickly bushes that hedged our way and keeping our ears perked for more hog noises (whatever those may be...) when we heard it.

A hog noise.

Hog's snort, right?  This was kind of a snorting/grunting.  It doesn't matter.  The noise sounded big and very defensive.  As if that wasn't enough, the bush in front of us was moving. 

At this point, fight or flight kicked in.  Notice how fight is first...

Fight:  Glancing around for protection, I saw a stick lying on the ground off to my right.  Jed gave me a humorous look and kind of laughed but I could see the fear in his eyes.  I picked up the stick, only to realize that it was about as strong as a pretzel.  One of those thin, stick pretzels.


Flight:  Deciding I could live another day without fulfilling my dream of seeing a feral hog, I turned around and booked it.  I was about as a graceful as an obese man on a bed of hot coals.  My road back to the trail was a mine field of cactus plants and prickly bushes!  But I was motivated, oh I was motivated.  Especially when I heard something large breathing behind me.  Good thing it was just Jed following suit.  It was a tense few seconds before I realized that.  I probably didn't set any land speed records, but I sure made it back to the trail in good time.

And what did my hiking buddies have to say about the whole thing?

"Are you sure it was a hog?  Brian said he saw a possum and Ryan saw a squirrel...and possums do make a lot of noise when they're scared..."

Of course it was a hog!  I did not just run for my life from a possum!

Encounter #3 - Roscoe the Rattlesnake

This encounter isn't nearly as cool as the name of the rattlesnake.  Roscoe!  How cool is that for a rattlesnake??  It almost makes me want to be friends!  I like how it just rolls of the tongue:  Roscoe the Rattlesnake...Roscoe the Rattlesnake...Roscoe...the...Rattlesnake.

I had way too much fun with that at work today.

Before you get all excited, know there will be no pictures posted of Roscoe.  I have a strict "NO PICTURES OF SNAKES" policy on my blog.  Just imagine a small rattlesnake and you have Roscoe.

Roscoe is one of the park ranger's pets.  He takes him around in a little cage to teach park users (like me!) about snake safety.  The ranger came around with Roscoe on the afternoon of our second day and I sure learned a lot.  For instance, he told us that:

• The rattle of a rattlesnake's tail is involuntary.  It's a reaction when they feel threatened.  Roscoe demonstrated this for us with rapture (in one sentence that would be "Roscoe the Rattlesnake reveals his rattle rapturously").
• If you see a rattlesnake you should back away calmly and slowly (right...).
• Rattlesnake antivenin needs to be replaced daily or it's not effective.  So places that should have it usually don't.  And you can die if you don't get it within a few hours.  And most places in Texas that have a lot of rattlesnakes are more than 2 hours away from a clinic with antivenin (awesome...).
• If you get bit by a coral snake you pretty much only have a couple hours to live.  Their antivenin is in REAL short supply and what remains expires this year.  The good news is that they're horrible biters and take a good 20-30 seconds to administer their venom.  So!  If you peel the snake off in the first couple seconds (and experienced people say this is like peeling Velcro off, just so you know), there's a good chance you'll survive.

Don't you just love snakes??

Sick.

Have a great day :)

Kyoo 188 - Hiker's Chattery

What do you talk about on a long hike?

A clue, everything.

This particular conversation started with a song:

Flo Rida's "Club Can't Handle Me"

And a funny comment:

"What if we danced along the whole trail?  We could make a backpacking commercial out of it!"

And ended in another episode of "Such is the Life of Kyooyoo".

Why?

Because we thought we were alone.

Before you watch this video, let me preface it by saying that we were hiking on the backcountry trails and hadn't seen a living soul (or a dead one, I'm pretty sure) for several hours.

Remember, we thought we were alone.

Also remember that the filming of us dancing like lost nerds carrying massive packs on a day hike was planned and the camera was planted.

The encounter was not.

Did I mention we thought we were alone?

I'll let the video speak for itself:

Apparently we weren't alone.

Could her timing have been any more perfect (read unfortunate)??  A clue, no.

Have a great day :)

Kyoo 187 - Government Canyon

Government Canyon.  I discovered this place last summer on a biking escapade with Speed.  (that's really his name).  I almost died that day but that's another story.  This "state natural area" is just 20 minutes from my house but it's quite secluded for being so close to the city.  It's perfect for day trips on weekends that I can't escape for a real camping trip.  Lots of trails for hiking, biking, and trail running.

Plus, there's the opportunity to see feral hogs.

"Run like the wind Bullseye!"

I've been there many times and still haven't seen one but there are so many other things you can do at Government Canyon!

For instance you can...

...discover what those many loopholes on your backpack are for.  Andes mint anyone?

 

...find the number 27!

...make a sandwich...using cheese...as a knife.

...sit on a really spiky rock to eat your lunch.

...take creepy pictures of you and your hiking buddy.

...eat a hot pocket "cooked" by sitting in your bag all morning.

...let your backpack get the best of you.

 

...have a great day :)

Kyoo 186 - Housewarming Gift

I got a "housewarming gift".

(Yes, housewarming can be one word).

This particular "house-warming" gift was from Tia.  She had been keeping it in her closet since I bought my condo back in May and just forgot about it.  She finally remembered she had it and told me about this house-warming gift a month ago.  I tried to guess what it was at church one week because she kept forgetting to bring it and wouldn't tell me what it was.  It was driving me crazy!

I narrowed it down to being smaller than a loaf of bread, not something you would want to stand on, could possibly break if dropped, and not as flat as a rug.

Any guesses?

I had no clue.  And then on my birthday she shows up to a dinner at Bdubs with these:

Mugs!  But not your ordinary mugs...

Animal mugs!

That's right.  These mugs all have cute little critters in the bottom!  I saw them while shopping with Tia at Ross a few weeks before I closed on my condo and really like them.  But I was feeling real poor thinking about how much money I needed to put down on my condo...so I didn't buy them.  I bid them a fond farewell and promised to give them a home someday if I ever returned and had the funds.

But when I returned they were gone.

And now, thanks to Tia, they're found again!  And they're mine!

Seriously was so happy to get this gift.  Who doesn't like surprises like that??

I can't wait to use them.  I imagine it will go something like this:

[A guest enters my home]

Kyooyoo:  "Welcome , how are you?  Would you like a drink?"  (or something along those lines...I'll work the drink in there...)

Guest:  "A drink would be wonderful!  How about some juice?"

Kyooyoo:  "Juice?  Of course, I always have juice on hand."  (true statement.  love me my juice.)

[Kyooyoo pours juice in an animal mug and serves guest]

 Guest:  "Why thank you!"

Kyooyoo:  "You are so welcome!"

[Kyooyoo eyes guest with anticipation]

[Guest beings drinking juice]

 [Guest notices something, curiously eyes drink, but doesn't want to be rude and continues drinking.]

[Guest can no longer ignore this something]

Guest:  "I think there's a cow in my juice..."

Kyooyoo:  "Really?  A cow?  That's weird."

[Guest finishes juice]

Guest:  "There's definitely a cow in my juice."

Kyooyoo:  "Huh.  Do they normally swim in juice?"

Have a great day :)

Kyoo 185 - Stray Dog

I almost adopted a dog this weekend.

This dog:

It all started early Saturday morning.  I woke up to warm, sunny skis.  A Colbie Caillat song was playing on my radio.  I sat in bed for a few minutes reveling in my Saturday morning.  I had a long to-do list but I also had all day to complete that to-do list.  Mind you, I had every intention of striking many check marks on that to-do list.  The whole first hour I was up I was working away.  (Minus the couple minutes I reveled in Saturday morning...as mentioned above...).

And then Squishy called.  I can't ignore it when Squishy calls.

Squishy:  "I'm taking my nieces to IHOP, you should meet us there."

Kyooyoo:  (in a very "are you serious, you're really disrupting my productive Saturday with this?" tone of voice)  "IHOP.  As in the IHOP clear across town in the Forum IHOP?"

Squishy:  "Yes..."

Kyooyoo:  (weak laugh)  "Heh, maybe another time...I need to get some things done."

(PS this IHOP is a good 25-minutes from my house...and I'm trying to conserve on gas...and I was still wearing my pajamas)

Squishy:  "Ok, well, if you change your mind that's where we'll be.  Love you!"

Kyooyoo:  "Love you too..."

That's exactly how that went.  And I hung up the phone with full intention of getting back to my to-do list.

And that's when it hit.

Am I being selfish?  He drives across town all the time to see me.  His nieces are in town for the weekend from Houston.  I'd probably be kind of bitter if he put me off like that.  I think I'm being selfish...am I being selfish?  I might be being selfish...

This thought process continued for about 5 minutes.  Then I called for reinforcement.  Alisha?  Yes, you're being selfish.  Mom?  Yes, you're being selfish.

Ok.  I was being selfish.

So, long story short, despite the fact that I was going to be super productive and get things done, I drove across town to spend the morning with him and his nieces.  Now, it was really fun.  We did the whole IHOP thing and then played at Toy-R-Us and Petsmart and skipped everywhere like little kids (cause we were with 2 little kids...).  But it was not on the to-do list.

Afternoon rolls around and I say my goodbyes and head back home to work on that pesky to-do list.

This is about the time I call Alisha to tell her how not-selfish I was. "Yada, yada, yada...you have a stray dog in your backyard?  Is it cute?  It's been there how long?  You've called the pound??  I'm coming over."

It was cute and it had been there for 3 days!  And she'd called the pound!  I had to rescue it before the pound got there!

To-do list on hold again.

After a quick stop at Walmart (and lets be honest, that's never quick...not only do they never have enough check stands open but someone stole my shopping cart after I'd already loaded it with several items so I had to start all over again...cart-less).  (that and they had to price check my tampons...not that that's embarrassing or anything).

So, after a not-so-quick stop at Walmart (and a long wait in the mess of construction that is Babcock street right now...), I was at Alisha's.

And the dog was cute.  And well-behaved.  And a girl.  And she'd had her rabies shot.  And she liked me!

(pretend it doesn't look like she's biting my hand off in this picture...)

She did have a blue tongue though.  Kind of sketchy but I was willing to overlook that.  You can kind of see it in this picture:

But I couldn't "adopt it" until I was sure it didn't have an owner.  And the fact that it was wearing a collar with a rabies tag was a good indication that it had an owner, negligence aside.

 So we set out on an adventure to find a vet to scan the dog for a chip.  Luigi (temporary name for the dog...even though it was a girl) jumped right into the back seat of my car and sat there like a champ ready for the ride.

First vet's office?  Closed.

Second vet's office?  Closing.  But they agreed to scan her real quick.  And it was real quick because the number they gave us didn't exist in the phone database they had us call.

Foiled.

Lacking any other options, and realizing that the Humane Society was just a few miles away, we went straight there.

The Humane Society is not a good place for me.  The dogs were adorable and they were all looking at me with this "adopt me!" face.  And that is a really hard face to ignore.!

But I was there for Luigi.  And as I stood waiting in line trying to get Luigi to sit and hoping she wouldn't break the 1/4" thick leash restraining her from greeting all the other dogs (it's all Alisha had...), everyone was complimenting me on how cute "my" dog was.

Do you know how cool that was?  I was the person with the cute dog!

And that's when I got attached to Luigi.

And that's also when they announced that they had found her owner.

Heartbreak.

A few phone calls later and we were back at Alisha's waiting for the negligent dog-sitter to pick up Luigi.  Stupid dog-sitter.

By the time I got home later that afternoon, my to-do list was just laughing at me.  I was beaten and tired and not at all motivated to do anything on that list.  But it's the memories and relationships that matter most in life, right?  Not how clean your house is?  Or how much food you have in your pantry?  Or how long it's been since your last haircut?

...right?

(another picture of Luigi)

Maybe I'll get to that to-do list next Saturday...

Have a great day :)

Kyoo 184 - Snow Day

This morning, I looked out the window and what did I see?


No, not popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

SNOW!

No seriously, in Texas, that is legit snow. Yes, yes, I know, y'all are laughing now. I'm hearing words like "skiff" and "dusting" being tossed around. Easy now. This is Texas. It's a big deal. So I did what any wishful kid (in an adult's body) would do...I called my work's inclement weather hotline...and:

"The San Antonio area is currently experiencing hazardous weather conditions as some road closures are in effect due to the snow and ice conditions that developed over night..."


(Quick peek out the window - look at those driving conditions! Who would dare venture out there??)

"Employees who work at USAA's San Antonio campus, USAA's Federal Savings bank, and USAA's San Antonio financial centers should report to work at noon today..."



Excellent news! This meant I got to lounge around my house for a few hours wearing my new super comfy (and warm) down booties!

"Use good judgment about safe driving conditions and put personal and family safety first. Do not drive unless it is safe to do so."


Naturally I had to get in my car and test out these driving conditions! Plus, I just got new tires for my car a couple months ago. When else am I going to get to test them out on snow??

That and I had to take a friend home.

Frankly, I enjoyed my morning off. And I even enjoyed my afternoon in the office - there were a grand total of about 3 people there. Give or take. I guess most people decided that the roads were still too hazardous at noon. I'm sure the fact that it was Friday afternoon had nothing to do with it...

And, for your viewing amusement, a couple more pictures. Remember, this shut all of San Antonio down:



Hi patio...


...and rocks. (Up-close).

I love Texas.

Have a great day :)

Kyoo 183 - The Oatmeal

Previous roommates might recall my love/hate relationship with oatmeal.

Love: that it was an integral part of the cereal sale at Albertson's. $1 for a NAME-BRAND box of cereal. This included the big containers of Quaker Oats oatmeal. Now, of course I always stocked up on at least 10-20 boxes of the cereal. But it just didn't last that long. And who can justify buying 30 boxes of cereal? There's just not room to store it in a college dorm. So, to supplement, I scaled back on the number of boxes of cereal I bought and filled the gaps with containers of oatmeal. After all, oatmeal did last longer...and it was healthier. And it was warm. Warmth is a scarce commodity in Rexburg. Yes. Warmth is a commodity.

Hate: the amount of sugar required to make each bowl palatable. And that it puts me in a healthy mood. So I feel bad about adding all that sugar. And I usually end up adding things like flax seed and a sprinkle of honey. And that really is no compensation for the original lack of flavor. And it has an impeccable ability to give me gas. Yes. I just admitted that.

For over a year now, I have ignored oatmeal. It was not a part of my life. Except in cookies.

But, my relationship with oatmeal has warped as of late. I'll blame it on the colder weather. And the fact that oatmeal is so darn cheap. I recently purchased several boxes of oatmeal. In packets mind you. Flavorful packets. With all that good sugar already mixed in.

And I've really been enjoying that oatmeal.

It's almost a ritual.

I get to work in the morning. Read the daily Dilbert. Laugh at the daily Dilbert (usually relating to it, sadly). Grab my breakfast in a bag (and my handy spork!) and head to the nearest cafeteria (F caf, as it is affectionately called). There, I join the coffee line. Except, I'm waiting to push the little button on the machine marked "Hot Water", not "Caf" or "Decaf". While in line, I rip the top off my packet. People stare. And continue staring as I approach the machine and dispense the water directly into the packet. I've found 3 seconds is almost equivalent to 1/2 cup.

A few stirs with the spork and BAM!

What now Emeril??

It's like I'm camping every morning at work. I take my hot packet of oatmeal (excellent hand warmer, fyi) back to my desk and let it cool off while I log in and start a few tasks.

The whole routine makes me pretty happy. Except for the walk back to my desk carrying my oatmeal. It scares me. I just know that one of these days I'm going to trip over my feet, or one of those pesky lines on the floor, and face plant onto the ground while my little oatmeal grenade detonates all over.

Most embarrassing moment potential?

I think it's safe to say it'd make the top five.

Have a great day :)