Monday, September 27, 2010

things learned from Mozzie

Not this Mozzie:


This Mozzie:


I am not referring to the quirky side-kick on the USA network show, White Collar. I am referring to the newest member of my family that I named after said TV show character.

I found Mozzie here on my search for fall leaves:

I have always wanted a horned lizard as a pet, let's just get that out in the open right now. So hiking along this trail and seeing dozens of Mozzie's running around at my feet was a dream come true.

Some ways I have discovered that I am like Mozzie:
  • I, too, must be cold blooded because I, too, need a heat rock at the bottom of my bed every night to warm up my feet.
  • I find that I can live on very little water, just like Mozzie
  • I, too, can be hypnotized by a good back rub (ok... he likes belly rubs):
I know, I know.. he looks dead, but he's really just hypnotized by my huge finger rubbing his tiny belly.

And in the category of: Most startling realization I made about myself - The award goes to:

I will never sleep as a parent.
The first day I had him, I looked up how to care for a horned lizard and read website after website that strongly urged not to try and care for a horned lizard because they are too delicate and complicated to care for.

So the first night I had him, I put some crickets in his cage and set it in the window sill by my bed. I lay there for hours anxiously worrying that he wouldn't even make it through the night.

I finally fell asleep and when I awoke early the next morning, I nervously peeked in the cage and to my joy saw him skittering around all lively. Two of the crickets were even gone! And the next morning another cricket was gone! Then... that day, as I cleaned my room, I found two tiny crickets bouncing around my shoes in my closet. The realization hit me that he was not eating the crickets afterall.. I can't even keep a lizard alive!

So today, I make the trip back up to buffalo peak to set him free. Maybe it really is better not to have a child then to be constantly worrying about one.

Friday, September 10, 2010

part 19 of 364

Things that keep Melissa alive

Part 19: Facebook

Does anybody else have a love-hate relationship with facebook?

Loves:
  • Being able to stalk a guy I'm interested in as far as his privacy settings will let me
  • Reading minute by minute updates from all my facebook friends that I went to high school with but never really talked to who are sitting at home with their 6 children.
  • I have 268 friends!
  • When I have thoroughly checked all 3 of my email accounts then the next logical step is to kill time by reading everyone's statii (plural). Thank you facebook.
  • That feature that allows you to de-tag yourself in any photo you choose. Why did it take me so long to discover that?
Hates:
  • When someone doesn't use their facebook nearly as much as I do so it takes them 3 weeks to confirm my friend request. Meanwhile, I am left in agony wondering if they secretly hate me and it just took them 3 weeks to get up enough charity to add me.
  • When facebook randomly decides not to notify me of life or death messages I have been waiting for.
  • Farmville. And every other 'ville (except Springville... I mean, it's Art City!)
  • The pressure to have every word I type on facebook be the height of wittiness. So instead, I type nothing.
  • That you can't "appear" offline on facebook but still see everyone else that is online. Gmail totally lets you do that (next blog post: Why Gmail Keeps Me Alive and is Better than Facebook).
Today I saw an article on MSN: Facebook users are jerks, another study confirms.

Apparently studies show that "Facebook users are either totally conceited or serious self-haters." To which I say: Hey! I resemble that! Are they saying that no rational middle-of-the-road individuals are on facebook? So: Grandma and My Mom, I guess. And maybe 2 people my age that I know of. Or it could be that the normal people are those ones I hate that only log in once a month.

Speaking of Hating: "hating Facebook is a popular topic on Facebook". I almost posted the link to this article on my facebook status, but then I'd just be shooting for popularity.