i’m a better swimmer because of bees

Thursday, May 3rd, 2007

I read a headline today that actually made me break out in a cold sweat: “Rapid die-off of bees threatens food supply.” Apparently, bees are dying in large numbers due to some parasite and no one is pollinating our fruits and vegetables. My all-time favorite food, The Strawberry, is being threatened by the death of my sworn-enemy, The Bee. I feel a little panicky. Well I guess they might eventually be able to clone strawberries without aid of pollination. Or maybe it’s time that the butterfly step up. Either way – I think I’d rather have no bees.

When I say “I am afraid of bees” – I don’t think you can fully appreciate how afraid. So afraid that I will not include a picture of a bee on this post. Instead, I will include pictures of kittens. (I love kittens)

orange kitten

So afraid that I had to go to therapy for bee-phobia. I’m talking full-out panic afraid.

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97 things that drive me nuts

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

In no particular order:

  1. Yellowjackets!!!! (that one is in order)
  2. Parents who think everyone loves their children and aren’t annoyed by them
  3. Recycled airplane air because it means we all feel like we’re sitting next to The Farter
  4. Stickiness
  5. Cigarette butts being thrown out of car windows
  6. Cigarette butts being thrown anywhere except in a garbage or ash tray
  7. Uncomfortable shoes
  8. Groups of 4 or more women
  9. Pet owners who do not keep their dogs on leashes
  10. Silverfish
  11. Love Stories
  12. Slow walkers
  13. Close talkers
  14. The lingering hand-shake
  15. California drivers (this encompasses rubbernecking, not using turn signals, stopping in the middle of the street because they forgot they had to be in another lane, riding the brake, speeding up when I’ve signaled that I’m changing lanes, taking up more than 1 lane, broken brake-lights, the pointed finger out the window in lieu of a turn signal, honking at me to flirt with me, not knowing how to merge, and spilling items onto the freeway from their trucks.)
  16. The phrases “I’m all”, “he’s all”, “she’s all”
  17. Cell phones
  18. Starbucks cups as an accessory
  19. Overuse of the word “surreal”
  20. That licking sound dogs make
  21. Women who won’t date men who are “too short”
  22. Men who won’t date women who are “too pudgy”
  23. That at the airport, the line for Starbucks is longer than the security line
  24. Repetitive noises
  25. The smell of mildew
  26. The first day after getting my hair colored when my hairline is still stained with color
  27. 98% of anything having to do with children
  28. Pregnant women who think that we think their naked belly is beautiful
  29. The word “snickerdoodle”
  30. The word “spleen”
  31. Cooking shows
  32. Medical surgery shows
  33. Reality tv shows
  34. Messy car interiors
  35. People who talk for their pets
  36. Menus and flyers shoved into the slats of my fence
  37. Dry rot
  38. The word “dry rot”
  39. Mud
  40. Humidity
  41. Subway track sludge
  42. Shopping
  43. Hot chocolate mix that forms into small powdery clumps rather than dissolving
  44. Scary movie commercials
  45. Ovaltine radio commercials
  46. Any stranger who has ever sat next to me on a plane
  47. The word “trunk” when it refers to a torso
  48. Slobber
  49. People who use the word “I” or “me” in every single sentence
  50. Running
  51. Spiders
  52. Personal trainers
  53. Jennifer Love Hewitt
  54. Beavis and Butthead
  55. The sound of a baby crying
  56. Being tickled
  57. Magicians, clowns, or team mascots
  58. Pet owners with no medical background who feel they can give veterinary advice to other pet owners
  59. Talking to someone who has food stuck in their teeth, a crumb on their chin, eyelash on their cheek, chapped lips – anything that distracts me but that I can’t bring to their attention
  60. Pushy sales people
  61. In-flight announcements
  62. People who are oblivious to their position relative to what’s going on around them – ie. Standing in the middle of a crowded walkway, abruptly stopping in the middle of a moving crowd, stopping at the top of subway steps to figure out which way to go. What is wrong with people – MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!
  63. Smudging a nail 20 minutes after getting a manicure
  64. Pauly Shore
  65. How my ears ache after coming in from the cold
  66. Stubbing my toe or other exercises in clumsiness
  67. Bratty dogs
  68. That the cat always chooses the newest thing in the house to vomit a hairball on
  69. People calling me “Milhous’ mom”
  70. Artificial peach smell
  71. The mispronunciation of the word “breakfast”. It is NOT “brefext”
  72. The mispronunciation of the word “espresso”. It is NOT “expresso”
  73. The mispronunciation of the word “especially”. It is NOT “expecially”
  74. Static electricity from packing peanuts
  75. How dental x-rays dig into your gums
  76. Campbell Brown’s inconsistent lisp
  77. Breaking a yoke while making eggs over-easy
  78. Eating the last thin mint (well that doesn’t drive me nuts as much as it makes me sad.)
  79. Mystery dog poop on my sidewalk
  80. The word “socket” when it’s used to describe where a tooth used to be
  81. Poking myself in the eye (this happens a lot)
  82. Having the hiccups (this happens a LOT)
  83. The smell of cigarette smoke
  84. That I constantly use it’s instead of its
  85. The song “Mr. Sandman”
  86. Earwigs
  87. How I get a runny nose 5 minutes into a massage when my face is in that cradle and there is nothing I can do about it
  88. Katie Couric conducting an interview
  89. Bird poop on my newly washed car
  90. That starchy smell from self-tanners
  91. That the cat thinks we share meals
  92. Papercuts
  93. When a bee buzzes around my car while I’m driving, especially if I’m in a convertible
  94. Workmen leaving fingerprints on or in my house
  95. Sitting near someone who keeps sniffing or coughing or making other bodily noises
  96. That Emil twists caps on bottles tighter than the manufacturer does
  97. Those junk emails that start out with biblical quotes but are really just ads for Viagra - neither of which I’m interested in