Katydid Watch: 2010

Breaking Katydid news. I think that thing just up and died. After terrorizing me by chirping all night for about three nights, it likely succumbed to starvation. I just hope it didn't lay any eggs first. I'm holding those cats accountable. Even Ira isn't that smitten with the cats. He gets their names wrong every time! There are only two cats. I don't know how he does this. He calls them both Mouse. Sometimes they are "the one with the two stripes," or "the one with the three stripes." Both cats kind of have stripes, but their most prominent difference is that one is a calico and one is not! Ira, come on dude. We've talked about this.

Oh, my rear! I've been spending a lot of time on the bike. Last night I rode for so long (in front of the TV on my indoor bike trainer watching a Tour de France movie for inspiration), that when I woke up this morning I was certain I was still on the bike. I might be on the bike right now. I'll get back to you on that. The resulting pain is making sitting down today acutely excruciating. Getting fit ain't for wimps.

Effing cats.

Cleo cat brought us another present Tuesday morning. She woke me sometime around 2:00 a.m., singing a yowly ballad. She always does this when she brings in critters. I am not sure how the lyrics go, but it's something like:

"Bowr. Yaaaaaaaarw? Arrrrgle? BOWWR."
[Translation: "Look what I have brought home, lame humans. You think I am just a lazy cat, but I can catch fast things and you cannot! You would like me to share this marvelous, fast thing with you, but I won't."]

Catchy, isn't it? Everyone now!

I wasn't even going to try to get out of bed. Whatever it was could wait. I get up in the wee hours anyway and I was determined to get back to sleep before the alarm went off.

When I finally got out of bed and was getting my fitness clothes, I found Cleo down by my dresser batting around the shoe pile (don't act like you don't have a shoe pile). I immediately remembered her yowly ballad and thought "Oh, dang. She brought a mouse." So I moved some stuff around and out popped the largest katydid I've seen in ages. Bigger than this one (pictured above) she brought us a couple of years ago. Well, that giant insect looked at me and jumped/flew to my feet. Like I'm going to save it from certain cat-death?! I screamed and ran.

Later that morning, I told Ira what Cleo had brought. We tried looking for it in my room again but couldn't find it. We were going about our morning routine when Ira lets out the shrillest of shrill screams! He found the katydid in our room and was frantically trying open the door to flee. Poor guy! Leon calmed him down by suggesting we catch it in his bug playground. So we tried to catch it, but it hid itself behind a big bookcase. Not to be worried, we thought we (meaning Leon) would just catch it when we all got home from work/school. I don't know where it went, but we haven't seen wing nor leg of it since yesterday morning. However, all last night, it was making these spooky chirps. Not like sweet little cricket chirps, where I could pretend I was camping, but eerie bat-sounding squeaks. It kept me awake all night.

I still can't find it and it's freaking me out! Ugh. Cats!!

Flying hug!

There is possibly nothing greater than being on the receiving end of this. The kid, dog or taco truck that you love, running at you with a huge smile on its face.

I love California

Here are a handful of snapshots from the last couple of months.


We went camping in Mount Shasta. Ira fit right in like he should have been there all along. Him and dad are cut from the same, exact, cloth. It's fun to watch the similarities and sit in awe of genetics.



See? I told you.



I think he's practicing for climbing Shasta. Ira, please wait until you're in your thirties.



Horses kind of scare me. This one was very big and a bit intense. Every time I'd turn around, he's staring at me like this. I think he's still there, let me check. Nope. Phew! I had to alter the photo to make him look less scary. If I knew Photoshop, I'd put a pair of sunglasses on him.



We saw some band friends from our rock and roll days. My conversation went something like this "Oh, remember when we were cool? Oh wait, you're still cool. Yeah, see you next time..."



I ate some great ramen and then I got a new job immediately after. My job is now to wow people by making internet and excel sheets dance.


We went to the fair. This was Ira's third year going and he still can't ride the big kid rides. I hope he sprouts at least an inch for our trip to Disneyland this fall.

Leon and the mountain

Leon and the mountain
Originally uploaded by riblet.

This guy climbed this mountain all the way to the tippy top. Impressive! What I loved about it even more, is that he came back down alive. Just kidding. I am impressed with anyone who can set a big goal like that and get it done because I've never felt like the kind of person who is good at that.

Oh, okay. One time I had a baby and that was a pretty big deal. This is maybe closely followed by the one time I made edible sandwich bread.