Sunday, August 03, 2008

First a rant about Robin Hood and then an update:

The rant (with lots of spoilers for the season finale which aired last night):

You know, I don't expect much out of Robin Hood. I don't expect historical anything from it and I think it's pretty much the medieval equivalent of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. But... still...

WHAT?!?! That was SO NOT COOL, MAN!!! I'm kinda upset by this. Sure, Marion annoyed me sometimes... Sure, sometimes I wanted the costumers and writers brought up on charges over her character's clothes and some of the things she did/said... but I didn't want her DEAD! SO NOT COOL! *pouts* Honestly, Robin Hood without his Maid Marion? What exactly are we supposed to do with that? It is so not the story... There was at least one more season that they could have dragged out their romance and it didn't ever need to end with her dying.

Also, I liked both Djaque and Will, and I'm very sorry to see that they apparently won't be back. *grrrrrs*

Lately, it seems like a lot of shows have been ticking me off with their season finales. I can't think of any others at the moment that won't be potentially spoilery to some people who might be reading this (and there are several!), but I feel like I've been left disappointed by a lot of tv lately... I know it's just tv, and really, yeah, it's just tv, but it's supposed to entertain, right? Not leave the audience going OH NO THEY DIDN'T!!! with their surprise, irrevocable twists full of what-the-fuckery... And it seems a number of series have done that lately. At least, that's my take...

And here's the update:

I'm staying at the cabin by myself now. My parents have gone back home and I'm staying until after my niece's birthday. I was really scared at night the first several nights, but I'm feeling much better about being here by myself now. It's easier to identify the creaks and groans that the house makes periodically. FYI, new log houses (and possibly log houses in general) make a lot of noise and sometimes are so suddenly loud that you'd think an elephant abruptly landed on the roof and it's getting ready to cave in. This is, apparently, quite normal, as are thumps and creaks in the walls and floor.

I was going to go to Floyd yesterday to go antiquing, but it rained all day with thunder and lightning, so I didn't risk the unfamiliar, twisty mountain roads to get there. And our kitchen has inexplicably been infested with ants. Little (but not tiny) amber colored ants that don't bite. Even though they weren't congregating anywhere in particular in the kitchen, just crawling around all over the floor, cabinets, stove and countertop, I spent all of yesterday afternoon cleaning and sweeping and making sure there is absolutely no food that could be drawing them in. But they're still a few around. Not nearly as many as before though. I didn't know where they were coming from for the longest time, but after dinner I found that they're coming up through a hole in the cabinet under the sink. Today, I'm going to try to find something not full of chemicals and yet effective to kill and/or get rid of them... Suggestions welcome...

Edit: How to make organic ant traps. Awesome!

In other news: I have been knitting up a storm! I've finished two felted bags, two pairs of baby booties, two dishcloths and two hats since I got here. I'm well on my way to finishing another two pairs of baby booties (each ball of Bernat Organic Cotton makes two). I'm also working on a scarf and another hat (both from KnitPicks). I think once I've done all that, if I finish all that, I'll have exhausted the small yarn stash I brought with me... Not sure what I'll do then. maybe move on to sewing projects...

4 comments:

La Duchesse said...

Our house did that too after it was first built. It's just the house settling on its foundation the way a bird settles on its nest. ;) It'll stop eventually.

Yep. We have ants, too. I think it's just a summer nuisance; ant traps usually do it for us, but I don't know if there's such a thing as pesticide-free ones. Hmmmm.

Wow. Sounds like you've been pretty busy! Do you guys get mail there?

RaeS said...

It's good to hear that the noises will stop eventually. It can be really disconcerting at times...

Well, I did a little research since earlier today, and apparently there are several options. Ants hate cinnamon, so it's recommended to put a thick layer of cinnamon down where they come into the house and it will keep them out like a salt line keeps out demons. LOL! So I did that. If it doesn't work, I'll try the more deadly-to-the-ants option, which is to mix equal parts borax and sugar and put it down in places the ants are likely to find it, but pets and kids aren't. But since I didn't find borax at the grocery store, I went with the cinnamon option first. I'd have to drive all the way to the Super Walmart to get borax, so I'm hoping that the cinnamon will be enough of a deterrent.

Yeah, somewhat busy. And yet, I've had a lot of free time to just sit. It's been nice.

We do get mail here, yes, for at least until I leave (the I'll fill out a forwarding mail form and have things sent on to Tampa when we aren't here). I will e-mail you the address. I'll be here for at least the next 7 days, possibly longer, it will depend, but at least the next week...

La Duchesse said...

Fanks. :)

Let me know how the cinnamon trick works. I don't like the idea of using poisonous ant traps.

Our house recently started resettling in response to changes in the geological strata in the immediate area. There was a lot of construction-related blasting, and since the town sits on a giant limestone formation like a shelf, everything near the blast site is affected. Which means our house creaks and grumbles just like it did when it was first built. If there's no further disruption of the karst, it should be fine.

RaeS said...

you're welcome.

I certainly will.

Construction-related blasting is not fun. I hope things settle quickly and safely.