Tuesday 5: Two and Four Legged Houseguests

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder broke my sunglasses this weekend. They’re prescription, so that’s awesome. It turns out that our not entirely awesome insurance only pays for an eye exam every two years, and my last one was a year and a half ago. That leaves me with three equally crappy options. 1. Pay out of pocket for an eye exam at $150. 2. Pay about the same amount and just get new frames for my existing sunglasses, but keep the old lenses. 3. When the earpiece completely breaks off, use super glue and duct tape and look like a jackass. Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?

2. Speaking of jackass, I really do try not to judge other parents. Want to let your child suck a pacifier until they’re four? Fine. It’s your dental bill. Want to wait to potty train until you’re kid is about to start kindergarten? You’re the one changing poopy diapers, not me. I did feel extra judgy at my friendly neighborhood craft store this weekend. There was a little girl there who was in her twos. She was walking around the store barefoot. The bottoms of her feet were filthy from walking around in the store. Knowing this store, there was also plenty of risk that there could have been something on the floor that would have hurt her baby feet. I personally had stepped on a broken part of an artificial flower arrangement just minutes before. Now, Fellow Adventurers, maybe you’re thinking “But what if her mom got to the store only to realize she didn’t have shoes with her?” Wrong question. She was a toddler. Correct question, “Why not just put her in a cart and push her around the store?” I’m still a bit grossed out.

3. Arthur Dent has this old Happy Meal toy that he loves. It’s some sort of a robot-like bug. It’s the size of a typical Happy Meal toy and is turquoise and grey. He named it “Stabby.” Despite the fact that Stabby looks very little like a real bug, he manages to startle me and make me jump out of my skin every time I see him out of the corner of my eye. I could just throw him away, but I'm sort of fond of Stabby at this point.

4. We had houseguests this weekend. Arthur Dent’s preschool class pet Rainbow the Tortoise came home with us. He had been so excited all week that he kept telling us all about her. He would correct us anytime anyone called her a turtle, “No, she’s a TORTOISE!” I finally asked Arthur Dent what a tortoise was. His reply, “It’s a turtle.” According to Arthur Dent, “She doesn’t like it to be loud. She eats salad, but with no ranch dressing.” I’d like to go on record with my massive thanks to Arthur Dent’s preschool teacher for telling the kids tortoises don’t like loud noises. Can I buy you a beer?

5. Oh, Fellow Adventurers, you’re quick. I did say “houseguests” and then only told you about Rainbow. Friday night, Amelia Earhart’s Godparents messaged us and asked if they could come the next day and stay the night! We were thrilled. Her Godparents are our most long time couple friends. We only got to hang out with them for about 24 hours, but it was enough time to drink some adult beverages and laugh until we cried. Perfect way to spend part of a weekend.

Tuesday 5: X-Philes and Martians

1. Fellow Adventurers, I JUST COMPLETED A MARATHON! That’s right. The International Man of Intrigue and I finished watching all 201 episodes of The X-Files on Netflix. It was grueling. There were some times I didn’t think we could do it. Anyone who’s finished knows that there’s that point towards the end where you just want to give up, but you have to power through anyway. Seasons 8 and 9 were excruciating, but we kept going and managed to make it through to the end. Now, to wait in anticipation of January and the new season of the X-Files that will air on Fox! 

2. As with any marathon, during this one, I had a lot of time for introspection. I had to finally admit to myself that I’m a nerd AND a geek. I started life that way. I was unpopular and a nerd in grade school and high school. I went off to college, found cool, and spent my 20’s trying to put my not cool side behind me. In my 30’s, I embraced and mingled the cool and the nerd/geek. I think it helps that it’s more socially acceptable to be a geek. In some ways, it’s celebrated. There are shows that embrace geekiness, like The Big Bang Theory. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, and really it’s just part of one’s 40’s, but the desire to give a crap what anyone else thinks is gone. 

3. My dad is responsible for my love of geeky things. (Yesterday was his birthday - Shout out to Daddy Gale on his last birthday before retirement!) When I was growing up, he constantly had his nose in a sci-fi book. I definitely inherited my need to always be reading something from him, even if the sci-fi genre didn’t stick when it comes to books. He also introduced me to X-Files. Since it started my senior year of high school and was on Friday nights, I didn’t watch much in the beginning. Later, though, I remember the show moving to Sundays. After college, I’d often go home for the weekend to do laundry and would stay to watch X-Files, since I didn’t have a TV at home (Nerd). 

4. So, for you Fellow Adventurers who've read this far and never watched an episode of the X-Files, why? Just kidding. Actually, I’m out of X-Files things. Just kidding again. I have tons more! I will spare you, however, and not list my favorites, like the funniest scene (When Mulder, Scully, and Skinner are all on the phone with each other while sitting in bubble baths in their respective hotel rooms), favorite character (When I was younger, it was Mulder, but now that I’m grown up, I have a girl crush on Scully- a strong female lead!), and biggest lie in a show seeking truth (“I do not gaze at Scully!” by Mulder. Good thing one of the show’s tag lines was “All Lies Lead to the Truth."). Oops. I guess I didn’t spare you. 

5. In non-X-Files, but still geek news, I’m hurriedly trying to finish reading The Martian by Andy Weir so I can see the movie with Matt Damon this weekend. I started reading it yesterday and was immediately sucked in, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Have you read anything good lately?