Simple Randomness

The Mouse Wanted to Fight!

Every now and then at work (once a week actually) I do a webinar presentation.  When I do these I don’t do them at my desk, but I go across the office to another secluded desk where there is less background noise so the presentation is better.

So yesterday I’m doing my presentation when all of a sudden I look down and there’s a little field mouse staring at me!  Well, I didn’t really want to kill it, so I just stomped at it in surprise to make it go away.  I figured this would make it go back to it’s little hideout and I could get back to my webinar.  Not the case…

This thing kept coming out and staring at me!  And at times it would actually act like it wanted to fight!  It kept trying to stare me down, peeking around the corner of the cube or showing up under my feet like it wanted to sucker punch me.  Not cool.

At one point I actually put the class on pause to try and catch it.  No luck.  Then I just told everyone that I had allergies and had to clear my throat.

Half way through the presentation I have an intermission, so I grabbed one of my bosses to see if he could help me catch it, but the mouse was no where to be found.  He then accused me of ‘crying mouse’ jokingly, but that sneaky little thing wouldn’t show his head again!

I’ve had very few encounters with mice, but this one really surprised me as to how bold the little guy was!  Maybe I should have squished him…but I didn’t want to have to clean it up.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Ok, I couldn’t help it. It’s just such a nice day outside that I had to start this post out that way.

I’ve decided lately that I need to get out and enjoy nature more. I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do it, I just know that I need to. In fact, last week I needed to go to the bank during work. The nice thing is that a branch of my bank is just down the street. So normally I’m in such a hurry that I’ll drive down there anyway, but last week I decided to walk. I’m glad I did!

So here are some other things I’m going to do this year to get outside more:

• If I have a long break, try to step outside and take even a 5 minute walk (unless of course it’s 100 degrees outside…).
• Go on more walks with my wife and kids.
• Go on a good hike this summer.
• Get rollerblades and go rollerblading with my wife.

Any other ideas?

April Showers Bring May Snow?!

I can’t think of the last time that this happened, but this morning, May 1st, I woke up and got ready to go to the gym.  I opened the door and lo and behold, there was snow on the ground.  This was really the last thing I expected on the first of May.

I have to admit that it has been a crazy year as far as weather is concerned.  But does that make me a big believer in global warming or anything like that?  Not really.

The big problem that I have with this whole global warming debate is that so many believe that humans are the sole cause of it.  I just don’t believe that.  There is too much evidence to the contrary.  Are we contributing?  Sure!  But when you hear the numbers that show that if we did everything that is being suggested it wouldn’t even make a dent it leaves me doubting.  There are so many things going on in the environment that I feel it’s kinda prideful of us to think that we can always try to control it.  Man was meant to use what nature gave him, not try to manipulate it and keep it the same all the time.

Anyway, there’s my environment rant for today.  I think I’ll go take a walk.  Maybe I’ll come across some leftover snow and make a little snowman just to celebrate Nature’s defiance of man’s desire to control it!

Hunting the Modern Way

Ok, before I write this post I have to be honest and say that I’ve never actually gone hunting. Something about sitting around and just waiting for a deer to come near so I can kill it just never seemed appealing to me. But I totally understand that people can enjoy it.

So I came across this site HRBizMall.com that sells outdoor, fishing and hunting supplies and man, animals just don’t stand a chance anymore. Not that they ever really did, but now it’s getting even easier it seems to have a good hunting experience. These guys have all sorts of great stuff like deer feeders, hunting blinds, and other things to make your hunting experience a success. So if you’re a hunter, check it out!

Global Warming is Causing All Your Problems!!!

Before I start into this you should probably know that I am not a believer in the whole global warming scare. I think that most of it is just hype and baloney to help guys like Al Gore make extra money. But I found this to be really really funny. I heard about it on Glenn Beck last week, but someone came up with a list of all the things that global warming has been linked to. Not only does it mention them, but it has a reference to the article that it came from as well.

Here’s the list: A complete list of things caused by global warming.

Here are some of my favorites off the list:

• Atlantic less salty
• Atlantic more salty (contradiction???)
• cougar attacks
• crocodile sex
• fashion disaster
• Loch Ness monster dead
• and countless others

So if you want a good laugh at all the hype surrounding global warming, check out the list!

Really Cool Botanical Gardens

Ok, I have to first admit that I’m not an environmentalist in any way shape or form. But I really do appreciate the beauty of the planet that we live on. I enjoy a nice walk outside, going for a nice hike, or even walking through a well-designed and maintained garden.

Well, in Orange, Texas there is this place called Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center. It looks like a really cool place! The size of the place is pretty impressive with 252 acres and houses within that space over 300 different plant species. Being that I live basically in the desert, I always like seeing some of the plants that exist in other ecosystems. Admittedly, I’m a little sick of sagebrush! Maybe I should make a trip down to this place…

For those of you that are into the whole ‘green’ thing, you’ll find this place really cool, too. Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center was the 1st facility in Texas (and the 50th project worldwide) to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC. This is the organization that verifies design and construction to see how ‘green’ it is. Shangri La reached the highest standards that they have. Nice work! So I hope that encourages all of you extra green people to want to check them out.

Another cool thing about this place is not just the plant life that they have, but the animal life as well. They have a heronry that is home to as many as 17 species of birds that nest there during various times of the year. And to give their visitors and up close look at these birds they have developed a state of the art bird blind. This would be great for the kids!

Sounds to me like this place would be great for a family outing. Check it out!

Birds and Windows - Not a Good Combination

It’s sad, but it seems like birds hit the windows where I work all the time.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Ok, honestly, sometimes I think it’s pretty funny!

So last Friday I was wrapping up my week at work, had my headphones in, and then all of a sudden WHAM!  Scared me pretty good, so I just figured someone was messing with me and banging on the window.  Then I noticed something stuck to the window…looked like feathers.

Then I looked in the bushes right below the window and there was a big dead bird.  That’s probably the biggest that I’ve seen hit a window here.  A couple other guys came over to figure out what it was and most figured it was a small pheasant!  I’m just glad it didn’t break the window or something, but it sure did break its neck or something because it was stone dead!

So yes, it’s official: birds need to learn to distinguish windows from the real thing.  The sad thing is when people do it too.  I was a party once and some girl…well, let’s just say she couldn’t tell the difference between the open glass door and the regular glass door.  So maybe birds aren’t the only ones with this problem.