jonathanhickman.com

To what purpose?

I’m sitting here on the couch wondering why on earth I should bother staying up till midnight. And I haven’t come up with anything yet.

I’m bored. I’m tired. I’m sleepy.

I thought about making some popcorn, but really that would be wasted calories when I could just be sleeping.

Remind me again what the point is in watching the ball drop?

Why is nothing on?

It’s New Year’s Eve. Shouldn’t there be more options than South Park or Twilight Zone marathons?

My desk

I took a picture of my office last week. I’m just posting this because I can. Do notice the bananas and the rubber ducky.

Must find something to do

So I’m the only one left awake in my house. And I’ve got to find something to do to occupy myself.

I’ve already read all the blogs and newsfeeds I normally read, although I saved several posts for later because my attention span is too short by this time at night.

So now I’m left with South Park and whatever else I can find on tv.

Um, woo woo. Wake me up when it’s midnight.

Almost the new year

Apparently no one celebrates New Year’s Eve in this family. Funny how I didn’t know that until now.

We never exactly celebrated it much, either, but I do want to be awake for it. Just ’cause, I guess.

But it looks like I’ll be watching the ball drop by myself this year.

meh.

Saddam Hussein

I just read. This is terrible.

Nothing good will come of this.

heh

We’ve had enough trouble agreeing on one name….

An inkless pen?

I found this yesterday while surfing the ‘net. I thought it was kinda nifty but didn’t think twice about it.

But I had a dream about it last night. And now I want one. I mean, how cool would it be to have an inkless pen? And my birthday is coming up, after all….

This stainless steel Metal Pen writes on most paper using the metal “nib” on the tip. The pen works by leaving bits of the metal alloy on most surfaces, which as a result, allows the pen to work for years and years. As long as this idea’s been around, in fact.

Ok, I know, it’s completely impractical. It probably doesn’t even write very well. And I almost never run a pen out of ink. I just think it’s cool.

link

(and for anybody wanting to know, the dream had something to do with the pen setting off metal detectors at the airport … ya never know.)

Another dead mouse. Yay.

I’ve never really lived in a place with mice. We did have that rat in the dorm one year in college, but that doesn’t really count. Now we live in an old, big house with a big miceable - if it’s not a word, it should be - basement and a horribly cheap, old kitchen. I’m not surprised our house has mice, but I’m still not thrilled. I’ve put out poison where the cats, dogs, and ferret can’t get to it. And I’ve put out traps.

Let’s count the mice since we bought the place in August.

1. One of the first nights we were here, my cat caught a mouse and left it as a present on our nice hall rug, since removed.
2. The next night, the other cat caught a mouse. He was so excited, he literally screamed for five minutes - with the mouse still alive in his mouth.
3. About a month after that, we had electrical problems and had to get some stuff rewired where the mice got an appetite for wiring. While the electrician was in the basement doing his job, a dead mouse fell on him. Personally, I thought it was hilarious. He didn’t find it so amusing.
4. After that I put out the poison. Number four was found just outside the back door, under the deck, when I was trying to clean up some junk the previous owners left.
5. After mouse number four, we had a brief calm period until this week. A few days ago, Fiat the Jack Russel mix found mouse number five dead on the mudporch. Luckily, because he probably had poison in him, the dog couldn’t get to him. Unluckily, I could get to him and had to take him out.
6. Mouse number six was the worst mouse yet. He was buried in the cat food. Katie found him Wednesday night as she was setting the bowl out. I had noticed the cats seemed uninterested in their food even though they whined in hunger. Now I know why. I’m guessing that mouse was dead in the food bag kept on the mudporch and I scooped him up and brought him inside. He was probably there a few days before we found him. Katie screamed so much I was just glad she hadn’t broken a bone.
7. Which leads us to mouse number seven. Number seven was the mouse I just discovered in the basement last night. He, too, was dead. Flattened, in fact. Flattened in the room I often store stuff. I wander in there on occasion, leaving a load or picking one up. I rarely turn on a light. Either I flattened him with my shoes or with stuff that I dropped on him. I don’t want to know if he was already dead.

So when will mouse number eight show up? And exactly how many more dead mice could we possibly find? I don’t know about you, but I know I sure can’t wait to find out.

Stepparenting question of the day

Do you let a nine-year-old with a bloody nose clean it up when he wants, or do you make him clean it up immediately?

Shh! It’s a secret!

Katie and I have been trying to keep quiet about it, but I’ll be silent no more.

We’re back to discussing baby names in Casa Hick-ju. That’s right, Katie is pregnant.

We’ve known for a couple of weeks, but after the events of this fall, we were hesitant to tell anyone. But this time around, the doctors have been monitoring things, and a million vials of blood have been taken. Last time was just a fluke.

Come late August, I will be both a step dad and a dad dad.

w00t.