Brian's space

 

i haven't posted here in awhile... I've been frequenting Facebook... but the one thing I don't like about Facebook is that you have to be a registered user in order to even view someone else's posts.. that doesn't sit well with some of my family who would just as soon not learn more about technology..

 

if you've missed my postings, then please accept my apologies.. if you haven't... well that's ok too.. I haven't really had a need to pour out my heart in a really long time..

 

things in general are going very well for me.. the girlfriend and I are completely out now.. both sides of the families (including her children) know about us and for the most part approve..

 

I'm full up at work again, but not traveling.. (I may have to change the name of this site)..

 

and I have two anniversaries coming up... one that will make my heart warm and fuzzy with the possibilities of the future... and one that will threaten to bring me down in a fit of despair.. I can see the dark clouds gathering on the horizon..

 

so i'm cutting the grass today... and I see another snake caught in the jute... it actually looks like the same snake... but this one is dead... oh well.. I did my part last week.

 

so i'm cutting grass on Friday afternoon (in the hopes of saving some down time over the weekend)... I get to the back of the lot where it borders on a wooded area.. I'm about to lift the mower over a tall section of grass and I see movement..

 

I quickly jerk the mower back and look and there is a black snake.. about 3 feet in length; not very big around... but just laying there.. my first reaction is like most people -- "kill it"... but then I become rational and think "it's a black snake...black snake is good"... so I begin attempting to shoo it away so I can continue cutting grass when I notice he's not moving... not much at all...

 

I look closer and realize he's tangled up in the jute they used to help grass-ify my yard -- yes, grass-ify.. it's my word.. look it up.. or don't.. so the jute they put in the yard is actually held together by a netting that is made from a material very similar to light-weight fishing line.. the snake had crawled through it and then the line got caught under his (or hers) scales and the more he moved, the more he became entagled...

 

so now i'm thinking "i must free the serpent"... and then i'm thinking "hey dumb shit...even though it's not poisonous it still bites and from what I've heard it hurts a lot"... I grab a pair of scissors and a stick.. using the stick I get his head pinned down in front of him and I start to work on the lines around his body... it took several minutes, but I was able to get everything I could see... he still wasn't moving and I figured he needed a moment.. so I completed the yardwork and came back..

 

he was still there..

 

a closer look revealed that he was still tangled in one spot that I had not seen previously... and of course... it was closer to his head.. you know... the biting part.. anyway, I got my stick and scissors... I tried to be very careful because cutting some of the line might very easily have cut the snake and I doubt he'd appreciate that very much... I was able to completely free him from the jute, but I'm pretty sure that he still had a line or two wrapped around his body... I'm hoping he can shed the line with his skin...

 

 

*****

 

More critters... I also saw this little fellow while I was washing the car the other day...

 

 

 

I just realize that it's been about a month since I've posted anything... must not be that big of a following since I haven't heard any complaints..  and that's ok..

 

I *have* been busy with the house and work, but I've also been checking out Facebook.. I can't quite seem to find a blogging function there so I'm still not sold on it yet.. I've also figured out that I really hate watering a lawn via sprinklers... it's such a pain in the ass.. might have to think about irrigation after-all..

 

car is doing well at the moment thanks to www.rx8club.com ... I was able to get detailed instructions on how to clean the MAF and IAT and my engine light went away today... I'm not totally convinced it's over yet, though... the particular engine code I had has a long list of resolutions.. next will be new plugs, wires, and coils... someone said I need BHR coils.. I don't know what they are, but I'm sure they are more expensive...

 

thought about getting a dog the other week... but just couldn't bring myself to do it just yet.. I miss Lacy and Mandy a lot...

 

my pool team won 1st place for our division, but lost in the play-offs... we are waiting for the luck of the wild card draw to get into the city play-offs..

 

I got a new desk.. and part of it is incorrectly sized...waiting for a replacement part..

 

I'm rambling, but there is a lot to catch up on... but that's enough for now..

 

about 2 months ago my niece called me to say that she could get me discount tickets to Biltmore Estates and I hadn't been there in a long time so I figured, "what better way to spend an afternoon?"...

 

I got tickets for me, Kary, and the 3 boys... (well actually 2 of the boys since the youngest is still FREE!)

 

we made the ~2 hour drive out there and during the drive the boys watched a movie... we got there and decided to have lunch first at the little marketplace courtyard they have... pizza...   after lunch we just took the walk through the house.. i think this part may have been a slight mistake as the boys got pretty bored, pretty quickly... there was no audio or guide to keep their attention and the pace was excruciatingly slow..I should have at least paid for the little headphones for each of us...

 

anyway... we made it out and went back to the courtyard for ice cream.. in the process of all this we ran into my sister and her family who was also taking advantage of the nice day (and the fact that these discount tickets expired at the end of March)..

 

it was at this point that we noticed a little animosity amongst the brethren..    so we decided to cut our day short and just head home... all in all it was a great day..