The Little Redheaded Girl Was Hot

Here I am preparing for another fine year of trick-or-treating. [Dude, it totally looks like me.]

There is someone in Rural Hall, NC being very attentive to my blog. To you fine reader, I say thank you. To the rest of you, a big BAH. Heck, and a big BOO. [Since you aren't going to read it anyway.]

Happy Halloween!

He Looks a Little Like Jimmy Hoffa

So this was the photo posted beside a Yahoo story titled, EU Seeks to Reassure Public on Bird Flu.

Do you think he's from the bird union about to make a statement that they won't be taken down so easily?!

In other fun news [cause, you know, bird flu is all the rage with the kids these days], Rick Springfield is returning to General Hospital as Dr. Noah Drake. I remember having a crush on him. I felt so guilty for cheating on John Taylor of Duran Duran.

Under the Weather and Under the Gun

From the Too Much Information Department: my digestive system has been rebelling since the middle of last week. It's currently gurgling like a madwoman. I better lose some poundage from this suffering or I'm suing the maker of this virus.

I'm so far behind in school work at the moment that it makes me want to crawl under the bed when I think about it. I have 35 pages to write before Tuesday at 4:30 [including the research]. I haven't found a new internship yet. Oh, and the project I was supposed to start three weeks ago got squashed last week by the participating party. Yeah, not a fun time for me right now. Fall break is this week, so I just have to make it through to Tuesday at 4:30 pm. Then I'll take a day to recover before starting next week's worrying.

Someone asked me what's up with the crazy CIA sounding blog name. In the fine tradition of Waiting for Squirrel, I took the name of this new blog from a conversaton too. Here's the deal: every three weeks or so I get a random one-line email from a certain crazy someone. To respond to the emails is futile. Certain Crazy Someone says his one-line peace and checks out for another three weeks. So I was joking with friends that I should just start shooting back crazy one-liners myself. Hence, the Red Fox Roams at Midnight. Plus, you know, I'm a redhead and quite the fox. :)

The Squirrel is Dead. Long Live the Fox.

I don't know if you kids have been paying attention, but my first blog died a very untimely and unfortunate death. One day she was fine and happy, the next day *kaput*. I tried to call in emergency services. It just wasn't meant to be. So in honor of the splendor that was the Squirrel, I present for your reading pleasure: The Best of Waiting for Squirrel.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... How It All Began

From August 12, 2005:
Working titles for my next album:
1. Love & Valium
2. Waiting for Squirrel

(Shut up, I know I don't make albums.)

I actually wanted to name my blog "Love & Valium" but that was taken, believe it or not. Then again, maybe it's not so unbelieveable. I stole the phrase myself from a friend today. Yes, it did come up in conversation. Later in the day, I used a sentence which ended, "...waiting for Squirrel." Odd day. I'm totally shocked it's not a full moon (only half).

By the way, my ceiling fans rattle and it's driving me a bit batty. Send magic remedies.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... And the question lingers...

From August 13, 2005:
I was referred to as evil by an ex-almost boyfriend yesterday. Now, without going into a long list of specifics, I directed no evil-doings toward this individual and the comment hurt my feelings quite a bit. Which, of course, just made me pissed off at myself for not being a feminist superhero and saying, "Screw you, little man!"

But this brings up an interesting point. After many years and many relationships where the demise of the relationship was essentially my fault (the reasons are long and varied), there has recently been a string of demises that were most definitely NOT my fault. Fancy that. Crazy pervert photographer - not my fault. Crazy Columbian ninja - not my fault. Crazy hypochondriac who pops out of the blue to call me mean names - not my fault. So the question is: am I delusional or am I evolving?

Speaking of delusional, I watched a Katie Holmes movie this week called Pieces of April. I think she's on crack for loving Tom Cruise, but I gave it a shot. GOOD INDY FLICK. My Free Katie t-shirt is going back into circulation.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... I've Never Been an NPR Geek

From August 17, 2005:
I'm in the audio portion of documentary class this week (AKA Radio Camp). I've never been an NPR listener. I've always equated NPR with the coffee shop lingering, journal toting pseudo-intellectuals. And while I don't think I'm entirely wrong on that count, I must say that I do like my radio camp instructors, who are all current or former NPR reporters.

John Biewen (who just did a really good piece called Married to the Military) is our main instructor. He's a cool guy with that soft spoken NPR way about him. So far we've done a lot of introduction to equipment and interviewing (which is very similar to counseling assessment). I've zoned out during the equipment seminars. I have no intention of paying a thousand dollars for equipment. I did jolt up during Karen Michel's critique of microphones. "I like the RA-50," she says. "But the RA-60 is good too. It's just the bigger dick version of the RA-50." That was our introduction to Karen Michel. NPR censored a story she did on the Republican Convention and the influx of sex workers coming to New York for the week. She played it for us anyway. She also did a story on the Museum of Sex in New York City. It made me blush.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... God is Everywhere

From August 21, 2005:
My car has an infestation of ants in the passenger's side door. I'm taking it as a message from God to clean my car.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Organic Heaven

August 22, 2005:
I'm having one of those restless nights. I think I'm crashing from Radio Camp. After a week of 12+ hour days, I don't have much of a plan for my week off. I have to go to my internship tomorrow and I have appointments (doctor and salon) on Thursday, but that's about it. I would take off on a roadtrip, but my current financial state would only get me as far as Graham.

I ventured out to Borders and B&N last night. I was hoping to buy a book about blogging. No luck. I found a $4 book about organic living at B&N. Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Durham is all about being organic. I felt the need to know more. In case you haven't shopped organic yet, it's not cheap. But read this book and you'll be convinced that conventional food will be the death of you. The most contaminated foods are: baby food (?!), strawberries, rice, oats and grains, milk, corn, bananas, green beans, peaches and apples. I could go into the gory details, but let it suffice to say that you should go organic when purchasing these foods. Oh, and you should use organic laundry detergent because the conventional stuff jacks up our water source.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... I have a confession.

From August 23, 2005:
I'm a stalker. (And, no, it's not you, crazy hypochondriac boy.) I'm not a professional stalker by any means, but I'm getting better. It's no secret (at least not to anyone that's been within earshot over the past week) that I long for the podcasting guy from radio camp. I googled his name and a cornicopia of information flowed forth. Google, it's a handy tool for the layman stalker. God help us if the Patriot Act folks ever discover its power.

I should get back to school work now. I'm three weeks late turning in my learning objectives for the coming school year. Rock on with my rebel self!

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Pop Culture

From August 26, 2005:
The kids who usually play Friday night basketball on the court across from my apartment are noticably absent this week. They blast *BLAST* Michael Jackson's greatest hits every week and close out the night with freaky 70's R&B. It's a weird, weird thing. I hope they come back next week.

I had a lunch date yesterday. It was good. I like him. He says he'll call. We'll see.

Class starts Tuesday. The little geek within is very excited. Class has to start before we can get to graduation day. Saturday, May 13th - put it on your calendar.

Books I would like to read but can't buy and the library doesn't have so I have to borrow from someone (hint, hint):
Among the Bohemians
Oak: The Frame of Civilization
You Remind Me of Me
Little Chapel on the River: A pub, a town and the search for what matters most
A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That
The Lessons of Saint Francis
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
Birdsong
Confederates in the Attic
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (ding*ding*ding ... really want this one)
I am Charlotte Simmons (rumored to be about our own UNC-Chapel Thrill)
Mad Girls in Love

I'd really like to see the movie The Constant Gardener. My Netflix movies this week were Sometimes in April (gut-wrenching) and Raging Bull. I highly recommend Sometimes in April - especially if you need a good cry and a reason to appreciate your own life. Raging Bull is the classic 1980's movie with Robert DeNiro. I appreciated it as a good movie, but Jake LaMotta was such an unlovable character that I couldn't have cared less about him.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Think!

From September 1, 2005:
I get my news from the internet - mostly Yahoo, CNN and Fox News (I like to compare and contrast). I'm thanking my lucky stars that I don't have cable television. Just reading the news about Katrina and her aftermath is hard enough. I've read exactly one victim's story since this began. It was about a man with lung cancer dying because his oxygen ran out. His common law wife had him wrapped in a sheet and lying on a broken door until help came. (I wonder if they are there yet?) That story was the end of the line for me. I can bear no more.

I think I have post traumatic stress disorder from 9/11. OK, it's not officially PTSD, but it's close. After 9/11 and the initial onslaught of reports, I didn't watch or read the news for a good eight months. I couldn't handle it. It made me sick. My reaction to the Katrina reports reminds me of that time. I get a knot in my throat and feel sick.

The first time I had an adverse reaction to violence/bad news was after a movie. While at UNCW, I went with my friend Cathy to see a movie called The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. It's a horrible movie, so I don't mind spoiling it by saying that the lover is killed. The scene was so graphic that I was repulsed by all violence for months.

So the last $23 of the $456 that I spent on books this week went to the Internationalist Bookstore for a little number titled Making Democracy Work Better. While there, I spotted the Think ... It's Patriotic button. Last one in the store and it's now adorning MY bookbag. But the actual point of the story is the interaction I had with the clerk. Here goes:

Clerk: Do I know you?
Me: Nope, don't think so.
Clerk: Not from UNCG?
Me: Yeah! I did go there. Cool.
Clerk: Sociology department?
Me: [quite cheerily] No, Social Work! Same building! [smiling like a cheerleader]
Clerk: Not sociology?
Me: Nope.
Clerk: You didn't take abnormal psych or deviant sociology?
Me: Nope. [But if I had, it may have helped me with this conversation.]
Clerk: No?
Me: No.

At this point, he puts my change down on the counter and turns back to his computer without another word. Hmmph. Intellectuals.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... The Merry Prankster

From September 7, 2005:
My laptop seems to be a bit of a prankster. Last week my Internet Explorer icon disappeared off of the desktop. This morning I noticed that my games and calculator are missing. So I ask you: Is it a poltergeist or is it just Windows?

In more tomfoolery, I've become obsessed with the Flogging Molly website. The homepage graphic won't open for me, so I can't access the content. I visit the site several times a day in hopes it will give me just a brief glimpse of the wonder that is Flogging Molly. [Here's the part where you write to say that you went to the site and it open just fine.]

OK, so I saw the movie Coming Home last week. I have a bit of a crush on Jon Voight 1978. Not so much for Jon Voight 2005, because now he's old and does bad movies. Regardless, to fuel my passion, I then rented Midnight Cowboy starring Jon Voight 1969. Talk about killing the mood ... what a disturbing movie.

I just received an email asking for test subjects for an experimental herpes vaccine. (Yes, it was an official UNC email. I didn't seek out such a thing.) The requirements are to be herpes-free and between the ages of 18 and 30 ... between the ages of 18 and 30 ... what the hell? Women over 30 don't have sex? I oughta sue those little bastards for ageism.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Today's political statement:

From September 16, 2005:
1. Go to google.com
2. Type "failure" [sans quotes] into the search feature
3. Hit "I'm feeling lucky."

I damn near choked on my breakfast. Thanks to Dave the Tomato Eater for the instructions.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... My Fellow Bloggers Freaks Me Out

From September 16, 2005:
I've been prone to mindlessness lately. I sign on hoping something profound will come to mind, but generally I just ended up staring at the screen. A few days ago I made the unfortunate discovery of the "Next Blog" link at the top right side of the screen. It lets you hop randomly from blog to blog. Here are my observations from blog hopping:

1. There are MANY religious blogs out there.
2. Asian kids have the coolest looking blogs. [I obviously can't read them because they aren't in English and I'm an arrogant American that only knows one language.]
3. I get the impression that bloggers are people that no one listens to in real life, but for some reason, people will read their rantings all day long.

In my last pass through the blog community, I ran across the blog of a racist. But he was so subversive about his racism that it shocked me. He talked about White Americans pulling together, etc, etc in the wake of Katrina. He did NOT say anything specifically regarding other races, he just ignored them. He didn't say "we" or "Americans" or "people", he said "White Americans." It was creepy.

There are very cool blogs out there of course. It's like everything else in life, you have to take the good with the bad.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... You know it's going to be a good day...

From September 17, 2005
...when you wake up at 10:30 and you're still tipsy. Big love to Mike the Cat for dragging me out of bed to feed his chubby butt.

Had a good, good time last night. Started out the night at Carolina Brewery, moved to The Cave and then to Woody's. Franklin Street was crazy with Wisconsin fans that are in town for the game. Witnessed a case of male bonding at it's worst at Woody's. A group of fine young men from the Cheese State decided to drop trou in the middle of Woody's. And here's the thing: no one said a word to them. The bartender just shrugged and said he's seen it all. Fun stuff. So this kid strikes up a conversation with JB [keep in mind he was completely comfortable doing so while sporting his Green Bay Packers boxers]. I was, well, being me and not paying attention. She grabs my arm and was like, "LOOK!" I look over to see, hmmm, to see his penis staring back at me. Yikes. Apparently JB didn't act quickly enough on his offer because shortly after the guy packs up his penis and goes home.

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Yay - it's my favorite month!

October 2, 2005:
Yay, it's October - the best month of all. It's a little toasty this afternoon, but the mornings and evenings have been lovely and cool. Ahhhh. So nice. It makes me happy to be alive. Other fun things about October: the state fair, sweaters, comfort food, riding my bike through crunchy leaves, beer, those crazy corn maizes [mazes, get it?] ... oh, there's just too much to dig.

I'm patiently waiting for my dinner to cool down enough to eat. I made a brown rice and black bean casserole. Here's the recipe: 1 cup of uncooked brown rice, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of Rotel tomato stuff and Mexican cheese [I use 2%]. So cook the rice, drain the beans and tomatoes then mix everything together. Then add a handful of cheese and mix in. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes in a 350 oven. It easily makes four meals for me and I'm not a dainty eater. It goes down nicely with lime flavored seltzer water.

I've been a little disturbed lately by how winded I get while riding my bike. Turns out that my tires were pretty much flat. Good grief ... how do I make it through the day? [On a funny side note, I went to the bike shop near my internship to buy a tire pump. The guy sold me the cheapest one they had, which was $30. It has a gauge and buttons and everything. It's way too much tire pump for me. I'm returning it.]

Best of Waiting for Squirrel ... Shots Fired!

From October 10, 2005:
I live in the Chapel Hill hood. Now some people question whether Chapel Hill actually has a hood. OK, it's a pretty clean hood, but still ... I have proof. Last night at 12:44 am five shots were fired in my neighborhood. Apparently no one reported it because no police sirens followed.

So why didn't I report it? Well, I have a history. No, not a police history. I have a history of nightmares. Underneath my cool, calm exterior lies a freaked out chick. As a result, I dream crazy [CRAZY] things. So I wasn't entirely sure that I didn't dream the shots. Real or not, I couldn't sleep afterward. I was a little concerned that the gunman would come bursting through my back door.

Talk about history - my back patio has history! This summer someone pulled a nasty bit of vandalism and pour used motor oil all over my unfinished back deck. Gross - and permanent. Then last week I noticed something freaky. I have a wicker table with a glass top sitting on the deck. Well, one day I forgot to pull in my cardboard recycling before it rained and one of the boxes stuck to the glass. When I pull it up, it left a patch of brown cardboard. Last week I noticed that someone had flipped the glass over because you could see the outside of the cardboard box. Now, this is a fairly heavy piece of glass. It's not going to blow over in a storm. Someone picked it up, flipped it over and then replaced it perfectly on the wicker stand. WHY?!