Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

'Tis the season friends! It is time.

All year round, out of everything there is to do in the fabulous city of ours, we have reached my favorite.

WINTER GARDEN aGLOW

out at the Botanical Gardens, it opens Thanksgiving day!

$6.00 for adults, $4.00 for kids.

the ENTIRE place is Christmas lights.

*There are barrel fires throughout the whole thing*

** Its absolutely beautiful. **

...If you feel like it, you can plan it right and be there a night there is caroling through out for your listening pleasures (not every night), or a night that Santa is there (for the littles)

If you have never been, I highly suggest you go. Its rad(There are cookies/hot coco/and the like for donations i believe, in a heated tent)

ALSO OF NOTE: Holiday Lights Tours are up and running once we get into December. This is fun too. if you don't want to pay for a seat, I have just driven behind the train and followed them on the tour. not as fun, but doable.

Enough is Enough

You have GOT to be kidding me. There is a serious rodent problem at my house and the landlord has still done nothing about it.
"Its that time of year."
"Its an old house."
"Its ok, it will clear itself up."...Its bullshit, actually.
Its Nasty, dirty, and NOT ok. more than a year there has been rodent issues. Sorry, but it wasn't cold this summer when Randy moved in.
I'm not kidding, fix it. You can't refuse to let me move out AND refuse to come over and fix the broken roof/ceiling/etc that is letting our little "friends" in.
I cant afford new food every time a squirrel wants to eat in my kitchen.
I cant afford MORE mouse traps. plus its sad. and did i mention nasty?
Cleaning supplies, i can get more of course, but with what money?
I've lost it.
I looked into this, thanks to a few helpful people. You are actually breaking a few rules here, landlord man.
Its a fun area to live, but not at the expense of these guys:

IgniteBoise,Please

Today is the day. IgniteBoise3. #IB3.

I am excited and thrilled to see all the presentations of those whom already are my friends, and also for the presentations from those who I have not had the pleasure of meeting to date.

I think being an IgniteBoise presenter automatically says something about you. I am jealous, amazed, and intrigued by the Boiseans who have already had their 5 minutes, and of those who tonight will have their 5 minutes. What a cool deal.

I desperately want to be one of YOU. You being those talented, witty, together folk who speak to the rest of us. My problem, I can not decide what I like or know enough about, that could possibly IGNITE BOISE.

I know I like lots of things. I know I know lots of things. I am not afraid to talk, and telling a room full of people 20 slides of whatever I want sounds like something right up my ally. People have told me:

"do something funny."

"Do something witty."

"Karlee, just do it about something you care about."

...well, duh. I just don't know what I care about enough to tell all of you about. Funny, or not. I.Just.Don't.Know. And this leads me to wonder if the fact that I don't know what I care about that much is the problem. I am sure I can think of things I care about, but really, I doubt my future Boise friends want to hear about my pet pig I had once. And my already-Boise friends know about my pet pig. hmm.

What on earth would the rest of you want to hear about? I have looked at what has already been done and wondered why I didn't think of that, or acknowledged that I could think of something good. Really, its not rocket science. It boils down to what you like and know enough to tell other people about.

I like lots of things. I really like Holidays. I really like people. I really like eavesdropping- Not good topics.

I really like Boise, food/beer, and vacationing- (don't we all)

hmmmmm again....

I took a twitterfriend's advice and checked out some of the other city's Ignite web pages:

IgnitePortland

IgniteSeattle!

IgniteBoulder

IgniteChicago

(not to be confused with Ignite Chicago the christian music festival... I certainly was confused. not so much my bag, baby.)

They have had some rad stuff there too.

Overall, I am impressed with anyone who has been able to get something together.

Then, it comes to the slides part: thank the heavens above that I know enough people to help me there. I'll go ahead and consider that part of it 'done'.

Needless to say, I am going to start now on thinking of a topic for a future IgniteBoise. Its something I want to do. Maybe I can get my shit together enough for the next one. I certainly will be there tonight to root on my friends/presenters. They are the best!

...and I hope everyone who can, plans to attend. It's really something. I certainly 'like' and 'became a fan' of it.

Lets Ignite Boise, please.

I Wasn't Always a Genius

Spelling=never been my forte.
It still is not, and I will be the first to admit that.
Here is proof in a story I wrote in one of my later grade school years-verbatim. Even down to the poor, poor punctuation skills.

Shannon and I were walking down the street on Halloween night. It was eeriley quiet. The moon was full and casting an orangish color on the world below. We were feeling a bit un easy when I looked up, and…
A dark cloud covered up the moon lit. it began to rain.
We saw a barn, and went inside for shelter. The bard doors slammed shutt, and shooke the barn. It was pitch black, and we were dreanched. I spotted a light at the other end of the barn. “Lets go.” I exclaimed. We started walking we started walking when Shannon fell a hole. I contued walking. When I reached the light I said…
Darn! “it’s a stupid light bulb!”.
I then turned around and saw no Shannon behind me. I turned and started to re trace my steps. I endedup falling down the hole Shannon fell down. “Oups!!” “I landed on Shannon’s head.” “Where have you been.!” Shannon asked. “Looking for you!” I said. We started walking to find a way out. It got darker, and darker as we walked. Then not knowing it was going to happen we both smaked into Jamie! “Ouch!” we all said. “Who is that?” asked Jamie. Shannon said “Shannon.” I said “me”. Jamie said “Who is me?” “Karlee” said Shannon. We all stood up and got our ballance. Then we held hands and contued to find our way out. As befor it got darker, and darker as we walked. Then we found a hole on the roof with a latter going up it. “Horrahh!” we all cried. We climbed up and found our selvs back on the other end of the barn. We desided that we would leave As we walked Jamie stepped on a box, and the doors slammed open. As the bright light streemed in on us (from the moon) our eye’s opened wideley. Then as we stepped out Dracula came from knowere and then trapped us. We figured out that it must be somebody. It was The Dracula ran away laughing. We all started home, and ate until we were full.
The End

This, this is why i rely on those damn red wigglies. Thank you word. Thank you spell check.

Germ Free

I love hand sanitizer. In every form i have come across.
I have a bottle: in my purse, by my work computer, in my room, in my backpack, and in my car.

I have the wipes in my car and home.





I have the spray kind in my back-up purse, and the middle console of my vehicle.

I desperately try not to open doors with my bare hands. I use my sleeve if its not a push door.

I flush public bathroom toilets with my shoes. This has led me to REALLY appreciate automatic flush toilets. Because some of those stalls are not so big, and some of my outfits don't leave me to be quite so flexible.

I take the paper towel i dry my hands with to the door with me, open the door with the paper towel, and hold the door open with my foot so I can throw away the paper towel.


I don't hold railings when I walk down stairs (hence my knee brace/terrible fall down a flight of stairs a few months back)


...I can't count how many times I use hand sanitizer. I know it only kills surface germs, and not even %100.00. In no way am I suggesting you should replace appropriate hand washing with using and form of hand sanitizer.
But let me tell you:
When you are at Albertsons and the cart guy is three knuckles deep in his own nose WHILE taking all the carts back inside- you want sanitizer.

...or when someone comes into your office and sneezes or wipes their nose and then touches your desk, or your flyers, or your hands- you want sanitizer.

This is my favorite kind of Hand Sanitizer:

Purell with Aloe and Vitamin E. It kills %99.99 of germs without water. In turn, it has the added Aloe and E to help your hands. Because, trust me I know, this sh*t drys your hands out. I love it, I do, but it is not the most moisturizing product I have come across.

It does specify on the back that it is "intended and recommended for repeated use." not sure what Purell's definition of "repeated" is... somehow I think its not every few minutes. BUT, regardless...

Here are two fabulous examples of the germs on your hands:

You touch a million things every day. If you cough on your hands and flip on a light switch-your cough is now on the light switch.

If you open a door that someone slimmed, then you answer my phone... then random person slime is now on my phone. I then use my phone. Its disgusting people.

When you cough or sneeze- for god's sake, do it into your arm. Covering your mouth with your hands is just as gross as not covering at all! (well, maybe not JUST as gross- but close)

If you are a nose picker- heaven forbid you break that nasty habit- wash your hands after.

ALWAYS wash your hands after the bathroom.

I KID YOU NOT: I overheard this conversation in a public bathroom in Boise:

girl 1: You Gonna wash your hands?

girl 2: The sticker says all employees must wash their hands. I don't work here and am just going back to my table.

- YOU KIDDING ME?! SICK! yes, going back to your table but touching a hundred things that I, or someone else, might touch on the way back to our tables!

(... hence the paper towel to open the door and the sanitizer in the purse thing.)

come on kids:

Germ Free is the way to be!

carry your sanitizer.

I Give To You...

Anyone who comes & buys a drink @owyheeplaza in the Lounge for 1st Thursday (November 5, 2009)- ask the bartender for a business card. Some lucky people will get a card that’s good for one free drink to cash in another night! Hope your card is a lucky one! The losing cards will say “You Lose”. You must buy a drink from our bar to receive a card, and you have to come back another night to use it. That’s the rules.

See you tomorrow!

(thanks for the input @LGM1 and @Daveredford)

My Roommate Randy

Squirrels. I don't love them, but I didn't hate them until a few months ago.

And up until last Monday, a squirrel was the only thing I had ever hit with my car. I even cried. His poor head was crushed into the street and he was still trying to run. Frightening prospect, having your head stuck to the street. Either way, I always thought squirrels were cute. Turns out, they are the Mona Lisa of outdoor animals. Cute is from a distance ONLY.

Some of you may recall this story from this last spring/summer.

I live in the North end, and I love it. This last spring, my roommate Kyle was on a back yard kick. And everyday he would take a coffee tin of peanuts outside, and place them on the fence for the squirrels. One squirrel, he would come back every time. So what did Kyle do?... put the peanuts closer... like on the bar. and the picnic table. Sure enough, the squirrel liked us. He started showing up for snack time, so what did Kyle do then? name him.

Randy. The fat squirrel who came over everyday to play with Kyle and have peanuts. Randy even got so comfortable, I believe he would take peanuts from Kyle's hands. (I probably would have fed Randy too- if I wasn't allergic to 99% of our world.)

Well, of course the day would come when Randy realized he didn't need Kyle. Randy took it upon himself to chew the plastic lid off the coffee tin and eat the peanuts himself!

This is when the trouble began.

Then we started to notice things in the cupboards that were spilled. Now, I didn't think much of this. flower bags break. Bisquick falls out of the box. Dry cereal spills. Bags of chocolate chips eat themselves... wait WHAT?!

Missing food+ unknown messes+ sounds like someone is in the ceiling can only = one thing... Randy made it inside.

We could not figure it out either. No holes outside we could see. and upon investigation, we found out that the real ceiling- above the ceiling tiles, was unfinished. as well as the cupboards- there was no top board above the top shelf. open to the world above. dang.

Well, this led to Randy using the plastic sheet ceiling tiles (the ones that cover where the fluorescent lights are) as his bathroom area.

We would come home and the clear plastic would be more pee-colored with little brown dots. and those dots were NOT dead flys people. Randy poo.

This got old FAST. All food items in the cupboards that were not in tin cans were gone. And washing ceiling tiles is not the most fun past time.

We figured, if we didn't put food in the cupboards, he would not have anything to eat, and go back outside.

Then came the foot prints in the butter on the counter. Not Kidding.

Randy, the little devil, figured out how to OPEN then cupboard doors from the inside. there for, all food no in the refrigerator was in danger.

Next comes the day I go home for lunch and Randy is hanging out on the couch. Apparently my house was as much his now as it was mine. He didn't think I'd be home for hours, so naturally, i scared the shit out of him. literally.

As Randy ran back into the kitchen, into the cupboard, up into the ceiling, and back outside, he left remains like a damn bread crumb trail... Apparently Randy read Hansel and Gretel.

I freaked. Called the land lord and told him about the new roommate- our problem he said.

So we buy Rat traps. I am going to make living with me as hard as possible for this guy. My dad helps me set them up in the ceiling and sure enough they all go off- all the treats in them gone, and no Randy. pretty sure he is laughing at me at this point.

We re-set the rat traps and the next time I get him! I even poked him with a broom to make sure...yeah- not moving.

So i call the dad and he comes to remove the expired roommate. Well, Randy was just playing dead- probably another trick he picked up. So after attacking my dad's arm, peeing all over his business suit and my kitchen- Randy makes it back to safety. grrrrr.....

That night, I woke up middle of the night as I routinely do. Only to find Randy at the foot of my bed- plotting my murder I assume. And he hissed at me. AT ME. sorry for invading your space Randy. (those are some territorial creatures...)

This is when we have to upgrade. Its time for a live trap. One big enough to catch a skunk is needed, seeing as Randy grew to the size of a dog now- with all the human food at his hands.

We bait it, set it, and wait. I am pretty sure Randy read a book on what those were and would never go near it. But then came the day we heard it slam shut! Trapped! FINALLY!

Randy was freaking. that sugar-crazed squirrel from Over The Hedge?!... that was actually Randy. With the help of my parents, we get the squirrel out of the ceiling, take the trap to the river, and set him free. I have never seen something move so fast.

Randy hasn't been back. but just to make sure, I throw things and chase away every squirrel that I see. No new roommates.

I Will Fight You

I will begin by just briefly recapping the beginning of the night:

Halloween+costumes+DRINKS+parties+downtown+friends= so far so good.

...Then we decide to switch location and hit up the Bad Irish to see what they have to bring to the Halloween Night plate of good times.

B.U.S.Y. THAT is what they had.

But we stay. Fight our way to the bar and i ordered 6 shots, 4 beers, and 1 whisky on ice. (no, not ALL for me)

Immediately, the frustration of a busy bar/waiting in line for drinks for a hundred hours starts to diminish. We are all having a good time.

Then, of COURSE, i have to pee. now, Ashley had already used the bathroom and informed me that the line was long. and lord almighty, it was.

First, i approach the security guard man standing in front of the no-line, men's bathroom.

"security guard man, Hi. can i PLEASE go in there. I cant hold it."-me

"No, you can't. If I let every girl into this bathroom because there was no line, then lines out both bathrooms would be equally long."-security guard man.

(F THAT-sorry but each line would be 1/2 as long as the one coming out the girls bathroom, but whatever) i sense that he is not budging, and frankly i do have to use the urination station so bad that i actually cant stand there and argue.

so i go get in the back of the line and wait.

...and wait... and wait... and holy crap WAIT. this is taking forever.

FINALLY i get into the bathroom-still in line, mind you- and see what the problem is. there is only one stall being used. the larger stall has two girls in it, drunk, and just talking. TALKING. and i am about to pee my witch tights. SO I asked the person a few in front of me in line and sure enough, those girls have not come out for 30 minutes.

annoyed, i change my focus back to "holding it." then, the girl in front of me finally get her turn.

aaand great- she needs to puke, not pee. Mother of god i cant wait another second.

SO i bang on the stall with the 2 girls in it.

~"Hey ladies, can you please talk outside the bathroom, I kinda need to use it."

(this is me being nice)

~"You gotta F*ck*ng problem?!" (this is her being nice, i think)

-and here we go-

~"Yes actually, I do. I am going to pee on the floor if i don't get to a toilet. You are not even

using the bathroom-that is my problem. Time to move on" ( I am starting to heat up at this point- reminder: I now had my first drink over 12 hours ago)

... at this point, me and psycho chick start arguing pretty profusely. exact wording here gets a little fuzzy but i pretty much say "dont make me" and she says "brang it, b*tch." Really, all i want to do is use the bathroom and all she wants to do is piss me off.

Success on her part.

Finally her friend opens the stall door, grabs the girl i am arguing with by the arm and says "Like, fine- come on, lets just go somewhere else."

So i say "Like yes, finally"- ... I did the ditsy head flip and all.

well... then the girl throws her shoulder into mine as she walks by me, smacking me up against the wall. that action never fails to really piss me off.

WTF- so i shove the crap out of her, smashing her into the door of the bathroom stall.

Insta-silence through out the bathroom. This, in turn , really fired her up. Coming at me again, her friend grabs her.

"Seriously, I am going to pee, THEN kick your *ss if you touch me again" I say. ( Order of actions makes sense to me.)

...so i do my biz and leave the bathroom, only to be greeted by someone I don't know, saying "I heard you just got in a fight in the bathroom. right on- she left."

"Yes, i did- thank you very much. " (like she could have done any damage to me wearing that hooker costume she had on.)

grabbing a drink, i walk back to my friends, only to be greeted with praise from Stina- she understood 100%.