Gal Vs The Gecko

About a week ago, I came home and walked in the front door; I immediately noticed a gecko clinging to the back side of my couch and I thought, WTH?  So I ran to the back door and grabbed my broom.  I slowly walked past the gecko just hanging there on my couch and opened the front door, with the intention of swooshing him off the couch and out the front door, where he belongs.  I swung the broom and woosh he went, but hit against the wall instead of out the door.  When he thumped to the floor, he took off running down the hallway.  I chased him for a bit, but he dashed into Brian's room where there are too many places for him to hide.  

Round 1 to the gecko.

Three days later, I walked into the living room and there was that damned gecko clinging to the back side of my couch again!  Luckily, I hadn't put the broom away because I knew that my battle with this gecko was not done yet.   I grabbed the broom, and opened the front door again.  I was so sure my aim would be better this time!   I took my stance, batter up!  Swing and woosh, the gecko hits the frame of the door.  But I never saw where he went after that.  I couldn't find him and I looked everywhere.  I thought perhaps he had somehow fallen into 12pack of Lime LaCroix sitting on the floor.  If he had fallen into that, then maybe he wasn't able to move, and I'd just let him be for a couple days before I attempted to move it anywhere.  

Round 2 to the gecko.

Today, my day off, and I knew that I needed to make sure there wasn't a rotting gecko corpse in my box of drinks. I grabbed my garden gloves and kicked the case out the front door.  I ripped open the package and shook all the cans onto the ground.  Nope.  No gecko corpse.  But I decided that I needed to move the couch and the hope chest, vacuum all around it, making sure I didn't have a gecko corpse anywhere, and I didn't.  *whew*   

After all the cleaning, I was sitting on the couch, reading a good story on my phone when I heard this weird swish sound.  Curious, I peeked over and noticed that my little "bug house" -- really a glue board that catches the crickets that worm their way under my front door-- was moving!  I looked at it from far away of course! and could see that the gecko's tail was attached to a bit of the glue.  I ignored it for a bit, thinking he would get tired out and I could scoop him outside in a while.  But noooooooo.  I put away some laundry in the bedroom and walked back out.  I could see that he had gotten free of the little bug house and was under the front door.  I could see a foot and part of his tail sticking out.  I opened the front door, thinking he'd be really happy to be out where he could be free, but nope! That little bugger ran back down the hallway.  He was standing there in between Brian's door and the garage door, not moving, as if he was taunting me!!

Not to be outdone by a gecko, I grabbed my garage door opener and opened the garage door.  I thought if I could open up the door from the garage side, perhaps he would run into the garage.  I turned the knob and -- oh shit, it's locked!  I happened to have my keys on my, so I tried every key but none of them open that door.  I walked back in through the front door -- mind you, it's hot and my front door has been standing open for 15 minutes or so because of this gecko! -- and I grabbed the spare keys off the rack, hoping that one of them would unlock the garage door.  One of them finally did, I slowly opened the door and propped it open with a paint can.  And there's the gecko, still staring at me, but hasn't moved from his spot on the tile floor.  I ran around to come back in the front door, grabbed my broom and started swishing it on the floor and the gecko zoomed his little self out into the garage.

Round 3 to Gal!

Tomorrow, I'll use my leaf blower and make sure he hasn't decided to make his home in a corner of my garage!!! 

Exercise is good

Exercise is good, and good for me.  I've been trying to jump on the treadmill every day - not successful there yet!  I tend to get lazy about it if I get over 10k steps at work.  But I'm trying.

Today I hopped on and upped the speed a little bit, and extended my time from 18 to 23 minutes.  When I was done, my machine said. "You're on fire!"

Its the little things .... and I liked it!!!

At 13 ....

Do you remember being 13 years old?  I was watching a show and a character was having her 13th birthday and it was soooo important to her!  How often in our youth did we think something was so important only to find out later it wasn't? 

I can remember thinking high school was that important, that the things we did, the friends we made would be a part of us.  But it didn't hold quite true.

So I concentrated for a while about 13.  When I turned 13, I was just going in to the 8th grade.  I had survived three years at Juan Cabrillo Jr High.  My work revolved around school, homework and friends.  I'm sure I thought I "knew it all" by then.  But I didn't. 

My daughter survived three years at the same jr high. I remember her commencement well. It was held in the same auditorium as mine was 20+ years earlier.  An odd deja vu feeling,  for sure!

But I think by 13 our basic personality with all its quirks and traits are generally established.  I look back and wonder why I didn't try other things - it might have made a difference later in my life.  Parents should encourage their children to do different things, take extra classes in dance, art, music or sports, because even if it turns out you don't like the particular subject, it broadens the horizon, gets them used to trying other things as well.

While 13 wasn't all that important, it was filled with fun times, good friends and great music!  1972 was a very good year indeed! 

A quick snap of me on the bus coming home from our field trip at Marine World in Redwood City.  And a photo I snapped of friends in the 8th grade, we had PE together.  

Back then, things were groovy and outtasight!! In my world, I think they still are!  Catchya on the flip side!!