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20-years ago, there was an infestation of tarantulas in the small town of Rhome, Texas. They were in the house, on the wall, in the tub, on the trees outside, they covered the back lawn and the sidewalks and the streets. There were a lot of them. I'd never seen them before, or since. This weekend, I saw one. I knew this day would come. They day, they returned!
He's a little smaller than my hand
Saturday morning we trekked into McKinney for the Farmer's Market. My dad took my brother and I to the one in Dallas as kids. Whole boxes of fresh apples, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries. Bags and bags of fresh vegetables. We'd go twice a month and feast of fresh food in between. There must've been 150 stalls - each farmer hauling in his wares.
The one in McKinney had four.
And one was selling candles.
Even my children were disappointed in the selection
So I hung the star my Father bought me as a housewarming gift. I slipped my Porter Cable 14.4 Volt HammerDrill into "Hammer" mode and slipped a masonry bit into it. Going through the brick was tougher than I remembered, but I blame it on standing on the step of the ladder which reads, "DO NOT STEP ON THIS STEP!" I had my wife hold the ladder to keep me from toppling, but I had no leverage. So then I drilled through the mortar (much easier). Then I swapped out the bit for the screwdriver, and drove a masonry screw in the hole. Wouldn't take. Found a much LONGER masonry screw, but it had a hex top. Swapped out bits again and drove that it - wouldn't hold. Dunno what the issue is, but most of it could probably be solved with a taller ladder!
Deep in the Heart of Texas
My wife finished painting my office - in all its glory its now Sun Microsystems purple & gray. I moved my 6-foot folding table in there but couldn't get any orientation around the rack which would work (I plan on putting EVERYTHING save monitor, keyboard and mouse in the rack) and close the door, keeping things nice and neat. My wife really wants her dining room back, so suggested, despite the fact that neither of us wanted to leave the house Sunday, that I go find a desk. I stopped at all the places once would normally stop, and finally settled on the Sharper Image 'Stockton' Desk at OfficeMax:
L-shaped...for her pleasure.
They didn't have any, but I could order some and they'd be delivered to my home (no delivery charge if I wasn't out of area) or their office and I could pick them up. (No.) Or...they could see if a nearby store had any? (Fantastic! Let's do that!) The other stores were out too. Fine, let's order them and have them delivered to my house. Oh, you live in Anna? I'm sorry - there's a charge for being out of area. (I'm 12 miles North of this store. That's 'in' your area, trust me on this. You're the closet OfficeMax to me. Fine - what's the delivery fee?) THEY DON'T CALCULATE THE DELIVERY FEE UNTIL YOU'VE AGREED TO PAY IT! (I'm sorry, but I would feel awfully foolish accepting those terms - tell you what, you've already wasted half an hour of my time, let's just get it delivered here. Thanks.) They're on backorder. (Until when?) One week. Or two. Or more. (With me so far? Ok - so I said, "Sounds like now is the time for you to make me one hell of a deal on your display - you don't have any in stock, you're not going to get any, and no one else has any.") They call up the manager. They explained it to her. She said she'd be happy to sell the display...for full price.
I walked out.
And ordered them online this morning.
No delivery charge.
Spent the rest of the day stuffing my rack full of equipment, cabling it up, configuring my router, building firewall rules, and re-IP'ing my boxes. WHAT a nightmare. That office has no lights, no fan, and a single tiny A/C vent. With every box in that rack running, it got damn hot. The office looks FANTASTIC (pictures with the purple & gray walls once I get my desk set up) and for the first time since I've been in IT, I have a very professional looking home office. Thanks sweetheart.
Rack-madness
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I do not EVER want you to post a picture of a fucking spider that big again! EVER! NEVER EVER!
Thank You For Your Cooperation. :-)
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My shoulder-blades take offense to your accusation, however. Perhaps I'll shoot it on an overcast day for your scrutiny. On the other hand, I may have to take you up on the challenge of physically verifying. See you soon!
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Sorry about the disappointing trip to the Farmer's Market.
The kids look great!
I like the desk you picked. Andruid and I saw the one your wife picked out at Weekends Only on sale yesterday. Also saw the Star you hung up. It looks nice!
Happy for you that the office is coming together.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new avatar! It's a fantastic pic!
Ever thought about getting a family portrait done?
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These are the good guys, the ones who eat mosquitoes and ticks and the like. They're harmless, really. You can pick them up. They'll only bite if you piss them off. The good news is, they're not poisonous. The bad news is, because of their large size, you're going to feel them bit you. We used to have scorpions out here too, but I think the fire ants won that war.
Sorry about the disappointing trip to the Farmer's Market.
When we lived in Irving, the one in Dallas was MUCH closer.
I like the desk you picked.
Thanks. It was the perfect balance of form, function, and price.
The kids look great!
They look bored.
Also saw the Star you hung up. It looks nice!
Happy for you that the office is coming together.
w00t!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new avatar! It's a fantastic pic!
Thanks! It was an idea for an avatar before it was taken. I love it when a plan comes together!
Ever thought about getting a family portrait done?
We have lots of family portraits! Just none since baby girl was born. Hrm, maybe its time!
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Ya think?!
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That's good to know, I don't have a problem with spiders (or most bugs) and think tarantulas are pretty neat, but I have received some nasty bites that I don't care to relive.
So... what does the star that your father gave you as a housewarming gift MEAN? Anything? They're all over the place here in PA, I think it's some sort of cult, every time I ask people who have them what they mean they claim not to know.
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I have two distinct stories about encountering them inside and outside my house. I will share the inside one with you.
I had borrowed a coloring book from my cousin Jason (that you know) sometime before this incident occurred and under my parents bed. When I went to retrieve it there was a tarantula on it. It did not move so I thought it was dead. I took the coloring book and the tarantula and deposited it in the trash can in our den where my older brother and sisters where watching TV and then I left the room. Moments later screams erupted from the den along with accusations from my siblings that I set a live tarantula upon them.
I laugh till this day when I think about it!!!!
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The one in Fort Worth is great too!!!
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Farmer's Markets rock!! I try to go to the one here every week. The key word being try. But, Farmer Market produce lasts longer than the grocery variety too.
I have a small desk with a glass top. I love it except for the smudges on the glass. I have Windex wipes nearby.
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I was worried for a sec... The 318 is good for DSL... My FiOS connection would cause it to melt though..
I currently run a FW-200 a.K.A FVX-538... Best one netgear spits out... I love it.... I just have to figure out the double NAT.
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