ding those of the skunk species. That's probably how she got sprayed on November 3, harassing the neighborhood skunk. But this whole situation has gotten me thinking, what is it that makes the skunk smell so nasty? Why is it such a dreaded odor to creep into one's house? As we all know, the skunk's most notorious defense mechanism is its putrid spray, which they use only if they are in mortal danger. Their two glands, on either side of the anus, produce a mixture of chemicals that contain sulfur, specifically methyl and butyl thiols (mercaptans). This substance creates an incredibly unpleasant smell, which can be described as a mixture of rotten eggs, sulfur, garlic, and burnt rubber. Muscles near the glands allow the skunks to spray up to 15 (!) feet of this liquid. Aside from the smell itself, the spray can cause irritation and even temporary blindness. They don't use it too often, only when they feel threatened, in this case, by my dog... Yes, my dog has a very threatening disposition. Uh, yeah, not really. So yeah. This has been recent in my life, so it's something to blog about. Maybe this will be beneficial to not having your house smell like years-old eggs, which is a plus. And to get the smell of your dog, good luck. We used water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, which doesn't harm the dog surprisingly. A friend of mine, after I told her how we got the smell somewhat off our dog, asked, "Was she like, sizzling?" Surprisingly, no. The combination reacts witht the chemicals in the spray, that deodorizes it. It doesn't go away completely however; stale skunk smell mixed with wet dog smell (it rained a couple days later)? Not a good combination. The smell is uncomfortable, of course. But it will go away. Eventually...Saturday, November 8, 2008
For Future Reference
For future reference, never let any pet you have get sprayed by a skunk. Heck, never let anything you have ever get sprayed by a skunk. It will ruin your week, not to mention your sofa. In fact, our sofa cover has been sitting in the porch since Monday night, when my dog got sprayed at 10:30 PM, the night (of course) before my AP European History test. She is a West Highland White Terrier, which means she likes to hunt small rodents, inclu
ding those of the skunk species. That's probably how she got sprayed on November 3, harassing the neighborhood skunk. But this whole situation has gotten me thinking, what is it that makes the skunk smell so nasty? Why is it such a dreaded odor to creep into one's house? As we all know, the skunk's most notorious defense mechanism is its putrid spray, which they use only if they are in mortal danger. Their two glands, on either side of the anus, produce a mixture of chemicals that contain sulfur, specifically methyl and butyl thiols (mercaptans). This substance creates an incredibly unpleasant smell, which can be described as a mixture of rotten eggs, sulfur, garlic, and burnt rubber. Muscles near the glands allow the skunks to spray up to 15 (!) feet of this liquid. Aside from the smell itself, the spray can cause irritation and even temporary blindness. They don't use it too often, only when they feel threatened, in this case, by my dog... Yes, my dog has a very threatening disposition. Uh, yeah, not really. So yeah. This has been recent in my life, so it's something to blog about. Maybe this will be beneficial to not having your house smell like years-old eggs, which is a plus. And to get the smell of your dog, good luck. We used water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, which doesn't harm the dog surprisingly. A friend of mine, after I told her how we got the smell somewhat off our dog, asked, "Was she like, sizzling?" Surprisingly, no. The combination reacts witht the chemicals in the spray, that deodorizes it. It doesn't go away completely however; stale skunk smell mixed with wet dog smell (it rained a couple days later)? Not a good combination. The smell is uncomfortable, of course. But it will go away. Eventually...
ding those of the skunk species. That's probably how she got sprayed on November 3, harassing the neighborhood skunk. But this whole situation has gotten me thinking, what is it that makes the skunk smell so nasty? Why is it such a dreaded odor to creep into one's house? As we all know, the skunk's most notorious defense mechanism is its putrid spray, which they use only if they are in mortal danger. Their two glands, on either side of the anus, produce a mixture of chemicals that contain sulfur, specifically methyl and butyl thiols (mercaptans). This substance creates an incredibly unpleasant smell, which can be described as a mixture of rotten eggs, sulfur, garlic, and burnt rubber. Muscles near the glands allow the skunks to spray up to 15 (!) feet of this liquid. Aside from the smell itself, the spray can cause irritation and even temporary blindness. They don't use it too often, only when they feel threatened, in this case, by my dog... Yes, my dog has a very threatening disposition. Uh, yeah, not really. So yeah. This has been recent in my life, so it's something to blog about. Maybe this will be beneficial to not having your house smell like years-old eggs, which is a plus. And to get the smell of your dog, good luck. We used water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, which doesn't harm the dog surprisingly. A friend of mine, after I told her how we got the smell somewhat off our dog, asked, "Was she like, sizzling?" Surprisingly, no. The combination reacts witht the chemicals in the spray, that deodorizes it. It doesn't go away completely however; stale skunk smell mixed with wet dog smell (it rained a couple days later)? Not a good combination. The smell is uncomfortable, of course. But it will go away. Eventually...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Congratulations, Spartans
What a great season. Spartan JV girls volleyball team, I just want to say thanks for a crazy, awesome, fun, hilarious, incredible season. It went by so fast, but they say that time flies when you're having fun. That pretty much sums it up. We have so many great memories from this season that I can't even begin to list them. I would probably run out of room on my page. From waking up early and chowing down bagels before a tournament to coach's little boy trying as hard as he possibly could to reach the bottom of that net ("I missed! I missed!"), the list goes on forever. As for that last tournament, wow. It was incredible. Yeah, we got second place. But we got SECOND PLACE!! That's awesome! We played out of our minds! So many kills, straight down the line, and perfect passes and serves, the others teams never had a chance! And then out in the hallway, we were kinda crazy. I haven't seen that movie yet (don't worry I really want to!) and already the song is stuck in my head! I can't even imagine the looks on everyone's faces in the gym when we started singing at the top of our lungs. "They're volleyball players, not singers." Thanks coach. We all got along so well with each other, which definitely helped to account for our success. We were a cohesive group, always working hard but having fun at the same time. Except for those down-and-backs, those were not that great. But it was a great time. I cannot believe that the season went by so quickly. But we keep saying that our last tournament was a celebration, not a goodbye. Besides, weight-lifting three times a week starts now. I'm guessing we'll all have just as much fun together.
PS The photo has nothing to do with anything... I just thought it was funny :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Lovable but Luckless Losers
I cannot tell you how excited I was for the Cubs to be in the playoffs. We all were. Bouncing off the walls, cheering our heads off when we heard those wondrous yet false confidence giving words, "CUBS CLINCH!" Going into their first playoff game on October 1st, the atmosphere was... crazy. There's no other word to describe the emotions running through every Cubs fan's head. And we started off well, too, scoring two runs in the second inning. Oh, Cubbies. Our hopes were high after that second inning. Bring us to the fifth inning when the Dodgers scored four, and it was all downhill from there. Final score : Cubs 2, Dodgers 7. Game one, bust. Ok, no big deal, just step it up next game, we can still come back. Positive thoughts through every fan's head. But game two brought us to disaster. Maybe it was nerves, or maybe not, but the second inning of that second game showed us our true fate as 2008 Cubs fans. Hey DeRosa, it happens to the best of us, I understand. Bad timing. And Derrek, the ball was right there the whole time, but no worries. I'm a first baseman too, and that has probably happened to me before. Five runs in for the Dodgers that inning, and all confidence was lost for that game too. So game two, bust. Need I say anything about the third game? Game three, *sigh.* The end of 2008 North Side baseball.
So... I'm pretty sure we're cursed. Yeah, I'll just blame the stupid billy goat who started this whole thing. It's his stupid fault we got into this stupid mess. But I gotta wonder; why lose all three playoff games right off the bat? Oh my gosh, that pun was not intended. I mean, they swept the Pirates three times, the White Sox, the Diamondbacks, the Rockies, the DODGERS, the list goes on. They were better known as the Lovable Winners, with the best record in the National League this season. They most definitely knew the Dodgers were beatable, so why didn't the Cubs win? Nerves of "OMG WORLD SERIES!"? Probably that was part of it. I don't think that, as Cubs fans, we will ever know. Break the curse, yeah sure. There is no curse, okay? It's all in our heads, that scapegoat billy goat. We don't want an excuse. We don't NEED an excuse; we have a great team, and when we fans say next year, we mean it 100%. We have learned to be forgiving, I think solely because of the nature of our Cubbies. Yes, it was a disappointing end to the season, but seriously, next year will be a whole different, better-ending story. I hope. You know what, no, I don't hope. I know.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Taking a Breather
My parents went on a jazz safari (wooo) over this past weekend in Toronto, Canada, leaving me behind with my grandparents, watching HGTV at every waking moment. While I was stuck at home, they were out whooping it up at many different jazz clubs, all in the Toronto area. I understan
d that a lot of people my age don't appreciate jazz music for what it is. That's absolutely fine; we're living in an age where rap and hip-hop pretty much dominate the whole music scene. But for those who do appreciate this type of music, myself included, take a listen; you will be awed. It’s called Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Rondo a la Turk. A mouthful, but it is pure musical genius. It’s not available on iTunes, so I will try to find a way to somehow post it someday… Sorry. There's something about this song that is captivating, something that will make a person just drop what they’re doing, and just listen. That’s just my opinion, and that’s exactly what I did. I listened. Who, in this day and age, ever just stops to listen? It feels like everyone always is in a hurry to do something, to go somewhere, to meet someone to do a project. It’s especially prevalent in our daily lives, my fellow students and friends, in the high school setting. There’s only ever just enough time to finish that math assignment, and/or active-read a really really really long epic poem, and then straight off to bed to do it all over again the next day. And I’m not giving permission to blow off school. That is not the right path, trust me. But sometimes we just need a break. I get my break by listening to music. Watching television, going for a walk, playing volleyball, having an intellectual discussion, these are all ways to take a break. My parents took a break from all the craziness and immensely enjoyed themselves. And just so you readers don’t think I’m getting all off-topic and completely switching the subject, listening to Robert Scott’s Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Rondo a la Turk (what a hassle to type) made me come to the realization that I need to make time. Not to complete an assignment, but to listen. To take a break. And seriously, the song is awesome.
d that a lot of people my age don't appreciate jazz music for what it is. That's absolutely fine; we're living in an age where rap and hip-hop pretty much dominate the whole music scene. But for those who do appreciate this type of music, myself included, take a listen; you will be awed. It’s called Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Rondo a la Turk. A mouthful, but it is pure musical genius. It’s not available on iTunes, so I will try to find a way to somehow post it someday… Sorry. There's something about this song that is captivating, something that will make a person just drop what they’re doing, and just listen. That’s just my opinion, and that’s exactly what I did. I listened. Who, in this day and age, ever just stops to listen? It feels like everyone always is in a hurry to do something, to go somewhere, to meet someone to do a project. It’s especially prevalent in our daily lives, my fellow students and friends, in the high school setting. There’s only ever just enough time to finish that math assignment, and/or active-read a really really really long epic poem, and then straight off to bed to do it all over again the next day. And I’m not giving permission to blow off school. That is not the right path, trust me. But sometimes we just need a break. I get my break by listening to music. Watching television, going for a walk, playing volleyball, having an intellectual discussion, these are all ways to take a break. My parents took a break from all the craziness and immensely enjoyed themselves. And just so you readers don’t think I’m getting all off-topic and completely switching the subject, listening to Robert Scott’s Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Rondo a la Turk (what a hassle to type) made me come to the realization that I need to make time. Not to complete an assignment, but to listen. To take a break. And seriously, the song is awesome.
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