So there’s this bat…

The story really starts on Monday night…. I think. I was in the office around 10pm, and heard some weird noise in the vent. Since we’ve had some issues with birds and mice I didn’t think too much of it, and I’m still not sure it’s related, but…

On Tuesday night I was driving back to work from downtown Milwaukee and Dana calls to tell me there is a bat in the house. I drop off all the equipment at work and then headed home. Dana tells me a story involving hiding in Emma’s room (with Tinkerbell the cat) and then climbing out the window to open both doors hoping it would fly out. She ended up closing both doors after about 5 minutes because she saw a dodgy squirrel, and was afraid it (or some bird) might try to come in the house.

So by the time I got home, I searched and searched and could not find the bat anywhere. I assumed it had flown out when the doors were open. Case closed. (But not really.)

Wednesday night, the kids were over, we had dinner, Emma was making cupcakes for Gallery Night, and I saw Tinkerbell sitting on a chair staring at the fireplace… Staring at a dark spot on the fireplace. The dark spot turned out to be the bat. I yelled “We have a bat!” and got a little frantic. By now I had read all there was to read about bat removal, so I was ready. I think I was just freaked out that everyone else would freak out, but everyone was pretty calm actually. Except me.

I grabbed my heavy work gloves, and a towel, and gently grabbed the bat from the fireplace, and got it outside. I was actually afraid of hurting it, and tried to be gentle with it. Once outside, I put it at the base of a tree, and it started to climb up.

The response from the kids on the subject of the bat: “it was cute!”

P.S. I’m Batman.

Oh, there was also a ton of great advice on Facebook. Here’s a summary by Dana of what to do next time.

Dana and I had a chance to see The Black Jew Dialogues when they came through Wisconsin, and we both enjoyed the show, and highly recommend it.

If you’re involved with booking things for schools (universities or high-schools) get these guys. They’re a bit irreverent, but they do use humor to drive home a message. That’s the great thing about this show, you could book them as a comedy act, or as part of your school’s diversity program.

We spent some time after the show with Larry and Ron, discussing a number of topics, from racism, tolerance, African-American authors, and comedy writing. It was pretty close to a perfect evening (if you don’t count the 2+ hours we spent driving to Fond Du Lac and back.)

Tinkerbell needs surgery. She has a lump that may or may not be malignant, so we’re getting it removed. No one is looking forward to this…

Here’s an update on Tinkerbell’s condition.

Dana and I designed and printed these shirts for the whole family for Xmas.

What are we cutting out? High-fructose corn syrup, it’s terrible… Dana is trying to cut way down on dairy (I would, but I grew up in Wisconsin, and that’s hard!) We really don’t eat out too much, and rarely do fast food places. We’ll have to see where Bombay Express (formerly Bombay Sweets) and it’s delicious Indian food fits into this.

Overall, Dana’s definitely been feeling better, and I’m glad to be eating new things and finding I like many of them. (Yams? Yum!) I’ll be doing some research on rice to determine the best kinds to eat, and best ways to prepare it. I’ve also become a big tofu fan again, though the kids are so far not on-board with that one…

Ayako Miyake is my personal favorite. She’s managed to complete the course 3 times, she is the Ninja Warrior Queen!

Dana has a favorite too, but I can’t remember who it is.

The Wikipedia has a page on Kunoichi with more info.

You can see them all on Flickr or view them right here as well.

If you’re a friend of ours that can’t make it, we thank you for your support. If you can make it, we’ll see you tonight!

(Argh! It just started to rain… Please stop raining soon.)

Sorry about the lack o’ posts lately but Pete and I have been swamped with last minute projects and details. Plus, to slow things down even further, I sprained my ankle Thursday night when I fell off my BOSU ball during my fitness class at the YMCA. For those of you not familiar, the BOSU ball is as close to a torture device as the FDA will allow. It is a half-sphere, with a flat bottom, used to “strengthen your legs and core.” Since it is “spongy” (like a fitness ball cut in half), you are constantly using your abs and legs to keep balanced. During the last few minutes of class, we were jumping on top of the BOSU and I came down a little off-center, heard a snap and hit the ground HARD. And then commenced crying and writhing…It was not a pretty sight!

I’ve been staying off of it as much as I can. It’s still swollen and has turned a lovely shade of purple and black. But, I’m fairly sure I’ll be all healed up for the wedding. If not, I may be contacting a couple of you to act as surrogate brides for the first dance! Just watch out, Pete tends to be a toe-crusher…

As far as the plans go, everything is coming together nicely! I don’t foresee any glitches, although one never does. I have finished my vows and Pete has started his; although, he’s feeling a bit stressed about them. So, if anyone has suggestions for vows, send them his way. Milt, this excludes you!

We’re getting excited and can’t wait to see everyone in just 18 short days!!