Water You Talking About??

Wednesday, I was washing dishes when the water in the sink stopped coming out. Nothing. This was curious. So I called the water department.

Apparently, I forgot to pay the bill. And they shut off the water.

So, I was told that I needed to bring my bill and cash payment to the water office downtown the next day.

I was completely stressed out about this. Back in the day, there were times when I couldn't pay everything. But these days, I can pay the bills. I just didn't pay this one.

My excuse is that I pay almost everything online these days. So, when I'm going through my bills, if I can't pay it online, I set it aside to write a check later. Usually, these are for magazine subscriptions and the like - not important stuff like utilities.

With the water bill, I just never came back to it. Completely blanked, just forgot. When I found the shut-off notice, it hadn't even been opened. I think it came right before the Iowan visit, and I set it aside. Then we went to Vegas. And I came back and went to my Grandpa's funeral. So things had been pretty busy, and this was not in the forefront of my mind.

I felt like such a moron! I felt so stupid!

Since I DO NOT function without a daily shower, my brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to allow me to take a shower at their house the next morning. I'm quite sure they had a good private laugh about my predicament. And looking back, it was kinda funny. Well, it would have been funnier if I didn't feel so stupid.

I was so stressed out about the situation, I didn't sleep well. Got up fairly early (for me anyway) and went over to my brother's house, took a shower, and called the water department. They told me if I paid it in cash, they could turn the water back on the same day. What a relief!

Before I left my brother's house, I realized that I forgot my jewelry. I managed to remember my contacts, but not my watch, ring, and necklace. I felt really weird, kind of naked.

I drove downtown, found a parking spot (luckily), managed to parallel park (which I haven't done in ages!), and went into the building. They had two "take a number" machines, one for the water department, and one for the power department. There were benches for us to sit while we waited for our number.

In front of the benches, there were a bunch of "windows" like a bank would have. Above the windows, there were digital readouts of numbers. When your number appeared on that screen, you went to that window.

This was stage one - you have to see a collection agent before you can pay your bill. I think this is to weed out all the other craziness people are there for - I could hear some people, one guy was buying a property, another lady wanted the water turned on for 2 houses, etc.

Because all I wanted was to pay and get water again, mine went pretty quickly once my number was called. The lady looked at my bill, asked me how much I wanted to pay (uh, all of it!), and did some things on the computer. Then she told me to go to the cashier window to pay the bill. This went quickly, all in all I was there for about an hour.

On my way to work (just a few blocks from the water department), I was feeling so tired, like I'd used all my energy for the day on that morning, all my adrenaline. When I got to work (late), everyone was very quiet, and I learned that one of my colleagues had been fired that morning. It was a bit of a surprise, a shock, really. I was running on empty at work and was really punchy. I did get a lot done, but I also took advantage of every distraction during the day.

I ended up staying at work until about 6:30 to make up for being late and to get caught up. I was feeling emotional by this point. When I got in my car, I just broke down in tears. I guess I just needed that release. As I was sobbing, I started to feel like, "Why am I so upset? This wasn't THAT bad of a day!" Then I realized I didn't take my "happy pills" or my thyroid pills that morning. I remember thinking about it, but there was no water. And I forgot to grab them before I left the house. That, combined with everything else, made it a challenging, emotional day.

When I came home, I checked the water, and it was on! That was a relief. Then I got undressed, took out my contacts, and crashed. I just wasn't going to function, didn't want to eat, didn't want to do anything and had a headache, so sleep was pretty much the only option.

I woke up about an hour later, had a big bowl of Cheerios, and felt a little better. Then I watched Barack Obama on the Democratic National Convention, and that was awesome and very uplifting!

I slept pretty well, and bounced back fresh and renewed today. Still feeling kind of stupid about the water thing, though.

In Memory of my Grandpa

Yesterday was my Grandpa's memorial service. It was a lovely way to say goodbye to him, with each of the 4 grandkids having a part in the service.

In honor of him, this is the poem I read at the funeral.

Memories

I'd like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an afterglow
of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve
to dry before the sun.
of happy memories that I leave
when my life is done.

(I did not write it, don't know who did - my grandma picked it)

Las Vegas, Day 6

Friday was Day 6 in Vegas, our last day. We decided to go to the pool early in the day. This ended up being a good idea, since the bikini contingent was apparently not up yet. Well, at least not all of them. There were other fat-ish people and one-piece suits out there earlier in the day.

We went in the water, then I layed out for a while, then went back in the water when it got hot, and then out again. After the second time out, S. went back to the room, and I stayed laying in the sun - I wanted to go home with at least some color!

The photo at the left is S. pointing out what he says is the hieroglyphic for "hamburger" in the elevator.

After showers and getting ready, we took a cab down to the Mirage for the Cirque du Soleil: The Beatles LOVE show. I played some more slot machines, lost more money, and continued to feel like a moron that I kept playing!

We picked up our tickets and shopped in the gift shop for the show because we figured it would be crowded later. Then we went and had a cold beverage and walked around a bit. Eventually, we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Mirage. It was quite good, VERY upscale, but they didn't have any sake, so that was a little disappointing.

The Beatles LOVE show was amazing! I just loved it! It was so much fun and had some great acts, and of course the music was great. Some of it was so trippy! At one point, I turned to S. and said, "I wish I was high right now!" By the end of the show, I was near tears, I loved it so much.

After the show, we went to Treasure Island, which was next door. We walked around a bit in there, played some more slots (because I am an idiot!) and then walked around a bit outside. Eventually, we headed back to the hotel. It was a later night than usual, and we still had to pack.

Packed up, hit the sack, got up early, and took a cab to the airport. The flights home were uneventful, it felt great to finally get home. I immediately felt like I had more space and quiet. It was nice to sleep in my own bed again!

We had a great time in Las Vegas, but it's good to be home.

Las Vegas, Day 5

Today was a much more mellow day. Wanted to do a little shopping, so we headed to the M&M store, where we also watched the cheesey and pretty crappy 3D movie they have. We mostly wandered in and out of various stores and casinos.

I didn't take a lot of pictures today. S. and I are getting on each other's nerves. Well, more accurately, S. is getting on my nerves. It's to be expected when we are together for 5 solid days, something we are not at all used to.

We went to the MGM for lunch, and I went to the bathroom. Came out and S. was no where to be seen. I walked around a bit, then sat down and just waited. For like 15 minutes. Then he calls me, "I'm in the restaurant, I already ordered for you." Oh, OK, thanks for letting me know!!!!

I was pissed, and he was like, "Why are you mad? I ordered you food and a drink." And I was like, "You could have let me know! I would never do that to you, just wander off and not tell you where I was while you were in the bathroom." He kept saying, "I don't understand why you're so mad." And that made me even more upset. I told him, "If I had hurt you, made you mad, or embarassed you, I would apologize to you, even if it wasn't intentional." He didn't get it, and he didn't apologize.

This put me in a foul mood for the rest of the day. He went and played (and lost) in another poker tournament while I read and took a short nap. I thought about going to the pool, but didn't want to endure the bikini fashion show again, plus there was loud music at the pool, and it sounded like they were doing some sort of MTV Spring Break games or something and that is not for me. After my nap, we went to dinner and I played (and lost) on some more slot machines.

LilCherie and Depressionista will recall my unforgettable quote from the Niagara Falls casino about what I would be willing to do to get my money back that I lost in the casino.

Since today was a bit dull, I thought I'd share a story from yesterday that I forgot about. I went to the bathroom in the Luxor, and I kept hearing these women speaking in another language (there are a LOT of Europeans here because of the strong Euro and weak US dollar). When I came out to wash my hands, there was a woman rinsing something out in the sink. When she took the something over to one of the stalls, I realized it was another lady's shorts. She pulled them on (they were wet) and then they started to go out, when the one lady realized that the other lady had some shit on the back of her leg, so they came back in and wiped off the shit. Yep, she shit her pants. They were both pretty good-natured about it, to be honest.

I've shit my pants before, so I'm always relieved to hear about or see another adult do it. Listen, it happens. Sometimes you think it's just gas, and then it turns out it's not, and presto - you've shit your pants. Luckily for me, it's pretty much only happened at home - except once when it happened at work last spring during our board meeting and I had to go home and change (and even shower off!).

Vegas seems to be gearing up for the weekend. There are more people here today, it seems, and more excitement. We saw girls dancing on bars in 2 different casinos today.

Well, tomorrow will be our last full day. We are going to the Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show tomorrow, and I am really, really excited about it.

Las Vegas, Day 4

Yesterday, I once again started the morning with S. pressuring me to get up so we could do something and me saying, "I'M ON VACATION, DAMMIT!!!"

But I did get up, and we headed to Caesar's Palace to get something to eat, check out the shops, see the sights. I'm pretty proud of how I know my way around after just a few days. Well, at least I can make it back to my hotel room, so that's something.

Caesar's Palace was relatively uneventful, just strolling around looking at stuff, people watching. We tried to waste enough time so we could see the fountains at the Bellagio at 3:00, which is when their shows start.

Went to FAO Schwartz, where they actually have one of those big pianos like in the movie "Big" so that was pretty entertaining. I was also fascinated by these cool curved escalators in Caesar's Palace Forum Shops.

The Bellagio fountain show was good, but way too short. But I was excited because I wanted to see the water shoot really high, and it did!!! Before the show, I put in $20 to the slots, and only had $11 left, so we went back after the show so I could cash it out. But I decided to play it, and won $35, so I came out ahead, and cashed out! Then we checked out the conservatory in the Bellagio, which had the theme of trains, which was neat.

Back to the hotel, for a short break before heading out to the MGM Grand to see Cirque du Soleil's KA. Walked over, got their kinda early, and again played some slots. Lost almost $40, and then won $78! Yay! Ahead again, and cashed out.

KA was good, but not as good as other Cirque's I've seen. It is the only Cirque with a story line, and I think that they tried to hard to keep it a continuous story. The music, however, is my very favorite of any Cirque. There was a technical issue at one point, and we had to sit and wait for about 15 minutes in the middle of the show, so that was weird. It was S.'s first Cirque, and I don't think he had nearly the enthusiasm for it as I do, but I think it would have been better if he had seen a different one first.

Back to the Luxor, I lost $45 on the slots and quit. I am such a sucker. I sit there and think, "Why do I keep hitting that button????"

S. signed up for a Poker tournament and I went up to the room to get ready for bed. He came back about an hour later, he was 5th in the tournament, so no money for him either.

That's about it for yesterday. Today is a completely free day, no shows, so maybe we'll hit the pool and shop. And I'm never playing the slots again! Until later today, that is...

"The Strip"

I forgot when I posted last night that I wanted to add a few things...

First of all, Vegas is FULL OF FREAKS! Now, I know I'm a freak, but this is a different brand of freak altogether. Drunk freaks, freaks in fedoras, freaks in hoochie-mama dresses, freaks of a completely different freakiness.

So, on Monday, on our way back to our hotel, I needed (yes, I said needed) a Krispy Kreme donut (there is a Krispy Kreme in between the Luxor and Excalibur - and they make them right there so they are hot and fresh!). So, I stopped to get a donut and a milk. I convinced S. to sit down with me so we could take a little break. And then he goes, "You need to sit on this side." And I was like, "Why?" and he says, "The girl in white over there just crossed her legs and you can see everything!" I was like, "Is she wearing underwear?" and he said, "No!" I didn't get the full show, I didn't want to be obvious, and she got up after that.

S. took a walk after his 3-hour nap Monday night. I was asleep, but he got up at 2:30am to go to Walgreens for sunscreen (since the kind we brought wasn't waterproof).

The next morning, he was like, "You HAVE to go out in the middle of the night! It's crazy!"

And he told me about how he was approached by prostitutes along his walk to Walgreens and back.

Near the Tropicana, the girl said,
"Hi! Why don't you come over here?" and when S. didn't respond, she said sternly, "GET OVER HERE!" S. said he laughed.

At the MGM entrance,
"Why aren't you smiling? I'll put a smile on your face!"

Near the Excalibur, 3 girls were walking toward him and the one girl said,
"Hey big boy, do you think you could handle all 3 of us??"

S. also said most of the ladies of the night just said, "Hey baby, how's it going?"

So there you go, a bit more excitement from Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, Day 3

Last evening, the pool was refreshing, but there were SO many people there. And I was pretty much the only one in a one-piece bathing suit. Chicks in bikinis were exhibiting themselves everywhere you looked. I felt really self-conscious.

After the swim, we went to dinner at Fusia, an Asian fusion restaurant (whatever that means). We ordered some sushi as an appetizer, and I asked the waiter to recommend sake for me, since I had never tried it.

Sake is a beverage fermented from rice, which is a grain, making it more of a beer than a wine. Sake is not carbonated, and flavor-wise is closer to wine than beer, although it is uniquely different from wine. Sake is not a distilled beverage, and is not related to gin, vodka or other spirits.

And Sake is my new best friend.

About a third of the way into the glass, I started feeling warm, like a soft, sun-drenched cloud, was cushioning all of my skin. I just kept saying, "I feel soooo good right now..." I said I felt like a lava lamp. The feeling is similar (but better) to the feeling I get when I take my anxiety pills, Clonazepam.

I made S. give the waiter a big tip for the Sake suggestion, came back to my room, and just reveled in the Sake glow. I loved the feeling - not drunk, just mellow and beautiful and GOOD.

Today, I had a hard time getting out of bed. My feet were achy and I have blisters from the walking S. made me do yesterday. When I finally got my act together, we went to the buffet in the hotel for breakfast/lunch. That was a mistake. I am never eating at a buffet in Vegas again. Not very much looked that good, and what I did eat was all greasy and icky.

After that, I played a couple of slots (see photo at right) and then we went to Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef. We could walk there through a walkway attached to our hotel. The aquarium was a nice diversion, but I was not feeling well from the earlier meal.

We went back to the room and I laid down and fell asleep for about an hour and a half. S. went and watched people play poker in the "Poker Room." When he got back, we got ready to head to The Venetian for the Blue Man Group. THANKFULLY, S. got a cab so we didn't have to do the monorail or walk. The cab ride was about $12 and worth every penny since it went door-to-door. The monorail would have been $10 one way for both of us, so $2 more didn't seem like a big deal.

In The Venetian, we ate at s Mexican restaurant that was relatively new. The food was very good, the guacamole was delicious, and the atmosphere was unusual but very cool. The wall where I sat was covered with little skull sculptures (see photo at left).

On to the Blue Man Group! In our seats, I started chatting it up with two ladies next to me, who were retired teachers from Austin, TX. Very nice ladies, their first time to Vegas like us. We were all excited to see the Blue Men!

If you are ever in Vegas, you must see this show, it is just incredible, amazing, and hilarious. You can't help but emerge with a smile on your face. See the photo at right for me with a blue man - could I possibly be more elated?? The white stuff on me is crepe paper they give you to "decorate yourself." S. asked, "Are you going to wear that all night?" Guess I was embarrassing him again.

After that, we got a cab back to the hotel (thankfully) and here we are. Tomorrow's show is Cirque du Soleil's KA!

Las Vegas, Days 1 and 2

Greetings from Vegas! I'm exhausted already!

Our journey here was less than great. We started the morning by S. telling me I embarass him all the time. And then, for the rest of the day, he told me everytime I was embarassing him. Maybe this was a contributing factor to the migraine-like headache I had for the entire day.

The flight to Phoenix was uneventful, but the short layover became 3+ hours. My head was hurting so much, I ended up laying across a bunch of seats and taking a nap. When we finally got on the plane to Vegas, I went back to sleep.

We took a bus to our hotel, which went smoothly. There was a young couple and their friends and family on the bus that were getting married at the hotel where we are staying - the Luxor. I thought that was so romantic. S. said I embarassed him when I leaned over and said, "Are you getting married?"

Checking into the hotel was brutal, I just cannot believe ALL the people that are here. The hotel is an amazing complex - something like 8 restaurants, a HUGE pool, shops, the casino, and a bunch of shows and exhibits. And that's JUST at the Luxor! The lady at the desk talked us into upgrading our room to a nicer, newer section of the hotel, and we went and settled into our room. I was already overwhelmed by the enormity of this place and all the masses of humanity here and wanted to just stay in the room and curl up in a ball. And I still had a headache.

We went and had some dinner, a DELICIOUS chicken ramen noodle soup and sandwiches. It was very yummy. Then we went and booked the shows we wanted to see. We got such a good deal on the flight and hotel, we splurged on some shows. I'm a fan of Cirque du Soleil, so I really wanted to see at least one show. I told S. I could go by myself if he wanted to do something else or didn't want to spend the money, but I guess he was up for it. Here's what we're going to see:

Tuesday, Aug. 19: Blue Man Group at the Venetian
Wednesday, Aug. 20: Cirque du Soleil: KA at the MGM Grand
Friday, Aug. 22: Cirque du Soleil: The Beatles LOVE at the Mirage

We dropped almost a grand on 3 shows. Yikes. But I'm very excited because I love Cirque du Soleil, and have been listening to the soundtrack to the LOVE show for over a year.

Back to our room, I needed to lay down. Fell asleep very soundly and really needed it. S. fell asleep, too. I actually woke up before he did, at about 8:00pm Las Vegas time. When S. finally woke up, he wanted to go out and walk around, so we did. We walked almost half the "strip" just to see where everything was. We checked out the M&M store, which is 4 unbelieveable floors of M&M stuff. On the right you'll see me with a giant blue M&M. We made a stop at WalGreens for snacks and water, then headed back to the hotel. All of this took about 3 hours.

I had no trouble going right back to sleep and got up feeling a LOT better today. We got going slowly, and decided to go down to the Bellagio and walk back on the other side of the strip. On our way to the Bellagio, we went through Excalibur, New York - New York, the outside of Monte Carlo, and inside the Bellagio. The Bellagio is really upscale, beautiful inside. I was SO thirsty so I bought 2 bottles of water - $7.50 each! Ouch! We checked out some of the shops in the Bellagio and went into Tiffany & Co. They had a beautiful diamond dragonfly necklace that made my eyes sparkle! I love sparkly things!

We found out about the fountain shows at the Bellagio. We were there way too early for the shows, so we'll probably go back later. I wanted to check out the Botanical Garden in the Bellagio, S. didn't want to, so we didn't.

We crossed the street near Bally's and went into Paris. It has an Eiffel Tower in it, so we decided to check it out. For $10, you get to go up in the Eiffel Tower and see a 360 degree view of the strip. The minute we stepped off the elevator, I was happy - it was the quietest place I've yet to be in Vegas! We stayed up there for quite a while, taking lots of pictures. It was about 105 degrees today, but it was very breezy and that felt great. A picture of me with Caesar's Palace in the background is on the left.

Next was the Miracle Mile shops attached to Planet Hollywood. Lots of upscale stores, and an ABC Store! Just like Hawaii! Funny! I saw this store that had the most intriguing jewelry, very different, modern stuff - it was all either stainless steal or titanium. I just loved the styles of them. The store is called Teno.

I've been looking for a ring that was pretty yet practical. A bunch of try-ons later, and I bought myself a new diamond ring. It's shiny titanium, light as a feather, with a comfort fit and 9 little diamonds. I like the feminine look. A picture of the ring is on the left.

Next, we walked through the Hawaiian marketplace, then into the MGM Grand. We spent some time in the MGM, and picked up our tickets to KA while we were there. Played a slot machine - put in a $20, got down to $14, then back up to $25, then back down to $16, then back up to $21, which is when I quit. I was really hoping to win $10,000 so I could feel better about spending $ on the shows and the ring. Oh well, it's only our first full day here.

Also in the MGM, there is a lion habitat (photo at right). Even though there was glass, I've never been so close to a lion before and I was amazed by how big they are. There were 3 lionesses, and they were so beautiful and very playful. Just like big kitties!

Everywhere you go, people are trying to give you free or discounted tickets if you go look at their timeshare or resort. Also, everywhere on the strip there are folks trying to give you "cards" that are for escorts, strippers, and prostitutes. These cards litter the streets.

After the MGM, we walked through the Excalibur back to the Luxor. We were hoping to go to Mandalay Bay to see their Shark Reef Aquairium today, but after 5 hours out and walking almost the entire time, I needed a break, so here we are. Gonna go swimming at the awesome pool in a bit, and then some dinner.

Tomorrow is the first show, Blue Man Group!

Right: Our room at the Luxor (with my happy little orange Prada backpack that I got in China!)

Above: A cool ORANGE lamborgini we saw on the strip!

Fun with Iowans

You know how things seem to go wrong at the worst possible time? While the visit from our Iowa friends this past 7 days has been terrific, there were a few household glitches.

To start, S. and I went to the grocery store and left some laundry going when we left. When we got back, I went downstairs to switch the loads, and found about an inch of water from the stairs to the laundry area. Apparently, something got stuck in the drain and caused it to overflow. So, S. and I started trying to mop it up and used the shop vac to at least get it to the point where it would dry. Fun!

Our friends arrived the next day and there was the lovely odor of mildewy basement throughout the house.

Friday night, S. went to get some ice out of the refrigerator and it was all watery. We thought someone had left the door open or something, so we just kept checking it. The next morning, everything had melted. The fridge was warm. We couldn't believe that it could have died - we've lived in this house for 12 years, our first fridge lasted 5 years, and this one only lasted 7!

S. had to work, and the rest of us went to the amazing Bug City festival at the park. During his break, S. went and bought a new fridge at Lowe's and arranged to pick it up with his parent's van. While everyone rested/napped, LilCherie's husband R. and I went to my brother's house and picked up some coolers and ice that my sister-in-law had offered to help save the day. We came home, packed the coolers with what was salvageable, and by the time we finished, S. showed up with the fridge.

R. was SO helpful - he and S. moved the old fridge out onto the deck and managed to squeeze the new fridge (which was slightly larger) into the house. Yay! It was a bit tricky, but they did it.

Later, I went outside to find the old fridge had some messages on it, and soon we were all leaving graffiti on the fridge.

Depressionista also decided that the Girl's Night activity (we spent the night at a cabin) would be making new magnets for the new fridge.

Despite the appliance drama, everything went smoothly and we had a great time together. We are now on the 3rd fridge in 12 years!

The next odd happening was on Monday, after we got back from Girl's Night. We all took naps in the afternoon. When I woke up, my eye felt itchy, so I started rubbing it - a little too vigorously. Then it started hurting. Then it started swelling up. I think I scratched my cornea. The white part of my eye filled up with fluid, while the iris part stayed flat. The fluid was so built up, it actually was pushing my eyelid down so my eye looked all droopy. It started to go down a few hours later after I took my contacts out. Then I didn't wear contacts for 2 days so it could heal.

I now share our fridge fun.

The old fridge out on the deck

My silly fridge cartoons
Depressionista's going away letter for the fridge

The first thing written on the fridge, which we all added to (some of thes are real and some are not, obviously)...

Things that were kept in this fridge:

1. Dismembered body parts *
   * of various barnyard animals
2. Pez's hairball popsicles and Chili's turd pie (those are my cats)
3. Tingle's hormones
4. Depressionista's libido
5. The gimp
6. Vaginal suppositories
7. Assorted rotting vegetables
8. Corn dogs
9. The cold chill that has come over our marriage
10. My dreams for a better world
11. Enough food to feed a village in China
12. Mealworms (live ones) (note: I once had an oriental firebelly toad)
13. 10,000 sauce packets from Taco Bell, Arby's and Chinese food
14. Plastic spider that no one commented on... damn it! (note: I've had a little plastic spider in the fridge in an attempt to freak people out. It's been in there for YEARS and no one has ever said anything about it)
15. A passage into the next dimension

Fridge humor

• "Man, I used to be able to chill an entire case of beer, but now a six-pack has me beat."
• "My ice cubes used to be so firm..."
• "That new Whirlpool really thinks he's cool."
• "I'm not feeling so well today... I think I have a warm."
• "Look at the ice maker on that one!"

This led to us coming up with refrigerator pick-up lines.

Refrigerator Pickup Lines

• Hey baby, wanna stick your meat in my drawers?
• Is it cool in here, or is it just me?
• Wanna play find the sausage?
• Hey baby, what's your brand?
• Wanna stick your hose in my ice maker?
• Can I see what's in your drawers?
• Can I play with your magnets?
• Are your coils tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day.

And now, a sampling of the amazing magnets created during Girl's Night.

From my sister-in-law...My appeal to the heavens that this fridge will lastLilCheri's troll with muffinDepressionista made this funny one of her husbandDepressionista made this lovely depiction of me

Jeepers Creatures!

As I sit here watching Shark Week programs on the Discovery Channel, watching sharks chomp on fish parts and all, I was looking at different news stories online and came across this one.



Here's the picture in case you want to examine it more closely.

Now, I've been to East Hampton, and Montauk beaches. Your average beaches, less populated than southern beaches, but sandy, breezy, lovely. But this story freaks me out, and I'll never think of the beaches out in the Hamptons the same again! Apparently "they" are now saying it is a rare raccoon species, but I don't know if I'm buying that.

Here is a list of some other creatures that freak me out, yet fascinate me:

• Aliens and UFOs - it's that "what if" that freaks me out, and all the stories and movies that go with it. See my previous post: Alien Season
• El Chupacabra (The Goatsucker) (picture at right) - an "urban legend," this creature supposedly attacks and drinks the blood of animals, especially goats.
• The Mothman - a creature reported in the Charleston and Point Pleasant areas of West Virginia between November 12, 1966 and December 1967. Most observers describe the Mothman as a winged man-sized creature with large reflective red eyes and large moth-like wings. The creature often appeared to have no head, with its eyes set into its chest. The Mothman is thought to be related strange events in the area: UFO sightings, poltergeist activity, Bigfoot and black panther sightings, animal and human mutilations, precognitions by witnesses, and the December 15, 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge spanning the Ohio River.
• Deep Sea Mermaid - (note: photos below may be disturbing - at least it was for me) This creature was supposedly found after the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, although earlier stories using the same photos claimed it was found near the Philippines. The claim was that this creature, along with other creatures from the deep sea, were washed ashore in the giant waves. While disturbing (it's one of those things I can't stop looking at), it has been found to be the combination of a mummified monkey and a fish.

Of course, there's a "logical explanation" for all of these disturbing creatures. Sure, that's what they want you to think!