Welcom to the Bat Cave II: Night Battle

After the drama that was my Friday, I was overjoyed to head home for the weekend. I came home to a house full of kids (well, only the two) and got a HUGE hug from a newly 5 year old little girl. We also had the same earrings on, which tickled her to no end. I got to snuggled my Little Man and suddenly, all was right with the world. I had movie night with my friend; we FINALLY got around to seeing "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" together. I fell asleep through some of it, but I think I was forgiven.
Saturday was a busy day around-the-house day. Laundry, some TV time (MI-5 is my new favourite), shopping trip with mom and a birthday party for Miss 5 Year Old.
Sunday was more eventful than I would have wanted. Minor car repairs to Stella needed to happen. My dad is the superhero of the weekend for calming me down and helping me fix her. (He did a lot of the work, but if it needs to be fixed again, I can totally do it.) The night ended with a beautiful baptism at church. Y'all know how much I love days that end in baptism.
Monday was busy. Breakfast at my friend's house, a trip to see my grandparents, and dinner with the family--all of the family. Leaving to head back to town was hard, harder than I thought. The plan was to get on the road, make it home, get to bed early and head into work on my last day early & refreshed.

Monday night did not go according to plan.

I got back into town around 10pm with every intention of showering the day off and heading to bed before 10.30pm.

That did not happen.

I was still kind of paranoid about the bat that was in my apartment on Friday. Mostly because we (me and the Game Commission guy, Kevin) couldn't find it. I was cool if the thing turned up dead when I got home from the weekend, but still wasn't really looking forward to dealing with a dead bat first thing when I walked in the door. As I'm bringing my bags back into the apartment, I slowly open the bathroom door (where we had trapped it) and took a look around. I didn't see it so I left the door to the bathroom open. I sat at the table to take care of some paper work and while I'm there, minding my own business, I feel this presence fly into the room and out of it again. "Stop it!" I told myself. "You are just freaking out. Maybe it's just a stink bug." Why I always think it's a stink bug, I have no idea. I waited, not daring to look up, and then went about my business. When it happened again, I started freaking out a little. A grabbed my phone and saw in the reflection on the screen that, yes indeed, that dang bat was still flying around my apartment.

I called Game Commission, but they were closed and no officers were on duty. Thanks guys.

I called my mom. She told me to call the family that I babysit and ask to crash on their couch. As much as I felt strange asking to do that, I did not want to have to deal with the bat that night. So I called and the dad, David, answered the phone. I explained the situation to him and asked for some sympathy. His wife has started feeling achy, (yikes!) so he was hesitant about letting me come over, but he did offer to help. He gave some suggestions (open doors and windows) and told me to call when I had it taken care of.

After opening some windows, I went into my bathroom armed with a broom and fry pan. I did take a moment to snap a picture of this bugger. He must have gotten bigger over the weekend because I did NOT remember him being that big. Anyway, the closer I got to it (perched on the sash on the bathroom window), the more I thought, "Oh my word--this broom is NOT long enough! If I get anywhere close to brushing it down or if I actually do, it might land right on my head!" Now it might not have been that bad, but when a bat has been in your bathrobe, any contact or thought of more contact with the creatures makes ya a little crazy about NOT having them anywhere near your skin. So the chicken in me just bumps the blinds with the broom, causing the bat to fly out into the dinning room and perch on the sash of one of the bay windows...right next to the OPEN window. Why he didn't fly out is still a mystery to me. Miss Chicken nudged the blinds with the broom again to help him "find" the open window. She also took a swing at him with the broom when he got a little to close to her. (She might have nicked him. He might have sorta run into the fridge...)

In all of this confusion, the bat ends up on my table, spread eagle. Not moving. Did I get it? I didn't think I hit it that hard. I watch it a few moments and it doesn't move. Just to be safe, I put the fry pan over it and weigh it down with a few dozen mugs. I was thinking about just leaving it there until morning when David called. He laughed when I told him I had it trapped under the fry pan. He laughed when I told him I was just going to leave it until the morning. He asked if i wanted him to come over and help me get it out of the apartment. I said yes, if you don't mind too much and thank you.

He was over in a few minutes and we started making a plan. We both had that nervous laugh of trying to make light of the situation but at the same time being freaked about dealing with a bat in close quarters. David slipped some cardboard under the pan and we took it outside. (We? Who am I kidding? David. I stood there with a broom "just in case" the bugger got out from under the pan. I also opened and closed doors on the way out. David actually held the cardboard and the pan with the bat.) David kind of tossed the whole mess onto a patch of grass and we both waited to see what the bat would do. When nothing happened, David nudged the bat with the broom and after a few failed attempts, the bat hopped around and flew off into the night.

David and I were then able to relax and proceeded to exchanged bat stories. The frying pan ended up in the trash (sorry, Sonya) and after thanking David profusely, went in to bed.

I'm still super jumpy. Birds now freak me out. The fan in my room last night rustled my sheets in such a way that made me jump up and turn a light on, just to make sure it wasn't a bat. I've had enough of this "nature" stuff. I won't even tell you about the spider who was a cousin to Shelob that was in my tub yesterday morning. ::Shudder::

Here's hoping it's the last bat I will see. Ever.

Or, at least for the next few weeks...

See? Big bat. I can hardly even look at this picture...It freaks me out!

Welcome to the Bat Cave

Today is my second to last day of work.
I was excited to get to work today. I have things I want to finish, people I want to see. Basically, I have a life.
But seeing as how this is me, things did not go according to plan.
It starts with last night - a babysitting gig. All in all, a most delightful way to spend my evening. We read books, played Go-Fish, snuggled and laughed a lot. (This 5 year old understands sarcasm more than most adults. When asked how school was, he didn't respond. I said, "Did you even go today??" His response? "No, I was sick. Cough Cough." I mean really? How many 5 year old's do YOU know that can think that quickly on their feet and then laugh because he knows he was joking??? Priceless!)
I didn't get home so late, but it had been a long day with some tearful goodbye's. We had a retirement party and I was on the set up/tear down committee and, well, it was just a long day. I fell asleep drinking tea last night. That's how tired I was.
So I wake up, early, before my alarm (not to mention the 2 AM wake-up from the storm last night), get a shower and start my day. In between the getting out of the shower in a towel, putting a robe on and getting ready, I noticed a scratchy something on my back. Going through the list of things it might be in my head (as I knew there were no tags on my towel or even in my robe) I settled on the disgusting idea that it might be a stink bug. Ew. I loose the robe and grab a mirror to check my back. No stink bug. I pick up my robe to shake it out so I can flush it. No stink bug. What in the world--
BAT!
Yes, ladies and gents, there was a bat in my robe. AGAINST MY SKIN!
I screamed like a little girl, but only for a little. I was so tired, emotionally & physically, that I just didn't have it in me. After many phone calls, thankful prayers that ALL of my clothes weren't in the bathroom and a quick covert op into the bathroom to retrieve my contacts so I could see, I went to the hospital to make sure there wasn't a puncture or scratch on my back.
Thankfully the doc said it looked good and that I would be fine. (The alternative was no less than 6 shots TODAY with many follow up shots in the next 2-14 days. Double Ew.)
Currently, I'm in my kitchen gathering up the courage to go back in my bathroom to finish getting ready. To everyone who saw me this morning without make up, hair done or (sorry!) teeth brushed, I am sorry.
Happy second to last day of work to me...

Three months and counting...

Greetings, dear readers. I call you dear because I am hoping I still have your love and devotion even after not posting for almost a month. Pretty pretty please?
The last few weeks have been filled with scanning for special collections. Mindless scanning. So much scanning that I think the computer screen is giving me a headache. This week, however, all of that changed. I was on reference desk training for four days this week. Basically, I learned that I knew nothing about reference materials, in print or online. I'm not even sure how I made it through undergraduate! The things I knew (or thought I knew) barely scratch the surface of the materials available out there--if the price is right, of course. The availability of all these different research materials makes me want to completely re-research my senior thesis. I'm actually seriously considering this. (Those of you who remember the hell that was my senior thesis research & writing saga, please talk me out of it!!!)
Monday is my first day in Reference and User Services. Reference includes a shift at the desk just about every day of the week, plus FYE (First Year Experience) events next week and the odd project here and there. My very first is to make a poster for our Browsing Room, which I will probably print Monday. User Services includes ILL (Inter-library loan) and Circulation. I think. I was actually just made aware that I would be in User Services an hour before I left work today. The shift is coming at a really good time for me. Even though I am Anti-Change Girl (don't be fooled, the super hero costume is so worth it), I've kind of been itching for a change of pace.
I've been in Gettysburg for about 3 months now. In London, I was on my own (with a roommate) for only 2 months. That I can handle. There is something about slightly past that 2 month mark that makes me sit back and say, "Hmm...I don't think I can treat this like a vacation any more. This is life and I should probably do something with it." I must say, easier said than done.
The time here hasn't been without excitement, however. Two weeks ago, I had a bat in my apartment. How's that for excitement? I think it's enough for a really long time. Anyway, I was just minding my own business, washing the dishes, when I see this shadow out of the corner of my eye. I let it go, because you know sometimes those freaky stink bugs fly around a light a cast shadows when you aren't really expecting them to be around. But then it happened again. The third time I saw the shadow, I looked back. And screamed like a tiny little girl. The shadow that wasn't a stink bug was a bat! Every time it came into the kitchen, I screamed. (Yeah, I know it didn't help anything. But in the moment, it felt really good.) Every time it left, I stopped. I wanted to call someone--anyone & everyone! How does one get rid of a bat? What do you do?? My cell phone was on the table, but I would have had to walk right into the flight path to get to it. So I sank onto the floor and waited for a break. I finally got my phone & called my house. My dear sister didn't have too much advice, except to open all the windows so it could fly out. Wonderful idea--except my windows don't stay open unless something is propping it up. And I currently have screens in all of them...so that would have taken ages. The next call was to my father, who was the sweetest, kindest man ever at that moment. I think he laughed a little at the situation, but since I was so freaked out, he toned it down a bit. He suggested closing all the doors in the apartment to get it trapped somewhere. After closing all the doors in my house, especially the one to the bedroom, I had to look for the dumb thing. I finally found him in the bathroom. I was totally ready to just give him the bathroom (with the shower, clothes, face wash, contact stuff, hair stuff, etc.) and go get new stuff at the store. My dad, being the gem he is (really), was even in favor of this for me. My mom, on the other hand, was all "Go in there and kill it. You don't have the money to buy all that stuff." Very practical, my mother. Not particularly sympathetic when I needed her to be, but there you go. It took me 3 hours, from first sighting to dead bat in a bag, but I finally got up the courage to go in the bathroom and try to kill it. I had a plan, carefully talked out and organized by my mother, father & myself, but thankfully I didn't need it. I walked, er, skulked into the bathroom with a broom as my weapon. I knocked it off the window sash and it just fell. It didn't fly or try to escape. My super heated bathroom must have given it heat stroke! I was able to sleep in my bed after a shower that night...though I was really skittish and slept with a blanket all around me, just in case, even though it was like 90 degrees out. Now, I still am wary going into a room in my apartment. I turn the light on and wait a few moments before going into it, just in case. Now, weeks later, the wary bit has worn off some. Typing all of this out makes me remember and bring back some of the weird fear, but I'm hoping that will all go away soon.
I hope that has caught you up sufficiently, dear readers. I promise to update more often.
Next time, I'll tell you about the night the cops shut down band practice in the apartment next to mine.
Life in Gettysburg is, at least, never completely boring!