Stacy Horn

No, not ladybugs. Last night one of those huge, monster flying cockroaches was loose in my apartment, freaking dive-bombing me. I can take most bugs, even spiders, but these things just terrify me for some reason. I can’t be in the same room as one without literally screaming and crying. I couldn’t even bear to put a picture of one of them up here so I put up a picture of a ladybug instead, it’s that nuts. I ran to my neighbors, they weren’t home, logged onto Echo and explained my problem, hoping someone would volunteer to come over, but no one did.

I had no choice but to try to come up with a plan to kill it myself, and I will already tell you I was not successful so he’s going to pop up again, waving his evil “Yes, I am that evil and I see you” antennae at me.

I did come up with one idea that helped though, and that was the idea of opening an umbrella and using it as a shield. It just made me feel less panicked. My plan was to swat at him with this huge feather duster I have, which would hopefully mess up his flight, cause him to fall to the ground, then I’d smoosh him with my shoe.

So for a while I was walking around my apartment carrying an open umbrella, a big feather duster and a shoe. Yeah.

Anyway, this bug was always one step ahead of me, flying too high and too fast. Plus, I mostly cowered.

Finally I gave up and tried the neighbors again, and Beth was home this time and she sent over Malik, but the freaking bug was once again hiding. Thank you for trying, Malik! I appreciate it!! I was able to get to sleep, but he’s still in here somewhere, and you know he’s going to appear at the most inopportune time, like when I’m carrying a large mug of hot coffee. Over my keyboard. With a cat next to it.

It’s the flying part that gets me. I just cannot cope. It’s the most unfair of all unfair advantages.

The point is: they suck.

I’ve been busy learning new blog software, moving my blogs to the new software, updating all the pages on all my blogs, good God it is wearying. I am weary. Look at Finney here, collapsed on my lap. Apparently it is wearying for him, too.

I sent my camera to Canon to be fixed, so this picture was a video snapshot from my isight camera. That’s why the quality is so-so.

Anyway, that’s my update. I’m weary. From updating everything in my life. This blog will be last.

I missed Michael Phelps this morning. I hope to god there’s some sort of Olympic’s highlights tonight. Didn’t you just love the outfits the U.S. athletes wore to the opening ceremony? They all looked so beautiful and smart and stylish. Speaking of the opening ceremony good god in Heaven. The Chinese and opening ceremonies!! Showing the world how it is done!! I was screaming at certain points. I mean mother of god, you have to hand it to them. Mind-blowingingly well done.

– I will have an apartment with a fireplace (although I had one once, when I was poor).

– A really great camera.

– A vacation (it’s been decades).

– A new super duper Mac, and an iphone (actually, I don’t really lust for an iphone so much, but if I’m rich, what the hell).

– Really great speakers (this should have come at the top of the list).

– A kayak.

Okay, I’m already bored. This is part of the reason why I’m not rich. I don’t really enjoy this game more than a few seconds.

Today I’m going to read through my book one more time, but I think I might be done. I’m very excited. I think this one might be the one. I always think this, though. In the end, when all is said and done, I’m very much the optimist. I mean, I know that chances are things will crash and burn horribly, and not just crash and burn, but somehow this book will turn around and kick my ass, stomping on me and laughing maniacally the whole time, but then again, you never know.

Another picture I took during the final days of my camera — a pile of fruit at Balducci’s. The watermelons looked so pretty!

I’m almost done editing, but I feel like concentrating on moving all my blogs over to WordPress today. Not sure if I should, but that’s what I feel like doing. It really is a lot better than what I’m using now. And easier.

I woke up this morning with that wonderful feeling of I have a book coming out! Tra-la-la-la! I love this feeling. You never know what might happen. If only buying a new camera wasn’t among them.

But, I can’t afford a new camera. My old Canon Powershot S410 has now gone completely insane on me. From time to time it was doing this thing where everything looked like an oil painting that melted. Now it’s stuck on that. I looked up the cameras my favorite photographers use, and the least expensive one (Nikon D40) is still in the $600 range. I can get a new Powershot for around $150, which is probably what it would cost me to fix it, but that’s annoying. It’s like spending $150 for nothing, for what I already have. Infuriating.

This is the last picture my old camera took. I took it walking down the Hudson with my neighbors Beth and Malik. This path has been closed for a while for renovations. This shot doesn’t capture how nice it looks. They’ve landscaped it nicely, flowers all over, and terraces every once in a while with chairs under trees and shade, more than what is shown here. When I have a camera again, maybe I’ll take shots of what it looks like from here to Battery Park.

I’ve been busy doing the final edits of my book. Oh, and my friend Jackie designed a blog for my new book, AND is helping me migrate this and my other blog to new and better blog software.

Here’s the blog for Unbelievable. It’s not done yet, but it’s enough done that you’ll get the idea.