This Is How You Take A Poo In New Mexico

• Author: Monique
• Filed under: out and about, photography
• Date: Apr 10,2008

Oh the joys of laziness.

I have so much to do and not a single ounce of willpower to even get started on anything.

I still have to upload the pictures from the trip, and the problem with that is that I have so many of them, but since it was New Mexico, a lot of the scenery is the same. PLUS, I don’t know where to begin with it. Should I start at Day 1-ish and post the pictures as they were taken? Or should I do them based on what we were doing at the time, blah blah blah.

Most of them are slowly being uploaded to flickr, so if you want a sneak peak, go there. But don’t go look until like Saturday or something so I can have time to add more. I’m off tomorrow so I should get a fair bit of stuff done.

ANYWAY. Here is something interesting from the trip. We stopped at a “rest area” to let the girls use the potty. They have this thing where they aren’t very keen on taking a cacapoo anywhere other than our backyard. I swear they can hold it for days if need be - unless I leave them alone in my living room for more than 2 minutes… they will happily use my carpet then.

Well, at the rest stop there was a brick wall (as you can see above) that said HER/HIS on it. After you went through a little maze you found yourself at a specially designed toilet. Actually, calling it a toilet is way too classy. It’s more like a poo depository.

Naturally, any idea of me even attempting to use it was out of the question. I was already annoyed about my lack of 4-5 star hotels along the way… was I really expected to use some tin bucket to pee in?

As I began to exit my side of the Tin Can Pooper area, I heard laughter and sounds of utter disgust. I thought it was maybe because the girls had used the bathroom outside and my husband was doing the typical bag covered hand poo collecting that us dog lovers are forced to do.

Boy was I ever wrong.

You see, the HIM side of the Pooper was missing the tin can. All they had was some hole in the ground. And a pile of stinky mess which someone had attempted to deposit into said hole, and missed.

It was SO disgusting.

But I guess whoever it was really had to go.

I on the other hand would have done my best to channel my dogs willpower and held onto my “stink stink” until I reached the nearest town with a McDonald’s or Burger King so I could use a REAL restroom. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of urgency would leave me to squat over THAT open hole.

But that’s just me.

PS - Don’t forget to keep those juicy questions coming. If you don’t want to leave it in the comments, you can email me (stuff at moniquerenae dot com) or use the contact me form. Only a few more posts until I hit my 100th. And then after that you will lose all right to ask me anything.. I’ll go back to my usual mean, cranky, secretive self.

Honey, Is There A Place To Plug In My Curling Iron In The Woods?

• Author: Monique
• Filed under: life, out and about
• Date: Mar 31,2008

My husband and I are going on vacation.

Actually, he is going on vacation… I am going on a stress-filled trip.

He and I have never agreed on what a vacation should consist of. Personally, I think a vacation is time where you do practically nothing. Or at least very little. He however likes to pile our day full of things to do and see.

After working long hours dealing with idiot customers, I want time alone where I don’t see another human, so for me, staying in a 4 star hotel with constant room service sounds perfect!

He works even longer hours than I do, and his idea of perfection is driving 15 hours to go stay in a tent in the mountains.

I don’t like the woods. I am not a nature person. I like looking at nature on the computer, or TV or even books… but frankly, I don’t want to be out in it. It just doesn’t feel right.

I don’t ever want to find myself without hot water, or using leaves for toilet paper or fishing for my meal, or using a fire to heat up anything. That’s just too much work. I can do all of that, and then some at home.

However, we have found a compromise, (which still has me all stressed) and that is we drive 15 hours into the mountains of New Mexico and stay in 2 star hotels. That way I can have running water and a plug for my curling iron (but no room service… yes I’m spoiled). Plus, my husband was so kind he even planned a day or two where I get to do absolutely nothing. I’m not looking forward to the long drive, but I am looking forward to going back to where I used to live (and hate) too see how things have changed. For 6 years, I lived on some drab brown land surrounded by feeding lots and a smell that can not be described by words. People had always said New Mexico was a beautiful place, which I didn’t get to see until right before we left.

So, this trip will allow me to see some more of the beauty that is New Mexico. We are going to Taos, which I love. Plus over to Santa Fe which I have never been to. I think I am most excited about that because from the pictures I have seen of Santa Fe, it’s gorgeous. Of course, I will have my trusty laptop with me so I can update it with pictures and tales from the road. Of course, that’s assuming I am near some place with Wi-Fi.

I guess overall I can’t complain… I do need to get away from Dallas before I go crazy. I only hope that between the cats and our house sitter that the house is still in one piece when we get back.

Butterflies In The Garden

• Author: Monique
• Filed under: out and about
• Date: Mar 24,2008

I had no intentions of going to the Zoo yesterday. We had left the house to go see the Butterflies in the Garden display at The Ft. Worth Botanic Garden. It was amazing! Having all those butterflies just flying around us was unreal.

Of course as with all places, there were some bad ass children there. As you go in, they tell you to not touch the butterflies and so forth, and it seemed like every other kid there was chasing them, trying to grab them while the parents just looked off in the opposite direction. Train your kids people!! Actually, train yourselves.

It was so humid inside the building. I had worn a coat because it was cold outside, but once I got indoors I thought I was going to melt.

This is a moth. Talk about being HUGE! It’s an Attacus Atlas moth, and one of the few things that was actually at my eye level.

The Blue Morpho with its wings closed.

This is a Blue Morpho which is my all-time favorite butterfly. Once upon a time I wanted to name my company Blue Sable and I was taking the blue part from the color of the Blue Morpho. After seeing them up close and in action, I am kind of wishing I had stuck with the name.

They had predicted rain in the area so we chose to wait to check out the rest of the garden. Plus, it’s not quite spring yet and there wasn’t a whole lot in bloom. So, we just decided to head over to the Ft Worth zoo instead!

To Be Continued.