another late night

Disclaimer: this post will make little to no sense to most of you. It’s actually intended for one unnamed individual who will surely know exactly who they are. If when you are done reading this, you feel like you’ve just wasted the last 5 minutes of your life, then you’re probably right. If though, you actually make it to the end, there is a fun anecdote about the night I thought I heard a mountain lion. Have fun.

For the sake of friendship and good memories, I am writing this from the country hillside where I spend many Saturday nights. Yes, that’s right… I’m babysitting again. And as a tribute/flashback to the last time I was here, I decided to come up with what I’ve been up to since I got here at approximately 7:47.

play game with kids – check
brush teeth and go potty – check
read story – check
kids in bed – check
raid kitchen for food – dried fruit found, eaten and put away
not really that hungry anyways – food search complete (besides all the cheese is gone)
search tivo for anything worth watching – fail
connect to wifi – fail
surround sound – still lame

just shy of 3 hours in, it is now exactly 10:41. update is as follows:

still searching for tv – no luck
starting to get hungry – check
wifi status – still fail

current surroundings:
uncomfortable pre-slept on loveseat – have found semi-comfortable position and trying not to move
laptop – on lap
blanket – keeping me warm
tv – Christina Aguilera snl rerun in background
lighting – bright but I still feel a little creeped out

As promised, here is the story about the mountain lion. This is a TRUE story, I kid you not. It may sound unbelieveable, but I assure you it is completely factual. Out here in the country, one never knows what to expect as far as nature goes. Last summer, I was here, sitting on the couch in the usual fashion. Out of NOWHERE (except maybe the woods?) there came this horrifying howl that was more like a growl/roar and it was near. Like it felt like it was right near the front porch, that kind of near. I have never been more legitimately scared in my entire life. I immediately thought that it had to be some sort of large cat. A VERY large cat.

So when the rents got home, I let them know about aforementioned experience. Without batting an eye, the mom told me that it was probably a mountain lion. She said that the DEC have been letting wild mountain lions loose in the Bristol hills to help control the deer population. WHAT?!?! She went on to tell me a few horror (and supposedly true) stories about mountain lions abducting (and I would guess killing and eating) people! I’m not one to get freaked out easily, but that night the idea of walking across 50 feet of open yard to get to my car that eerily black night I was SCARED BEEPLESS.

The only consoling factor amidst this onslaught of “let’s scare our babysitter away forever” tactics, was that she also began talking about wild chihuahuas they have in their front yard. I stood there with my mouth hanging open and asked her in all seriousness at least 3 times if she was joking. She neither denied nor confirmed whether she was joking or not, but I’m banking on the fact that it was near to 3am and either I was hallucinating or she was talking in her sleep. Either way, I left their house both confused and scared out of my mind.

I did some research to find out about wild mountain lions being in this area, and I found that they really aren’t being let loose. Thank GOD. I also went on the national geographic site and listened to many different large cat growls and roars and what I found was the noise I heard that night wasn’t a mountain lion at all. The closest I came to it was a lynx, which are in fact indigenous to the area. I can deal with lynxes… mountain lions I cannot.