Technology fails me...

My Scooba has inexplicably malfunctioned. Spent the better part of 45 minutes on the phone with tech support today, and they couldn't fix it either. They are sending me a replacement part which will get here in two weeks.

I am very sad, and also very behind on my floor washing, as a result.

Wah!

Pepe Le Pew Lives Under My Porch

So I was walking home from work last night and turned to walk up my stairs, when I caught sight of movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to get a better look, and saw only a flash of black and white fur and the swish of a tail before whatever it was disappeared under the front porch. A cat, was my first thought. After all, we have plenty of strays to go around. The gait wasn't quite right, though: a bit like a roly-poly sailor's gait more than the graceful-but-guilty-looking slink of the average alley cat.

My curiosity piqued, I investigated, suspicions already aroused as to what it might be. Sure enough, blinking calmly at me from its vantage point under the porch, was a skunk. It regarded me with mild interest, and I didn't try to get too close (work clothes + skunk = baaaaad). It didn't stamp its feet or raise its tail, which I know are the classic signs of "Come one step closer and I'll nail you!" from a skunk (I did a project on them back in elementary school), but I didn't especially want to try my luck with it.

So I left Pepe to his (her?) business, and went upstairs. I like seeing city wildlife: it reminds me that we're not nearly as far removed from nature as we think, even in the midst of the concrete jungle.