Wednesday Thoughts

Yesterday I had a brush with death. Ish. It happened when I went on a bike ride with my friend Sarah. We rode down a path by a lake that we had discovered over the weekend. It was beautiful - the sun was starting to set over the pond and it was a very serene setting. That's when it happened. A snake slithered right across in our path. We both slammed on our breaks and squealed for about 30 seconds straight as we watched the snake slither into the grass on the side of the path. Then we realized that if we took off, we were less likely to see the snake again. For the rest of the ride we thought every stick we saw was a snake.

In retrospect, the snake was about a foot long, completely harmless, and scared out of its mind. But it was still very scary. Take my word for it. Why must snakes move in such a creepy manner!?

In other Wednesday Thoughts, I have a confession to share. Sometimes I think I need to be more straight forward when it comes to dating. This is the hardest thing for me. I know I'm not the only one who isn't perfect when it comes to dating though. I mean, it's confusing, isn't it? At least, that's what I tell myself. Last night, I was talking with a guy friend about a tricky dating situation I found myself in last month. This guy I was talking to is a great listener and does not hesitate to tell me what I'm doing/did wrong in the situation.

Here are some direct quotes from him last night (I wrote them down):

"This is vintage woman right now... This is why guys are constantly scratching their heads about women."

He may have also called me a "prototypical girl" which made me laugh though it was bit harsh. Lest you think badly of me, I'm not as bad as all that. He was exaggerating. (I hope he's not reading this otherwise I might get called out in the comments.) The situation I was telling him about was just a particularly tricky one. And it shows how differently men and women think.

Who do you think is more confusing: men or women? I think women get a bad rep - men can be just as hard to read. Don't you think?

And lastly in Wednesday Thoughts, it's the first day of September. I think I'm ok with that. I hope you are too. If you need reminders of why fall is awesome, I'm here to help. But here's a hint: next week is the demolition derby. Honestly, what is more fun that that?

Happy Wednesday.

Wednesday Thoughts

With the weather getting cold and the leaves changing colors, I'm finding myself in the mood to watch Ghostbusters. Remember that scene with the ghost librarian? Terrifying. (The rest of the movie, not so much.) It's sad how as you get older, movies that scared you as a kid are no longer scary. Another movie in that "used to be scary"category: Watcher in the Woods. Remember that one? NAREK!! (That's a reference to one of the "scariest" parts of the movie, in case you haven't seen it.)

This has been quite a week. I got my oil changed and found out five things need to be replaced in my car. I got a jury duty summons in the mail. My phone broke. My earring broke, etc.. etc...

But lots of good things have happened too, so I'm trying to focus on those. Don't worry, I'm not too gloomy - I'm sure things will pick up as the week goes on.

Moving back to what I was saying at the beginning of this post, I am definitely in the fall/Halloween spirit. I feel like watching a movie that's scary, but not too scary. Any suggestions? I caught something called "Mostly Ghostly" on the Disney channel and watched about five minutes before getting spooked and changing the channel. So keep that in mind when making recommendations.

How are you getting into the fall/Halloween spirit? Happy Wednesday.

Mary Poppins - Friday the 13th Style

Since it's Friday, I thought I'd post a funny video. But since it's Friday the 13th, here's a funny one with a twist. I should warn you - this is a little spooky. (For real.)

The Troll Bridge and other Saline legends...

As you know, I have been thinking about scary stories this week. Not because I'm morbid, or dark, or adventure seeking, but because I need to have a good one to tell at the bonfire this Saturday. I'm not brave enough to follow the tips I mentioned in my last post in order to create my own scary story, but I was thinking that we have plenty of scary story material right in Saline!

My friend Valerie went on a "haunted Saline" tour a couple years ago. The tour was given by a couple of ghost hunters and visited several sights in Saline. I'll tell you a few highlights of the tour along with some scary stories I know about the area. Let me know which you think is the best, i.e. the sppoooookiest.

The Troll Bridge
Way out in the country in Saline, there is a bridge in the woods locally known as "the troll bridge." The legend is this: years and years ago, a couple was driving home late at night. Their car broke down on the bridge so the husband got out to get help. He never came back. Hours later, his wife got out of the car and found her husband's body behind the car. Her body was found later that day. All the bones in their bodies were broken, and apparently the only logical explanation is that trolls did it. Personally I've always thought this one was ludicrous, but I still get spooked whenever I drive over that troll bridge.

The Cannery Houses

Down the street from the Troll Bridge there used to be a circle of houses off the road. They were destroyed a few years ago. No one knows when or why (did you like that detail? I made it up.), but at some point the houses were abandoned. My friends and I checked them out once when we were in high school. There was still furniture in them, magazines on the floor, and every other normal thing you'd find in a house. The people living there just seemed to have vanished.

Funny story: once, in high school, my friend Fred and I were driving my dad's truck past the houses, trying to spook ourselves. As we got closer to the houses, a branch broke off a tree and landed in the back of my dad's truck. Fred jumped, grabbed my arm and screamed. He'll never admit it, but it's true.

Oakwood cemetery
So, I've never found the grave yard particularly spooky, but Val told me it was on the haunted Saline tour. The ghost hunters have recorded a woman's voice saying, "Get out!" (yikes)

Union School

This school is straight up creepy. My aunt works there and has seen books fly off her book shelf for no reason. This school was also included on the haunted Saline tour.

Can you tell the stories are getting shorter? It's because I'm getting creeped out! Anyway, let me know which of these is your favorite, and I might tell it around the campfire. Don't be scared though (Emily), because they're all just products of people's imaginations running wild. Well, the troll bridge story might be true. It sounds the most probable anyway.