Invasion of the Ladybugs—Run For Your Life!

[calliopes_pen]

Everyone needs to read this obituary in The Paducah Sun. It’s hysterical--I think someone just went insane. Just let me know if you can’t see it--it wasn’t something where you had to log in, so it should be fine. Mentions of underwater basket weaving, and other weirdness is in there.

From Io9: When Monsters Change Sides: 10 Horror Icons Who Turned Good. Real Ghostbusters gets a mention in there.

31 Classic Halloween TV Episodes and Specials



1 - What's your favourite Doctor Who moment?
This one was hard, as I have quite a long list of moments that I loved, so I’ll give three. When Donna and the Doctor realized they had to blow up Pompeii to save the world, and pushed the button together, along with her pleading to save just one person. The end of Utopia, as the Doctor realizes who Professor Yana is, and everything that happens after. For a lighter moment, the whole bit in The Unicorn and The Wasp, when the Doctor is trying to cure himself after being poisoned, and Donna is trying to interpret what he wants.

2 - What's your favourite Halloween movie?
It’s not a movie, it’s a documentary. It’s a tradition for me to watch The Haunted History of Halloween on The History Channel every Halloween. Other than that, whatever movie or special happens to be on that I’m interested in.

3 - What's your favourite Buffy episode?
Once More, With Feeling.

4 - Where would you most like to visit?
I honestly don’t know. Maybe England.

5 - Have you always lived where you live now?
Yes.

1. Comment to this entry saying 'ICONS!'
2. I will pick 6 of your icons.
3. Make an entry in your own journal and talk about the icons I chose.

ithildyn picked the following:


A cute icon that was made by redscharlach. The aftermath of the Vashta Nerada devouring someone.


taibhrigh made this one, of the Adipose sitting in a sink. Rather cute.


darknss_r1sing made this one, and I don’t think I’ve ever had occasion to use it. It’s just a weird icon involving the Daleks.


I love this one. It’s just Evie being Evie, and translating things in The Mummy. Saving the world with Egyptology, as it says. It was made by iconsbycurtana.


This is just Jack swishing his coat around melodramatically. It was made by capedcrusader92, and I rarely use it.


Back when I was trying to find icons that were Xena or Hercules related when I was writing a Hercules fanfic for Yuletide (in 2006) I stumbled across this one. One of the better Gabrielle icons that I’ve found. It was made by gracent_dic, and I haven’t had many occasions to use it.



Also, Mom would like to know what you can do to kill ladybugs, or get them to leave everyone alone. In the last three days, they’ve taken over. One step outside, and you are covered by ten, at least, with more diving for you. The entire front of one neighbor’s son’s house is covered in them, and he can’t walk outside right now. It’s only our side of the street in our neighborhood—Nellie’s house is fine, as are a few others on that side.

And is anyone else having trouble with logging in to AIM today?

ETA: After reading my friends list, I see that at least a few people are having issues with AIM being down, so it's not just me.

In other news, when Mom got the mail, she discovered a sympathy card from her brother. To all of us, about the cat.

Comments

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there's a way of trapping the ladybugs humanely so they can be ferried elsewhere?

That, or your mother's neighborhood has an outbreak of aphids/greenfly/similar and the ladybirds are just cashing in... they're useful little things (unless they're feeding off plants, in which case they're a pest).

[calliopes_pen]

There are so many that I doubt you could get them anywhere.

Haven't seen any aphids, but that might be it for all I know. Every time I step outside, the ladybugs swoop for my eyes and shoes, and try to land in Mom's hair. It's annoying. Toby (neighbor's dog) has now taken to growling at them, and--if they don't stop flying at me, while I'm trying to pet him--eating them.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Yike, that is distinctly scary. Sort of the coccinellidae equivalent of "The Birds".

[calliopes_pen]

It's starting to feel like it.

We've been having a bit of that, too--nearly 100 birds landing in the front yard every few days. I think it's just the fact that they're looking for food. So far, none of them have come to kill us.

An interesting bit? At one point last week, while Mom and I were outside, we heard a loud hissing/whooshing noise, that got closer and closer. It turned out to be the sound of nearly 100 birds all flapping their wings in unison as they flew over us.

[marag.livejournal.com]

I hope my obit reads like that someday. She sounds like a fun lady and much loved.

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

Asian ladybugs are swarming now in several areas of the country--they're out in record numbers this year here in NJ.

For ladybugs inside, the news recommended vacuuming them up with a machine that doesn't use fan blades and then dumping them outside. You can't do much to them outside, other than washing them away with a hose.
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=29&sid=1791334

[gollumgollum.livejournal.com]

That might just be the best obituary i have ever read. She sure lived the heck out of life.

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Ah, but if you gotta go now, wouldn't that be the way to do it?

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Oops, I screwed up. Didn't mean that to go to you. Sorry. And I agree with your assessment of Cindy.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

I want an obituary like that. Eventually. Preferably, very eventually.

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Ah, but if you gotta go now, wouldn't that be the way to do it? (Posted to right person this time.)

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Okay. Two things. (1) Cindy chose hospice --- it rings through clearly and (2) Nurses really are loads of fun.

Re: the ladybugs --- You're mom might be helped by the fact that they are harmless. Maybe it's unseasonably muggy back there? Which means that there's not much to do, I guess. Well, wasn't I a bundle of usefulness on that one.

PS --- If it helps, tell your mom that, until today, it's been so muggy where I am (we're usually not muggy, not like where you are) that I've had pill bugs and snails all over. Including 2 snails in my freshly-cleaned house! Yeesh!

[settiai]

I swear, you can always tell when bad weather's coming because the ladybugs try to take over the world. *shakes head* Nothing really kills them, unfortunately, at least not that I've seen over the years. All you can do is wait for the first real cold snap to get here (and, when they're swarming like this, that usually means it is coming sometime in the next week or two).