worthless, skunks are

So tonight my dog Gus was sprayed for the second time in as many weeks by a skunk. I let him outside in the backyard after dark and ba-boom, it's suddenly this absolutely horrible eye-watering stench that permeates the entire house. It's not even that "stinky" smell that most folks associate with skunks, this is kind of a stomach-turning burnt-rubber that makes your eye water smell. I'm not sure I can think of anything worse.

The first incident, I tried the tomato product rinse. This was moderately effective, the true ripeness was removed, though you were still instantly aware whenever he would enter the room for the next few days. I made a comment about it on my facebook account and a college friend of mine gave me the MAGICAL recipe:

32 oz. hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 Tbsp Dawn degreasing dish soap (the original "regular" or concentrated formula)

Mix and pour over, or use in a spray bottle, or even dump in your afflicted laundry. You can also spray it on indoor or outdoor surfaces that may have also been savaged by the skunk ick.

Seriously, this recipe saved my life. Oh, and did I mention that on the way to the store I hit a deer? I wouldn't even really consider it an accident, my car wasn't damaged too much, though the deer didn't make it through. Ugh. Just another bit of stress, right? It's enough damage that I will have to file an insurance claim on it. Damnit.

What a crazy night. Oh yeah. This all happened between 1:30 and 2:30 am.

islam, best producer of granola bars?

Has anyone tried the absolutely delectable granola bars produced by the 2nd largest US non-franchise coffee chain Caribou Coffee? If you haven't, you might want to try them, seriously, they're amazing. I believe the flavors are Mocha, Vanilla Latte, and Mocha Mint. Vanilla Latte is my fav, closely followed by Mocha Mint. They have virtually no caffeine, similar to decaf coffee (which does actually contain a very small, if useless, amount of caffeine).

The funny bit? I just found a news article that said the Caribou Coffee company had a majority portion sold to the First Islamic Investment Bank in 2000. So, one of our favorite and "natural" American granola bar snacks is really funded and supported by Islam? Crazy shakes. Either way, the bars are damned yummy and I will continue to eat them. :-)