Crickets

If you've ever lived in Austin then you know that in the late summer/early fall there's an absolute infestation of crickets in Austin ... as in one of the 7 signs of the Apocalypse-type infestation. Well, add to that all the rain we've had and 1) the crickets are here early and 2) there's about a bizillion more of them. It's SO gross. I opened the door to my office this morning, turned on the lights, and about 8 of them scattered to the edges of the room. YUCK. Apparently my cricket-catching sticky pad was too full and the cleaning crew threw it out. Darn them. I don't think they understand just how full those suckers can get before they need to be thrown out. They should have seen the one I tossed on Monday morning... I don't know why, but we don't have this issue at home, just in the office. And for whatever reason, they can't spray the building. More environmentally friendly I guess, but do you know how loud a cricket is when it's hiding behind your bookshelves? I'm trying to work here, people. Someone please tell me that crickets are a vital part of the food chain or something, b/c I think I'm gonna lose it ;)

Oh yeah, and for anyone wondering about the flooding ... "Lake Travis peaked Friday at 701.52 feet above mean sea level (msl) and the lake continues to drop gradually. At noon Monday, the level of Lake Travis had fallen to 697.81 feet msl. The lake, formed by Mansfield Dam, was built to hold back floodwaters to protect Austin and other downstream communities and is performing that job. Fluctuations in its level are expected." (compliments, again, of the LCRA website).