Cautious

I'm still not really happy to be on this drug, although I have no history of heart problems in my family that I know of, so the risk of heart attack should be small. And the studies are conflicting and flawed. So for now I'll stay on it.

Diabetes drug Avandia should stay on market: U.S. health panel rules

Still reading

I'm on chapter 17, reading bits and pieces of Deathly Hallows as I can. I had to pull myself away from one stirring scene to go to work tonight. It would be better if I could read in in just a few long sittings, but still, at least I'm getting to read it in piecemeal.

I've been following this story for awhile and I'm glad it had a good conclusion

Bulgarian Nurses Home After Eight-Year Ordeal

Home at last, after eight years of hell in a foreign prison

For more on the HIV Trial in Libya, check out Wikipedia's article.

Jailed on charges that they had instigated a CIA- and Mossad- (the Israeli equivalent) inspired plot to infect over 400 children at a hospital in Libya (despite the fact that the epidemic started before most of them came to the country, and most were probably singled out because of their country's relations with the US and others that opposed Qaddafi's regime), these nurses and trainee doctor were sentenced to death not once but twice, allegedly tortured including by electrocution, and at least one intimated that rape had been a tactic. The doctor apparently lost an eye, one woman's face is paralysed, and another tried to commit suicide to escape the interrogations that brought false confessions. Now they have been released due to a great deal of diplomacy on the part of the European Union and various countries, pressure from international groups and organisations, and perhaps (it's somewhat controverisal) an intervention by the wife of the French President. Even Qaddafi's own son Saif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, played a vital role in the negotiations on behalf of the medics. The nurses are Bulgarian; the Aegyptian-born Palestinian doctor was granted Bulgarian citizenship last month, and all were pardoned by the Bulgarian President shortly after arriving in Sofia. So in a sense it's a happy ending, as they reunite with families. But they've had eight brutal years that have changed their lives forever. I wish them well.

Meanwhile, the devastation from that epidemic, ruled due to bad hygiene such as running needles under the tap, continues to mount. Of the 400 or so children infected, over 50 have died. Part of the negotiations included settlements to the government and to the families for the care of these children. Several are being treated in France and Italy. I wish them all that life has to offer as well.

Thanks to a lunch break, a waiting room visit, and a small break this afternoon

I'm six chapters into Deathly Hallows. I love it so far. She's doing an excellent job of linking this book to those which came before it, continually developing the characters, and presenting the kids as being on the threshold between childhood and adulthood. It immediately had me hooked and is moving forward nicely (no unending Quidditch matches here). I won't reveal any details; I think that's crass, at least this early in the worldwide reading. Some of us didn't have the luxury of staying home all Saturday finishing the book. But I'm getting to read it now, and I'm enjoying it immensely.

That's all for now. I'm going to try to read for a few minutes and then go on to bed. 'Night.

Interesting

It's associative, not necessarily causal, but sodas--even diet drinks--have been linked with metabolic syndrome, the cluster of factors that leads to diabetes (this happened to me) and heart disease.

Study Links Diet Soft Drinks With Cardiac Risk

Another reason for consumer health services in libraries

Health Literacy Level Linked To Longevity

The dark side of Edison

Came across this, and from what I can tell by doing some Googling, this is, indeed, true.

Edison Hates Cats


Which oddly enough, brought me to this:


Apparently someone saw a relief from Aegypt with hieroglyphics that looked amazingly like a light bulb and decided to build one to match.

Okay, really, good night.

I'm home earlier than normal

I didn't have to pick my friend up from work tonight because he's off. I did have to go to Kroger to pick up some things, including Cerys' food, something that I forgot earlier.

I never did get to start Harry Potter. I intend to get through the first chapter tonight. Then tomorrow I'm going to bring it along because the woman I normally eat lunch with is on maternity leave (she was induced Friday; I don't know yet what she had, and they never found out ahead of time--I hope and presume all went well). The others have been eating outside, and I've been trying to stay out of the sun because I burn easily anyway and the Lasix increases that risk. So instead I'll have a trusty book with me. Then I have an appointment that afternoon, so it's always good to have something to read while waiting.

Anything I haven't mentioned from this week already? Oh, the other night I went by the ATM and it said 'do you need more time?'. I said no and it spit out someone's debit card and receipt. I couldn't really slip it under the front doors of the bank, so I held onto it until the next morning, locking it in my glove compartment. It felt strange to have someone else's card. I took it in the next day to a teller. I hope the guy got it back alright.

Today we played the game (it was excellent). Dee wasn't there, she had family obligations, but we soldiered on. Brenda killed two Byakhee in a total magical darkness, which was quite impressive. Of course, then the cultists started shooting, and that's difficult to handle when your main weapons are swords.

By the way Byakhee is also a free program for generating standard Call of Cthulhu character sheets. Check it out. It allows you to automatically roll a character and fills out your sheet, generate random character names, roll complex dice combinations, import images for the investigator, calculate income, roll checks off, and allows you to export to a web page. It is, unfortunately, not so useful for us because we have such specialised stats, but fun nonetheless, and did I mention free? They also have on the website sheets for NPCs (Non-Player Characters), newspaper handout templates, calendar sheets, a resistance roller, a back sheet for the standard sheet, one for Delta Green, and additional rule packs (skills, occupations, weapons, spellbooks, etc.) for Walker in the Wastes, 1930's Antarctic Explorer (from Beyond The Mountains of Madness), Delta Green, 1920s Investigator Companion, and Dreamlands. There's even a thought for today. The one I just got was 'Famous last words: "I think it's intelligent. Let's see if I can communicate with it."' That would be Dee's character Autumn, I'm sure. :)

Well, that's all for now. I want to get that chapter in!

My precious...(sorry, wrong series)

I have a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, courtesy of the Tates Creek Kroger, which was selling them tonight at 40% off. I have not opened it yet, but even though I have to get up in five hours I may have to read the first chapter at least. There is something wonderful about completing a series of books in your collection. I am very excited about reading it, but I want to savour it rather than run right through it, especially as it is the last.

I also went to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight. I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it flowed better than the others, for one, rather than getting bogged down like some of the other films did. They handled Sirius' death a little different from the book, which I found interesting. The Weasley twins' farewell to Hogwarts was different than I imagined, but still fun. And despite not being quite toad-like enough, Imelda Staunton was excellent as Dolores Umbridge--perky, insane, and evil all at once. And speaking of madness, Helena Bonham Carter was perfect for Bellatrix Lestrange. Evanna Lynch was perfect as Luna Lovegood, too. Whoever did the casting did an excellent job.

The other day I mentioned a trailer for The Golden Compass. I'd also been shown one for Stardust, which looks interesting--and certainly it looks like Michelle Pfeiffer steals the show. It was on the trailer reel tonight, too. Here it is:



It's based off a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, so hopefully it will be quite good.

There's also my favourite fantasy series of all coming to the big screen--no, believe it or not, it's not the Harry Potter books, but rather Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. Here's the trailer that I suppose is supposed to appeal more to modern kids (the original sequence was set in the 70s):



A second one has more emphasis on the fantasy aspects, I suppose.

Obviously there has been some mucking about with the story. Will is supposed to be English, for one thing. This Will Stanton is not. I'll reserve judgement, but I rather unsure of how I'll react to the changes they've made. Still, it's worth a look.

Today was nice, full of Harry Potter and tofu goodness. Strange thing of the day: appaerntly someone has sent me a not-so-subtle hint by signing me up for a subscription to Glamor magazine. I thought I had someone else's mail at first, but lo, it had my name on it. Despite the fact that I rarely put product in my hair I have a secret fondness for makeup tips and the like (I subscribed to Seventeen as a teenager, for example), so I'm okay with it. But I wish I knew who gave me the subscription. Weird.

Well, I have four-and-a-half hours now to sleep, and a chapter of Harry Potter to peek at. Good night.

Rest

I was tentatively scheduled from 3-9 today at the station, but that changed when the guy we thought had quit (he called in sick and then didn't return calls; turned out he was out of minutes on his phone) came back and is working tonight, so I was moved to 6-9 instead (my normal Thursday schedule, to put away things from the truck). How did I spend my windfall? Exactly like my boss' suggestion--I slept for 2 1/2 hours. I'm a little groggy, and I'm trying to eat something when I have to be at work in 20 minutes (fortunately it's 2 blocks away), but I'm glad I got some rest. Plus my schedule changed so I'm still working 10 hours on Saturday, but not as late, and if a new person who's starting tomorrow does okay, I might actually get some time off soon. I'm also working Tuesday and Wednesday 3-9, but again, if we get another new person who's in the pipe, then I might be off instead. Which suits me fine. I like the paycheques I've been getting but I signed on for 15-20 hours a week, not 24-27. Even though I'm a part-timer, my boss recognises I have another job, other responsibilities, and some health problems to contend with, so she's trying to make sure I don't get overly worked, even when we're down to 4 people and she's pushing herself to make 70-90 hours a week. Personally I'd rather work than see her burn out--she's only 25 or 26 and under far more stress than I've ever been at a job, and it's not good for her health at all, either.

Well, I got a couple of tortillas and cheese in me; time to get dressed and get ready for the truck. I'll try to write some more tonight.

Oh, yes!

December 7, 2007, I may very well be in the theatre--I who never go on opening night. But this is for His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials: Northern Lights in Britain), and I've just seen the trailer tonight and it looks lovely.

Here is the trailer (a bit dark on YouTube)



I'm interested in what they do with the philosophical and religious elements in the movie. The director, Chris Weitz--who began the project, left, and returned after another director resigned--according to the Wikipedia article

indicated that the film would make no direct mention of religion or of God, two of the key themes of the trilogy – a decision attacked by fans of the novels. Weitz stated that New Line Cinema feared that "perceived antireligiosity" would make the film financially unviable in the US. However, Weitz attempted to reassure fans by saying that religion would appear in euphemistic terms. He also indicated that he believes His Dark Materials is "not an atheistic work, but a highly spiritual and reverent piece of writing".

Still, Philip Pullman, writing of Weitz' return, had this to say:

But Scholastic and New Line, who are both involved in making the film, have been more than considerate to me - and, much more importantly, to the story. And the latest script, from Chris Weitz, is truly excellent; I know, because I`ve just this morning read it. I think it`s a model of how to condense a story of 400 pages into a script of 110 or so. All the important scenes are there and will have their full value.

Anyway, even if I'm not there at the first showing, I know what I'll be doing at some point in December. :) I hope it's a success and the other two books are adapted. It looks quite visually stunning. Let us hope the story has been true to the original.

Um, rich, no...but I get the whole manager/white collar thing

You Are Upper Middle Class

You're stuck in an interesting middle area between upper and middle class. You're wealthy enough for most people to call you rich (or at least comfortable), but you don't feel rich! Climbing your way to the top is hard work. And you've often feel stretched for time and resources. If only you had a little more money! You can't help but wish you had the lifestyle of the upper class. You may end up: A manager, high school teacher, or accountant. Other people who share your class: "White collar" professionals and business people

What Class Are You?

It's noisy out there

No, it's not the traffic, or my neighbours, or anything like that. It's the cicadas, singing in the hedgerow behind my apartment.

Ah, summer.

I'm almost half-awake, despite it being 3 am, although I expect that to deteriorate soon.

Today was very busy. I worked at the hospital, then had to run an errand. I was a little late for job #2 at the station (lots of traffic to contend with, and one traffic jam because of a large intersection's light going out due to a storm we had. That was fun to treat as a four-way stop, with six lanes of traffic). I wound up working with my boss because the other night person had called in. Bless her heart, she got there at 5 am and was going to be there till close at midnight. Not a fun day, plus she lost a filling and is having a lot of pain. She bought us dinner about 5 pm, which was very nice--it was pizza, which I hadn't had in awhile. She was even going to let me leave early but we had trouble with the computer and the car wash so that took awhile to fix. Then it was notes and a decent-sized (1 hour) grocery run. Now I'm at home, finally. I've had some Havarti on sourdough and a container of coconut creme pie yoghurt. It's time to go to bed. I'll see if I can find one quiz or video for you first, though.

I keep telling myself

when I come home late after notes, or working, or dog washing, or whatever's exhausting me (perhaps a combination) that I'll get up early and blog instead in the morning. That doesn't so much work for me. Today's a slight exception (among other things, I was in bed by 1:30 as opposed to 3 or 4 am), but I don't really have much time to put on content.

I'm sorry for that. My blog is very important to me. It and the game are my main hobbies, and it's distressing me not to be able to write about things going on during the day or news I've seen. So despite the fact that I have both jobs, two hours of notes, and a marathon grocery trip planned tonight I'm going to try to write when I get home.

To tide you over, here's a couple of cute things that are library-related:

The Wizard of Oz - a Tale of Library Circulation (where a young woman has a somewhat psychotic break in the library):



The Seneca Library Holiday Song:


Now, it's off to work.

My dog is SOOOO cute

even at 16, she looks like a Black Labrador puppy, with the grey as the main indicator of her age. Tonight when I came home, I found her bundled up in a comforter with just her head and tail sticking out, looking like a giant purple and black burrito. I wish I'd had my camera handy.

I so love her. She's been a grand companion these many years. I can't believe she's so old. I will be terribly torn up when she passes. Every night I come home braced for it, but then I find her in such cute form, and it gladdens my heart to know I still have her for another day. That may sound silly, but I do so love her. She is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, a true gift of the Goddess. I only hope her remaining time will be comfortable and happy.

I'm sorry I haven't posted

I've been coming in too tired to type. I'll try to catch up in the next day or so. On the agenda:

• lots of library stuff, including videos, images of librarians, and cause to celebrate
  
• weird, sick news that makes you really wonder about your fellow man
  
• a lawsuit McDonald's is so going to lose--I'm sure they'll try to settle
  
• bad Latin and laughable, pathetic curses, or, my exes are at it again
  
• why I hate Louisville and its University
  
• my ankles are convex!, or, how I learnt to like a water pill, even if it makes me pee
  
• just a few days before Harry Potter, the book (I like the movies, but the book, or rather the Book, takes precedence)
  
• plus, the usual quizzes
  

So please, stay tuned.

By the way

I'm good to go for another year in terms of the sleep apnea. The results of the study had me having nearly 30 arousals per hour (doesn't that sound sexy?) on the lower ramping settings (including where my machine had been on 11), and then from 15-20 it improved. So they have me at the minimum setting for improvement, and if I continue having sleepiness not caused by my lack of sleep becasue of all these various busy projects, then I'm to call back and they'll adjust it again. Also, if my machine quits I'm to call and they'll put in an order for a newer self-adjusting machine.

By the way, have I ever mentioned that my favourite form of empty calories is Magic Shell ice cream topping? I know it's mostly oil, but I love the whole freezing topping thing, especially chocolate fudge over German chocolate cake ice cream. 'Night.

Thought I fell off the face of the earth, didn't you?

No, it's just been that painting was followed by book unpacking and then my doom kicked in; I'm basically an indentured servant for a specified time to be doled out in increments according to the needs of the other person. (Long story. Suffice to say that I have learnt 1) not to say stupid things whose consequences will be far-reaching and cataclysmic to my life and 2) not to bargain my way out of said consequences. Anyway, the first project was to unpack the remaining boxes left over from a move two years ago. The books were still being unpacked at 3 pm yesterday, the doom fell at 6:23 pm (on Independence Day, of all the ironies), and the project went from then until 11 am this morning. Suffice to say I came home and crashed (I was off today, making this possible), getting up briefly around 2:30 to go to sleep doctor appointment (another irony, and I nearly slept through the appointment, awaking to my cell phone halfway into a pulled out drawer that I'd tried to shush it with) and taking care of my rent. Then it was back to sleep and I woke up at midnight to take a friend home, and now I'm up and getting something to eat and contemplating going back to bed again. Tomorrow I'm off from the hospital, so I can sleep in, although I do have to work the truck night at the gas station.

Independence Day was a kind of a dud for me. I normally go down the the fesitval downtown, but slept late (remember, I'd been getting about 5 hours a night for a couple of weeks) instead. Then I was going to go to the fireworks, and it thunderstormed. Granted, we need the rain desperately, but I wish is had held out for a few more hours. So 4th of July sort of fizzled. Hopefully they'll have the fireworks at a later date (one year it was Labour Day).

I did haul away a good little bit during the Great Purge for my efforts, including a what I think is a 21" monitor (it may be 24") and keyboard. I haven't installed them yet (I was doing well to get the monitor inside so my friend would have a place to sit). That's something for tomorrow. But it's got a really big screen (granted, it's the old clunky type, but it works well and it's a better screen than mine).

Okay, I think I'll play a game, eat a little ice cream, and go back to bed. Have a good night--and I hope the rest of you in America had a good Fourth.

Another famous non-smoker felled by lung cancer

Opera star Beverly Sills dies of cancer

I knew she was ailing, but checked the news tonight to find she'd died. She popularised opera with her upbeat personality.

Even as a seven-year-old she had chops...



Here is Beverly Sills singing Mozart's 'Ah vous dirai-je, maman' (or as some would recognise it, 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'):



and her final performance:

Got a lot accomplished today

but there was no game. I finished the trim, did touch ups, helped move the furniture back, worked on a computer, and watched 'The 4400', and basically did a host of little things. Also, Brenda stopped by, thinking we were playing today, and she'll be back next week. I think she is as disturbed as I of how events have played out and all the different things we're juggling, not to mention powerful supernatural creatures who want to wage war against us, all for something my character did.

I'm actually home at a semi-decent hour. I may play a little of my current favourite, G.H.O.S.T. Hunters (it's a puzzle game where you find objects that are hidden on the screen and then get suspects for the haunting of a house.) No, I think I'll go on to bed. Hope you have a good night.

The full moon is big and gorgeous tonight

I very nearly broke tonight when I got a heavy shelf stuck and couldn't get it to budge. I don't handle frustration that well and just bawled, eventually getting some control over myself making it possible to move the shelf. I did chip a little off the top corner, but I covered that with white paint.

During the day I worked at the store for 8 hours, then watched the first two episodes of 'Ugly Betty'. It's a great little show. I particularly identified with Betty when she walked right into the glass doors. America Ferrera does an excellent job. It amazes me how they 'Bettify' her--she's such a pretty girl, and of a decent size, too. Vanessa Williams is great as a conniver, and Mark Indelicato, who plays Betty's nephew Justin (flaming at a tender age) does it superbly. Then it was painting trim and putting up shelves. Ah, my life--I don't think I've had more than four hours of sleep a night for a week and a half.