What a day

I:

1. Worked for an hour this morning doing data entry.
   
2. Rode the bus to Central Baptist Hospital.
   
3. Got a compliment on my skirt (the one my friends got me for my birthday) from a complete stranger.
   
4. Got to see a lot of folks I haven't seen in awhile.
   
5. Listened to an excellent programme by Dorothy Brockopp on librarians, nurses, evidence-based practice, and Magnet status.
   
6. Had an excellent meal as part of the meeting (thanks Lonnie and Carla!!!)
   
7. Had our Kentucky Medical Library Association business meeting, which was very productive. I would so volunteer to be president again when the term comes up in the fall, if I had a car. They're always looking for someone to do it, and I was president of the Bluegrass Medical Libraries once upon a time and enjoyed it.
   
8. Stopped by the gift shop on my way out, looking for a present for my grandmother, but alas, did not find anything for her.
   
9. Came out just in time to miss the bus.
   
10. Thanked a man for giving me a piece of paper with a prayer by St Francis of Assisi on it.
    
11. Sat outside in the sun for 35 minutes with sunscreen that may or may not still be active.
    
12. Got back to work about 3:45 (I leave at 5).
    
13. Had a fire drill in our area so I had to go to another section for a few minutes.
    
14. Put the last of the charge sheets for the week in.
    
15. Assigned things to my to-do list for next week.
    
16. Got a ride to Kroger.
    
17. Bought some much-needed groceries (and new sunscreen).
    
18. Took an offer from a Bulgarian lady I sometimes talk to at the bus stop (she doesn't speak much English) to borrow a big reusable bag that held three of mine.
    
19. Schlepped home.
    
20. Put the perishables away, plopped down, and looked something up for a friend.
    
21. Reported my findings.
    
22. Ate some Tuscan bean salad, mozzarella, and some bread.
    

Now I'm going to go to the postal boxes we have for packages and pick up a delivery. They put a key in our mailbox for them. I am always amazed that I get packages from the Science Fiction Book Club without fail, but things from Amazon are never delivered correctly. Go figure.

It looks like the rain is coming close. We're supposed to have storms and the high will be about 20 degrees lower tomorrow, when I visit my family. So I better retrieve that package now. Have a pleasant evening. I'm not sure if I'll blog again tonight, or even tomorrow since I'll be visiting with my mom, grandmother, aunts, and uncles.

Which brings me to the following question: What do you get a woman who has pretty much everything for her 88th birthday???? If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments. Thanks.

This is really cool

It's a graphic showing the worth of librarians around the world, and neat facts about libraries and the people who make them work:

http://mastersineducation.org/files/2011/07/LibariansWorthAroundWorldLrg.jpg

Be sure to click on it to make it bigger. Thanks to Angélica Navarro Serment for the link.

Sometimes I think the universe laughs at me

It wasn't a big thing. I just wanted a diet drink today. But when I changed purses, I realised somewhere on the way to the bus stop that I hadn't moved the change (which is the only money I have until I get paid tonight) in my purse pocket to the new one. So all day I had a lack-of-caffeine headache and was sluggishly trying to move along, although it took some effort. I also forgot to bring my lunch, although I had some peanut butter at work. I did have about 40 cents in my pocket, and so I as able to buy a couple of pieces of bread for a peanut butter sandwich, and then later I had some tuna, but that was all for the workday. I found myself thinking, 'I know it will be six o'clock by the time I get home, but I'm going to have my cola.'

So the bus was 15 minutes late, and I finally got home, and looked in the purse, and lo, there were no quarters to be seen. It was then that I looked in my wallet (which I had had with me all day today) and discovered that at some point before today I had transferred them. So that's a forehead smacking moment.

Then I walked over to the laundry room, pressed the button to make sure it was not sold out already, and then fed the coins in and pressed my selection again. It went through major gyrations, but no cola came out and it said proudly, 'Sold Out' on the small screen. I got the change returned and sadly walked back to my apartment.

So, no cola. Oh, well, they're not good for me anyway. But yes, I firmly believe the universe was laughing at me.

On a brighter note, I came back and made some basmati rice and some chickpea curry I found in the back of my cupboard. It was delicious. Also, I had a little milk left over from when I had it for cereal, so I went ahead and had that with my meal. So everything turned out okay, although I still have my headache.

I have a suggestion for how he can prevent future fatherhood

Unfortunately I don't think the courts can mandate that...

Pregnant woman set on fire, shot by ex-boyfriend gives birth

The pregnant Detroit woman who was kidnapped, set on fire, and shot early Saturday morning has successfully given birth to a baby boy. The woman, who Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV has identified as 22-year-old LaTonya Bowman, was due to deliver in three weeks, but went into labor at about 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon and gave birth at 4:15 a.m. Tuesday morning via an emergency C-section at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

“She has to be one of the most courageous women I have ever encountered,” said Warren Police Deputy Commissioner Louis Galasso. “She had the will and instinct to live.”

Apparently the ex-boyfriend, who had two children by two different women already, didn't want this child born and plotted with another man to kill Bowman and her unborn baby. Both men are in custody.

This guy sounds like a real winner, with a criminal record, living with his mom, his new girlfriend, and the roommate who was part of the attack. At the very least, I think the man should maybe be educated in the use of a condom or learn about a vasectomy. But there's another word or two that would fit this situation, too, as far as I'm concerned, in terms of what should happen to lowlifes who try to get out of fatherhood through kidnapping and murder.

Why you shouldn't text and walk at the same time

There might be a bear ahead of you. :)

Glad to be home

It was a little difficult to get into the swing of a normal workday today, but I finally managed it. It did seem like a Monday, though. I had to leave a little early to go to the bank. And I just called the Science Fiction Book Club to see if I could cancel even though I have one book on pre-order that will be shipped next week. I was offered the 'order-only' option (I presume because I've fulfilled my quota), so I decided to go with that. I do like to order occasionally, but keeping up with the featured selections was a pain, and that was the reason I was cancelling (I've been burned in terms of books shipping without my realising I hadn't declined the offer, and that led to all sorts of insufficient funds that took two pay days to rebound from, back in the fall).

I just got off the phone with my mom and grandmother. My grandmother turns 88 today! Happy birthday, Ma. My aunts and uncles have arrived and we firmed up plans for me to visit later in the week. It'll be nice to see everyone.

I finished Charlaine Harris' Deadlocked today. It was so nice to read yesterday, for so long, and I was so close to the end, but had to go on to bed. So I finished it this morning before work.

Okay, I need to go check something online for a friend. I'll write later, I'm sure.

A rare day of absolute leisure

I've mostly been reading Charlaine Harris' Dead Reckoning, finishing it and then napping. I'm about to go on to Deadlocked, the newest Sookie Stackhouse book.

I haven't just sat down and read for hours in a long time; it's usually short forays at lunch or waiting for the bus. This was luxurious. I think I may watch a DVD later so that I can send it back and start getting the episodes of 'True Blood' to see how different it is. But today is unusual in that I haven't spoken to a soul, I haven't been out of the apartment--I've read, napped, looked at the news on the Internet, blogged a bit, eaten a little, and that's about it. Tomorrow should be much different!

Yesterday we didn't play the game, although I went over to do some things over there and visit, and ate a wonderful frittata with salad and broccoli soup. But as weekends go, this has been fairly relaxing. I should have a day to myself more often, although of course I enjoy being with other people, too.

Okay, I'm going back to reading. Hope you're getting your batteries recharged, too.

Struggling to find the balance between entertainment and conservation

To Save Some Species, Zoos Must Let Others Die

As the number of species at risk of extinction soars, zoos are increasingly being called upon to rescue and sustain animals, and not just for marquee breeds like pandas and rhinos but also for all manner of mammals, frogs, birds and insects whose populations are suddenly crashing.

To conserve animals effectively, however, zoo officials have concluded that they must winnow species in their care and devote more resources to a chosen few. The result is that zookeepers, usually animal lovers to the core, are increasingly being pressed into making cold calculations about which animals are the most crucial to save. Some days, the burden feels less like Noah building an ark and more like Schindler making a list.

For those we have lost, let us not forget

and for those who are serving, let us thank. Remember that Memorial Day is more than cookouts on a day off from work. Visit a grave, attend a service, light a candle, or at the very least, take a few minutes to hold the memory of someone you loved in your heart during this day. I'm writing this as the holiday is being observed, yet let us not forget the original date is May 30th, and we should never have moved it just to get another three-day weekend, in my opinion. Memorial Day is about more than the start of the summer sale season. It's about service and sacrifice, and loved ones lost and remembered.

Thank you, Steven Moffat, for all the great entertainment

Very troubling

Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound: Rising suicide rates among female veterans show how deep the emotional wounds can be

In 2011, there were 164 deaths of active-duty soldiers that were investigated as suicides. Adding to the horror is this surprise: According to a study in Psychiatric Services, among women ages 18 to 34, female veterans were three times more likely to kill themselves than nonveterans. (An earlier study found that male veterans were twice as likely to commit suicide as were male nonvets.)

Psychologists aren't yet sure of the reason. The Psychiatric Services study was the first time researchers estimated the suicide risk among these women. "When we broke out the statistics on females with military service, it was shocking," says Mark Kaplan, D.P.H., coauthor of the study and professor of community health at Portland State University. "Why were women killing themselves at such a disproportionate rate? Why were so many suicides occurring after they'd returned home? It's a call to action for the military to take a closer look at what women are going through."

It's an interesting article, well worth a read. I feel for these soldiers, especially those on multiple deployments. We need to do more for our men and women in uniform in terms of social and psychological support.

Sweet

Tom Eblen: Married 65 years, couple who served during World War II keep memories alive

Time is accomplishing what the combined forces of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan could never do: wipe out the generation of Americans who won World War II.

Nearly 16 million U.S. veterans came home after the war ended in 1945. Only about 1.5 million of them are still alive, including about 3,100 in Kentucky. The Veterans Administration estimates that these men and women in their 80s and 90s are passing at the rate of 740 a day.

So when I got a call recently from Donald and Mary Jane Roser of Lexington, who both served in the military during World War II and have been married for 65 years, I figured they would have interesting stories to tell.

Donald Roser, 93, was in the First Marine Division in the South Pacific, including nearly five months in the Guadalcanal campaign. "I always say I must be going to heaven, because I've already been to hell," he said.

Mary Jane Roser, 91, was one of 350,000 women accepted into military service during the war. She joined a new Navy unit called the WAVES, which stood for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

I'm so glad to hear that these two not only survived the war, but have managed to live long and productive lives together for so long.

I had three grandparents who served in the war--both grandfathers and a grandmother who served as an Army nurse and lost a kidney in the war when a patient kicked her. One of my grandfathers was at Iwo Jima in a tank division. I never knew the other; he survived the war but he and my father were estranged. My father, in turn, served in Vietnam.

Both of the grandparents I knew fell not to war, but to tobacco--one had emphysema and was on oxygen for years; another had lung cancer.

I miss them still, even though it's been several years since they passed. My grandmother died in 1993. She got me through my divorce and helped me back on my feet, dying just before I graduated from library school. My grandfather, whom I loved dearly, died in 2000. I can still remember the sound of their voices. There's only my last remaining grandmother left, and she turns 88 on Tuesday.

Tom Brokaw called them 'The Greatest Generation'. I'm just sorry we're losing them so quickly now. It's nice that these two are still together, going strong.

I ventured into the pool

During a dodgeball game, I might add. Fortunately they kept it on the shallow side. Unfortunately, I don't feel confident enough about my swimming ability to try doing laps on the deeper side (although in truth it's not too deep, it's not like it's an Olympic-style pool, but anyway, deeper than me--if I can't feel my toes on the bottom, I'm a little hesitant, which comes from nearly drowning at least twice). But I did put my feet in for a bit to get used to the temperature and then slid in, keeping close to the edge, and stayed in for awhile. Not bad for someone with body image issues. But no one shouted, 'Look at that fat woman! She looks like a beached whale! Agh, the expanse of white!', for which I'm grateful. In the eight years I've been here, I think that may have been the first or second time I've gotten in by myself (I had someone and their toddler over as guests once.)

So now I'm back inside and getting ready to do game notes. Hope your Saturday is going well.

That's a little eerie, and I feel for those who want to remain

in their homes, although I wouldn't want to stay myself.

After 50 years, fire still burns underneath Pa. town

Centralia was already a coal-mining town in decline when the fire department set the town's landfill ablaze on May 27, 1962, in an ill-fated attempt to tidy up for Memorial Day. The fire wound up igniting the coal outcropping and, over the years, spread to the vast network of mines beneath homes and businesses, threatening residents with poisonous gases and dangerous sinkholes.

After a contentious battle over the future of the town, the side that wanted to evacuate won out. By the end of the 1980s, more than 1,000 people had moved and 500 structures demolished under a $42 million federal relocation program.

But some holdouts refused to go — even after their houses were seized through eminent domain in the early 1990s. They said the fire posed little danger to their part of town, accused government officials and mining companies of a plot to grab the rights to billions of dollars' worth of anthracite coal, and vowed to stay put.

My, it's warm out there

88 degrees according to my desktop, although I'm sure the heat index is higher. I managed to get my errands all squared away, plus I got enough quarters for a couple of loads of laundry. I think I'll have enough for the tilapia I'm supposed to get for tomorrow, even if it goes off sale. It took about two hours if you count walking and waiting for the bus. The pool looks really inviting, but I'm a bit red (that may just be from heat and exertion), so I think I may wait a bit and cool off in the air conditioning first and drink some cold water. I think I'll go check the news.

I decided that I would sleep in today

But even I didn't expect to wake up at eleven. I had strange, vivid dreams, the type you remember readily after waking. Two involved guns, including some guy at a student center shooting me for no particular reason except he was going on a rampage. One involved some people who were trying to get me to pay double for a taxi they were not able to procure (that actually happened, to a point, one time in real life). Just strange things, and mysteries to be solved, that sort of thing. I apparently tossed and turned because when I did wake up my CPAP was in the floor (fortunately it has a separate humidifier that I don't use in warmer weather as a rule). My hair looked a fright, standing up on one side and falling over a bit like a Kewpie doll.

My day isn't slated to be as busy as normal on a Saturday. I have to go out in search of wine and chili paste to bring tomorrow. Otherwise it's game notes, and if I possibly can, the pool, which opened yesterday at our apartment complex. But I don't want to go in the heat of the day; I'm not sure my sunscreen is still good, so no trusting it and getting burned to a crisp. But maybe around 3 or 4 would be good. I'll probably be good and hot after walking around Richmond Road. Then there's just a bit to do around the house (maintain the bathroom and kitchen, maybe vacuum, and clean up around the computer).

Tomorrow, as far as I know, we'll be playing in the game, unless Brenda has something to do for the holiday weekend. So it'll be busy. So the plan today is to strike a balance between productive and rest. I wish I had thought to do some yoga this morning, but I've eaten now and don't like to do it when I'm full, especially since I had the most perfect pancakes I've ever made, at the perfect temperature (with sugar-free syrup, of course).

Okay, I suppose I should get going, or at least go check the bus schedule. I'm used to getting up much earlier on a Saturday. The first three go like Sunday, but then they start the ever 70 minute thing. I wish Richmond Road's bus went every 35 like some of the others on Saturday. It used to be holidays, such as Monday, would go on a Saturday schedule, but this year they're on a Sunday one, meaning the last bus goes out of the transit centre at 8:20 pm. So if you ride the bus, be sure you don't miss that last bus.

Well, it's a little late, but here's that post

This is what YKWIA told me about, and I say, yes, Cooper should not have had her on the show in the first place (although in fairness, someone else booked her), and I'm glad he ended the interview. Apparently addicted to cosmetic surgery and injections, whatever she wants to do with her own body is fine. But giving an 8-year-old vouchers for surgery to be redeemed when she is 18 and encouraging her 15-year-old to embrace Botox so she won't sweat while dancing is inappropriate and over the top. It sends a horrible message to these young girls that they are not good enough 'as is', a message that is difficult enough to ignore in our society without one's own mother touting it.

Several comment writers think he did it just for publicity and ratings, and if otherwise he could have waited to do it at break, but I think she was booked so he could talk about her obsession with looks and surgical enhancement and then he got to a point with the kids where honestly he didn't want to continue. He seemed pretty darn sincere, and was much more polite and professional than I would have been. But you can judge for yourself; the linked story includes a video.

Anderson Cooper Slams "Human Barbie" Before Kicking Her Off Show: "I Think You're Dreadful"

I must admit

'The Legend of Korra' is quite enjoyable. I tried to watch the other day but was just getting a blank screen in three different browsers. But apparently whatever the glitch was has been resolved, as I was able to watch the first two episodes today with no problem. Yay! I actually came home and did something fun for a change, rather than just falling to sleep.

I started my day off with a phone call from a friend about a friend who was convinced a skunk was under their back stoop even thought it is a concrete slab, so this was somewhat puzzling. I had a rather busy day. I didn't eat with the lunch crew because I don't really like eating outside in the sun and wind (a picnic's a little different, but I would also be sure to wear sunscreen to a picnic. I don't think to put it on before lunch, and I burn easily, nor do I want to smell like I've been to the beach).

After work I was saddened to find a small screech owl dead along the road near the bus stop. I presume it was hit by a car. I am rather fond of birds, but owls are especially interesting and even though they're not as flashy as some birds I think they're beautiful.

I stopped by the library on my way home and picked up five books, two science fiction, two mysteries, and one about Google+, which I am a member of but really haven't used to its best effect.

It was so nice to get into air conditioning. This weekend it's supposed to be in the 90s with a high humidity. Our pool at the apartment complex should be open and I'm looking forward to it (with lots of sunscreen, that is).

So now I've eaten, watched the episodes, and am considering reading. I started Charlaine Harris' Dead Reckoning yesterday, since I just received Deadlocked in the mail and decided I'd needed to catch up first. Two of the books I got from the library are hers as well, Grave Secret, which I've tried to read before without success and another one that isn't part of a series called A Secret Rage. I'm also going to take another stab at Jim Butcher's Small Favor.

So I'm going to go read for awhile. Sorry I didn't write yesterday; I kind of konked out when I got home, and was only up very briefly about 1 am. I'll try not to do it tonight. There's something I mean to blog about that YKWIA shared with me. But that's for the next post.... :)

Well, I voted, for what it was worth

Election problems minimal by mid-afternoon Tuesday; turnout looks to be 'abysmal'

We simply aren't having much in the way of interesting races here in Kentucky, except maybe a bit in Northern Kentucky. On my ballot, and on the one a friend voted on? President of the United States: Obama or uncommitted.

Here in Kentucky you can't cross party lines to vote in the other party's primary election, either. Not that I would, most likely, but still. So if you didn't care for your candidates (assuming you had any), there wasn't much alternative.

They're thinking voting will be at 10-12%. I'm thinking it may be even lower. So why did I go vote? Well, Joel Pett's editorial cartoon in the Lexington Herald-Leader today pretty much sums up the apathy, and I for one don't want to be among the apathetic. In it there is a polling place with no voters and cobwebs on the machines, with lonely election workers with nothing to do. One says to the other, 'I guess most people need a better reason than that they can.' We should never, ever take that right for granted, and should exercise it whenever possible. Just saying....

All is quiet tonight

Yesterday was the game, and we played until 9 and then collectively adjourned to the television to watch the last instalment of the second season of 'Sherlock' on Masterpiece Theatre, which was quite good and very enjoyable. I got home a little after 10:30, and went on to bed.

It was a fairly typical Monday at work. I started reading a book at lunch because everyone else I usually eat with was outside eating--I'm really just not happy eating outside, and that's okay, because it was nice to actually be reading on my Kindle for a change. The poor thing had no charge in it the other day when I went to read, so I charged it up Sunday night and downloaded a book from the Amazon lending library (I'm trying out Amazon Prime for a month to see if it's worth getting. That's probably a no, but it was nice to get an order that I placed Friday night today.)

I decided Friday that it was time I got an overnight bag I could take on the flights to Chicago. I found a set of two bags for less than $40. They are sturdy, full of room, in regulation for carry-on bags, and of course, purple. Since I was rolling it home (and luckily got a ride), I cleaned out my desk and a bin that had bizarre things like Christmas lights I'd brought from home, a pair of socks, a puzzle horse, a clown nose, a tiny cat mug, etc. The trip to Chicago isn't until this fall sometime, but I'm going to visit my family at the end of this month, so I'll try it out then. I think my CPAP machine will fit in the smaller bag.

I'm afraid I've gone through my normal channels for news to put here and it was just a slow day for that. I think tomorrow I'm going to take a bigger pot to put my large shamrock (oxalis) plant into. The smaller oxalis at work is blooming, and I have buds on my violet at work that are just beginning to come out. The sister plant is at home, blooming tremendously.

I guess that's it for now. It's been a quiet night. I watched 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' (The Boy in the Iceberg) earlier and would have watched 'The Legend of Korra' (Welcome to Republic City), but I couldn't get the video from nick.com to play in any of the three browsers on my computer. :( It might be a temporary glitch. I'll see if it plays on a friend's and maybe we can watch it together. Otherwise I've been catching up on my rest. I think I'll unpack that bag and head on to bed. Good night.

Listening to:

Loreena McKennitt, 'All Souls' Night'

Okay, the coupons we can use are cut, the rest are thrown into the recyclables, and I am going to head on to bed in a bit.

One of my friends found a CD of mine in with his today, so I'm enjoying Loreena McKennitt's The Visit. He also found some photos of us and our dogs and cats from years past. That was fun.

Today I:

1. Rode four buses
   
2. Went to the grocery
   
3. Went to the bank
   
4. Paid on a debt
   
5. Delivered muzzles
   
6. Watched an episode of 'Lark Rise to Candleford'
   
7. Watched three episodes of 'The House of Eliott' (I do love British 'costume dramas')
   
8. Shelved books
   
9. Straightened up some things around my friends' house
   
10. Shared soy burgers
    
11. Dusted stuffed animals, including a rabbit with big gnashy teeth
    
12. Picked up polyfill that had been buried in the yard (which had nothing to do with the stuffed animals)
    
13. Cleaned out a refrigerator
    
14. Surveyed a pantry
    
15. Got forward three more levels on 'Angry Birds: Space' (I only stopped because the bus was packed to the gills and I couldn't properly move)
    
16. Listened to Linkin Park and Rob Thomas (but not together)
    
17. Texted a friend regarding his (now defunct) van
    
18. Broke down and turned on the air conditioning, although I have it set so it doesn't come on unless it hits 75 or warmer
    

So it was a pretty busy day, don't you think? Now I'm finishing up dinner and I'm getting rather sleepy. I think I'll turn in a little early, but first I should go through coupons for tomorrow's big grocery run before the game.

I played on the computer for awhile

and also paid most of my bills for the month and balanced my account, but then got up and worked on the kitchen, washing both the dishwasher-safe and hand washables, cleaning the counters, and taking out the trash. It didn't take overly long. Then I got the wine out. I bought it, frankly, for the name (Pinot Evil, with the famous monkeys of see no, hear no, speak no on it), but I didn't realise when I got it that it had a screw top. You would think that would have made it easier to open, but no, I am puny. It took a good ten minutes of straining and a bit of tapping with a knife to get it open. I need one of those grippers, it seems. Once I finally got it open, I did my libation, came back inside, got a little to eat and now I'm relaxing and winding down. I'll save the mead (which has a cork, and is fairly easy to open) for another time.

This is not the first comical moment I had today. Earlier I got a phone call and I couldn't find my phone. Judging from the direction, I was afraid it had fallen in the trash can or recyclable container, and I was puling them out and looking at them when it suddenly occurred to me that it was in my pants pocket. Sigh. I know we all have these moments, but good grief, I felt silly. I did get tickled, though.

Anyway, it was a productive day both at work and here. It's nice to have everything still straightened up here, although at work I'm a little behind on filing and statistics, something I hope to rectify next week, although it's going to be a very busy one, I can tell, much busier than this one.

Tomorrow I'm going to go over and help a friend with some projects. One thing I don't have to do is game notes, as I finished the last ones last week and we didn't play Sunday. As far as I know we're back on for this Sunday, though.

Okay, I'm officially sleepy and I'm going to try to get up in about four hours, which will still give me plenty of actual sleep for the night, although of course it was in two sections, which probably isn't good for me. Good night.

Another reason I like my wireless carrier

T-Mobile Sheds Light On Shared Data Plans In Response To Verizon Wireless’ Planned Changes

ortunately, some companies understand what it means to treat customers with the utmost priority. Earlier this week, it was revealed by Verizon Wireless that their unlimited plans would be going away this summer in exchange for their new shared data plans. Obviously, this won’t be good for consumers, and T-Mobile seems to think the same.

Oh, and for those who left T-Mobile or skip it because it doesn't have the iPhone, they expect to be iPhone ready in terms of their network sometime this fall.

Once again

I fell asleep at a ridiculously early hour (5:30), only to wake up 7 hours later, and it is the middle of the night. I really thought that I could nap for about an hour because it was so early, and I've been able to do that of late. But no, I was out for the count, missed Supernatural and Grimm again, and generally feel a bit groggy.

So you're asking yourself, why bother to get up? Okay, you're probably not, but I'll tell you anyway. It's time for my monthly libation, but I'd like to get my kitchen nice and clean before I go out and give it, as She considers purification to be very important. I usually try to have a decently clean house and take a shower before going out. The kitchen isn't horrible, but I do have to wash some dishes, wipe down the counters, and take out the trash. I meant to do that this evening, but, well, we see how that went.

Okay, I'd better get going. Have a good weekend.

For you Baby Boomers out there...

CDC urges hepatitis C test for all baby boomers born between 1945 and 1965

Baby boomers account for 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans infected with the blood-borne liver-destroying virus. CDC officials believe the new measure could lead 800,000 more boomers to get treatment and could save more than 120,000 lives.

I can actually see my fish

My tank tends to build up nitrates no matter what I do, and that means algae grows on the glass (and everywhere else). When I was at Incredipet earlier I bought an algae pad that was on closeout for only $1.97, so I thought what's to lose? It really does an excellent job of removing the stuff. I had been using just a regular scrubbie pad you use on dishes, but it didn't do as decent a job. I also got the build-up on the glass under the light off. So things look less murky. I have a few goldfish of varying colours in the tank, one of which is kind of a dark bronze, and I could never see it much. Now they all are showing their vibrant colours. Yay! Now someday soon I need to vacuum out the gravel. I hate doing that, because I can never get the vacuum to work right. You're supposed to be able to pump it into the water a few times and get some suction going. I usually wind up having to do things the old-fashioned way, which means getting the suction by sucking on the end of the hose, which is rather unsanitary and would probably make our Infection Control director majorly box my ears. But if I don't do it, the nitrates will build up further and the fish will suffer, so what can I say, I do.

I'm glad this had a happy ending

Arabian show horse rescued after swimming three miles into the ocean

William, a 7-year-old grey stallion, had been part of a photo shoot with other horses. Frightened, he bolted into the surf.

He started to swim. And swim. And swim until he was nearly three miles offshore, headed for oil rigs.

On land, a team of four from the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, Carpenteria-Summerland Fire Water Rescue, and California State Parks set out to find the horse, whose official name is Air of Temptation. His owner, Mindy Peters, told Huffington Post that he had never been swimming in his life.

I think he's had enough swimming for a lifetime. Poor thing. This caught my eye this morning when I was reading the news. This is one lucky horse. Granted, horses can swim, but not normally for such long distances. I wonder if he horse-paddled? [Sorry, couldn't resist.]

This is kind of cool

and a little eerie, considering it involves brain implants. But still....

Paralyzed woman moves robotic arm using thought alone: Using the BrainGate neural interface system, a woman paralyzed by a brainstem stroke serves herself coffee for the first time in 15 years.

By implanting a 96-electrode sensor the size of a baby aspirin onto the surface of their brains, researchers have enabled two quadriplegic participants to use their thoughts alone to perform tasks with two types of robotic arms.

The BrainGate implant -- and the resulting Jedi mind tricks -- may be sort of anxiety-producing to some. But the smile on the face of the woman who hadn't been able to serve herself coffee in 15 years put a fine point on the progress the technology is affording.

And there's this...

New Drug Trial Seeks to Stop Alzheimer’s Before It Starts

Most participants will come from the world’s largest family to experience Alzheimer’s, an extended clan of 5,000 people who live in Medellín, Colombia, and remote mountain villages outside that city. Family members with a specific genetic mutation begin showing cognitive impairment around age 45, and full dementia around age 51, debilitated in their prime working years as their memories fade and the disease quickly assaults their ability to move, eat, speak and communicate.

Three hundred family members will participate in the initial trial. Those with the mutation will be years away from symptoms, some as young as 30.

“Because of this study, we do not feel as alone,” said Gladys Betancur, 39, a family member. Her mother died of Alzheimer’s, three of her siblings already have symptoms, and she had a hysterectomy because of her fears that she has the mutation and would pass it on to her children. “Sometimes we think that life is ending, but now we feel that people are trying to help us.”

Did you see this?

This is your brain on sugar: UCLA study shows high-fructose diet sabotages learning, memory: Eating more omega-3 fatty acids can offset damage, researchers say

"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

While earlier research has revealed how fructose harms the body through its role in diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, this study is the first to uncover how the sweetener influences the brain.

Sources of fructose in the Western diet include cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid sweetener. The syrup is widely added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food. The average American consumes roughly 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That was not conducive to a happy back

Carrying a small purse, a backpack (with a bottle of mead and a bottle of pinot noir inside), plus three bags and a reusable bag stuffed to the gills, about a half a mile is not fun. A guy actually offered me a ride (I did consider it, but didn't go with him, even though he promised he wasn't a serial killer). But boy I'm sore now. The good thing is a got a ride from a co-worker (my boss, actually) to Incredipet (to buy muzzles--it's a long story), and then I went to Liquor Barn for wine and Kroger for groceries, and still managed to just make the bus after my regular one over to the library, so I didn't have to walk all the way from Kroger. The next one would have been an hour-long wait.

I've opened the windows and brought the fan from the bedroom into the living area. There's a nice breeze coming in. We're supposed to be very hot over the weekend, but I'm enjoying the temperature today.

So now I'm eating dinner (Tuscan bean salad with mozzarella balls, courtesy of the Kroger Mediterranean bar. I don't normally get it, because of the price, but decided it sounded very good, and it is), along with some rye sourdough bread and Havarti cheese. Today at lunch they had a wonderful meal of baked cod over a bed of tomato orzo with spinach between them. I got that and a small salad and it was very nice.

My blood sugar has been very good the last few days. I don't know if the increase in insulin and me watching my diet more is doing it, or if it's just because of where I am in my hormonal cycle (it's always lower near my period). Anyway, I feel much clearer and I've really been able to focus. I don't feel tired all the time.

Today went well. I got several referrals, although there were a couple of denials that were a bit frustrating because in both cases they hadn't seen the patient in awhile so they wouldn't do it, even though the condition was congenital and it's not like that diagnosis is going to change, plus one had actually referred the patient in the first place some time ago. But hey, it's their prerogative. I'm also having issues with a couple of ones that are very important because they can't be pre-authorised until I get referrals. I hope to clear that up tomorrow.

The library was fine, too. The high point was that I got some books from Scholastic for our Reach Out and Read programme. That was fun. I filled the cart in the clinic Tuesday, so I have room on a book truck in the library for what I received today.

I keep having to remind myself that it is Thursday. Several people I know also kept thinking it was Friday. It's been quiet in the clinic (there's a conference that at least one of the surgeons went to), but I've been busy trying to get ahead for next week, so it seems like a longer week.

I am going to get a little time off at the end of the month. There's a lecture series that lasts two days they always have in the spring, so I'll get few if any data entry sheets. The 31st there's a meeting of the Kentucky Medical Library Association over at Central Baptist that I'm going to. On June 1st, I hope to go to visit my family. My aunts and uncles will be in that week and I think both sets will be there that day. My grandmother's birthday is that week, too. Of course, with Memorial Day that means virtually a two-day week for me, so I'll definitely be busy Tuesday and Wednesday.

Oh, I feel better now that I've had the fan on, I've been sitting down, and I've eaten. I almost forgot to take my insulin however. I've got to go do that now. I'll no doubt blog a bit more later.

A quiet night

I just got off the phone with a friend. Otherwise it's been a quiet night. This morning I put some more water that I had treated and let sit overnight into the aquarium, and I cleaned out the filter, so the water is gently falling and the fish seem much happier. I need to do some dishes and clean up a bit in the kitchen, but that will be tomorrow's task. The rest of the house is still looking very good from the other day. I've actually been making my bed, something i got out of the habit with when I had my dog because she just made a doggie burrito out of the covers anyway. I'm reading a book on organising your work environment over the course of a year, and one of the small changes they suggest is making the bed every morning, because it gives a boost to your outlook and makes you feel better about yourself and your surroundings. I have to admit, that's true. Also, I've still napped a bit over the last week, but having it made means I don't just 'go to bed' around 8 and stay there.

I guess that's all for tonight. I hope your week is going well so far. Mine will improve in about a half an hour because I get paid, which is good because between my checking and savings accounts right now I have exactly 24 cents. Hopefully I can pay my bills and not be quite so destitute this time, but we'll see. Good night.

Bizarre, backward, and wrong

In China, English teaching is a whites-only club

Take, for example, Mike Lee and Will Evans, students from the U.S. and Canada, respectively, who applied to be English teachers through the New Development School, a teacher-placement agency in Beijing. Being fluent speakers of English, both believed they would make competitive candidates.

What they didn’t know is that recruiters would not be evaluating them just on their English fluency or academic credentials. Instead, they were judged primarily on physical appearance.

“We want him [pointing to Evans], but we don’t want you [to Lee],” the recruiter told them, as the two stood side by side at the front counter of the school. “Unfortunately, parents of our students don’t really want someone Asian to be teaching.”

Lee, who is Korean-American, was rejected from the school despite having previous experience teaching English as a second language (ESL). Evans, a white Canadian, was hired on the spot.

“I was shocked – back home this wouldn’t be acceptable,” Lee told NBC News. “I’ve never been discriminated (against) in that way.”

Then there's this:

A post by Vogue on a popular online forum and classifieds site, The Beijinger, explicitly spells out the phenomenon:

“In Beijing this is the general pecking order in terms of a company's recruitment (by Chinese managers):
1. White Americans/Canadians
2. White British
3. White Australians/New Zealanders and South Africans
4. European Nonnatives/Black Americans/Black British
5. American Asians/Black Aussies (Australians) and Kiwis (New Zealanders)/Filipinos/Africans”

The discrimination comes, Evans said, because Chinese parents simply do not believe a non-white person can possibly be a native speaker. Thus, this logic continues, hiring a white person is the simplest and easiest way to ensure that the teacher is truly fluent.

A friend called me and woke me from a bad dream

And we must have talked on the phone for over an hour. My headache's gone, although I did run into the door jamb on my way to the computer to look something up for him. Ah, grace, thy name is not Lisa.

So now I'm considering going to bed for real, and I've closed the windows and taken my evening pill and taken my blood sugar, which is pretty decent tonight. Now I just have to take my insulin and get ready for bed.

Much of the discussion on my e-mail today had to do with the upcoming Medical Library Association meeting in Seattle and the epidemic of pertussis (whooping cough) in Washington State. It was bordering on panicky for awhile, which I don't understand because we are all information professionals and should be able to get the facts. Some people were upset that the organisers did not send out a general warning. At least one cancelled their trip (the conference starts May 18th). Some were saying it took 2 weeks for the vaccine to become effective so there was no point in taking the vaccine at all.

That's not true. The point of keeping up with immunisations (including as an adult) is that it will prevent disease not only individually but in the public as well, through 'herd immunity'. And doing so helps prevent the anxiety of when this sort of thing happens. Plus, the two-week thing is addressed very aptly by Nikki Dettmar in her post on the Eagle Dawg Blog, entitled 'Straight Talk About the Washington Pertussis Epidemic', along with some other facts that should allay some fears. I'm not saying there's no chance of infection, especially by the those with compromised immune systems, but the reactions were pretty strong and several people rightly tried to allay fears with facts, and others just got annoyed because they didn't feel their fears were being taken seriously.

I am not going to MLA '12, unfortunately, because I don't have a travel budget. I've never actually been to a national meeting for this reason. I would jump at the chance to attend. But if I were going, I would continue to go, despite the fact that as a diabetic I am more likely to get infections and the fact that unlike many of those people, I can't take the TDaP. (I reacted to the pertussis vaccine as a child so they do not recommend that I take it. As a hospital librarian, I, like other employees, are offered free vaccinations through our employee health. They started pushing the TDaP years ago, and I was willing to take it but my doctor advised against it because of the prior reaction. Otherwise I would be vaccinated.)

But, the more people who do take the TDaP, the greater the chance that those of us who can't take it won't get it, so I'm all for others taking the vaccine. Vaccination shouldn't be reactive; it should be proactive.

And of course children who haven't had their immunisations are at the greatest risk. There is the DTaP vaccine for them. If you have children, please make sure you follow recommended vaccination schedules for them. The complications of many diseases far outweigh the risks of any vaccine. And it's important that we as adults do not forget that we have vaccination schedules, too. The TDaP should be taken every 10 years for example. Shingles vaccination is suggested at age 60. Flu, of course, is yearly. You can fine information on vaccinations at the CDC website.

Okay, getting off my public health soap box now and going to bed. Good night.

I took a little stroll around the apartment complex

and spoke with a friend by phone while sitting at a picnic table under some pine trees. The smell of the honeysuckle that grows along the creek is quite strong. I used to have an aversion to that scent, having gorged myself on the nectar (along with a friend) as a child only to get a 24-hour stomach bug that night, and for years the smell of honeysuckle made me nauseous, but I've overcome it.

I do have a headache, which I'm hoping some caffeine and ibuprofen will take care of. I'm almost out of the latter. Fortunately I get paid in a couple of days, because things have been pretty tight. I think I'm going to try naproxen (Aleve) so that I don't have to take as much when I have pain.

It's a lovely evening, with all sorts of people out and about. Several ladies from South Asia have been walking around in their colourful saris. I do love that style; I wish I could carry it off. Well, maybe I could, but I'd probably look a little odd.

I got quite a lot done at work today. I was somewhat disheartened by the results of my needs assessment survey. I get great marks for my customer service, and although usage of the library in general is up, most respondents said they didn't use it, or if they did, they used the printers/copiers or read the paper. I got 45 responses out of 200 employees, but had to throw one out because they pretty much treated it like a joke and wrote comments like, 'get a Redbox' when I asked about the video collection, or 'is that like Check into Cash' when I asked about interlibrary loan (even though I explained what that was in the question), etc. on it. But there were some helpful comments on other surveys. Oh, well. Now if I can just schedule a library committee meeting around one of the physicians' schedule, I'll be okay.

I'm not really tired, but I think I will go lie down in my bedroom with the lights off. It's not a migraine (I've had those often, although thankfully they've lessened as I've gotten older). I think it's just a sinus headache. But my eyes hurt, too. I'll try to write a little later. The plan is not to turn in for the night. I'm not going to turn the comforter down, for example. We'll see.

A compelling look at why we're fat

Why the Campaign to Stop America's Obesity Crisis Keeps Failing: The nation’s most powerful anti-obesity groups are teaming up for a new HBO documentary—but it pushes the same tired advice. Gary Taubes on the research they're ignoring.

One of my co-workers clued me in on this story from our issue of Newsweek in the library. None of it is anything I haven't heard before--but it is largely ignored by those trying to solve the obesity epidemic. Taubes definitely has a point. It makes sense to ask ourselves 1) what has changed in our diet since the obesity epidemic really started taking off and 2) why fat people during the depression were fat, even though everyone was struggling for food. He points out that the effects of sugars on our endocrine systems is relevant, and that it isn't just a calories in vs. calories out sort of thing. We are still just beginning to understand the human endocrine system, in my opinion, in terms of the subtleties involved. He also talks about how much exercise is really required to substantially help with weight.

It really is a no-brainer that part of the problem is that sugary/starchy food is extremely cheap and plentiful, whereas healthier food such as fresh vegetables and whole, unprocessed foods, is more expensive. That's one reason there is a socioeconomic contrast in terms of obesity as well.

I know what foods I should consume, but I often fall back on convenience or cost, and that may be more costly in the long run. A friend of mine has told me for years I need to start cooking, and has been teaching me how to. I'm trying to get more fresh food and less quick stuff, but I do often fall back on the easy road to food. I know in my own case there's a certain amount of laziness when it comes to food. It takes real effort to actually make the changes that lead to a healthier life.

Nor is it all about weight. There are plenty of people who are active and overweight. I think we get a little hung up on weight these days. My size is of concern. A person who's active, eats well, and is 20 lbs overweight I'm not sure is such a big issue. I know plenty of people I would not consider overweight who constantly worry about their weight and try diets. I think it's more important to make healthy choices in general rather than focus on a number of pounds.

That's my take on things, anyway.

Feeling a little groggy

because I succumbed to a nap on a suddenly sunny afternoon after eating but forgot to take my insulin. Not a good thing. That was four hours ago. There were workmen outside my living room window so I went into the bedroom and within a few minutes I was just gone. It was thirst more than anything else, that woke me up, a clear indication that my blood sugar is up. So for what it's worth, I did go ahead and take some. I definitely need to get back on track.

Still, today was incredibly productive. It went by so fast! I got most of a week's work finished with the referrals, giving me hope that I can actually get ahead to where I need to be. Today was the largest clinic day of the week as well, so I'm hoping to catch up on filing and statistics when it comes to my data entry sheets. As far as the library goes, I need to order some books, fill the clinic cart (we give out books to children 6 months-5 years old as part of an early literacy project), and do some cataloguing. So I have a busy week ahead.

I wore the skirt today and got many nice compliments. I must remember to tell my friends how much of a hit it was. It was a very colourful counterpoint to a rainy day.

I have been looking in vain form my comfy earphones all weekend. I thought I may have left them on my desk at work, but no. I even looked in my lunch bag. But just now I looked once again in my last purse and there they were, in a pocket I'd checked four times before, scrunched way down deep. Oh, well, at least I found them. They are now tucked into their normal place in my book bag.

Okay, I think I'm going to close the windows, take my nightly meds, and head back to bed for good this time. Have a good night.

Hmmm....interesting (and be sure to read in the article about human sclerae and the hunt as well)

Humanity's Best Friend: How Dogs May Have Helped Humans Beat the Neanderthals

Yep. Man's best friend, Shipman suggests, might also be humanity's best friend. Dogs might have been the technology that allowed early humans to flourish.

Shipman analyzed the results of excavations of fossilized canid bones -- from Europe, during the time when humans and Neanderthals overlapped. Put together, they furnish some compelling evidence that early humans, first of all, engaged in ritualistic dog worship. Canid skeletons found at a 27,000-year-old site in Předmostí, of the Czech Republic, displayed the poses of early ritual burial. Drill marks in canid teeth found at the same site suggest that early humans used those teeth as jewelry -- and Paleolithic people, Shipman notes, rarely made adornments out of animals they simply used for food. There's also the more outlying fact that, like humans, dogs are rarely depicted in cave art -- a suggestion that cave painters might have regarded dogs not as the game animals they tended to depict, but as fellow-travelers.

Shipman speculates that the affinity between humans and dogs manifested itself mainly in the way that it would go on to do for many more thousands of years: in the hunt. Dogs would help humans to identify their prey; but they would also work, the theory goes, as beasts of burden -- playing the same role for early humans as they played for the Blackfeet and Hidatsa of the American West, who bred large, strong dogs specifically for hauling strapped-on packs. (Paleolithic dogs were large: They had, their skeletons suggest, a body mass of at least 70 pounds and a shoulder height of at least 2 feet -- which would make them, at minimum, the size of a modern-day German shepherd.) Since transporting animal carcasses is an energy-intensive task, getting dogs to do that work would mean that humans could concentrate their energy on more productive endeavors: hunting, gathering, reproducing.

The result, Shipman argues, was a virtuous circle of cooperation -- one in which humans and their canine friends got stronger, together, over time.

It's an interesting theory. I've heard worse. I'm not sure there's any way to truly prove it, though, but it's definitely worth a look at.

The Goddess I worship is associated with dogs (among other things). Although Her origins are rather murky (ostensibly She is Greek) I've often wondered exactly how far back Her influence goes. I believe Her worship to be older than the historical record, although I do not have direct proof.

Anyway, if you have a dog, hug it and be thankful you don't have a brow ridge.

Turns out today was reasonably quiet

Brenda had Mother's Day plans after all, so we didn't play the game today, although I went over and did some things over there and visited for awhile. I got a beautiful skirt as a (belated) birthday present. It will go with several of my tops, and it fits perfectly. I'm going to wear it tomorrow.

Also, YKWIA introduced me to the sequel to the series 'Avatar: the Last Airbender', which is called 'The Legend of Korra'. We went through the 'Explore Republic City' section of the site and it was great. It comes on Saturdays at 11; I'll have to try to catch it or at least record it for watching later. The first five episodes are available on Nick.com's site.

Which makes me also want to go back and watch the full series of 'Avatar' (but never that awful movie where they seemed to get it all wrong). It's available on Netflix, so I think I'm going to treat myself to a little every day until I catch up. That's sixty-one episodes. I only saw part of the 'Book of Water' (season 1). And in the meantime, 'Korra' seems intriguing. Right now I just recorded 'Once Upon a Time', which I'm behind on, and right now it's 'Sherlock: The Hound of the Baskervilles'. I guess I'll have to wait until season 2 comes to Netflix since I missed the one with Irene Adler last week. Ah, well, such is life.

For now, though, I do believe I'm going to do a bit of reading. Oh, that reminds me. Do you have a smartphone or tablet, and are you a patron of the Lexington Public Library? Check out their new mobile application lexpublib2go. I've used it to look up books, renew an item, and check my account, as well as browse the e-books. And it does even more than that. It works on the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian and J2ME, which is pretty equal opportunity. They even have a QR code you can scan that will take you to the right source for your device.

Best mother's day card ideas ever....

Got this via a roundabout way, thanks to George Takei's Facebook page. If I were a mom, I would love these. I'm not sure about my own mother, although she braved the moveis long before I did. Suffice to say...go to the page, click on the pictures to enlarge, and enjoy. And I love that George Takei captioned the second one, 'In space, no one can hear mom squee.' The man has a sense of humour. I hope I'm as funny when I'm his age. Hey, I'd just be happy to live to be his age.

Happy Mother's Day

It has been a quiet day at home

I woke up after sleeping in till 9:30 and did yoga (with my Rodney Yee A.M. Yoga, which I managed to complete today; here's looking at using this one on Saturdays and the other five in the Week of A.M. Yoga throughout the workweek), followed by a 10-minute meditation using an application called Insight Timer that sets up a meditation timer with the sounds of various Tibetan bells to help focus your breathing and mind. I checked the news, had breakfast. I spoke to a friend for awhile on the phone. Mostly I've just kind of hung out and enjoyed a bit of rare slow day, although the day is going by quicker than I imagined. I just had lunch and it's almost 3 pm. I think now is the time to take a shower, get a little revved up, and get a few things done, but I must admit, I'm not feeling very motivated. I'm just kind of enjoying the lull. There will be a lot to do tomorrow, after all. And then the week ahead is looking moderately busy, but with enough time to get caught up on some tasks at work. But all that work on Tuesday really paid off, in that I was able to just enjoy the day today without fretting about the house.

I really debated whether or not to link to this story with this source

not because it is controversial, or because it is lacking in information (indeed, it's quite a bit ind depth over some of the others out there).

No, it was because of an ad that popped up on the screen hawking a pizza slicer in the shape of the USS Enterprise on Space.com.

Huge Asteroid Vesta Actually an Ancient Protoplanet

But I decided there were some other tacky items out there on MSNBC and other outlets, to (the New York Times had an ad for a website touting the end was near). But the pizza cutter even clicked on my geek meter--and I AM a geek, and a Trek fan and a gizmo/gadget fan--as being just too tacky for words. If it were just on the sidebar ad, it wouldn't have really caught my attention, as I'm rather ad blind. But...it popped up in the centre with a bit of script. If it had been on a sci-fi site itself I wouldn't have given it a second thought, either. It was that I was looking for space news, and it was a little unexpected, although of course they are right that people interested in science and science fiction overlap a great deal. Anyway, that was my gut reaction. I decided to include the story for its own merits. And if you cannot live without a $30 Enterprise pizza slicer, you're in luck....(they also have Han Solo in carbonite ice trays as well.)

Anyway, the article itself is interesting.

I just made four pies

under direction, and with pre-made crusts (which seemed to bake up quite lovely--they were by Marie Callender, and I chose them because they had to have vegetable oil instead of lard). They were a Derby-style pie (I say that because I think someone actually trademarked the term Derby Pie, which is insane, in my humble opinion.)

Anyway, I helped with that and then came on home, getting here right before dark. The cat was intrigued by the crackle of the seal around the pie crust. He loves to play with plastic like that. You also find it on those boxes of salad or various greens. But he soon got bored, and the other cat snubbed the piece of plastic. The dogs were rambunctious as ever. So I had a nice visit on top of helping with the pies. And I even got a couple of chocolate chips for my work. :)

Today I came in and found a care package on my desk. It was a large gift bag with food in it. I'd been asked why I wasn't coming down to lunch and admitted that I really wasn't eating because I was so low on money (I have exactly $4.54 in the bank, if you count both accounts, plus some pennies at work and at home.) I don't know who gave it to me (I only told a couple of people), but I really appreciate it, although it's kind of sad that I have to sometimes rely on the charity of people around me. I've been doing much better and I thought the worry of where my next meal came from was behind me. Apparently not. Fortunately we get paid Thursday.

I could go on about the creepy guy on the bus or the car buyers looking at the Jaguar in the lot as if it were on sale, when it was parked in an employee area, but I am very tired and am nearly falling to sleep in my chair. I'll type more tomorrow--I'm off from any of my normal Saturday activities, so I'll just wing it and enjoy a day with no major stuff to do. I have to game notes, and a few mild chores, but otherwise it is mine to do as I wish. Mu-hahahahah. Okay, definitely time to get some sleep. Good night.

Not that it's going to change the minds of the Doomsday crowd, but...this is rather interesting

Unprecedented Maya Mural Found, Contradicts 2012 "Doomsday" Myth

In the last known largely unexcavated Maya megacity, archaeologists have uncovered the only known mural adorning an ancient Maya house, a new study says—and it's not just any mural.

In addition to a still vibrant scene of a king and his retinue, the walls are rife with calculations that helped ancient scribes track vast amounts of time. Contrary to the idea the Maya predicted the end of the world in 2012, the markings suggest dates thousands of years in the future.

Perhaps most important, the otherwise humble chamber offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Maya society.

It's a shame that some are faded, and that the city, known to the Mayans as Xultún, was largely looted in the '70s. What treasures might have been there? Still, this is a great find. I hope they uncover more about this culture and the city.

Yay!!!!!!!

I am so proud of my President for coming out on the side of marriage based on love, not gender. Go Obama! I just hope it doesn't hurt his re-election chances, but then, it's better to hold to a principle that's right strongly than waver due to what other people think.

Obama voices his support for gay marriage

While the nation appears roughly divided on the issue, the political cross-currents are tricky.
Some top aides argued that gay marriage is toxic at the ballot box in competitive states like North Carolina and Virginia because, as Tuesday's vote demonstrated, the issue remains a reliable way to fire up rank-and-file Republicans. It also could open Obama up to Republican criticism that he is taking his eye off the economy, voters' No. 1 issue.

Other Democratic supporters claim Obama's decision could energize huge swaths of the party, including young people. He also could appeal to independent voters, many of whom back gay marriage, and he could create an area of clear contrast between himself and his Republican rival as he argues that he's delivered on the change he promised four years ago.
Obama touched on that in the interview.

He said he sometimes talks with college Republicans on his visits to campuses, and while they oppose his policies on the economy and foreign policy, "when it comes to same sex equality, or, you know, sexual orientation, that they believe in equality. They are more comfortable with it."

View the interview here.

Heartbreaking, no matter what the cause

Peru says 5,000 birds, nearly 900 dolphins dead

The Peruvian government said Wednesday that 5,000 birds, mostly pelicans, and nearly 900 dolphins have died off the country's northern coast, possibly due to rising temperatures in Pacific waters.
The country's northern beaches were earlier this week declared off-limits as scientists scrambled to pin down what was causing such a massive toll, with non-government organizations blaming oil exploration work.
But Peru's deputy environment minister Gabriel Quijandria, disputed this and said warming waters, which disturbs species' food supplies, was a possible cause.

One more thing...

Given the loss of indigenous languages to English, and the heavy borrowing that is sometimes the only remnant of those languages, I can't really argue with this:

A dead man fell from the sky...: The grammar thug
'English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.'

'Where the Wild Things Are'

as read by President Obama--



I hope somewhere, Maurice Sendak is enjoying a 'wild rumpus', or at least is not lonely for someone who loves him. Rest in peace.

Good night.

In an hour

I have:

1. Loaded the dishwasher and run it
   
2. Uncovered the dining area table and put everything where it belongs
   
3. Uncovered the loveseat and put things that were on it where they belong
   
4. Nearly filled the small recyclable hamper again (there were a couple of newspapers I needed to mine for coupons on the couch, plus some general paper stuff on the table
   
5. Cleaned off the computer desk
   
6. Cleaned off the table separating the living and dining area and now I'm burning some lavender incense safely since there are no papers on it :)

I still need to:

1. Wash the dishes that are hand wash only
   
2. Wash the laundry that is hand wash only
   
3. Go through all the bookshelves and find places for all the little things I have on them other than books
   

That latter list can wait for now--my back is starting to hurt and I think I've done a good job with my day off of getting caught up on my chores. I didn't watch anything, but I'm listening to music and I did take a nap earlier, despite my attempts to resist it. Great, Adam Levine's on the radio singing 'Moves Like Jagger', which has been stuck in my head since this morning. Maybe that will satisfy it and it will go. Don't get me wrong, I like Maroon 5, but I can keep songs in my head for days, and then they come back in a couple of weeks, and the song's so damn catchy.

Home

and that was a fairly short doctor's appointment, only taking an hour and twenty minutes. He increased my medicine a notch and I see him back for a major blood draw in July. He said I looked a little tired. I think I actually fell asleep in the chair waiting for him to come in. I told him I'd done a lot of housework today. That must be it because my blood sugar was only 117 when I got home, which is pretty close to normal.

I have showered twice today, put on three outfits (one for housework, one for going to the doctor, one for housework/relaxing in), and I've gotten a lot accomplished. The windows are open with a nice breeze coming through and the sunlight is shining brightly, which is great considering the day started out a little gloomy looking. I love this time of day.

While I was at the doctor's, I was looking through the news and saw that Maurice Sendak had died. :(

Maurice Sendak, Author of Splendid Nightmares, Dies at 83

In book after book, Mr. Sendak upended the staid, centuries-old tradition of American children’s literature, in which young heroes and heroines were typically well scrubbed and even better behaved; nothing really bad ever happened for very long; and everything was tied up at the end in a neat, moralistic bow.

Mr. Sendak’s characters, by contrast, are headstrong, bossy, even obnoxious. (In “Pierre,” “I don’t care!” is the response of the small eponymous hero to absolutely everything.) His pictures are often unsettling. His plots are fraught with rupture: children are kidnapped, parents disappear, a dog lights out from her comfortable home.

A largely self-taught illustrator, Mr. Sendak was at his finest a shtetl Blake, portraying a luminous world, at once lovely and dreadful, suspended between wakefulness and dreaming. In so doing, he was able to convey both the propulsive abandon and the pervasive melancholy of children’s interior lives.

And this...

As Mr. Sendak grew up — lower class, Jewish, gay — he felt permanently shunted to the margins of things. “All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy,” he told The New York Times in a 2008 interview. “They never, never, never knew.”

His lifelong melancholia showed in his work, in picture books like “We Are All in the Dumps With Jack and Guy” (1993), a parable about homeless children in the age of AIDS. It showed in his habits. He could be dyspeptic and solitary, working in his white clapboard home deep in the Connecticut countryside with only Mozart, Melville, Mickey Mouse and his dogs for company.

But he was not totally alone. His partner, Eugene Glynn, died in 2007 of cancer, and he himself was cared for by a longtime friend, Lynn Caponera.

In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross last year, Sendak said:

"I have nothing now but praise for my life. I'm not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can't stop them. They leave me and I love them more."

"There are so many beautiful things in the world which I will have to leave when I die, but I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready."

The world has lost a creative soul, but his works will live on in the hearts of children, and also in adults who are young at heart.

Oh...

Everything's back in place in the bedroom. The three loads of laundry are in the dryers. I've taken out the trash and recyclables, plus an old computer chair that just had to go. The exercise bike is tucked away in a corner where it can easily be brought out but isn't in the way, which means I now have enough room in the living room to do yoga. Next step is unloading the loveseat (there are some books, some random stuff, reusable bags, and the basket of magazines) and putting some things away. Then there's a little to do in the kitchen. But that will have to wait until I get back from the doctor, I think. The laundry will be out in 40 minutes, and then I'll have to take another shower (I've really had a workout today) and get ready for the appointment. Fortunately it's just across the street, practically. Not bad for half a day's work. :)

I have a DVD out from Netflix and I think I'll watch that tonight, plus maybe some streaming video. I really wish I had known 'Sherlock' was returning to PBS last Sunday so I could have recorded it during the game. Hopefully the other two episodes are coming up, and I'll definitely check on that.

Okay, I'm going to go do some other stuff before the laundry comes out. Hope your day has gone well.

Yay, they've come and the carpet is really nice

The same guy who came last year did my carpet again. Since I was between vacuum cleaners last time and he was very chastising, it was a relief to see him happier about my floors this year. I would definitely recommend Terry's Carpet Care in Lexington for your floor cleaning needs. My apartment seems somehow bigger (although that could be because every horizontal surface in the place has something on it. The magazines are on the loveseat, my laundry is on my bed). Still plan on doing laundry today and straightening some more, but I'm going to take a break now and actually enjoy some time off in the midday.

Up and I've been busy

Getting everything ready for the carpet cleaners. Everything's off the floor, the floor's been vaccumed, and I'm showered and I've eaten--all before I would normally clock in at work. I do hope they come early, as I have laundry to do, and I can't take a chance on being in the laundry room when they come. So now I'm listening to Rob Thomas on the radio and considering my next move.

I did glance at the news. I'm sorry to hear that the missing Tennessee mother and her eldest daughter were found dead. Her other two daughters are still missing, allegedly kidnapped by a family friend. Horrible.

On a happier note:
Brevard libraries take another peek at banned '50 Shades of Grey': Library officials to review their selection while word about 'Shades' spreads through media Okay, it's a racy book, yes, but there are others just as racy in our libraries, and censorship certainly doesn't belong there. So it's good that they're at least reviewing their policy. Maybe someone will read the book before the final decision is made, too--I got the impression that they pulled it without doing so. It's not one I'm interested in reading, but my, it's popular in the book and e-book markets. And I'm not saying that libraries have to stock out and out pornography to stay relevant, but anytime you pull a title that's that popular, it's going to be a public relations nightmare.

Well, the haters are at it again

This time over a fairly innocuous catalogue ad.

J.C. Penney Catalog Features Gay Couple With Child, Freakout Ensues (this features a nice photo of the ad)

The text of the ad makes it clear that the women are, indeed, a lesbian couple with their children, along with the grandmother. The women have wedding rings, if you look closely, as well. This has freaked out One Million Moms and other anti-gay groups, who are calling for JC Penney to remove the ad or face a boycott. As you may remember, JC Penney faced similar flak for their use of lesbian Ellen DeGeneres as a spokeswoman.

Show JC Penney that you care and appreciate this. Sign a petition at Change.org.

Interesting

Majority of Americans Now Own Smartphones, Survey Says

A study by Nielsen on Monday showed that 50.4 percent of all mobile subscribers owned a smartphone, as of March - the first time that smartphones outsold feature phones since Nielsen began tracking both several years ago. Moreover, the number of users with an Android phone continues to increase, reaching nearly half of all smartphone owners.

Smartphones, almost by definition, include the ability to access the combined knowledge of the Internet, either through a browser or the thousands of apps available via online app stores. Not surprisingly, Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project found that consumers tapped into the mobile computing and sharing power those smartphones offer.

Cool

Rare 270-year-old book found in Charleston Library Society vault will be returned to college

A rare book almost 270 years old has been found in the vault of the oldest library in the South, but after all this time the library won’t be able to keep it.

The 1743 tome, “Dissertation Upon Parties” by Henry St. John Lord Bolingbroke, was one of 800 volumes that planter and diplomat John Mackenzie donated to the College of Charleston in the 1700s.

His library was housed at the Charleston Library Society, founded in 1748, until a proper library could be built at the fledgling college. But a devastating 1778 fire ripped through the Library Society and only 77 titles from the Mackenzie collection were thought to have survived.

Now they've found #78. There's no telling what treasures can be found in libraries, particularly old ones that were founded before modern cataloguing. My favourite find while at the university studying library science was a book by Sir Isaac Newton that was from the 18th century, out in the general stacks. While it wasn't a first edition of the Principia, it was an early version that needed to be in special collections, and I brought it up there. :)

Well, the 138th Kentucky Derby is history

And my horse didn't win. And I didn't get to watch it live, because I couldn't figure out how to do it on the bus even with half a dozen different websites you were supposed to be able to do it from. But I watched the replay and even though I knew the outcome, it was fun and exciting. 15-1! There are some very happy people out there. And from post 19, too. And you know, my brain was attracted to I'll Have Another briefly when looking at the list in the paper because the silks are purple and white, and then I told myself that was a silly reason to pick a horse. Then Take Charge Indy seemed to stick out, even though I normally root for horses that are grey or black (I'd have probably gone for Hansen, in fact, had I known the colours). I know, it has nothing to do with breeding or training in my mind, although Calvin Borel is well-known enough that I know who he is, and I didn't realise it, but Take Charge Indy's grandsire was Seattle Slew. But I admit I don't really know the business enough to understand much of it.

For more on the 138th Kentucky Derby, be sure to check out their site. You can see more about the horses and watch a replay of the race. Plus there's the celebrities, hats, and sights. :)

I probably would have been able to see the Derby live had I not stayed (after dog washies and trying to determine the species of a giant vine growing on the house) to watch an episode of 'Lark Rise to Candleford'. It's kind of a British 'Little House on the Prairie' without many of the calamities and over-sentimentality, seen from the eyes of a young woman who has gone from her small hamlet in Oxfordshire to Candleford, a nearby town, to work for the postmistress. It is loosely based on a trilogy of novels by Flora Thompson [Lark Rise, Candleford, and Candleford Green, later published together as Lark Rise to Candleford] that are semi-autobiographical. I do rather enjoy the series. I'm thinking of reading the books. The collection at the library is not available right now, and the e-book isn't there, but the Kindle book is $6.99 from Amazon. It's a shame it's not lendable on www.booklending.com. Oh, well. With my rent just being paid I have something like $40 to last the next two weeks, so I'd better not buy it. But sometime in the future, maybe.

So much for that idea

We're still washing the puppy, anyway. I might as well get going if I have a prayer of getting anything else accomplished today, as between the rent, all the bus riding, and the game notes, that's not going to leave much time to do much else. Oh, well. It's times like this I really wish I did have a car.

Awake

Today is supposed to be dog washing day, but considering it stormed several times last night (enough to actually wake me up) and there's a 40% chance of storms today, I'm disinclined to do it today. Tomorrow will be sunny, 85, and although there's so much to do with the game preparations, I'm willing to come two hours earlier than I usually do to get the dogs washed. Granted, there's a chance of storms throughout the work week, but at least I wouldn't be sending them out into rain directly and they'd have one full day of being clean before the mud strikes again. I'm waiting on a call from my friend okaying that.

It's dark and gloomy, but I do still have to go out, as my rent is due today, and the bank closes at noon. I'm going to get the snacks for the game today so I can go earlier tomorrow without going by the store.

I have plenty to occupy me today. There's the game notes, the house, laundry, a couple of projects. But the rent is tantamount, so I guess I'd better go ahead and get a shower and get ready to go. That way I can give it in while the office is open today, even though they print May 7th on the actual money order (it not being a business day according to my bank). Besides, you should always get a receipt in hand when using money orders. The receipt you get at the bank only proves you bought it; it doesn't prove a thing in regards to who you gave it to, if any.

So it looks like Tuesday

will be full of things like carpet cleaning and a doctor's appointment. Of course, I found out about the former's time this evening, so Monday I have to check with my bosses to see if it's okay to just take Tuesday off. I hate not giving plenty of notice, but I have to be here to let in the cleaners, and that can be anytime before noon, with the appointment later in the afternoon. If I went into work I'd get at the most about three or four hours, probably less, of work done. So, there you go. If it's not okay with them, I'll reschedule the cleaning. But I doubt there will be a problem; they're both flexible and I can get my data entry work in on Wednesday without losing much time.

That means I have to get things off the floor and vacuum really well before then. Tomorrow will be dog bathing day, and then I'll have to work on the game notes, and Sunday's the game, so the majority of this will happen on Monday evening. I also need to do laundry this weekend sometime, for it is time, once again. Before the dog bathing, though, I have to get my rent. And I really should try to find certificate paper for the retirees who need to be recognised by the section of the Medical Library Association for which I'm chair of the membership committee. The annual conference is very soon.

Tonight I was fortunate in that my friend Brandon took me over to where my other friends live and I was able to drop some stuff off for the dogs and get my meds (a friend from the pharmacy delivers theirs and mine, and I pick mine up there, rather than going across town on the bus). Then my ride took me to Taco Bell to pick up dinner (a rare treat, isn't that ridiculous?) and dropped me off at home. It took about an hour all told, whereas it would have taken at least three on the bus. Thank you so much, Brandon, for taking me places!

Of course, I meant to watch or record 'Supernatural' and 'Grimm' tonight, but alas, I fell asleep for a bit, so I'll have to watch online. I am so far behind on those shows. I really should set a series recording so I don't miss any.

I'm sleepy already. Time to go to bed for real; it's almost midnight. Have a good night and a good weekend. My horse for the Kentucky Derby is Take Charge Indy. We'll see how he does. I don't bet, of course. I'm not even doing anything except if I'm lucky, watching the 2 minutes or so of the race. But I thought I'd put that name out there. Good night.

Why you should get immunised against tetanus, whooping cough, and diptheria

Idaho infant dies from whooping cough amid regional outbreak

Washington whooping cough epidemic spurs release of extra funds, call for CDC help

For adults, it's a booster called a TDaP. For kids, it's DTap. Each vaccine protects against tetanus (T), diptheria (D), and pertussis (P), also known as whooping cough. The more people immuninised, the less likely outbreaks will happen, because there's also something called 'herd immunity', whereby the immmunised populace help protect the few who aren't, such as infants too young to get the shot--or me.

See, some people can't take the vaccine, such as those who reacted to the pertussis vaccine in the past. I did that when I was a kid. My whole arm got red and swollen, and so they advise me against getting it. As a person working in a hospital, I was offered the TDaP, and on my doctor's advice had to refuse it formally. Fortunately you can still get tetanus-only and TD vaccine as well.

But in cases of outbreaks, what protects those of us who can't take the vaccine is the sheer number of you out there who are vaccinated. Adults often do not realise there are vaccines out there for them, and think their days of vaccination are gone with their school days. This is not true. Here is a list of the vaccines recommended for adults and at what ages in a PDF format. For more on vaccinations, visit the Centers for Disease Control's vaccine page or this one from Pfizer.

I haven't read them, they're not my thing

but censorship isn't either...but one library, at least, is pulling them from the shelves, and not because anyone asked them to:

Brevard libraries pull erotic best-seller 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Characterised as 'mommy porn', the books are being taken out of circulation because they are too racy.

While the naughty novel doesn’t check out with local library officials, a quick look at the Brevard system’s online catalogue reveals a solid stash of some of the most erotic and enduring literature.

Copies of “The Complete Kama Sutra” are available through the Cocoa Beach, Mims/Scottsmoor, Palm Bay and Titusville branches. Also up for grabs countywide: “Fanny Hill,” “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” “Fear of Flying,” “Tropic of Cancer” and “Lolita.”

So what makes “Fifty Shades of Grey” different?

“I think because those other books were written years ago and became classics because of the quality of the writing,” Schweinsberg said. “This is not a classic.”

That would be the library director. I do hope she at least read the thing before they banned it, rather than relying on word of mouth. Funny, they stock the Anita Blake books by Laurell K. Hamilton, which are overtly sexual and violent to the point where I stopped reading them because the story sort of became moot and it seemed that the books were written to satisfy the author's own fantasies rather than to tell a tale. And then there's her Merry Gentry books as well, where the main character has a harem of men to service her practically on every page--and these are not classics, either. Yet they remain. Did they not get the memo on them?

Lexington Public Library has many copies of Fifty Shades of Grey on its new books shelves--I count 76 in hardback, with 90 checkouts and 329 requests, and then there's 23 copies of the first e-book with 82 people on the waiting list. I'm interested to see how it plays out here, but I have faith in my library.

It's 10 pm, and I'm still awake, yay!

But I am flagging a bit. I guess I just have a two-hour wind-down no matter when I get home. I think I'll go read for a little while, maybe listen to some music, and then turn in. Tomorrow night I'm taking some things to a friend, so I'll probably be home late, and therefore getting to bed later. I don't know what my plans for Saturday will be, except I'll probably watch the Derby when it is run. Hope you've had a great week so far, and that your weekend is very nice. And tonight I will not fall asleep without setting the mobile devices to charging. I had to do that first thing this morning because I forgot last night. Fortunately they had enough juice for my needs even having been used to a goodly degree yesterday.

PS I actually stayed up past 11 talking on the phone with a friend. Maybe I can 'reset' my clock to getting 8 hours' sleep rather than, oh, 12.

Let me have the tasty morsel!

So, this woman's baby was dressed in a striped hooded sweatshirt for a trip to the zoo and they put him down next to very thick ballistic glass. That's when a lioness went crazy for a bite. I cant' embed this video, but it's worth watching. What was the kid's response? 'Kitty, kitty.' :)

Of course, there's all sorts of people making comments about how it's child abuse and how awful it is. That's silly. Okay, maybe having a large lioness' jaw over my head might scar me for life, but the baby seems absolutely oblivious.

Apparently interesting things happen when you mix a baby dressed vaguely like a zebra, a lioness, and some thankfully thick glass. Go watch.

Interesting

The Kentucky Derby and the Slow Death of Horse Racing

This dark and stormy Derby week, there is no other way to put it. These are dismal days for horse racing in North America. We once said, in the grandstands and along the backstretches, that all horse racing needed to reassert itself onto the American sporting scene was a Triple Crown winner. But the last 3-year-old colt to accomplish that task was Affirmed in 1978. And that means that a third of a century, an entire generation, has come and gone without such a champion. In the meantime, chaos. The great gaming monopoly that once was horse racing has devolved into a rudderless mess.

You've got to love that headline

Zombie ants fight fungus with fungus

:)

I am hot, I am sweaty, my feet hurt, and a bird pooped on me--

but at least I am home, in air conditioning, with my shoes off. And the shirt is one that I once spilled a good portion of automatic transmission fluid on, which eventually came out, so surely bird poop will. I don't think it actually hit my hair or body, although I am tempted to hop into the shower just to cool down. It's in the mid- to upper-70s and it's late evening.

I worked today, of course, and then a co-worker dropped me off at my first stop of the evening, saving me about forty-five minutes, but still, it's nearly 8 pm and I'm just getting home. This evening I:

1. Picked up some things from Incredipet for a friend.
   
2. Got my hair cut (I can't tell yet how it really looks, as I am windblown and sweaty).
   
3. Got my bus pass.
   
4. Picked up some alcohol pads and a bit of food until I can do an actual grocery run.
   
5. Dropped off my (signed) lease, with a note saying, yes, I'd like the free carpet cleaning.

Yay for getting paid today, although most of it will go towards rent. If I had thought about it, I would have had my co-worker drop me off at the bank and gotten my rent together so I could drop it off with the lease, but no, I didn't until after the bank was closed. The bank has later lobby hours tomorrow, and then there's Saturday, and I have until the 5th, so I'm not in danger of being late.

So far things have been pretty good this week, although I've run into a couple of glitches. I have a report to do by Monday but have bad data to work with, and the person who can give me the correct data is off sick. I have some surveys to compile so that I can get my needs assessment finished and get a library committee meeting together, but the file for the form became corrupted, and I have to create a new one and then manually enter the data, since it won't scan the old form. And I need to catch up on some statistics and filing, but tomorrow's a little slow so I'm hoping that will work. It feels like today is Friday, and everyone else seems ready for the week to end as well. One of my bosses won't be here tomorrow because (yay) she's having her hooding ceremony for her doctorate (she has graduation Sunday). In nursing, they pin you when you get your BSN, and have the hooding ceremony when you attain your PhD. I'm very happy for her.

Not to sound superstitious, but I've found two lucky pennies in one day. That must be good for something, right?

This morning, as I walked from the bus stop to the hospital, a lovely cardinal perched on the sign singing, and it let me get pretty close before flying to the bushes. I wish I'd gotten a picture.

What else of import happened today? Oh, I did get a chuckle while reading through my lease before I signed it. There's a mistake where instead of making sure the lessee does not make any alterations to the apartment without the manager's consent, it says there will be no altercations made. Let's hope not. :)

Okay, I've had something cold to drink and ate a light dinner. Lunch today was grilled salmon, grilled vegetables (asparagus, spinach, peppers, and onions), sweet potato 'fries', and a small salad, which I thought was very sensible and healthy, and it disproves several persons' opinions that for a vegetarian I don't eat vegetables. I just don't eat as many as I should, which is sad, because I love vegetables. But I tend to let them spoil in the fridge (there's salad makings that seem to be okay in there right now, but they have been there two weeks), canned ones aren't as good for you (but I do eat those), and often our cafeteria vegetables are either fried or wilt on the heat tables by the time I go to lunch. But I am making a concerted effort to eat more of them. And the salmon was very good today, as were the vegetables.

I usually check the news about this time, but frankly, I'm a little tired. I am not going on to bed, however. Really. Maybe a shower would pep me up....