Sleepy

I've managed to go through the materials for the introduction and week 1 of the class and am in process of submitting my first week's assignment. I have to do the second week, too--I'm behind, but I think that will have to wait for tomorrow morning when I do the laundry. It's an interesting class. I'm getting a new perspective on using MeSH (the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings) that will be helpful in my job. The class is also worth 5 hours of MLA (Medical Library Association) credit. :)

In Memorium

One of my colleagues passed away Sunday in Berea. His name was Karl-Heinz Boewe. He had been a medical librarian at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library. I met him briefly early in my career, but I've definitely heard of him. He was highly respected by his peers. You can view his obituary online. A memorial is planned at a later date.

:D

I have a system through Vonage that transcribes my home phone voicemails, and then includes a .wav (sound) file of the actual message in an e-mail, so I very rarely actually have to listen to my voicemails from the phone itself. (Contrary to my what my friends may think, I do usually listen to the ones that come into the cell phone. It's just one friend tends to not leave them, so if it's just a couple of seconds I know I'm going to hear the sound of Freecell on the computer and I just know to call back. Sometimes I forget that it could be from the other friend, who does leave voicemails, and just call back, and this annoys them.)

Anyway, back to the home phone with Vonage. Usually it does a reasonable job of transcribing. I use my home phone for things like doctor's offices, so I don't get a lot of calls to my cell phone, and pay just a bit each month for unlimited incoming calls and a limited amount going out. (My cell is unlimited both ways.) But I have to admit, I was amused today when I got the following in an e-mail:

Hello this is the office of Doctor Christina Humphrey isn't as bad as the internal medicine and endocrinology

I'm going to an endocrinologist named Kristina Humphries. Apparently it couldn't handle the end of her name. :) Anyway, I was amused.

I'm easy to amuse today. I was at Kroger's briefly after work. I got the following three things:

• Always overnight menstrual pads
• Herbal Essences Body Envy shampoo
• Diet Sunkist soda

What do all of these have in common? They're orange, as was my outfit today (it's a top with pink and orange, colours I rarely wear). I went to pay with my debit card, which is orange. Also, the cashier had black hair she'd dyed orange. It was like orange was the colour theme of the day. I know, it's silly, but it did amuse me. I mentioned it to the cashier (well, everything but her hair), and she laughed, but she probably thought I was weird. Oh, well.

Well, my bathroom is very slick

But I finally got all those hand-washables washed. I did it in the bathtub, except for a couple of light things and an aqua skirt that bleeds its dye strongly still. I've filled the drying rack, the shower rod, and all towel racks, and even so I had a few things that will probably not dry that well. It's a bit late to start the rest of the laundry; I think I may get up early and do it. (Really, the hand-washables are about half of what I had; I maybe have two loads now to do, and if all else fails, I have pants I can wear tomorrow.)

I've managed to go through the book, straighten up the house a bit, and gather up some trash and recyclables. I'll take that out tomorrow morning. I also went through some bills and found one I need to call about. The hospital is still trying to charge me too much for my emergency room visit from when I got hit by the car. I'll call about that tomorrow. But now it's almost 11 pm and I'm getting a bit sleepy.

So here's the revised plan:

1. Go through some of the class materials tonight.
2. Go to bed.
3. Get up in the middle of the night and give my libation.
4. Get up early tomorrow.
5. Do the laundry (or, if I don't manage to get up early, ask a friend if I can do it tomorrow at his place).
6. Take out the trash and recyclables.
7. Call about the emergency room bill.
8. Write the review tomorrow.

By the way

I've published quite a few things of late, mostly book reviews and I also worked as a library selector for two disciplines for Doody's Core Titles. I know it's not hard-hitting original research, but it is still nice to publish. Here's my list of publications from my résumé:

• Broadbent, LK. 1986 Checklist of Kentucky State Publications. Frankfort, Ky.: KDLA, 1992 (under former name).
• Rowan, EE. Providing Library Services in a Unique Pediatric Orthopaedic Setting: Experiences at the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 5(2). 2005, pp. 65-72.
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2006. Doody Enterprises, Inc. [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, E. 'Medical Librarian, Pediatric Hospital Library'. A Day in the Life. Ed. Priscilla K. Shontz and Richard A. Murray. Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2007. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2008. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2009. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2010. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, EE., 'Caring for Patients From Different Cultures, 4th edition Geri-Ann Galanti', Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 10(2), 2010, pp. 205-206.
• Rowan, EE. 'Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan on a Shoestring by Emily Knox', Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 10(4), 2010, pp. 420-421.
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2011. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, EE. 'The Accidental Health Sciences Librarian by Lisa A. Ennis and Nicole Mitchell', Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 11(2), 2011, pp. 204-205.
• Mason, T., Rowan, E. 'Orthopedics'. The Medical Library Association's Master Guide to Authoritative Information Resources in the Health Sciences. Ed. Laurie L. Thompson. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2011.
• Rowan, E. 'Orthopedic Nursing'. The Medical Library Association's Master Guide to Authoritative Information Resources in the Health Sciences. Ed. Laurie L. Thompson. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2011.
• Rowan, EE. ‘Effective Blogging for Libraries by Connie Crosby’, Journal of the Medical Library Association. 99(4), 2011, pp. 321-322.
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2012. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, EE. ‘Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries by Miriam B. Kahn’, Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 13(2), 2013, pp. 186-187.
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2013. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Orthopedics]
• Rowan, E., Library Selector. Doody’s Core Titles in the Health Sciences 2013. Doody Enterprises, Inc., [Nursing--Pediatrics]
• Rowan, EE. ‘Sir William Osler: the Man and His Books edited by William Feindel, Elizabeth Makney, and Pamela Miller’, Journal of the Medical Library Association. 101(3), 2013, p. 231.
• Rowan, EE. ‘Jump-Start Your Career as a Digital Librarian: A LITA Guide edited by Jane D. Monson’. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 13(3), 2013, pp. 302-303.

I have a busy evening ahead of me

Things I really should do:

1. Water the plants, inside the house and in the window boxes
2. Wash laundry, both hand-washables and machine ones
3. Straighten up the house
4. Take out the trash and recyclables
5. Write a book review that is due Thursday for a book I haven't read yet
6. Catch up on a PubMed searching class I'm taking
7. Give my monthly libation to Hekate

Things I'd like to do:

1. Listen to some new music I have
2. Watch the 'Big Bang Theory' on DVD

So I'm going to start by reading through the (thankfully brief) book while listening to Of Monsters and Men's My Head is an Animal. Then I'll start on the laundry and clean for a bit, this time to Imagine Dragons' Night Visions. Then I'll sit down and work on the computer for the class and review. I'll celebrate by watching an episode or two of 'The Big Bang Theory' if I get all that accomplished. Then I'll do the libation before bed. That's the plan, anyway. But first, I'm going to take some ibuprofen because my back is hurting still, and it's gone from hurting just when I stand to doing so even when sitting, which doesn't bode well for my plans.

Post # 9000

I'm up again, after taking a bath and about 1/4 of a muscle relaxant they had prescribed last time my back went out, in April, and went back to bed. So I've spent nearly eight hours in bed today. But I must admit, I feel much better. I'm not saying the pain is gone, but it's greatly diminished. We'll see if that stays true tomorrow morning when I get up (I'm often achy and stiff in the morning, what can I say, I'm getting older). But with any luck it'll be okay. After work I'm planning on taking a friend to an appointment tomorrow and then finish up some of the stuff we couldn't do today.

This is my 9,000th published post on this blog, after almost twelve years of blogging. That's a pretty decent milestone. Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, even when it's all about aches and pains. :) I know I don't have the most riveting life at times, so thanks for sticking with me through some of the more whiney posts. I'll try to keep those to a minimum.

I'm kind of awake now, and it's after 11 pm. Not quite sure how well I'll sleep after all this time in bed today. I think I'll go listen to some music and chill out for awhile. If I can't get to sleep, there's plenty to do around here if I can do it without exacerbating the back issues.

Sunday was cancelled due to pain

I went over to my friends' house to help with the Sunday chores, and over the course of the day my back and neck were really bothering me, and pain was going down my right leg. I kept nearly dropping things, too. So YKWIA sent me home to get some rest and I set up some music in the bedroom, and lined myself up with pillows to try to ease the back pain, and then I fell asleep. I've been in bed for about four hours, and have only now surfaced to get something to eat.

My neck hurts now, and my back (although not as much as it did). I have pain going down my arms and even into my fingers. The pain in my leg isn't as bad, but my feet and hips hurt. I am seriously thinking of going into the pool to relieve some of the pain, but there's numbness too, and that bothers me in terms of swimming, as there is no lifeguard or anything. But I think the buoyancy would help the pain and maybe relax the muscles some. My neck and shoulders feel like they're terribly knotted.

The weather, meanwhile, is quite pleasant, even spring-like. I managed to open the windows when I got home, and a light breeze is coming in. Maybe the cooler temperatures are partly to blame for the pain. I can hear kids down at the pool from here. So maybe the pool wouldn't be that relaxing after all. YKWIA just called to check on me, and he suggested a good long bath. I think I'll take his advice, which will no doubt shock him.

Wow...

This gives music education a whole new meaning. In a place where a violin is costlier than a house, these children make beautiful music on instruments made from other people's trash. Kudos to the project, and the people making such a difference in these kids' lives.

I really like this song

but I hadn't seen the video till tonight. I think it's pure genius. YKWIA--you should watch. I promise, no rap. :)

Got everything I needed to accomplished today

I did miss the farmer's market, but hey, there's always Tuesday or next Saturday. I got a new serpentine belt and tensioner. They finished about 2:15 and then came and got me a bit after. I got over to my friends' house a little after three. One friend's mom and stepdad came over a little after that and we visited with them, and then we went to pick up what my friend needed, grabbed some food from Captain D's, came back, ate, and then my other friend and I did a fairly small grocery run. We came back and I watched an episode of 'H2O: Just Add Water' with YKWIA, who is watching the 'Mako Mermaids' series and trying to get me caught up with the first show so we can watch that together. He also showed me several fashion show videos in an attempt to understand style. What I got from that is that I think Prada products are quite ugly, judging from what I saw. I did like Dolce and Cabbana, though.

Tomorrow there's housecleaning, working on updating a character of mine from the Cthulhu game, working on something else, and maybe watching a little more of 'H2O: Just Add Water'. I think I'm going to listen to some music and read a little before going to bed. Have a good night.

Hurrah! Keeping down the spoilers!

50th Anniversary to be Simulcast Worldwide

Quoting The Sun:

The 3D episode goes out here on November 23 at 8pm on BBC1, so fans in LA will watch at noon while it airs in Sydney at 6am the next day.

That means here in Eastern Time it should air on BBCAmerica at 3 pm. Thank goodness that's a Saturday. I honestly would have taken off from work.

Back over at the house while they work on the car

Looks like it will be a new serpentine belt and tensioner for the car. The belt and labour wasn't much. The tensioner added quite a bit, but will make it less likely that a belt will go out and keep the wear down. Danny from Tire Discounters brought me back over to my house, then I realised my house key was with the car key ring, and he took me back, got the keys, and brought me home again. They're going to call in a couple of hours when they're finished. But it's given me the opportunity to get something to eat (a tomato basil pizza soy burger) and I don't have to listen to CBS' Saturday morning children's programming, which I must say is quite sad compared to what we had, I think.

I'm having the belts of the car looked at, so I'm on Tire Discounters' wi-fi with the laptop

I'm so glad it's the weekend. I slept in just a bit today, although a friend called me at 8:20, which turned out to be good because I managed to get up for my appointment here. I didn't manage to get breakfast, though, so once I'm finished here it would definitely be good to get something.

I'm moving a little slowly today; everything aches, especially my feet, back, and shoulders. I think it's because I helped a friend cook last night. He did the cooking, but I did most of the prep work, like slicing, cubing, chopping, and pressing. We made this really great Hispanic squash and zucchini casserole with polenta, corn, hot peppers, and cheese, among other ingredients. It was very nummy.

Yesterday was just as busy as the rest of the week at work, despite fewer people in clinic. There were interlibrary loans, cataloguing books (using my phone and LibraryThing's scanner application), working with our clinical analyst to resolve some issues with my referral job. I definitely wasn't bored. Harley Claus came for the Hillbilly Christmas in July at the hospital.

During the interlibrary loans yesterday I had a dilemma. A journal was very tightly bound, and the copier I was using to scan it was having trouble picking up a chart clearly on the binding side. So I got a co-worker to hold the journal all the way open, took a picture with my phone using the CamScanner application, which takes pictures and converts them to .pdf files. I then sent that along with the article I scanned. I thought it was a creative solution to the problem, and I got a nice thank you from the borrowing librarian for going an extra step. Plus, it was kind of fun figuring out how to do it.

Today there's the car to take care of, the grocery run, and I'm going to take a friend to pick up something he'd ordered. I keep forgetting tomorrow we're not playing the game; one of our players is off at the Pennsic War for the Society for Creative Anachronism. I hope she's having fun. I went years ago...and by that I mean sometime in the late 1980s, years ago, and it was a lot of fun. The queen for the Midrealm that year was named Eislinn. One of my friends was in her Guard. She was battling cancer, and it was amazing just how well everyone rallied around her. It was a very special Pennsic War as a result.

Okay, I think I'll play on the computer for awhile. Hopefully your'e having a good start to your weekend. Take care.

Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's...

a biplane?

This was kind of cool. A biplane went over my house this afternoon. Look carefully--there are two sets of wings. Wish my phone had cooperated when it was right overhead.

Okay, this really is good night. :)

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday

It has been a very long, busy week at work. I've had a little time in the evenings to recuperate, but I'm ready for the weekend. Today I went on over to Meijer after work and got the stuff for my friend, along with some plastic plants for the little aquarium (I don't care for them, but I don't want live plants taking over the betta tank). I just put them in and he seems to like them. I did get some cilantro and German thyme plants to replace the dill and basil in the window boxes, which were pretty much spent. Everything's doing well so long as I water them. The strawberries have several berries on them right now, and hopefully they'll ripen soon. I also got a bread knife, as I didn't have one, and now that I'm making my own bread occasionally, I need a knife that will cut cleanly.

After I came home (the first time) today I planted the herbs in the window box, and then headed over to my friends' house to drop off the stuff from Meijer. I wound up watching a few episodes of 'H2O: Just Add Water'. Now I'm home and I'd better go ahead and pay my cell phone bill--I waited till the due date because today was payday. Then I think I'll listen to some music (I'm listening to Ed Sheeran right now') and head on to bed. Tomorrow I'm helping my friend with some cooking in the evening, and Saturday I hope to go to the farmer's market, we'll go to the grocery, and I have an appointment to have the car looked at. I think a belt is going bad--it's making that distinctive high-pitched noise, especially on rainy days, and I'm hoping to get it changed before it actually breaks.

Hope you have a nice evening and an even better weekend. Good night.

Ten more posts

and I'll reach 9,000. Really. Woo-hoo.

So apparently

If you do a whole computer scan with my antivirus software, then you need to restart the computer, and there may be difficulties. The laptop needed to be restarted; it refused to open the Chrome browser without doing so. The desktop not only did the same thing, but then got hung up on the restart and then it took forever for the mouse settings to revert to a left-handed mouse. This is not my day for technology.

I decided to listen to some music, then I napped for about an hour, so a lot of the tension went away (although perhaps a bit of it is creeping back in due to the computer issues). Then I texted with a friend for awhile. Now I've worked on the kitchen some and am doing a load in the dishwasher. I really need to do some laundry, but it's too late tonight to expect it to dry by the morning, I think, even though I have a drying rack for hand-washables. I think I have a couple of outfits left, anyway. I would do some regular laundry over at a friend's tomorrow, but I think that's one of his laundry days. But if I can get to the weekend, I should be able to get it done.

Oh, Vanessa Irvin Morris shared this on Facebook today, and I had to laugh. It's 30 Things Librarians Love, and I have to admit, it's mostly true. Number 1? Pointing out that you have to have a master's degree to do your job. This is especially difficult when someone with a PhD is standing there waiting for you to wrestle a copier into submission. Copier wrangling is not on my job description, exactly, but it is actually something I deal with every day, as I have two that are used by the whole hospital.

Tomorrow promises to be fairly busy as well, but hopefully things will slow down a little by Friday. At least I get paid tonight and Friday is jeans day. So the rest of the week has its positives.

I had thought about going to Meijer and getting something for a friend once I get paid, but I'm rapidly getting sleepy, so it will have to be tomorrow. He uses a certain product that was discontinued by Kroger, so we can't get it during the great grocery run on Saturdays. I was hoping to avoid afternoon traffic, but I may just go tomorrow. We'll see. I had my little burst of energy with the kitchen; now I'm fading. If I can get up early I'll go then, but the problem with that is it's nearly impossible for me to do so. My alarms are all set around 5:30 and that gets me up by about 7:40. Really. And that's with four alarms. I only heard one this morning, the Gentle Alarm that goes on for awhile, finally goes into a 'safe' alarm where it buzzes in case you didn't get up with the gentle music, and forces you to solve a puzzle to turn it off. That's really the only one that works, even though I have three other alarms that go off at intervals normally. Of course, my blood sugar has not been doing great lately, despite my attempts to rein it in. It's been pretty high every morning this week, so that might have something to do with it.

The biggest blessing today, other than being alive, is that I didn't have to go cross-town anywhere in rush hour traffic

I've had a long, stressful day, most of which involved wrestling with a copier drawer that is continually mis-feeding to the point where, for now, it has won. I'll call it in tomorrow morning, but in the meantime we won't use it and I'll just have to be vigilant about filling the drawer that is working, which doesn't hold a whole ream of paper. Such are the daily annoyances of a librarian. Yes, for this I went to graduate school and took out student loans. :(

I have quite a bit to do at home (the kitchen is an absolute disaster), but I really want to do something fun and relaxing, like maybe going back in the pool. It's a bit cooler but I think the water should still be warm. Or I could watch one of the videos that I need to catch up on. Or maybe read. I haven't decided. I think I'll finish eating, take off my shoes, and get my contacts out, and then figure it out from there. But for now, I don't really want to be on the computer, as I've been on one all day and I'm just not happy with machines at the moment. Besides, mine is running a full viral scan at the moment, so I think I'll leave it be. I'll try to write later. Have a good evening.

I got home around 8:45 tonight, and was asleep by 9 pm

with the idea of taking a 45-minute nap that went till 11-something, when I was awoken by a thunderstorm. So I unplugged my phone, rolled over, and then woke up at 12:40. I've been downloading an Internet protection suite I bought for the computers and checking up on Facebook. I need to remember to take my Lantus before I head back to bed; my blood sugar's been kind of high since Sunday, when I apparently ate too much fruit and didn't have enough pen needles with me to take a second shot of Novolog during the snacking at the game. While our snacks are healthy compared to past years as we've aged (cheese, multi-grain crackers, veggies, and fruit, rather than chocolate), I have to balance the fruit, which can make my blood sugar go up, and the veggies, which can give me some terrible gastrointestinal issues for a day or two. Usually I manage that balance; this week I didn't.

I've been pretty busy at work. After work today I went by Jin Jin and got food for myself (tofu and eggplant in garlic sauce) and two friends and we ate and two of us watched videos. Then I took the other one to the store to get what he needed for his mom's birthday. I helped with a couple of chores and then came on home, going straight to bed. It was a little late to get into the pool, and frankly I was still pretty tired. I hate the groggy, tired feeling that my blood sugar makes me have. I go to the endocrinologist next week, so maybe she can do something to help. In the meantime, I'm trying to watch my diet more closely and taking my insulin as directed. I know that sounds simple, but sometimes eating can be complicated with diabetes. It's not sweets that are the issue, it's anything with carbs. And it's hard to remember to take your medicine as prescribed if you're feeling like your brain's turning to syrup because your glucose is up. That's how I feel sometimes when it's very high. I just want to feel normal again. I want the energy to do what I want, whether it's housework, working out, or having fun. And I want to not feel groggy, to feel like mentally I'm spot on. It affects my work, my personal life, everything I do.

Okay, enough ranting about my diabetes for the night. I'll go take my Lantus and head back to bed. Good night.

So I finally finished watching series 7 of 'Doctor Who'

Wow. Well done. Clara's choice (I won't say what it was, no spoilers) was a classic one we face in our Call of Cthulhu game. Take a step forward, risk yourself, and save the universe--I've done that several times in the game. But the best time was during the interminable Beyond the Mountains of Madness campaign (it took us two years to complete it, I think), when I was determined to save a beloved non-player character who appeared to be fated to die, and by staying my hand and allowing the others to take a certain action, I was able to trick the aliens into taking a course of action that would kill me but save the world. Everything fell into place. My decision. My character died gruesomely, but the feeling I had was great. 'The Name of the Doctor' reminded me of that.

I'm really looking forward to the 50th anniversary special on November 23rd, where hopefully we will learn more about John Hurt's role. And then there will be the Christmas special...and the last of Matt Smith's Doctor, which makes me sad, as he really has grown on me.

Okay, I think I'm going to head on to bed. I'm going to try to do some work on the kitchen in the morning. I've had a lot of trouble getting up in the morning lately, and I'm hoping going to bed early will help. Good night.

Well, it's 1 am, but the game notes are finished

I'm going to bed now. It's been a long day full of errands, appointments, and spending time with friends. Time to sleep until a new day dawns. Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm not sure if I'll write tomorrow--game day is always so busy, but if not, hope it is a good one.

Triumph of the pink blobbie

I did not go to the Y tonight, but I did go to my complex pool, despite my neon pink swimsuit and my blobbie-shaped body. And you know what? It was great. There actually were no other people at the pool (several people went to the laundry room, and of course I walked back to my apartment later, and there was no sense putting anything over the suit as I was still wet). But I forgot how absolutely freeing the water can be. I floated, I did some exercises, I swam (such as it is). I got some good exercise in and enjoyed myself thoroughly. I was in for about 40 minutes and burned between 500-640 calories or so, according to my fitness applications for leisurely swimming. :) I definitely have to do this more often, both here at the apartments (the pool will be open through Labour Day weekend) and at the YMCA. Yay for the pink blobbie. And when I looked in the mirror, I didn't seem quite as huge as I was afraid I'd look. The suit has rauching, a bit of a skirt, and a lot of bosom support. It worked out pretty well.

Up at strange hours of the night

I came home about 9ish today and just pretty much went straight to bed. I'd taken a friend to a doctor's appointment, dealt with much nerve-wracking traffic, gotten dinner and then had to take it back because Taco Bell gave the vegetarians beefy tacos (and I ate one before I quite realised it, and I thought I was going to be sick), and watched several episodes of 'H2O: Just Add Water'. We've been watching on Netflix, having to compensate because the second season episodes are out of order, but tomorrow I should get the complete series from Amazon on DVD. I must admit it tends to relax me. The episodes are short, just 24 minutes, and the subject matter is generally somewhat lightweight teen drama, without the angst of American shows. Maybe Australian teens aren't quite as angsty, I don't know. :)

Speaking of Australians, I am starting Gary Corby's The Ionian Sanction, the second of his ancient Greek mystery series. I just got the third, Sacred Games, recently. I really liked his debut novel, The Pericles Commission. I'll let you know what I think about the second once I'm finished.

Things are rather quiet at the moment. It has been a busy week at work, but not too bad otherwise. The little betta is still doing well. I need to do some stuff around the house tomorrow evening and also go to the Y (today just wasn't going to work). Saturday is farmer's market, grocery, and an appointment for a friend. Somewhere between now and Sunday I need to do game notes, and I think it's the last game before one of the players goes to Pennsic (the great 'war' between the Midrealm and the Kingdom of the East in the Society for Creative Anachronism). It's been years since I went, but it was enjoyable. I think it's much bigger than it used to be; several thousand people camp out at a Pennsylvania campground, dress up in mediaeval gear, and those with fighter personae whack at each other with rattan swords. Fortunately we wrapped up the adventure last time, so 1) we can hopefully have just a bit of down time and 2) the notes should go by quickly because I don't put in blow-by-blow action, so it goes quicker during action scenes than, say, investigation ones.

Okay, I've had something to drink, plugged in my phone, taken some long-acting insulin, and fed the fish. It's time to head back to bed. Good night.

Guess what?

Yesterday I finally went to the YMCA and worked out. I did a round of cardio and got my heart rate up to 140, sweated quite a bit, and generally had a good time. My friends and a co-worker really helped get me there through encouragement. I didn't go into the swimming pool because one, I was on this side of an asthma attack and it didn't seem advisable, and two, I'm still afraid of being the big pink blobbie (my swimsuit is neon pink). But as YKWIA put it, I should be the best pink blobbie I can be. People were all shapes, sizes, ages, etc., so I feel a little better about being there. I'm going to try to go tomorrow. A friend has a doctor's appointment (and I'm taking him) tomorrow afternoon, but the Y's pool doesn't have open swim till 7:30 pm, so it should be doable. Go me.

I sat down with someone more knowledgeable than I about diet and diabetes today and she helped me get a plan together for dealing with carbs. It's not extremely low-carb, fairly balanced, but she put together a good guideline that should help me track them, which will help my blood sugar and probably help me lose weight, too, so I'm going to put that in action. That, along with the exercise and going to the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks should help on the diabetes front.

I've been pretty busy at work each day this week. After work today I went and got a friend, went on a small grocery run, and then watched 'Ugly Betty', 'H2O: Just Add Water', and some stuff on Paula Deen with YKWIA. Before I left I fixed him dinner and now that I'm home, I've been texting with another friend. But I must admit, I'm fading fast. It's 11 pm already; the day has flown by. I should probably go on to bed. But I wanted to touch base here. I've got some news stories I'd like to blog about; maybe I can do that tomorrow. In the meantime, have a safe and wonderful evening. Good night.

Yummy!

I'm finally starting to get strawberries in the window boxes. Here's the first one, which I photographed before eating. It was the sweetest, most perfect berry I have ever tasted. I think it had to do with growing it myself. :-)

I spent a couple of hours talking to a friend tonight

which was nice, as we've texted a bit on and off over the last few days, but both of us have been busy and haven't had much time to touch base. He found me in a funk and helped raise me out of it. Here's to friends and good conversation.

One reason I like Adobe's .PDFs

So a friend found a freely-available book on the Internet he wanted to print out, but it was in Word format, meaning none of the pages lined up or the formatting was correct. After fiddling with the file for about an hour in a vain attempt to format it correctly and put it into a .PDF, I had a what-the-hell-am-I-doing moment and just put the title into Chrome's address/search bar and presto! A .PDF version of the same book was the first result, where the author had self-published. This had pictures, tables, the whole thing formatted somewhat amateurishly (hey, it was a fan writing their own handbook for a gaming system, so I'll cut him slack, even though he really does not seem to know the difference between a colon and semi-colon), but consistent with the table of contents and as the author actually intended it. Sometimes it's better to find the wheel rather than re-invent it, what can I say? All hail the Portable Document Format!

I'll admit

I haven't glued myself to television news and watched everything to do with the George Zimmerman trial. I haven't spent hours watching the pundits and experts analyse the case. I don't know all the evidence presented to the jury. I do know that, according to CNN's George Zimmerman found not guilty of murder in Trayvon Martin's death that the jury apparently had reasonable doubt regarding both the second-degree murder charge and the option they had of manslaughter.

Earlier in the day, the jury had asked the court for clarification on its instructions regarding manslaughter. The jury couldn't have even posed such a query a few days ago: Judge Debra Nelson ruled Thursday, over the defense's vehement objection, to include manslaughter as an option for jurors, in addition to a second-degree murder charge.

To convict Zimmerman of manslaughter, the jurors would have had to believe that he "intentionally committed an act or acts that caused the death of Trayvon Martin." That charge could have carried a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, though the jury was not told of that possible sentence.

For second-degree murder, the jurors would have had to believe that Trayvon Martin's unlawful killing was "done from ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent" and would be "of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life."

So Zimmerman is a free man, or as free as any person who's already been convicted by public opinion can ever be, even though he stalked a teenager who was minding his own business when the authorities specifically told him not to, sought out an altercation, etc. I get that he no doubt felt his life was endangered when the blows came, but he went out of his way to put himself into that position. I get that they couldn't go with either of the charges, because of the reasonable doubt as to his intention to kill Martin. There was no option for 'involuntary manslaughter', apparently. But, he intentionally chose to pursue the matter and I really hate this feeling that justice wasn't served in this case, and that a boy needlessly died due to an adult's decision to pursue a series of actions that led to a gun being used against an unarmed person. I feel so sorry for his family. Regardless of the race issue, what Zimmerman did was wrong, although apparently not successfully prosecutable in the state of Florida.

I saw something on Twitter earlier from Jay Smooth, @jsmooth995, that was posted before the verdict: 'The fundamental danger of an acquittal is not more riots, it is more George Zimmermans.' There will always be those who will blithely decide to take the law into their own hands, but a conviction might at least have given them some pause. This makes me sad and disappointed. Justice may have spoken, but I don't think it was served.

I told you I'd post this

Here's the little betta in his tank. He's been exploring. It's only three gallons, but it's much bigger than the small cup he came in. I haven't decided if I'll name him (the goldfish aren't named, for example).

Today I slept in and then took a friend to do the weekly Kroger run for groceries. Then I watched some 'H2O: Just Add Water' (we're in the second season, now). It was raining when I came home. Now I've eaten, and I also transferred photos from my phone (always a hassle, as Samsung's Kies software rarely works without doing lots of updates each time I go to use it.) Now I need to work on the notes from the game last week.

PS I got my passport card today. This is an ID card that can be used for travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. A regular passport (which I received yesterday) is necessary for other travel abroad. All that's left is my identification papers that went with my application. I'm really pleased by the turnaround the State Department had for issuing the various forms of identification. It took 14 business days, 19 total days to receive the passport, and one more day to get the card. Not bad!

You know what?

Screw this. It's an hour till sunset. I'm going to go for a walk. I neither need a gym or pool for that. At least I'll be moving.

I did, at least, get an appointment

to see an endocrinologist today. I'd seen her years ago, before I was diabetic. She was the one who diagnosed me with insulin resistance. She isn't normally taking new patients unless you go through a screening--apparently they decided I was a case to take on. My appointment is in three weeks. I printed out all my labs to show her and they're sending a packet by mail. I really liked her--she's about my age. I'm tired of being told to increase my insulin by a hair and come back in three months. YKWIA suggested going awhile ago, and I knew he was right, but I guess I was feeling like I would be betraying my general practitioner in some way. But lately I've waited three hours to see him for maybe five minutes, and we didn't seem to be progressing. And it's my body, my health. So it was time to bring in a specialist. I'm also going to speak to a dietitian I know next week about my eating and how I can make better choices. So there is that.

Another lost opportunity

I wound up falling asleep rather than going to work out. So close! I had changed clothes and everything. I had even thought about just going over to our pool at the complex for a bit, but no, I fell asleep. The Y closes in about an hour; the pool in two (but the temperatures were already cooler than they had been--by now the water may not be that warm). I'll try again tomorrow. If I can't get going by the end of the month, I'll cancel the Y membership. I'm not feeling too great about things right now. I am so bad about putting my plans into action. And today was with quite a bit of motivation, both in terms of my A1c and watching a video about a woman who was 74 stone (that's 1,036 lbs) yesterday, courtesy of YKWIA.

Does anyone have experience with support hose?

I'm wearing them because my ankles and feet swell in the summer and we don't want it to go into cellulitis. But even though they take care of the ankles, the tops really bind my calves, sometimes to the point of blue blemishes that look like a collection of varicose veins that I didn't notice before. It's this normal? It's possible the veins were already an issue, as I do have some varicose veins. The top of the stocking comes up all the way to  the knee. I may have to talk to my doctor's office about them. I don't want to cause more trouble, say a blood clot. It's about as painful as when it swells, just in a different part of the leg. Right now I have them propped up to see if they feel better before going to work out.

I got my passport!

That was great turnaround time--I applied on the 21st of June and got it on July 12th. Not bad, especially with the holiday. Granted, I'm not going anywhere on a specific trip for which I was waiting for it; if I had no doubt there would have been a delay. At least, by applying when I did, there won't be a problem should I decide to take a road trip to Canada or finally make it to Great Britain. :) I never had a passport, even though I was a military brat, because we never left the country. So this is fun for me. Soon I should get the passport card (which you can use instead of the passport for Canada and Mexico) and the identifying papers (you have to submit originals, not copies, or rather certified copies, such as the birth certificate you get from the Vital Statistics office or in my case a court-ordered name change. :)

Today has been an excellent day. I'm off just a bit early. The plan is to go exercise a little closer to six, when open swim starts. In the meantime I wanted to check my mail (yipee!), get the support hose off (I've had as much as I can stand for one day, but it has helped), relax for just a bit, and check on the little fish. Hope your Friday was as pleasant.

PS Just got a phone call with a request for a ride from work. Support hose will stay on just a bit more. Oh, well. :)

I woke up early, despite going to bed late

and I feel like my blood sugar's high (I'll check it before I eat breakfast), but otherwise I'm not as groggy as usual. I have actually put on the support hose I'm supposed to wear due to the ankles and feet swelling, and let me tell you, that's a process. But I'm trying to do what I can for my health. I also checked my e-mail and my labs came back and while most things were normal (my cholesterol/trigycerides are lovely, for example), my diabetes scores suck. The A1c, which had been pretty normal while I was off with the ankle surgery, was quite high, the highest it's been in three years. I know some of that has to do with me not taking care of myself for part of the last three months, but my frustration has given way to downright panic. My scores, with the exception of being inactive for those three months I was recovering from the car accident, have been abysmal since my doctor took me off of the oral meds and put me solely on insulin. As much as I like my doctor, I think it is past time for a specialist. I'm going to look up endocrinologists today, make an appointment, and bring my lab printouts with me, and see if they can help. Also, I'm going to try to get with someone I know who knows a lot more about diabetes and nutrition than I and see if she has suggestions for what I can do in terms of limiting my carbs and sodium. Between that and the pescetarianism, I think it's high time I developed a good working diet.

On a happy note, I was transferring things from my gym bag to my backpack in the hopes of doing some exercise this afternoon, and I found the missing butterfly pendant I thought was lost to Goodwill in a purse. This makes me happy.

The little betta is doing well. I wish I could move him to the small tank, which is still 'curing', so to speak. I'll put him in Saturday sometime. I think that will be enough time. I also need to vacuum out the goldfish tank (which is much larger, 29 gallons) and consider putting in a few more fish, as I'm down to only two.

Okay, I'm off to work. Hope you have a great day, and remember, at least it's Friday (which means I get to wear jeans, yay!)

Strangely awake, without having taken a nap earlier

In fact, after coming home and lying in front of the fan with my feet up while texting a friend, I decided to go out to Meijer (because it was 10:30 and the pet stores had closed) and see if they had any of those small aquariums suitable for a betta, which I wanted for my bedroom. I found one that had a colour-changing bubble stone and small filter that was 3 gallons, a good size for one solitary fish, and much better than many bettas get, poor things. I also found a betta and some black gravel, but forgot the food, so stopped by Kroger on the way (I only have goldfish food for the other tank). I put everything together before realising that while the gravel didn't need washing, according to the directions, you should wait about 48 hours to put the fish in. So, I'm afraid he's still in his little bowl that he came in. But I gave him a pellet of food and he seemed reasonably happy. He's a blue-green colour, peacock colours and seemed feisty compared to the others, who were languishing in their little bowls. I hope he does well. I'll take a picture once he's in the tank. :)

This was pretty

I took a picture of the sunset through my bedroom window sheers and it looked  like fire outside. I'm happy it's not really flames, but I liked the effect.

My back is acting up again

I did take the trash out, but wound up taking some ibuprofen and lying down afterwards. I was having trouble with my lower back earlier this afternoon and even though the couple of bags of trash weren't extremely heavy, it exacerbated the pain. So no 'Doctor Who'. I did text with a friend for a bit this evening, and called another, chatting for awhile. Then I fell asleep. That was about 10 pm. Now it's nearly 2 am. I'm going to try to get up early and get some things done before work. So it's back to bed for me. I live such an exciting life. On the other hand, that is terribly overrated.

Fortunately I won't melt (or turn into a mermaid, depending on the story you want to draw from)

So it's a bit wet outside. A thunderstorm blew up about 3 pm and it was still raining when I got out of work at 5. Sadly, my umbrella was in the car. I'm afraid I've grown somewhat lax in terms of being prepared now that I'm no longer riding the bus. The good thing, though, is it's blown in on the window boxes, so no watering tonight anyway. From the time the rain started to now, it's gone from 90 degrees and 68% humidity to 72 degrees and 93% humidity. The drive home was not the greatest due to the rain, and there are a lot of accidents (hopefully fender-benders or less) in Lexington right now. So I'm glad to be safely in my home.

I managed to get my labs drawn this morning. I've been drinking lots of fluids, mainly water, in preparation for it, and then continued throughout the day. I've had five 20 oz. cups of water today and only two sodas. I thought that was pretty decent.

When the rain settles down, I need to take some things out to the Dumpster and Rosies (recycling containers--we name of our trash receptacles here), do those dishes from the other day, and some of that hand-wash laundry. Yes, still haven't done all that. I may watch the last two 'Doctor Who' episodes, as well, as I can't go much longer without accidentally running into spoilers, I'm sure.

Okay, I think I'll relax for just a bit (my back is bothering me a bit today) and then see if the rain lets up. I'll write later.

Interesting mix

15 Books That Changed You Profoundly: The books you read in grade school were, like, WHOA. This is some deep (and disturbing) stuff

The author's take on 15 books and what their lessons were. It includes several of ones I like, especially A Wrinkle in Time.

So I overslept this morning

which isn't surprising, since I didn't get home till midnight and went to bed late (for me). Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment to go to and it's really early, so I need to get up super early. Since that's the case, I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight.

I had a doctor's appointment today, a followup for my swelling ankles, and was able to get out of there early enough to get a friend from work and go by the pharmacy to pick up some more pen needles and Lantus, along with some stuff for my friends (we all use the same pharmacy). Then I watched some episodes, including the season one finale, of 'H2O: Just Add Water', which put me in a happy mood, something I needed after the rush-hour traffic.

I'm afraid that's all I have for now. I'm going to go relax and listen to some music. If I do stay awake, I'll check the news and see if there's anything to add. If I fall asleep, well, I hope you have a good night.

This is so me...

Seen on Facebook:

I'm not clumsy. The floor just hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the walls get in my way.

Okay, that really is it for me tonight. Good night.

Ooohhh.....

Wanted: Royal librarian to look after the Queen’s 125,000 titles -- The Royal Collection is advertising for a librarian to run the Royal Library at Windsor Castle for £53,000 per year

It is a bookworm’s dream job: the Royal Collection is advertising for a librarian to look after the Queen’s 125,000 titles.

It is seeking “an exceptional scholar and bibliophile” to run the Royal Library at Windsor Castle for £53,000 per year. The library contains one of the world’s finest collections of Old Master Drawings, including the largest group of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci.

It also has a unique collection comprising over 4,500 military maps and documents, spanning the four centuries from Agincourt to Waterloo.

The current Royal Librarian is Lady Roberts, who was appointed in 2002. Her husband, Sir Hugh Roberts, was the director of the Royal Collection and surveyor of the Queen’s works of art until 2010.

The requirements are “a strong scholarly background with in depth knowledge of history (particularly British), bibliography and a record of publishing, lecturing and academic research”.

It's midnight and I just got home

It was somewhat difficult to go to work this morning after four days off, but I did, and while it was a long workday, it was nice to be back in a routine. I received my copy of The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) in the mail, which was fun, as I have a book review in the current issue. After work I picked up a friend and we did some errands, got some food from Subway, and went over to his house. His husband and I watched videos for awhile and visited while he went to a meeting, and then we worked on some household things that needed doing. It has been an exceedingly long day, though. I came home and watered the plants outside and in, although it's not great to water this late outside; the strawberries in particular were very droopy, and there's little chance I'll remember to in the morning. I tend to get up, get ready, and scoot pretty quickly to work.

I'm trying to drink plenty of water today because I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and they'll likely try to draw blood again. Here's hoping they can get it in one stick!

I've taken out my contacts, gotten into a comfy sleep shirt, eaten some cereal, and now I'm ready for bed. Good night, everyone. Take care.

I've been looking over my earlier post on loans

and I forgot a couple of very important things: flexibility and personality. I'm a fairly passive person, so a lot of the 'going nowhere' came from that, and the rest from the fact that I am simply unwilling to leave friends who I've been with for decades in the name of a job. But, if you haven't made ties that binding yet, do something wild, and by that I don't mean go out and get drunk and post inappropriate pictures on Facebook. I mean move to the big city if you've always wanted, join the Peace Corps--live! live! live! as Auntie Mame would put it. Do it while you're young before marriage and kids and long-term relationships. Be flexible in the type of job you take--even a volunteering position can lead to something greater. Don't be afraid to seize the day. And whether your'e in school or out seeking a job (and even if you have a job, you're often actually job-seeking), don't be afraid to make the moves that will help you get ahead, with the caveat of 'don't be evil', to steal Google's motto. I'm not saying be Veronica from 'Better Off Ted', working your way up the corporate ladder without taking prisoners, but find your niche, make it if necessary, and do what you can to enjoy your job and be true to yourself.

So says someone with now 46 years of experience, who learned it the hard way, and by mostly ignoring such good advice. Good night.

I just put twelve gallons of water into the fish tank, and I'm pooped

Yes, it had gotten down pretty far. Of the things to do from my list that are likely to happen for the rest of the weekend, there's trash/recyclables (tomorrow), hand-washables (tomorrow), bread (tonight or early morning), and dishes (tomorrow). I'm too tired to watch anything tonight, although it was good to get things mostly in order. I'm going to try to get up early and do a bit more before going to get snacks for the game. I also need to go out and give my monthly libation to Hekate, but I'm going to wait a little later for that, so I'm going to retreat to the bedroom for a little while and then get up around 1 or 2 am and do that. For once, I'm actually doing it on the night dedicated to her, when there is a dark moon, the traditional time of offerings.

Hell has frozen over

I was in college for a very long time, way too long, really, mostly from a fear of the real world that turned out to be rather silly and a tendency to graduate during recessions, where going back to school seemed the only real option when I couldn't even find a job even in retail. I have a BA with three majors (History/Sociology/Classical Civilisation), one minor (Judaic Studies), and the Honours Programme (which is one of those 'Great Works' tracks), and a master's of science in Library Science. (I was one class short of a Linguistics major in undergraduate work. Phonological Analysis never worked into my schedule, all the time I was there. This has stuck in my craw for years. Then I gook a Government and Binding class (which so doesn't sound like linguistics, does it?) and nearly lost my mind, so I was okay with that.) It was the time working on a graduate degree in history that really racked up my loans, and sadly, I let a fear of oral defence keep me from getting that. Then there was being underemployed, part-time until fairly recently (and still part-time as a librarian), often working three jobs but never really getting anywhere. Even now, I am signed up on income-contingent for repayment because on the normal plan it would be more than half my take-home pay. Being a librarian doesn't pay that great. Being a part-time librarian makes it harder. But after years of deferments, forebearances, etc., etc., tonight I made my first voluntary (as in not garnished--that happened about several years ago for a month or so before I got it ironed out) payment to the US government for my student loans. I hit the 'submit' key and the world did not end. I guess that finally makes me an adult, taking responsibility for my past. Let the zombie apocalypse commence.

Now if I can just get a full-time job as a librarian before this one ends in 2015, I can keep paying on this, probably till I die. Moral of the story if you're contemplating college: get in and out quickly, don't be afraid of the real world, major in something that can get you a job, but round out with something you love, like the humanities as another major or minor so you learn to communicate in something other than tech- or business-speak. You can do that in four years. Really. And if you have to take a year off before school to 'find yourself', do it. That's what the Brits and Europeans often do, and it's considered normal. It's better than spending six years as and undergraduate and several majors before discovering you don't care for what you chose. It took having a rat chloroformed and dissected in front of me to get me off the science track (I'd been a biology and sociology major, thinking I'd go into oecology--that's why it took me five years to get my BA). If you go to graduate school, it's more costly, so get in, get out, get a mentor who will set goals and work with you to get you out. I loved my major professor, but our work methods were such that I was never encouraged to progress, and I needed that encouragement. I know one person who got a degree in Russian but towards the end of her major, she went to Russia and decided she hated the country, the people, the whole experience. But that's what she has her degree in, and then she worked as a graphic artist until the Great Recession, even though she really didn't have any background in that.

The point is, put some effort into finding what you want to do, what you'd love to do, but put in a good dose of reality, too, and do as much with grants and scholarships as you can. I actually got out of my undergraduate with a small loan burden because I had good scores in high school and got them. But if you can't, try to balance learning--which is the point of school--and marketability, taking as little loans as possible.

You know its been raining for awhile

When you're taking your groceries to the car and you suddenly realise you're getting wet, and then realise that you hadn't noticed before because after all it's been raining for days and days and you've just become used to it. Is this how people in Britain and the Pacific Northwest are? We don't normally get rain day in and day out for a week or two.

I got my hair trimmed, and it looks nice. I know there is no such thing as 'good' karma really, but it was nice that I let a woman and her little boy cross in front of me and the perfect parking spot opened up seemingly as a reward. Dee Dee did a great job with my hair. Then I went to the grocery and bought some (mostly) healthy food, like hummous, fruit (they had strawberries on sale for $2.99 for 2 lbs), yoghurt, cottage cheese, milk to go with my cereal, eggs, etc. I did get my chocolate-dipped coconut fruit bars, though. I cleaned out the refrigerator and put the new stuff in as well.

I have to admit, all of this rain is making me feel really sleepy. I think I'm going to stop talking about going to the Y because it seems the more I talk about it, the less likely I am tp go. Today I was going to, but it turns out I'm starting my period, and while they usually say exercise is good for that, it's been my experience that if I do any major exercise on the first day of mine, I go into horrible cramping. So no gym today, and no pool. :( Tomorrow's out as well, due to the game, but I'll try to go next week. I'm not going to write about it any more until I actually go, though. I called Brenda just now to see what sort of snacks she's up for at the game tomorrow), and I'm really looking forward to the game. I'm going to call and see if there's anything special I need to pick up on the way tomorrow. Although I still have a lot I want to accomplish this weekend, but I'm going to take a nap, although I'm going to try not to sleep the evening away. Hope you're having a good weekend as well.

Apparently

if Taco Bell leaves off part of your order, they have a book they write your name and the item down in, and then you can come back at your leisure and pick it up. It's not ideal, I suppose, but it's keeping me from answering the survey about how I had to repeat my order twice, make sure they gave me diet instead of sugared soda, and I had to ask for a straw. Still, I'm relatively happy with my meal, if not the service. I'll stop by when I go out to have my hair cut or such today.

I got my package picked up. For two books, it's fairly large; the Pippi collection is about 8" x 10" x 1" in terms of dimensions. It was nice to get something from Amazon, as I haven't ordered anything in about a month or so. The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking includes Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes on Board, and Pippi in the South Seas, all of which I loved as a child. {Not so, YKWIA, who I think grumbled about a wretched child when I mentioned it.) I'm curious as to whether I will enjoy them as much as an adult. I still have Gary Corby's The Ionian Sanction to read before Sacred Games, but I really liked The Pericles Commission, with its mix of history and humour. I also love the colours and illustrations of the American hardcover dust jackets, so much that having read the first book on the Kindle, I bought the book again in hardback for the cover. The first book's jacket background was a brilliant blue, the second a kind of terracotta. This one is yellow, with Greek redware-style wrestlers, the sacred flame of the ancient Olympic games, with Nicolaos and Diotima peeking in. I approve of the fact that, true to art form and nature, there is no attempt to pretend the naked wrestlers are, well, not naked, even though it's on a book cover. (Okay, like most penises of Greek art, it's tiny, so most people who would be easily shocked, probably couldn't tell, but here in the States, people get bent out of shape for the silliest things, like whether a Greek wrestler, who should be naked, is.) :)

PS Ooh, I just put the books together and it turns out they're not the same size. :( Looks like the imprint at least changed. Oh, well, it's not the end of the world, but I really do prefer series books to be uniform. This is why I bought Dead Ever After, the final Sookie Stackhouse book by Charlaine Harris, from the Science Fiction Book Club, because I'd gotten the others through there and their editions were smaller than the general market ones. Sigh. I know, what's important is what's inside the cover, and I'm being a little OCD. But for those publishers out there, consider that readers have such strange quirks. In the meantime, I've added the books to my to-read pile (which is growing quickly). Maybe before I tackle the house I'll actually do a bit of reading.

So strange to have a third day off, and the weekend's still going strong

I'm mostly left to my own devices today, and I've just really gotten going this morning (I slept till 10!) Here's the plan for today:

1. Get something to eat--I've missed breakfast at McDonalds's. I'm thinking maybe Taco Bell.
2. Pick up a package that was delivered to work yesterday.
3. Get my hair cut sometime after 1 pm, when Dee Dee will be at Supercuts at Regency.
4. Go to the YMCA. Try out the pool if I can.
5. Do the dishes.
6. Straighten up the kitchen.
7. Clean out the refrigerator.
8. Bake bread.
9. Clean the bathroom, giving it a good once-over.
10. Work on the computer area.
11. Straighten up around the dining table.
12. Straighten up the couch.
13. Go through the mail.
14. Pay any bills due.
15. Take out the trash and recyclables.
16. Get some groceries.
17. Clean and fill the fish tank.
18. Do the hand-washable laundry.
19. Put away the other laundry.
20. Watch those last two episodes of 'Doctor Who'.
21. Watch 'Downton Abbey' DVDs.
22. Set up the Amazon Prime to run through the Roku box.
23. Watch 'Grimm'.

Think I can get that all finished? :)

Today

I did some laundry at a friend's house and we visited for about 10 hours or so, watching some streaming videos, especially more episodes of 'Better Off Ted' and 'H2O: Just Add Water' (just when the theme had finally left my brain). :) I had a good time, and it looks like tomorrow I'll have some time for the house and other stuff I need to do.

It is still raining, although fireworks are going on outside, so maybe we have a lull. Of course, it was raining last night when I went to the professional fireworks, which were quite splendid, despite the downpour. The rain was not light, maybe moderate, and I got a bit wet with the driver side door rolled down (and the car smells a little 'swampy' as a result today), but all in all it was fun.

So, that's two quiet days in a row, one with 'me time' and one with my friends. I still haven't gone to the Y. That's on the agenda for tomorrow. I have discovered the Reeboks work pretty well over the course of the day without pinching my feet.

Okay, I think I'm going to take it easy and listen to some music. The one thing I don't have to do before Sunday is the notes for the game; I finished those last week, yay! So here's to some fun before bed. If I don't write anymore tonight, have a great night, and a great weekend.

An article on how clutter happens, what it does to us, and how to let it go

How Clutter Affects Your Brain (and What You Can Do About It)

A few years ago, I worked at a web design agency as a product manager. The part of the job I loved the most was working on product with our design team and clients. Unfortunately, this was only about 10 percent of the work that I actually got to do. The majority of the time, I was trying to control the constant flow of stuff–keeping track of meeting notes, searching for files, and trying to stay up-to-date with the latest technology news.

I was mentally exhausted. I’d get home feeling that I hadn’t really accomplished anything.

Thanks to Alexandra Bond for sharing this on Facebook. I like how it talks about digital clutter as well as the physical type, such as cluttered PC desktops or multiple notifications when you get e-mails or texts. Each thing is one more thing your mind has to deal with, and then either let go or hoard. No wonder I am so scattered all the time. A friend of mine has long described my brain (and he was being honest, not putting me down) as organised the same way I do my closet, in shifting piles that have no real categorisation or boundaries. He's right. Yet, I can organise other people's stuff. As a librarian, that's pretty much what I do all day. The difference? I have no emotional attachment to other people's things. But for me, a broken piece of my great-grandmother's china, a six-month old unopened bill, a favourite top (even stained), sometimes simple recyclables--all become difficulties to face. Before they put in recycling containers in our apartment complex, I hoarded lots of stuff that was recyclable with the idea that I would take it somewhere to be recycled, even when I didn't have a car or any way of getting them there. I tend to even hoard e-mail and e-books.

I also do a pretty decent job of keeping my desk at work straightened and organised. Even if my journals haven't been shelved, they're at least in a pile in an out of way spot. I have a hard time working with clutter. But I do admit, I sometimes hoard books that should have been weeded ages ago, and indeed, have been from the general collection but not actually from storage. I'll have to deal with that eventually, as the library is not going to the new building (nor am I, unfortunately, although I have a bit of time before that happens), and I'll have to oversee its release into the wild, as it were, either by finding new homes for old books and journals or recycling them.

And of course, one of the occupational hazards of being a librarian is that you tend to collect and buy books. I have lots of books. I'm not even sure how many. I have two new ones sitting on my desk at work that were delivered today, Gary Corby's Sacred Games, a mystery set in ancient Greece, and a collection of several Pippi Longstocking tales. I should probably stop getting books, but I don't foresee that happening. And like I said, I get them on the Kindle, too, mostly free ones, but some I've bought, and I probably have more than I can read reasonably. Bibliophilic hoarding is a special subcategory, I suppose. But at least it's better than hoarding animals. My books aren't going to get me in trouble with the law, are enlightening when read, and are generally well-cared for. :) I have come to the conclusion that at some point I will have to actually weed them and take those to the library for the Friends of the Lexington Public Library to sell or do with as they please. That day is coming, but not tonight. Anyway, it's an interesting article. Check it out.

Despite moderate rain

and me getting a bit wet sitting in the car with the window down, the fireworks went off without a hitch, and were quite spectacular. They always put on a good show at Idle Hour. I actually saw a bit of four different professional displays, and perhaps a fifth, or it was an amateur display with really good fireworks. I tried to take a video of ours, but it was mostly through the windshield, which was wet, and didn't do it justice.

I am off tomorrow, and I'm going over to a friend's in the morning. I'm not sure what is planned quite yet. I'm going to take the small amount of laundry that isn't hand-washable over with me. Hopefully it will be fun.

My need to celebrate the Fourth properly finally satisfied, I think I'm going to wind down and head to bed. The plan tomorrow is to get up early enough to do a few things around the house before I go over there. Good night!

Having a decent day despite steady rain

I woke up right on schedule at about 7:50, went back to sleep, made it till 9, took my Lantus and went to bed till about 10:30. Then I got up, got ready, went over to Subway for lunch, got a six inch tuna sub and a drink, and then, figuring the festival was probably a bust, and not wanting to stand under an umbrella from booth to booth, I went over to Gabriel Brothers for awhile. I got two six-piece towel sets, two tops, a pair of khaki capris, and a purse for just over $50. Now I'm home and looking at a large pile of hand-wash laundry that should really be taken care of today. The rain has picked up, hitting the windows (which is good for my window boxes full of herbs). I just got off the phone with our security chief, who has kept in communication with the folks at Idle Hour Country Club and golf course, and the fireworks planned for tonight will go on regardless of rain intensity so long as there is no lightning activity in the area, starting at about 9:30 pm. So, I'm planning on going if the weather holds.

Things I need to do around the house:

1. Wash that laundry
2. Wash dishes
3. Clean out the refrigerator
4. Put away things on the dining table
5. Give the bathroom a once-over
6. Take out the trash
7. Take out recyclables
8. Charge the laptop

I also am trying out a pair of Reeboks I had around the house to see if they would work for going to the Y. So far, so good, but it's not late enough in the day to be definite. I'm not putting my inserts in, so they're a little roomier than my New Balances, and they're an overall athletic shoe, while the others are designed for walking, and they come up on the top of the foot a little differently, which is good, because that swells, too. I probably will not go to the Y after all today, but hope to tomorrow evening during open swim, where I can also work out on the equipment if these shoes do okay. If they don't, then I guess I'll be taking my swollen feet to John's Run-Walk Shop and looking for shoes that fit. I just want to make sure I don't do anything to my feet, between my history of foot issues and the diabetes concerns.

I think I'll take a little time to relax, start the laptop charging, and then start working on the house. I hope you are having a good day. I wish I could send some of our rain to the Southwest where the fires are such an issue right now.

So the quiet night at home didn't quite work out, but I had a good time

I laid down for a nap, was half asleep, when a friend called asking me to bring some food over (they don't have a car, and don't drive). It was only after I called in the order and really woke up that I realised that they could have just had the Chinese restaurant they wanted it from delivered. A never thought about it, and YKWIA did, but was amused that I didn't think to just tell A that. At least I can blame it on being sleepy and tell myself they wanted the pleasure of my company. But I did get a small kung pao tofu that was really good (I'd already had some corn before they called), and YKWIA and I watched several episodes of 'Better Off Ted' and had a great time together. We also checked on a friend who'd had some surgery last week and is thankfully feeling better. It looks like we'll be playing the game Sunday. Now I'm (back) home, texting with Brandon and winding down for the night. Rain or shine, tomorrow I'm going to try to sleep in and not set an alarm. Some people over here in my neighbourhood are setting off early fireworks (I guess they're not sure they'll be able to tomorrow), but it's not too noisy.

I saw some revised hours for the High Street YMCA on Facebook a few minutes ago. Now they're open 7 am-6 pm, and are letting the runners from the Bluegrass 10K (which takes place near them, downtown) use their showers after the race. That's nice.

I hope you have a very safe and happy Independence Day (at least for those of you in the States). Good night.

Ah, home--and a holiday tomorrow

So, I made it home, despite witnessing a near-accident that could have been very bad. A huge, rusting old motor home failed to yield as it turned onto New Circle Road from Richmond Road, and the cars coming from the other side had the green light. A yellow car nearly got forced into the hill that anchors the overpass, and they were side-by-side for several seconds, before the yellow car managed to get ahead of the mobile home. There were at least seven cars behind them, too, so it could have led to a very bad pileup. Fortunately I was on Richmond Road, stopped in traffic, and was in no danger, but it was still a little scary.

There's no telling yet whether Fourth of July will be great or fizzle. The weather forecast isn't looking good. I'll call security at work tomorrow afternoon to see if a decision has been made about the fireworks. If they're rained out, they'll be postponed to Sunday night, when I may or may not be able to go. But even if the festival and fireworks fizzle due to rain, there are plenty of things I can do inside as well. Besides the festival and fireworks, here are a few things I'd like to do over the next few days:

1. Go to the YMCA. Once would be at least a good start. More than once would be ideal.
2. See Despicable Me 2. I do love the Minions, and now they have a girl Minion and anti-Minions.
3. Watch 'Downton Abbey' episodes, at least through season one.
4. Watch 'Grimm' on Amazon Prime through the Roku box. I have season two recorded on the DVR, but haven't seen many from season one, either.
5. Maybe get into the complex pool, if the weather cooperates.

Plus, there are things to do around the house, including hand-washable laundry, dishes, the dining table needs to be excavated, and a few little things to upkeep the place and make sure I'm not getting messy.

My plan, at this moment, is to have a quiet night at home. In honour of the anniversary of his birth, I got a Kindle version of a Franz Kafka collection, which includes all of his stories, including 'The Metamorphosis', but not including the novels, such as The Trial. I might read some of that tonight. There are many I haven't read before.

Okay, let me put up my plate and flatware. I had some corn on the cob from the farmer's market, and it was very nummy.

Face Palm

Brandon and I were having a discussion via text about the weather forecast for the Fourth, and he pointed out that I could, even if it rained, finally go to the YMCA. It is open, I checked, so I really have no excuse. Well, maybe I'll get to spend some of the holiday at the pool, even if it's not in the sun. :-)

It looks like Independence Day may fizzle

as the forecast is for 100% rain and heavy storms. I hope things change in the interim, as I love the festival and the fireworks show. But if things don't go well, I have plenty to do around the house to keep me busy on my day off. But I would like to celebrate, even if it means standing on the porch with some sparklers I have in a drawer. It seems lately it's either too hot and dry for fireworks, or it rains on the Fourth. Still, chin up.

I ate too many carbs today (baked potato, banana pudding, bread, yoghurt) and my blood sugar went through the roof this afternoon, so I took both insulins spaced apart somewhat, and together they got it down a bit. I need to watch overdoing it. I should have eaten just the yoghurt instead of the potato, and skipped the bread and pudding, or at least had one or the other, not all of it. Plus, the fish at lunch was tilapia with tortilla breading, the breading being more carbs, of course.

I went over to my friends' help to finish something I started Sunday, and YKWIA fell asleep on the couch to 'Reba' and A was in the bedroom when I left lying down and listening to 'Bewitched' (it had been 'Big Bang Theory' before that). So I went on home. I must admit, I'm a little tired. Last night I got to bed at 1 am, which is not terrible, but much less sleep than that to which I've grown accustomed. So it's maybe s little reading or listening to music, and then I think I'll turn in for the night.

Tomorrow will hopefully be pleasant, and then there's the holiday and weekend. Yay! No word if the game is on or not yet; that'll depend on Brenda, but I already have the notes ready, so no need to worry about that. :)

By the way, I got a call out of the blue from a friend who I used to work with. Her sister saved three kittens whose mother had been killed. They're tiny, and they haven't opened their eyes yet, so they're just a few days old. The vet gave her some formula to feed them, but she really can't do that long-term, having a pretty busy household to keep up with, and several pets already. I can't do it--they'd have to be fed about every four hours initially, from what I've read, and between work and all the running I do, I can't do that. Anyone out there in the Bluegrass able to do this? They are in Woodford County, and while I'm pretty sure their shelter is no kill, I'm not sure if they're set up for such tiny kittens, and they have a lot of cats already up for adoption. Let me know via the e-mail link to the left or comment on this post if you know someone (either a person or rescue group) out there that might be able to foster them, or have some sort of constructive suggestion. Poor things!

Okay, you might as well have it in your head, too

'No Ordinary Girl' from 'H2O: Just Add Water', with lyrics:



and the song with scenes from season one:



Catchy, hmm? Enjoy!

Ha-ha!

The Y is open 10-6 on Thursday. So, I can go to the Fourth of July festival, which is downtown, work out at the Y (also downtown), and then watch the fireworks that night at Idle Hour. Assuming I'll want to work out after walking all over the downtown area in the sun. We'll see. But it not, Friday's still a good option. :)

Lovely day

I woke up at eight this morning, after sleeping a total of 12 hours, just waking up once about 1:30 but going straight back to bed. I somehow managed to get to work on time (I have to be there at 8:30), despite the fact that my ear did not cooperate when I tried to put an earring in it after nothing in them for just two or three days. (Which is why I'm sleeping in post earrings tonight.) I got a lot accomplished at work, especially with the referrals, and I'm generally happy about how my Monday went. Plus, one of my co-workers who had been ill is back to work, and it was nice to see her today.

After work I picked up a friend and took him home, then visited with his spouse while he went off to a meeting. I called Time Warner Cable for him, as the home page that had been set up for him just went away completely and would not load. Turns out the www.twccentral.com webpage is just a temporary thing, and the real home page is www.rr.com. Not that they tell you anywhere in the migration process that this will happen, mind you. So, just in case you have the same trouble, there you go. We also watched several episodes of a delightful show called 'Better Off Ted', set in a Monsanto-like company and which has Portia De Rossi as the wonderfully efficient (as in shouldn't be allowed to oversee gas chambers) boss, Veronica. It's really fun, and I can't believe I missed it when it was on, and it's a shame it never really 'made it', but I'm glad it's on Netflix. If you have it, or some other way to see it, you should check it out. And then, in order to firmly cement its theme song into my mind, we watched a couple of episodes of 'H2O: Just Add Water'. :)

As I drove home, it occurred to me that it was now July, meaning I've had car insurance for six months, and that probably meant that in the stack of unopened mail at home I had new insurance cards. I prayed that I'd get home without doing something stupid to get a citation, when they could be expired. So I got home, called my friend to let him know I got home okay (I always do that when it's dark; you never know.) I went through my mail, found the cards--which thankfully start on the day my insurance is due, a few days away, put them next to my purse so I'd have them tomorrow morning, and then got out the Time Warner Cable bill to see when it was due. I figured it was today, but it's actually a few days away. But I followed the instructions for getting a TWC ID so I could pay online, and it glitched, but the registration went through. I paid my bill and did a few more housekeeping sorts of things, then texted with Brandon, who was checking on me tonight. Now it's almost 12:30 and I am definitely up past my bedtime. :)

So it's been a pretty busy day. Tomorrow we'll have a bigger clinic, so there will be a lot of data entry for me to do. I'm going to start cataloguing some new books, as well, I think, and generally spruce up the library. And with it being the first of the month, I have some major filing to do that should take up the remainder of my day.

I still haven't done those hand-washables. And my payment for the YMCA went through today. Still haven't been, except for the once, when I signed up. I have some things to do for a friend tomorrow, but I really want to go sometime this week. I'm assuming they're closed the Fourth, but maybe Friday is an option. They don't have the open swim on Wednesday nights, unfortunately. The diuretic seems to be helping with the swelling of my ankles. It's still happening, but it's not quite as bad. I need to start wearing the pressure hose every day; if I do that, then I should be able to fit into my athletic shoes in the evening to work out, or at least that's what I hope.

Okay, I'm definitely getting sleepy. Good night. Hope your week goes well.