I have a horrible headache

but I've taken some ibuprofen, so hopefully it will recede soon. Despite that, it's been a pretty decent day. It was in the 60s and sunny, I had on a nice top and got several compliments--including from YKWIA, which means a great deal, and I got a permanent crown and my partials adjusted, so I'm more likely to wear them. Then I helped a friend with a project, wished another one a happy birthday, and now I'm home and although it's not even 9:30, I'm seriously considering calling it a night. It was a very busy weekend, you see, so I'm ready to catch up on some sleep.

Saturday YKWIA and I watched a really fun movie called The World's End. Here's the trailer:



Sunday I helped wash three dogs, cleaned the house in preparation for the Cthulhu game, played a lovely game of investigating in an Aegyptian murder mystery with strange idols, tombs, etc., and then bounced up and down in the last few seconds of the University of Kentucky vs. University of Michigan game, which Kentucky won, so A is really happy about them going to the Final Four.

Today after the dentist I watched the gaming convention episodes of 'The Guild' with YKWIA and then helped him with a oouple of things.

Okay, I think I'm going to go into the other room, put my feet up, and see if I can go on to bed. Have a good night.

So sad, and some comfort

Found in Mud: Precious Links to Loved Ones

Gently, Dayn Brunner reached into the mangled car and lifted his younger sister’s lifeless body out of the driver’s seat and onto a waiting tarp. For almost a week, he and his teenage sons had slogged through the muddy catacomb of what had once been a neighborhood, scouring the pulped homes and broken earth for some sign of her. Now, it was time to say goodbye and wait for the helicopter to take her away.

“We cried together, and we moved her over,” he said.

But before they could go, Mr. Brunner, 42, turned back to the blue Subaru to salvage a few of the things that his sister Summer Raffo, 36, had carried with her on her final drive through the valley. He found a horse halter — she had loved to ride and breed horses. Her wallet. Her checkbook. A few packets of honey from KFC stashed in the glove compartment. He tucked them away.

Up and moving today

I'm going over to A's about 2:30 to take him to the store, but in the meantime I'm up and washing dishes and straightening up the apartment. I've also changed two light bulbs, as the last one went out over the bed in a flash and I didn't want to wait until later because it's already gloomy and rainy outside, so it'll be worse when it's dark. I have a friend who is nervous about changing any light bulb. I don't have that trouble, but balancing on the bed while standing is not the easiest thing for me, and I'd rather not break something because I was trying to change a light bulb. So it's best to do while I'm refreshed and have as much light as possible. :)

And I am refreshed--I slept really well last night, and probably was asleep by 11 pm and woke up a little after 9 am and finally got out of bed about ten. Right after breakfast (the rest of my tuna sandwich from Subway yesterday) I loaded and started the dishwasher, did the handwash dishes (there weren't many, unlike last time), straightened up in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, got the stuff that came out of the car (the backup CPAP, the reusable tote bags, and the air mattress) put up. Next is to sort through and put away laundry, but my back was hurting, so I thought I'd take a break. So I'm listening to the Rick Dees weekly top 40 countdown and checking on some things online. A should be in a good mood today--his Wildcats won against the Cardinals last night and will be progressing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Okay, I've heard the top song for the week. It's Lorde's 'Team', which is the second #1 off her debut album, which doesn't happen often. And she's not even eighteen yet! Okay, time to get up and do some things.

In some ways

I'm still the fat little kid on the playground doing anything to make the other children like me, only I'm doing it in a world of adults where they just care about getting things done and other grown-up issues. So I admitted after talking to YKWIA today. Even after all these years, I'm still pretty insecure, and although it normally doesn't happen, the fact is that sometimes I react to that perceived rejection just like I did when I was a kid. So that's something to work on.

I feel much better today. One of the people involved talked to me about it and it was clear that all of us shared some blame for things not running all that smoothly, and there was some miscommunication. I felt better afterwards. Ironically, the whole thing that was time-sensitive in the first place wound up being cancelled.

Anyway, I managed to catch up at work today, and then I took my friends to Coba Cocina, a restaurant here in Lexington, for their anniversary. I then went to a comic store and picked up a couple of the latest issue of Sandman: Overture (there were two covers). I ate at Subway and then went to Gabriel Brothers and found a couple of bras, a dress, a backpack purse, socks, and a blouse for very little, really. The bras, for example, were Lane Bryant's brand, but were only $4.99 (normally about $30 or so). I really needed something off-white, so it was nice to find some. I really like the dress, and it was $13. It's a pretty summery dress in cool tones of blue, green, and purple with an asymmetric hem and lavender lining. The blouse is lacy and flowery, white with pink flowers. So all in all, it went well. I probably had no business going there given how stressed I was over money yesterday, though.

I went to get them, took them on a very abbreviated grocery run for some essentials, and got them home. One had had some sangria. He's such a happy drunk. He grabbed some things from the car because they were shiny (a bracelet, a dangling crystal, and my purple phone charger), lost the house briefly, went inside, and apparently fell asleep immediately, only to give them to the other as a present later. (I got a phone call checking to make sure I got home and thanking me for my help in making the evening a nice one.) A has put them somewhere safe so dogs don't chew them up. I just shook my head. A is going to go watch the University of Kentucky-University of Louisville game (along with most people in our state, for that matter).

I've taken my medicine, propped myself up in bed, and I'm listening to Passenger's All the Little Lights. I've got the fan on, which feels very nice on my feet. The only thing that could make things better would be a cat curled up with me, but alas, there is none. I checked the other day and the little cat Nedra that spent so many months at the shelter is gone. I hope she found a good home. I don't really regret not getting her--I think I'm just not ready for pets beside fish right now. But I hope someone cares about her and takes care of her well.

Okay, I think I'm going to sign off for now. I'm so glad it's Friday. Hope you have a good weekend. Good night.

Up in the middle of the night, briefly

Having given my libation to Hekate. I feel emotionally better than I did earlier. Building up a civilisation on a simulation game like Civilization IV helped. So did a little comfort food, although I tried not to go overboard on that. I also listened to an album, Bastille's Bad Blood, which was the only thing from the radio that I was taking comfort in. I guess that it just had to pass. I had a mild version of the 'emotional storms' I used to have, where I felt like just running away or driving really fast and exiting out of life. I'm on my medicine, everything's been rather smooth lately, with no disturbance in mood. But my menstrual cycle sometimes plays havoc with my lability. I've got to expect issues occasionally, I suppose, and ride it out, but if it happens again within a short time I'll seek help. This time it wasn't right before my period (I have a diagnosis of pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder), but rather during. There's some stressors in my life right now that generally don't bother me, but lots of little things are weighing me down, I suppose. And the dental work and the havoc it's causing to my schedule is part of the problem. It seems to be never-ending. And I wouldn't have had the issue come up that broke the camel's back and caused me to cry like a little girl if I hadn't been gone most of yesterday morning and this morning, because it would have been taken care of in a more timely fashion. So the appointments, despite all my efforts, did affect my work. Still, I had to have the dental work. The partials themselves are also a stressor, as I'm still having issues eating with them and talking with them, and have to be careful putting them in or it can get pretty annoying. I am having a much harder time adapting to them than I thought I would.

And it's expensive. I'm already paying on about $2700 from my care plan, plus I paid $400 for the root canal the other day (thankfully, from my flexible spending card on the latter), and I'm not sure how much I'll owe the endodontist. My dental insurance, while better in some ways than the one we've traditionally had, has some major limitations compared to my health insurance. The last couple of weeks I've pretty much paid bills from my bank account and did day to day living from a credit card, which isn't ideal. I have the credit, that's not the problem. But I don't want to get to the point where I'm snowed under. And I have someone in my life who still owes me over $3,000 who hasn't even made any effort to start paying it back. That's a stressor, too. I feel that I was there for him when he needed me, but I've barely spoken to him or had any interaction with him of late, and in fact, I rather think he's avoiding me. If I bring up the money at all, he tries to make me feel guilty for saying anything.

I'm just struggling to keep a balance, and I'm burning up almost all of my PTO with my doctor's visits and the upcoming trip to Chicago, and never actually seem to have time for anything fun. Well, Chicago should be fun, but it's also work. But I couldn't afford an extra day, so it's fly up one day and come back the next. I would have liked to taken off for my friends' anniversary tomorrow, but at least I'll be able to get them to their dinner date after work. There's no way I can take my birthday off this year, even though it's during the local school system's spring break and things will be slow. At the rate I'm going, I may not be able to take any day off except for assigned holidays. It's a little depressing. I think I may try to go in tomorrow somewhat early to make up a bit for all the time I missed this week, so my PTO doesn't take a terrible hit. I'm struggling just to try to maintain the 24 hours minimum required in case you get sick. I'm usually about 15 hours lately, even though I accrue about 10 a pay period. I have plenty of extended-illness bank, the one I can't touch until the fourth day of being sick, despite draining a lot off that with my ankle surgery a couple of years ago. That bounced back rather quickly. But the PTO is a struggle, and I think the lack of a vacation is starting to wear me down. Maybe Chicago will help, with a change in location, anyway. And my boss finally thinks he has a backup for me in case I ever want to take more than a day or two off at a time.

Okay, I'm bordering on whinging, so I'm going to stop now. But I do feel better than I did earlier. Things will work out. Today when I was driving and felt an overwhelming sense of distress, I breathed my way through it and got home quickly and took care of myself emotionally. Years ago I would have really struggled with dealing with emotional distress. Thankfully, my dialectical behavioural therapy still works. :)

This helped after what can only be described as a 'Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'

From the Superhero Name Generator:

My superhero name is:

The Aqua Mistress

Abandoned as a child, you grew up with an affinity for water - and then, you discover that you are the long-lost ruler of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis! Now you must fight for control of the world's oceans, while also protecting humanity from evil! Aquatic Powers - You can breathe underwater, swim at incredible speeds, and communicate with undersea life! Now, you protect The Mystical City of Upak-Na from graffiti artists, while also battling the evil plans of Il Zuko!

Thanks to Grace for sharing it on Facebook. It brought a smile to my face. Only two other things have been good today:

1. I got gas for $3.42 per gallon when the rest of town had gone up to $3.75, thanks to Speedway being a little slow to change and my Speedy card, which was good, as I was almost on empty.
2. A friend called me early this morning to relay a conversation he had with his husband, who is incurably blond:
   • A: You know, I've always wished I'd taken time during school to do a year abroad.
   • YKWIA: Oh?
   • A: Yes, I've always wanted to see Nantucket.

To which, I said, 'So, did you tell him Nantucket is in Massachusetts?', and YKWIA said, 'No, I just put my face down into my pillow and screamed.' We think he is under the delusion that it is abroad because it's an island (I'm sure he knows that from the TV show 'Wings') and so you have to go over water to get to it. Mind you, this is the same man who thought oxen were large, mythical blue creatures and did not know that there were the normal, common variety farm type at all. I am doing my best to share both stories with co-workers and others to brighten their day.

Mine started with the endodontist appointment. It was two hours before I got back to the chair, for which they apologised.At least two people came in after me and left before I got back. But that didn't bother me too much, for I'm pretty patient. I was just worried about all the time I was missing from work, with very little head's up to my bosses, neither of which I had had a chance to talk with about going that morning. The doctor couldn't make headway with the tooth, either, so she drilled a hole on the temporary crown and put some material in the tooth that will soften the calcification. I'm still just a bit numb from the Novocaine, which was given about 7 1/2 hours ago. I even had to have a shot in my palate, which stung a bit, but at least they'd numbed my gums. I then went to work, getting there about 12:15 (missing almost four hours) where I played catch-up all day and never quite made it. Fortunately I should be able to tomorrow. The day ended with me crying over something that happened, and while I realise I am somewhat hormonal and at least didn't get defensive or break down at the time, even though I suspect someone threw me under the bus, so to speak. I merely apologised for my part of the problem, rectified it, and then held it together until I was off work. But I decided it was time to call it quits, went ahead and packed up my things and left about 10 minutes early, crying as soon as I reached the parking lot. It's been a very, very long time since that has happened, and I'm embarrassed to admit that it did, but frankly, my tolerance for problems had been exhausted for the day.

Then I went to the pharmacy to fill the endodontist's prescriptions, pick up some pen needles, and get a friend's medications for him. I stopped by Kroger and got a few things, and then got the gas and picked up a bottle of wine for my monthly libation. I did not go see my friends, because even though I would probably feel better, I doubt I'm great company at the moment. But the one just called asking me to drop off his medicine tonight. So I will. But then I'm coming home and the plan is to pretty much stay in for the night. I'm tempted to just go on to bed, but I feel that would be letting my mood win. So instead I'm going to try to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

I am convinced that, as YKWIA put it, I have mutant teeth (or, the dental saga continues...)

So last week when they did my crown prep they found a tooth had decay that apparently did not show up on the x-ray and they scheduled a root canal for this morning. Unfortunately, all did not go smoothly. This tooth has three roots (being an upper molar) and while two canals were able to be taken care of, one is totally calcified shut. This means that tomorrow I will be going to a specialist called an endodontist, who should have special tools to open up the canal and take care of the rest of the procedure. I found out I had a 9:15 am appointment at 4:50 pm today, so I e-mailed my bosses and hopefully everything will be fine. I am getting tired of going to the dentist and each time something else is amiss. I've been lucky in terms of no horrendous complications, but it's still frustrating. Today they had to just put the temporary crown back on even though it didn't exactly fit anymore due to the drilling, and they told me to chew on the other side as much as possible and they'd try to get me in to the specialist quickly, which, of course, they did do. There is no one in my insurance plan within 40 miles who practices endodontics, so I had to call my insurance company and request a pre-authorisation to see this out-of-network specialist, which they did give readily, at least. Sigh. Please tell me this will be over soon. I'm not thrilled by dental visits when everything goes right, much less when there seems to be layers and layers of problems out there. Yet we want to save this tooth because it will help the stability of the partial denture--which I'm still trying to get used to, as there have been some issues in having to adjust them so I can wear them properly. YKWIA thinks I have gotten myself locked into bad dentistry. I don't know about that. I did chastise the dentist this morning for not numbing my gums before shooting them with Novocaine. Maybe some people don't care about it, and I won't say it was unbearable without it, but he should have at least asked, don't you think? It's not like they didn't do that all the other times I've been there. :(

As an aside, YKWIA discovered while searching for calcification in teeth that one thing that can contribute to it is a disorder called ankylosing spondylitis, something I was vaguely familiar with, as it comes up at work (I work in a paediatric orthopaedic hospital). Not to sound like a complete hypochondriac, but looking at the symptoms, it might be something to ask my doctor about, as it involves chronic pain, especially in the back and sacroiliac joint, as well as in other joints, etc., etc. That's obviously vague, and those symptoms could be caused by other things, such as degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome (I have the first in my neck, the second in most of my joints, and fibromyalgia as well). But my back hasn't been imaged in 20 years except for my cervical area. I've had SI issues and some of the other listed symptoms, but sometimes things like this could be difficult to diagnose or have other co=morbid diagnoses. But it might be good to have it checked out because in rare cases it can affect the eyes and organ tissue as well. But it would be weird if I did test positive for the blood tests, was diagnosed, and it was all because of a blocked place in a tooth, wouldn't you say? Still, the fact that canals calcify with age may be the simpler reason.

Okay, tomorrow comes early. Off to bed I go, Good night.

Awwww....

This dog, who is not allowed to be on the bed, was secretly recorded while the human was away. The result is priceless....

I can't believe they did this (again)!

Copenhagen Zoo kills 4 lions, weeks after shooting giraffe

Two of those were young lions that were not old enough to survive by themselves and would have been killed by the new male lion if it had the chance, Bro told CNN. He said the zoo had tried to place them elsewhere, "but unfortunately there wasn't any interest."

The other two are the youngsters' parents, described by the Copenhagen Zoo as a "very old" breeding pair. The new male lion was brought from Givskud Zoo, also in Denmark, to form a breeding group with the Copenhagen Zoo's two 18-month-old females, born on site in 2012.

Listening to:

Robert Burns' 'Rigs o' Barley' as sung by Paul Giovanni (as 'Corn Rigs') in the lovely film The Wicker Man (the original, with Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland, from 1973). I finally broke down and bought the album, also owning the VHS, the DVD, and the book. :)

I haven't seen much of the series, but I do rather like her

Which British Detective Are You?

Your result: Congratulations; you are Jane Tennison (from 'Prime Suspect')!

Your life and career is a long and bitter tale of struggle and injustice, stretching back as far as you'd care to remember. And of course, that sort of thing leaves a mark. You're no longer sure if you became good at your job because of natural talent, or because no one thought you could do it and you had to either prove them wrong or leave.

Whatever the reason, all of this battling has brought out the beast in your personality. You're tough, strong and ready to fight your corner whenever adversity comes your way. This does make it hard to drop your guard sometimes, and of course it won't protect you from heartache because in order to admit you have feelings, you have to be vulnerable. And nothing hurts like betrayal.

But woe betide the person that crosses you. LOTS of woe.

Stupid

Colorado girl shaves head for pal with cancer, gets temporarily suspended

Why on earth would this be an issue for the school to have made? It was a nice gesture, there's nothing inherently wrong with the cut, etc. Do they also prevent boys from having shaved heads? And when did it get to be that schools were in the business of creating more and more restrictive rules, sometimes with no legitimate basis, rather than educating children? Seems to me they're teaching kids with this policy that they'd just better conform, even it if it means not showing someone else you care. And they wonder why bullying is getting so bad. If you're different, others learn to close ranks, and enforce the need to conform, often with the result being the person that is different is at fault.

Interesting, and she has a point

A Censored History of Ladies in YA Fiction

Within the pages of these books, we have girl stories. That is, stories about what happens to girls, not books for girls. There’s physical violence, romance of all shades (between a girl and a boy, a girl and more than one boy, a girl and a girl), sexual violence, self-harm, tough but real language, and sex/sexuality. And sure, many of the books written by women that are challenged have male main characters, but the problem goes back to what S. E. Hinton was told when she launched this ship in the first place: you can’t be a woman and be taken seriously.

Call them by any name you want, but these challenges stem from fears about girls’ stories coming to the front and being told. Men have their novels challenged, too, but less frequently and, more likely than not, for reasons similar to why women’s novels are: the fear of something different (anything outside the “mainstream” white, straight male standard). Blume has more titles on the most-challenged list than any other author — even Robert Cormier could only muster three — because being female and writing about issues girls face are challenge- and ban- worthy actions indeed.

Hmm...

Upcoming Genre Movies That Aren't Sequels, Remakes or Reboots

I was attracted to this article because, frankly, so much of Hollywood today is recycled stuff and I wanted to see what might be coming up. Oculus with Karen Gillan (Amy from 'Doctor Who') sounds intriguing. I am interested to see what they will do with Lois Lowry's The Giver. Two more based off of books frighten me because I love them dearly and would hate to see them done badly. One is Sandman, based on Neil Gaiman's excellent comic book series, and the other is Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which is being directed by Tim Burton, which could mean it is very good or that I will totally dislike it. Please tell me it will not have Johnny Depp. I really don't care for him, and it seems like he's in just about every movie the man makes. Thanks to Alexandra Bond for sharing this on Facebook.

Given that I'm travelling to Chicago in a few weeks

This definitely caught my eye:

Blue Line derailment injures 32, train hits escalator at O'Hare

The operator reported to work at 8:40 p.m. Sunday. The 200-ton, eight-car train derailed at about 2:50 a.m. Monday. Blue Line run 141 hit with such speed and force that the lead car lifted at least three feet to the platform level while ripping out a bumping post, sheering off the front wheel carriage and flying almost to the top of the O'Hare station escalator.

"All the lights went out on the train. Lots of screaming. I knew something wasn't right," Dion Stokes, passenger, said.

A police officer and traveler saw the train coming and darted out of the way seconds before impact.

Indications are the operator, who was very tired, may have fallen asleep at the controls--she had done a lot of overtime recently. Thankfully injuries were not severe, no one died, and it happened in the wee hours of the morning, not rush hour. But I've been on that escalator before and it's unnerving to see a train on top of it. I'll be flying in and out of O'Hare, too. :) Scary.

We had a good Cthulhu game today

We're in the investigative stage of things, which is often fun. We don't know much so far, but we have a mass murder-suicide to contend with along with an archaeological dig whose results may have driven people mad and a possibility of flooding the Nile. See, fun. A was happy, too, because the University of Kentucky (the alma mater of both YKWIA and me, but not A, who merely worships at the temple of basketball there) managed to defeat Wichita State (with was undefeated up to that point) and progress to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA basketball tournament. (He'd chosen that in his brackets, actually, which, since he's playing by himself, doesn't matter in terms of winning money, but he'd doing pretty well so far, he said).

I'm home now and my back is killing me. It was fine up to the point I stood up and started walking after about six hours of (mostly) sitting. It wasn't bothering me when I was cleaning house earlier. Unfortunately, one of the first things I had to do when I got home was fill the big aquarium with about 15 gallons of water, in three bucketfuls. I did that, though, and reconnected the pump, light, and heater in that tank. I'd had it all shut off, the heater because the water had gotten so low, the pump due the loss of electricity the other day. But I couldn't keep them in that position too long, and it's been a couple of days. So now they're happily swimming about, happy with the food I gave them and the new, clean water. I also added most of a 2-litre to the small fish tank (the betta's, which is only three gallons), and he seems happier, too.

I'm propped up in the bed listening to Pentangle's version of the Lyke-Wake Dirge. My neck and back hurt a good bit. I think I'll take some ibuprofen and stretch out some. Here's the song for you to listen to, if you'd like. It has a haunting quality, which is rather appropriate.



Good night.

So of course _now_ I'm sleepy

It's time to do notes and work on the house, and I'm very sleepy. I still didn't sleep well last night. I'm going to try to relax for a bit, maybe doze even, and then I plan to get going on things. But I got everything else I meant to accomplish finished today, at least.

Tired, yet not really sleepy

It's 3 am and I've been downloading music on to my laptop and phone. I'm so tired, but I don't really feel sleepy. In a few minutes, though, I'm going to force myself to go ahead, get in bed, and try to sleep. It's a little frustrating. Maybe if I listen to some of the gentler music....

Two versions of a couple of folksongs I like quite a bit

I first heard 'The Trees They Do Grow High' on a vinyl LP we had, Joan Baez' Ballad Book. But I love Pentangle's version, too, along with virtually everything they've done. I was lucky to see Baez in concert a few years ago, one in the Lexington Opera House as part of the Troubadour Concert Series.

Another song traditional song I like a lot, although it's darker, is 'I Am Stretched on Your Grave'. Here are two versions. I prefer the Dead Can Dance version to O'Connor's.

I didn't actually sleep earlier, although I tried

I just couldn't relax enough, so I got up and did some computer things and set up a printer, and when I returned to bed and finally got relaxed, it was time to get up and go over to YKWIA's for 'Grimm'. Now it's after midnight and I'm home, and although I'm not flat out exhausted like I thought I would be, I think it's nearly time to turn in.

On tomorrow's agenda:

1. Sleep in (hopefully)
2. Go by Half-Price Books and check to see whether they have Galaxy Quest on DVD--I'd like to have it in that format
3. Take a friend's mail to the post office (it requires odd postage)
4. Take another friend to the grocery if possible
5. Watch the movie Jug Face, which looks very creepy, with friends
6. Do some laundry
7. Work on the game notes

I know, it doesn't sound particularly exciting, does it? That's fine. And I'll try doing something relaxing here and there, too. For now, though, I think I'll head on to bed. Good night. Have a happy weekend.

Glad to report

That in addition to it being 68 degrees outside and sunny, I have electricity again. I have the bedroom window open, the fan going, and I'm going to take a nap. I have a wake-up call scheduled so I don't miss 'Grimm'. :)

So I'm at McDonald's and it's a little after 6 am

There was no point in trying to sleep any more, really. I managed to get into a sort of drowsy half-sleep for about an hour at a time, but kept waking up because I couldn't get comfortable. I normally sleep with a fan, for one. The CPAP is crucial for me, of course. So I'm tired and kind of achy. But I did manage a lukewarm shower and dressing in the dark. I wish I'd remembered the allergy medicine I got at the grocery yesterday, though. Mine are in full swing.

I've had breakfast (two egg and cheese biscuits), and I'm on their wi-fi catching up on news and blogging. But I'm behind on my time because of that three-hour dental appointment the other day, so I think I'll go on in to work soon. I just have to be careful I don't get overtime. I can't leave early today because I may be needed to meet someone who did a book drive, and that'll probably be between 4 and 5 pm.

Hopefully the electricity will be back on at home by the time I get there this afternoon. I unplugged the aquarium and little fish tank so the filters/pumps wouldn't run without water.

Okay, I'm going to go check the news for the morning, then head over to work. Have a great day. And hey, at least it's Friday (and in my case, jeans day at work.) :)

I hope it means an end to the hate, or at least the organised hate

Death of controversial pastor could mean end of Westboro church

Al Snyder, father of slain Marine Matt Snyder, sued Phelps and the church after members picketed his son's funeral. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 2011 that Phelps and his congregants had the right to picket and protest.

"I'm not jumping for joy but I'm certainly glad the world is rid of someone so evil," Snyder said. "He inflicted a lot of pain on a lot of people and he was a very sick man."

The church has suffered internal turmoil in recent years. Four of Phelps' 13 children were estranged from their father. One of them, Nathan Phelps, has gone on speaking tours denouncing the church's beliefs.

As Phelps aged and weakened, daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper became the church's spokeswoman, carrying on the anti-gay rhetoric, Potok said.

Kansas news media recently reported that a board of eight church elders excommunicated Phelps from his own church last year for allegedly advocating a "kinder approach" to church members.

Responding to his father's death, Nathan Phelps told the Daily Mail in Great Britain in an interview posted Thursday that when the elders excommunicated his father, they moved him to another home where he stopped eating and drinking. Nathan Phelps, who now advocates gay and lesbian rights, said he believed the church will unravel following his father's death. Three members have left in recent weeks and more desertions are on the way, he told the British tabloid.

So, if you're a librarian and you forget to pay your electric bill on time

where do you go to charge things and hangout for a bit? The public library, of course. I'm sitting here at one of the branches with my laptop with my my phone and tablet plugged in so they can charge as much as possible in the hour I have left before they close. Thank goodness it wasn't Friday, when they close earlier. Anyway, I got home about 7 pm (just after their customer service line closed) and found the power out. I was going to sit down and do bills tonight because I got paid. I didn't realise the disconnect was going to happen today. It was my fault, though. So I got on my phone and immediately paid the bill, not just the past due but the current as well, but they can't re-connect it until tomorrow. It's going to be a long night, as I won't be able to use my CPAP machine. But I'm going to try to stick it out. I carefully placed the battery-operated lights where I could find them when I come back in and it's dark. In addition to the electric, I've paid my student loans, cable, and a credit card (using my phone, as it's open wi-fi around here, I think). That was mainly what I wanted to get done.

I'm going to try to keep this short

because it's been an exhausting day, and I'm ready to turn in for bed.

Yesterday evening I:

1. Watched Frozen, the DVD, with YKWIA, who enjoyed it a lot and was very happy when he realised the DVD was a present for him
2. Watched several YouTube videos with him
3. Stayed up late requesting free credit reports

Today:

1. I managed to get to work on time despite waking up a half-hour before I was supposed to be there
2. I spent three hours at the dentist, only to find out that:
   • My partials weren't going in because they were off, and rocking when they were put in (it wasn't user error)
   • I have to have a root canal, to the tune of 400 more dollars, in addition to the two crowns I'd already had in my treatment plan
   • After the temporary crowns were put on, my partials went in snugly
   • But after I took them out later, I couldn't get them back in again, which is very frustrating
3. The colour copier at work was fixed by a technician, who had to replace a drum, but the moment he left it said it needed toner but refused to load the toner, even trying two different bottles, so that it would print maybe 10 pages and then quit, saying the toner was depleted, when the bottle was obviously full
4. And of course, while dealing with this and trying to get my other work done, I suddenly had all these calls with information requests; don't get me wrong, I don't mind that--I want them to call me--but it was very frustrating in terms of timing
5. I had a co-worker for whom I've been picking up the slack who according to reports is apparently spending quite some time at her desk playing games online, so another co-worker and I came up with a strategy to track my work vs. hers so that it's more apparent who does what
6. At least my 'check engine' light finally went out after a quarter of a tank of gas with STP fuel injector cleaners in it
7. I went and got a friend from work
8. I picked up some fish sandwiches for us
9. I watched 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' with YKWIA, along with some YouTube videos
10. We watched the premiere of 'The 100', which I've been wanting to see since it was announced last summer. I liked it quite a lot. It's already got more depth and interest than the remake of 'The Tomorrow People'

Now I'm home, and I'm going to go to bed. Spending time with friends perked me up for a little bit, but I'm quickly getting tired. Good night. Oh, and while it's 50 degrees, the wind is howling appropriately for the last night of winter. But according to the calendar, at least, tomorrow spring arrives. Yay!

Want to see a pretty cool house?

Go to the following link: http://steveareen.com/domehome/. There's also a video you can watch:



Thanks to YKWIA for showing me this.

Here's some Irish music for you

'Kilkelly, Ireland', one of the saddest songs I've ever heard


'Finnegan's Wake', which is one of the funniest


'Young Ned of the Hill', one of the angriest: (a bit on the history here)

Is it wrong to be listening to Scottish music on St Patrick's Day?

Although this first video's pictures are actually of Ireland, not Glasgow--the German who uploaded it didn't quite get the disconnect. But they are lovely:

Battlefield Band, 'Dear Green Place'


Silly Wizard, 'Donald McGillavry'

I was bound to crash

Today after work I put some Shell gas, the type with cleaning additives, in the car like the owner's manual had suggested. Time will tell if that's enough to make the check engine light go off. I did check my gas cap and it's tight, at least. Then I went to the library and picked up a couple of books for myself and one for YKWIA, and then I came home and crashed for about 2 hours, listening to some Loreena McKennitt but then the alarm went off and I turned over and just slept. YKWIA called about a half an hour ago, so now I'm up, which is good, except for the dreaded bagel and Nutella incident.

After being crazy busy the last few days I wanted to have a quiet evening, and it's been one so far. I think now I'm going to listen to some more music and read. My to-read pile is getting bigger.

You know...

Nutella on a toasted bagel seemed such a good idea until I dropped a bagel half face down onto my blouse. I am such a klutz. I had to go wash the shirt out thoroughly as that stuff stains big time, and it was the size of, well a bit bigger than a bagel as it slid down the blouse. Then I changed clothes, tried to gingerly eat the bagel halves, and still managed to get stuff all over me, especially my hands and face, but a tiny bit on the tank top I was wearing. Now I know why I don't normally put a spread that is always a bit messy on something warm with a hole in it. *facepalm*

49 seconds of absolute puppy cuteness

When presented with a human trying to howl, this puppy gives it a try:



Thanks to David Reid for sharing.

Such a busy week--I can't believe it's been five days since I blogged

Sorry about that. I've been over at my friends' house a lot. I can't remember what I've done day by day, to be honest. It's kind of a blur. We've watched some 'Dan vs.', some 'Star Wars: the Clone Wars', and lots of YouTube videos, especially MadTV ones. Friday I did a little shopping at Gabriel Brothers and then went to over to my friends' house for 'Grimm'. Yesterday was chock full of errands, and I was out for 11 hours, and then got home and crashed. I didn't even do the game notes till this morning around 6:30. Today was the game, of course, and by that I mean Call of Cthulhu, although many other people in Kentucky were no doubt watching the finals of the SEC tournament. So there was the game prep beforehand as well.

A winter mix came in today, with the temperatures falling throughout the day, and with rain turning to freezing rain, sleet, and finally snow. I had to scrape my car for awhile when I went to leave because there was some ice on it under the snow. Then I started home on snow-covered streets. I'd say it's about an inch right now, and it was snowing pretty heavily. I think I did 20-30 mph the whole time. My check engine light came on, which was troubling, but I pushed on because I'd already taken out the things out of the car such as the air mattress and backup CPAP machine that I had in case I got stranded at my friends' house during the winter. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. But once I got home I downloaded my car manual and checked what it said about the light. It's apparently something triggered by the emissions sensors, and something was off. I didn't see anything blocking the tailpipe (I thought maybe snow might be), but it was dark and I couldn't see well. They said it could just be some water vapour in the gas and suggested filling up (I'm at about 1/4 of a tank right now) with high quality gas and driving at least three times from a cold start on city streets and highway to see if it goes off. If not, I should get it looked at. We'll see.

I am getting a little frustrated with my partials. They did adjust the bite Friday morning, so it's more even. The lower ones are still a bit tricky in that they sometimes come loose while I'm eating, but the Poligrip helps with that. But it's really hard for me to get the upper ones to seat correctly...they have to clip around a tooth, and if I don't get them right, they fall out when I open my mouth to talk. I thought I was getting them in okay, and sometimes (not often), they go right in. But on most days when I have a time constraint, I have to take them in a little plastic container with me and put them in after I get where I'm going. I tried that today, however, and it was no go. I simply could not get them in well. I realise it takes practice, but it's been over two weeks. But I'll keep trying. I'm going back to the dentist on Wednesday for a crown and will address the looseness and see if maybe they can line them or something. Friday I told them my gums were sore towards the end of the day, and they said it would just take some time to get used to them. I still talk funny, too, but it's not as bad as it was, or at least not to my ears.

Okay, I have a few things to do here before I go to bed. And my 'm' key is sticking (I have this trouble on my laptop, but it always moves around to different keys). Weird.

Just got home

and I'm very tired, although I've been managing to get up early despite the whole springing-forward thing. I took a friend to an appointment, got some food, watched some of 'Dan Vs.' and then watched the entire 'Children of the Stones' series (7 two-part episodes), an intriguing and good British children's series from the 1970s that oddly scared the bejeesus out of an entire generation of Britons. I didn't find it scary, just creepy in places. But it was a decent story. Next up from Netflix DVDs we have Jug Face, which promises to be quite disturbing and I'm not sure if I'll like it, but hey, I'll give it a try. Then I backed up my friend's computer, came home, and went online to try to order a book through interlibrary loan, but unfortunately it's just been published and you can't borrow a book at our public library through interlibrary loan if they haven't been published for a year yet. So no go on that, which is a bit disappointing. Now, I have to admit, I'm a little sleepy, so I'm going to head on to bed quite soon.

Yesterday I ordered a shirt from Blue Box Tees that looks much like my 'Big Bang Theory' Soft Kitty shirt but has a Dalek on it.

Hard Dalek, cold Dalek, little can of hate
evil Dalek, angry Dalek
ex-ter-mi-nate

:D

It will no doubt get odd looks, especially on jeans day at work.

Today's weather was glorious, but it's going to go downhill tomorrow, bringing rain and snow and cold, cold temperatures. :( But today it was 72 and wonderful, so it was worth whatever winter may be left, I suppose.

Okay, I'm definitely going to bed. Good night.

Time for bed

I managed to stay up till almost midnight on very little sleep. Now it's time to settle in to bed. All is well with the world and I'm feeling much better. Good night.

Listening to a playlist

I call Emotions:

• The Ballad of Accounting (Ewan MacColl/Peggy Seeger)
• Pink Houses (John Mellencamp)
• Carnival (Natalie Merchant)
• The Stolen Child (Loreena McKennitt)
• Shilo (Neil Diamond)
• No Son of Mine (Genesis)
• Dirty Little Secrets (Pat Benatar)
• Demons (Imagine Dragons)
• I’m Not that Girl (Idina Menzel)
• Little Talks (Of Monsters and Ment)
• I Am a Rock (Simon & Garfunkel)
• Family Portrait (Pink)
• Chance (Big Country)
• The Enemy Within (Rush)
• Hate Me (Blue October)
• Same Mistake (James Blunt)
• I Am an Illusion (Rob Thomas)
• Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye)
• Castle of Glass (Linkin Park)
• All the Little Lights (Passenger)
• Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd)
• Patterns (Simon & Garfunkel)
• Unwell (Matchbox Twenty)
• Waiting for the End (Linkin Park)
• Life Is Sweet (Natalie Merchant)
• The Remedy (Jason Mraz)
• Hands (Jewel)
• Hercules (Sara Bareilles)
• Pearl (Katy Perry)
• Calling You (Blue October)
• I’m the One That’s Cool (The Guild)
• Counting Stars (OneRepublic)
• Someday (Rob Thomas)
• Safe and Sound (Capital Cities)
• If Today Was Your Last Day (Nickelback)
• Let It Go (Idina Menzel)
• The Ballad of Accounting (Battlefield Band)

Would you believe that I'm up?

Early? Even though it's still dark outside? Even with the time change? And awake, too, not in some half-awake state? So much for my sooth. Loreena McKennitt will relax me like no other singer, that's for sure. And my five alarms all woke me up this morning--I usually sleep through at least three. Amazing! The birds are singing, though, which is nice. I'm so looking forward to the beautiful weather today. I may go into work early since I have a dental appointment on Friday that will cut into work time a bit. We'll see. I'd better go start the process.

So, of course

I got lots of sleep today plus had to jump-start myself with some caffeine, so it is now 2:20 am and I am wide awake, with four hours before I'm supposed to be up for work. I'll probably crash about an hour or two before I'm supposed to get up, and then have a horrible time trying to make it there on time. I tell you, this is a sooth. When left to my own devices I revert to night owl status, which is not conducive to living in a 9-5 world. I think I'm going to try listening to some Loreena McKennitt and see if I might relax enough to sleep. My mind is racing and I have a lot on it right now, so that's not helping.

Whew!

I sat down at the computer and started finally compiling a list of all the books I have on the Kindle, or at least each file (several have books within a collection). It's taken a couple of hours to get the formatting and sorting right, but I'm finally finished. If you'd like to see, feel free to follow this link:

Eilir, the Rabid Librarian: My Kindle Books

The entire time I've been listening to the cable Celtic music channel, and I'm apparently pretty decent at recognising singers. For example, the Chieftains came on with 'The Lowlands of Holland', and even though Natalie Merchant was not listed on that, it was her singing, I realised, and I confirmed on the web. I also recognised a band I really like, Battlefield Band, playing their version of 'Ballad of Accounting' from their album Dookin'. I really like it:



It was written by Ewan MacColl in 1964, according to the website Ballad of Accounting. The lyrics may be found at the following page http://www.balladofaccounting.org/ballad.html. This is the version by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, which is excellent:

I'm looking at the forecast for tomorrow

and it looks like the weather will be warmer both during the day and night, with no chance of rain, so I think I will put off the laundry until then. I have something I can wear for tomorrow. So far the only other thing planned is I may go get a friend after work from the doctor's office so he can get to a meeting on time. So tomorrow night should be good for laundry.

Once the dishwasher is finished, I'm going to work on the plastic containers and other handwashables. Then there's the stuff from the car to put in a container (in the case of the air mattress) and some other things to go into the walk-in closet. I'll go ahead and get the laundry ready for tomorrow, too. I'll scrub the shower once I get back into shorts, as I don't want cleaner on my new jeans. That leaves the fish tanks. I can definitely work on vacuuming the large one, but my vacuum is too big for the small one. I need to get a tiny one for its gravel. But I can at least do a water change.

While I'm waiting for the dishwasher, I think I'll do some reading. Amazon has a special today only on several Kindle books that were less than $2.99 that are usually quite a few more, and so I downloaded a few. I got Neil Gaiman's American Gods, a collection of all of Agatha Christie's short stories, a collection of Ray Bradbury's short stories, and the digital version of a book I already own, Sophie's World a novelised history of philosophy that YKIWA introduced me to years ago but I didn't read completely and should. They also had The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, quite a few others. One I refuse to read, as I also refuse to watch the movie--Old Yeller. Anyway, if you have a Kindle, you might want to check them out, but they're only that price for a few more hours. Also, I found a Lucy Maud Montgomery collection that has all but two of the Avonlea books plus other writings of Montgomery's. (The two aren't licensed for electronic distribution yet). I figure I can pick them up later, when they are, and for 99 cents the rest of the collection was a good bargain.

Enough of that

I have (finally) gotten up, showered, put clothes on that are regular outside clothes, and I've done a foray to the gas station for caffeine. I have sprayed down my wet shower with Kaboom. And I've put the radio on (right now it's 'Demons' by Imagine Dragons). So, the idea is to actually stay up and do some things, both housework-wise and fun.

The main things I have to do in terms of housework are:

1. Scrub down the shower/tub
2. Run the dishwasher
3. Clean out the refrigerator
4. Do the handwashable dishes
5. Do laundry (at least enough to get through a few days)
6. Take out trash

The main things I have planned for fun:

1. Reading
2. Watching 'Grimm'
3. Studying some Ancient Greek
4. Listening to Celtic music

If I can, I need to get the things in the dining room into the walk-in closet, water the plants, and clean the fish tanks. I'm not sure I'll get everything finished, but I'm at least going to try not to go back to bed.

Not having much luck doing anything

Since I've been up, I've mainly eaten and putzed, and I even fell asleep again. This isn't going well. I get that I don't necessarily feel like housework, but I'm not doing anything fun, either. I have lots I could read, listen to, or watch, and yet I feel ambivalent about all that. Yesterday was different; I went out to do things. Today I'm trying to enjoy being home, and it's not working.

I just got up a little while ago

having slept in. Even with the time change I slept 10 or more hours. I must admit that it was nice to sleep in. But while I should be happy I have a whole day to myself, it's sort of daunting in a way. I'm used to letting others fill up my time, and while I sometimes resent it, I actually prefer it to trying to keep busy on my own. I'm not sure when I, who was very much an introvert as a child and young adult, got to the point where I relied on others to entertain me. It's one of the reasons I sleep so much. I find it somewhat maddening to be alone, especially if all is not harmonious in my life, which it isn't at the moment.

Still, There is a lot to do around here. So I suppose I should step away from the computer and start doing stuff. This is me stepping away from the computer. I think I'll go make a list I can cross off as I complete it.

Meh--rain

I don't want to do my laundry in the rain. Guess I'll wait until tomorrow. I went to read and listened to some lovely Loreena McKennitt, which put me to sleep. That was about 7, and I just woke up, so I had a two-hour nap. The thing is, I just don't feel like doing much else tonight. I have all the stuff from the car to stow away--some electronic recyclables and an air mattress that refused to compact back into its box, plus a whole lot of Kroger tote bags. :) I still need to work on the aquaria. I need to do laundry and dishes. And I need to straighten up and take the trash and recyclables out.

But right now I have a headache. It looks like I'm free tomorrow as well, so I can work on that stuff, along with game notes and 'Grimm', then. Right now I just feel like the weather is really messing up with my sinuses and I just want some peace and quiet and maybe a dark room. And I'm still a little down. Be sure to set your clocks ahead tonight. Mine mostly do it on their own, except for a microwave and a giant old-fashioned alarm clock.

Lexington’s Euclid Kroger closes: End of an Era

I'm sad to see it go (it served me well as my neighbourhood store for all the time I was at UK, and I worked there for two summers, too), but judging by the new design, I'm not sure I'll ever tend to shop at the one they'll build, even though it's close to work. Among other things the design calls for parking on the roof with buggy elevators, etc. Romany Road is nearby but tiny; I feel for those in the area. Most of the time I lived there, I didn't have a car, but I could walk to the grocery, at least. And I think my bank, which is next to it, is going away, too. The closest one of those to that area is the downtown tower.

A pleasant day so far

I tried to give blood at the blood centre today, but got turned away because my iron was just under acceptable. It's happened before, but not in a long time. I guess it still isn't back up to snuff after the oral surgery or something. Or maybe I just haven't been eating enough spinach.

Frozen, however, was absolutely wonderful--great music, a good story, and really one of the best recent Disney films I've seen in a long time. I'm glad it and 'Let It Go' won Oscars. There was even a short cartoon beforehand, that mixed old-style and new animation seamlessly, and it was pretty fun.

After that I went to Meijer, still trying to find some de-icer to pay my neighbour back. I think I'll just leave what's left (about half the bottle) as well as $5 and a thank you note. That's the second place I've tried without luck, and while I've been told to go to Wal-Mart, I don't spend money at Wal-Mart.

So now I'm back. The weather is lovely. I'm considering opening the windows. It's 57, and while that's maybe a little on the cool side still, I think it would be nice to get a breeze in here.

I got some quarters at the bank earlier so I can do my laundry tonight. So here are my plans (subject to change) for the rest of the day:

1. Take off my shoes and do a little more reading.
2. Take the things out of the trunk that make it hard to do grocery shopping and clean out the car in general.
3. Take my friend to the grocery.
4. Help him wash his dog.
5. Do the game notes tonight.
6. Do laundry tonight.
7. Watch 'Grimm'.

We may not be playing the Cthulhu game tomorrow. If that's the case, I'll work on the house, although really the laundry is the main problem. Oh, and I should run a load of dishes. If we do play, I'll still have done the important stuff today.



By the way, I am so glad I did not read the New York Times review of the movie before going to see it. The reviewer, Stephen Holden, reveals the main plot twist in the very first sentence and the ending itself later in the review without so much as a spoilers alert to be seen. Many of the comments reflect the annoyance of the readers for this. Shame on him. If you're interested in reading the review, it's From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It’s Permafrost: Disney’s ‘Frozen,’ a Makeover of ‘The Snow Queen’. But if you plan to watch the movie, skip the review before going. Also, keep in mind that while Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Snow Queen' is referenced in the credits and certainly inspired parts of the story and characters, this is no adaptation and is not so much as a makeover as much as an homage, perhaps, in the same way that the White Witch of CS Lewis could be said to be based somewhat on the Snow Queen and yet it is not the same story at all. But I glad they did reference it. Hans Christian Andersen is an author I like quite a lot, and not just because we share a birthday. :)

Got up a little later than planned

and am having a couple of string cheese sticks for breakfast. I don't really feel like eating anything else, but should eat before I give blood. I'm not sure I'll get out in time for Frozen, but I'll give it a try, anyway. If not, I'll come back and work on the house, which desperately needs some attention. But it's sunny outside and it's supposed to climb to the upper 50s today (it's 43 right now), so that's good.

I read for quite awhile tonight

Gregory Maguire's Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, to be exact. (It's the first book in a series upon which the musical is based.) I got through the first seven chapters (not as impressive as that sounds--they're short chapters. Basically I read 53 pages plus the introduction.) But still, that's more than I've read in a good long while.

I also tried out an application that is free and for a limited time, ad-free, that is available from Samsung for its devices only, called 'Milk Music'. It is a streaming music service built over Slacker radio with an interesting interface. I tried out some preset genre channels and created one of my own, and enjoyed listening for awhile. You can get it in Google Play. I'll need to look to see if it is available at all on my television, which is also a Samsung.

I fell asleep before 'Grimm' came on, but I did record it on the DVR and will watch it tomorrow. Turns out I'm free till about 4 pm. I'm going to go to the blood centre and give blood (the recent weather has really caused their supply to be down), and also on second thought I think I will go see Frozen. I do have a free ticket, after all, and it's not like I have to visit the concession stand. Then there's 'Grimm', game notes to do, and maybe some things around here as a bit of spring cleaning. [I so want it to be spring, and it'll be in the upper 50s, so I could probably open the windows and air out the place.] Then I'll go take my friend to the grocery and help him wash his dog. Bless her heart, she's having some issues and it's leaving her quite stinky. Hopefully those will resolve soon.

Okay, I'm going to go do some things before heading back to bed. Good night.

Not having the best of days

I had an issue come up with a friend and while I know that things will improve, but for right now I am pretty unhappy. On the bright side (if there is one), I am now free for the evening and am thinking of what to do. I still want to see the movie 'Frozen', but I think I'll wait for the DVD to come out, to be honest. I do have a free movie ticket but not much money right now and concession items, even if it's just a drink, are pretty expensive.

Instead I think I'll stay home and have a quiet evening of reading and 'Grimm'. Despite feeling down, I'm going to try to make the most of the situation, and hope it improves soon.

I have a whole list of books to read, and I haven't read a single one so far this year. It's sort of sad--the librarian who never reads. So tonight I'm going to make a concerted effort to set aside some time and do so.

I'm also going to do the exercises for my neck tonight. I haven't been, and I'm still occasionally getting pain or numbness down my arm, although it is much better than it was. And tomorrow morning I'd like to try some yoga.

Tomorrow's agenda is this:

1. Give blood early.
2. Take a friend to the grocery.
3. Wash a dog.
4. Clean and fill the fish tanks.

Okay, I'm going to grab some dinner and look at the news.

Did I mention

That one of the other small, annoying things of the day was having to repierce my left ear for something like the fifth time this morning. If I don't wear earrings, or if I just wear the dangling type, the hole in my ear tends to close partway up, so the earring will go through half the earlobe only. This goes back to when I originally had my ears pierced and accidentally put an earring through halfway and then it went through a different way than originally. That lobe is thicker due to the scar tissue. But I've had my ears pierced for 28 years, so I guess I've done okay in terms of keeping them open. Again, it's a small thing, but aggravating. At least this time I didn't have to break out my original earrings with the pointy posts; some regular post earrings were fine. But I should probably leave them in tonight anyway.

YKWIA and I discovered

that Strictly Ballroom was actually available on the streaming side of Netflix, so we cancelled that DVD and tomorrow we should be getting the 1970s series that terrified a generation of British children, 'Children of the Stones'. Strictly Ballroom was quite enjoyable and distracted me from a somewhat frustrating afternoon where little things were not going my way. I forgot that it was Thursday and the lobby of the bank closes at 5 pm, so I was too late to get a cashier's cheque for my rent today. I'll have to get it tomorrow, meaning it will cost an extra $5 for my rent. Then I went to see if I could find some de-icer at the auto parts store, because a neighbour gave me hers and I wanted to repay her, but they were out. The gas station next to it said that it had unleaded gas at $3.19, which was the cheapest sign nearby and some stations had gone up to $3.55, but the station only had some pumps working when it came to that price, and were people were lined up like crazy. I went over to the Kroger gas station instead, and it was $3.24, but with my Kroger card I saved 20 cents off, so it was only $3.04. So that went a little better. The day had started out not particularly promising--I couldn't get the upper partials in without gagging, so I just went to work with both out. But there were good things about the day, like getting my raise. I went to YKWIA's and spent some time with him, not only watching the movie, but several videos, looking at some stuff on the Internet, and listening to the Soweto Gospel Choir, which is excellent. I had a good time, but now I'm pretty tired, as it's after midnight and I think I'm going to turn into the proverbial pumpkin.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to move some boxes upstairs at work. I have to get my rent and then there's 'Grimm' at 9. I'm expecting those books tomorrow. Today I'd gotten Loreena McKennitt's new greatest hits album, The Journey So Far, which I've been listening to in the car. I think I'll go put that on in the bedroom and relax, and stretch out. I keep having small cramps in my calves that are making my legs uncomfortable--maybe stretching will help. Good night.

An intriguing life

Sherwin B. Nuland, Author of ‘How We Die,’ Is Dead at 83

Dr. Nuland wrote that his intention was to demythologize death, making it more familiar and therefore less frightening, so that the dying might approach decisions regarding their care with greater knowledge and more reasonable expectations. The issue has only grown since the book was published, prompting discussion and debate in the medical world, on campuses, in the news media and among politicians and government officials engaged in health care policy.

“The final disease that nature inflicts on us will determine the atmosphere in which we take our leave of life,” Dr. Nuland wrote, “but our own choices should be allowed, insofar as possible, to be the decisive factor in the manner of our going.”

Beyond its descriptions of ruptured embolisms, spreading metastases and bodily functions run amok, “How We Die” was a criticism of a medical profession that saw death as an enemy to be engaged, frequently beyond the point of futility.

In chiding physicians, Dr. Nuland, a surgeon at Yale-New Haven Hospital for three decades, pointed the finger at himself, confessing that on more than one occasion he had persuaded dying patients to accept aggressive treatments that intensified their suffering and robbed them of an easier death. One of those patients was his brother, Harvey, an accountant who died of colon cancer in 1990 after receiving an experimental treatment with no reasonable chance of success.

Dr. Nuland wrote that he had mistakenly tried to give his brother hope, failing to acknowledge that disease, not death, was the true nemesis.

I was not familiar with his work, but was intrigued. His books are available in paperback at very reasonable prices; I ordered three today that should be here Friday. They are How We Die, How We Live, and The Art of Aging. I'll let you know what I think of them. I hope his own passing was a decent as it could have been.

Sigh.

I know I'll get used to the things eventually, but is it sad that I long for that moment when I get home and immediately take off/out my shoes, socks, contacts, partials, in that order, and only then can I really relax for the night? I feel old. And I still sound odd to the point that when I had to call doctors' offices for two hours today, I took the partials out and had them hidden in a cup under a shelf at my desk so the people on the other end could understand me. At least my co-workers haven't made fun of me. That's what my friends are for. :)

After work I grabbed a baked cod meal from Long John Silver's, some sandwiches for my friends, had dinner while watching 'Dan vs.', bathed another dog, and then watched City of Ember with YKWIA. I enjoyed it. I will say I've now seen several things with Saoirse Ronan, and I think she shows quite a lot of promise. I first saw her in The Lovely Bones. Next up in the Netflix queue--Strictly Ballroom.

My current weight loss plan

(and while the first is a little tongue in cheek (no pun intended), it does seem to be helping).

The partials (at least for now) mean:
1. 1. I oddly don't want my normal diet soda. I drank a half of one all day at work and a whole one I discovered at home. That's quite a bit less than normal. Nor am I big on anything but water, and even that I have to think to drink. Not sure why this is the case.
   2. I have to eat small bites, slowly.
   3. I can only eat certain foods right now, mostly soft and manageable.
2. Also, I was put on Byetta, which works by shrinking the stomach prior to meals. I take 5 mcg before breakfast and dinner, and I've noticed that as a general rule, I'm less hungry throughout the day. I'm eating differently than the big three meals, but rather a little bit every few hours or so, which is better for blood sugar.
3. My endocrinologist wants me to try to start watching carbs and sent me a booklet on carbohydrate counting along with how to figure how many to eat at meals and throughout the day. I'm going through this to see if I can get a good grip on doing this, and am going to put it into practice. I have 20 lbs to lose by the next appointment, if possible, or at least get a good start on it. That's at the end of May, so about 12 weeks. I had lost 10 lbs last time and she had suggested another 20 to get my sensitivity to insulin working better (the total 30, would be about 10% of my original body weight).

This is excellent

And a major frustration for those of us with history degrees. That and movies that are based on historical events with CGI and monsters. YKWIA was telling me the other day about how he had to explain to someone that the Persians did not have monsters with them at the Battle of Thermopylae like in the comic and movie, The 300. I think his friend was disappointed.

Sorry, I'm not having much luck finding the original source for attribution. Granted, I haven't spent days looking, just a Google search for about a half hour. It appears to be signed 'Loeb', and definitely looks like an editorial cartoon, or perhaps something from a magazine like The New Yorker. I found it making the rounds on Facebook, and it's on lot of different political websites, the earliest of which seems to be November 2012. My apologies to the cartoonist--if I can find the source, I'll attribute correctly.

What a day

I got to work by bus today because of the roads and the fact that I couldn't get into my car due to the ice, which fortunately wasn't as bad as they originally thought it would be. Still, ice and sleet under five inches of snow was not fun, and my bus stop is a quarter of a mile away and I have to cross a major road twice. One of my co-workers got me home, though, which was very nice. It was my first day at work with my partials in, and I still sound funny, and eating was a challenge in public. I had to excuse myself completely when a bit of roll became a problem and my lower ones popped out. I'm not supposed to use fixative on the lower ones for a bit until that one area where they pulled my tooth heals. All in all I came home and just crashed, so of course now it's 11 pm and I'm up.

Somehow

while flipping through channels during a check on current weather conditions, I caught part of Idina Menzel's performance of 'Let It Go' (which apparently won), and then caught the tail-end of the Oscars from Best Director onward. I am very glad that Twelve Years a Slave won for Best Picture, and that the director brought the audience's attention not only to those who suffered slavery in the past, but also those who are enduring it right now.

The wind is howling and it is sleeting. The cars are covered in ice, but it's not as thick as it could have been. Ice pellets cover the ground and streets, and we're heading into snow, which is expected to last until about noon tomorrow. So we could have some fairly significant snow. I'm going to try to get up early to deal with whatever mess the roads may be in then. Also, today I had trouble trying to get my partials seated correctly and so I want to have plenty of time to do so tomorrow morning. YKWIA couldn't understand a word I said on the phone this morning when he called, for example, and I was in a hurry to get over there and just forewent the partials altogether. But although that's fine occasionally, you can't do that regularly since it's bad for the gums and general oral health.

I think I'm going to head on to bed. I have a bad headache, and I'm achy all over, so I'm going to take some ibuprofen. My eyes and nose are going pretty badly, too, and my throat hurts. Generally, I just don't feel great at all. I'm not sure if I have A's cold, or if it's just allergies, but it's annoying. Maybe it's time to go back on Claritin. Hope you had a good weekend, and that you all have power and are staying warm. Be careful if you're in this storm's path. Good night.

I think YKWIA is a bit disappointed

because I came home at 2 pm or so because the mixed precipitation was supposed to start at 3, but in actuality we got a break in precipitation and I could have stayed to watch The City of Ember, which we have out from Netflix. But I didn't want to wait until the ice came, obviously, so better to be overly-prudent, I suppose. The ice is finally starting, as the rain started back up a couple of hours ago and I think it's gone to freezing rain now. We'll see how bad it gets, but I'm thinking it won't be quite as bad as originally forecast. Still, if it's fairly slow-moving, then we have quite a few hours between now and tomorrow's commute for things to get dicey. We'll see. But I'm home, I'm warm, I'm somewhat rested (I charged my phone and napped at the same time). I've been cleaning house a bit and I'm about to run the dishwasher, and then see what I can do after that. I'm not really into watching the Academy Awards (I just look at the news later--I have no patience for all the pomp and circumstance). I would like to see Idina Menzel sing 'Let It Go' and maybe watch towards the end when the big categories get announced, but again, not sure when the best time to tune in would be, and I don't care for awards shows. I was surprised A wasn't going to watch, since he loves classic and great movies so much, but apparently he hasn't forgiven them for snubbing 'The Color Purple' in 1986 and still won't watch.

'That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.'

I feel like the lady in the Beatrice esurance commercial who is incredulous at the non-techie Beatrice sharing things to her wall. YKWIA showed me the commercial, instantly recognising similarities between the two of us. And yes, he would be Beatrice. If he every shared info, even 'offline'. :) That said, he's become quite adept at finding things online and doing various things like watching videos, etc., all stemming from a moment I sat him down and showed him how to play solitaire on the computer. Don't ever undervalue the power of good old solitaire games for getting someone comfortable with the computer. Insidious, yes, but it does work.

Lovely

From the National Weather Service:
Sent: 14:14 EST on 03-01-2014
Effective: 14:14 EST on 03-01-2014
Expires: 13:00 EST on 03-03-2014

Event: Winter Storm Warning

Alert: ...WINTER STORM TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY SUNDAY AND MONDAY......WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EST /9 AM CST/ SUNDAY TO 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ MONDAY...

* TIMING: MID-MORNING SUNDAY THROUGH MID-DAY MONDAY.

* MAIN IMPACT: THREE TO SIX INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET ALONG WITH A QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. TRAVEL WILL BECOME TREACHEROUS AT TIMES. TREE DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY.

* OTHER IMPACTS: GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS OF UP TO 30 MPH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MAY CAUSE BLOWING SNOW AND WORSEN TREE DAMAGE.

Instructions: TRAVEL WILL BE TREACHEROUS WITH SOME ROADS NEARLY IMPASSABLE. HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT OF BLANKETS...FOOD...WATER AND FLASHLIGHTS IF YOU MUST TRAVEL. POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY.

Target Area: Anderson, Bourbon, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Clark, Edmonson, Fayette, Franklin, Grayson, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Hart, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Larue, Marion, Meade, Mercer, Nelson. Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Washington, Woodford

Forecast Office: NWS Louisville (Central Kentucky)

Keep safe out there. I'm mostly prepared, although I need to go out tomorrow morning for toilet paper just in case. We've cancelled the game so Brenda and I won't be trying to make it home in freezing rain. Monday's commute should be positively wonderful. And mind you, today was in the 50s. Temperatures are expected to plummet to lows in the single digits and highs in the 20s. Not fun. They're already reaching out to the homeless to get them in during the cold, and doing what they can with the roads, although with the rain coming first, that means pre-treating is practically useless, I think. I hope this is winter's last hurrah.

My precious....

I slept from about 5 pm to 8 pm, woke up, and went and retrieved my precious...um...my phone. It's happily charging now. I've eaten something and feel a little better, although my nose is pretty sniffly. The headache that was hitting me most of the day has abated to a dull ache. I blame the coming weather for the headache. I'm still not sure if I'm coming down with a cold or not. But I am achy and tired, despite getting rest. I don't seem to be running a fever, at least--just feel kind of run down. Bleh. I think I may go into the other room and try to read for a bit, or at least listen to some music.

Time for a nap

Today I haven't felt great, and I may be getting a friend's cold, but I've taken him to the grocery and helped him wash his dog, and now I'm pooped. Turns out I also left my cell phone over at his house, so I'll go back and get that later this evening, but for now, I'm going to nap. I've done what I can to prepare for our potential ice storm tomorrow night and we've cancelled the game. I picked up my Lantus, which I was almost out of, and even picked up a couple of 'touch lights' that are battery-powered in case the lights go out, because even though I have a box of 100 tea lights, those are iffy in terms of safety. I have a crank flashlight/radio as well as some other flashlights, and food that can be eaten without being cooked. Let's hope it isn't bad, but hey, if it is, I'm hopefully ready. At least once I get my phone back.

Today I was off from work, and I:

1. Went over to the endocrinologist very early, and she took me off the oral medication Invokana and on the injectable Byetta, as my Ha1C went up and I was having some unpleasant side effects in the form of recurrent yeast infections.
2. Grabbed a quick bite between appointments.
3. Went to the dentist, who very quickly took out that little tooth that had been under the crown which had come off, and he put my new partials in.
4. Amused a friend with my attempts to talk with the partials in, although he did point out that I improved somewhat as the day went on.
5. Took a nap.
6. Watched both the 'Grimm' from before the Olympics (where you meet Monroe's parents) over at my house and then tonight's 'Grimm' with YKWIA over at his house. Scary serial killers.
7. Watched a couple of episodes of the cartoon 'Dan vs.' with YKIWA.
8. Came home, took out the partials (yay!) and brushed them with a soft toothbrush. The wires get a bit gummy with stuff. But I did figure out how to get them out; now I just have to figure out how to get them back in.
9. Ate a bit without the partials as I'm a little more comfortable with that right now, although I was doing better as the day went by with them in.
10. Checked Facebook, this blog, and now I'm going to head to bed soon. I'm very tired after a long day of doctor's appointments and trying to adjust to these things in my mouth.
11. I do need to leave my libation for Hekate tonight, as well.