It's very quiet in the house

Which I'm enjoying for the moment. The only sounds are occasional steps upstairs where my neighbour lives. I came home directly from work and laid down for awhile and recharged. Now I'm up and contemplating doing some work on the house. I also have a movie out from the library to watch, Oculus. But I have to admit, what I'd really like to do is some reading. I realised today that it's nearly October and I can't tell you a fiction book I've actually read completely this year. I simply never seem to have time to read anymore, which is very sad for a bibliophile and librarian. I will have to make time. When I was on the bus I read more, since I'd wait at the bus stops and then there's the bus itself. But now that I have a car, I'm running, running, running, without having that cushion of time. I have several books checked out, I just haven't really had a chance to get to them. So here's the plan: work on the house for awhile and then sit down and do some reading as a reward. Okay, off to start. :)

Too tired

I just got home a bit ago,  after midnight. I have a headache,  I am tired and achy,  my feet are swollen,  and I am going to take some ibuprofen,  put my feet up,  and go on to bed. I will blog properly tomorrow.  Good night.

A good day

spent watching 'Haven' (several episodes--I think we're at the last episode of season 3 next) and playing the game, which was fun because we started a new mission set in Montana that's threatening to send us to our doom in the Pliocene Era. :) We stopped playing at 8 and I got home around 9 pm. After Brenda went on home, YKWIA and I decided we were too tired to watch 'Witches of East End' tonight. And he just isn't enjoying the new Doctor on 'Doctor Who/, so I'll probably start recording those and watch them on my own. He doesn't care for him and has a hard time understanding him. Meanwhile, A got back from his convention. Somewhere with all I did today, I never got around to doing my laundry, so I left it over there and will do it tomorrow. I must admit, though, for now I'm pretty tired--it was a very full weekend. Even though it's not even 10 pm yet, I think it's time to go to bed. I'm going to try to get up around 6 am. So I'm going to sign off for now. Hope you had a nice weekend. Good night.

3 am

Still awake.  I have been downloading free applications from Amazon. Time to stop and set my clock(s) to wake up in five hours.  Ouch!

So it's nearly 2 am

I've been going strong since about 7 am, which means I'm going to keep this short. Today I kept a friend company whose husband is away from the house at a convention. All told I have:

1. Taken out the trash so far that I collected last night from the apartment.
2. Stopped by McDonald's for breakfast, bringing some to my friend as well.
3. Fed his dogs and cats and let the dogs out (twice).
4. Watched an episode of 'Fringe', two episodes of 'Warehouse 13', one of 'Haven', and two of 'The Awesomes'.
5. Rubbed my friend's feet and put him to bed for a couple of hours, since he hadn't had a full night of sleep.
6. Ate a sandwich, foraging there for food.
7. Finished the game notes while he was sleeping.
8. Brought in the dogs and watered everyone.
9. Gone to the store to get groceries for them (without my normal helper) and for me.
10. Fixed my friend dinner.
11. Filled up various containers with new sweetener, popcorn, and salt (obviously different containers).
12. Sent the dogs back out.
13. Brushed a dog.
14. Convinced another dog that the muzzle could be used if she failed to come in.
15. Played 'name that TV theme show from the 60s' and failed miserably.
16. Watched some YouTube videos.
17. Got caught up on the drama at the convention.
18. Visited with my friend.
19. Left the laptop there so I wouldn't have to lug it back tomorrow and packed up and came home.
20. Explained to my friend that turning the porch light off before I actually get in the car and drive away leaves me looking for the ignition key. He didn't realise the button fob on my car, while it does unlock the doors, does not turn the car on or anything. I explained a little better how it works.
21. Ate a bit of food.

And now I'm headed to bed. I have to be there by 9 am for the game preparations tomorrow. That's 7 hours away. Good night.

Okay

I worked very intensely for what, granted, was a short time, and got most of the trash and recyclables together, cleaned out the fridge, and that was enough for now. (I am ashamed to admit just how much stuff was built up. Let's just say it's a good thing that I have a small granny cart; the one from the fridge is very heavy, for example. My kitchen bags are pretty small, and I don't have them full to bursting, but I've got six of them in the kitchen full of trash and another four of recyclables. That's unusual--usually there's more of the latter. Some of that trash is packaging from the speaker, which is bulky, as well freezer and refrigerated containers, which can't be recycled at our centre (if they're coated for cold, basically)). I still have some mail to go through in the dining room and a little in the bedroom (mostly receipts from my pockets), but that is something for later when I work on those rooms. I have to be over at a friend's house at 8 or 8:30 in the morning to help him with something important, so I may turn in for now, take the trash and recyclables out at first light, and maybe work a bit more then. I got quite a bit finished in a short time, so if I really work for say, an hour, there may be some better progress in the morning. I'll try to get up at 5 am with the hope of getting up at 6. :) Ah, de-hoarding is a good thing. I'm usually pretty decent for awhile if I'm spending much time at home, but when I go for days on end coming home late, I tend to just throw stuff on the loveseat or dining room table, or wherever, in bags, etc.

And I need to get some stuff out of here, because I have a couple of boxes in the trunk of my car full of my friends' old audio tapes. We cleaned out their shed last weekend, and it's been cool enough here that I haven't really had to worry about them in the car, but it's warmer this weekend and I need the room for grocery shopping. Since the point of my having the tapes is to check them for damage and see if they play (I have a couple of boom boxes with tape players, and they don't).

So close!

I was madly walking up and down my hallway right before midnight to try to make it to 10,000 steps.

Somewhat refreshed

Okay, so I did fall asleep for awhile. But I'm up now, and feel better, and I went for a walk down to the laundry room for a Diet Coke to clear the sleep from my head and have peppy music playing. 689 more steps and I could break 10,000 for the day. Of course, I have a little less than half an hour to do that. I have formulated a plan of attack concerning the house. Here is how it breaks down:

Kitchen
1. Gather recyclables in the kitchen into bags.
2. Put together the trash.
3. Fill the ice cube trays with water.
4. Wash the things that can't be put in the dishwasher.
5. Put away dishes from the dishwasher.
6. Put new dishes into the dishwasher (there aren't many, thankfully).
7. Clean out the refrigerator.
8. Take out the trash and recyclables.
9. Wipe down the counters and stove.
10. Clean the sink.
11. Sweep and mop the floor.

Bathroom
1. Take out the trash.
2. Put recyclables in the container in the kitchen.
3. Clean the toilet and sink.
4. Straighten the sink area.
5. Sweep and mop the floor.

Living Area
1. Collect trash and recyclables.
2. Straighten up the place.
3. Dust.
4. Water plants.

Dining Area
1. Collect trash and recyclables.
2. Straighten up the place.
3. Dust.
4. Wipe down table.
5. Fill the fish tank with water.

Bedroom
1. Put away laundry.
2. Gather the laundry.
3. Collect trash and recyclables.
4. Fill the betta tank with water.
5. Make the bed.
6. Dust.
7. Take out the last of the recyclables and trash.

I'll have to vacuum tomorrow when it's not so late. I seriously doubt I'll get all this finished tonight--this will actually probably take the next few days, but hey, it's something to aspire to.

Looking for ideas on personal growth?

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?

If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. It was just 4 years ago when I discovered my passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 22 and in my final year of university. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.

YKWIA has taught me a lot about personal growth--he practically raised me in my 20s and 30s, as in his words, I was 'raised by wolves'. But this is a pretty nice article that puts a lot of things together for how to improve your mind, body, and spirit. Number one on the list? Read a book every day. :) Okay, I have blogged enough to make up for not posting much this week. I think that's all I had on the back burner to post. Time to step away from the computer. :)

Stan Lee on the importance of comics and graphic novels during Banned Books Week and beyond

Cool (and resourceful)

This Converted Cave in France Cost $1.35

Faced with steep rents, young couples are renovating abandoned troglodyte homes in the French countryside, like this 11th-century structure nestled into the side of a mountain in the Loire Valley

Alexis Lamoureux was 23 when he returned to Amboise, an idyllic town once home to Leonardo da Vinci that sits on the banks of France’s Loire River. Forced to leave another village after the bar he was working in closed down, he began looking for a job and a place for him and his girlfriend, Lotte van Riel, to live.

Lamoureux heard about a troglodyte home that had once belonged to his great aunt and went to check it out. The abandoned space, left in ruin for the past 25 years, was a crude network of unstable rooms carved out of a large rock face. Littered with trash and having no electricity, running water or sewage system, it was a dream come true. Lamoureux headed straight to the government agency that handles abandoned dwellings and was excited to discover it was up for auction the very next week. He offered the princely sum of 1 euro, which the agency accepted.

No bank would loan the money to fix the place up, so he and his girlfriend worked their butts off for three years to make the money necessary. There's a nice gallery on the article's webpage of some of the rooms and the exterior.

Found on Facebook

They have a very good point. Thanks to George Takei for sharing.

I thought this was a great introduction to 'Doctor Who' from the magazine

Rolling Stone: Call the Doctor: The Many Faces of 'Doctor Who'

Thanks to Brandon for sending me the link.

Oh, there's this for Banned Books Week

If you're on social media and have a profile picture you can make something along the lines of this:



By using Twibbon for Twitter, then taking the picture and putting it on Facebook, etc. :)

Drat

I opened up some salad I'd gotten a couple of days ago, and the lettuce is icky and soggy. I managed to save the cranberries, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, and feta cheese that was in a separate compartment, Oh well, tortillas and cheese for dinner it is.

This morning I went to work, then over to my podiatrist to pick up my new shoes and inserts. I had quite some trouble getting them on, and at first we thought they were too narrow, but they do actually fit. I just have trouble bending my right knee fully in a chair (I put my shoes on by putting my feet up on the bed). I took them back off at the doctor's office, and then put them back on after I got back to work, as it's carpeted, and I can't return them if I wear them outside at all. They're kind of boots, or hightop athletic shoes, with an athletic-style shoe in black that comes up on the ankles for full support. I thought they'd be better then my lower New Balances this winter for walking on uneven snow. They're are the brand Answer2, which I hadn't heard of before, style 442-1. They're made by Apis. They also gave me several Sure-Fit inserts, which I'm supposed to change ever four months or so, and there were a couple of thin ones that go under the regular inserts to help raise the foot if needed to keep it from slipping up and down. I have a slight discrepancy between my left and right leg in terms of length, so I have that secondary insert under the right one but not one on the left, and they were doing pretty well this afternoon. The inserts are a little different than the diabetic orthotics I have in my regular shoes, though. They were much easier to get on the second and third times I tried. I'll have to keep a weather eye on my feet, though, and look for any rubbing, etc. But I think they'll be a decent fit after all. I do need longer laces for them. Even my New Balances that I got last year have boot laces in them. I have such a wide foot (I wear a 7 2E in the New Balances, XW in these shoes), that I need longer laces than they ever include. I really do appreciate that my health insurance will pay for these as part of my diabetes care. I had the same type of New Balances several years ago that were $115 when I paid for them myself. These go for about $135 online. They look like this:



The nice thing is that they work under my pants for work pretty well, and I noticed they seem to be This afternoon, after work, I:

1. Went to the bank to dispute a couple of ATM charges. Yesterday I tried to get money from the ATM at work twice, but got a 'database error' and no money. Turns out the money came out of my account, along with the fee they charge for giving me my own money and the one the bank charges for not using their machine. All told, it came out to $49. I got one returned, the fees from the bank taken off, and the second one should be taken care of soon (it needed 'more investigation', beyond what they could do right there).
2. Got some gas for the car and washed the windows. I really need to take the car to be washed.
3. Checked out a book I had on hold from the library, called House of Stone, by the late journalist Anthony Shadid, as well as the DVD for the movie Oculus.

Now I'm home, listening to 'Somebody That I Used to Know' by Gotye (featuring Kimbra) on the radio, have the windows open and the fan in the living room blowing on me, and I'm finishing up dinner. The plan for tonight is:

1. Work on the game notes.
2. Work on the house.
3. Do some reading.
4. Water the plants inside and out (although I'm down to only two window boxes--one fell and pretty much what was in it disintegrated).

I'm hoping by having the fan out here in the living area rather than the bedroom, I won't just go in there and lie down.

Tired and hurting

A loveable but clueless 75 lb dog decided to greet me this afternoon by coming up to me not on the side with nearly three feet of clearance,  but rather by pushing her way into the five inches between my leg and a table,  thus pushing my knee backwards.  Yes,  the same knee that was operated on a few weeks ago.  Owww!!! So I am going to put my feet up for a bit and then write later,  assuming I don't fall completely asleep,  anyway. I'm sorry I have been AWOL the last couple of days,  though.  Okay,  here's to blogging later,  after the ibuprofen has a chance to kick in.

Watching 'The Big Bang Theory'

in my 'Soft Kitty'shirt. Sheldon's in fine form, especially in the second new episode. :) And I actually already knew that the Fig Newton was named after Newton, Massachusetts, not Isaac Newton. :)

I've got the windows up in the apartment and had a bit of quiet time earlier, but I'm going to work on the house now. I just really don't know where to start, though, and the mess makes me somewhat angsty, which only makes it worse. But, it's not going to be any better if I just sit and write, so I'll figure out where to begin and get going at it. I might write later, I'm not sure. But if not, good night.

A happy thing

So, I'm looking at my calendar on my phone and am struck by the fact that for the first time in weeks--perhaps months--neither I nor a friend of mind whom I drive to commitments have any sort of appointments at all this week. Yay!

Today was good; A and I cleaned house in preparation for the game, then Brenda came over and we played Call of Cthulhu and visited. I normally stay for 'Witches of East End', but I didn't really sleep that well last night and I was pretty tired, so I came on home. YKWIA is recording it on his DVR, so hopefully I can watch it later. So now I'm comfy and listening to some music (Bastille's 'Icarus') and thinking about going on to bed even though it's not yet 10 pm.

Tomorrow I plan on:

1. Getting some things accomplished at work
2. Paying some bills
3. Calling several doctor's offices that owe me co-pays because I met my out-of-pocket max months ago
4. Working on the house
5. Watching the season 8 premiere of 'The Big Bang Theory'
6. Celebrating the autumnal equinox (10:29 PM local time (EDT))

I'm not sure yet if I'll go over to my friends' house or not tomorrow. I really need to work on the house some more. I'd like to get it in order before dark of the moon, which is in a couple of days. I didn't do my monthly libation last time, and I'd like to do so at dark of the moon (which is traditional) and purify the house, which should be clean first.

If I do go over there, I have the ingredients for more squash and couscous, and I'm going to alter the original recipe by adding garlic (it was a little bland as it was written--YKWIA, an excellent cook, suggested the garlic). Also, I managed to find some fresh basil, so I can use that instead of dried, which should help the flavour. But if not, I think everything will still be okay Tuesday, which may be better because A has a meeting on Monday nights, so we'd be eating fairly late if I do it then.

I really pigged out at the game today, eating quite a bit of cheese and some fruit, and a few crackers, plus a sandwich. But as of this morning I was 18 lbs down from my maximum weight, so that's good. Hopefully today won't reverse that trend. I tend to graze on Sundays rather than eating meals.

Okay, I really think I'm going to go on to bed. Good night.

It has been a busy, busy day

And I am quite glad to be able to prop my feet up and relax to Bastille's album, Bad Blood. Today I have:

1. Brushed a very fluffy dog who's throwing her coat.
2. Taken a friend to the pharmacy.
3. Taken a friend to the grocery.
4. Helped a couple of friends clean out and organise their shed.
5. Got bitten by mosquitoes and short of breath from dust and mildew.
6. Gone to get a take-out dinner with a friend.
7. Watched an episode of 'Haven' with a friend.
8. Watched an episode of 'Warehouse 13' with a friend.
9. Choked on a bit of ice and soda that went down the wrong way.
10. Watched the newest 'Doctor Who' episode with a friend.
11. Charged my laptop for tomorrow (but the notes are finished!)

Tomorrow there's:

1. Going to get stuff to gnosh on during the game.
2. Game prep/housework
3. Call of Cthulhu game.
4. Dose the dogs with flea medicine.
5. Change some indoor floodlights.
6. Watch 'Witches of East End'.

So yeah, I'm a bit pooped. It's nearly midnight; I think I'll head on to bed. Goodnight.

Have I mentioned

that somewhere along the way, while I wasn't particularly paying attention, I've lost 16 lbs? Three more pounds and I'll be back to where I was briefly after my ankle was broken nearly two years ago. Fourteen more pounds and I'll reach the goal my endocrinologist set for trying to increase my insulin sensitivity, which would allow me to ease off the insulin some. I wore a blouse today that had been a little tight/uncomfortable on me ever since I got it and it fit much better and I got a lot of compliments on it. It's a soft mossy green and beige with a pinkish flower on the front. It made me feel good about myself. I also wore a pearl bracelet and strand that were my grandmother's, and a pair of faux pearl earrings I have. So even though it was jeans day at work, and I did wear jeans, I was kind of dressy from the waist up.

In the hour or so that I've been home, I've loaded and run the dishwasher, moved the speaker tower out to the living room, and straightened up the living room some. (I think playing the music has been interfering with my sleep, which usually actually lulls me to sleep, but for whatever reason the same music is keeping me awake. Last night I slept about two hours total, even with gentle Celtic music, and the night before I didn't sleep well. Apparently the richer sound is somehow an issue compared to my phone connected to a little boom box.) Now I'm trying out the charging option and I'm playing some Natalie Merchant and I'm eating a little dinner. I opened the windows to let the almost-autumn air in. But I needed to get some food in me--I'd taken my Byetta about an hour before and it can cause nausea if you wait too long to eat, although at least I haven't had that trouble. My main thing is trying to take it with enough time (at least 15 minutes) prior to eating. :)

So I've finished eating. It would be nice to take a nap, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't wake up easily, and there's so much to do here. Tomorrow I need to take a friend to the pharmacy, which closes by 1 pm, so I need to go over there fairly early. Okay, maybe it's time for a bit more caffeine. :) Maybe I'll watch a bit of 'The Big Bang Theory' while I work on the living room. I got season 7 on DVD today from Amazon with my cashback bonus from my credit card, so it was kind of free. :)

A much better day today

Yesterday was somewhat stressful, as I was trying to get two friends home and then me home while running the car with my gas light on the whole time. I also hit a squirrel on Ashland Avenue while going to pick up A, and it was terrible, but I had no time to brake (and had someone right behind me, so I couldn't) or swerve, and the only blessing is it was a very quick death. And I didn't cry. I once hit a cat (a black one, at midnight on Friday the 13th, after a couple of idiots in our group were playing with a Ouija board, if you believe it). Thinking it was a friend's, I stopped and took it to their house. It died in my arms on the way. I then proceeded to cry hysterically for about 45 minutes. I am very much an animal lover, as you know if you read this blog, and it was the first animal I'd ever killed. Since then there was the robin who tried to land in front of my car on US 27 as I was going 60 mph, and I think there was probably another squirrel at some point. That's four in nearly 30 years of driving--I guess that's not bad. But each one made me sad.

Today was better. For one, it was payday, so the first thing I did was go get a half of a tank of gas and some money for the cafeteria at work. Later, I ran by Kroger and got a few things, as things were kind of tight the last few days. Then YKWIA and I watched an episode of 'Haven'. He's watched each of the first four seasons. The fifth is on SyFy right now, but he won't watch it because the way they spell the channel name. So it'll probably be awhile before the fifth season is on Netflix. I'm on season three, almost halfway, I think. I love the show. I'm just concerned he's going to take some of the stuff from it and put it into our Call of Cthulhu game.

I'm home now, listening to music through a bluetooth speaker tower that's paired to my phone, namely Loreena McKennitt. I find her very relaxing to listen to in the evening. It's not quite the same as my old dock and boom box setup, but it works well. The tower can also plug into the phone and charge it, or play the FM radio, or play music from a USB drive or SD card. Not too bad. It's got a nice sound. Right now I've got it in the bedroom, but I'm thinking of putting it in the living room. I wish I could play the TV sound through it.

Okay, sleep is the next thing on my agenda. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some work done on the house, which is getting unbearable, and I'm not a neat freak by any means. Saturday I know we have to go to the pharmacy and grocery. Sunday should be the game. But for now, I'm just glad tomorrow is Friday. :)

Feeling a little better today

YKWIA cheered me up some,  for one. I am still feeling a little blah,  but it is nowhere as bad as it was Monday.  Today I worked and then took him to two appointments.  A co-worker who was concerned about how little I was eating yesterday brought me some tomatoes,  three apples,  spaghetti,  a jar of pasta sauce,  and some bread and bagels. And even though my gas light came on sometime this afternoon,  I managed to make it home tonight.  I will have to go by the gas station tomorrow. I still have $4 I can spend on gas. Good thing I get paid tomorrow night!  It looks like I can pay my bills out of this cheque,  thankfully,  though there won't be much extra.  But that,  at least,  is a blessing.  And at least I have new brakes and the car is safe,  even if fixing it put me in a bind. Okay,  time for bed.  Good night!

I was feeling pretty down today

And I still am, somewhat, but a co-worker helped boost my mood earlier, thankfully, as I was in the would-anyone-care-if-I-were-gone sort of funk. I've been in some amount of funk for awhile, though. Of course, I know (as proven by my near-miss with the ankle injury when I was hit by a car) that the answer regarding other people caring is yes, but sometimes it's hard to remember that. There are several reasons for my mood, all of which I know in my heart will get better, but yeah, today was not a great day. Despite that I was very productive and helped several people who needed it. I didn't let my mood interfere with work. But inside my head was not so fun today. But I won't focus on the problems with my life in this post, but try to just weather them and do what I can to improve the situation. It's true I've been stressed of late, and I had some particularly disappointing news today, but it will get better. I have to believe that. But now I'm home, and one of the things I can do is try to work out some of the stuff at the apartment that's bugging me. Having a cluttered space tends to make me more stressed, which is bad in someone who tends to collect clutter. So a little purging is in order, I think.

On Saturday

I really felt like I wasted much of my day. I just couldn't get going. I ached everywhere, even in my hands. I don't know if it was the weather (it's much cooler than it has been of late, and it was very cloudy until about 3 pm, which is when I finally ventured out and stopped hurting, once the sun came out) or what. I really needed to work on the house. Instead I stayed in bed most of the morning and early afternoon. I finally got up and took a shower, printed out some things for a friend, and then went to down to the Central Library to pick up a couple of books for him as well. I went on over there and we watched some 'Haven' and eventually 'Doctor Who'. I was prepared for Doctor Who day--I had a shirt on that has a Dalek version of the 'Soft Kitty' song from 'The Big Bang Theory', my licence plate holder on the car says 'My other car is a TARDIS', and my phone case at the moment has a picture of the TARDIS on it. I am such a geek. (I also have a hat and scarf with the 'police call box' design from the TARDIS on it.)

Today was a little more productive. I got up early and finished the game notes, went over to my friends' house and did laundry and worked on their house, and then, since Brenda was at a Society for Creative Anachronism event, we watched several episodes of 'Haven'. I'm finally up to season 3 with the next episode. I did some scanning for YKWIA and then we watched a very good episode of 'Witches of East End'. Now I'm home. Tomorrow I don't have any official plans for after work yet, and I'm hoping to work on the house then. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I'm taking someone to various appointments. So it'll be a busy week. But at least I don't have to worry about the game notes--I'm caught up with them. :)

For now, though, I'm listening to some music and winding down for the night. I think I'm going to have some hot cocoa with marshmallows and then head on to bed. I'd like to get a good night's sleep tonight, as I didn't sleep particularly well today and it's taken a lot of soda to get the caffeine I needed to keep going. I really need to learn to like coffee or tea. Good night.

Ready for bed

I don't feel like breaking out the laptop or even sitting in front of the desktop,  so I am writing this on my phone.  I am in bed,  listening to Bastille's 'Oblivion',  with my feet propped up and my CPAP on.

I am very glad it is Friday and the end of the work week. Today was spent catching up at work,  which I barely did despite my best efforts.  Tonight YKWIA and I watched an episode of 'Haven'  and I helped him with something.  Now I am home and really hoping to shed some tension and relax.  I am a little stressed this week.

The plan tomorrow is to get up by 7:30 am and work on the house,  work on the game notes,  and catch up on 'Doctor Who',  in that order.  Then it is off to the library to search for a couple of books for YKWIA. Then I will go take A to the grocery,  and from there my plans will depend on what YKWIA and A want/need. But the idea is to spend part of the day doing some things here.

Okay,  I am going to go on to bed.  Good night.

Well, yeah

"Fat shaming" may make people gain more

Discrimination against overweight or obese people, commonly known as "fat shaming," does not help them lose weight and may do more harm than good, according to research from London.

Being harassed or treated with disrespect, receiving poor service while shopping or being thought of as stupid may actually lead to more weight gain, the researchers found.

"Our study clearly shows that weight discrimination is part of the obesity problem and not the solution," said the study's senior author, Jane Wardle, director of the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre at University College London (UCL).

"Weight bias has been documented not only among the general public but also among health professionals, and many obese patients report being treated disrespectfully by doctors because of their weight. Everyone, including doctors, should stop blaming and shaming people for their weight and offer support, and where appropriate, treatment," Wardle added in a university news release.

I watched three episodes

of 'Haven' tonight, including one that was excellent that had a Groundhog Day premiss. I'm in season 2. YKWIA is on season 4. Hopefully I'll catch up before long. But I'm enjoying watching it with him. It has plenty of quirkiness, mystery, likable characters, and it keeps my interest with every episode. But now I'm home. I can't say I got a huge amount done around the house today, although I did get some things accomplished. But what I did get was a nice break from work and life and I feel better as a result. Tomorrow it's back to work, etc. Maybe I can continue to work on the house some on Saturday. I think this is a more-than-one-day-job for sure. :)

A rare daytime weekday post

because I'm off today! [I don't blog at work, after all.] I couldn't remember the last time I'd just come straight home from work (I think it was the Monday before last, or maybe the one before that), and I got to do that last night, although then there was the whole picture thing, but I had also decided to ask for today off to deal with all the stuff at home of which I haven't been able to take care. I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 8 am with my ankle surgeon/podiatrist, and with all the heavy rain and traffic I was running late, but so was he, so it all worked out. My feet are doing well, I'm having no problems, and I got to pick out a pair of shoes good for diabetics that should be available in 2-4 weeks for me to pick up. So I came back through the driving rain, went to the new Richmond Road McDonald's (much easier to get in and out of than the old one, but a little odd, as you enter on one side and drive all around the building to get to the drive through. I got a couple of egg and cheese biscuits, came home, took my medicine and ate, listened to the radio, and now I've got to work out a plan for dealing with the house, as I have about six hours before I have to go over to a friend's to take him to an appointment. In the meantime, it's a rainy, cool day, and I think I'm going to open the windows, turn on all the lights (because it is rather dark in here without the sun out), and get going.

How odd

So someone commented on a post I made some time ago alerting me to the fact that a person was using my likeness on YouTube to make comments that were upsetting people, aka, trolling on the comments system, with my face. The person included a link, which I followed, and lo and behold, my face was, indeed staring back at me. Apparently the person who alerted me had done a reverse image search. I put a comment on the channel to the effect that the channel owner was using my image without my permission, and she (yes, she does say she's female--although really it could have been anyone, male, female, whatever) responded saying that she does occasionally read my blog, that she apologised for using the image without permission, and had been using it for satire, and had acquired a following, but would leave it up to me. I responded that in the interest of avoiding a case of mistaken identity, I would appreciate it if she would remove the image and any others on YouTube or other sites she had been using them on. That's up to her, of course, but I had already contacted Google and explained that someone was using my image without my permission, not only impersonating me that way but also it was a copyrighted image, and that I had asked them to take it down and was waiting on a reply. The form required a scan of a photo ID, so yes, Google now has a copy of my driver's licence. So it's really in Google's hands at this point.

Now I'm not going to get into whether she was using it for satire or trolling--people often don't get satire, both those who read it and at times those who write it, and I didn't see her actual comments on other channels. The thing I don't get is how anyone could see no trouble in taking another person's image and using it as if it were a picture of herself, and not see why anyone might object. I mean, I know a lot of people use celebrity photos in their profile pictures and the like, but I'm not a celebrity. People know such-and-such isn't the real celebrity, or at least realise that it's highly unlikely, especially on sites that verify such things. But if you steal some unknown person's image and use that as your own, no one knows. I did read some of the comments on the channel where the people, annoyed with her comments, were making very crass comments about her appearance and more, based on my image. Even though I know they were aimed at her, I know people often make judgements based on appearance and frankly, even though they should take nothing online as gospel, believe what they see. So they were in part responding to my picture, and it was a little disheartening.

So maybe the moral of the story is to keep a weather-eye out for such things, not just 'Googling' your name, for example, but doing a search to find similar images based on one you have. Don't use other people's likenesses as your own, and please, for God's sake, don't believe everything you see and read online. I must say, it has been an educating experience.

Still feeling a bit blah

So maybe it is my hormones. But I did enjoy watching 'The Awesomes' and 'Haven' with YKWIA tonight, and I fixed a summer squash and couscous dish that was pretty decent (I think that's the first time I've really cooked in their kitchen without supervision, beyond tuna gruel or rice with microwaved fish. YKWIA and I are already working on ways to improve the recipe.) I enjoyed doing that. It just seems a little muted compared to normal, though, so maybe I'm just a little depressed. I get that way sometimes, although normally not for protracted periods, thankfully, or at least anymore. I'm not having mood swings or anything like that. I just feel a bit like I'm going through the motions or I'm on autopilot, that's all. So now I am home, and oddly tired, and I think I'm going to listen to some Loreena McKennitt and head on to bed, even though it's just about 10:30 pm. I have a fairly busy week ahead of me. Good night.

I think I understand

While all of the factors mentioned in the preceding post are, in fact, true and probably relevant, it's not my hormones, my need to some 'me' time, stress over finances and jobs, or anything like that. It's very simple. I am afraid of losing someone in my life who is dealing with issues that are very serious. I'm trying to make things better, to no avail, and I've got to accept that I can't. I can be there. I can listen. I can love. But in the end, I have no control over the situation. I only can hope it improves, and provide supportive care where I can. From there, I can only hope for the best.

I feel sad and weary

Not tired. It's not that. It's more like an emotional weariness and sadness combined. I'm not sure why. I just feel that way. It could be hormonal, I suppose. But I actually had a pretty decent weekend. Today I got over to my friends' house not just on time but early, with everything I'm supposed to have with me, properly fed and medicated ahead of time. It was a good visit. I cleaned the house with a little help from A. I was going to fix some squash and couscous, but YKWIA wasn't in the mood; we'll try for tomorrow. Instead, YKWIA and I watched an episode of 'Haven'. We played the game once Brenda arrived, for about five-and-a-half hours, and then YKWIA and I watched 'Witches of East End'. But I feel kind of like I was just going through the motions. My heart wasn't really in it. I did enjoy myself, but not fully. So tonight I'm home, it's late (of course), and while I normally don't write on game nights, I have to admit, I'm a little troubled. I've got some Loreena McKennitt on and I think I'm going to do some introspection to see where the unhappy mood is coming from. It may just be that I haven't had a night to myself in almost two weeks. Or a little stress where money and job hunting are concerned. It may be completely hormonal. I'm just not sure. So I'm going to sit and think for a bit, something I do far too rarely when it comes to figuring out my psyche. Usually YKWIA is a good sounding board/therapist, but this one I think I need to work on myself.

Here's something to brighten your day...

A now-departed dog in my life (a beloved Rottweiler) who was otherwise very quiet and mostly just bounced when excited, often howled when ambulances went by. I would have loved to have seen her as a fluffy puppy when she first learned to howl. These are adorable. Thank you Julia Anne Pope for sharing on Facebook. It made me happy.

I'm over at my friends' house

and while it is raining cats and dogs down at the stadium, but it doesn't seem to be raining here. We're all in the living room watching the dogs play. There's a few minutes left in the game with UK leading. We're going to the store soon and then there's 'Doctor Who'. Having a nice visit so far. Okay, A wants me to check something on the queue for Netflix. I'll write later, probably.

Well, today has been mostly devoted to

getting the car fixed, with getting very little else done. I spent a couple of hours at the garage, then came home and decided since I'd gotten up so early and because they were supposed to finish by noon that I'd rest a bit, and then at 12:30 they said the car was ready and they'd come get me in a little while. So I waited. An hour passed. I called and offered to walk over, but they said, no we'll come get you in just a bit, just relax. Well, I'm one of those people who doesn't wait well. I want to either be doing something or knowing I won't be doing something--I would hate to be in the middle of something when they did call, so I just waited. After another hour, I put my good walking shoes on and started walking. I got there about 3 pm. The guy was, oh, we were just about to come get you. I pointed out to him that I didn't mind coming over if they were swamped, I just wanted to get some things done this afternoon. Basically they were going to wait to go get me by the end of their shift (they close at 4 pm). Anyway, I'm now poorer to the tune of $530, but that's actually with a break he gave me, for a complete new set of back brakes and an oil change. The car is handling much better. I'll have to see if the battery can be changed soon, though.

The University of Kentucky is about to start their second football game of the season, and A is watching it on TV, so we aren't going to the store until later. I'm going to go over there in about an hour and a half. At this point, I should at least start working on the house. But the annoyance that got me through the walk down and across two major highways has kind of dissipated and now I just want to cool down. I'm not tired--I'm just hot, as it was 86 degrees out there with 55% humidity. So I'm going to chill out for about 20 minutes and then get up and work. That's the plan, anyway. On the other hand, I'm at 3,015 steps on a Saturday, which is usually what I get all day on the lightest walking day of my week. :)

I got up very early this morning

and took my car over to Tire Discounters at 8 am to get an oil change and the brakes looked at. I waited there while they did the oil change and the inspection. Unfortunately, I need pretty much all new rear brakes (the front ones had the shoes and rotors replaced in February, so they're fine--but the back even the drums are terribly rusty (they showed them to me), and even if they machined them, it would be outside specifications). So I'm getting those replaced after we haggled a bit on price. They found that my battery is at 50% and needs replacing, but I can't do that today--I'll try to before cold weather sets in. I love having a car, but maintenance, gas, and insurance make it much more expensive than the $30 I paid a month for a bus pass. On the other hand, I do a lot of running around that wouldn't be possible on the bus, and take friends who don't drive pretty much all over Lexington, too. So, it's worth it.

They brought me on home and are working on the car, which should take a couple of hours. They're going to come pick me up when it's ready. So I've finally eaten breakfast (veggie burger, let's call it brunch), and I'm contemplating working on the house. I haven't been home much, which tends to mean I destroy any sense of tidiness in the house, and I come in, put things down on the kitchen table or the loveseat and they just sit there. I really need to clean the bathroom, wash dishes, take out the trash--and more importantly, the recyclables, which are threatening to escape their container, straighten up in general, put some things away, sweep, vacuum, and mop. I can't do all that in two hours. Hopefully I can get started on it, though.

Sorry I didn't blog last night. I'd taken a friend to an appointment after work, watched an episode of 'Haven', and then headed home, where I ate something and kind of putzed around for a bit, listened to some music, and went on to bed early since I knew I couldn't sleep in today. On the other hand, I don't have game notes to do today, as they are already finished, woo-hoo! So there's the grocery run, 'Doctor Who', and as far as I know, that's about it, unless YKWIA and A have something else planned. Tomorrow is the game, and 'Witches of East End'. Then we'll go back into the work week, and start everything over again. This week was particularly busy because there was a lot going on at work, no less than four appointments I had to be at, and bills to pay. Also, it seems to me that whenever we have a 'short week' after a holiday, we try to scrunch everything from a normal week into less days. Next week there's not quite as much going on, thankfully. I think the last time I came directly home from work was Monday before last, and then I just pretty much crashed. I'll try to take this Monday and work on anything I don't get finished today, until I'm happy living in my apartment again. :)

I have no idea what this means

I'm a blue magic drafter!

Take the quiz at Brent Weeks.com

Blue Luxin is hard, strong, and smooth. It can be used in anything from the creation of large structures to armor or bladed weapons or projectiles. Blues are orderly, inquisitive, and unfailingly rational. Structure, rules, and hierarchy are important to blues.

The results from your color matching test have also shown that you are one of the elite, a superchromat. The magic you do will almost never fail. Satrapies will compete to recruit you, and you will have a wide latitude in what work you choose to do once you finish your studies. You can expect your patron to lavish praise and honors on you. As a monochrome, you will master your color, and only have to defer to bichromes and polychromes and, of course, the nobility and the satraps who support us all.

A friend is reading Black Prism by Brent Weeks and this quiz was on the author's website. We apparently came out the same, which surprised my friend. I may have to check out the book for myself. It sounds like an interesting magic system.

Today I got my permanent partial dentures. I had a little trouble getting them in before the dentist adjusted them, but he was able to put them in with no trouble afterwards. I was able to eat a sandwich from Subway by cutting it into smaller bites, and did okay. I talk with a very slight lisp on 's' and similar sounds, but it is very slight--not nearly as bad as with the temporaries. I was also able to get them out and soaking tonight, although the lower ones for some reason really wanted to stay in my mouth. The trick will be to see if I can get them in tomorrow morning without trouble. I'm going to try to get up early to have plenty of time to deal with them if needed. Of course, you want them to be tight and well-fitting. Unless I have trouble, I don't have to go back to the dentist till March, when it will be time for my teeth cleaning. Yay!!! Here's hoping for a trouble-free six months.

I actually finished the game notes early for a change

So I'm all ready for Sunday. I'm also a couple of more episodes into the first season of 'Haven'; four more to go for that season. I didn't feel great this afternoon--not sick, not hurting, just kind of blah. And even though I was planning on brushing up on some more advanced Excel techniques tonight, I wound up keeping YKWIA company, and felt better myself as a consequence.

Tomorrow I finally get my actual, permanent partial dentures. Hopefully they'll fit well. I also need to go by the library and pick up a book on hold. Friday I need to take a friend to another appointment. Saturday I need to get an oil change and have the brakes looked at. I had one set done back in February, but I'm thinking it's time for the other, because I can hear a squeal in them.

Now I just want to stretch out, put on the CPAP headgear, and then just go on to sleep. I'm going to try to get up a little earlier tomorrow, and hopefully my brain will cooperate. This morning I was dreaming of a horrible noise coming from something electronic. I had the guys from IT helping me go through computer, Kindle, etc., to find the source, to no avail. Then I woke up and it was my alarm clock. Today at work, I told the two guys that were helping me in my dream about it and they got a kick out of it. Okay, it's definitely time for bed. Good night.

Would you believe

that I am about half-way through, maybe even a bit more than half-way, with my work on the game notes this week? A friend had an appointment, so I brought the laptop and worked while he was doing that. I'm over three hours into a recording that is about six hours long. Not bad for about an hour and fifteen minutes' work. Yay!

After the appointment, YKWIA, A, and I went to Joe Bologna's, which I haven't been to in years. I had the garlic breadstick (they're huge), a wonderful salad, and some vegetable lasagna. Everything was absolutely lovely, as usual. It would have been nice to get dessert (they have excellent carrot cake), but that would probably have pushed my blood sugar way up. If you're not familiar with the restaurant, it's a family-owned business serving mainly Italian food located inside a former synagogue, so there are stained glass windows and an upper dining area as well.

After we got back, I helped YKWIA with a couple of things and then came home. I really pushed it tonight; the gas light was on the whole time on the way home. I need to go to Kroger first thing in the morning. I have 70 cents off a gallon with a Kroger card, but it was too late to stop by tonight. Hopefully the gas prices won't be higher tomorrow.

Okay, I guess I should go on to sleep, since I do need to get up early. I hope you had a good start to the shorter workweek. I had a busy and unfortunately not-so-fruitful day (but it sure wasn't from lack of trying--I just ran into a lot of bureaucracy outside of my own organisation while trying to obtain a referral. And if I hear one more Sousa march any time soon, it might just send me screaming into the night.) If I can get a full-time library job somewhere, one thing I will not miss about my current job is dealing with insurance companies and all the rules they have in place that sometimes seem to be designed just so they can get out of paying a claim. I wish there was at least some consistency in the industry, anyway.

Oh, well, tomorrow is another day. Good night.

A busy, satisfying long weekend

Friday:
1. Was let out of work early and spent some time with a friend on his birthday
2. Watched a couple of episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Saturday:
1. Food at Masala at Beaumont's lunch buffet; lovely Indian food
2. Dessert at Baskin Robbins'
3. A trip to Barnes & Noble; I got a book with a pull-out chart on the key events in various world religions and a book for Brenda's birthday (which isn't till October, but it's nice to have things together early)
4. Grocery run
5. More episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Sunday:
1. Game preparation
2. Game notes
3. An episode of 'Haven' with YKWIA
4. The Call of Cthulhu game with Brenda and YKWIA

Today (Monday)
1. Lots of sleep, finally getting going about 1 pm
2. Found what I was looking for last week, yay!
3. Watched two episodes of 'Witches of East End' with friends
4. Watched an episode and a bit of 'Rizzoli & Isles' with them
5. Watched the new episode of 'The Awesomes' with YKWIA
6. Visited and looked things up on the Internet together

Now I'm home and it looks like it's going to storm for the second time today. I am listening to Bastille's album Bad Blood and thinking about reading some on my Kindle before heading to bed. So it was a lot of rest, good time spent with friends, and catching up on TV shows. We didn't watch 'Doctor Who' on Saturday because we barely got back from the store and YKWIA and I were just plain pooped from a busy day, but both of us recorded it, anyway, so there's that to watch, too. The coming week I have four appointments after work, one for each weekday, one of my own and three of a friend's where I'm giving him a ride. Anyway, it was fun and restful this weekend, and I feel better prepared for what will no doubt be a very busy 'short' week. I hope you had a restful time as well.

'Unless...'

Remember the end of The Lorax, by Dr Seuss, when the Lorax takes his leave and flies away, leaving the word 'Unless' carved in a stone for the Once-ler to ponder upon? Unless we care about the environment enough to do something about it, things will not get better. Where went the Brown Bar-ba-loots, Swomee Swans and Humming Fish as the Truffula trees were harvested, we all could go.

I was reminded of this by an memorial article about the fall of the once numerous passenger pigeon:

Louis Agassiz Fuertes - Birds of New York (New York State Museum. Memoir 12), Albany: University of the State of New York. Plates by Fuertes later reproduced in Birds of America (1917?) by Thomas Gilbert Pearson (1873-1943) et al.

Dearly Beloved: 100 Years Ago the Last Passenger Pigeon Died

A hundred years ago, Martha died. At 1 p.m. on September 1, 1914, the last individual of a wild blue dove whose flocks once numbered billions and blackened the American skies for days fell over dead in her Cincinnati zoo cage.

With the magnitude of her race's extinction, the American story - which is particularly the story of people on the land - ripped deeper into loss.

Almost no part of early American life went untouched by the passenger pigeon. Nearly 40 percent of all North American birds were passenger pigeons. The fact that most people today never heard of them shows how quickly we get accustomed to poverty.

Not confused with the city pigeon (an invasive species from England), the passenger pigeon was our continent's blue-winged exclamation - sleek, larger than a mourning dove, incredibly beautiful with an hourglass neck, iridescent blue body, apple breast, and white underside. In their billions - and they needed huge numbers to survive - they migrated north and south, creating their own wind and weather.

I don't want to see our world poorer for the loss of species after species, some relegated to spend their last gasps in zoos only to become extinct like the passenger pigeon. There are so many species of animals on the verge of extinction and while there has been some success with conservation and breeding programmes, there is the problem of small gene pools and rapid loss of environment. What we may find is that as we meld our world into some sort of convenience for ourselves, we lose the beauty of the natural world, and the diversity. Even our food is less diverse than it was a hundred years ago, thanks to companies like Monsanto and practices such as genetic modification of crops. In our race for 'progress' and 'the future', we may find that in actuality, we have shortchanged not only the planet but also our future upon it. The Earth will turn until the Sun expands and envelops it, many aeons into the future. We talk about the end of days, but it is not the Earth that will end, but our time on it. Through our manipulation of the environment, we may find that the world ends not in the bang of nuclear war or in the fury of powerful weapons, but rather in the proverbial whimper of starvation and loss of, yes, environment.

For more about the wholesale slaughter of these birds that went on for so long, you may want to check out a book called A Feathered River Across the Sky by Joel Greenberg, reviewed in a Guardian article.