Actually

I've put on a blues anthology CD,  which is very relaxing.  I may try to read some more of Hollow City,  which I am enjoying and only have it from the library for two weeks,  but my eyes are a bit tired after the tests and the book and typing up the review.  I should check and see when it is due,  along with the other, physical,  books I have it.  I'll go check now.

Whew!

I just sent my review for an excellent book called Leading Libraries: How to Create a Service Culture by Wyoma vanDuinkerken and Wendi Arant Kaspar to my editor for review, barely making the deadline (well, technically, yes it was due today, but it would have been better if I'd gotten it in during business hours). But with the scheduling gig, life has been pretty hectic the last three weeks, plus stuff in my personal life (even the really happy things) have just made for a very busy bee. But it's submitted, yay. If accepted, it'll be my 33rd publication and (I think) 15th book review, as one is in process right now and should be published next month (I corrected the proofs a couple of weeks ago), and the others have all been published. Now this one is starting its way to publication.

Today was a little better in scheduling, as I actually was able to get away from the phone a bit and go get a drink or use the bathroom, whereas yesterday I was glued to the phone the whole three hours. Today was also about catching up on some things in the revenue cycle and library aspects of my job, too. I worked very steadily all day. After work, I went to the optometrist and had my eyes examined. I got a prescription for both glasses and contacts, although I'm using my vision benefit for the contacts, since that's what I wear most. That means I won't be able to get new glasses until this time next year, unless I pay for it myself. Maybe I'll increase my flexible spending account a bit to allow that, so I can get them earlier. This year the FSA worked pretty well--I have $59 left in my account, and a $40 bill from a doctor's office from before I met my out-of-pocket expenses, which I need to go ahead and pay. The other nice thing was that my vision has actually gotten a little better in one eye and remained unchanged in the other--we weakened my prescription a notch.

The practice I go to is Abel, Klecker, and Robbins, and they are associated with Pal Optical, so afterwards I went around to that side and asked about getting some eyeglass cleaner and also if they could check and adjust my glasses, which were slightly off, which they did. They also gave me the eyeglass cleaner and a cloth at no cost, as well as a case (I had my other pair of glasses with me, and my trial contacts in, and when he saw I didn't have an extra case for the other, I think the optician couldn't bear to have me just put the glasses in my bag without one). All this, and I wasn't actually getting new glasses with them right now. Of course, I'll go there for my glasses when I do get them--I have for years and they've always done a great job and had great customer service. And the eye doctor had given me a trial cleaning kit with new case and (dum, dum, dum) the little bottle of cleaning solution that is perfect for travelling, better than the so-called travel version, which goes quickly through airport screenings. This is good, as I'll be heading beck to Chicago in November, most likely.

And even though I've been home for two or so hours, I haven't taken the trial contacts out, so I could check them out. I've done a lot of reading and writing, and they seem to be making things clearer than they were. Road signs were also pretty clear as long as they weren't too far away. So I think I'll call in a day or two and order the contacts. I'll know for sure after I do my data entry tomorrow. They're bifocal (or more properly, multifocal) lenses, and they help with looking back and forth between the computer screen and the small print on my charge sheets.

Otherwise, I'm in comfy clothes; I am actually not feeling sleepy, though, so I think I might watch something. So, this is good night, I think. Have a great evening.

A very stressful day

And I'm glad it's almost over. We were very busy in scheduling and I spent three hours glued to the phone except when I was at checkout,  and that was weird because I scheduled someone,  sent them on their merry way,  and then couldn't complete the scheduling because the order was changed midstream while I was scheduling.  There were also several complex appointments,  too,  like two doctors,  with multiple tests or images,  all for one patient/encounter. I am certainly not a pro at this,  yet.

Afterwards,  I left over lunch and got a friend and dropped him off at an appointment,  went back to work,  ate lunch while I worked,  and then got him again when he was finished,  went back to work,  finished up what I needed to do,  left for the day,  took him to pick up some medicine,  visited for awhile,  and came home.  Each time I went out,  I got caught in the rain,  the first time in an actual downpour,  because I thought my umbrella was in the office, and I was wrong,  and the other times because it was sprinkling when I left the library,  but raining harder by the time I got outside. Apparently,  I refuse to learn.

When I got home,  I really wanted pizza,  but there were no good deals and I decided to be fiscally responsible and also diabetically responsible. I had a sandwich and went through my Facebook feed and blogged,  and then I was delighted to find I had some sugar-free dark chocolate pudding I'd forgotten about,  so that was a plus.

Now I'm in the bedroom with the lights low,  Loreena McKennitt singing on Pandora through the Roku box on the TV,  and I'm in comfy shorts and a tank top,  and I'm going to relax for awhile.  If I don't blog anymore tonight,  good night.  Tomorrow will be more scheduling,  plus I have an optometrist appointment in the evening and a book review due. But as Scarlett put it,  'Tomorrow is another day.'

Pretty interesting--the body from top to bottom, as seen by an MRI

Your body, from top to bottom.

Posted by I fucking love science on Monday, September 28, 2015

I'm keeping an eye on this

Inspection of King Tut’s Tomb Reveals Hints of Hidden Chambers: Secret doors may conceal the burial chamber of Queen Nefertiti, but tantalizing clues await further testing.

Nearly a century after the rediscovery of King Tut’s tomb ignited a worldwide craze for Egyptology, new findings could turn out to be almost as stunning.

On Monday, after a group of Egyptian and foreign archaeologists examined the famous tomb, Egypt’s antiquities minister confirmed that they found evidence suggesting the existence of two previously undiscovered rooms. “This indicates that the western and northern walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb could hide two burial chambers,” minister Mamdouh Eldamaty told the Egyptian state press.

This is really cool

Did a timelapse last night of the super blood moonjoecappa.commusic by Milver

Posted by Joe Cappa on Monday, September 28, 2015

by Joe Cappa, wending its way through Facebook. Hope you got to see it in person, but if not, this makes a nice recap.

Fungi!

Another mushroom has popped up in my planter with the baby oak tree.

That was a train wreck visit to Taco Bell

First,  they rang up just my drink,  then tried to ring up 5-layer beefy burritos instead of the 7-layer ones I asked for.  I finally got up to the window and they dithered for almost five minutes without acknowledging me or apologising for the wait. Then they tried to charge me for someone's order that was almost twice mine.   Then they asked me if I had an order that was not remotely mine.  Finally they figured out which order they were on,  but were waiting for part of it,  so I offered to come inside.  They said they'd bring it out to me,  gave me my burritos but offered no sauce.  I drove around to the front and realised they also had not given me my drink,  so I went in,  crossing the wet floor.  They gave me a drink,  which was at least the right one,  but without the lid on properly and later I found it was about half a cup of ice and little drink. I had to ask for a straw,  as the two bins were both empty. I finally got the item I was waiting for,  and left,  travelling a second time across a very wet floor. Then I went home.  Thankfully,  the burritos were the right kind.  That's the only other thing I can think of that could have gone wrong. But although I was annoyed,  I didn't want to actually fill out the survey and have it impact negatively - - they're usually more together than this.  But,  wow,  not tonight.

I did get to see the eclipse after all

Reddit user Bluerainbowsanddrain (Public Domain photo from Wikipedia)

Although I came back in once we reached totality because, frankly, I got spooked by a skunk. See, I live near a reservoir and its associated marsh, and we've got raccoons, muskrats, all sorts of animals. So I had set up a chair and was watching the moon, which was about a quarter obscured when I began, with binoculars [which I did not recall having them in a pack that came with a tiny flashlight, a compass, and a pen knife, but that's so cool], and I hear something. I look and about 10 feet in front of me a HUGE skunk came by, and I was very, very quiet. It slipped up by the neighbouring building and then across the parking lot. I continued and watched until the dragon had eaten every bit of the moon, made a couple of tweets, and then headed inside. It was pretty hazy towards the total eclipse peak, and hard to see the moon with much clarity even through the binoculars. But I got some lovely views prior to that. I wish I could have actually taken a decent picture--my cell phone doesn't do much of anything, and I have a very basic little digital camera that isn't much better, in terms of photographing moving celestial objects. I even tried to take a shot with my phone through the binoculars, to no avail. Ah, well. Hopefully you got to see it, too. I went out again a couple of minutes ago and the moon is a dark blood red, but is obscured by clouds so it's really hard to see. Still, it was nice to see one; I haven't in quite awhile. And I'm totally psyched for our total solar eclipse in two years. Yay!

Well, I finished the notes

But I sort of grazed while I did them and now I feel like a bloated cow,  and my stomach hurts,  but it's my own fault.  I'm so happy not to be limited to peanut butter and jelly that I ate a little bit of everything--and so shouldn't have.  So I'm going to go lie down for a few minutes,  then hopefully get up and watch something.  Good night,  if I don't write more tonight.

So today I went for a walk with a friend and two dogs

and we went from his house to a public park with a large pond and adjoining marshy area, which was quite nice. Each of us took a dog, he the spastic smaller one, and me the more docile one that isn't really used to a leash, so she kept hugging in close to me. I almost fell twice, despite the paved path, once because I found a drop off into a hole, and once due to some mud at the edge of the walk. I was covered in sweat and short of breath when I got home, although the total walk was not even a mile. According to my phone, which isn't entirely accurate, as I've left it out of my pocket a few times today, but I had it then, I've walked almost 7,000 steps today and a little over 3 1/2 miles. So I guess that's good. I've walked more, but I don't usually walk at that fast a pace. So I definitely got some exercise. I visited for awhile and then watched 'Lost Girl' with my other friend, and then the first friend and I went to the grocery store. Now I'm back home, and I want to work on the game notes, as we will probably not be gaming tomorrow (Brenda's son got married today down at Cumberland Falls, and I'm sure she'll be very tired), but on the off chance she does want to, I should have them finished, and if she doesn't, they'll be ready for next time and I won't have to worry about them any further. So that's the plan. I'm going to go work on them now.

Hmmm...we might have some cloud cover

CC Peter2006son

How To Watch Sunday's Rare Supermoon Eclipse, The Last For Almost 20 Years

Sunday's Rare Celestial Event: Will Forecast Hamper Your View of Supermoon, Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse? [includes a map of rain and clouds superimposed over the United States].

I do wish they'd just dispense with this supermoon business, as the perfectly decent scientific term is perigee. The sad thing is I had to link to the Supermoon article at Wikipedia, as Perigee redirects to Apogee, which is the term for the furthest the moon is in its orbit from planet Earth. Oh, well. Here's hoping we get to see it clearly tomorrow!

This is what's happening with my library branch

New library branch will be big, luxurious and best of all — it will have a drive-through

The first thing you need to know about the new Lexington library branch is that a luxurious look is in the building's DNA.

The 33,000 square foot as-yet-unnamed library branch, at the corner of Palumbo Drive and Man o' War Boulevard, formerly housed a luxury car dealership that sold Jaguars and Land Rovers. It is expected to open next spring, shortly after the Eagle Creek branch closes.

At the new library on Blake James Drive, the ceilings soar. The huge swaths of cherry-colored wood paneling exude a kind of Town & Country elegance. A fireplace with a huge horizontal stone panel forms the centerpiece of what will be one of the main ground-floor corridors.

On the floor nearby the current entrance is a customed-tiled compass— almost as if the building is calling out to the giant Foucault pendulum at the Central Library on Main Street.

I'll miss the little cozy branch that's a block from my house, but this won't be too much further, at least by car. And I do pick up a lot of holds, so the drive-through service sounds intriguing. We'll see.

'Heroes Reborn' was absolutely wonderful!

It was nice to see the intrigue is back, with all the small plots weaving together to form a larger one. I am definitely hooked! I loved 'Heroes', particularly the first part of the series, and it's nice to see some familiar faces as well as new ones. I have the series on DVD thanks to a deep sale at Half Price Books, so I should re-watch the episodes. My favourite was the one where we saw the camp where Angela Petrelli had been in when she was young. Like the 'X-Men' comics, series, and films, there are lots of references in 'Heroes' to the persecuted, and there were absolutely overt comparisons to gays, blacks, and Jews--among others--in both the original series and this one. The miniseries starts with a great festival symbolising peace between humans and 'Evos'--those with powers, with rainbow placards and people protesting with signs worthy of the Westboro Church. I am already into the characters and plots and subplots. YKWIA and our friend Tammy both watch it, too--in fact, I was watching over at YKWIA's, and Tammy called within a couple of minutes of the end to chat about the show. Anyway, I think we all three enjoyed it immensely.

Apparently, the whole laptop has not been scanned

by AVG in months, and a shell extension scan was last done in early June--before I renewed my protection and upgraded to the 2015 version of Internet Security, and before the Windows 10 upgrade. I may need to work on the settings there as well. In the meantime, I have a whole computer scan going, and it's at 59 percent. It's not terribly slow or anything, but I think I'm just going to let it run and do the other things I mentioned. And maybe I'll check the desktop, too, although that should be okay, as it's not turned off like the laptop is most of the time. Okay, time to put the candles and the aquarium lights out. Good night.

Today I:

1. Worked in scheduling, the library, and the revenue cycle aspects of my job.
2. Picked up a friend from an appointment after work.
3. Took another friend to an appointment.
4. Read three chapters of Hollow City while waiting at the appointment.
5. Got some gas.
6. Took my friend home.
7. Checked out Facebook and blogged.
8. Turned out all the lights except for the hallway and fish tanks, lit two lavender candles and some incense, and enjoyed the resulting scents and relaxing waterfall of the large tank.
9. Tried to get the wind-up clock that my dad brought from Japan on the way back from Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to stay going. I can't quite seem to get it level, even when using a level, and it will run for about 10 minutes and then stop. Yet again, this has happened, although I thought I'd actually gotten it for a few minutes.
10. Updated some things on the computer.
11. Set my Dropbox settings so it doesn't automatically connect. Often when I'm at my friends' house, I turn off the Wi-Fi because they don't have it there, and I don't want my battery on the laptop going down. But then Dropbox tries to connect when I turn the computer back on at home, and it takes what seems like forever (but seriously, at least a half an hour) to get the connexion menu to come up so I can even connect, and I think it's because Dropbox is stuck in a connexion loop, as the computer isn't connected, but it's trying to. When I changed the settings I suddenly had control over my computer again. It was a little sluggish, so something else is happening too. This doesn't happen on the desktop--Windows 10 actually sped it up, but it's connected at all times. The laptop is a different story entirely. I must figure out what settings or programs are interfering with things. I can right click to get the menu on the start button, but not left click it, for example, while it's bogged down doing something. And I checked, it wasn't automatically going into update mode or anything. Maybe it's the AVG anti-virus program, but it doesn't seem to be updating or scanning when this happens, although, of course, it's running in the background. Any ideas?
12. Was going to go ahead and work on the notes for awhile, but decided I've already spent too much time just fiddling with the computer, and my wrists are hurting already. I think I'll get the recording over to the laptop from the voice recorder, at least, but the rest of it will have to wait till Friday (as tomorrow I'm over at YKWIA's watching 'Heroes Reborn' with him, after a trip to the pharmacy for a medicine we couldn't get the other day because A was so busy he forgot to go to his appointment and get his prescription, which he got today instead. We just couldn't go to the pharmacy today because YKWIA had an appointment, and I couldn't do both and get it all accomplished by the time the pharmacy closed and still get him to his appointment. So, tomorrow it is.

I think I'm going to blow out the candles and head back to the bedroom, maybe listen to some music. I'm also going to run the dishwasher. I'd like to watch something on Netflix, but I don't think I'd make it a full hour if I tried, much less two. I'm going to try to go to work early tomorrow and make up a half-hour that I'm short on. Normally I'm in scheduling Monday through Wednesday, but our clinic numbers are high tomorrow so it's Tuesday through Thursday this week. I've spent all of today thinking it was Tuesday as a result. :)

On a similar note...

Viral Video Shows Horse Saying Goodbye to His Owner

One video of a horse owner saying goodbye to her pet has gone viral and is melting hearts.

Lisa Beech has been battling a form of cancer for most of her life, she has been an amazing fighter but Wednesday she was admitted into the hospital and may not make it out.

Her daughter Amanda and her friend helped Lisa's 22-year-old horse, Jake, get from Nicholasville to St. Joseph to see his friend.

Okay, it is really easy to make me cry

But this just sent me bawling:

Wow. No wonder this moving video is taking the world by storm. It's a tear jerker with an amazing message.

Posted by Star 104.5 on Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Well, just phooey

I laid down for awhile, and then YKWIA called me and we talked for a good hour-and-a-half or so on the phone, and then I got up and put up the new shower curtain liner (what can I say, I use a clear liner with an open weave black cloth curtain you can see through. Years ago, when we lived in the same house and there was a connecting door, YKWIA hid in my shower and scared the beejesus out of me when I got home. At the time, I had a lovely opaque aqarium curtain. No more of that, for years now--I like to see through). I also put the recyclables into bags for transport, and in the process of getting the bits out of the bottom, I knocked into the shelving the container was near, ever so gently, but a ceramic pentacle a gaming buddy gave me years ago toppled to the floor and shattered. Unlike the past, where I'd hoard the pieces thinking I'd somehow make it whole, I chucked it in to the garbage, salvaging only the plate holder, which may still be useful. I am sorry to see it go--it was a nice gesture on her part, and it looked nice in its space. But I'm practicing keeping emotionally detached from things, so I don't hoard them, so there we go. See, it's not that I'm really a materialist. I just form emotional attachments to things that I shouldn't. Oh, that teddy bear will never find a home. Oh, I remember this when I was a little girl. That sort of thing. So we're not going to do that this time. I appreciate that Dee gave it to me, and it was nice for the years I had it. I'm sorry it broke. But its time is at an end, unfortunately. But I do wish I weren't a klutz.

I did take the old liner and the recylables out, so that leaves doing something fun for about an hour until it's time to go to bed. I have some DVDs I've been meaning to watch, but they're a couple of hours long. So I think I'm going to read. I have a book out from the library on the 1854 London cholera epidemic that was the turning point in public health, when the source of the cholera was found. It's called The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson, or there's Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, the second novel of the series begun by Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I own, but it's currently being borrowed by a friend, so I downloaded it onto my Kindle from the library. I should go ahead and read it. I loved the first book, and there is apparently already a third one out, Library of Souls.

Today was my early day at work

and after that I went over to a my friends', drove over to the pharmacy, got a couple of medicines for them, and I also picked up mine. It took an hour and 50 minutes from the time I left work till the time I got back with the meds, and they were getting ready to go out to eat with family, so I came on home. I am now pretty tired--I've been up for twelve hours already and driving, especially in rush hour traffic, sucks the life out of me. Right now I'm eating bean burgers with Havarti cheese. After that my plans are to:

1. Take a 45 minute nap.
2. Hang a new shower liner in the bathroom.
3. Take the old, nasty liner out to the garbage (it really was beyond my cleaning ability).
4. Take out the recyclables (for they are many, and take up the whole container).
5. Watch something fun, either a DVD or Netflix.

That's it. But first, that nap. That'll take me to 7:30 pm or so, and so I should have time to do the rest. I'll probably write later.

One last thing

Science Says This Is the Sound Giraffes Make

And they only make it at night

It’s long been assumed that unlike other animals, giraffes are largely silent beasts. They don’t oink, moo or roar. But new research suggests perhaps giraffes do have a distinct sound: They hum.

The frequency may be very low on the audible spectrum as far as our ability to hear them, but the very idea of giraffes getting together and humming to each other at night makes me a bit happier.

Sad

Someone in my life and I aren't really close anymore. Once we were enmeshed, and it wasn't healthy. Now we see each other on some holidays and when either of us is having health issues. We talk occasionally on the phone. There are good reasons for the distance. But tonight, I received a phone call from her that really brought up a lot of emotions, mainly sadness and concern. They're pretty sure she has cancer, and she will be having a tumour removed next month from her liver; at that point, they'll know more about course of treatment. She already has several health issues, and this must be a blow to her emotionally as well. So tonight I'm feeling sad, concerned, and regretful that our relationship is such as it is, even though I know it's unrealistic to expect better. I love her, though. I don't want to lose her. I'm sad she's going to go through this.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. The evening took strange turns tonight. I was reminded that I was supposed to dose the dogs for fleas, so I after 'Big Bang Theory', which was great, especially one of Sheldon's mom's lines--'When your idiot brother redeems others, he can marry whomever he wants', I went over there and dosed the dogs, gave one her pill with peanut butter and bread and the rest peanut butter on bread without the pill, cleaned her up a bit, and we were watching the premiere of 'Minority Report' when my mom called. It looks to be a good show, we liked it, so it probably will be cancelled. YKWIA is a bit like Sheldon, not particularly comforting, so afterwards he got A up out of bed (he works very early in the morning) and had him hug me. That was sweet, on both parts. But now I'm home, and away from the distractions of TV, and it's starting to hit me, not just the sadness but the fear of losing her. She's really the only family I have left in Kentucky, and we've shared a lot of life together. But, it must be much worse for her right now. Anyway, I'm going to go on to bed. Tomorrow is an early day, and I'll be in registration part of the morning. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers, if you don't mind, and thanks for doing so. Good night.

I am a danger to myself (but not so much others)

After coming home today, the first thing I did was put away yesterday's laundry, along with the cart, and put the hamper back in the bathroom to be filled again. Then I rested for awhile (I didn't actually go to sleep, but I was sleepy, so I laid down). Then I got up, vacuumed the whole apartment, dusted, did the mirrors, cleaned the bathroom sink and toilet, etc. It was nice to have a clean house, so I thought I'd light some incense and a candle to make it smell nice, and I dropped the match onto the tablecloth next to the candle, causing a small hole to burn through. Sigh. I am such a klutz.

But I got it lit without burning the place down. 'The Big Bang Theory' is coming on in a few minutes, and I'm going to watch it. It's one show I don't need cable for. I'm going to finish by baked potato and cheese and then turn it on. I'll probably write later, but if not (I might do some reading), have a good night!

Mission accomplished!

The things in the bed are put away in their assigned places.  So all that's left is vacuuming and then detail stuff like mirrors,  dusting,  and baseboards. My sheets are changed,  and the old ones are in the laundry hamper,  along with my clothes to be laundered tomorrow,  including many random socks.  I've turned off the aquaria lights,  and I'm heading to bed.  Good night. Let's hope I sleep better than I have the last two nights.

'The Awesomes' are back!

A funny parody of superheroes, 'The Awesomes' is beginning its third season on Hulu, and we watched the first episode of the season today (I think there are three out already). It's so nice to have them back!

Today I:
1. Got the bedroom mostly picked up (I just have a few things to put away that are on the bed, and then I should vacuum the house).
2. Took a friend on an errand.
3. Took another friend on a grocery run.
4. Watched lots of various videos, including 'The Awesomes'.

So today involved a lot of visiting with friends, some fun shows, and some errands, plus getting my house in order. It was a pretty nice day, actually, and even the rain held off till this evening, and while we really do need it, I'm glad it's more likely to rain now that I'm home and inside. I am eating some dinner now, and then I'm going to turn my attention to the things on the bed, and get ready for bed, for while I could vacuum tonight, it'll probably be a little late to do it without disturbing my neighbours.

'Doctor Who' starts another season tonight, but I still need to catch up on last year's as YKWIA, who has cable TV (I don't), would not watch it with Peter Capaldi, because his low Scottish voice was difficult for him to understand. He's decided not to watch any of the episodes with this Doctor, and so I'll have to watch on my own. As I haven's seen much of the Eccleston and even Tennant ones, I should probably go back to the beginning of the new Doctor series, and watch on Netflix from there.

Okay, that bed isn't going to clear itself, and I'm finished eating veggie breakfast sandwiches and a bit of cheese. Good night!

I pretty much petered out after I wrote here last night

and went on to bed, but couldn't sleep for some reason, and I probably didn't actually fall asleep till about 2:30 am, and I got up at 5:30, and what rest I did get was broken by my waking up often. Despite that, I got through my day without being terribly tired. I went into work at 7, getting a couple of egg and cheese biscuits since our cafeteria doesn't serve breakfast until 7:30. I caught up on all my various duties, both the charge entry and library positions. I filled some interlibrary loans. I was going to fill the clinic cart as well, but really, it's pretty well stocked from last time, and probably needs about a half a shelf of new books. I try to keep it full, checking it every week or two.

After work I went over to my friends' house, where we ate and watched various YouTube videos and a few short episodes of something on Netflix. I also got the Cthulhu game notes finished today (yay!), so I won't be pressed to do so tomorrow.

Tomorrow the plan is to get up about 7:30 am and finish the bedroom and vacuum the house. That should make the house livable and presentable. By 11 am I'll be over at my friends' to do grocery shopping and also to take one on an errand or two.

I have a mushroom growing up in the pot that has the little oak tree in it. I should probably remove it, but I am fascinated by fungi, so I'll leave it for now.

I think I'm going to call it a night, even though it's a bit after 10 pm. I may listen to a little music before actually sleeping, but I really have done well today as far as staying awake (I've also taken all my meds as directed, and my blood sugar is doing better as a result, so I am not getting terribly sleepy in the afternoons after lunch like I was. But starting Monday I'm going to try to eat healthier--I've been eating too many snacks when I'm not particularly hungry, and unhealthy ones at that, along with desserts, and I just shouldn't do that. I'm going to start tracking my food again and see if I can lose some weight. I've lost some (I'm 15 lbs under my maximum weight right now, but I could stand to lose, oh, technically about 110 more, although I'd be happy if I could just get down to say, 225 even (I'm at 291 no, at 5'4"), and would like to go down some for health reasons more than anything else. I get the fat acceptance people, and yes, I do believe that you can be healthy and overweight (although obese is perhaps another matter), but I'm not healthy, and so I need to take steps, including diet and exercise, that will help my health. If I can make small changes in my lifestyle, and stick to them, then hopefully I will feel better.

I'm about three-quarters finished with the bedroom

And I am dripping with sweat.  Technically,  I don't think I'm in perimenopause yet,  but if not,  I'm close.  I'm sitting in front of the fan drinking ice water,  trying to cool off.

It actually isn't horrible in here.  There was a stack of clean clothes that are winter items I decided to keep during the purge,  and I'm going to put them in a small hamper and into the closet until they're needed,  which will be soon,  I'm sure. The granny and laundry carts are in the walk-in closet.  The purses are a problem.  They take up too much space when hanging,  and if they're in a hamper,  I have to dig for the one I want,  so I haven't solved that conundrum yet.

I've picked up some things that were scattered about,  and almost have the floor clear.  But I think I'm going to turn my attention to putting away the clothes on the bed,  stacks which have gotten taller as I've straightened up. So,  here we go...

Because of course if your name is Mohamed, you have to be a terrorist, right?

Clock-making teen transferring to another school, family says

In an interview late Wednesday with MSNBC's Chris Hayes [N.b., I've changed the link CNN had, as it was incorrect and pointed to a different video], Ahmed said he was pulled out of class at MacArthur High School by his principal and five police officers and taken to a room where he was questioned for about an hour and a half.

He said he asked the adults if he could call his parents.

"They told me 'No, you can't call your parents,'" Ahmed said. "'You're in the middle of an interrogation at the moment.' They asked me a couple of times, 'Is it a bomb?' and I answered a couple of times, 'It's a clock.'"

"I felt like I was a criminal," the teenager said. "I felt like I was a terrorist. I felt like all the names I was called."

Hayes asked what he meant.

In middle school, Ahmed said, he had been called "bombmaker" and a "terrorist."

"Just because of my race and my religion," he said, adding that when he walked into the room where he was questioned, an officer reclined in a chair and remarked, "That's who I thought it was."

"I took it to mean he was pointing at me for what I am, my race," the freshman explained.

I have no doubt that if a white student brought a clock in to show his (or her) teacher, this would not have happened. It's ridiculous.

Speaking of scientific studies

This is interesting, and merits further study:

Cattle virus linked to breast cancer: Evidence of exposure to bovine leukemia virus was found in breast cancer cells, however researchers said that does not prove it causes cancer.

Researchers were surprised to find in a new study that a significant number of breast cancer cells from more than 200 women had evidence of exposure to bovine leukemia virus, or BLV.

BLV infects dairy and beef cattle's blood cells and mammary tissues, and was for a long time thought not to be able to infect humans.

Nearly all bulk milk tanks at large factory farms are infected with BLV, but only about 5 percent of cows get sick if they have the virus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The same group of researchers at the University of California Berkeley involved in the new study also found last year that BLV could be transmitted to humans.

Why do doctors continue to believe studies funded by the very companies that produce the drugs?

And the article also has some interesting things to be said about examining the science and reproduciblity of results in general.

Paxil Isn’t Safe for Teens, According to Reanalysis of Old Study

he commonly prescribed antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine) is unsafe for teens, according to a new paper that reanalyzed data from a study published 14 years ago. The new paper, published Thursday in The BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal), contradicts the study’s original findings that the drug is “generally well tolerated and effective” for treating severe clinical depression in adolescents.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the maker of the drug, funded the original trial, Study 329, which compared the efficacy of paroxetine and imipramine, an antidepressant know to consumers as Tofranil, to a placebo. The study involved 275 adolescents, aged 12 to 18, with major depression. Each took one of the two drugs or a placebo for at least eight weeks. The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published the original study in 2001.

I've taken Paxil, but only as an adult. If I were a parent with a child who had a mood disorder, I'd be very careful about putting him or her on any of the drugs with black box warnings. But GSK's practices really bother me. When news first broke that another GSK drug, Avandia (for diabetes), had an increased risk of heart-related problems, which has led to it be withdrawn from the market in several countries, I was on the drug and asked my doctor to take me off of it and prescribe something else. He handed me an information sheet from the manufacturer, touting its benefits. I love my doctor, but that was just wrong. I insisted, and was taken off it. I mean really, I know they schmooze and fund research and sponsor meetings, but when did Big Pharma really get to the point where it controls the decisions of the people who care for us?

Good

Don't mess with nurses. Who do you thinks takes care of you when you're sick, injured, or old? It's thankless and backbreaking work, requires a caring personality, is well-known for burnout because it's a very difficult 'helping profession', requires a great deal of knowledge and skill, and they should be applauded, not mocked. As someone who has had at least three nurses in the family, I'm appalled.

‘The View’ loses two national advertisers after mocking nurses

Two major national advertisers pulled out of ABC’s “The View” Thursday amid fallout over a poorly received jibe about nurses on the daytime talk show earlier this week.

The announcement by Johnson & Johnson and Eggland’s Best stems from the on-camera mockery of Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson’s nursing-themed monologue and attire during Sunday’s Miss America pageant.

Johnson, who completed her nursing degree in April, had appeared on stage in a purple nurse’s scrub and stethoscope to deliver an emotional monologue about her chosen profession.

A long day

It's good that I started for work 45 minutes before I was supposed to be there, because there was a wreck on Richmond Road that shut down each outside lane coming to and going from downtown. I wound up, after spending 10-15 minutes in stopped traffic, cutting over to Mt Tabor from Patchen Dr, then going by Yellowstone Pkwy to Alumni, and then to Chinoe, Culpepper, and Fontaine. It took me over 30 minutes to get to work, but I was on time, even though I'd actually planned on going in a little early to make up some time from an appointment. But I stayed a little late, so I just have a half hour to make up, and hopefully I can do that tomorrow.

Today I unpacked thirteen boxes of children's books for the clinic's Reach Out and Read programme, and one box of medical texts for the library. I was terribly hot and sweat was just pouring off of me when I was done. After I'd put everything where it could be transported on a cart to the clinic and the others on my desk, and had consolidated the boxes to go to materials management for people looking for boxes for moving and the like, I splashed myself with cold water and then sat in front of the fan I have borrowed while I did some other work on the computer.

After lunch I did my charge entry and worked on referrals, and scanned the procedure sheets to a co-worker. I realised 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave that I forgot to do the surgery charge reconciliation; I'll do that in the morning along with the one I received right before leaving. I also have three interlibrary loans to work on tomorrow morning, and the clinic cart to fill with books, and I should start cataloguing the new books, too.

I am feeling a little queasy and had some gastrointestinal issues today. I don't know if it's because I ate something that wasn't peanut butter and bread or if I have a touch of something a friend was dealing with for the last couple of days. I'll see if it settles down, and if I have no further problems, I'll chalk it up to eating other food.

After work I had a much easier commute, although I almost got in the way of a fire truck. I heard the siren, and was looking in front of me and in the back, and it was coming from the side, from the fire house itself, I just didn't realise I was in front of the station in that moment. So I got out of the way and over, and then had to wait to get back into traffic, because of course, no one else pulled over. Then I went to the library and picked up an interlibrary loan I'd put in for YKWIA.

Since I've been home, I put my things down, then cleaned the bathroom and poured some Pine-Sol into the kitchen sinks and ran the garbage disposal, as it had soured a bit. I also put the air conditioning back on, as it was very stuffy in here when I got in. My plans for tonight include working on the bedroom, which is the only room in the house that is still messy, and working on the game notes, for real this time. The bedroom is somewhat of a priority because the night before last I had the windows up and while I was on the phone, I closed them. The living room ones went down fine, and I locked them. The bedroom one got a bit stuck, I closed it, and then when I went to lock it, the metal piece that slides in to lock it broke off, so if there was a fire or something, my window will not open. I didn't break the glass or anything, just the lock. So tonight or if need be this weekend, I need to work on the bedroom so they can come in. Right now, for example, I have a folding chair with things on it in front of the window, and some things strewn on the floor. That is not conducive to repairing the window. I also have laundry to put away, as I emptied the cart this morning of the load or so that I did on Sunday, and put it neatly on the bed, ready to be put away. I also need to switch purses. Tomorrow is jeans day, and while I could wear a purple shirt to go with my current purse, I'd really just rather wear a T-shirt and take my zippered tote bag, or even a backpack. I love the purse I'm carrying, but it is very large and cumbersome.

Have any of you had any experience with Android Pay yet? My bank is participating, and I find the concept interesting. In some ways, it sounds more secure than using a physical credit card, as no sensitive information is stored. On the other hand, it sounds to me like it would be easy to accidentally pay for something. The idea is you unlock your phone, and without having to go into the application for Android Pay, you touch the NFC payment sensor with your phone, and it automatically charges your credit or debit card without actually providing the details to the merchant, so if the merchant is hacked, your information is not in their system. I did change the settings of my phone to immediately lock when the screen goes dark, and for the screen to go dark within 15 seconds, which will also save a bit on battery. Android Pay does require that you lock your phone in a manner other than the basic slide, which I already did, but considering there is news of a hack where a very long password can disrupt a PIN or other locking method, that's a little troubling. But they have to physically have your phone. No one else uses mine, and if it were stolen, I could turn off my card for use with Android Pay through my bank, while still using the physical card, so that's better. But while I have everything set up, I haven't physically tried to use it, so I'll let you know if I have the opportunity to.

The symbol that's used to show compatible sensors [payWave, to the left] is on Chicago's mass transit system (their Ventra card is tapped to the sensor, for example, and can be used with a credit card attached to the account, or you can use a credit card that already has that symbol on it). I used to have one, but my latest one doesn't have that symbol. But I wonder if Android Pay would work with that? It could be handy. Ah, but I already have a Ventra card, so I'll just use that when I go to Chicago in November.

Okay, I also need to check my finances and see if I can do a run to the grocery, as all I have in the house are crackers, peanut butter, a little bread, and some canned mixed vegetables. I ate dinner after work in the cafeteria, as they had little square pieces of veggie pizza, and I've been craving pizza, but didn't really have the money to order one, and I shouldn't eat that much due to my blood sugar. So this was a happy coincidence. Anyway, I'm going to go now and work on some things, after my stomach settles a bit.

I am really tired of peanut butter and jam

And I really want pizza, but can't afford it, so I scarfed down two bananas a friend gave me because they were past the time he'd eat them, and I've made the rest of the mini farfalle with some jar sauce. Now I'm really burning up. I'll have to go over to the fan soon. I was trying to hang a picture above the TV, but that isn't working so well. It's a three-picture set, one large, two small, antique maps of the world. I can't seem to get it lined up just right. I may have to break out the level and stud finder, although I think the two hangers on the larger picture are too close together to both go in a stud, as they're 13 inches apart. We'll see.

After work (which went pretty well today, my last day in scheduling for the week, and I got the rest of my shipment of children's books while I was over there), I went over to a friend's house to help him out with a few things. Then I came home and discovered I'd lost power sometime today, and the filter on the fish tank was trying valiantly to get water up into it without success, so I took care of that, put some more water in the tank, cleaned the algae off the glass, pulled out a lot of Java moss and put it out on the geraniums as fertilizer, and generally cleaned up the tank, and I can actually see the fish now. I'm afraid I was being a bad fish mom.

I'm pretty tired, and hot. I'm going to go get in front of the fan now that I've eaten, and try not to fall asleep. I've toted the fan out here two evenings in a row, and toted it back. I don't feel like doing that tonight, really, nor do I feel like taking the laptop with me to bed, as it tends to hurt my back after awhile to type in bed. It's much better here on the dining table. Anyway, I may write some more in a little while, but just in case, good night.

Not sure where this came from originally, but I love it

I've got the windows up

and am in the dining area at the laptop with the fan on breeze setting. I've washed the handwash dishes and am running a load through the dish washer right now. I just filled the ice cube trays with water and took some bread out of the freezer so I'll have peanut butter and spreadable fruit tomorrow for lunch.

Tonight I plan on working on the game notes for Sunday and starting a book for a review that is due at the end of the month. I also want to tweak my online résumé and curriculum vitae, as I made a date mistake the other day when I did that in terms of when the Kentucky Medical Library Association was created from the two previous consortia that were in the state. I'd used the date of the by-laws, but going back in my e-mail at work I realised the group began meeting three years before the by-laws were actually ratified. Anyway, that's a quick change, and then to put them in .pdf format and put them back up on Google Sites will take almost no time. It will mean going over to the other computer, as it has the original files. I should update those on Dropbox so I have access to them anywhere. I think I'll do that first, then some reading. It's a fairly short book, so it shouldn't take long to go through. Then I can work on the notes.

Today went much like yesterday. I took a printout of my OR reconciliation sheets, along with my charge sheets and referral worksheets, over with me to scheduling, and worked on them in between phone calls, and that worked really well, despite it being our busiest clinic day of the week and all. I got caught up on yesterday's charge sheets this morning as a result, checked over the reconciliation, worked on preparations for referrals (although I didn't make the calls--last time I worked on one of them I was on hold for 20 minutes after being transferred twice, only to have it hang up on me, and I didn't want to repeat the experience with people trying to get through on the line). This afternoon I worked on library things and also on an error report, which involved tracking down my mistakes, crediting extra charges, and putting charges onto other encounters they should have been on. I don't normally make three mistakes in a month, so it was a little disconcerting. It was mostly things like putting charges onto similar names or going back into an encounter without realising I'd already put the charge in. I'm going to have to be more vigilant and go back to verifying my work more closely. I also realised after listening to the person in checkout that the three people I checked out yesterday, while they did get their school excuses, were never given a printout of their next visit time and details. That was a minor oops on my part. But considering I went back after eight months and pretty much just went straight into things, just asking when I couldn't remember something, I think I did alright.

I'm feeling a bit restless for some reason, although part of me wants to go on to sleep. It's a weird feeling. I keep fussing with things, straightening them up, which isn't a bad thing, mind you, I need to do more of that. It's just a little odd, this feeling.

I think I'll go in early again tomorrow. It's working out so I have some time before going over to scheduling. I got some books in from a regular order and also some children's book for the early literacy project, so I need to put those away. That will give me the opportunity to. Thursday and Friday I should just be in the library, and it'll be a slower clinic, so I can fill up the cart of children's books, at least by Friday afternoon, after clinic.

Okay, I'm going to go now. Have a good night if I don't write anymore this evening.

I've been having some quiet time

checking the news, Facebook, and e-mail, as I didn't really do that over the weekend, which was spent with friends, as usual. L'Shanah Tovah to my readers who are Jewish. May this coming year bring blessings. I was a little late with the well wishes, but the holiday is still technically going on.

Today wasn't quite as hectic as I thought it might be, considering it was a Monday with many people coming in for clinic. There weren't a lot of reschedules or phone calls, so I could keep up while figuring out how to do things after not doing them for eight months. The very first reschedule I made an error, and I don't know who it was (it was a phone call, not a voicemail, so I didn't write anything down), but my boss thinks she can run a report that will catch the problem in time. Everything after that went pretty smoothly, though.

I'd gone in early to do some work in the library before going over to scheduling, worked there from 9 am to 12:15 pm, and then had lunch with the group of co-workers I usually eat with. Then I went back to my desk and furiously put in outpatient charges, trying to get caught up before leaving for an appointment at 2:30 pm. I got a lot accomplished, and I didn't have any surgery charge reconciliation to do and had worked on the referrals earlier, so I'm happy with what I accomplished, but there's still more to do. After work there was the appointment, and then I spent time with YKWIA and watched an episode of 'Danny Phantom' and one of 'Lost Girl' with him. Tomorrow is my normal early day, so the idea is to get all caught up if at all possible. Then I'm going after work to a stationary shop with a friend who wants to write thank you letters to some folks. (He's the traditional sort of person, no computers, no note cards, real letters).

I should work on the game notes tonight, and I did transfer the recording over to the computer, but I'm kind of liking the quiet. I'd brought the fan out to the dining room, after cleaning off the table and putting things away, and so the only sounds in the room are the fan and the gently falling of water in the aquarium. It's so peaceful. Originally when I sat down, I'd considered listening to some music. But this is more restful.

I think I need to get away from the computer for awhile, though. My hands and wrists are hurting. The bracing at night and during the workday is helping overall, though. But I think I will take some ibuprofen tonight before bed. Maybe if we can find the stationary fairly quickly, I can come home tomorrow and work on them then. Good night.

Tomorrow

I'm going to try to go into work earlier than normal so I can get caught up on some things from last week before going over to scheduling and helping them out. Then I'll work there for three hours, and then take a lunch, followed by about a couple of hours of Monday's tasks before going to an appointment. I think I can do everything I need to.

Today was the game, and I really have to find a solution to doing the game notes so late in the evening/morning before the game. I'm thinking Monday or Tuesday might work. We'll see how things go tomorrow.

On that note, I should go ahead and update the computer and then head on to bed. Sorry for the short post, but I don't normally post on Sunday nights since I'm usually away all day for the game and am pretty tired. Anyway, good night!

And then there was this, which YKWIA found yesterday

Look what's cropped up in Morehead (Rowan County, Kentucky)

Love this one too...

Not quite sure what happened

with the bread I was baking, an oatmeal loaf. I measured out all the ingredients correctly. I think maybe I thought it went from small to large on the settings, but it was still on small, but I'd put in enough for a large loaf. (I was at a bad angle for seeing the screen.) It's very dense and about half the normal size. Mmmmm...it's still good as far as taste, at least. :) I may try again once everything cools down. Meanwhile, I'm on the last song of the playlist, 'Your Bones' by Of Monsters and Men. I love that one.

Despite being a liberal, I don't usually read The Huffington Post

but this was priceless:

California Gov. Jerry Brown Sends Ben Carson The Climate Evidence He Couldn't Find: "Climate change is much bigger than partisan politics."

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) mailed Carson a copy of the synthesis report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with a letter asking Carson to utilize his "considerable intelligence" to review the material. The IPCC is the scientific body created by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization to provide regular assessments of the state of climate science for policymakers.

Brown's letter came after Carson asked to see the science demonstrating climate change was caused by human activity during a visit to California earlier this week.

"I know there a lot of people who say 'overwhelming science,' but then when you ask them to show the overwhelming science, they never can show it," Carson told The San Francisco Chronicle. "There is no overwhelming science that the things that are going on are man-caused and not naturally caused."

"Gimme a break," Carson added.

In remembrance

My life is about to become quite a bit busier

Remember a few months ago when I filled in for our scheduling department while three people were out on maternity leave? Well, one of my co-workers is ill and will be out for awhile, so they need me to fill in again. I'll be working over there Monday through Wednesday, for three hours each day, at least while our clinic levels remain high. Here's hoping she's well soon, and can return, but in the meantime, I've got to try to remember all the stuff I learned last year! That means three jobs, three bosses again, too. :) Normally it's two jobs, two pay grades, two bosses. I work in the library 20 hours a week as a solo librarian, doing everything from dealing with budgets on down to processing and shelving. My job title for the other position, also 20 hours per week, is 'data entry clerk', but what I really do during that time is:

• Enter outpatient facility and procedure charges.
• Reconcile OR charges.
• Spend time on the phone with insurance companies trying to determine if a referral is needed and if so, what kind, often for long periods of time.
• Track down primary care providers and obtain referrals.
• Handle weekly error reports.
• Do a monthly audit from the electronic medical record and patient registration computer modules.

Now I'll be answering the phones and rescheduling patients' appointments, along with scheduling motion laboratory visits, covering checkout, and whatever else they need. Yes, I'm trying to prove that I'm indispensable.

PS I'm down to 'The Village Green Preservation Society' by Kate Rusby (the theme to the British show 'Jam & Jerusalem'), a cover of the song by The Kinks.

I feel like

I've been driving all day. First there was the podiatry appointment. Then after a couple of hours at home, I drove to the Lawrenceburg-Harrodsburg exit of the Bluegrass Parkway to collect an friend and her friend, and drove them to Lexington. We stopped by Kroger, where one of them bought a cake, took it over to my apartment, then we went downtown to witness an important thing, thing, a wonderful thing, meeting up with five other people. Then we went and picked the cake up from my house and went to Masala and enjoyed a wonderful meal [although I was very messy and got lots of stuff on my blouse; I hope it will come out]. They even kept the cake in the refrigerator during the meal and then brought plates, a knife, and utensils out for us to celebrate with. Then I stopped and got some gas, thanks to one of the people I drove who gave me gas money, and I drove them back to that exit, where they'd left their car. Then I came back to Lexington, getting home right about 9 pm. My friend called to check on me and we talked for a bit. Then I printed out some pictures I took on photo paper. Oh, I'm tired, but it was a lovely day and very much worth it to see this happen. Not bad for someone with a driving phobia.

Sorry to write so obliquely. I try not to post things that are personal in other people's lives without their permission. If I get it, I'll elaborate. But for now, let's just say I'm happy, and it was a good day. But I'm really beat, so I'm going to go ahead, take my contacts out, get into some comfy clothes, get some ice water, and retire to the bedroom. Good night.

There was a horrible accident the other day

in which four people lost their lives, and one is still in the hospital in serious condition. The woman in the hospital is Rachel Osland. In the accident she lost her fiancé and her two children, a little girl who was 5, and a boy who was 10. Rachel's employer has set up ways to help with the expenses. If you can help, please see below:

Help Rachel | Tolly Ho Restaurant

Second Child Dies In Nicholasville Crash

The Fayette County Coroner's Office said ten-year-old Michael Osland died Tuesday from multiple blunt force trauma. Michael's five-year-old sister, Lauren Osland passed away Sunday night at UK Hospital.

The siblings were riding in a pick-up truck with their mother, Rachel Osland and her fiance, Rusty Johnson on Sunday afternoon. Nicholasville Police said it appeared an SUV crossed the center line and collided head-on with the pick-up that Johnson was driving. Johnson was killed, along with the driver of the SUV, identified as Robbie Chaffins, 51, of Clay City.

I had an x-ray at the podiatry appointment

and apparently there is a reason for the occasional pain I'm having in the ankle that was operated on three years ago. A small piece of bone has come off near the screws, and the screws themselves may be irritating the area. So, we wait and see if the pain gets more than occasional or worse, because if it does, then they can go in and remove the screws and possibly do a bone graft to help the situation. But right now it's really minor and happens only sometimes, so I'll wait.

I also ordered some shoes. About the only perk of being diabetic is that my insurance will pay for a pair of shoes once per year. This year I'm trying to get some dressier shoes that I can wear with a skirt (still closed toe, for the winter), and I just hope they're wide enough. That's always an issue with my feet, and the swelling doesn't help. I did get the extra wide, but depending on in the shoes run narrow, that may still not be enough. We'll see.

I need to work on the bedroom and vacuum the carpets, along with taking out the trash. But first I'm going to take a short break (maybe 20 minutes), as my stomach's a bit woozy. I haven't eaten yet today, but I took my medicine, so that's probably why. But after it settles down I'll make some pasta (which is basically the only thing in the house, except for some crackers and I think a can of soup) to settle my stomach. Hope your day is going well.

Still up, heading to bed

It's after 1 am. I've been on Facebook and listening to music (I'm up to 'The Logical Song' by Supertramp). I took a picture and changed my Facebook and Blogger profile pictures. I so need a haircut! Good night, for real this time. :)

I have an early appointment tomorrow

for my annual checkup with the podiatrist who did my ankle surgery a few years ago--he now follows me for my diabetes in terms of any foot issues. I just got home, and I paid my cell phone bill after getting into some comfy clothes. I'm off work tomorrow because I have the appointment, some cleaning to do, primarily in the bedroom, and then I'm meeting a friend who lives in Harrodsburg at the 127 junction with the Bluegrass Parkway and bringing her and one of her friends up to something we're doing tomorrow afternoon with friends. Then later we're going to go to Masala and eat. :) I've been saving what I can to make sure I can get some vegetable korma and some Peshawari naan. Yum.

I've been feeling a little oversensitive and stressed today, probably because it's my time of the month. I had a full schedule with work and then two appointments that were right after one another. I was late for mine, despite leaving at a reasonable time from work, hitting every red light I could. Then I waited about 10 minutes in line to be checked in. I was lucky to catch the doctor just before he left. Then I had to get across town to YKWIA's house, pick him up, and take him downtown for his appointment, which we managed to do, only being about 5 minutes late. I think I spent most of the time he was in there just calming down. Later, at his house, I helped A with something, and then fixed YKWIA some food and watched an episode of 'Lost Girl' with him. He sent me to the store for a few things, and then I came home. So it's been a productive, if stressful, day.

I really should make some bread tonight, but I think I'll wait on that. Tomorrow for lunch I can make pasta or macaroni and cheese, and then there's Indian food tomorrow night. So I'm set tomorrow. It's after that I'm worried about. The coming week before payday is going to be very difficult, but I'll make it. I sent in the income-based repayment plan application to my student loan servicer today, and that should help things. I'm hoping once my payments resume that I'll wind up with a payment date in the latter part of the month. Part of the problem I've been having is too much has been due at the same time as my rent, and I simply haven't had the money to spend. The IBR should bring my payment down from more than I make a month to something doable. I'm glad I was able to get some help from them; I really thought I was going to go into default.

Okay, I should go on to bed since tomorrow comes early.

PS I've been listening to that playlist some more at home and at work. I'm up to the S's, with 'Something to Sing About' by the cast of 'Buffy: the Vampire Slayer' from their musical episode, Once More, with Feeling, followed by 'Somewhere They Can't Find Me' by Simon & Garfunkel. :)

One last thing...

Well, I made it to 'Lego House' by Ed Sheeran

before deciding to call it quits. I've put away the clothes, cleaned out the tub, cleaned the sink in the bathroom (the toilet is okay), and so everything is pretty much done in the main rooms, leaving only the bedroom. I am eating some cherry tomatoes that have miraculously not gone bad (I have some pasta, but didn't want to eat anything heavy this late). I also downloaded SoundCloud so I could listen to Charlie Puth's piano/no rap version of 'See You Again' (I love the lyrics that didn't make it into the main version, and his voice is very sweet, which is good for this song). I haven't been able to find any way to actually download that version, as it's being played on the radio, but isn't officially released by a record company, so this was the next best thing. I also like his song with Meghan Trainor, 'Let's Marvin Gaye and Get it On'.

I'm not exactly sleepy, but I'm not ready to start excavating the bedroom this late in the game, so it will have to be done another day. Tomorrow is an early day for me, as it's the day I get my allergy shots, so I go into work an hour earlier than normal. I have a dental cleaning tomorrow afternoon, and just realised that may be an issue, as a friend needs meds from the pharmacy tomorrow. I might be able to get them if I bump the allergy shots to Wednesday, their late day, and go get the meds and then go to the dentist before delivering them. Actually, there are two appointments after work on Wednesday, one of mine followed by a friend's, so I can't get the allergy shots then. :( Thursday is going to be a special day I won't go into at the moment, and I'm off work, because it starts out with a doctor's appointment and then various things to follow, but I am not taking even the very small chance of having a reaction to the shots on that day, Epi-Pen or not. Friday, I think, is just a normal Friday, so I can get my shots then, and have one round this week instead of two.

So that's the week ahead. It'll also be a tight week. I paid my rent (on time!) but still have a couple of major bills, and I'm trying to save money for eating out on Thursday night with friends at Masala. I've got about $30 saved, there's gas in the car, but otherwise, I don't have anything that isn't already allocated. The latter part of the month should be a little better, so I'll hopefully be able to pay a couple of bills I couldn't at the beginning of the month then. I wish I could get my hair cut between now and Thursday, but that's a no go. Oh, well. I will eventually. :)

I think I'm going to go back in the bedroom and see if I can go to sleep. I won't listen to more music right now, anyway, it's been a day full of it. I might read a bit before I go to sleep, if I don't fall asleep quickly. Good night.

While I've been working on the house

I've been listening to a playlist which has 265 songs and goes on for 18 hours. They're mostly in alphabetical order. I'm down to 'I am an Illusion' by Rob Thomas. :) I have worked on the living room, kitchen, and dining room. I still have to put away all the laundry I folded, which is sitting on the bed, vacuum the carpet, and finish with a few jars that have the labels soaking off them and run the dishwasher. I also want to do a quick once-over of the bathroom tonight. That'll just leave the bedroom. Yay. But right now I'm drinking water, and I'm going to go sit in front of the fan for a bit. I mopped the kitchen floor earlier, and now the whole place smells like lavender Pine Sol.

Okay, we're up to James Blunt's 'I Can't Hear the Music' and OneRepublic's 'I Lived'. I think I'll go rest in the bedroom for a little while, and then put the laundry away, with the fan going.

I've been revising

my résumé and my curriculum vitae, and changing the ones online (essentially the same, without my address and phone numbers) to reflect the edits. If you're used to reviewing these sorts of things, I'd love to have some input on the format and content. Thanks!

I laughed so hard at this I had to calm down because I couldn't hit the 'share' button on Facebook

But it was too good not to put here, too. Sometimes life seems like this, you know? Okay, back to working on the house. I had to take a short break; I've been working steadily and got overheated.

Life, explained.

This is some kind of metaphor, I'm sure of it.

Posted by George Takei on Monday, September 7, 2015

Publish or perish at your peril

Academics are being hoodwinked into writing books nobody can buy

A few months ago, an editor from an academic publisher got in touch to ask if I was interested in writing a book for them.

I’ve ignored these requests in the past. I know of too many colleagues who have responded to such invitations, only to see their books disappear on to a university library shelf in a distant corner of the world.

If someone tried to buy said book – I mean, like a real human being – they would have to pay the equivalent of a return ticket to a sunny destination or a month’s child benefit. These books start at around £60, but they can cost double that, or even more.

This time, however, I decided to play along.

He or she makes some excellent points about how tax dollars are being used for research that is being output in short runs of books no one but universities can buy. The publish or perish model of things really needs to be rethought (especially because while research is important, so are competent academic teachers). And don't even get me started on predatory publishers taking advantage of the publish or perish model in the open access world, either. Thanks to Vanessa Irvin for the link.

Okay

So I've slept in, I've finished my book, I've had breakfast (peanut butter and spreadable fruit sandwich) and lunch (scrambled egg sandwich), and I've had some caffeine. So it's been a slow day. But there's some things here I should be working on, mainly housework, and it's almost 2:30 pm, so I'd better start. I think I'm going to put the radio on and start working. Hope you're having a nice holiday, if you're here in the US. Today is the last day our pool is open, but I'm not sure I'll do that. At least I got to the pool once this year. :)

Finally!!!

We've all heard of writer's block. What about reader's block? I used to read voraciously, and even though I didn't have as much time, when I got my Kindle, I read a lot, devouring books, especially as I was still on the bus, so I could read there, at doctors' offices, etc., although I wasn't great at reading at home. Even when I got hit and broke my ankle, I spent that three months at home listening to music rather than reading. Then I got my car, and I was often on the go, and still not feeling like reading when I was at home. I still downloaded books (mostly free), and occasionally charged the Kindle or read short passages from it or out of print books from the library, but generally, no reading from cover to cover.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I got the print copy of Mindset from the library and started to read it, enjoyed it enough to download the Kindle book using a credit I'd gotten so I'd have it to refer back to when I wished, although that was mainly read away from home. I finished it, and then the other day, while I was at YKWIA's and he was asleep, I read, first some passages from Aristotle, and then a book I've been trying to read for something like four years now, the Charlaine Harris Harper Connelly series finale, Grave Secret. The others I'd read from the library during my earlier reading phase, and then, I got it from the library and just couldn't get into it, even though it was interesting. It wasn't the book, it was my reader's block--I also stalled on Jim Butcher's Small Favor, and I love the Dresden Files. So I eventually thought, well, maybe if they were on Kindle, and neither were available for download from the library, so I got both from Amazon. But, still, even though I was taking my Kindle with me everywhere I went, I'd rarely read.

And then, a couple of weeks ago, about the time I got the Mindset book from the library, I downloaded the audiobook version of Grave Secret from the library and listened to the first few chapters of it. And then I picked the Kindle back up, and started reading the story for myself, and I've steadily read a little, at home, and then the other day at my friend's house, and today I actually sat in bed with the study pillow behind me and finished the last quarter of the book. Yay!

So, not only have I finally finished a fiction book for the first time in, well, a long time, at least a year, I finished the book that I was blocked on, and I finally know what happened to Harper's sister Cameron. So, hopefully I will be able to read without that block in place more and more. It's sad when you're a librarian who loves to read, but simply doesn't ever feel like doing so. Now that's hopefully over.

This is the most brilliant (and funny) response to the Kim Davis issue that I have read

[and of course, you have to read it to the music]. It is by Jim Trumm, which he posted on Facebook. I don't have any rights to the song, although he said people could share it, so I'm doing so here, but giving him the proper attribution.

(The saga of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses because God told her not to, is worthy of an opera. Or at least an operetta. So with apologies to W.S. Gilbert, here is my stab at composing a patter song for her character.)

I am the very model of a modern fundamentalist
I’m not merely judgmental, I’m the absolute judgmentalest!
I always follow scripture and I act on God’s authority
But marital longevity was never my priority.

I married first one husband, then two others, then another one
Because I think one man is pretty much like any other one.
I’ve never been too troubled by the dubious legalities
Of sex outside of marriage or of other trivialities.

But when it comes to icky stuff like homosexuality
I’m always very strident with my Puritan morality.
In short in matters biblical and spiritual and Calvinist,
I am the very model of a modern fundamentalist!

In questions of behavior I fall back on my Old Testament
(Though saying no to shrimp is way too much of an impediment).
I pick and choose the verses that support my little weltanschauung
And pledge never to change my mind from now til götterdämmerung.

I’ll ride this hobby horse until I’m richer than a sybarite,
There’ll always be good money in denouncing godless sodomites.
I’ll put my name as author on some books that I can barely read
And get a show on cable to inform the world what God decreed.

My husbands all agree that I know more about what marriage is
Than five Supreme Court justices whose law my faith disparages.
In short in matters biblical and spiritual and Calvinist,
I am the very model of a modern fundamentalist!

In fact, when I see what is meant by constitutionality
When I can do my job with requisite impartiality,
When I can join in marriage two young men who might be thespians,
Or issue nuptial licenses to enterprising lesbians,

When I can see that love is love no matter what the sexes are
And understand that gays are just like me and my three exes are,
In short, when I have finally got a dose of moral clarity
I’ll find out what is meant by the idea of Christian charity.

Til then I’ll flout the law and draw my wages from the county tax
Which is what God would do if only He was up on all the facts
Til then in matters biblical and spiritual and Calvinist,
I am the very model of a modern fundamentalist!

Interesting

The decline of play in preschoolers — and the rise in sensory issues

Here is a new post from pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, author of a number of popular posts on this blog, including “Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today,” as well as “The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class” and “How schools ruined recess.” Hanscom is the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England.

Bring back free play in preschools and recess into elementary schools.

I have

Turned off the alarms on my phone for tomorrow; I have the day to myself and plan to sleep in. Beyond that,  I want to get the house straightened up,  as I may have people over Thursday.

Today we had the game.  I started the notes last night but got sleepy with an hour left in the recording,  and finished it this morning,  but it took two hours to finish because there was a lot of description towards the end that I couldn't skip.

My ankle has been giving me problems all day,  so A did a lot to help me with the housework. The game was interesting,  with a lot of investigation,  with murder,  witchcraft,  and heresy afoot. After the game,  I made YKWIA some food and watched an episode of 'Lost Girl'  with him.  Now I'm home,  after finding a parking spot finally,  the worst I've ever encountered in terms of finding a space since I moved here eleven years ago, and dragging in my laundry,  the laptop,  food,  and my tote bag that I'm using as a purse.

So now it's off to bed.  Good night!

When I got home this evening

the first thing I did was fire up the laptop for the purpose of working on the game notes, as Brenda can play tomorrow after all. I have eaten, caught up on the news, checked Facebook, and now realise that I am actively avoiding doing them. So it'll probably be my standard late night typing frenzy again this weekend.

I'd brought the computer with me to my friends' house today, but with taking A to get his haircut, visiting with YKWIA, going to the grocery store, going by Gumbo Ya Ya's, and watching an episode of 'Lost Girl' and some YouTube videos, I never even opened it. I didn't seriously think I would, but sometimes it happens. For example, yesterday I got over there, and YKWIA let me in, then went to sleep before I even put my stuff down, having gone back to the bed. So I read some Aristotle he'd suggested (on the four causes) and some of Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. A had been working late, so we woke YKWIA up when he got home. When I got home last night, I was pretty sleepy (yesterday was an early day at work), so I went on to bed myself.

I've been a little out of sorts all day. I love A, but he can chatter, and that annoyed me more than usual. The TV was way too loud for me. That sort of thing. I stopped at a stop light with A in the car and then started to go like it was a stop sign, with a car starting to go through the light from the other side. I stopped in time, but I was just not quite together today. Eating helped, but not entirely. I'm not sure what the deal is; I've felt like I was in a fog, and when we got home and went to eat, I checked my blood sugar and it was fine, so it wasn't that. I guess it was just an off day, and I think according to my calendar it's almost time for my menstrual cycle to start, so maybe that was part of it.

Okay, now I'm just delaying when I shouldn't. Those notes aren't going to transcribe themselves. :)

It appears that

the American Library Association's Facebook account has been hacked, someone made a horrible mistake, or they gave permission to a site to post they should not have, for there are several odd posts, including why straight men like boobies. Yes, really. I hope that gets taken care of soon.

Today I had the ergonomic assessment

One of the worst things about my desk/cubicle, is that it is set up to have a keyboard tray and mouse pad holder that utterly fails to work correctly when my body is interacting with it. It's too low, my chair could only go so low, I'd have to sit far back so as not to have my hands actually mousing and typing under the actual desk, and I had no arm support and was putting lots of effort into keeping my arms up, even though there were armrests on the chair, because they wouldn't work with the tray. I have short little arms, which meant almost everything was out of reach unless I put the tray in, which was difficult, as it tends to stick. So...

We moved the keyboard and mouse up on to the top of the desk and raised my chair, and the armrests. The chair itself, although pretty darn old (I'd say it's at least 15 years old--I've had it since before 2003 and it was our administrator's secretary's chair, who hasn't worked there in years, prior to being mine (it has her name on the bottom of it)), but it is still better than the newer ones we have in the library. Anyway, the occupational therapist went and got me some braces for my hands that work better than the gloves I was using, and then sewed extra length to the straps for me. We adjusted the monitor. I managed to bring my document holder to the correct height using a PDR, boxed book set, and an in/out box but still have it close enough to read and reach without strain. She is recommending an ergonomic keyboard such as the one I use at home, which will keep my hands and wrists supported and in a natural position, with my elbows firmly on the armrests. Right now I'm using a footrest I already had. My desk has been rearranged slightly so everything is in reach without straining. I'm closer to the screen, so I can read better. I have an old mousepad that's cover was frayed and rolling up back from the rest, which was exposed and and rubbed against my wrists, so I went by Office Depot today and got a mouse pad and support there (yes, I could have had them replace the other, but I don't mind, and this way I could choose something to brighten up the office. I'll just take it with me when I leave. It has a tree surrounded by lavender, and the beaded rest that I got is grey, but I put it in my laptop bag, replacing the purple one that is the same colour as the lavender on the mousepad that I'll move to the office.) She also gave me some exercises to help with my neck and shoulders, and encouraged me to continue the night splinting, but use the wrist braces during the part of the day (typically the afternoons, when I'm doing data entry) when I'm typing and clicking the most, so I don't over-brace and weaken the wrists and hands.

On that note, my wrists are really hurting. I think I'll break down and take some ibuprofen. Time to brace them and turn in for the night, now that my hiccups have finally stopped. :) Good night.

One iconic photo may turn the tide

on the world's apathy toward the crisis in Syria and the horrors and desperation there.

That Little Syrian Boy: Here's Who He Was

Parents, take heed

When should you talk to your kids about alcohol? Before they turn 10, doctors say

Adolescence is a time marked by testing limits and exploring the unexplored, the authors of Monday's study note.

"It is no coincidence that this is the chief period for initiating substance use," they said. "Alcohol is the substance most frequently used by children and adolescents in the United States, and its use in youth is associated with the leading causes of death and serious injury at this age (i.e., motor vehicle accidents, homicides, and suicides)."

Researchers found that 21 percent of young people have tried more than a sip of alcohol by age 13, and nearly 80 percent acknowledged drinking before graduating high school.

In addition, the study noted, 4 out of 5 teenagers said their parents had the biggest influence over when — and whether — they decided to drink. A 2013 study, for example, found that parental communication about alcohol before college helped prevent students who didn't drink from becoming heavy drinkers. It also greatly reduced drinking patterns among teenagers who already had begun drinking prior to college.