And now to set the mood...

Happy Halloween/Samhain!

I'm home a little later than I planned (I was hoping to start Library of Souls) because we watched The Abominable Doctor Phibes, a Vincent Price movie from 1971 that I saw in the late '70s in school. I've celebrated Halloween, but haven't really done so for Samhain yet. So I've lit incense and many candles and I'm listening to Loreena McKennitt. I have some wine for an offering that I'll give about midnight. All in all, even though this week was crazy and there was so much to do (and I'm still not caught up at work), it was a good week, with lots of Halloween fun, a friend's birthday, and now today having some rest and relaxation with friends. We are playing the game tomorrow, so that should be fun, too. The game notes were finished days ago, so I'm in good shape there. I can't believe it's almost November. The Chicago trip will be here before you know it.

Anyway, I hope you have a great holiday, and are having a completely decent weekend. It's a busy one here in Lexington--we had the Breeder's Cup at Keeneland yesterday and today, and American Pharaoh (see post for 2 November 2015 about the name American PHAROAH) completely nailed the Classic, which is to be his last start before retiring to stud. A and I watched it, and it was breathtaking. The horse at one point, once his lead was assured, seemed to be running just for the pure joy of doing so, rather than to win. I have some mixed feelings about horse racing, but it was still exhilarating to watch.

Not sure where this originated

but it is quite funny.



Okay, I'm going to bed now--morning comes early. I wish I had time to read Library of Souls, as YKWIA got enthralled and finished it the very same night he started reading it. I can't take that chance just now, but I definitely hope to do some reading this weekend. According to him, Ransom Riggs did an excellent job with bringing everything together with a multitude of revelations--I am so wanting to stay up and read now, but I've been up since 5:45 am and I have to get up about then tomorrow, as well. Tomorrow should be very, very busy, as I'll be playing catch up on several fronts, and then 'Grimm' premieres tomorrow night. But Saturday I have got to put aside some time to read Library of Souls. At least I'm good as far as game notes. We should be playing Call of Cthulhu Sunday. :) (And you know, it makes me happy that the Chrome browser spell check actually recognises and knows how to spell 'Cthulhu'.) :) Good night!

Voilà! The costume was a hit, both at work, and afterwards....

With the Soft Kitty plush right after the kids came by for candy. I should have gotten a picture next to my skeleton, which is behind me.

Close up at my desk.

I can't get enough of this

Treat bags are ready

I found all the things I need for the costume, including the tail, which had fallen off the dining table and was hiding. I also found two safety pins, so I have a spare. The treat bags and the Soft Kitty plush are packed and ready to go. Everything else is laid out. I've got the candles and incense going, and I am listening to a playlist (Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Relax' is currently playing), and I'm seriously considering going ahead and going to bed now. The only other things I really need to do for tomorrow is load the dishwasher, as the Terminix person is coming, and take out the trash, and that can be done tomorrow morning, if I can get up early enough. I should make my bed tomorrow, too. It's not exactly unmade; I'm sleeping on a blanket on top of the comforter, so I just have to put the pillows in place and fold up the blankets. Everything else looks pretty decent. I think I'll at least blow out the candles (I think the incense is finished already, although I'll check), and at least head into the bedroom, where there's a fan. It's a little over 71 degrees in here, without the heat on (today was fairly mild), but I am pretty hot. Okay, time to let John Legend's 'All of Me' finish and move back there. Good night.

One of the fun things about working in a children's hospital

is that we dress up for Halloween and the kids trick or treat around the various offices. Since Halloween is Saturday, we're doing it tomorrow. So I am going as 'Soft Kitty' from 'The Big Bang Theory'. In fact, it's sort of purple Soft Kitty--one because I love purple, and two, because my soft kitty shirt is heathered purple with the grey striped soft kitty logo and the song written out on it. So the costume consists of:

1. Soft Kitty T-shirt
2. Long purple shirt under the t-shirt, like Sheldon wears
3. Purple and black cat ears headband
4. Purple pants
5. Purple fake fur 'leg warmers' (elasticised at the knee, hanging down like bell bottoms)
6. Purple fake fur tail
7. Nose with cream blush, whiskers and kitty mouth drawn on with black body makeup
8. The official Soft Kitty plush, which YKWIA gave me a few years ago, that plays the song when you squeeze its paw

I do wish I had a pair of purple socks to wear with my Mary Janes. But alas, I (surprisingly) do not. I do have purple snow boots, but they are a bit uncomfortable for being in all day, and my purple sandals won't work, either. But I think I've done well on a limited budget--I had everything except the cat ear headband, which was less than $3, and the faux fur items, which were free at work. (I also picked up a 25 cm long moustache they were giving away in recreational therapy, because you never know when that might come in handy, but didn't manage to work that into this costume. Maybe next year.) Tonight I need to see if my sewing kit includes a safety pin for the tail to go onto the pants, which I have to get out of the closet, where it's still put away with the winter things. I also found some cute (free) treat bags and holders that look like a blue monster, so I got some candy and I'm going to fix them up for my lunch buddies and my friends, and I found some (free) Happy Pumpkin Day cards to give them. Can you tell I love Halloween? I'll try to make sure I have a picture to post after all is said and done. The funny thing is I'm taking a friend to the doctor tomorrow afternoon and probably won't have a chance to change. :) Fortunately you can usually get away with a costume near Halloween.

I think that it is time

To increase the number of wake-up alarms from two to five again.  With the dark mornings we've had lately,  I've really struggled with waking, and even more importantly,  getting up.  Today I slept through my normal alarm, which played every ten minutes for two-and-a-quarter hours before I woke up, as well as a one-time alarm.  On a normal day,  7:45 is about right,  but I meant to be at work by 7:30 this morning.

At least the daylight savings will end Sunday.  I'll have at least two or three weeks where the mornings will be lighter (albeit sacrificing the evening light) earlier before it's just dark both when I get up and when I get off work.

As on that note, it is time for bed.  I am going to try for earlier than a normal Wednesday,  so I should turn in.  Also,  it is hard to type on a phone, especially by swiping,  when you have hiccoughs, anyway.  :)

PS I finished Hollow City tonight,  and Library of Souls came via UPS today,  which was very timely. I'm going to let YKWIA read it first, though,  since he finished the second book before I did.

This is adorable...

Haaaa!!! When your Halloween costume is on point...

Posted by Tyrese Gibson on Friday, October 16, 2015

Wow

I knew about human chimeras, but, wow.

'Human chimera': Man fails paternity test because genes in his saliva are different to those in sperm: It is thought cells from a miscarried sibling were absorbed by the man while he was in the womb

A US man has failed a paternity test after doctors revealed his dead twin, whose DNA the man absorbed in the womb, is the genetic father of the child.

The 34-year-old man is the first ever reported case of a paternity test being fooled by a human chimera, someone with extra genes absorbed from a twin lost in early pregnancy.

Approximately one in eight single childbirths are thought to start as multiple pregnancies and occasionally cells from the miscarried siblings are sometimes absorbed in the womb by a surviving twin.

According to my mother, when she was pregnant with me, they didn't do ultrasounds, but there were two distinct foetal heartbeats heard, and she was supposed to be carrying twins. About four months into the pregnancy, my mother started bleeding badly, and after that there was only one foetal heartbeat, and she had to be on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy or possibly lose me, too. For reasons I won't go into, we never had confirmation that she had miscarried my twin, but it is common and it sounds very much like that is what happened. My friend says I 'ate my twin'. I've often wondered if there were any residual effects from that. Did I absorb cells from that twin? And if I did...and say, it was a boy, could that be why I've had odd hormonal issues most of my life? [High androgens, for one.]

So hoping she gets relief from her pain

Laser treatment could end pain for iconic ‘napalm girl’: 'Napalm girl' Kim Phuc has a chance to heal her burns with laser treatment, accompanied by the man who captured iconic Vietnam War photograph.

In the photograph that made Kim Phuc a living symbol of the Vietnam War, her burns aren't visible - only her agony as she runs wailing toward the camera, her arms flung away from her body, naked because she has ripped off her burning clothes.

More than 40 years later she can hide the scars beneath long sleeves, but a single tear down her otherwise radiant face betrays the pain she has endured since that errant napalm strike in 1972.

Reunited with photographer, Nick Ut - the man who made her suffering the indelible image of the Vietnam War and helped turn the tide of public opinion in the United States - she has traveled to America.

Now she has a new chance to heal - a prospect she once thought possible only in a life after death.

The girl in the picture (an interview with Kim Phuc)

Ewwww....

Have you seen this? The meat in 'vegetarian' hot dogs is troubling. The human DNA brings up echoes of Soylent Green (although I, of course, realise it's a sanitation issue, and it's not like people's fingers are mixed in, but still, yuck).

Clear Food: The Hot Dog Report

Of the 345 hot dogs and sausages Clear Food analyzed for this report, 14.4% were problematic in some way. Problems included substitutions and hygienic issues. Substitution occurs when ingredients are added that do not show up on the label. Hygienic issues occur when some sort of non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog, in most cases, human DNA. Here's what we found:

• Substitution: We encountered a surprising number of substitutions or unexpected ingredients. We found evidence of meats not found on labels, an absence of ingredients advertised on labels, and meat in some vegetarian products.
• Hygienic issues: Clear Food found human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in 2/3rds of the vegetarian samples.

We found evidence of chicken (in 10 samples), beef (in 4 samples), turkey (in 3 samples), and lamb (in 2 samples) in products that were not supposed to contain those ingredients.

I don't tend to eat vegetarian hot dogs, although of course I have, but a friend does. Smart Dog, the brand he usually gets, wasn't mentioned, so I don't know where it fell in the scoring. Morningstar Farm veggie dogs did score high on their scale. I'll ask and see if he wants to consider switching, perhaps.

Today we didn't play the game

Brenda was away on a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) trip. I did my laundry, helped my friend clean his house, visited with him quite a bit, and then watched the following with another friend:

• 'Lost Girl' ("Into the Dark"--the penultimate episode of season 2, which was excellent)
• Tucker and Dale vs. Evil--I wasn't sure about this one, but watched it on YKWIA's recommendation. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
• Clueless--yes, I had never seen it, and yes, I enjoyed it.

Now I'm home, and I think I'm going to take it easy before going to bed. I'm pretty much watched out as far as movies and television, and if I try to read at this point, I'll probably just fall asleep. Maybe I'll listen to some music. Good night--hope you had a great weekend. The upcoming week will be very busy--high clinic numbers during my scheduling days, two appointments to take a friend to, dressing up on Thursday for Halloween at work, and another friend's birthday to celebrate. So anyway, I'm glad I got a lot of rest this weekend--I'll need all the energy I can muster.

Tried a do-over

with the incense and candles and music, and mentally I am very relaxed, although I don't have the most comfortable of loveseats, and I totally forgot the thing reclined at first, so I was curled up in a strange position, and I'm hurting as a result. But it's all good--I feel much more at peace and together. Now I'm going to go read for a bit and then maybe come back out and watch something later. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Yay!

Happy New Year Sherlock Fans! New Episode Will Premiere Jan. 1 – on the Same Day in the U.S. and U.K.

"Abominable Bride" appears to be set in the Victorian era, the original time period for Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character. Beyond that, executives have been mum on plot details, but we do know it features a mustachioed John Watson (Martin Freeman), a severe-looking Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a lot of people running to or away from things under the cover of darkness and gloom.

I am being thwarted at every turn

This afternoon after I got my allergy shots, I called YKWIA to see if he needed anything, and made plans for a quiet evening at home, maybe watch the Mockingjay DVD I have or finish Hollow City (I have Library of Souls on order). I went home, lit some incense, ate some hummous and pita bread, and was starting to relax when A called wanting a ride during the height of rush hour. If I hadn't given him it, it would have taken him at least two hours to get home on the bus because of how they break for the evening. So...I put out the incense, put up my food, went and got him, took him home, picked up the bananas and bread I'd left last night, and came home. I didn't feel like just relaxing at that point. I felt tired from the traffic and the day and the week, so I went to bed. That was about 6:30 pm. I woke up briefly at 9:30, but went back to sleep. At 1:30 am I decided I'd slept awhile, and maybe I could make a second go at relaxation. So I lit the incense, lit several candles. I wanted to play some music, but my volume on my speaker that my phone plugs into plummeted inexplicably earlier, so I was just going to listen to a playlist on the computer. Of course, Microsoft Media Player totally went on the frizz, keeping control of the computer's audio while not being able to play songs. So I tried Groove Music, but it said Media Player still had control. So I restarted the computer and tried to build a list in Groove Music, while updating Java and my graphics driver. In the meantime there were glitches getting to the start menu and action centre. I finally got everything set an hour after coming out here. I'm finally listening to the music, and I'm not finding it particularly relaxing, because of everything that's been going wrong. It's more of a frustration. I was considering taking a bath, but really, the way my night is going, I'm liable to break something. I'm going to step away from the computer completely, listen to the music, and curl up on the couch. I will find a way to enjoy being at home if it kills me.

Trying out a new keyboard for my phone

Called Ginger Keyboard and it includes a spell checker,  so I'm curious as how it performs. It uses swiping just like the other keyboards I've used--I never did get the  hang of just typing with a finger,  and I find swiping much quicker.

I feel terribly bloated

I haven't taken my diuretic the last couple of days because I usually only need it in the summer,  although today it was nearly 80 degrees. But the pill can be hard on the kidneys and if I take it I also have to take potassium,  a giant pill.  So I thought today it would be nice to get away from them.  Needless to say,  I swelled up quite a bit. So tomorrow it's back on them,  at least until it cools down.

I got my itinerary for the trip to Chicago and back that I'm taking next month. I guess they didn't want to pay much this time,  so instead of direct flights I leave Lexington about 6 am, fly to Atlanta,  and then to Chicago O'Hare. I'll take the train,  and then we will meet for four hours that afternoon at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Medical District. I'm staying overnight in a nearby hotel. The next day I need to take the train to Midway Airport,  which I haven't done before. Then I'll fly to Detroit Metro Airport,  where I'll have an hour and a half layover,  before getting in to Lexington about 3 pm.  Mind you,  on a direct flight it would take about an hour to go up and about an hour and a half to come back. So it'll be an adventure,  and I'm going to mark Michigan off of my states to visit list. (I've visited over half,  I think,  or around half,  anyway.)

Okay,  I've worked in scheduling ,  completed a grant request,  did data entry,  ran over to a friend's house,  to the pharmacy,  to McDonald's,  to the grocery,  to my friend's,  where I fixed him food, watched 'Heroes Reborn',  pilled the dogs,  made tea,  left some bananas and sourdough bread (a pity)  when I came home,  and I have an early morning tomorrow.  So good night.  :)

Guess what tomorrow is?

It's sad

when you go over to a friend's house to watch a show (in this case, 'iZombie'), and are looking forward to it, but you get really sleepy and you both decide to just record it and watch it another day and you go home five minutes before it starts and he goes to cuddle with his spouse, and we just call it a night. Am I getting old? Maybe 15 hours of activity is my limit these days.

Listening to:

and



Good night. I hope you had a decent weekend. Here's hoping the coming week will be lovely.

Great spirit

Canceled California wedding leads to feast for homeless

After a California couple called off their wedding, the bride-to-be's family decided to turn the $35,000 extravagant event into a feast for the homeless.

A lot of brides and grooms, facing the expectations of their families and the associated price tags, would have gone ahead and made perhaps the Worst Mistake of Their Lives, rather than disappoint everyone. This couple chose to make the decision that was most likely right for them, and the bride's family found a way to do a wonderful thing in spite of the loss of money and relationship. Kudos to them for helping out others, and I hope the bride and her mom are happily enjoying Belize.

It's almost Halloween!

I went looking for a headband with cat ears (I'm going as a purple 'Soft Kitty' from 'The Big Bang Theory', with purple Soft Kitty t-shirt, purple pants, purple fur 'leg warmers', purple fur tail, and stuffed 'Soft Kitty' that sings the song, and I had everything else but just needed some ears. I can use makeup for the whiskers, etc.) I found those (they are black with purple sparkly insides), but also this. It's an electric skull-shaped wax warmer, for scented wax cubes. :) I've got a jasmine-patchouli blend in right now. That's one of those finds you'll never duplicate, so I went ahead and got it. :) It's got a small red light bulb in it, and it can be changed with any 25 watt bulb with a candelabra base. This one, of course, is red. Very menacing, and better than the tea light ones I've had before, because they don't have flames (although you do have to watch the hot wax). Apparently to get the wax out you just stick the top (once it's cooled) into the freezer for a bit and the wax pops right out. We'll see about that.

Well, the notes are finished

I had considered going for a walk, but the notes took longer than I anticipated, and I've run out of daylight, and it is no doubt colder now that the big ball of light in the sky has gone down. But I may still watch some 'Sherlock', but first I think I'm going to listen to some music and relax a bit, and then maybe take a nice bath with some incense and candles going. :)

You know those little creamers

made by Land o'Lakes called Mini Moos? These are real-life mini moos:



YKWIA called me and suggested a break from the notes to look at these adorable half-pint cattle. :) They can produce meat and milk without some of the drawbacks of full-sized cattle, and they make good companion animals as well.

So weird to be home in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday

But we didn't play the game because Brenda went to a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) event. I didn't get the notes finished like I planned last night, so I suppose it's good Brenda couldn't make it. Despite the chill outside, the sun is coming through the windows, and in the living room the geranium-containing window boxes are down on the sills in front of the other plants, their blooms bright in the sun. So, having helped my friend with the house cleaning (I touched mine up yesterday morning, doing both types of dishes, cleaning the bathroom, and making the bed), I have the rest of the afternoon and evening to myself. My plans:

1. Nap for about an hour.
2. Finish the notes.
3. Listen to some music.
4. Do a little Halloween, get well, birthday, and boss' day shopping (yes, Boss' Day was Friday, but two of the three bosses I have were out that day, but fortunately I was able to find cards this weekend, anyway).
5. Maybe watch some 'Sherlock', starting the third series.

Chilly

I brought my geraniums inside last night, which is very fortunate, because it's 35 degrees outside this morning. I don't have the heat on, and it's a little chilly in the house, compared to what it has been, but it's 70.7 degrees according to my thermometer, so there's no reason to put the heat on. It's just a little colder by the windows, and I slept in shorts and a tank top, and haven't changed yet.

I just had some blackberries and raspberries in yoghurt, and I'm plotting out my morning. I'm going to do some errands with A, but I have a few things to do around here, too, so my plan is to go over there about 11 am, and so I'll call him in a few minutes and make plans. But I'm still kind of waking up at the moment, so I'll check the news first and drink some caffeine. Hope you have a great day.

TGIF

It's been a busy week. Today I almost got caught up on everything I needed at work, and I did what I could, but a couple of things will have to wait until Monday, but neither was absolutely vital to complete today; I just wanted to. After work I went and got a couple of prescriptions for a friend, went by the grocery (and got 5 cent Kiwi fruit, in good shape, with my Kroger card!) I mostly got some dairy and fruit, as I haven't had much of that lately. It's mostly been peanut butter and bread. I grabbed some food that my friend paid for and brought it to them (I'd already eaten). I watched an episode of The Adventures of Merlin and then pilled the dog and came on home. I've been on Facebook looking for something to blog about, but no dice.

Tomorrow I'm taking a friend to the bank to convert change to bills, to the grocery store for a small grocery run, and maybe watching a DVD over at my house (he'd like to see The Hunger Games, he said). Sunday we will most likely not be playing, as Brenda has SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) events the next two weeks, so unless they don't go for some reason, she won't be playing. But I should do the game notes anyway, just in case.

Okay, I'm pooped. Like I said, it's been busy. Next week is looking better in terms of numbers. Thursday is more busy than normal, and Wednesday less so, and therefore I'm going to be in scheduling Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday instead of the normal Monday through Wednesday. But I think right now I'm going to go listen to some music and then head on to bed. Good night.

Back to normal--

or at least, back to normal for me. The medication kicked in and I got some rest. I had a little trouble getting up this morning, but I felt better than I have in days and got a lot accomplished. Today and tomorrow are my catch up day for the library and all those little tasks I have for the revenue cycle aspect of my job.

Earlier I took a friend to our family doctor and went to the allergist myself (which was, fortunately, across the street from his appointment). I got a good report from the allergist and was able to start my allergy shots back up, only having to take a few steps down to a lower phial. But I'll build my way back up fairly quickly, she said. I'm going to try to go tomorrow and get another shot, as there's no harm in doing them one day after the other, but I have to go to the pharmacy, too, so we'll see if I have time for both. I think I will, anyway. Afterwards we got some food at Taco Bell (a much better experience than last time), went over to his house, and we watched an episode of 'Scream Queens' on Hulu and ate. Later, we watched 'Heroes Reborn'. Then I came home right before the UK-Auburn football game let out, yay, and got home just in time to see the final score (a close game overall, but Auburn won). UK has not had a Thursday night game since 1939, and they had much to do to make it run smoothly as far as traffic is involved, especially after the Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert that left Tates Creek road a virtual parking lot for hours on end, just a bit ago.

Okay, I'm sleepy, and it's time for bed--my phone application has told me so. I'm going to sign off. Good night.

Feeling not quite real tonight

It's called depersonalisation, and it is something that you see in Bipolar II. I think I'm reacting to the stress of working three jobs at work, and also I realised that in addition to being off my ADD medicine for a few days while I found the prescription and the pharmacy ordered it, I also missed my Abilify, which is used to treat my bipolar disorder. Apparently when I filled my medicine reminder box last, I ran out of those, and forgot to replace them. I think I've missed 3-4 days. Not good. I still have had my other medicine, but still, the Abilify really helps keep me on an even keel, and I feel a bit depressed, and not quite with it. Moreover, I feel just disengaged from my surroundings, like I'm viewing myself from the outside. Inside I feel numb tonight. I went ahead and took my medicine a little while ago, and I'll be back on track tomorrow, so hopefully this feeling will go away. Tomorrow will be a busy day (catching up in the library, and I have several things to work on for the revenue cycle, plus taking a friend to the doctor and going to my own allergist across the street from one another in the late afternoon). But it shouldn't be as bad as the last three days have been in terms of patient volume, and I won't be in scheduling itself, although I have to followup on some scheduling issues. The last three days, when I've left work, my brain has felt nearly like mush, I've had headaches, and I just had so much trouble switching gears to my other tasks. That might be a lack of medicine, too, especially the Strattera, the ADD medication. But I think a lot of it is trying to figure out where I am and what I'm doing at any given moment: I have two desks, three long distance codes, three greetings for answering the phones, three bosses, etc., etc., and I do a pretty decent job of wearing all the hats and doing my job, but I'm feeling increasingly overwhelmed by it all, and I don't know how long this arrangement will be going on. Don't get me wrong--it's not terrible. The phones weren't even that busy today, given how busy we were in clinic, and most of my responsibility over there is rescheduling and scheduling appointments over the phone. But I can tell, after about a month, it's taking a toll. I'm terribly behind on my referrals and the library stuff this week. I don't feel like I'm keeping all the balls in the air as I juggle. Maybe I can catch up before the end of day Friday. But I feel a bit like a hamster in a wheel at the moment, and it's maybe more stress than I'm comfortable with. I'm not saying I can't handle it, I'm just not very comfortable with it.

Now that's one smart cookie...

Shared on Facebook by the Lexington Public Library, not sure of attribution

Want some good reading material for librarians?

55 Articles Every Librarian Should Read (Updated)

Feeling somewhat better tonight

But I had a busy day at work, and later the company of friends and television to distract me. We watched two episodes of 'Scream Queens' on Hulu, the new 'Big Bang Theory', and 'Minority Report'--and YKWIA showed me something he'd been working on for the game, as well. Now I'm home, and my phone has already told me it's time to go to sleep, as tomorrow is one of the early days for the workweek. So even though I didn't write much, I'm going to go ahead and turn in. Good night!

And on that note...

I am going to go do something pleasant and enjoy my own company. Good night. Thank you to YKWIA, who may often be blunt and sometimes seems downright mean, but is a good person who always tells the truth and who does, in fact, love me, and taught me what love meant, as I hadn't really experienced it until I met him.

I give up

It does no good to try to keep a relationship going if there is no love actually involved, or if it is one-sided at best. I have spent my entire life trying to make it different, to no avail. It won't happen, no matter how much I want it. So I'm going to let it all go and stop trying to make something out of nothing. I'm not going to waste any more time on this, no matter how it hurts.

Okay, yes, I

seriously considered colouring my hair today, but decided instead to consider the grey--which is actually a lovely silver--as 'highlights'. After all, I earned every one of them. :)

Came across this book trailer

From the same folks (Quirk Books) who brought us Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book trailer (and published the series):



Very Gorey-esque, no?

There is also a series called Tales from Lovecraft Middle School that I will tell YKWIA about. So far there are four books: Professor Gargoyle, The Slither Sisters, Teacher's Pest and Substitute Creature. Each cover is lenticular--the ordinary image morphs into the 'monster' image when moved, a process which is explained here. :)

So one of my several majors in school

was Classical Civilisation, and I am a Classics geek. [My BA degree is in history and sociology, with an honours programme, but I went back after graduating with my master's in library science and completed the classical civilisation major and a minor in Judaic studies. I was, sadly, only one class away from completing a linguistics major--phonological analysis was never taught at a time that fit into my schedule in all the years I was in school.] One good thing about my education is that I can read both Classical and Mediaeval Latin, between the Classics courses and the graduate work I did in history. I didn't get as far in Greek, though, dropping out about the time we got to the aorist tense, which Wikipedia defines as 'a term for a set of verb forms that usually express perfective aspect and refer to past events, similar to a preterite.' But, it continues, 'The word comes from Ancient Greek aóristos "indefinite", as the aorist was the unmarked (default) form of the verb, and thus did not have the implications of the imperfective aspect, which referred to an ongoing or repeated situation, or the perfect, which referred to a situation with a continuing relevance; instead it described an action "pure and simple".' If that makes your brain hurt, well, it did mine as a well. I would like to go back and study my Ancient Greek textbooks (I have both of the first two semesters' worth).

But even though my Greek isn't that great, I still love things to do with Classical Greece, and one mystery series I'm working my way through is Gary Corby's, which is set in the childhood of Socrates. In fact, the main protagonist is Socrates' brother. The first book of the series is The Pericles Commission. Then there's The Ionia Sanction, The Marathon Conspiracy, Sacred Games (I have all of those, though I'm still reading), and finally Death Ex Machina.

I also read Gary Corby's blog, A Dead Man Fell from the Sky..., the title of which is taken from the first line of his first book. I started reading it before he actually had any of his books published officially, and found it to be quite enjoyable. The latest entry is on Classical Greek music and I really enjoyed it. If you are interested in Greek, Classics, or music, You should check it out. And you might check your library for his books as well.

After sleeping till 11 am, I got up and ate, and then got cold (which almost never happens), so I crawled back in the bed and didn't come out till 2 pm. So I got a LOT of rest. A and I went on a two-hour journey through two grocery stores in order to get everything on the list, including the one nearest me, which is a huge Kroger that has clothes and housewares as well. But they didn't have the right creamer, so we stopped by Chinoe's Kroger for that. After that, YKWIA splurged slightly and we got dinner from Jin Jin, so I went and picked that up (I had my usual, Kung Pao Tofu). We ate, A watching a classic movie about the Roosevelts, and YKWIA and I watching an episode of 'Lost Girl' on Netflix. Then I left, because they wanted to watch the premiere of 'American Horror Story: Hotel' (I'm just not into that show--I watched 'Coven', but I haven't seen the others, and YKWIA thinks I'm just a wuss because it's too scary for me.) So I came home, and I watched the final episode of the second season of 'Sherlock'. I'd though I hadn't seen much of it, but I had. But I haven't watched the episodes from the third season yet, and so it set those up. Now I'm listening to the OneRepublic Pandora station, with candles and incense burning, and the windows open. It's a pleasant night, and there were no game notes to do because we haven't played in two weeks (due to a wedding and an illness), and I got the notes finished quite some time ago.

I think before I go to bed I'm going to do a little reading. I didn't the other day when I thought I would; I was just too tired. I'm more than halfway finished with my book (Hollow City, by Ransom Riggs, and I'd like to go ahead and finish it. There is a third book in the series out called Library of Souls. That's not one I own; I'll have to get it through the library. I really do like the series, and I am concerned about what Tim Burton is going to do with the film adaptation. There is an excellent book trailer for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on YouTube:



Hmmm...the other day I found two unused AA batteries; now my mouse is dying, so I changed them out. Serendipity, indeed. And yes, I turn my mouse off, usually, after each use. Which is why the batteries have lasted at least two years.

Okay, I think I'll go do that. I'm listening to 'I Lived' by OneRepublic right now. I love that song. But I'll do some reading and then turn in, as Sunday morning will come soon enough and I need to go over and help get the house ready for company and get it ready for the game. A wants to take a walk and plant tulips and a hyacinth, too, so we'll see if we can get it all worked into the normal busy Sunday schedule. :)

Wow--I slept till 11

But I feel much better. I also found something I was looking for, a paper prescription for a new medicine I've been taking as part of an introductory package and am now out of. So Monday I should be able to get it. It was in a basket of papers that are sort of an way to keep things off the table. But I also went through purses, wallets, and phone cases, and found five $1 bills in the search. Yay.

It is beautifully sunny outside after the rain of yesterday. My phone says it is 57 degrees, with a forecast for 60 today, so yes, we're definitely into autumn. But I'm ready for it, to be honest. Even yesterday, when I was wearing sandals, and the day before, when I was wearing capris, I was wondering just how long summer weather was going to last. I mean, it was 80-something the other day.

I am sitting here debating as to whether to colour my hair today. The stuff I got was something I bought months ago after reading a book about job hunting after age 40. But I haven't used it yet. I was looking at my grey, and there is ample evidence of it, but it is actually a pretty silver--it's the brown that has dulled over the years and doesn't have the highlights it once had. The stuff I have is the type where it washes out in 28 days, but if I put it on, I think it'll look flatter than what I have currently. Of course, I have so little hair, it may not matter, and it's got conditioners that would boost that. My hair is down to my shoulders, though not past, at the moment, but has been baby fine my entire life and pretty thin, too, and it's thinning more as I get older. It is a toasted almond, so a light brown close to my natural colour, a little more golden than the red I used to have.

I'm a month or so away from my trip to Chicago. Maybe I should wait until after then, just in case it comes out horribly. What would be nice is to get a haircut, but I can't do that till next week, money-wise, even though I normally just go to Supercuts.

Okay, time to get ready to do some things. and make the bed. Have a great Saturday.

One last post for a bit...

Listening to:

TGIF

I'm so glad it's Friday. I already have a request with friends to sleep in tomorrow barring any urgent matters coming up. Having three positions in the hospital right now is kicking my butt (I'm subbing for an ill co-worker, so I work as a librarian, a revenue cycle data entry clerk, and now I'm scheduling.) I've been doing it for about 3-4 weeks. Next week promises to be super-busy. It's nice to demonstrate that I can be flexible and darn near indispensable, of course. But I feel like I'm constantly juggling with several balls in the air at once.

This morning I was lying in bed after my alarm went off. Even though I'd slept from 11 pm to 7 am without waking up once, I felt drained. But not sick. And I so desperately wanted to call in, take a day to just rest. The clock was ticking away (Friday I'm supposed to be there at 7:30 am). And then I realised that if I did call in and take a mental health day (which isn't something I would normally even consider), I'd have to call three different bosses, and I decided it was just easier to get up, get a shower, and hope I felt less achy and tired by the time I got there. It took less time to do that than call in. I got to work and did feel better. But I definitely plan on trying to get some rest this weekend. I think I was picking up on the rain coming in and the change of temperature, and that's why I was aching all over (I don't normally dwell on it, but I do have fibromyalgia, and that can make you feel like you've been hit by a truck when the weather changes quickly.)

Anyway, I think I'm going to take a little ibuprofen, and then I'm going to try some reading. Good night.

Yes!

I'm not sure where this originated. I traced it as far back as Julia Quinn on Facebook. Still, it's great! I love the Oxford comma. (I'm also a two-spaces-after-a-period girl, though, too.)

Last night I didn't blog

I just came home and crashed, and I was asleep by 10:30 pm. The scheduling gig is taking a toll on me; it's a different kind of mental juggling than I'm used to, and while I am doing a great job, by the time I reach late afternoon I just want to go away from the hospital and do anything but work. It was so nice to just be in the library today, I have to admit. The clinic counts are out for next week, and an insane number of kids are coming in Monday through Wednesday, so I'm going to work an extra hour each of those days over in that department to help out. Heaven help me. I hope my co-worker who I'm subbing for is able to come back to work soon!

I did a little research today, and I decided I should approach my doctor about having a simple blood test that could indicate a condition called hereditary haemochromatosis type 1. It involves having too much iron in the body, and a close family member mentioned having too high of iron in her blood years ago. If it is that, not only is it genetic, but it can lead to the very issues she's dealing with now. It is particularly found in people of Celtic backgrounds, and also some English and Scandinavian heritages. The Celtic and English is my primary background on both sides. Since it's passed down through autosomal recessive inheritance, I'd have to get a copy from each parent to have it, but if I have just one, I would be a carrier--not of real concern because I don't plan to have children. The good thing is that it's easily treatable through phlebotomy, or giving blood regularly. I do have some of the related symptoms, including arthritis in the hands and knees, joint pain, fatigue, and insulin resistance/diabetes (the iron deposits in the joints, causing pain, and in the pancreas, contributing to diabetes). It wouldn't impact my life much more than avoiding multivitamins with iron, giving blood regularly, and a few dietary changes. But it would be good to know. It can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, as well as a type of liver cancer, and liver cancer, taken as a whole, has a 5-year-survival rate of only about 15%. So if it can be prevented with giving blood, then I'm all for it. Anyway, it can't hurt to ask about it.

It's only 10:30, but I think it's time to turn in, maybe listen to some music. I'd like to read (I renewed Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, and I'm over halfway through it), but I'm just a bit too tired, I think. Good night.

For someone

Who does not normally watch television,  I am fairly committed this season:

Monday: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Minority Report'
Tuesday: 'iZombie'
Thursday:' Heroes Reborn'
Friday: 'Grimm'  (starting October 30th)

It would be Wednesday,  too,  but I'm too wussy for 'American Horror Story'.  And of course,  'Doctor Who'  is an issue with YKWIA,  who can't understand Peter Capaldi. So Saturday is more for Netflix,  like 'Lost Girl'  and 'Haven'. (YKWIA also won't watch SyFy due to how they spell their logo,  so we catch those shows on Netflix rather than cable.)  ;)

Okay,  good night!

As a special bonus prize :)

[downloaded that one last week]

:)

Downloaded these using my library card this week via the Freegal Music application. You can download three songs for free a week and keep them.



[this album version does not have Futuristic's rap that is on the released for radio play version]



[a fun little song about being who you are and loving who you want]



[a classic--I'm working my way through the Original Cast recording]

There is something terribly wrong with the world

when something like this happens:

Boy, 11, charged with killing 8-year-old girl after argument about puppies

Each of the children had a puppy, the sheriff said. The 11-year-old “wanted to see the 8-year-old’s, and she said no, and then he went and retrieved a gun,” McCoig said.

The boy fired the 12-gauge shotgun from inside his house, striking the girl as she stood in her yard, the sheriff said. The gun, which was stored in a closet without locks, belongs to the boy’s father, McCoig said.

When first responders and police arrived at the scene Saturday night, they found the girl “lying on the ground with a gunshot to the chest,” McCoig said. She was taken to an area hospital, where she died from her wounds.

This is an excellent public service announcement against drunk driving

Budweiser is known for its Clydesdales. But it sure does a lot with dogs, too. :) This is memorable and moving, brings the point home, and made me (at least) cry and laugh within seconds of each other.

Just had a nice bubble bath

and managed to complete all the things I planned on doing tonight--reading, watching a DVD, listening to some music, adding water to the fish tanks, and watering the plants. I also gave myself a manicure and pedicure, and I'm going to put some lotion on, so it's sort of a spa night. Once my hair dries a bit, I think I'm going to go on to bed. I'm going to close the windows and head in there right after having some ice water, and listen to some soft music until I drift off. I hope you've had a nice weekend. Good night.

#IamStigmaFree

This is Mental Illness Awareness Week

One in five adults in the United States, approximately 43.7 million, experiences mental illness in a given year. One in 25 adults, about 13.6 million, will experience a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activity. Current research reveals that only 41 percent of adults in the nation with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Research also suggests that half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24, and despite effective treatment options available, there are generally long delays – sometimes decades – between the onset of symptoms and treatment.

According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year. The Department of Health and Human Services states mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the United States for both youths and adults ages 18 to 44. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, the third leading cause for people ages 10 to 24 and the second leading cause for people aged 15-24. Ninety percent of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition, and each day an estimated 18 to 22 veterans die by suicide.

For more information on mental illness, check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). It's a great organisation, and I can proudly say I am a member. I've both taken and taught an excellent, evidence-based class for family members and loved ones of those with mental illness, sponsored by NAMI, called Family-to-Family. I've also battled mental illness myself for most of my life, including bipolar disorder. I'm lucky--I've gotten the help I need medically, both in terms of medication and therapy, and I have very understanding loved ones. But many people do not even seek out help because of the stigma that still remains. Mental illness, which takes many forms, is a biological disorder of the brain chemistry. It should be seen as one might see diabetes or heart conditions--natural diseases that affect certain aspects of a person's life and can be life-threatening, but although incurable at present, they are also treatable. So stamp out the stigma. Talk to your loved ones, whether you're concerned they may be affected by mental illness, or if you, yourself are. Be stigma free. Reach out. Life can get better; find the support you need.

It is 3:30 on a particularly gorgeous autumn Sunday afternoon

and I am unexpectedly at home, as Brenda called earlier and couldn't play the game due to being sick. So I've opened the windows (even the bedroom one, which took a screwdriver, but that should be fixed this week, as I finally had them put in a work order when I paid my rent Friday). The sun (which we haven't seen in days) is streaming through to the plants, and there is a light breeze. I am eating some of the string cheese I brought for the game. So far today I have:

1. Done my laundry.
2. Worked my way through my Sunday cleaning list at my friends' house.
3. Gotten two back rubs from a friend who was thankful for my help with cleaning and knew my back was bothering me.
4. Listened to my friend's Ella Fitzgerald albums.
5. Checked dogs over for any issues after they got into it over food (which I missed, thankfully)--now they're being separated till they cool off. These two have never fought before and one is very submissive, so it was a surprise, although of course any dog can go off it it feels another is encroaching on its food. They're normally separated for that reason, to opposite ends of the room, and unfortunately one butted into the other's space. But they seem to have relatively minor injuries, thankfully. It doesn't help that they're both terriers, which means they become absolutely focused, even berserk, when riled.
6. Watched a little 'Golden Girls' with a friend. My God, I really am Rose, and that is absolutely terrifying. I would probably be the smartest person in St Olaf, but I'd still fit in.
7. Worked on a friend's feet and back, which were bothering him, and fixed him food, not in that order.

On the agenda for the rest of the day:

1. A nap. Yes, definitely.
2. Listening to some '80s alternative music on Pandora.
3. Reading some more of Hollow City--I only have three days left on my checkout.
4. Watching something fun either on DVD or Netflix. [It was Galaxy Quest. What a fun movie to watch again. 'Never give up, never surrender!']
5. Watering the plants, inside and out.
6. Putting some more water in the fish tanks (before they get low).

Notice I haven't mentioned cleaning in awhile--I've kept the house neat and orderly since the last real cleaning push. I've washed dishes and taken out trash as needed, the latter even during the rain, as well as kept the bathroom neat and cleaned it when needed. I've made my bed every day for the last two-and-a-half weeks. So I'm building better habits, at least for now.

I decided, rather than nap

to print out some pictures on photo paper for the friend I walked with today. I'd taken a picture of him and his dog in front of the fountain, so I printed those out. And then, because he's spoken a lot about a dear-departed pet of late (she was a Rottweiler, and a co-worker of his has a Rottie puppy, so she's been on his mind), I printed off several of her. While I was at it, I printed out some of the ones I have of the three dogs they currently have, as well as the two cats. I'll give them to him tomorrow, and maybe he can show them to his co-workers, as I know he speaks of his pets often.

I think I have had enough caffeine today that I can avoid napping altogether and so, while I'm going to go back in the bedroom, I do not plan to sleep for awhile. I would like to get further along in that novel, though. Good night (again).

So, I have a free evening

on the night before the Call of Cthulhu game, when I don't have to do game notes because I finished them last week. Do I:

• Take a nap?
• Read Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, which is due back to the library soon?
• Watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One on DVD, which I haven't seen yet?
• Re-watch Galaxy Quest on DVD, which is a really fun movie?
• Watch the first episode of last year's 'Doctor Who' on Netflix, since YKWIA won't watch Peter Capaldi, whose accent makes it difficult for him to understand?
• Listen to music (which I did last night, so maybe not)?

A got me to go walking with him again to Gainesway Pond, and this time he took a dog but I did not, so I could focus on not falling. Despite a sock that kept trying to inexplicably fall down my foot (it didn't yesterday when I wore it, so I guess that's just proof you should change socks every day), it was a good walk, although now I'm a bit sore and tired. The pond fountain was on, and that was nice. I saw a duck, several geese, and what looked like a peregrine falcon with a vole in its talons while we were out.

Now I'm home after also going grocery shopping with him and watching two episodes of 'Lost Girl' with YKWIA. I'm a bit pooped. So I think a small nap may be in order, followed by watching something and maybe a little reading before bed. Good night, in case I don't post more tonight.

I stumbled into an '80s mood

because I was reminded by my Freegal application on my phone that I had three free songs to download (via my library card, three free songs to keep each week), and decided to look for the Murray Head version of 'One Night in Bangkok' for some reason. So I played it on YouTube, and then followed the suggested videos around. So here is the first and last song I listened to:





(I prefer the German to the English version--I was learning it then--I had four semesters of it.) I also had Peter Schilling's album with the German and English versions of 'Major Tom'. Oh, drat, I'll include that too, so Nena isn't really the last.



Okay, I think I'll go listen to some Imagine Dragons now and come back to the present. But there are times I miss the '80s.

Continuing with a theme...

Two '80s singers I loved got together in 2008

and did this (the song Nik is probably best known for):



The original:



But my favourite of his was 'The Riddle':



And let's not forget Howard back in the day:

Happy ICD-10 day, by the way!

Medical coding in the US is finally catching up with most of the rest of the world by using the next iteration of coding standards.  These are explicitly specific,  as given the example pictured.  My temporary boss sent it to us to lighten the mood today.  :)  I laughed.  A lot.  At my desk,  in fact. Good night!

Tired

Apex Janice Mary Jane shoe

I went into work by 7 this morning, even though my normal Thursday time is 8:30 am. I was trying to make up some time, as I had an appointment about mid-morning at the podiatrist to pick up my diabetic shoes. They're very nice--Mary Janes that are actually wide enough for my feet (7 extra wide; my foot is about as wide as it is long). The doctor was a little concerned about the straps, which are a kind of Y-shape with Velcro fastening, in a sort of hook and loop. But the nice thing is that I can wear them with pants or skirts, socks or hose, and they're pretty comfortable, although I'm breaking them in. I also got some inserts that can be moulded to the foot by using a hair dryer to warm them, sticking them into the shoe, and then inserting the foot and standing on them a couple of minutes. I'm allowed one pair of shoes a year--my insurance pays for them--and over the last three years I've gotten some New Balance walking shoes, a pair of A2 boots for winter wear, and now these for dress wear, so I'm pretty set on shoes at the moment. The other great thing about the Mary Janes is that they are closed toe but don't have a heel (I can't walk in heels), and if I were to get a job at the Lexington Public Library, one of their rules is closed-toe shoes only, so the Vionic sandals I wear in the summer would be right out, and these make a great alternative, as they're not heavy like my others. The podiatrist did want to see me back in 9 weeks to do another x-ray; last time he discovered a piece of bone had broken off and might be causing some of the mild pain I've had in my ankle. He suggested getting a sleeve for my ankle (which I did) and also checking with the representative who delivered my bone stimulator three years ago to see if it can be reset and used. My understanding is that it's a single use, single person device that shuts itself off after about 270 days. If that's the case, I have a $5,000 paperweight in my closet, which did help a lot in terms of building up my ankle after I broke it, but may not be used now, and might as well be recycled. But I'll see. I doubt my insurance would pay for another one due to a fragment of bone that's come loose. But he thought the sleeve would at least provide a little support, and if I could get the bone stimulator reset, it might help the situation.

Today I also got my flu shot and TB skin test. After work, I went and got some medicine for my friends and I. I accidentally got home with someone's dementia medicine (Aricept/donepezil), so I need to take that back. After that I took care of one of my friends who wasn't feeling all that great. We watched 'Heroes Reborn'. I recognised Harris as the same actor who played the first Ash in 'Lost Girl' (he has an extremely deep and hypnotic voice, and comes off a bit creepy because of it), so I felt a little proud of myself. But despite having great blood sugar all day (it was 126 this morning before breakfast) and taking my medicine, I was a little off when dealing with YKWIA--I just didn't seem to get the banana at times. That might just be me being tired for having been up since 5:30 or 6 am, and waking up practically every hour on the hour throughout the night.

Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go on to bed. I think I'll totally unmake the bed this time, because I want to rub some lemon lotion on my feet and give them a good rub, and I think the lotion would discolour the comforter, but not the blanket. Good night.