Me against

a backdrop of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research volumes. And no, I don't know what I had all over me.

My library

In its heyday.

Me, back in the day

Early in my current job...

This morning on the radio

the trivia question of the day was basically such-and-such percentage of women do this before a first date...with the obvious answer being 'shave/wax their legs' (yeah, even I, who haven't dated in ages, got that one), but there was a 10-year-old girl who called in, and while she didn't have 'the right' answer, it was an excellent one. Her answer: 'Have a backup plan'. That kid will go far.

I couldn't sleep most of last night. I think I woke up somewhere around 3 am, tossed and turned till 6 am, then slept till 6:30--and I hadn't gone to bed insanely early or anything. I did what I shouldn't have done--I went on Facebook. There is a group dedicated to the roleplaying game I play, and someone asked where people lived, and people form all over the world chimed in. I said I lived in Lexington, Kentucky, and someone replied that they lived a few miles away. The name sounded really familiar, but it wasn't anyone I knew. So I Googled him, and I'm 95% sure he is the director of the library I am sending an application to by Friday, as soon as I can get my transcripts for UK. Serendipity? I don't know, but hopefully he'll recognise my name and it'll spark some curiosity. :)

Then at 6:30 am I awoke to a raging thunderstorm, nearly leapt out of bed, got entangled in the covers and the CPAP hose, nearly fell, and then unplugged my phone as quickly as I could. I guess I still startle a little when thunder is nearby. I had a phobia for years (my baby book even says I screamed with thunder at 6 months old), and have actually been at a campsite that was struck by lightning. Everyone else felt it. I was in the full foetal position in a puddle on the ground. But over the years it's lessened, and I can listen to distant thunder and enjoy it, and I'm basically okay unless I'm outside (say, with an umbrella), or if it's REALLY loud.

So I went in to work early, and I have been consistently e-mailing all sorts of people today to let them know what books are available (my boss wants them divvied up by this week), showing others what's available, and telling people outside of the organisation that I need to change to my personal e-mail for things like book review proofing and working on collection development reviews. It's just really underscored that we're nearing the end.

After work, I went to my friend's house who is sick, got his card, went to the pharmacy, picked up his medicines, stopped by the store for sweetener, and basically crossed the town a couple of times in rush hour traffic on roads that haven't had rain in awhile that are really slick. I felt a certain sense of accomplishment that I didn't have an accident, and I didn't have much anxiety with the drive.

Now I'm home, I've had burritos for dinner (the last of them), and am hydrating and listening to music. I feel the need to be productive, and I'm not super sleepy or anything, but I am a bit tired. Tomorrow I'm going to sit with someone who's taking over one of my duties, today I helped someone with the audit I used to do, and Thursday we're supposed to have a representative of the unemployment office come and talk to those of us who are not going, which is good, because I need a little direction. I have been on unemployment before, when my hours were cut a few years into this job, but it's been over a decade and I'm sure things have changed. I do know where the office has moved, at least, and it's got resources that might help. But I'd also like to get my Internet connexion back on so that I can spend more time looking, and it would help A, too. Right now I have to use my phone (which is limited), the library, the laundry room, or over at my friend's physical therapy office, which has WiFi.

Speaking of laundry, I haven't done mine since YKWIA's been sick--I usually do it over there, and so I'm running low on some essentials. I may have to break down and use the laundry room, which costs $3 a load, when I get paid.

I kind of feel like I'm starting to crash. Maybe I'll rest for just a bit. I know, I tell myself that, and I'll probably be done in for the night. But I'll try to get up in about 30-45 minutes and at least water the plants and do some things here.

But just in case, good night. ;)

One last post for the evening

as I am running off my phone plan's hotspot allowance, rather than WiFi or anything like that.

My mom is at home. The nursing home wouldn't take her, apparently, so my step-dad cleared out the back bedroom and put a hospital bed in there for her. She's doing somewhat better, although not too keen on the whole dying part. I hope hospice can help them come to terms with that.

It puts me in a quandry, I'm afraid. I promised a couple of years ago that I would not go to the house for some very valid reasons, which still remain, involving some relatives' and others' [not my step-father or mom] heavy drug use with discarded and infected needles left about. I have visited my mom as I have been able to when she has been in the hospital, but not at her home. As much as I would like to, I cannot visit her there now. My step-father, John, knows why, but I don't know if he's ever told my mom. Now it's an issue and, unfortunately, an unresolved one. If I find a way around it, I'll try to visit. But so far, unless she goes back into the hospital, I don't know of a way around it.

Anyway, it makes me sad to think of her there, dying. My step-father, I know, is taking it hard, too. But I can't compromise my health and safety, either. :(

Speaking of shutting down

The library... It's hard to believe how little time is left.

Dr. M.S. Viji

of the International 'We Serve' Foundation, the group which took our journals and shipped them to India, posted a lovely thank-you on their Facebook page, and told me I should feel free to share the information. By his count, we donated over 8,000 journals (that may be right, I was just estimating). The forty-foot container with our materials and a total of almost 26,000 books left Friday and should be in Poona, India (aka Pune) in roughly four weeks. Our journals will go to public libraries specializing in the health sciences. Dr. Viji's organisation takes books from kindergarten up through post-doctorate studies. Rotary Clubs throughout India partner with them to distribute the books. Also a special shout-out should be made to the International Book Project, based here in Lexington, which partnered with Dr. Viji's group to send the container to India.

Dr. Viji and I in front of the empty shelves on the first day of packing (of two--these were the shelves the bound journals had been on, whereas the next day we packed the loose journals):



(If I look red-faced and rumpled, it's from all that packing. But we had a good system--he would bring boxes, I would pack, he would take them by cart to his van and transport them to the International Book Project warehouse, a short distance away, and by the time he came back twenty minutes later, I would have packed all the boxes and sat for a moment or two in front of the desk fan to cool off, and then he would drop off more boxes and take the filled ones away. I'd say the first day there were about four trips and maybe forty boxes (about nine fit in the van at one time comfortably, unless there were some small ones to squeeze in), and on the second day I know there were forty-eight, because I counted them as we went). We also discovered that loose/unbound journals are much heavier than 2-5" wide bound journals, even with the cloth covers on the latter, etc. It's just so much harder to pack the loose ones so they're not heavy. Dr. Viji did most of the lifting from cart to van and from shelf or table to cart, thankfully). The two of us worked very well and packed and transported all those journals within two days, so I think that's pretty decent. I think he did about six or seven trips that second day. It was certainly an experience, and I am so thankful I didn't have to recycle or throw away anything, but rather could send them somewhere they will be used.

Only I

would:

1. have trouble buttoning a blouse because I kept getting the cloth underneath entangled in the buttonhole,
2. snagged my glasses with my phone case strap, ripping them off my face WHILE DRIVING (fortunately while still in the parking lot, so I was able to stop suddenly, since I can't see anything clearly unless it's about two inches from my face),
3. burned my foot by dropping hot bean & cheese burrito filling on it while trying to eat dinner

all in one day. What can I say, it's been a bit of a Monday. :)

Not much to say about my Sunday

I listened to a lot of music.  I checked on YKWIA and helped him with something, but he's got a bad case of the crud, and he had to go on to bed for awhile, so I came back and listened to a lot more music.  I'll probably need to take him to the doctor tomorrow.  I picked A up from work at midnight.  A man approached me, probably wanting money, and I just shook my head and motioned him on without putting down my window.  I won't say I live in total fear of being attacked as a woman, but when you see a woman sitting in a car alone, it's probably not best to approach her, because a prudent woman is not going to engage you in any way.  Just saying.  Anyway, A showed up right after that and I took him home.  Then I came on home and got online to check for an e-mail for him regarding a job interview he had on Friday.  Now I'm going to go to bed.  Terribly uneventful, I'm afraid, but sometimes that's good.  And I got plenty of rest, although I should have been a little more proactive in getting some things done, really.  But, hey, it's the weekend, it's for recharging, right?

:)

You know you're getting old and decrepit when climbing up on top of the bed to stand there and change a light bulb so you're not totally in the dark has all the adrenaline of a nocturnal insertion.

Finally!

I've read a lot of herbals over the course of my life as a pagan, both general ones and those considered magical ones.

One of my complaints about occult herbals is they often ignore the fact that traditionally magical (sorry, I find the 'k' used in the neo-Pagan parlance to be asinine, so you won't find it here--if you can't distinguish real magic from stage magic otherwise, it's not being done right)  herbs are also often quite poisonous.  I once told someone at a Unitarian church lecture who kept going on about how good herbs are for you and how they are all natural, so they couldn't hurt anyone that I knew plants that would kill her dead in a few moments. That's a silly assertion for her to make, but she was someone who didn't bother to research, had no critical thinking, and probably has never actually grown an herb garden in her life (or read any good murder mysteries, for that matter). Monkshood is a very pretty plant. The aconite inside, however, is deadly. Jimson weed (datura) and deadly nightshade grow wild around here. I once had to tell my grandmother's nursing home to remove the castor bean plants in the courtyard because the seeds, which someone might eat, are very poisonous and contain ricin, a poison you hear in the news occasionally.

So it was nice to find a book at the library today that had the following warning regarding belladonna. I can't review the book yet, as I haven't read it thoroughly or run it by a friend who is better at this than I (I don't actually practice, myself), and I just have theoretical knowledge when it comes to magical plants. Still, it was nice to see something that would prevent the unwary from harming themselves or others. It's called The Witching Herbs by Harold Roth. I'm not familiar with the author, but at least he doesn't have a pretentious and silly pen name. That's a plus with me. But I grew up as a baby pagan in the Rosemoon Guild, the first public (at the time) pagan organisation in Lexington, and they didn't tolerate too much silliness. Even the silliest of us tended to be more grounded than many outsiders, thanks to some of the group's founders. Even though we eventually withdrew from actively seeking members, that early experience helped me immensely, and I've continued to benefit from membership.

Cover of The Witching Herbs

Warning regarding belladonna

Over at the Tates Creek branch of the Lexington Public Library

Picking up and dropping off books, and also doing some job searching for A and myself.  I've been here almost an hour and a half and have founds some leads.  I'm going to have to call the University of Kentucky to see if there is any way I can pickup my transcript in person on Thursday (part of my transcript is on microfilm, so that might be an issue) so I can apply for a job in Paris, Kentucky as an assistant public library director.  I only have unofficial transcripts, which do not include the information from pre-1988, but I don't have the money to go ahead an order my transcript and get it in time, and won't till Thursday.  If they won't be able to help me in person Thursday or Friday, I'll see if I can borrow the money to get the ball rolling Monday.  The job closes on Friday.  In the meantime, I've tweaked my application materials and just have to finish a cover letter.

Okay, I'm going to go pack everything up and go check out the books.  I have found several new ones, one on herb gardening, one on mediaeval Europe, and one on historical city maps.  I'm also picking up a book for YKWIA.

I'll write later.  We aren't going to play tomorrow due to the game master being ill, but I may finish the game notes tonight anyway.  But I actually have a little time to myself, so I'm going to try to make the most of it. :)

They're all open now

And I have another orchid sending up a stem that should bloom soon. :)

Well, I did at least get home by 9 pm

My boss let me go enjoy a bit of this glorious day (78 degrees and sunny, although a bit gusty with a south wind) by letting me leave after my work was finished, so I left at 3:30 pm, went home for a bit, picked A up from a job interview, and then took him to YKWIA's.  YKWIA showed us several clips from the TV show 'Mom', which I had not seen.  Then I took A to the store, took him home, went back to YKWIA's with some things from the store, made him tea, and then came on home.  Both of them have some sort of cold.  Hopefully I won't get anything from them; I've had my crud for the season as far as I'm concerned.

Tonight we have thunderstorms; tomorrow will top out about 30 degrees cooler than today.  But it was nice while it lasted, and it looks like there will be warm weather next week, too.  My friend's croci are actually and blooming already, and I saw a beautiful tree (not close up enough to see what it was, but it had lovely white blooms) in full glory.  Hopefully it won't get caught in a freeze.  But we're not out of the woods.  We've had a blizzard in mid-March about twenty-four years ago.  I'll believe winter is over once spring really gets going, although I must admit, we haven't had much cold or snow, and the last week has been wonderful.  I actually worn skirts two days this week, and with the exception of the two days I was packing boxes, I've worn sandals.

I finished the John Scalzi book The Dispatcher and enjoyed it quite a bit.  It was only a novella, but I'm counting that as a book for my reading goal.  Zachary Quinto did an excellent job with reading the voices.  Apparently it was produced by Audible, so as far as I know, it's just an audiobook.

Now I'm listening to OneRepublic's Native album.  I'm almost finished.  But it was nice to relax a little.  I'm going to take the guys to an appointment tomorrow, but I could sleep in, as that isn't until midday.  But at the same time, I think I may go on to bed and get up early and get a few things accomplished around here.  Plus, I still need to do game notes, of course.

Okay, I'm going to head on to bed.  The album just finished playing.  Good night!

Second night in a row that

I've gotten home about 11:30 pm. Going to see if I can have a quiet night at home tomorrow, as we have no appointments and no one's mentioned needing a ride. We'll see. Going to bed now, though. Good night.

So tired

I packed 48 boxes today, almost 5,000 journals, to be sent to India this week. This is what my library looks like now.

After work, I took a friend to an appointment, and listened to an audiobook (John Skalzi's The Dispatcher) while chilling out in the waiting room. Then we went to the store, got gas and groceries, stopped by Gumbo Ya Ya for takeout, stopped by yet another grocery store with a wine and spirits shop, and then spent three and a half hours watching videos. I got home just a little while ago, at 11:30 pm. I'm pooped. I've taken some ibuprofen (forgot to do that last night and slept very little) and a half a Trazadone. I really want to get some rest tonight.

Good night.

Where the bound journals were.

The unbound journals were on these two middle ranges.

Most of the library is bare now.

Everything's gone from the two middle ranges.

Just have the books to go; most to departments, others to donate.

I think I found this 'core' they always talk of

I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and I am a little stiff and sore, now. But it's mostly in my legs, buttocks, upper back, and shoulders, with just a little in my lower back, which means, I think, that I demonstrated good posture and ergonomics throughout the day. Yay!  Of course, tomorrow is another day... I could be in pain tomorrow, but I hope not...we have 48 more shelves to go.

Only Ed Sheeran

Can sing about prostitution, drug abuse, and death and sound utterly upbeat with his music... ('A Team', from his album +).

Well, about a third of my library is bare, now

Thanks to one of our doctors, I was put in contact with the founder of a local organisation [We Serve Foundation] that takes books and sends them to India. Dr. Viji came last week and then today he brought boxes and I boxed the unbound journals up and he put the boxes in his car and took them over to the International Book Project's warehouse (they're a partner organisation that is also based here in Lexington). It took four trips, about thirty boxes. I packed about 780 bound journals. Tomorrow we do the unbound ones. All told we're talking about 84 three-foot shelves, so about 252 linear feet of materials. We did 108 linear feet today, so I'm a little sore and will no doubt be stiff tomorrow. But at least they'll be used and appreciated, and not recycled or trashed. 

I'm glad that he's going to be able to take them and put them to good use. But I have to admit, I'm a bit sore from all that packing and the little bit of lifting I did. 

I won't include the picture of us shaking hands or standing next together, because I don't really have his permission to publish the picture here, and I think our PR person will take care of that on social media, but this shows about a third to a half of the journals taken away. The rest are bare now, over past that book truck on the right.

It's a little sad, of course. Soon I'll be in a (virtually) empty room. I'm still working on the books, trying to get them to the departments, and his organisation may get whatever's not taken. But as of tomorrow, I'll just have books in the library, no journals, except for a few the staff wanted.

So now I'm home. I had thought to go to the library, but I'm relaxed, in my nightshirt, have eaten, and I am listening to music. Maybe I'll just relax, and maybe take a long bath later, so that I don't stiffen up. I'll keep you posted.

Today

a friend called me about 6:30 am to help me wake up and I chose to go back to sleep for awhile. I still got to work on time (rather than early), though, but three days of insane earliness was probably enough.

Today was payday, thankfully. I got caught up on a lot, but there are still two bills out there I can’t do. But I have a full gas tank, so I can go visit my mom Saturday, and I was able to pay other bills that were overdue, including my electric. I paid the bank (which had been at a deficit since the cascade effect happened, prompting me to move back to the credit union, where fees are less and it’s non-profit). But funny thing, even though I paid in cash, PNC refused to let me close the account today because the cash would post tomorrow. Cash. Crazy. It’s a minor annoyance, I know, but I don’t see why I should have to wait when cash is legal tender and it’s not like they have to examine the $20s to verify they’re real or anything.

I was also thwarted by Time Warner Cable. Yesterday I called to see how much it would be to turn my cable back on and was quoted a figure just under $74. I specifically asked if this would still be the case today or Friday, since I got paid (I thought I was getting a cheque today, so thought I might have to wait till Friday for it to post, but it turns out the automatic deposit went in fine). She assured me that everything would be the same. So I go today and the clerk told me that the woman had been mistaken and must not have looked at the account carefully. Thirty minutes before I called, my account had been closed, raising the amount I needed to pay to $191 or so. Very different from $74. Sigh. I can’t do that. So for now I guess there's the 5GB/month hotspot through T-Mobile that comes with my unlimited phone data plan and the laundry room, which has free WiFi. The good thing is after that I dropped some things off at Goodwill that had been sitting in my trunk and went ahead and called Vonage, which is only about $10 a month, but doesn’t work without cable, and my account was set up to be debited tomorrow. They put the phone account on hold for two months until April to give me time to get service back without having to pay for my phone. Vonage has very great customer service (they once comped me an entire month when I was struggling), and I would highly recommend them. Apparently I have been a customer for 10 years and 5 months. :)

I went to Costco and got a few things for myself and some stuff for friends, who paid me back tonight. I took A to YKWIA’s and we got some stuff at the store for there, and I left him to visit. Now I’m home. I’ve eaten an Everything bagel (2 sleeves of 6 for $5.99) and Havarti cheese (32 slices for $7.49), and I drank some orange juice ($5.99 for a gallon). So my stomach is happy. I also got some tuna. So I have some basics and can go to Kroger tomorrow for some fruit, etc.

When I came out there was a lovely sunset, so many pinks and yellows and oranges—it looked like the sky was afire. I took a picture, which doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea:

Now I think I’ll do some reading and listen to some music. Those are the only things left on my to-do list. I should do the game notes, as I’ll be visiting my mom on Saturday and we will be playing Sunday. But tomorrow is another day. Good night!

Sombre yet uplifting quote of the day...

From the song 'Life's for the Living' by Michael Rosenberg (aka Passenger):

Don't cry for the lost, smile for the living,
Get what you need and give what you're given.
Life's for the living, so live it, or you're better off dead.

So, randomly I did my taxes this morning before work. I had another productive day, boxed up books, had a meeting, did my afternoon data entry, and I listened to Passenger's All the Little Lights while I did that, and this struck me as a little profound, so I'm sharing here.

Live and love life while you have it. Hold on to those you have while you have them. Give back what you're given. Repeat.

I'm up at an insane time of the morning again

I didn't take the trazodone last night, but I slept well. I went to bed about 10 pm, got up at 11:30 to take the bread out of the machine (it is actually quite yummy, a cranberry almond granola bread, my first attempt at a 'raisin bake' bread). Then I went back to sleep and woke up on my own at 3:45 am, dozed till about 4:50, and then got up, weighed myself (eek!), splashed some water on my face, checked my blood sugar, took my injectible medicines, and cleaned out the top two drawers in my bedside table. I put the bread, now cooled, in a big bag. Now I'm eating a slice of that bread for breakfast. During the hour or so I stayed in bed, I planned out my day at work. There are no appointments today (but it's the late day for allergy shots, so I can go there after I get off from work). I'm debating as to whether to go in early today or just hang around here and work on the house. I'm going to go over to the complex gym in just a little while and at least bicycle for awhile. I've proven the elliptical is not for me, but I might walk, too. I am also going to take the recyclables out. I'm a little cold in my shorts. I have the heat off and it's 38 degrees outside. But it's not so cold I need to put it back on.

Okay, let me go figure out what I can do here. There's a lot, it's just a matter of where to start!

So

My mom is going into hospice, probably at the nursing home she's been in on and off between hospital visits. :( The doctor said that short of a liver transplant, which isn't going to happen due to her other health issues, she might have six months, tops, to live. I'm going to go visit this weekend. I've known this was coming, but it doesn't make it easier, and it must be far worse for her. But part of the whole point of hospice care is to prepare the patient and family for what's to come. So that's good. I know my stepfather (who is a very good husband) has done everything he could to try to avoid this. But it's a natural part of life. I've mostly accepted it, but at the same time, I have a lot of mixed emotions. We'll see how things go. I just hope they can keep her comfortable and allow her to make the most of life that remains.

Sigh. I guess because of the news last night about the prognosis, I had a hard time falling asleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, I finally broke out the sleeping pills my doctor prescribed, the trazodone. I took 1/2 a pill, since I didn't know how I'd react. I slept really well from 11 pm till about 4:30 am, and then I was just awake, not groggy, just awake. (I have the same reaction to the muscle relaxant tizanidine). No grogginess or anything, just suddenly up and going. I got up, took a relaxing bath with lavender oil, a candle, and some lavender incense, and then put my headphones on, turned on OneRepublic's Native album, and tackled the kitchen, doing not only the dishwasher dishes, but the plastic ones that had been languishing. I cleaned the whole kitchen, except for mopping, and took quite a bit of trash out. It looks great.

After that I went on into work and continued my productivity. I boxed up five boxes of books that are going to the new facility, separated three departements' worth of books and labelled them, helped someone order a book through our vendor, and talked our buyer through the website (and helped him with a personal request that was book-related). I forget that many people consider the ISBN a totally foreign concept. But it was nice to do a lot of library-related stuff today. I've already gotten some books to departments, and I'll try to get the rest out soon.

In the afternoon I did my charge entry and OR reconciliation. Then I left work a little late and went home for a bit before my appointment with my counselor. We had a good session. I showed him the before and after photos of the kitchen, and I had filled out a worksheet on trying not to acquire new things. I see him again in three weeks, and in the meantime I'm going to work on the books on the entertainment centre and the bookshelf behind the front door so that I can hopefully open up the entryway a bit.

Now I'm home, trying something I haven't done--cranberry bread. It uses the raisin bake setting, and you're supposed to add the fruit at the beep. But unlike the quick setting, where you get bread in 1 hour 55 minutes, this takes four hours. So the beep hasn't happened yet. I am listening to music softly, Passenger's All the Little Lights. I need to do some reading to round out my to-do list for the day.

In fact, I think I'll read the orchid book I have to see if I can learn something about them. I have one blooming and another has a stem that's halfway up. I do love them, and I'm so glad they're doing well. I finally watered the plants at the house. I also found the tulips budding the other day and put water in the vase for them to grow. :)

Okay, good night for now.

Happy Valentine's Day

The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

This was shared by the University of Kentucky History Department on Facebook with the following comment: History Ruins Yet Another Holiday.

Heh Heh. Yep. I haven't celebrated Valentine's in years, but if you do, enjoy it (and maybe hold off on reading this till tomorrow).

When I feel overwhelmed

I often shut down,  curl up in a ball,  and sleep even I don't really need to. But on the other hand,  sometimes you just need to curl up in bed and process stuff. Tonight I got some discouraging news about my mom.  My house is a mess.  There's so much I should do. And yes,  I am going to go ahead and sleep--not nap, with some idea of getting up in an hour and do stuff,  but sleep, get rest, regroup and then get up very early tomorrow morning. Instead of going in to work early,  I'll work on the house,  try to improve what I can change,  and leave what I can't to Fate.

Tomorrow I have my counseling appointment,  so I have some incentive to work on the house.  But right now I have a headache,  I'm sad,  and I have been up since 5:30 am.  It's time to just call it a night,  I think.  Good night.

Here are those interesting articles:

This is so cool--over 20 volumes of an Assyrian dictionary, worked on since 1921, and it's also available for free online. :) The language geek in me just wants to squeal in delight:

Dictionary of dead language complete after 90 years

Almost 90 experts from around the world took part, diligently recording and cross referencing their work on what ended up being almost two million index cards.

The Chicago Assyrian Dictionary is 21 volumes long and is encyclopaedic in its range. Whole volumes are dedicated to a single letter, and it comes complete with extensive references to original source material throughout.

-and-

Archaeologists Unearth New Dead Sea Scrolls Cave

Archaeologists have unearthed a new cave associated with the famed Dead Sea Scrolls, filled with ancient storage jars and lids off the Judean cliffside, marking the first successful excavation of its kind in 60 years.

Until Wednesday, researchers assumed only 11 caves contained scrolls. But the discovery of a twelfth cave cements a longstanding belief among archaeologists that looters stole the artifacts in the mid-1900s, referencing pick ax heads found deep inside a tunnel at the new cave's rear as proof.

Hidden along the cave's walls, excavators found numerous broken jars and lids. Among the other findings were fragments of scroll wrappings, leather and string

So sad that it was looted. They were probably hidden away in private collections or possibly destroyed, and that is a tragedy in either case.

Oh, by the way, I took a quiz on Yiddish words and their meanings. It didn't turn out too badly, for a goy:

100% -- You Would Make Your Jewish Family Proud. Ay yay yay!! Your family would be so proud of your Yiiddish! You totally grew up in a Jewish family and know all of the primary Jewish-isms! You've seen your share of big bar/bat mitzvahs bashes and you use these slang words very frequently. You are NEVER shlepping and we are very verklemptov over your score!! Congrats!

Also...just in time for Valentine's Day--

The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting 'Vinegar Valentines' of the Victorian Era

The Victorians had the 'polite insult' down to an absolute art. Reminds me of someone I know. :)

-and-

Apparently I should look for romance in Alabama--I love Byron's poetry. But no, I live in the state of couples' tattoos. Really, that's a thing?

Most Popular Valentine's Day Gift Searches Per State

And finally, this made my day yesterday...

“Donaeld The Unready” tweets as if Trump is a mad medieval king

“Make Mercia Great Again!” The new Twitter account Donaeld The Unready casts Trump as a medieval king, obsessed with draining the East Anglian fens, building shield walls and the bad monk Bede.

Sorry it's been awhile

I just got off the phone with a friend whom I was helping apply for jobs. Technically I've had time the last two nights to blog, but I've laid down for a bit and kept getting phone calls, so I kept stretching out my 'nap time' till it was time to go to bed. As a result, I feel more rested than I have in awhile. Tonight I've been up and doing things. I ran to the pharmacy for my medicines and YKWIA's, and talked with him for awhile. We're going to try to watch the miniseries 'Ascension' together on Netflix. And since then I've been on the phone with A helping him with his job search.

In general things have been going pretty well. I have two jobs to apply for (although one involves getting my transcript, so it's good that it's closing date isn't until March). My mom's been in the ICU at the hospital in her hometown for over a week, but she got moved to a regular room today. Yay. I may be able to go see her Saturday if all goes well. I hope so.

That's it for now. I'm just checking in. I have a couple of news stories to post either tonight or tomorrow that I found interesting. Take care, and good night.

By the way

An amusing thing from today: I was in the restroom and I heard a metal object fall.  Both earrings were in. Then another tink noise as something fell.  One of the screws of my belt (where you can change the buckle) came apart and I had to retrieve the two parts, walk to the other side of the hospital,  hoping my pants didn't fall down,  as they're loose,  and borrow a screwdriver from the maintenance guys and screw it back together and tighten the other under their scrutiny. Thankfully that doesn't happen every day.  :)

Reading

Make Job Loss Work for You: Get Over It and Get Your Career Back on Track, by Richard and Terri Deems (out from the public library).

I applied for the job

I decided to be proactive and apply even though it doesn't close until February 17th, so I don't feel rushed. I'm really excited about this one. I really hope they'll contact me. It would be a great opportunity. Several friends and family members have been very supportive on Facebook, and I appreciate that.

Today I had my second of two last job reviews before the end of my run at the hospital. I got very good ratings on each, and I get a raise, which while short-lived, will figure into the severance package. I've really been blessed with all of my bosses at Shriners--Judy, Kathy, Judy again, Martha, Kathy (another one), Robert, (and an honorary, part-time boss, Ambra). I really appreciate their encouragement, especially given the circumstances. I would have loved to work for Shriners for another twenty years (my anniversary is March 17th). But I believe this will lead to new directions. I'd like to stay in the non-profit world, if at all possible. I'll never be rich, but I'll make a difference. Of course, I'd love to stay in the library field, although if it comes down to the end of the job, I'm going to go have to look outside of it--I know that. Lexington's market is glutted with people with MSLS degrees. When I first rented this apartment, my leasing agent had one. And then there's the fact that there's just 56 days. That's all that's left. It makes me sad, of course, and I need to physically start breaking the library up next week, so it'll be even more so. But...things happen, you adapt, you go on. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to work there.

Okay. I know it's not late, but I think I'm going to read a little before bedtime. I tried to take a nap earlier, but kept getting phone calls, texts, and notifications. It's been a long day (I've been up since 5 am, but then, if I do get the job, that will be normal). I hope you have a very good night, and a great weekend.

So...

I found a job to apply for that is nearly perfect. The catch? It's in Louisville, an hour and a half away. I'm really not in a position to move, so it would mean driving there and back each weekday. Have any of you gone back and forth from Lexington to Louisville for a work commute daily? On the one hand, I do have driving anxiety, and weather and accidents can be a problem. On the other, it sounds fabulous--it's the curator of the Jewish Collection at the Filson Historical Society, and would use my educational background to the utmost--I have an MLS, a history degree, and a minor in Judaic Studies, was trained in cataloguing, archives, and preservation, and this is the most excited I've been about a job prospect for awhile. What do you think? Is it doable?

Hmm...

The scary swish and swallow stuff (aka Nystatin) isn't terrible.  I think it tastes a bit like bubble gum.  A bit.  I have to take it four times a day,  so at least it's bearable.

A few random things...

1. I did send that thank you letter to Dr. Daniel last week. I hope it finds him well.
2. Tomorrow I get paid and I'm opening up an account with the credit union, paying off the bank, and closing that account, if I can. Or at least get it positive and start changing over the automatic debits I have monthly to the new account.
3. I'm kind of tired, but I've had an okay sort of day. Emotionally I feel better, and my throat feels better, probably due to the oral medicine, because I totally forgot to bring the 'swish and swallow' stuff with me today. I'm going to start it tonight and put the stuff in my backpack. It's 5 ml/1 teaspoon at a time, which isn't that bad, surely (she said, hopefully).
4. A is sick and I took YKWIA to get food and medicine for him. He sounds awful. Everyone I know has been sick this season, I think, except maybe not YKWIA, which is unusual.
5. I just made some scrambled eggs with cheese (although I almost managed an omelet) and feel better. I'd gotten pretty hungry while we were running around. It was that or 1) soak and cook basmati rice and pair it with a kidney-bean curry that's premade, or 2) cook some pasta with sauce. Neither of those seemed appealing. My appetite's actually been pretty good, but not at night, especially as the throat hurts worse then. Eggs are soft. They'll do.

I guess that's really all. I'm going to try to read a little before bed, although I'm not sure which book yet. It's a goal to read 30 minutes a day (or listen to an audiobook) on my Habitica to-do list. I'm not sure I'm up to reading--I have an audiobook or two I can try, perhaps. Okay, have a good night.