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. :)

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!

That was close

I was helping YKWIA with a few things before I came home and forgot to help him set his DVR for 'American Horror Story' tonight. So of course I remember this after I'm already in the car, with about 9 minutes on the clock to get home in the hopes of setting my own DVR for it. I got in, parked the car at the first available spot, left everything in there, ran into the house (well, as much as I actually 'run'), turned on the TV and cable box, found the channel, and set the DVR, just as it was going into 'viewer discretion advised'. Now it's recording. None of us were up to staying up extra late tonight for it. I called an left a message that I was recording it. They'll have to come over to my house to watch, but oh, well. Of course, maybe he went ahead and set it, I don't know. Of course, I don't know exactly how I feel about this iteration of the popular show. For one, clowns really creep me out. Ordinary clowns. (Which is bad when you work in a children's hospital). I expect 'American Horror Story' clowns will be even more sinister.

Today I took a friend to a doctor's appointment and worked on the notes while he was in there. I'm almost finished with the game notes; I've got about 45 minutes of game play to transcribe, and it's not like I do it 'blow for blow' or anything. So it shouldn't take too long. I would work on it now, but I'm tired (I have been all day, it's like I never slept last night), but I'm relaxing to some of Bastille's music.

So we got back to his house and watched an episode each of 'Fringe' and 'Haven'. Now I'm home and seriously thinking of going to bed. One reason I'm sleepy is that I got up early to watch the eclipse. I even got a not-so-great picture (I've never had a camera that could do justice to the moon), showing the red shadow of the lunar eclipse. I was one of the lucky ones who were in the area experiencing a selenelion. The arrangement and trees were such that I couldn't see the moon and sun at exactly the same moment and position; but if I moved a pace back and forth, I could see each within a few seconds of one another. It was fun.

Okay, time to relax. Good night.

There is one good thing about the soft food diet due to my oral surgery

I've lost 8 lbs, which apparently isn't water weight as it's been consistent each morning for the last three days. Yay. Still, I must admit I don't have a lot of energy; I managed to work very steadily today (being behind for the first time in awhile), but by 8 or so I pretty much conked out. Now I'm back up, but most of the night is gone. Still, here are my plans for this weekend:

1. Work on my house
2. Watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which I have out from Netflix
3. Take a friend to the grocery, depending on the weather, although we got mostly rain, and it looks like the snow will fall short of the original estimates
4. Watch Suddenly, Last Summer which I also have from Netflix, with friends (yes, it's Dame Maggie Smith day--she's in both)
5. Work on the game notes (although I'm pretty sure Brenda has a doll meet Sunday, so we won't play--maybe I can work up a character that's supposed to return soon)
6. Clean my friends' house
7. Do some reading (I really haven't done much lately)
8. Watch some episodes of 'American Horror Story: Murder House' with a friend on Netflix streaming

Hopefully that's not too ambitious.

Back home

after spending the night over at my friends' home so they could keep an eye on me post-oral surgery. I had to be watched for at least five hours and couldn't drive for 24 hours. YKWIA woke up every time I rolled over or made a noise, even though he was all the way at the other side of the house. I really appreciate that; I feel very loved. I'm doing pretty well. I woke up last night and went to the bathroom and thought I looked like a vampire, there was blood all around my lips. And I did have to have one more pulled than planned, so it was seven in all. (Well, six and a half, as this all started when a tooth broke off inside a crown at Christmas. Two other crowns came off, one during the impressions (and it turned out that tooth had some issues, so it was either make a new crown or take that one off), and one during surgery (but that should be able to be put back on, as that tooth was okay).) The pain's not bad, and I'm dispensing with the Tylenol 3, which just made me sick anyway. Going back to work tomorrow. Still eating soft food, but I managed a bit of canned peas just now. Once the grogginess wore off and I was up today, I got to do fun things like watch the first couple of episodes of 'American Horror Story: Murder House'. :) So thanks to Brenda, who got me there, took me to fill my meds, bought me a milkshake while we were waiting (and no, I used a spoon; straws can cause dry socket, although the cherry kind of oozed out because I still had gauze in my mouth and it was just too solid--guess I should have asked them to leave off the cherry at McDonald's), and got me back to the guys' house, and to the friends who let me stay overnight, kept watch on me, and then helped me get everything back into the car. (I had a 2-piece carry-on luggage set, my CPAP, the laptop, two pillows, a backpack, a couple of bags and a small case of things like applesauce, yoghurt, and pudding, an air mattress, and a foot pump.) I think they thought I was moving in. :) Anyways, thanks everyone. Tomorrow I return to work, but have to leave long enough for them to take another type of bite impression, and then Friday I should get my partials and should have a better chance eating real food. Yay!

PS I managed string cheese (soft mozzarella) as well. Yippee! I checked, and there are normally 32 permanent teeth in the mouth. I had my wisdom teeth and one tooth out several years ago. Then there were two that had to be taken out after that, after they broke when I bit down on something. This time there were seven, so I still have eighteen teeth. But I'm getting partials that will fill in the gaps, and it will be a better solution I think for me than costly implants or trying to save the teeth when I keep having trouble with crowned teeth anyway. And yes, while that's a lot to lose (and my penchant for drinking diet sodas may very well be a big part of it, as YKWIA insists, along with genes, my tendency to grind and grit my teeth, and the fact I never had my teeth straightened like many kids do) by my age (46), my mother lost her top teeth in her 20s not because of problems with the teeth (which as near as I can tell were small, straight, and perfect--I have my dad's teeth in my mom's small mouth), but rather by losing the bone support for them somehow. So I've kept the majority of them longer than I thought I would. The good thing about the partials (even though that has a whole set of issues, such as cleaning, etc. that come up) is that I'll be able to fully chew on the right side, where I had a couple of molars in the back missing in addition to my wisdom tooth on the bottom and so my left side has been taking up the slack, and as a result, having more pressure put upon it. This will even things out. So while it was a bit painful, it will be better and lest costly in the long run than trying to save each individual tooth, especially in terms of upkeep when I might not have insurance a couple of years down the road.

Okay, that was one expensive (and long) oil change :)

When they did my free rotation after doing the oil change, they found that my front rotors were too thin. so the rotors and brake pads on that end were changed. I swear getting cars fixed is like going to the dentist--something small always leads to major work. The price wasn't bad as rotors go (I've gotten those before, and even just had them turned before, but of course there's only so much you can do when they're thin), but it was substantially more than I was thinking I would pay. Fortunately I did my taxes the other day and should get a refund soon, so that took about half of it. And while I could have waited a couple of weeks until that refund came in, I'd rather not mess with brakes in terms of safety. All told I was at the shop for three hours.

After that, my main objective was to get a car wash. I went to the Speedway on Malibu, but theirs was closed. I called over at the one on Southland, which was working, so I went there and purchased one that would get the undercarriage as well as the car body. Unfortunately, when it became my turn (and it was a hopping place, let me tell you, with temps in the 60s for the first time in weeks and sunny, coming off of subzero temps and lots of salt on the road), I apparently put the code in too early, even though it was asking for it, and the car wash wouldn't open. Since I'd just called them, I still had the number on my phone and called, and they came out and then went in and got me a new number, but the car wash had to be reset both outside and inside before it finally worked. I remember how much car washes annoyed me when I worked at Speedway; now I was the problem child. There were about 8-10 cars waiting in line this whole time. But, I finally got in the bay and the wash itself went well. It's so nice to have all that salt off it.

Then it was off to Kroger for milk for a friend and a few things for me, and I went over to my friends' house and spent some time there with one. Then the other came home and we went to the grocery for their shopping run. I then fixed some dinner and a friend and I watched an episode of 'Absolutely Fabulous'. Then I came home so they could watch the finale of 'American Horror Story: Coven', which I've already seen. I've spent about an hour or so downloading some music to the laptop from Amazon, and now I'm thinking of doing the game notes. I'd like to get them done so I don't spend all night 'trying' to wake up like I did last week.

It has been a long day today, and I am tired, though. Maybe a few minutes stretched out won't hurt, do you think? :)

Today I

went to the pharmacy after work and then over to T-Mobile, where I asked about taking my tablet off my bill and about a discount due to my workplace. Apparently they have you call if you want to take a line off your account, so that the retention people can work on you. But I had good solid reasons for not keeping the broadband on the tablet: a) I am no longer on the bus and am usually around wi-fi, so I no longer need an over the air data connexion, and b) I have unlimited data on my phone with a 2.5 GB hot spot I can use to power the tablet if I'm away from wi-fi. Turns out that they not only could cancel the broadband, but I'm eligible for a free 200 MB of data without overages each month due to my tenure with T-Mobile, and it's something that will be locked in as long as I need it, even if they no longer offer it later. So I can still use some data over the air, and use my hotspot capability if needed when away from wi-fi, like over at YKWIA's, or use the wi-fi when I'm at home, at the library, etc., etc. I'll save about thirty dollars dong that, and then, with the discount that should be available, my bill with be about $40 less than it is, right around $100, give or take a few dollars. Meanwhile, my Samsung Galaxy S3 is almost paid off, although I may upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S5 when they are released around April or so. If not, my bill will go down by about $20 more. Yay!

Then I got some gas at Kroger ($2.74 with the 40 cents off from my Plus card!), got a few things for tonight there, and headed over to YKWIA's for the finale of 'American Horror Story: Coven'. I loved it, and won't give any spoilers here, but I think it ended on the right note.

I also ordered the DVD for the fourth season of 'Downton Abbey' from Amazon and it should be here Friday, which is interesting, as the show doesn't finish up here in the States until late February. So I'll have the whole set. :)

Okay, I got home late because of AHS, and it's after 1:30 am. I'm cramping (getting ready for my period) and my muscles are all knotted up, and feeling no-so-great, so I'm going to take care of a few things, stretch out in bed, and hopefully go on to sleep. Good night.

It is very late

but I thought I'd take a few minutes to catch up with my blogging. Yesterday I had my first appointment at Aspen Dental here in Lexington, and I was quite impressed. They were very professional and seemed to really be on top of things. I hadn't been to the dentist for awhile, and things were not all that good. But we came up with a plan which will be less expensive and better for me in the long run. It does mean I'll have some oral surgery next month, as well as two crowns put on and partial dentures top and bottom. I guess my years of diet soda drinking have contributed to the problem. But even as a child I had trouble with my teeth no matter what I did to make things work okay. So in a way, I'm surprised I've gotten this far without complete dentures. Fortunately changing to the dental maintenance organisation, which is cheaper but has fewer in-network dentists, was a good move, because it has a richer range of benefits and will pay more than my old PPO plan (same insurance, just different types of plans). For the remainder we financed the dental work with one of those credit cards that work only for medical, dental, vision, and veterinary expenses. However, once I pay this off, I'll have it to use in case I need it, which is good with my insurance future in doubt once the hospital moves and I no longer have a library job.

Tonight I:

1. Picked up a friend from work
2. Helped make a lovely meal of black-eyed pea soup, mushroom and egg cooked in ramekins with a water bath, and a great salad of spinach, toasted walnuts, oranges, onion, and cucumber
3. Ate said meal
4. Watched 'American Horror Story: Coven', which only gets better as it goes along, and this had Stevie Nicks on it
5. Got paid (Yay!)
6. Got some things from the store for a friend and myself
7. Came home and will crash soon

Tomorrow I need to:

1. Take some library books and a CD to the library
2. Pick up some books on hold there
3. Get gas--my light is on
4. Shelve new journals
5. Request payment for several invoices that come due at the beginning of the year at work
6. Do the regular things at work
7. Watch 'The Big Bang Theory'
8. Work on a couple of book reviews
9. Work on the game notes

Okay, I can barely hold my eyes open. Good night!

Tonight

1. Bought a heating pad and Icy Hot for the whole arm-in-pain thing. It was amusing being butted by a cat who was getting a bit high on the Icy Hot.
2. Watched 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries', episode one, on Netflix with YKWIA. It's delightful.
3. Watched 'The Tomorrow People' and 'American Horror Story: Coven' with YKWIA. The latter is especially riveting, although I predicted several things in this episode, as did he.

Agenda for the week (when not at work)

• Monday: Appointment with the sleep doctor evaluating the new CPAP machine; run by pharmacy
• Tuesday: Take a friend to a medical appointment, celebrate Chanukah with him and fix him latkes, both the potato and cheese varieties; watch 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' there
• Wednesday: 'The Tomorrow People' and 'American Horror Story: Coven' over at YKWIA's house
• Thursday: Downtime at home; watch 'Big Bang Theory'; do game notes
• Friday: Watch 'Grimm' with YKWIA
• Saturday: See Catching Fire; grocery run
• Sunday: Prepare for game; play Chthulhu game; 'Witches of East End'

I wish I'd recorded 'The Big Bang Theory' tonight

Not only did it have Bob Newhart and Bill Nye the Science Guy, it had some utterly great lines that I'd like to hear again. Here's hoping they get posted to YouTube on the show's channel.

So, that's over now. I need to decide what to do now. It's only 9 pm. Here are my options:

• Watch the DVD of Coraline, which I received from Netflix today
• Listen to Pandora, specifically some Loreena McKennitt, which I'm doing now
• Listen to the radio or some CDs
• Watch an episode of 'Downton Abbey'--I'm on the second season, and the fourth is starting in a couple of months
• Watch some 'Grimm' off the DVR--I have all but the pilot on there, and I should catch up
• Work on the game notes in anticipation of playing Sunday
• Read (I'm currently working on Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Argrim, which has been quite good)
• Go to bed (but it's only 9 pm, although I'm a bit tired--I haven't been getting the normal amount of sleep of late (although it's been very good sleep with the new CPAP), and I didn't have enough insulin with me today so my blood sugar went up, which always makes me tired)

Which would you do, out of curiosity?

One of the reasons I didn't get enough sleep last night was because of watching 'American Horror Story: Coven'. I didn't get home till midnight, and it usually takes awhile to wind down after that show, which is both disturbing and excellent storytelling. Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates are particularly great. I've gone from watching the occasional run of 'Doctor Who' to several shows, mostly with YKWIA. There's:

1. Sunday: 'Witches of East End' [I have really bonded with the character of Ingrid Beauchamp, who is a librarian, among other things]
2. Tuesday: 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' [of the latter, the Dog Dean Afternoon this week was much better than I thought it would be, I must admit]
3. Wednesday: 'The Tomorrow People' and 'American Horror Story: Coven' [the first I'm trying to give a chance, having loved the British series of that name as a child; the second is hand's down the best drama I'm watching at the moment]
4. Thursday: 'The Big Bang Theory' {I'm really not much into sitcoms, but this makes me laugh so much I'm surprised I don't pee myself] (that I usually watch on my own; I think YKWIA records 'The Vampire Diaries', which I've seen some of, but not a lot]
5. Friday: 'Grimm' [which I like, but haven't seen many of, yet]