I had a really good time with my friends tonight

So YKWIA and I cooked onion soup with toast and Gruyère cheese,  pan-fried breaded asparagus,  hard-boiled eggs with artichoke hearts,  and we made a salad as well.  It was very nice,  but both of us were very tired after dinner,  and I helped put things in the dishwasher and clean up,  and then did a few more things for him (A had already gone back to bed.) Now I'm home,  have Loreena McKennitt on,  and have my feet propped up in bed,  ready to sleep.

Wednesday was a really great class on self-care and support for caregivers, but I got in pretty late and didn't blog. Thursday was over at my friends' house till about 8 pm. I called A to make sure he was awake for the UK-West Virginia game (it was at 9:45) and then promptly went to sleep myself. So I missed two nights' worth of blogging.  Sorry.

We recorded 'Grimm'  tonight, and we'll watch it later this weekend,  most likely.  Tomorrow I need to stop by the vet's,  take A to the grocery,  and help two dear friends celebrate their anniversary--seventeen years together. Oh,  and clean my house and do game notes. :)

But for now,  I'll just lie back and listen to Loreena,  and go on to bed.  Good night!

There was no Cthulhu game today

so instead I helped a friend go ahead and clean house, then watched with him as the Kentucky Wildcats won the SEC men's basketball championship.  Later I spent time with another friend, watching a couple of episodes of 'Heart of Dixie', two seasons of the YouTube series 'Adult Wednesday Addams' (which was well done), plus a few more videos on YouTube.

All in all, it's been a busy week, and I'm ready to return to work and see how things fared there. There was a large clinic last Wednesday, and the lady who was my backup person for putting in the clinic charges had her last day on Friday, so I won't really know how it went, but she's supposed to have left the sheets for me so I can check them over.  I'm going to mail a card to the librarian who gave me a ride in Chicago, in appreciation of her kindness, and I also need to start reviewing a book for The Journal of Hospital Librarianship.

It's only 10 pm. I'm getting pretty sleepy, and my phone just buzzed to tell me it is time to go to sleep. I must still have the clock set early from when I had to check out before the meeting on Friday. I think I'll go on to bed all the same, though.  Good night.

Am I just getting old?

Today I visited with my friends and reconnected after the trip, watched UK beat Auburn in the SEC men's basketball semi-finals  with one of them, and then took him to the grocery, and now, less than 24 hours after getting home from Chicago, I am already ready for a nap, even though I've done nothing strenuous and I've walked about a fifth of what I did Thursday. Now granted, on the first week of Daylight Savings Time, I've bounced back and forth between two time zones, really exerted myself over the course of three days, flown twice, etc., but still, I thought one good night's sleep would get me back to normal.  Of course, come to think of it, I was up for an hour in the middle of the night because, well, that's what I tend to do--I wake up and it takes awhile to go back to sleep.  So maybe I didn't sleep quite so well.  But I did dream vividly, something I don't remember doing at all during my trip.

In some ways

I'm still the fat little kid on the playground doing anything to make the other children like me, only I'm doing it in a world of adults where they just care about getting things done and other grown-up issues. So I admitted after talking to YKWIA today. Even after all these years, I'm still pretty insecure, and although it normally doesn't happen, the fact is that sometimes I react to that perceived rejection just like I did when I was a kid. So that's something to work on.

I feel much better today. One of the people involved talked to me about it and it was clear that all of us shared some blame for things not running all that smoothly, and there was some miscommunication. I felt better afterwards. Ironically, the whole thing that was time-sensitive in the first place wound up being cancelled.

Anyway, I managed to catch up at work today, and then I took my friends to Coba Cocina, a restaurant here in Lexington, for their anniversary. I then went to a comic store and picked up a couple of the latest issue of Sandman: Overture (there were two covers). I ate at Subway and then went to Gabriel Brothers and found a couple of bras, a dress, a backpack purse, socks, and a blouse for very little, really. The bras, for example, were Lane Bryant's brand, but were only $4.99 (normally about $30 or so). I really needed something off-white, so it was nice to find some. I really like the dress, and it was $13. It's a pretty summery dress in cool tones of blue, green, and purple with an asymmetric hem and lavender lining. The blouse is lacy and flowery, white with pink flowers. So all in all, it went well. I probably had no business going there given how stressed I was over money yesterday, though.

I went to get them, took them on a very abbreviated grocery run for some essentials, and got them home. One had had some sangria. He's such a happy drunk. He grabbed some things from the car because they were shiny (a bracelet, a dangling crystal, and my purple phone charger), lost the house briefly, went inside, and apparently fell asleep immediately, only to give them to the other as a present later. (I got a phone call checking to make sure I got home and thanking me for my help in making the evening a nice one.) A has put them somewhere safe so dogs don't chew them up. I just shook my head. A is going to go watch the University of Kentucky-University of Louisville game (along with most people in our state, for that matter).

I've taken my medicine, propped myself up in bed, and I'm listening to Passenger's All the Little Lights. I've got the fan on, which feels very nice on my feet. The only thing that could make things better would be a cat curled up with me, but alas, there is none. I checked the other day and the little cat Nedra that spent so many months at the shelter is gone. I hope she found a good home. I don't really regret not getting her--I think I'm just not ready for pets beside fish right now. But I hope someone cares about her and takes care of her well.

Okay, I think I'm going to sign off for now. I'm so glad it's Friday. Hope you have a good weekend. Good night.

We had a good Cthulhu game today

We're in the investigative stage of things, which is often fun. We don't know much so far, but we have a mass murder-suicide to contend with along with an archaeological dig whose results may have driven people mad and a possibility of flooding the Nile. See, fun. A was happy, too, because the University of Kentucky (the alma mater of both YKWIA and me, but not A, who merely worships at the temple of basketball there) managed to defeat Wichita State (with was undefeated up to that point) and progress to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA basketball tournament. (He'd chosen that in his brackets, actually, which, since he's playing by himself, doesn't matter in terms of winning money, but he'd doing pretty well so far, he said).

I'm home now and my back is killing me. It was fine up to the point I stood up and started walking after about six hours of (mostly) sitting. It wasn't bothering me when I was cleaning house earlier. Unfortunately, one of the first things I had to do when I got home was fill the big aquarium with about 15 gallons of water, in three bucketfuls. I did that, though, and reconnected the pump, light, and heater in that tank. I'd had it all shut off, the heater because the water had gotten so low, the pump due the loss of electricity the other day. But I couldn't keep them in that position too long, and it's been a couple of days. So now they're happily swimming about, happy with the food I gave them and the new, clean water. I also added most of a 2-litre to the small fish tank (the betta's, which is only three gallons), and he seems happier, too.

I'm propped up in the bed listening to Pentangle's version of the Lyke-Wake Dirge. My neck and back hurt a good bit. I think I'll take some ibuprofen and stretch out some. Here's the song for you to listen to, if you'd like. It has a haunting quality, which is rather appropriate.



Good night.

Today I:

1. Transferred things from three bags to my purse
2. Went by McDonald's and got egg and cheese biscuits for my friends and me
3. Made a list of various things to do for my friends today
4. Watched videos with YKWIA
5. Went and got A's medicine
6. Picked up a mailed package from Amazon
7. Transferred things from my other wallet to the item in the package, an all-in-one crossbody wallet with room for my phone from Vera Bradley (I'm not a huge fan of the brand, but I loved one a co-worker had, and it's very useful when carrying a bigger purse or backpack so I can go into a store with just that, plus with the strap, it leaves my hands free)
8. Went to Barnes & Noble and picked up four books for YKWIA using a gift card he got for the holidays
9. Went by Target to use the restroom and get a pretzel and drink
10. Took a friend to the grocery store
11. Drank an entire 2 litre of diet orange soda
12. Drank a litre of orange juice
13. Took down a friend's Christmas tree (yes, really)
14. Helped him take it and its accessories out to the shed and lock it properly (he has trouble getting it right)
15. Watched part of the UK-LSU men's basketball game, which UK one by one point in overtime (yay!)
16. Lost my phone (but found it again; it was in my large purse the whole time)
17. Put some shelves up in their built-in cabinets
18. Hung a tapestry
19. Dusted DVDs and VHS tapes
20. Moved DVDs and VHS tapes to the new shelves
21. Helped a friend move some furniture, and swept up the stuff
22. Laid down in the floor to cleanse a dog's vaginal area (long story)
23. Helped a friend load some non-working electronics and flammables into my car
24. Took out the CDs from the car
25. Took out the flammables and put them in my house so the car wouldn't blow up if hit in the rear (it's stuff like spray pain and old turpentine, I just have to figure out how to correctly get rid of it)

I'm pooped. I should do some work around the house, particularly the living room, as a friend is giving me an old desk that we may be moving over to here tomorrow, but I just can't right now. I'm going to take out my contacts (which are foggy with dust; I kicked up a lot of dust today), put my feet up, and rest, and just try to get up early and prepare for it. Thank goodness I already finished the game notes.

Tomorrow's plans:
1. Get snacks for the Cthulhu game
2. Clean my friends' house for the game
3. Charge the batteries for the digital voice recorder
4. Watch a movie, City of Ember that we have out from Netflix
5. Move the desk, if Brenda can take us in her truck
6. Play the Cthulhu game

So, I should be tired after such a busy weekend. How about you? Are you busy this weekend? At least it was in the 50s and sunny here. :)

I've been straightening up the house a bit and listening to

the Celtic music channel on the cable system. A friend is going to come over later to watch some movies with me. I'm eating a bit of brunch now (two tortillas and cheese with orange juice). Then I'll take my medicine and call over there to see what they're up to and whether they're ready for me to come over, for we also have to do the grocery run today, and we need to do it before 'the Game', namely the University of Kentucky vs. the University of Louisville in men's basketball, for A will be glued to the set then. By then YKWIA and I should be watching some movies. :) Okay, I've eaten. Time to go to the next thing. Have a good day.

Up WAY early

to take care of that comforter that got upchucked (and who knows what else) upon by my friend's puppy--the now 67-pound puppy with the touchy stomach when it comes to riding in cars, who thinks she's still a lap dog when it comes to Brenda. :) This is the first I've stepped into our laundry room for the complex since September or October (it has fairly steep stairs, but also a railing). Cokes are now $1.50, up 25 cents. :)

I checked the news and at least two of my friends (Brandon and A) are going to be terribly disappointed over the ACL injury Nerlens Noel of the University of Kentucky sustained during the last basketball game. He will be out for the rest of the season. Even I, who do not follow sports, know that he's their star player. So that sucks for what is known collectively here as the Big Blue Nation. I wish the young man well. Now speculation is whether he'll return for another season at UK or go straight for the NBA. Personally I think they shouldn't be allowed to just breeze into the NBA after just a year and should stay until they get their education, but that's me. I'm very pro-education and somewhat indifferent to sports, except as a means of acquiring said education.

Wow, that's two sports-related posts in one week. That has got to be some kind of record.

Not a bad birthday

Although I'm not used to this being 45 thing yet. I'll probably get used to being in my 40s about the time I turn 50.

So anyway:

1. It was a quiet day at work.
   
2. I got a ride home.
   
3. I took a nap.
   
4. I watched an episode of 'Supernatural'.
   
5. I watched most of the NCAA basketball championship game. (Really.) Nice to see my alma mater's team win.
   
6. I'm going to bed now.
   

I'm taking off Thursday to actually celebrate my birthday, plus go to the bank and get my driver's licence renewed. I'll try to work in the movie The Hunger Games. Oh, and today's free application of the day from Amazon was an international clock, which I downloaded because we're constantly trying to figure out the time difference between various places in the game and the math hurts our brains. Now I can just plug it in and tell. And yes, my illustrious game master, I am still working on those holographic touchscreens. :) The one fun thing I did today? I painted my nails so they're all shimmery and glittery. Not the most professional-looking, but since I'm going to wear my butterfly shirt, which has sequins on it tomorrow, I suppose it'll work. I can always take it off later. Okay, off to bed. I'm over halfway through with Catching Fire, but I don't think I'll do any reading. I'm more than a bit sleepy.

I'm up in the middle of the night

Having fallen asleep around 11 pm. I came back out to feed the fish, turn of the aquarium light, and take my insulin, so I checked the news while I was up. I thought I'd write a little disjointed post on random things.

One, I searched my headboard pretty thoroughly tonight for spiders. I've been been bitten twice in a week. It's definitely a spider bite, not bedbugs, thank the Gods, but each time it's been my left arm, and I'm thinking its where I put my left arm under the pillow and up against the headboard. Now, I'm not sure what I would have done should I have found said spider, as I have a religious proscription against killing them. Probably I'd have coddled it outside where an arachnophobic friend insists they just come back in, anyway. But I didn't see anything.

Today I received the first of two books to review, one for the Journal of Hospital Librarianship, the other for the Journal of the Medical Library Association. I've done three for the former so far, one of which is still in production but soon to be published, the other two already having been done so. I really enjoy doing book reviews. Both of these are on social media. The one I received today is very short, so I think I can send it in within a week or two, well ahead of the deadline. Book reviews are so much more wieldy than the project I took on last year that I feel utterly a failure about, although the book is out. Also, it's almost time to do my selections and grading for Doody's. So I've got a lot of little personal projects going on.

Tomorrow I have a project at work I need to finish up. We're also starting a weekly jeans day, which is nice. Originally they were going to let us wear jeans Friday to celebrate if the University of Kentucky won against Princeton in the NCAA basketball tournament (it did), but then decided that instead of a monthly jeans day plus special events, we'd have a weekly jeans day, something I've been wanting for a long time. Hey, it's the little things.

I'm not a sports fan, but people's brackets got thrown into utter disarray today with Morehead State's win over the University of Louisville. :) You've got to like it when the little guys get ahead, especially when the big guys have Pitino for a coach. I never liked him, even when he was UK's coach.

I've steadily been working on the house, not majorly, but a little each day. I meant to work on game notes tonight, but that didn't happen. Tomorrow I'm going over to a friend's house, meaning I'll probably be trapped there without a cab if my bad luck with taxis holds, and I'll be doing the notes on Saturday like usual. I'll send in my IRS paperwork tomorrow and do laundry on Saturday, so that will take care of my list from the other day.

I've kind of gotten off track in managing my diabetes. It hasn't been bad, but I sometimes eat at odd times so my blood sugar seems higher when I test because I've had a snack mid-way or so. I don't always remember to take the second dose of insulin because I may eat something very small while I'm still at work to get me through the second half of my day and then eat a main meal at home. I don't know. I just need to pay more attention to the timing. I was testing every single time I was supposed to, now I forget at night a lot. I definitely am not to a point where I should eat snacks between meals or at night--it just raises my blood sugar, really. What I've learned is best is just eat when I'm really, sincerely hungry, and try to space my meals out through the day. But I haven't been eating breakfast since I've been getting up so late and generally eat lunch by 11:30 am. I don't know, I just need to figure out the timing better, and record what I've been testing as. I have an appointment in April and I want to be able to take in some decent readings.

Okay, time to take my insulin and go to bed. I discovered that if you inject too high on the abdomen you get a pretty nasty bruise, which makes sense, since there is muscle there. It's probably the only place on my abdomen with any to speak of.

I also discovered that companies will bend over backwards to make sure you're happy if you make simple enquiries. Where I've been having the rash from injections, I contacted both SanofiAventis (the maker of Apidra and Lantus) and BD (the maker of the pen tips) to see if any of the products had latex in them. They don't. But SanofiAventis was very diligent in following up and made sure I filed an adverse reactions report, and BD sent me a package via UPS the other day of a mail-in sharps container and a coupon worth about $40 for free pen tips since I'd made an enquiry. I've been impressed with both companies.

Okay, I'm yawning. Have a good day tomorrow. We're finally starting to feel like spring, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. I hope it lasts. Good night.

I think Lexington is somewhat stunned

West Virginia beats Kentucky to reach Final Four

I don't really follow basketball. But I brought my radio in to work so we could listen to the game (Brandon's a big fan). Even I could tell the Wildcats made a poor showing, and although they were struggling to the end, it was too late.

Usually after a game we have a huge rush as people buy more beer, etc. There was almost a hush as a few stragglers came in, their enthusiasm blunted by the loss. Almost everyone referenced it, and while they were all supportive--after all, UK went to the NIT last year, but made it back into the NCAA and played a great season--you could tell the wind had gone out of their sails. Many Kentuckian take basketball very seriously--it's like it's own religion here. I'm sure A is terribly disappointed.

But there's always next year. Coach Calipari got them off to a great start. Now there's just the wait to see if any of the stars of the programme will stay, or if they will go on to the NBA.

And West Virginia hasn't been in the Final Four since the 1950s, so it's a great opportunity for them. This tournament seems rife with upsets and derailments.

Oh, Gods, I can't believe I'm writing a post on basketball, and actually analysing the play. I'm not sure what's come over me. But maybe next year they'll be playing 'On, on, U of K' all the way to the title.