Today

I did a lot of stuff at work,  went to a friend's appointment,  watched 'Bones'  in the waiting room, got my allergy shots,  paid my rent,  spent the longest time ever in a Drive-Through at Captain D's (We could have gone inside and eaten in the time it took,  they messed up the tea with sweetener,  and I was asked three times what sauces I wanted,  when it was just vinegar), listened to platypus noises and classic Catherine Tate sketches on YouTube,  and now it's late and I have to get over at a friend's by 7 or 7:30 am for an appointment.  And my phone just reminded me it's time for bed.  So,  good night.  Happy weekend!

PS I found out YKWIA did not realise that Catherine Tate was Donna Noble on 'Doctor Who'. He doesn't tend to recognise actresses and actors in different roles for some reason. He had the epiphany today. An artist, he's a very visual person, but he has no filter, really. If an actress is blonde and then changes her hair, he won't recognise her, because he sees her as a whole rather than being able to differentiate the parts. He has that issue in languages, too. When we were in Hebrew together, I was horrified to learn he couldn't pick out the pattern (he has dyslexia) in terms of conjugation and declination, but rather had to memorise each and every form separately. Despite this, he has a facility for languages and has studied several, all with a variety of different endings for various words. Hebrew, of course, is even more of an issue because unlike Latin, Greek, etc., it's not just the endings--rather there is a root of about three letters and everything--and I mean everything (prefix, suffix, vowels, emphasis) changes. I'm just amazed. He also does lower math incredibly fast using a system of colours and shapes in his mind that boggled the mind of a friend (she almost understood it, and it nearly broke her)--and she's now an engineer with NASA. But he has trouble with the concept of 1/4 = 1 divided by 4 = 0.25 = 25%. I don't think he went past geometry. On the other hand, I've used algebra exactly once post-college, so hey, it hasn't been a great handicap for someone who majored in history, philosophy, and art. I truly envy his memory though, which is nearly eidetic, and of course he's brilliant and has an IQ that's through the roof, and I often feel pretty stupid by comparison and have to remind myself that I test pretty high myself. If he'd been able to do math better, he'd probably be some sort of mad scientist--it was what he wanted to be when he grew up.

Today I:

• Finished The Epic of Gilgamesh.
• Downloaded some free bestsellers from Amazon onto my Kindle.
• Explored the Flipster magazine application through the library.
• Downloaded some songs from the library's Freegal catalogue.
• Hatched a Shade Wolf in Habitica, which likes chocolate.
• Went to PT, and I'm feeling much better than I had been, probably because of the work the therapist did and the fact that I'm doing my exercises better.
• Watched "The Empty Child" episode of 'Doctor Who', which introduces Captain Jack Harkness. :)

Now I'm home, it's after 1 am, and I need to go on to bed, plus my phone needs to be charged and it's the thing powering the hotspot I'm using to get online. So until tomorrow, good night!

So, I'm trying an experiment

It's a whole wheat bread with cranberries and sunflower seeds. I sort of mixed a couple of recipes together. We'll see how it turns out in a couple of hours. :)

Meanwhile, I'm eating some macaroni and cheese and watching the goldfish swim in the aquarium. After PT YKWIA and I went to his house, I fixed him dinner, and we watched 'Doctor Who' (with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper). Rose is growing on me, and so is this Doctor. I've mostly seen the Matt Smith and Tom Baker series, so Eccleston's is quite a bit different. But he still captures the essence of the Doctor. This one was called 'Father's Day' and was all about time paradox. I hope YKWIA doesn't put those creatures in the game. But he's right, the basic quality of a good companion is to have lots of pluck (and the ability to run...a lot).

Tomorrow after work I'm heading to the pharmacy to pick up meds for my friends and later that night there's 'The Shannara Chronicles'. 'Heroes Reborn' comes back from hiatus (how do you go on hiatus with only three episodes of a thirteen-episode arc left?) on Thursday. So we're watching TV again. I hope I can get my Internet turned back on this week, although it's looking iffy. I have to pay my rent (yes, I did that last time, very late, and can't take the chance on doing that again) and my car insurance. Not much is going to be left. :( I hate that I've gotten behind like this. But, hey, if I pay what I can and talk to them, it's bound to get better.

I have to admit, I'm a bit tired. I got up early this morning (I've been trying to do that lately) and tomorrow is no exception. I'm trying to get up at least an hour and a half before I have to be anywhere. Not that it takes me that long to get ready, but it's an opportunity to get other things done that should get done, and usually by the late evening I'm ready to do something quiet and go onto bed. So I'm trying to wring as much out of my time as I can.

Speaking of which, I think I'll do some more reading. I'm at the point where Gilgamesh is trying to find the Sumerian equivalent of Noah to ask him questions about eternal life. These ancient epics--Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, even the Vestas--have way too much testosterone in them, and apparently men aren't all that different then from now. Give a man a beer, a weapon, and the chance to get laid and the results are pretty much the same. Except that Gilgamesh rebuffed Inanna, which, quite frankly, was dumb. One thing we learn from Greek mythology is that it is very good to live quiet lives beneath the notice of the Gods. Yes, you should be pious, and make sacrifices. However, it never ends well when mortals run afoul of Immortals, and even worse, when they offend them. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu terribly insulted the Goddess, in a most foul way. I'm surprised the people of Uruk were not destroyed to the last man, woman, and child. Any Goddess who threatens the zombie apocalypse just to convince her father to let her borrow the Bull of Heaven is to be feared. I guess women haven't changed that much, either. The scene is like watching a teenager beg her father for the keys to the car or else she'll (insert threat here). :)

Okay, back to reading I go. I'd like to finish it tonight. I also need to take something so I can put it in my phone's Habitica application and get some experience points. :) Good night!

In a good mood

I had planned to have a quiet night at home, but a friend called and needed me, and while I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't have time for myself, it was important to go over there and help him, and I love him dearly, so hey, we make sacrifices. One more night won't make a difference, except in a positive way for both of us. I fixed him dinner and we watched an episode of 'Doctor Who' (the second episode of series 1 with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper). I hadn't actually seen those before. Then we watched 'The Awesomes'. And then I came home, in a much better mood than I was in when I went over there. Although it is important to balance life and take care of yourself, too, being with friends, in my view, is one of the most important aspects of life. Our friends are the family we choose, the ones who tell us the truth when others might tell white lies, and who we can count on no matter what. Part of having a good friendship is reciprocation. In the past, I've had people I thought were my friends who really were just there to exploit me for their own purposes. I am lucky in that, while I have very few actual close friends, they are loyal and good people who give as much as they take. So I am very thankful for that. I can't think of a better way to spend my solstice evening tonight.

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!

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.

'The Awesomes' are back!

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

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

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

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

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

About freaking time!

YKWIA will not watch Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, because he can't understand a word he says, between the Scottish accent and the low speaking tone. So I never got to see much of the last season, and I don't have cable, so I normally watch over there. So finally I can catch up. While I'm at it, there's a lot of 'Doctor Who' for me to catch up on--I've only seen about two of the seasons of the nine, despite loving the show, both the classic and new Whos. Yay!

Finally! Doctor Who Series 8 Coming to Netflix in August!

For more on what is coming to Netflix in August, as well as those leaving the service, check out: Netflix: Movies and TV Shows Coming in August 2015.

Now if only we could get 'Haven' season 5. But I'm not sure if that ever concluded, and I promised not to look up anything about the show. Isn't it on Sy Fy? YKWIA will also not watch that network because spelling matters to him, but will watch it with me on Netflix. :)

This is kind of cute, for those who like 'Despicable Me' and/or 'Doctor Who'

My favourite is Stuart, the one-eyed one with the frowny face.

I need to catch up with series 8 on the DVR, having only seen a couple of them

'Doctor Who' Star Peter Capaldi Confirmed For Season 9 And 10; Will Jenna-Louise Coleman Return?

It looks like “Doctor Who” star Peter Capaldi will be driving the TARDIS for Seasons 9 and 10 of the BBC series. According to showrunner Steven Moffat, the 56-year-old actor has officially signed on to continue as the iconic science fiction character.

“Yes, he’s confirmed,” Moffat told The Hollywood Reporter at a London press event for the Season 8 DVD release. Meanwhile, there is no word on whether or not Jenna-Louise Coleman will return for Season 9. Coleman has played The Doctor’s companion for two years, one year longer than Capaldi has been with the show.

I guess that means YKWIA won't be watching 'Doctor Who' for awhile. He can't understand much of what he says, between the Scottish accent, low speech pattern, and the fact that British shows always seem to suffer sound-wise. I can understand most of what he says. I don't know how I feel about Capaldi yet, as I haven't seen much of the series this year yet. I do like that the Doctor is older. I'm of an age to appreciate the Classic Who upon which I was raised, primarily the Tom Baker years.

Results of a 'Doctor Who' personality quiz

'Doctor Who' Personality Quiz: Which Doctor are You?

Your result: Congratulations! You're the Eighth Doctor You're a true romantic, a real believer in the power of people and their collective abilities. You may have seen some unpleasant things in your time, had to deal with traumatic events, but you've never let them soil the purity of your faith in the basic goodness of humans, and this is written across your face. It's a hugely attractive feature, and this can sometimes lead you into trouble. but people generally feel better for having spent some time in your presence.

Piscis mortus est. Vivat piscis.

So the betta did, indeed, die. So this morning I fished him out (no pun intended), put him in a baggie, and disposed of him in the trash (you shouldn't flush fish), and did a partial water change. This afternoon I stopped by Incredipet and got another betta and five common goldfish. The goldfish are currently exploring their new home. They're about an inch smaller than the three I had, but big enough the others won't try to eat them. One is white, a couple are a lighter, golden orange than my others, which are a kind of deep orange or orange and white, and then a couple are that same gold with white. The betta will hopefully do alright. I did a bad thing. I bought a betta mini-heater since yes, they are tropical fish. Now my other did okay with just ambient temperature, but I sometimes let it get a bit cold in here, and I run a fan while I sleep year round. So I set that up and got it going. Theoretically I should (okay, I just should) have let the water temperature stabilise over the next few hours before putting the betta in, but, he was in a very small plastic box without benefit of the oxygen they were putting into his water. So I gave it a bit, got him used to the water as is, and left it to gradually warm (or that's the plan). I also got a couple of plants made from a softer material that are supposed to be better for bettas, and I rinsed them and put them in. I took the plastic plants that were in there, rinsed them really well, and then put them in the big aquarium (again, I probably shouldn't have done that, just in case there was something in the betta tank that caused his death. Still, he didn't look diseased at all.)

So my upcoming agenda is as follows:

Today:
1. Do game notes.
2. Watch 'Grimm'.

Tomorrow:
1. Watch 'Haven' with a friend.
2. Help said friend bake something (and since we did the store run yesterday, that is over and we don't have to tomorrow!)
3. Watch 'Doctor Who', or at least catch up on some I already have recorded.

Sunday:
1. Help get the house ready for the game.
2. Play the game.

But right now I'm going to stretch out and relax for a little while before starting the notes. It's been a very challenging week with lots of new stuff to learn, and I'm so glad it's Friday.

After a very rainy day, the sun has finally come out

It is streaming through the living room windows as I write this. My bounciness yesterday, while doing a lot for me then, had the effect of not being able to sleep well last night. I kept waking up every hour on the hour. I don't remember hearing any storms, although apparently there were some. And I spent most of the night on top of my bedspread, which is sort of scratchy. I finally got up and put a blanket down and slept better. But my mind wouldn't shut down. At three or four in the morning, I felt like going for a walk. Given the time of night and the fact that it was most likely raining, that was not such a good idea.

I'm having a quiet night alone again. Dinner will be more spaghetti (I made several servings at once). I think I may watch a little TV--I'm sorely behind on 'Doctor Who', and I'm intrigued by the last episode with mummies on the Orient Express. :) I have them on the DVR. My DVR is actually almost full of things I should really watch. And I'm going to start on the game notes, maybe even finish them if I'm lucky. That would put me way ahead for the week.

Tonight I need to do those things and arrange for a payment of a bill. Tomorrow will be somewhat tough. I'm hoping I have enough gas to get to work and back. But Thursday is payday and I can fill up the car and pay some bills. That would be very good. Thursday and Friday there are appointments to go to, so it will be good to have gas. :) I also need to make an appointment with the gynaecologist, which if I'm lucky I can get in maybe next week. I haven't heard back from the psychiatric practice. It occurs to me that I may have given the wrong phone number. (The prefix for my home phone and cell phone have the same numbers, in different order). I'll call back tomorrow. I don't know what the weekend looks like yet. As far as I know, we're playing the game Sunday, but anything beyond that is somewhat up in the air.

I have to admit, I'm a bit pooped. I did very well at work today, despite the lack of sleep. But my brain is trying to shut down. I wonder if I can lie down for an half hour without wasting my whole evening? Experience tells me no. Maybe I should just eat a bit and then take it from there. :)

A good day

spent watching 'Haven' (several episodes--I think we're at the last episode of season 3 next) and playing the game, which was fun because we started a new mission set in Montana that's threatening to send us to our doom in the Pliocene Era. :) We stopped playing at 8 and I got home around 9 pm. After Brenda went on home, YKWIA and I decided we were too tired to watch 'Witches of East End' tonight. And he just isn't enjoying the new Doctor on 'Doctor Who/, so I'll probably start recording those and watch them on my own. He doesn't care for him and has a hard time understanding him. Meanwhile, A got back from his convention. Somewhere with all I did today, I never got around to doing my laundry, so I left it over there and will do it tomorrow. I must admit, though, for now I'm pretty tired--it was a very full weekend. Even though it's not even 10 pm yet, I think it's time to go to bed. I'm going to try to get up around 6 am. So I'm going to sign off for now. Hope you had a nice weekend. Good night.

I thought this was a great introduction to 'Doctor Who' from the magazine

Rolling Stone: Call the Doctor: The Many Faces of 'Doctor Who'

Thanks to Brandon for sending me the link.

It has been a busy, busy day

And I am quite glad to be able to prop my feet up and relax to Bastille's album, Bad Blood. Today I have:

1. Brushed a very fluffy dog who's throwing her coat.
2. Taken a friend to the pharmacy.
3. Taken a friend to the grocery.
4. Helped a couple of friends clean out and organise their shed.
5. Got bitten by mosquitoes and short of breath from dust and mildew.
6. Gone to get a take-out dinner with a friend.
7. Watched an episode of 'Haven' with a friend.
8. Watched an episode of 'Warehouse 13' with a friend.
9. Choked on a bit of ice and soda that went down the wrong way.
10. Watched the newest 'Doctor Who' episode with a friend.
11. Charged my laptop for tomorrow (but the notes are finished!)

Tomorrow there's:

1. Going to get stuff to gnosh on during the game.
2. Game prep/housework
3. Call of Cthulhu game.
4. Dose the dogs with flea medicine.
5. Change some indoor floodlights.
6. Watch 'Witches of East End'.

So yeah, I'm a bit pooped. It's nearly midnight; I think I'll head on to bed. Goodnight.

On Saturday

I really felt like I wasted much of my day. I just couldn't get going. I ached everywhere, even in my hands. I don't know if it was the weather (it's much cooler than it has been of late, and it was very cloudy until about 3 pm, which is when I finally ventured out and stopped hurting, once the sun came out) or what. I really needed to work on the house. Instead I stayed in bed most of the morning and early afternoon. I finally got up and took a shower, printed out some things for a friend, and then went to down to the Central Library to pick up a couple of books for him as well. I went on over there and we watched some 'Haven' and eventually 'Doctor Who'. I was prepared for Doctor Who day--I had a shirt on that has a Dalek version of the 'Soft Kitty' song from 'The Big Bang Theory', my licence plate holder on the car says 'My other car is a TARDIS', and my phone case at the moment has a picture of the TARDIS on it. I am such a geek. (I also have a hat and scarf with the 'police call box' design from the TARDIS on it.)

Today was a little more productive. I got up early and finished the game notes, went over to my friends' house and did laundry and worked on their house, and then, since Brenda was at a Society for Creative Anachronism event, we watched several episodes of 'Haven'. I'm finally up to season 3 with the next episode. I did some scanning for YKWIA and then we watched a very good episode of 'Witches of East End'. Now I'm home. Tomorrow I don't have any official plans for after work yet, and I'm hoping to work on the house then. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I'm taking someone to various appointments. So it'll be a busy week. But at least I don't have to worry about the game notes--I'm caught up with them. :)

For now, though, I'm listening to some music and winding down for the night. I think I'm going to have some hot cocoa with marshmallows and then head on to bed. I'd like to get a good night's sleep tonight, as I didn't sleep particularly well today and it's taken a lot of soda to get the caffeine I needed to keep going. I really need to learn to like coffee or tea. Good night.

Ready for bed

I don't feel like breaking out the laptop or even sitting in front of the desktop,  so I am writing this on my phone.  I am in bed,  listening to Bastille's 'Oblivion',  with my feet propped up and my CPAP on.

I am very glad it is Friday and the end of the work week. Today was spent catching up at work,  which I barely did despite my best efforts.  Tonight YKWIA and I watched an episode of 'Haven'  and I helped him with something.  Now I am home and really hoping to shed some tension and relax.  I am a little stressed this week.

The plan tomorrow is to get up by 7:30 am and work on the house,  work on the game notes,  and catch up on 'Doctor Who',  in that order.  Then it is off to the library to search for a couple of books for YKWIA. Then I will go take A to the grocery,  and from there my plans will depend on what YKWIA and A want/need. But the idea is to spend part of the day doing some things here.

Okay,  I am going to go on to bed.  Good night.

I got up very early this morning

and took my car over to Tire Discounters at 8 am to get an oil change and the brakes looked at. I waited there while they did the oil change and the inspection. Unfortunately, I need pretty much all new rear brakes (the front ones had the shoes and rotors replaced in February, so they're fine--but the back even the drums are terribly rusty (they showed them to me), and even if they machined them, it would be outside specifications). So I'm getting those replaced after we haggled a bit on price. They found that my battery is at 50% and needs replacing, but I can't do that today--I'll try to before cold weather sets in. I love having a car, but maintenance, gas, and insurance make it much more expensive than the $30 I paid a month for a bus pass. On the other hand, I do a lot of running around that wouldn't be possible on the bus, and take friends who don't drive pretty much all over Lexington, too. So, it's worth it.

They brought me on home and are working on the car, which should take a couple of hours. They're going to come pick me up when it's ready. So I've finally eaten breakfast (veggie burger, let's call it brunch), and I'm contemplating working on the house. I haven't been home much, which tends to mean I destroy any sense of tidiness in the house, and I come in, put things down on the kitchen table or the loveseat and they just sit there. I really need to clean the bathroom, wash dishes, take out the trash--and more importantly, the recyclables, which are threatening to escape their container, straighten up in general, put some things away, sweep, vacuum, and mop. I can't do all that in two hours. Hopefully I can get started on it, though.

Sorry I didn't blog last night. I'd taken a friend to an appointment after work, watched an episode of 'Haven', and then headed home, where I ate something and kind of putzed around for a bit, listened to some music, and went on to bed early since I knew I couldn't sleep in today. On the other hand, I don't have game notes to do today, as they are already finished, woo-hoo! So there's the grocery run, 'Doctor Who', and as far as I know, that's about it, unless YKWIA and A have something else planned. Tomorrow is the game, and 'Witches of East End'. Then we'll go back into the work week, and start everything over again. This week was particularly busy because there was a lot going on at work, no less than four appointments I had to be at, and bills to pay. Also, it seems to me that whenever we have a 'short week' after a holiday, we try to scrunch everything from a normal week into less days. Next week there's not quite as much going on, thankfully. I think the last time I came directly home from work was Monday before last, and then I just pretty much crashed. I'll try to take this Monday and work on anything I don't get finished today, until I'm happy living in my apartment again. :)

A busy, satisfying long weekend

Friday:
1. Was let out of work early and spent some time with a friend on his birthday
2. Watched a couple of episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Saturday:
1. Food at Masala at Beaumont's lunch buffet; lovely Indian food
2. Dessert at Baskin Robbins'
3. A trip to Barnes & Noble; I got a book with a pull-out chart on the key events in various world religions and a book for Brenda's birthday (which isn't till October, but it's nice to have things together early)
4. Grocery run
5. More episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Sunday:
1. Game preparation
2. Game notes
3. An episode of 'Haven' with YKWIA
4. The Call of Cthulhu game with Brenda and YKWIA

Today (Monday)
1. Lots of sleep, finally getting going about 1 pm
2. Found what I was looking for last week, yay!
3. Watched two episodes of 'Witches of East End' with friends
4. Watched an episode and a bit of 'Rizzoli & Isles' with them
5. Watched the new episode of 'The Awesomes' with YKWIA
6. Visited and looked things up on the Internet together

Now I'm home and it looks like it's going to storm for the second time today. I am listening to Bastille's album Bad Blood and thinking about reading some on my Kindle before heading to bed. So it was a lot of rest, good time spent with friends, and catching up on TV shows. We didn't watch 'Doctor Who' on Saturday because we barely got back from the store and YKWIA and I were just plain pooped from a busy day, but both of us recorded it, anyway, so there's that to watch, too. The coming week I have four appointments after work, one for each weekday, one of my own and three of a friend's where I'm giving him a ride. Anyway, it was fun and restful this weekend, and I feel better prepared for what will no doubt be a very busy 'short' week. I hope you had a restful time as well.