I have been up a half an hour

and in that time I've gotten my laundry together, including stripping the bed, packed my book bag with all the stuff I'm taking with me, checked my phone notifications, opened the blinds, got the last of the bread with some honey, got some caffeine, and in a minute I'm going to take my medicine and after that hop in the shower. All in all, I'm doing much better than yesterday, especially as I went to bed at 3:38 am, or at least that's the last I saw the time. Oh, I also removed an application I'd tried on my phone. I thought it was supposed to gently wake you up with light, and maybe it does that, but when the actual alarm happens, it sends light in a pulsating pattern through the flash, and it's practically seizure-inducing. It's called Glimmer; it's a nice concept but it's definitely not for me. I don't have epilepsy, but I get headaches around pulsing light, like copiers (which is why I always close the cover) and strobes. It is one of the reasons I've never been into clubbing. (That and I don't drink, and have social anxiety. Okay, there's lots of reasons for me to stay out of clubs.) :)

It looks like it'll be a bright, happy, if cold day (46 for the high). I'll be inside most of the time, though, except to take the trash and litter out and dump the mop bucket. If I can get all my work done, and we can watch the movie, then maybe I'll be home before or a little after dark, and can work on more books. That reminds me, I should take books over to YKWIA's, but I need another box, or it'll be too heavy to put them all in there. Hmmm...maybe I can temporarily put them into the grey totes I have. That's a thought. Ideally, I should just bring him to my place, I know, but I don't think that's going to happen. I know he'd rather me bring them to him. I wish we could do Thanksgiving over here in a way (his oven needs adjusting, which is putting the cooking time and temperature off), but I think my place is just too small to cook ten dishes for three people. Even using my table in the dining area (which is also where the microwave is) would not really work, I don't think, but I'd give it a try in a pinch. I have a kitchen island in the kitchen with a drop leaf, but it's hard for more than one person to work in there at a time with that leaf up, and the leaf goes towards the oven. Also, he hates cooking on electric. But we'll see. And I might get more pierogis for Thanksgiving, as A hasn't had any yet. The four cheese ones are still over there, but the feta/spinach ones are excellent.

Okay, I've eaten and had some caffeine. Time for meds and shower. Have a great day!!!

Let there be light

After nearly three weeks of darkness in the main aquarium, I stopped by Incredipet today and looked at what they had available. The problem with my hood wasn't the light bulb; it was the electronic starter, which is the second time that's gone out in about three or four years. So I looked at options for replacing that style of light. Turns out they had modular LED lights that fit over a glass top, which I already had. I got an Aqueon brand one that has space for up to three LED bulbs (it comes with one). There are two types of bulbs available: a day light bulb and one that has interspersed red LEDs that help accentuate the colour of the fish. I chose to wait and see how bright one light on its own is. One is plenty light enough, although I may add one of the others with the red lights, too. There are also a couple of small 'moon lights' that are blue that can be used at night so it's not in total darkness. LED lights last a long time, but I decided against the single-light, non-modular style because the whole unit would have to be replaced, and they're about $80 a pop. The lights themselves for the modular one are a little over $20, more than a regular light bulb, but a lot cheaper than a whole new hood assembly. So I went ahead and got the one in 30 inches, which fits my 29" long aquarium nicely.

Now that the light issue has been resolved, I need to:

1. Vacuum the gravel thoroughly
2. Do a water change
3. Clear out some of the Java moss.
4. Check the tank water (I particularly tend to have issues with nitrates)
5. Buy a few large snails (consequently, I also tend to have a lot of algae)
6. If water is okay, get some more fish (I'm down to two goldfish)

So that will keep me busy tomorrow. I also need to do the game notes, farmer's market, grocery run, spend some time with a friend, and have another over to watch Silver Linings Playbook. So I have a lot to do tomorrow. :) With that in mind, and the fact that it's half past midnight, I am going to go on to bed. Good night.

I'm tired

Brandon took me out today for some errands and to go to the store. I mostly stayed in the car, but at Kroger I went around on one of those motorised buggies. We found a way for him to help me up and down the stairs that does not involve me climbing on all fours (it was raining), although I'm not quite sure how good it is for his back.

One of the things I did was deliver a birthday present to my friend A, who catches up with me in age today. I stayed in the car and he came out and talked for a bit, although we kept it short because it's pretty cold outside. I had not seen him in over two weeks so it was nice to.

After getting back, Brandon changed the light bulbs, put a lamp together for me for the bedroom so I can read properly, fixed my bed clothes, and took out the trash. His son lit the way with his Transformers action figure with a little red flashlight on it. :)

I think it's time for a nap. Then maybe I can try out the new lamp and read. It is a floor lamp with one light going up and two small side lamps for reading. :) I just hope I can reach the switches okay. It's another gloomy day (with a mix of rain and maybe a bit of snow) and I'm ready for some sunshine, although I'm not sure when that might happen.

Let there be light

So I finally took my aquarium light in (and got toilet paper, which is good, as I was down to two sheets this morning), and it turns out that while I have an electronic ballast, and many of the early ones of those had issues, the problem was simply that my replacement bulb that I got at Incredipet was bad. So I got a new one from Animal House, they took care of my old bulb, and I'll take the bad one back and get my money back from Incredipet. Sometimes, apparently, you just have to deal with a real pet store run by people who know what they're doing, who have been doing it for years (I've watched this couple's kid grow up over time). Anyway, the fish seem happy. The new light really picks up their colours and shifts the water to a nice green.

While I was at Kroger I found a cart that is smaller than mine, a much better size for the bus, but which will carry about two or more reusable bags and save wear and tear on my little suitcase. It has a heavy-duty blue and grey cover, rugged wheels, and an aluminium body. It carried a large thing of Cottonelle toilet paper, a grocery bag, the aquarium hood, and the old bulb, and I still could have gotten a bit more in. I put it together when I got off the bus (the bus came the moment I got to the stop at Kroger) and carried everything in it. At first I thought it was broken; there were broken plastic pieces that were basically place-savers and didn't go back on after the wheels snapped on (no tools required). It was $15 or so, which I thought was very reasonable, and looks pretty sturdy.

Interesting

They say pregnant women have a glow; turns out we all do

Humans Glow in Visible Light

Past research has shown that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the levels to which our naked eyes are sensitive. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals....

The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 a.m. and its peak at 4 p.m., dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked to our body clocks, most likely due to how our metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.

Faces glowed more than the rest of the body. This might be because faces are more tanned than the rest of the body, since they get more exposure to sunlight — the pigment behind skin color, melanin, has fluorescent components that could enhance the body's miniscule light production.

Cool, yes? Although it is supposedly undetectable by the naked eye, I wonder if there is some mechanism that we are subliminally aware of it when dealing with others?