Ewwwwwww

Dead rat found in senior's mouth

A lawsuit alleges that care was so bad at a facility that a rat was able to crawl into an Alzheimer's patient's mouth and then died there. The resident, who survived, is now being cared for at another facility.

A quick post before going to work

Two things:

One, I think this is going to become addictive for me, if I can find the time to explore it:

Second Life

It's an online world where you can interact with other people, buy things using the world's currency, even own land. It has laws. It's heavily graphical and you interact through an avatar. Now here's the thing. It sounds just like a game, like The Sims, right?

But it's not. Businesses, libraries, colleges, and other organisations in the real world have gotten on board and are providing classes, reference information, and services to residents of Second Life. Some have gotten grants to do so. Why, because there are millions of people interacting with the virtual world. When I went on last night, there were 35,000 people online at the same time. That's a pretty good clientele.

Plus, you don't actually have to pay to be a resident. You have almost no money to do things like change your avatar or buy yourself an island, but you can walk around, interact with others, etc. If you pay $6 a month in real US dollars, then you get L$1000 plus a weekly stipend of L$300 (Linden dollars; the world was created by Linden Labs). That's not too terribly much, although I'd rather learn a little more before I made such a commitment. And there are a couple of other premium plans for those who want more L$ to spend. Check it out, and if you join, tell them Eilir Meriman sent you. (You get to choose your first name and then choose from several last names).

Second, while I generally love that Abilify is such a small pill, I keep dropping them down the sink, which is bad, as it's also a rather expensive one. Agh!

Okay, that is all. Time to go make money in the Real World. :)

Wow

It wasn't just a tree fire. The transformer that started the fire was atop a pole that split in two due to the heavy winds (or possibly a lightning strike), with the jagged end falling right back down into the earth, leaving the pole quite a bit shorter. So, Kentucky Utilities had to come out and replace the whole pole. I guess it's a good thing that nothing fell on anyone's house or fence.

My, what an interesting day

First of all, there was the fact I had Indian goodness to bring for lunch. This was followed by pie, with which a group of us at work celebrate each other's birthdays. So it was like a birthday extension. I had coconut cream, and it was yummy. Plus, I still have plenty of aloo ghabi and peshwari naan for tomorrow.

This afternoon I took back the blouse I bought last night, because sadly it was too small. I got two others for the same amount of money, which was cool. It is, however, truly frightening what my shirt size has become. The gym and a food diary are calling. Plus, I definitely need to weigh myself tomorrow. At least my stomach wasn't the problem; it was my chest. But still...it would be nice to get into fairly normal clothes.

I finished Rutland Place by Anne Perry. I love the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels, but I'm going through them slowly since I was getting them from the library and there are gaps--and I think I bought Resurrection Row at least twice plus checked it out because I kept forgetting which one I'd read. Yes, I can be a scatterbrain sometimes.

I also got my hair cut short with some layers in it so it's not so weighed down. Of course, it got rained on shortly after that, so it's hard to see how well it will come out on a daily basis. The lady at the shop really wanted to colour my hair auburn with soft highlights. I put her off for now, although I've always wanted to have auburn or red hair. And after all, I'm forty and turning grey a little at a time. It's time to have fun, right? But like I said, not right now.

I went home for a couple of hours and the sunny day quickly turned to thunderstorms complete with hail. I went to do the notes and instead wound up calling the fire department because there was a tree on fire and spreading to others and I didn't want it spreading to anyone's house. They were there for a couple of hours taking care of that, so instead of doing the game notes, I wound up watching The Devil Wears Prada, which was quite excellent. I really enjoyed it. Of course I loved Glenn Close and Anne Hathaway, but there was a guy I just thought was adorable, Adrian Grenier, too.

So now I'm home. My mom called and left messages. I think she may have forgotten my birthday yesterday. But she wished me a happy fortieth today instead.

I have to get up early for our semi-annual birthday breakfast tomorrow. Our administrator makes omelets and the various directors serve breakfast. And I love breakfast, especially when it's free. That's three days of birthday. :)

Good night.

Heard this morning on Bob & Sheri

It is now absolutely hilarious, and certainly my favourite rap song (out of a field of maybe three). After all, I do way too much of the stuff described. :) Watch the video on YouTube.com.

Weird Al Yankovic's 'White & Nerdy'

They see me mowin' my front lawn
I know they're all thinkin' I'm so
White and nerdy

Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Can't you see I'm white and nerdy
Look at me I'm white and nerdy

I wanna roll with the gangstas
But so far they all think I'm too
White and nerdy

Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
I'm just too white and nerdy
Really, really white and nerdy

First in my class here at MIT
Got skills, I'm a champion at D&D
M.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C.
Keep you're 40, I'll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin, to the contrary
You'll find that they're quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Stephen Hawking's in my library

My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
Got people beggin' for my top eight spaces
Yo, I know pi to a thousand places
Ain't got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I'm a wiz at Minesweeper, I could play for days
Once you've see my sweet moves, you're gonna stay amazed
My fingers movin' so fast I'll set the place ablaze

There's no killer app I haven't run (run)
At Pascal, well I'm number one (one)
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain't got a gat, but I got a soldering gun (what?)
Happy Days is my favorite theme song
I could sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I'm fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon

Here's the part I sing on...

You see me roll on my Segway
I know in my heart they think I'm
White and nerdy

Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Can't you see I'm white and nerdy

Look at me I'm white and nerdy

I'd like to roll with the gangstas
Although it's apparent I'm too
White and nerdy

Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
I'm just too white and nerdy
How'd I get so white and nerdy

I been browsin', inspectin' X-Men comics
You know I collect 'em
The pens in my pocket, I must protect them
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shoppin' online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you R-O-T-F-L-O-L

I got a business doing websites (websites)
When my friends need some code, who do they call?
I do HTML for 'em all
Even made a homepage for my dog, yo
I got myself a fanny pack
They were havin' a sale down at The Gap
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
Pop, pop - hope no one sees me gettin' freaky

I'm nerdy in the extreme
Whiter than sour cream
I was in AV club and glee club
And even the chess team
Only question I ever thought was hard
Was "Do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?"
Spend every weekend at the Renaissance Faire

Got my name on my underwear They see me strollin', they're laughin'
And rollin' their eyes cause I'm so
White and nerdy

Just because I'm white and nerdy
Just because I'm white and nerdy
All because I'm white and nerdy
Holy cow, I'm white and nerdy

I wanna bowl with the gangstas
But oh well, it's obvious I'm
White and nerdy

Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
I'm just too white and nerdy
Look at me I'm white and nerdy

Oh, and good Pesach/Passover for those of the Jewish persuasion

It's first full moon since the equinox, so tonight is the beginning of suppers in remembrance of the Exodus. I must remember to wish a co-worker a good Pesach tomorrow.

It was a good birthday

The weather was gorgeous, sunny and in the 70s. Tomorrow a line of storms is supposed to come in bringing a cold front that will probably mean some of those spring flowers, especially tulip trees, will be hit. But today was glorious, and I'm glad it was like that on my birthday.

I slept until 1:30 in the afternoon. I meant to get up two hours earlier, but slept through my alarm and phone calls on both phones. I think I really needed it. I normally don't get enough sleep, and I had worked a pretty long stretch last week. With our new borrowed assistant manager, it looks like I'll be working at the store just on Thursdays and Saturdays for awhile, which will hopefully give me a break. Last week I was just off on Sunday and Friday, for example. Sunday's the game of course, which is actually an all-day affair for me that mixes relaxation and work, and that left one day to do errands, etc. This week will be much better. I'm thinking of getting my hair cut tomorrow, for instance. I also need to get an oil change soon--I'm just now hitting 3,000 miles since the last one.

Then I went and picked up a friend and we did a few small errands and then went to Masala in Beaumont Centre (I'd planned on Tandoor, but it was clear across town from where we were, and they're owned by the same people). We each had enough food to feed a small army, with plenty to take home for tomorrow. I even managed to save peshwari nan for lunch tomorrow, and a samosa, too. I had appetizers that included pakora and samosas, aloo ghabi and we split one of my favourite dishes, vegetable korma,--it's vegetables in a sweet cream sauce with peanuts. I really wanted to get some gulab jamun, and when he found out it was my birthday, the waiter said he would bring me something, that turned out to be a gulab jamun ball with a birthday candle in it, sitting in kheer (Indian rice pudding). Here's their menu, which is great, since I can never remember the korma's name. It was all wonderful, and the servers were very attentive. I had planned to pick up the tab, but my friend did instead, insisting on treating me for my birthday. That was very sweet.

Afraid that I would go to sleep after such a large meal, instead of going home I went to Meijer and treated myself to a new pair of jeans and a blouse (both very reasonably priced). I also found a new facial scrub (mine is on its last dregs). It's a pineapple enzyme scrub from Alba (I've had good luck with their lotions). I tried it just now and it cleans without drying my face like my Neutrogena Rapid Clear did. It feels very soft, actually. Now we'll just have to see how it does with oil control. I'm definitely one of those combination skin girls.

Since then I've been relaxing to Loreena McKennit music, inhaling an orchid scented oil candle, and spending some time with Cerys, my dog. I did get sleepy and napped for awhile. Then I got up and went to get a friend from work, and now I'm blogging, although I'm going to go back to bed shortly. I also got a price slashed orchid while shopping for dog food that I'm going to try to coax back to bloom. I can never justify the expense for one in full bloom, but this was very cheap. I think it will have yellow/green and purple blooms--I compared it to others in the store. I know someone who grows orchids and is a member one of the local orchid societies (there are two, the Bluegrass Orchid Society and the Central Kentucky one. I'm not sure which he belongs to, or both). Anyway, I'm hoping he can give me tips on fertilizer, etc. I saw one at Meijer tonight that was so dark purple it was almost black. I love these flowers. I'd like to collect them. But I'm definitely going to see how I do with this Dendrobium first.

It's been a wonderful day, and it's made me feel very good about turning forty, after all. I mean, I have several friends and acquaintances who enrich my life every day. I have a wonderful albeit geriatric dog. I have reasonably good health and a steady if part-time job with full benefits. For once I'm actually running a little ahead financially (although that may go away come tax time). I'm very lucky, really, and I don't usually take the time to appreciate all the good things in my life. For those of you who do make it special, thank you. I know sometimes I'm insufferable, sometimes I'm way out there, and sometimes I'm just bordering on psycho, but you stick by me all the way. I appreciate that so much.

Happy Birthday to me

Listening to: Marc Broussard, 'Take Me Home'

I've spent most of it in bed so far, on purpose. Now I'm getting up and getting ready to celebrate with Indian food this evening. A friend and I are going to go to the restaurant Tandoor.

It's hard to believe I'm 40 years old! I mostly don't feel like 40, although I do in some things occasionally, like aches and pains and a decidedly mature outlook compared with that of teenagers (something that largely happened with me kicking and screaming the whole way as a result of my experiences and constant kicks in the pants by concerned onlookers). Most people think I'm in my late 20s, early 30s (the fat provides an excellent facelift), so I guess I'm doing okay for now. My mom didn't really age until she hit about 45-50, and even now I wouldn't think she's about to turn 60.

Yesterday's game was really good, although we didn't have on of the players there, got a late start, so we played until late. One of my characters has his soul in mortal peril because his sword, which is mystically linked to him, is being used to kill people. If they don't stop it, he'll continue to descend into darkness until there is nothing left to do but kill him. I rolled a botching roll to to get to all this. Bad dice. :( Meanwhile, Margaret's new character turns out to be a doctor who's a necromancer (he's related to mine) and she's decidedly unhappy about this. I think her visions of her character have flown out the window. But I think she's intrigued as well. :) Again, it came down to a dice roll. Agh.

PS Yesterday I found a snake in the rain on our back porch. Today it was sunning itself. I think a whole family of them live in the cracks in the wall of the police officer's apartment. :) I happen to like snakes, but they can still startle you, and this one did (assuming it's the same one, anyway). I know at least one person who wouldn't set foot in the backyard for that reason. :)

Well, that's it for now. I need to get ready.

A somewhat eventful day

the most important personally being that it is my birthday. :) I don't really consider it such until after 8:14 in the morning, which is my birth time, but thought I'd make an early post.

Birthdays and other significant events for April 2nd

New York Times On This Day

BBC On This Day

and of course:

Your Birthdate: April 2

You're so intuitive, it's like you have a sixth, seventh, and eighth sense. You connect with others freely and easily - and you tend to have many best friends. Warm and caring, it's hard for you to close your heart to anyone. Affection is like air for you - you need to give and receive it to survive. Your strength: Your universal compassion [well, kinda; there are a few I'd like to see removed from the planet, but then I'm no Mother Teresa] Your weakness: Your unpredictable mood swings [oh, yes] Your power color: Mauve [that's a kind of purple, right?] Your power symbol: Butterfly [Eilir means butterfly :)] Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Listening to: Loreena McKennit's Book of Secrets

Too late and tired to blog tonight, so you get a quick quiz

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Visioning

You are very insightful and tend to make decisions based on your insights. You focus on how things should be - even if you haven't worked out the details. An idealist, thinking of the future helps you guide your path. You tend to give others long-term direction and momentum.

What's Your Thinking Style?