See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die
Friday, December 05, 2008
This is a great, short, musical about discrimination, scripture, and people who like to rain on others' parades. Oh, and Jack Black as Jesus!
"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Margaret Cho, and many more:
Thursday, December 04, 2008
I'm up early
I've showered/brushed my teeth, gotten dressed, taken my medicine, made my bed, did the dishes, gathered up the trash from the kitchen and bathroom, and taken some pictures off my camera and put them on the computer, all with two hours left before I have to be at work, so I'm going to do some yoga and work on notes as well.
Last night I did some holiday decorating. I strung lights in the window (normal, multi-coloured ones, replacing the white icicle ones that no longer lit. I can now close my curtains in the living room. I couldn't before because the string had caught on the mechanism. Here is a before and after shot of the tree, which is a Norfolk Virginia pine in a pot:
and decorated:
If you look carefully, you'll notice a few top branches removed, because I tried in vain to get my tree topper on it (so I hung it from the window--it's the star). I did tie the removed bits to my equal-armed reed cross that hangs on the door. The tree looked like Charlie Brown's tree with the topper on it, bent over (okay, it still does, a little bit). But it's a live tree that hopefully I'll be able to keep alive for a few years, as long as I remember to water it, because they like moist soil. That's two plants in the house right now--the other being a Christmas cactus I'm trying to get to bloom. My mom says the secret isn't so much dark and cool environment like you normally see but putting an apple slice with a bag over the plant to release ethene gas. I'll have to try it. It's kind of nice not to have cats so I can have plants without worrying about them being eaten.
(Just in case you're wondering, yes I am pagan, but so is the so-called Christmas tree. Ancient pagans in northern Europe brought in evergreens, after all. And in many cultures light is important at this time of the year to symbolise the return of the sun.)
Last night, in fact, was my night to give an offering to my Patroness. I put out two halves of a pomegranate, with spring water poured over it, then honey, then lavender petals sprinkled over that. I had taken a cleansing bath beforehand with sea salt in it. I do this every month at the time of my menstruation, and have for, oh, I don't know, maybe 15 years.
Okay, that's enough for now. It's time for notes!
Last night I did some holiday decorating. I strung lights in the window (normal, multi-coloured ones, replacing the white icicle ones that no longer lit. I can now close my curtains in the living room. I couldn't before because the string had caught on the mechanism. Here is a before and after shot of the tree, which is a Norfolk Virginia pine in a pot:
and decorated:
If you look carefully, you'll notice a few top branches removed, because I tried in vain to get my tree topper on it (so I hung it from the window--it's the star). I did tie the removed bits to my equal-armed reed cross that hangs on the door. The tree looked like Charlie Brown's tree with the topper on it, bent over (okay, it still does, a little bit). But it's a live tree that hopefully I'll be able to keep alive for a few years, as long as I remember to water it, because they like moist soil. That's two plants in the house right now--the other being a Christmas cactus I'm trying to get to bloom. My mom says the secret isn't so much dark and cool environment like you normally see but putting an apple slice with a bag over the plant to release ethene gas. I'll have to try it. It's kind of nice not to have cats so I can have plants without worrying about them being eaten.
(Just in case you're wondering, yes I am pagan, but so is the so-called Christmas tree. Ancient pagans in northern Europe brought in evergreens, after all. And in many cultures light is important at this time of the year to symbolise the return of the sun.)
Last night, in fact, was my night to give an offering to my Patroness. I put out two halves of a pomegranate, with spring water poured over it, then honey, then lavender petals sprinkled over that. I had taken a cleansing bath beforehand with sea salt in it. I do this every month at the time of my menstruation, and have for, oh, I don't know, maybe 15 years.
Okay, that's enough for now. It's time for notes!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
A good start to the day
First of all, I got up early enough to not have to rush and was able to do a few things. I would have done yoga but I started my period last night and the video recommends against that. I learnt a long time ago that exercise on the first day was very bad for me. I also have to be careful of chiropractors' massage tables. I once wound up on the floor of the comic store writhing in pain so bad that I though birth was imminent. At that point, ibuprofen barely touches it. Same with any heavy exercise, like working out at the gym. So I avoid it. In a couple of days, however, it's usually okay. This morning I had a little time so I used a heated (gentle) massage cushion to ease the pain and relaxed quite a bit. I also got the trash ready to go out, made the bed, and got ready for work. I didn't manage to do the dishes; that will have to wait until tonight.
Another nice thing is that today is the first of two paydays for the week, and beyond that there was a debit that was supposed to come out of my account two days ago that is still in the pending column, so it didn't bounce after all, which means more money and I can actually afford some groceries plus toothpaste and body wash, which I was getting terribly low on. Yay!
Yesterday was the day of pizza. I had some for lunch, then we had more at the store meeting. I didn't get a chance to eat (and was stuffed from lunch anyway) because I ran the register whilst the others met (let's face it, I have been there three years, I know the spiel, having attended many of these). So, since my boss always gets a cheese pizza so the vegetarian can have some and they saved that for me, I got to take a whole pizza home with me.
I also found out yesterday that I'm getting a 20 cent raise at the store. I probably would have had 25 cents, but I got downgraded on my lack of suggestive selling. (I hate being suggestive sold to, and unless someone is already getting something similar or one item when it's a better deal for two, I don't do it very well.) We do make bonus on it, though. Fortunately there are several people who do it much better, so we do usually make goal, but there you have it. That brings me to $8.55 an hour, which yes, is still low, but I'm making almost as much as a shift leader without the responsibility, and let's face it, it's a low retail position. Fortunately I make a much higher per-hour amount at the hospital. If only it were full-time, I'd actually be pretty comfortable and could save more....
Well, I'd like to get to work a little early, and I need to stop by the bank briefly and get some cash. I'll blog later tonight, most likely. Hope you have a stress-free and safe holiday season, by the way.
Another nice thing is that today is the first of two paydays for the week, and beyond that there was a debit that was supposed to come out of my account two days ago that is still in the pending column, so it didn't bounce after all, which means more money and I can actually afford some groceries plus toothpaste and body wash, which I was getting terribly low on. Yay!
Yesterday was the day of pizza. I had some for lunch, then we had more at the store meeting. I didn't get a chance to eat (and was stuffed from lunch anyway) because I ran the register whilst the others met (let's face it, I have been there three years, I know the spiel, having attended many of these). So, since my boss always gets a cheese pizza so the vegetarian can have some and they saved that for me, I got to take a whole pizza home with me.
I also found out yesterday that I'm getting a 20 cent raise at the store. I probably would have had 25 cents, but I got downgraded on my lack of suggestive selling. (I hate being suggestive sold to, and unless someone is already getting something similar or one item when it's a better deal for two, I don't do it very well.) We do make bonus on it, though. Fortunately there are several people who do it much better, so we do usually make goal, but there you have it. That brings me to $8.55 an hour, which yes, is still low, but I'm making almost as much as a shift leader without the responsibility, and let's face it, it's a low retail position. Fortunately I make a much higher per-hour amount at the hospital. If only it were full-time, I'd actually be pretty comfortable and could save more....
Well, I'd like to get to work a little early, and I need to stop by the bank briefly and get some cash. I'll blog later tonight, most likely. Hope you have a stress-free and safe holiday season, by the way.
Venus + Jupiter + the Moon = a wonderful conjunction (that smiles or frowns depending on where you are)
This is from Thailand (I love the singing--it was fun--so I used this one). In Asia and Australia the image was of a smiley face. Here in America it was an upside down face that seemed to frown. Try AstroEngine for more information from this continent and an overview of the conjunction itself. In Western Europe one planet was occulted briefly, too (I think it was Venus being occulted by the Moon, but don't quote me.) I didn't see it last night, but I saw the moon pretty close to the planets tonight, and it was still wonderful.
I found a nifty website today
called PaperBackSwap. On it you post books that you no longer want that you are willing to mail to another member, and then you get credits for each book that you can then spend on a book for yourself. You get two free credits to start with when you put 10 books into the system. Since I need to weed the home library, I went ahead and posted a few and I've ordered my first book (Anne Perry's Bluegate Fields, which I keep missing in the bookstores and have never gotten around to special ordering). The only drawback is that you're giving some total stranger your mailing address, but it can be any legitimate one. I could use the hospital, but I thought it would be easier to just have it sent home. So we'll see. Hopefully I won't wind up with some bibliophile stalker.
Oh, and the nice thing, too, is that it's free (although they do reserve the right to charge in the future, they also promise to give plenty of warning should they go to that model.) Anyway, try it out. It sounds like fun. I'll update when I know how things turn out from my order.
PS I just put in for my second book, 100 Ghastly Little Ghost Stories, which includes stories by Lovecraft and Bierce among others.
Strange things you find out by reading Wikipedia
One of my favourite mystery writers, Anne Perry (a pen name for Juliet Hulme and who writes the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series), was convicted as a teenager along with her best friend of murdering the friend's mother. She was fifteen at the time and not eligible for the death penalty in New Zealand. She and the girl were released some years later on the condition of never meeting again. Later she became a flight attendant and then award-winning author. I went to look up the list of her books and found a much more fascinating piece of information as well.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Listening to:
honeyhoney's 'Little Toy Gun' (video directed by Kiefer Sutherland, who appears in it as well)
Okay, WAY past my bedtime. Good night.
Okay, WAY past my bedtime. Good night.
Maybe this will encourage mental health programmes
1 in 5 young Americans has personality disorder: Fewer than 25 percent of college-age suffers get treatment, study finds
The article also mentions that '[a]ccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 1 in four U.S. adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.'
The study also looked at anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and other non-personality disorders. Personality disorders are especially difficult to treat, because they are complex.
College counseling programmes need to really work at reaching those in need. Also, since those 18-25 tend to work in lower-paying jobs, it is also important that programmes be made available to young people outside of colleges who may no longer be on their parents' insurance and otherwise could not afford treatment. Let's face it--psychiatric treatment is expensive, even with insurance. If you meet a counselor every other week even with a $10 co-pay, that's $260 a year, plus the cost of medications. Without insurance it would be more like $75-150 a session. Treatment of the young is also important because untreated mental disorders tend to worsen as we age, plus this is a time when students and others are establishing themselves in terms of education and career.
I am fortunate to have access to decent health care--but even I struggle with medical costs. This coming year my co-pays have doubled, so I'm having about $3000 taken out of my pay for my flexible spending account. Much of that has to do with mental health. That's about 13% of my salary at the two jobs. I wish I'd had access to it when I was younger--if I had been treated for my various issues at an earlier age I might have succeeded in getting a PhD in mediaeval history like I planned. My anxiety at doing the oral exam/thesis defence was so great, but I didn't realise how bad it was until I was put on medication once it was too late to use my credits for the degree. I have a mix of illnesses that really make my life difficult sometimes, but treatment has helped immensely. My anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are much improved. I'm also had a year-long intensive group dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder and am on medicine for bipolar II disorder. Throw in medicine for attention-deficit disorder, too, although I don't know if the researchers in this study would consider that a mental disorder. I still have a lot to deal with in terms of childhood issues and other topics for counseling, but my brain chemistry is much better. :) Anyway, you can see I have a personal perspective on this issue.
(I know, I sound absolutely crazy if you go by my diagnoses. But hey, I'm what they call 'medically managed', and I'm working and paying taxes and all that, plus I'm not living on the street. Yet, anyway. I know I've had some close calls on that front. My point is there's a stigma attached to mental illness, but people being treated can lead productive lives. It's when they go off their medicine or stop counseling that they tend to go off the deep end before they know it.)
Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind.
The article also mentions that '[a]ccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 1 in four U.S. adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.'
The study also looked at anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and other non-personality disorders. Personality disorders are especially difficult to treat, because they are complex.
College counseling programmes need to really work at reaching those in need. Also, since those 18-25 tend to work in lower-paying jobs, it is also important that programmes be made available to young people outside of colleges who may no longer be on their parents' insurance and otherwise could not afford treatment. Let's face it--psychiatric treatment is expensive, even with insurance. If you meet a counselor every other week even with a $10 co-pay, that's $260 a year, plus the cost of medications. Without insurance it would be more like $75-150 a session. Treatment of the young is also important because untreated mental disorders tend to worsen as we age, plus this is a time when students and others are establishing themselves in terms of education and career.
I am fortunate to have access to decent health care--but even I struggle with medical costs. This coming year my co-pays have doubled, so I'm having about $3000 taken out of my pay for my flexible spending account. Much of that has to do with mental health. That's about 13% of my salary at the two jobs. I wish I'd had access to it when I was younger--if I had been treated for my various issues at an earlier age I might have succeeded in getting a PhD in mediaeval history like I planned. My anxiety at doing the oral exam/thesis defence was so great, but I didn't realise how bad it was until I was put on medication once it was too late to use my credits for the degree. I have a mix of illnesses that really make my life difficult sometimes, but treatment has helped immensely. My anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are much improved. I'm also had a year-long intensive group dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder and am on medicine for bipolar II disorder. Throw in medicine for attention-deficit disorder, too, although I don't know if the researchers in this study would consider that a mental disorder. I still have a lot to deal with in terms of childhood issues and other topics for counseling, but my brain chemistry is much better. :) Anyway, you can see I have a personal perspective on this issue.
(I know, I sound absolutely crazy if you go by my diagnoses. But hey, I'm what they call 'medically managed', and I'm working and paying taxes and all that, plus I'm not living on the street. Yet, anyway. I know I've had some close calls on that front. My point is there's a stigma attached to mental illness, but people being treated can lead productive lives. It's when they go off their medicine or stop counseling that they tend to go off the deep end before they know it.)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Remembering...World Aids Day
and all the people who have died...and all the people living with HIV/AIDS...and all the people at risk this very moment. Please, take precautions. Learn everything you can. Have compassion for those with the disease. Do everything in your power to eradicate it--and maybe someday we won't have to wear red ribbons or have a day devoted to a disease.
Thanks to DB Mathews for the graphic.
Okay, one quiz
The Window ShopperRandom Gentle Love Dreamer (RGLD) Loving, hopeful, open. Likely to carry on an romance from afar. You are The Window Shopper. You take love as opportunities come, which can lead to a high-anxiety, but high-flying romantic life. You're a genuinely sweet person, not saccharine at all, so it's likely that the relationships you have had and will have will be happy ones. You've had a fair amount of love experience for your age, and there'll be much more to come. Part of why we know this is that, of all female types, you are the most prone to sudden, ferocious crushes. Your results indicate that you're especially capable of obsessing over a guy you just met. Obviously, passion like this makes for an intense existence. It can also make for soul-destroying letdowns. Your ideal match is someone who'll love you back with equal fire, and someone you've grown to love slowly. A self-involved or pessimistic man is especially bad. Though you're drawn to them, avoid artists at all costs. Your exact female opposite: The Stiletto  Deliberate Brutal Sex Master Always avoid: The Hornivore (RBSM) Consider: The Gentleman (DGLM), The Loverboy (RGLM), The Boy Next Door (RGLD) |
| Link: The Online Dating Persona Test | OkCupid - dating services | Dating My profile name: : eilir |
YKWIA told me about this one. I haven't had as much experience as it indicates, but otherwise I think it may be pretty accurate.
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