Ah...It's ALIVE!

I decided to celebrate Halloween early this year by becomin a zombie. Well, not actually; I contracted some puking plague that left me unable to do much more than lay on the couch and sip ginger ale and PeptoBismol. You know you're sick when the yucky taste of the pink stuff doesn't even faze you. Thanks to Zabet, I survived without withering to a husk. She left the aforementioned items along with children's acetaminaphen on my door as a care package and then scampered out of the plague zone. (No sense getting sick being a good Samaritan, after all). :) Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Mecca's rendition of "Thriller" zombies because I was pretending to be one. For a full description, check out Zabet's blog.

I did manage to make it to work yesterday, but apparently must have looked like crap, because no one bothered me and I quietly wrote out book cards and defragmented my hard drive. Oh, and took a nap for lunch, right at my desk. After all, I wasn't up to much other than saltines. You know you look bad when the cashier just tells you to take the little packages because she doesn't want you to be too close. Now normally, working in a hospital, I wouldn't have come in. But with all the doctor's appointments I've had this year, even though I haven't been missing days and have tried to make appointments near the beginning or end of the workday--and I've finally built up some personal time off (about a week's worth, actually), I'm under verbal counseling for attendance. So...I dragged my ass into work. Besides, I hadn't thrown up for about 14 hours and I wasn't shivering anymore, so I thought I was safe. More than anything I was sore. I literally felt like someone had beaten me senseless with a splintered baseball bat. Even my ankles hurt. So once the clock came up for quitting time (well, actually, it didn't; our clocks at work have responded to the return from daylight savings time like they were in the twilight zone--we finally got everything back on time today) I skipped DBT and went home to crash for a few more hours.

My mom and grandmother called last night. Apparently the sickbed emanations of "I want my mommy!" winged across the aether. I had almost called Momma on Sunday, but decided that was kind of pathetic. Apparently they'd both been thinking about me and wondered if I were doing alright. That's the Reardon women for you--I used to think they just had eyes in the backs of their heads (and flames in their eyes, but that's another story). After a few times of my mom slowing down right before the deer darted in front of the car or pulling over because she felt "like a lot of people died, all at once)--nearly crashing the car that time--just as a plane crashed about 500 miles away, I stopped questioning. When my mom told me she didn't feel she could give me an old car of hers because she could see me dying in it, I understood. I'm still convinced that it's just as well that my own car has been reduced to non-working status. I got flashes of a crash from the first week I had it, and certainly no one ever seemed to see the thing, since I was rear-ended not once but several times.

Anyway, going back today was much better, despite getting soaked. I'd left my umbrella, which is breaking down anyway, at the office the day before. So I wore my purple duster, thinking that it didn't look that bad, and got soaked through. One of my coworkers said something about a nice day for a morning stroll. I said I was starting Halloween early, going as a giant purple Jawa. After awhile, with my life, you learn to take things with humour. Fortunately I had an extra shirt squirrelled away at work, and my shoes dried out fairly quickly. To be honest I'm not sure the umbrella would have helped. I am thinking that now that I'm a pedestrian I need to get some brighter duds. Nearly everything I wear or carry is purple or black. It's no guarantee--that bright umbrella of the woman killed by a bus here in Lexington not too long ago still haunts me, but it couldn't hurt. I found an umbrella that was bright blue with cats on it tonight. I'm thinking though that I need something more reflective, like yellow--and a jacket, too. :) Of course, I'd look like a giant duckling. That would be a Halloween monster guaranteed to scare the kids. :)

Well, that's enough for now. Time to go eat real food (black refried beans in a bluet taco shell, with European salad, tomato, and onion). Oh, hell. Maybe I should just go for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No sense in tempting fate too much.

The Good News and the Bad News...

The good news, of course, is the general relief that the country is feeling regarding the capture of two men in the Washington, DC sniper case, which at this point is old news, but I didn't get a chance to add my rejoicing to the pot last evening when the news broke. The details have been at times chilling and harrowing, but at the same time, as with most serial killings, it is the story of two apparent osers who thought they were playing God. Granted, they're innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence seems particularly strong, especially with the recovery of a weapon linked through ballistics to the killings. The sad thing, of course, is that while people may venture out of their homes now, their safety really is an illusion. We're never really safe, after all. We just have to live life like we are, because if we refuse to go out because of fear of people like the snipers, then we allow a small possibility of becoming a victim to run our lives. It's funny; I've always been fascinated with how the criminal mind works, and of piecing the clues together. As a mystery buff and potential writer, it's always been a natural obsession. As I've gotten older, though, I find I care less for the work of the criminals and more for the results of their crimes--their victims, whose names get shuffled away while the criminals go down in the record books, the families left behind, the pain. If I ever do write fictional murders, I hope I can convey that part, too. It's cases like this that have you wonder "what if's". We could all put ourselves in the position of someone pumping gas, or walking out of a store, after all, people just going through their normal lives. Everything changes in an instant, but that pain of losing a loved one never goes away. My sympathies go out to the families of the victims.

Also, the Russians have liberated the theatre where several hundred hostages had been taken by Chechen militants. While I understand the desire to have an independent homeland, I do not understand taking innocent lives in an effort to gain it. It's unclear at this time how many of the hostages were killed by the militants and in the final push, but it sounds like the Russian forces had no real choice--people were being killed and the hostages were trying to escape. An ultimatum had been made that the hostages would be killed soon.

So much violence. Okay, maybe it's not so much good news, as relieved news.

The Bad News? Distinguished actor Richard Harris is dead. I've admired him for years, having first seen him in A Man Called Horse. He and Peter O'Toole were a decent pair of Irish rogues. And of course lately, he's played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. Sad to think he won't be able to complete them. He's also one of the only "classic" actors I really ever remember being blonde--the old stereotype for leading men being dark and handsome, with leading ladies usually being blonde.

Also I'm concerned that one of the most liberal Democrats in the US Senate was killed in a plane crash today (along with his wife and daughter), just 11 days before the elections. According to what I read earlier, Sen. Wellstone was the only Democrat up for re-election who voted against the recent resolution to use force against Iraq. He was a professor who taught students about Grass Roots politics. He served despite having multiple sclerosis and was a proponent of health care reform, veterans' rights, and environmental concerns. Essentially it sounds like he stood for a lot of the same things I did, and I'd hate for the balance between the parties within the Senate to tip due to this terrible tragedy.

I guess I'm just on a gloom-and-doom kick. I'll try to keep things on an up beat next post. :)

Here's a spooky Friday Five!

1. What is your favorite scary movie?
Probably the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. The first two and the last one, at least. I didn't see them until my 20s, and then they were used to demonstrate the perils of astral travel. :) My truly favourite supposedly horror movie is "Wicker Man", which has been adopted by most of my pagan friends; but we think it's neat, not horrorific.

2. What is your favorite Halloween treat?
Peanut-butter kisses, followed by the mellocreme pumpkins.

3. Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, describe your best Halloween costume.
Yes. Hmmm...my favourite was probably a "Planet of the Apes" costume when I was 7 of the character "Lisa". I got it because it had my name on it. Egocentric? Moi? It had that funky smell that those 70s plastic costumes had. One of the best was for "Rocky Horror Picture Show". I wore my father's handmade purple paisley tuxedo jacket (honestly, he had it made in Tokyo during the Vietnam War) and went as one of the groupies.

4. Do you enjoy going to haunted houses or other spooky events?
Oh, yes. One of the local belly/ethnic dance studios is doing a re-enactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" this weekend (30 zombies dancing down Limestone Street). There are usually candlelit tours of Henry Clay's home, Ashland, in my neighbourhood. And there are lots of haunted houses around UK. I can't really afford Phantom of the Opera or the Lexington's Ballet Dracula--yes, ballet, but they sound nifty.

5. Will you dress up for Halloween this year?
Yes. Ha, you didn't ask as what. I have the benefit of working in a children's hospital, and so staff are encouraged to dress up, especially since the kids come around trick-or-treating to the various offices. Our laboratory head once came as Dracula (you know, they take the blood tests). I'm leaning toward my mediaevelly-witch costume from last year's Harry Potter party. It's purple with silver tie ups, a big pointy hat, and a wimple. I do wimples well. It's a shame they went out of style centuries ago. I have a matching lavender/sparkly wig to match, and an owl and wand of my own.

Aaaaahhhh....

To be home at last is a joy. But my days have perked up, too. The library is BEAUTIFUL. It's in the best order since I've been here, the back journals are ready to be sent for binding, and I can see my desk. I can also see people coming through the door for the first time in five years, due to some rearranging. The little room where the patient/family library will be is going well. We've ordered more bookshelves and then I need to fill them with books. For now, though, I'm catching up on some of my other duties, like working on an open house for Medical Librarian's month, preparing for an organisational meeting in December, and checking on some articles, although I spent a good couple of hours creating word puzzles for one of the departments because all the demos I downloaded wouldn't allow you to print one lousy copy as part of the trial period. Then it was on to TV night. I went to catch the last bus of the night and left my keys. My friend A came running out to the bus stop with them, at which point I rewarded him with some snack food. He saved me a lot of trouble. Besides, he's always appreciative of snacks.

I found out that while Shannon the rescue dog lady was away on her trip the puppy nearly died, was nursed back to health, and then her partner, not knowing I was interested, placed the puppy with the guy who was fostering her. I have to give him credit--not only did he get her through a rough patch, he actually moved because he wasn't allowed to have a dog at his old place. Now he lives upstairs from Shannon. All in all, I think it worked out well. I wasn't ready for a puppy, and I'm the last person who would insist on breaking up a team that had already bonded. Three weeks for a puppy is probably about on par with those kids who get snatched at about a year old back from their loving adoptive parents on a technicality. So, I'm a little disappointed, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I know that people are concerned because all of my pets are geriatric and it's a matter of time before I start losing them, but I'm not sure I'd want to add any more animals until that happens. Cerys loves being the only dog, for example. I certainly have responsibilities with her and the cats. Spock is like a large kitty magnet, and especially loves draping himself over my shoulders. Darius has turned from a feral, scared kitten into a very loving cat. Buns loves to be scratched--he's always so itchy. Right now he's having a flare-up where his ear has itched to a point where he broke the skin and it's gone into a mild infection. It happens occasionally when his allergies worsen. I'm keeping it cleaned and I'm using an antibacterial cream on it but it's not to a point where I have to take him to the vet yet. I don't think he really likes the cream--it's in a petroleum jelly form, and I've never particularly liked that sticky sensation, either. But I'm hoping that will clear it up without having to take him to the vet.

Okay, you probably don't want to hear about my cat's weird illnesses (just slightly less tedious than hearing about mine, I know). So here's something to end on a light note. It was an anonymous quote I came across today. "The reason more activists target fur than leather is that it's a lot easier to attack a rich woman than a to take on a whole motorcycle gang." :) :) :)

I feel a little like Tinkerbell...

Today I expected the weather to be dreary and grey again. So, since I wanted to brighten things up, and I wanted to distract people from a thankfully small but annoying cold sore, I wore a new top that is purple with paisley-patterned black velvet and lots of silver glitter. I should point out that the main reason I bought this was for holiday parties; I'm a little too much of a stick-in-the-mud to gallavant around normally in sparkly things. Since today was actually quite sunny, I kind of felt like a purple and silver disco ball as I walked around campus. But it was a lot of fun to watch the sparklies. I also deposited large amounts of glitter like faerie dust wherever I went; my chair at work, the bus, the student centre, DBT. Ah, glitter--the gift that truly keeps on giving, because from there others will sit in those spots and take glitter back to their own homes, depositing it about all the way.

Tonight I also started reading Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel. It's written with beautiful language that's evocative of sea shanties, mournful ballads, and tales of magic. In tone compared to other books I've read it's probably closest to Patrick O'Leary's The Gift which is one of the finest novels I've ever read. So, I've been reading and listening to Loreena McKinnitt, so it's been very Otherworldly here tonight as a theme.

If I seem ever-so-much calmer, it's because my huge library project is essentially finished. I still have to do some cataloguing and ordering of more books (it's always lovely to discover that you still have more grant money to spend). Most importantly, the library itself has returned to order. Housekeeping has some things to take away for me, but otherwise everything's back in place. Yea! I feel like I moved a mountain of stuff. Oh, that's right, I did. The family resource room is quite cozy. There's a carpet, couch, books, bookcases, plants, and a TV/VCR for the videotapes. I've ordered a vertical file for pamphlets, newsletters, support group papers, etc. I think once we get it publicised it will be very helpful for our patients and their families.

I am, however, rather tired for some inexplicable reason. I think I may go on to bed a little early tonight. Hope everyone has a safe night and a happy tomorrow.

Ah, Saturdays...

Last night I did the laundry-and-a-movie thing (actually movie [The Ring, which I found creepy rather than scary, sort of like Blair Witch, but enjoyed immensely]), laundry, then movie [The Road to El Dorado, partly in an attempt to not have creepy thoughts regarding movie A before bedtime, although Chel coming out of the water at the end with her hair down over her face takes on a new meaning :)]. This morning I got up early (as in before noon) so that Zabet's hubby could take me to hunt down my allergic cat's venison and green peas food from the vet. Turns out I needed him for more than driving. I totally failed the open the vet's door. We got there right after noon and I pulled on the door and nothing happened, then knocked on the window, with no response. He walked up, turned the knob, and went in. Sigh. I can only blame the fact that I wasn't really awake yet. Then we returned, got Zabet, and went to the co-op so I could get food that I'm not allergic to. I'm trying to cut back on the wheat, eggs, and milk. I generally don't itch or otherwise seem to have reactions, but it seems to keep the weight on me, so I got some alternatives like rice pasta, soy cheese (without the caseine, yea!), and spelt bread (which is technically a wheat but a different type than we usually use). Then we went to Vishal, an Indian grocery and got I got some bread that I am allergic to but I'm willing to eat in small amounts because it's so damn good. After getting back, I went to sleep again; it's one of those rainy days where the sky just spits at you, so I just curled up with the animals and snoozed. Then I got up at sundown. It was nice to catch up on some sleep. I've been online doing some genealogy research. I'm finding quite a few cousins to collaborate on this project, too.

Well, that's enough for now. Talk to you later.

Okay, technically it's no longer Friday in my timezone, but I'm operating on the theory that it's still Friday somewhere on the planet....

1. How many TVs do you have in your home? 2; only one is hooked up; the other is one I still have from high school that works with some of the old video game players better due to its dials

2. On average, how much TV do you watch in a week? 5 hours per week

3. Do you feel that television is bad for young children? Generally, yes. PBS is an exception. I learned to read from Sesame Street and Electric Company, for example. But TV as a babysitter is definitely right out. Time limits are nice; locking cabinets are better, or just throwing the box out completely. I use mine mostly for videotapes--even my news and weather come from the Web. Also, TV should be watched with adult supervision into the early teens at least, and the child should feel free to talk to the parent about his or her thoughts on the story, subject, etc..

4. What TV shows do you absolutely HAVE to watch, and if you miss them, you're heartbroken? None. TV just isn't that important. Now, if at all possible, I watch: Buffy, Charmed, CSI, and now, Birds of Prey. CSI, I watch at home. Everything else I watch at a friend's, so really, I could easily be TV-less.

5. If you had the power to create your own television network, what would your line-up look like? Oh, a mixture of mysteries, science fiction, horror, educational (i.e. Discovery/PBS/History channel), cartoons, and international TV. I'd especially run the more esoteric/occult/psionic-related shows, ones that imagine other worlds or purport to solve ancient mysteries. I was just joking when I told Zabet and Hubby that I'd run Murder, She Wrote 24-7 until people's eyes bled from their sockets (although I dearly loved that show once upon a time). What I'd really like--and all you cable people out there listen up--is the ability to choose JUST the networks I'd like, tailor made to my interests. That way I could dump the sports and inspirational networks, the shopping and other insipid infomercial paradises, and concentrate on the aforementioned genres. So I'd have my local channels plus TLC, Discovery, History Network, BBC, Cartoon Network, Lifetime, A&E, etc., without the 40-70 channels I never watched. :)

[*rant mode ON*]

How difficult is it to find a person who can legibly copy down some information and then take said information and peck it into a few computer fields? I'm beginning to think I'd have better luck with getting one of the patients (who, after all, are kids, and therefore fairly comfortable with technology) to help me finish my family resource centre project than a volunteer. Apparently suitable volunteer jobs are putting magazines in stacks--but not lifting them, hence the reason I never got any help when everything was coming out of storage. Grrrrr....

[*rant mode OFF*]

But still, it's a Buffy/Charmed night, so it should be getting better soon. :)

okay, not to make light of the last post

But as it is often pointed out to me, I am the Harbinger of Gloom and Doom. So, I decided to lighten things up with a Monday night tradition: a quiz. In all my years of gaming, I've never actually played D&D, but I thought this might be fun, and it was.

I Am A: Neutral Good Elf Ranger Bard


Alignment:
Neutral Good characters believe in the power of good above all else. They will work to make the world a better place, and will do whatever is necessary to bring that about, whether it goes for or against whatever is considered 'normal'.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.


Deity:
Mielikki is the Neutral Good goddess of the forest and autumn. She is also known as the Lady of the Forest, and is the Patron of Rangers. Her followers are devoted to nature, and believe in the positive and outreaching elements of it. They use light armor, and a variety of weapons suitable for hunting, which they are quite skilled at. Mielikki's symbol is a unicorn head.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of NeppyMan (e-mail)

Oh, damn...

I just checked the news, and there seems to have been another person shot to death in the DC area tonight. I'm wondering if this guy works 12-hour shifts on the weekends or something. The latest shooting was Falls Church, Virginia, outside a Home Depot. I also think it may be easier for him to do this at night, with all the people who are trying to find him. Still, if people start expecting that, I could see him change times just to spite them. Ugh.

For any of you in the region: be safe. I hope they catch the sniper soon.