A couple of more quizzes before bed

Your Score: The Rabbit Spirit

You scored 46% Creativity, 62% Compassion, 45% Strength, and 50% Intelligence!

You are a Rabbit Spirit. You are very sweet and kind, and can be creative. You are sometimes nervous and shy, and are very alert as to what's going around you. You have a couple good friends, and love frolicking in the meadows. Don't forget my two other spiritual tests: Sitakaliism Test Paganism Test, my political test: The Fruity Commie Pinko Liberal Test, and my Biology Test

Link: The Spirit Animal Test written by sitakali on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(sitakali)

Not particularly surprising. Did you think I'd be a predator? Ha!

and

Your Score: Pagan Extraordinaire

You are 90% Paganism Expert!

You know Paganism like the back of your hand! Maybe you even attended a few rituals, or organized some of your own. You understand how special this religion is, and keep it close to your heart. You know that it's the most ancient religion in the world (save animism which technically isn't a religion), and you want to get back to your roots. Merry meet again! Don't forget to take my two other spiritual tests: Spirit Animal Test Sitakaliism Test, my political test: The Fruity Commie Pinko Liberal Test, and my Biology Test

Link: The Paganism Test written by sitakali on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(sitakali)

Well, I am Pagan (not neo-Pagan), so I know a few things about mythology, although I'm a little weak on Indian myth.

Okay, I can't argue with it

...and I came out like YKWIA. Maybe that's why we get along so well--although I don't see his geekiness as that high. I always rather liked Niles, although he was neurotic as hell. Oh. Okay, maybe we are alike. :) I think David Hyde Pierce did an excellent job acting, by the way. I think it's nice that he's been with his partner, Brian Hargrove, for over 24 years. That's impressive.

My score on The "Which Frasier character are you?" Test:

Niles

(You scored 67% Geekiness and 24% Attention Please!)

You are Niles Crane, a geek at heart just like your brother Frasier Crane, but unlike Frasier you are not constantly screaming for attention. The latter is something you have in common with your wife Daphne Moon and your father Martin Crane. Your hobbies may seem dull to some, but you enjoy them without having to need to share them with everyone around you. Sometimes you are jealous of more extroverted people like Frasier. There is no need to be jealous... is Frasier really a happier person than you? Nurture your eccentric hobbies, but make sure you keep on socializing enough!

Link: The "Which Frasier character are you?" Test

View My Profile: eilir

(OkCupid Free Online Dating)

Here's an example of his work...'Going Up'--Niles in an elevator

Here he comes to save the day...

Ever wonder where Mighty Mouse got his powers?

'Mighty Mouse: Mouse of Tomorrow' (Terrytoons)


Thanks to Sue Monroe from the Chatty Librarians list for sending this out.

Classify your pet with Dewey Decimal collars, confuse your friends

Cat Collar

and

Dog Collar

Thanks to 'Reading Kelly' from the Chatty Librarians list for passing on the link to the cat collar.

Troubling

Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison

My own commonwealth tops the list for growth of prison population.

The largest percentage increase — 12 percent — was in Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear highlighted the cost of corrections in his budget speech last month. He noted that the state's crime rate had increased only about 3 percent in the past 30 years, while the state's inmate population has increased by 600 percent.

The rate of increase in the money on prisoners is six times that spent on higher education. In fact, four states--Vermont is the top one--spend more on prisons than colleges. On average, states spend more to house one prisoner than I make in a year. Heavier incarceration failed to affect recidivism or crime rates. Many states are looking to decrease costs by concentrating on imprisoning violent offenders and finding other ways of dealing with non-violent or relatively minor offences.

One in 30 men ages 20-34 are in prison, but for Black men of the same age it's 1 in 9.

The United States is number one in terms of numbers imprisoned, even outstripping China, which has a much greater population. It also is sixth in the world in capital punishment.

Wow

This morning when I tested my blood sugar, it was 230. Then I took the glipizide that Dr Nesbitt prescribed along with my other meds. I just took my blood sugar again before dinner and it's 105. That's within normal range. It's been a long time since I was actually testing normal.

I also went to the dentist today to start the process of getting a crown. They had to do a filling on the tooth behind it and then work on the tooth to be crowned, take impressions, and put a temporary crown on. The impressions will go to a lab and in about three weeks I go back and get the real one put on. It took a couple of hours. This is the first time I've met the new dentist, and I liked him, although I had to be vigilant about the latex gloves (he finally put the box of nitrile ones on top of the latex so he'd remember) and I'd forgotten to tell them I was allergic to Lortab, so he had to re-write me a prescription for Darvocet. The crowned tooth was broken and a piece came out from deep in the gums, so he thought I might need it--although normally I'm pretty good with that kind of pain. (Really intense shooting pain, I'm not so good at.) It was about $340, so thank goodness for flexible spending accounts, although they do break things down in payments for people. The next appointment to get the crown on should take about 15-30 minutes and I'd only have to pay any residual that the insurance won't. But they're supposed to pay 80% for fillings and 50% for crowns, so I should be okay. The nice thing is I could go ahead and eat dinner immediately, since I don't have too much time between work. I just can't have anything really chewy.

Oh, I found out today that in March I'm going to get a 4% raise at the hospital. That translates to nearly $.75 an hour or about $75 net extra a pay period if I did the math right. Yay!

What else? Oh, about a week ago I joined a book club and when I received the confirmation, I realised they'd truncated my apartment number and the books had been shipped to another address. I left a note for the resident at the other apartment and he called me and told me he'd let me know when they come in. Woo-hoo.

Listening to

'Everybody Hurts' by REM


Today I felt crappy. My blood sugar was 343 this morning, 210 this evening (although on the upside I not only remembered to test both times but took my Janumet for both doses, something I don't always remember to do). Normal is 60-120. I got a phone call this morning from Dr Nesbitt's office with the results of my bloodwork. My hA1C (which measures blood sugar over a three month period, was 8.3 (normal being less than 6.0)). In other words, my diabetes is out of control. Dr Nesbitt is putting me on an additional generic pill to help, and I take it in the morning, which will be much better in terms of me remembering to take it. In the afternoons I get caught up in things and barely remember to eat, much less test and take medicine. But Dr Nesbitt specifically mentioned this as an alternative to insulin, which I don't want to be on. Today I didn't have anything sugary except for some spreadable fruit on a peanut butter sandwich, but I haven't been really cutting out sweets and empty carbs lately. I need to do better, maybe have a couple pieces of chocolate at the game but not many, for example. I really need to take this seriously.

On a positive note, my cholesterol went down from 190 to 138. And I always have blood pressure on the low end of normal and a good resting heartbeat.

I also had therapy today, most of which dealt with my lack of self-esteem, my need to find reasons to like myself and come up with goals in my life (and put them into practice), and the bizarre life that was my marriage. I think it was really useful. This is the first social worker I've seen who was perceptive and listened to me without pushing a personal agenda. Of course, he's also the first male social worker I've seen, so maybe that's part of it.

I'm going to go onto bed, I think. I'll try to write someting more meaningful tomorrow, assuming I'm not tired after getting a crown put in at the dentist and working on truck night. Good night.

Speaking of deaths

Barry Morse, from Space: 1999 died on February 2nd. :(

(Photo by Anthony Wynn)

Remarkable, especially for her time

Pearl Witherington (or as she was after her marriage, Madame Cornioley) led a faction of the French Resistance during WWII, working as a spy for the British government. Given a civilian award because it was not possible then for a woman to receive a military equivalent, she returned the award saying that she had done nothing remotely 'civil' during the war.

That was later rectified, and she received others, but the one she cherished most was her parachute wings, for the jumps she'd made six decades before.

She definitely sounds like someone I would like to have met. She died on Sunday.

You don't really think of Britain when you think of earthquakes

Nevertheless, they have them (and had one on Wednesday the 27th shortly before 1 am local time, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale with an epicentre in Lincolnshire).

England Hit by 5.2 Quake, Biggest in U.K. Since 1984