WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!

OMGWTF?!!? THERE IS WATER COMING FROM THE SKY!!!!! Run for your lives!

[ETA: And now it's dry again. Man, that was scary for a few minutes there.]

Who Washes The Washmachines?

This morning a cat threw up on top of my washing machine. All over the top of my washing machine. To the point where some of it apparently dripped down around the side of the lid and into the washer. I have cat vomit in my washer.

There are days when I really think I should have just gotten a hamster.

Feets, Don't Fail Me Now!

You know you live in Socorro when: you spend two and a half hours in the car for a 20-minute doctor's appointment.

Well, on the upside, there now exist plaster casts of my feet, which I'm sure will someday be enshrined in a museum. Possibly the Museum of Cryptozoology. And in three weeks or so, I will have new shoe inserts, custom molded to fit my weird-ass feet and will hopefully be well on my way to pain-free pedestrianism.

Why? Because We Like Him!

Speaking of Mickey -- since I was in my last post -- Mom sent me some more pictures of him the other day, so I figured I'd share:






Look at him! He really did turn into a cat!

'Nother Batch Of Random Links

BBC Confirms 'Doctor Who' Won't Have A Full Season In 2012: I've read several articles about this now, and I still don't understand exactly what's going to air when, but I suspect that may be because the BBC hasn't entirely figured it out yet.

Rejected Father's Day Cards: Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Astronomer: 7 TV scientists that even real scientists approve of: I don't necessarily agree with this entire list, but it's fun.

Shelf-pod: A house where every wall is lined with bookshelves. Let me say that again. A house where every wall is lined with bookshelves. I am feeling a truly inappropriate amount of lust here.

Baby snow leopard triplets debut in Swiss zoo: Adorable endangered spotty kitty cubs!

Simon's Cat in 'Hidden Treasure': Speaking of kitties... I ought to send this to my mom. According to her this is one of Mickey's favorite activities.

Where There's Smoke

So, at this point, it seems pretty much the entire Southwest is on fire. I left my windows open last night, and this morning my living room smells like camping.

Which is not to say that I'm complaining. Hell, I'm just glad to live somewhere that's not being evacuated.

I Know! Let's Make All The DVD Covers As Close To Actual Size As Possible!

What the holy hell did Netflix do to their website?! And how do I make it stop?

OK, Now Is The Time To Use The Word "Footloose."

So, it turns out that plastic garbage bags aren't nearly as waterproof as you might expect them to be, especially when you slop large puddles of water onto the floor while trying to take a sponge bath. Oh, well, live and learn. It was an interesting experience while it lasted.

Footloose! No, Wait. The Opposite Of That.

Just got back from the podiatrist, an appointment I probably should have made at least five years ago. Fun trivia fact: the angle of a normal person's arch is about 15 degrees. Mine? Is six. As the Mythbusters would say, "Well, there's your problem!" Unsurprisingly, this is a genetic issue, so thanks again, Mom. (All my foot problems come from my mother's side of the family. Both her sisters have had foot surgery.)

Actually, I can't blame it all on Mom. The contributing factors for plantar fasciitis are: aforementioned genetic deformity, being overweight, walking a lot, and wearing crappy shoes. Go me, I'm four for four! It's probably a wonder I can walk at all.

The doctor is going to check and see if my insurance will cover orthotics. I think the policy statement I have explicitly says they won't, but it said that about wisdom tooth extractions, too, and they ended up paying for that after my dental insurer made us submit it there first, so who the hell knows. Maybe I'll get lucky. If not, I'll just have to pay for the damned things myself, because I really want this stupid problem to go away and not come back.

In the meantime, they taped my feet up to relieve my immediate pain (which wasn't all that bad today, anyway) and to give me a taste of life with proper foot support, and recommended some not-very-expensive inserts to be going on with. Which is kind of cool, except that it means I'm not allowed to wash my feet until tomorrow evening, by which point I'll probably have sweated on the tape enough for it to start coming off by itself.

And that was my exciting day. Well, that and running some other errands in the city. I... may have stopped at the Barnes & Noble. Um.

[ETA: Oh, hey, it turns out that while I was on my way home they called and left a message on my answering machine saying that my insurance would cover the orthotics "if they were medically necessary." As opposed to what, I don't know. I mean, why would I want them if they weren't medically necessary? Just for fun? Because they're sooooo stylish? Beats me. But I guess I'll call 'em tomorrow and see about making another appointment.]

This Is What Comes Out Of The Sky, Right?

I have the impression some folks think I'm exaggerating slightly about the complete and total nonexistence of rain in my world. As suggestive photographic evidence, I offer this:



That faint red dot is the sun. It's actually a heck of a lot redder to the eye than it looks in this picture, too. And there's a good reason for that. You see, this is what we have instead of rain. We have smoke. Smoke is the new rain here.

Me, I miss the old rain. Although at least today I can't actually feel burnt bits of Arizona in my lungs, so that's something.

Oh, Hey, I Can Also Talk About Movies.

For various reasons^*, movie-going has become a somewhat rare and limited thing for me these days, but I did go out with some friends yesterday for a double-header at the (thankfully inexpensive) local theater. So I can report that, despite being wholly unfamiliar with the comics, I found Thor quite entertaining. Although possibly I was watching it wrong, as I spent most of the movie rooting for the wrong guy. Hey, Thor, at least at the beginning of the movie, is kind of a douche (albeit a pretty one). Whereas Loki is, like, a sensitive, smart guy stuck living on the Planet of the Jocks. Yeah, which one do you think I'm going to relate to?

I can also report that Priest is pretty firmly in "so bad it's amusing" territory. Among other things, I think it may just set some sort of record for number of cliches per unit time. And there are a couple of random fight scene moments that are just hilarious.


* Including, but not necessarily limited to: they're too damned expensive, too many of them suck, I have to go out of town to get any real options, I always seem to end up sitting behind the jerk ignoring the "please turn off cell phones" messages, and the existence of Netflix.

Still Not Blogging Much. But I Have More Random Links!

George Takei vs. Tennessee's "Don't Say Gay" Bill: Just say "Takei!" I love this guy.

Swingin’ physics: A demonstration of how "in simplicity, complexity, and the border in between lies great beauty." Using pendulums. Or, in other words: physics is cool.

Allons-y!: The Tree Lobsters ask, "What would the Doctor do?"

Weight of book collection damaging house: It has occasionally occurred to me to wonder at what point the weight of one's book collection is likely to become structurally unsafe. Maybe this establishes a lower limit.

June Currentlies

Current clothes: Gray sweatpants, white socks, Rush concert t-shirt.

Current mood: Not bad. Kind of hungry.

Current music: Nothing notable. I've been listening to more random songs and podcasts, mainly.

Current annoyance: Mostly the stupid hours I've been working lately, although at least I'm off today.

Current thing: I'm not sure I've had much of a thing lately. Oh, dear, this may be shaping up to be the most boring Currently ever.

Current desktop picture: It's a rather gorgeous wallpaper inspired by the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife," but I'm not sure exactly where I got it, so I can't link to it. It's probably spoilery if you haven't seen the episode, anyway.

Current book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 Volume 8: Last Gleaming, by Joss Whedon, et al.

Current song in head: It seems to be "A Call to Arms" by Mike & the Mechanics, for some unfathomable reason.

Current DVD in player: Nothing at the moment, strangely enough, but I did just finish volume one of Pinky and the Brain as my on-the-treadmill show. (Big shout-out to Captain C!) And, man, I've always thought of that as a smart, entertaining, generally awesome cartoon, but it turns out it's even funnier and more all-around engaging than I remembered. I'm kind of sad not to have any episodes left. Need more DVDs! Narf!

Current refreshment: Nothing. But it may be time for an early lunch soon. Since I didn't have much in the way of breakfast.

Current worry: Bah, I've got more doctor's appointments of various kinds coming up. Those always make me feel just a tad stressed, in a completely irrational way. On top of which, even if you think you're pretty healthy, there's always the chance they're going to tell you something you don't particularly want to hear.

Current thought: There's pizza in the fridge... Is it too early in the day for pizza? If it is, does that actually matter to me, timezone-unto-myself that I am?

Nothin' Since February

You know what I no longer believe in? Rain. I no longer believe in the existence of rain.

I Swear It's Multiplying In There.

On Sunday, I made a massive pot of chicken & dumplings. It is now Friday, and I have reached the point where I cannot even look at another bowl of chicken & dumplings. Possibly not for the rest of my life.

This may actually be one of the biggest downsides to living alone.

No Use Crying

You know it's going to be one of those days when practically the first thing you do in the morning is to drop a nearly full carton of milk on the floor. Sideways.

Well, at least the cats enjoyed it.

Doctors Without Sonic Screwdrivers

In a couple of months, I'm going to be forty. Which is not something I really want to deal with, but I guess there's no point in denying it. And since that's traditionally viewed as the point where everything starts to go downhill, I figure I really ought to start taking better care of myself. I mean, my car gets preventative maintenance more often than I do, and it's months overdue for an oil change. So yesterday I had a physical for the first time in... well, let's say it's not quite "ever," but it's close. (It helped that I had to make a doctor's appointment to get more allergy drugs, or, knowing me, I might still be putting it off a year from now.) You'll be pleased to know that everything seems to be where it's supposed to be and my heart is beating and stuff. Also, my blood pressure is still good, which I like to think of as my father's hypertension and my mother's hypotension cancelling out.

I also walked out of the doctor's office with the following: 1) Prescriptions for more allergy drugs, including extra bonus nasal spray, so mission accomplished! 2) An appointment for a mammogram, which I'm sure will be tons of fun. And 3) a referral to a podiatrist in Albuquerque to talk to about my plantar fasciitis, who I need to call as soon as I figure out when the heck my work rotation allows me time for an appointment.

And then today I went back in to have blood drawn for whatever it is they like to check your blood for, since they need to do it when you haven't eaten recently. You know what's a great idea? Take someone who does not deal at all well with needles and blood, catch her when she hasn't eaten in twelve hours and is still groggy from sleeping, don't let her have her normal morning maintenance doses of coffee, and then slowly suck out multiple vials of her blood. It's hilarious! Actually, I was sort of doing OK, mostly by not watching, until I heard the phlebotomist (who was clearly new at her job) say something like, "Why is this happening?" and mutter something about the blood going into my arm instead of into the needle. After that, they had to put moist towelettes on my forehead. I am such an incredible wuss about this sort of thing. It's embarrassing. Even if, evolutionarily speaking, it does seem like a pretty good survival instinct. I mean, prior to the advent of modern medicine, blood coming out of you was pretty much never a good thing. (No, smartass, menstrual blood is a different thing and doesn't count.) If something in the back of my brain keeps wanting to scream, "Nooo! That blood is mine! I'm using that to carry oxygen to my tissues, damn it! Hull breach! Hull breach! AOOOOOGA! AOOOOOOOGA!", well, that's only a sensible response, right? even if it does make me feel bad about not being able to give blood.

Anyway, I now have a bandage around my arm. Which kind of hurts. But at least I can take satisfaction in being a responsible adult and getting the most out of my health insurance and stuff.

How About Some Random Links?

Doctor Who Recipes: BBC America shows you how to make a (non-alcoholic) sonic screwdriver, fish fingers with custard (or at least something that looks like custard) and other silly Whovian treats. Now I really have seen everything.

German TV: 'Star Trek' terrorists killed bin Laden: Yes, according to German television, bin Laden was apparently taken down by the Maquis. Best googling failure ever.

The world's most inspiring bookstores: When I'm retired and (somehow) independently wealthy, I think I will dedicate myself to traveling the world and visiting these places. I've already been to Powell's so that's one down. Although I'll probably have to visit it again, for completeness' sake.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse: Good to know they're planning ahead. I only hope they do better with the actual zombie apocalypse than they did in The Walking Dead.

The General State Of Things

So, um, apparently I've posted here exactly twice this month. Honestly, I swear, I don't know where the hell May came from so suddenly or where it's going to so fast. But I guess I should at least put in a "still not dead" appearance once in a while. So, what's going on at the moment?

Well, first the bad news: my dad called a couple of days ago to say that he was going into the hospital again. Pancreatitis. I try not to worry too much; he's had it before and I'm sure he'll be okay. Still, it sounds like a whole lot of no fun. Get well soon, Dad!

On a happier note, I really did enjoy those five days in a row off that this month's weird work schedule shuffle accidentally gave me. Mostly I spent them getting stuff done around the house and watching DVDs and playing Portal 2. (Which I still haven't quite finished, by the way. The people who complain that game is too short are clearly much better at it than I am.) I have now gone back to work feeling much more relaxed. Which is good, because later this month and into the beginning of June I'm going to have to pay for that lovely time off by working some long-ass weeks.

Also happy-making was the most recent episode of Doctor Who, brought to us by the inimitable Neil Gaiman. I'm still walking around smiling about that one like the sappy fangirl I am.

Otherwise, I have not much to say. Other than, you know, I aten't dead.

Currently, I Am Doing The Currently Meme

It's May ninth already? I have no idea what I've been doing this month. Obviously not blogging. Well, let's see about this thing, anyway:

Current clothes: Black t-shirt with a picture of a Dalek on it. Denim shorts. Black socks. Black sneakers.

Current mood: OK. A little lacking in motivation.

Current music: Nothing at the moment.

Current annoyance: Work has been alternately boring and irritating lately. Also, I just upgraded to Firefox 4 a couple of days ago, and they switched "open in new tab" with "open in new window" on the right-click menu so that I keep accidentally opening new windows, though I think I've almost trained myself out of that now.

Current thing: I don't know. For a while, it was doing nothing except watching DVDs and streaming stuff on the internet. Hey, my internet inexplicably got much faster! Meaning that it became, you know, adequate. I could suddenly stream stuff without it stopping to buffer all the time! It was very exciting! So obviously I had to spend all my time taking advantage of that for a while. And then I guess my thing was catching up on all the stuff I didn't do while I was sitting around watching videos. Now it's just working all the damned time. Soon, however, I will actually have a bunch of days off in a row, and then I will indulge in many things. Many, many things.

Current desktop picture: I haven't even changed it since last month. Or the month before. Shows you how lazy I've been.

Current book: God: The Failed Hypothesis by Victor J. Stenger.

Current song in head: "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.

Current DVD in player: Nothing in the one in the living room right now. Most recently was a collection of Weird Al Yankovic videos. The one in front of the treadmill has part 2 of The Venture Bros. season 4, since I'm actually starting to get back to walking on it on a regular basis now.

Current refreshment: Nothing at the moment, although I should get some food soon. I'm thinking of going out for a burger.

Current worry: What do you mean, I can't do everything I might conceivably want to do with my life in the five days I have off this week?

Current thought: There's nothing in my brain right now but Pink Floyd. Sorry.