Friday, September 30, 2011
Don't Wanna Go Home
This morning I was swimming with sea turtles. Now I am sitting in an airport waiting to go back to Albuquerque. Life is so unfair.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Hello From Hawaii!
Figured I'd post an update, although posting from my phone is a little bit annoying to do.
Anyway, Hawaii is pretty awesome. Here's a quick list of what we've done so far:
Monday we went to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial, which was rather somber but well worth a visit. Then we visited a pineapple plantation. Fresh pineapple = very yummy.
Tuesday we climbed up Diamond Head, a very steep walk, but worth every step for the view. Then we went swimming at pretty much the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.
Wed. we went snorkling, then drove around Oahu for a while.
And now I am siting in an airport waiting to go toMaui the Big Island.
(ETA: sorry, posted in haste earlier. Maui is next week!)
Anyway, Hawaii is pretty awesome. Here's a quick list of what we've done so far:
Monday we went to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial, which was rather somber but well worth a visit. Then we visited a pineapple plantation. Fresh pineapple = very yummy.
Tuesday we climbed up Diamond Head, a very steep walk, but worth every step for the view. Then we went swimming at pretty much the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.
Wed. we went snorkling, then drove around Oahu for a while.
And now I am siting in an airport waiting to go to
(ETA: sorry, posted in haste earlier. Maui is next week!)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Aloha, Suckers!
Am on the way to Hawaii! And since you're probably not, you have my permission to be jealous. Except maybe not quite so much right now, since at the moment, I mostly feel like someone who had to get up way too early to catch a plane and is thus extremely bleary. Still, it beats being at work!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Apparently They Weren't Lying To Me About This Whole "Going To Hawaii" Thing.
Leaving in a day and a half! And, OK, now I'm starting to get a little excited.
Yep, Totally Ready!
Well, I picked out which books to take with me to Hawaii. That's the important part of the preparation, right?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Shift-Workers
And, after yesterday's bout of insomnia, today I somehow accidentally slept for 14 hours.
I don't think this is helping.
I don't think this is helping.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Current Stuff
Current clothes: Black sweatpants. Brown shirt with a picture of a shelf of books and the words "Life is short. Read fast." White socks. White sneakers.
Current mood: OMG, SO STRESSED. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning, tried and failed get back to sleep, and finally just gave up and got up at 3:00. And my day has just gone downhill from there.
Current music: "Crazy Train" was playing on the car radio when I was out running errands earlier. It seemed reasonably apropos.
Current annoyance: Extreme lack of sleep and other sources of MASSIVE STRESS.
Current thing: Panicking about aforementioned massive stress. Also, trying to get six million things done at approximately the last minute. Which, of course, is the source of a lot of the stress.
Current desktop picture: Still the same lunar eclipse pic as last month.
Current book: Just finished Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson, which was cheesy and ridiculous, but reasonably entertaining. Next up is The House of Doors by Brian Lumley, which looks like it also might be cheesy and ridiculous, in a less action-y, more horror-y kind of way. Apparently, I am starting on my mindless vacation reading early.
Current song in head: Mostly it seems to be "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. I blame one of the current DVDs.
Current DVD in player: In the player in the living room is season 1 of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, a British sketch comedy show from 1989 starring the great Stephen Fry and the also great Hugh Laurie. Although the show itself is only just okay, really. I keep comparing it to Monty Python or to Mitchell & Webb, and it comes up a bit lacking somehow. But, oh, they are both just so adorably young! Meanwhile, in the player in front of the treadmill is disc 2 of Pinky & the Brain volume 3. When I'm finished with this set, I will have no more cartoons. This makes me sad.
Current refreshment: Nothing. I should have some soothing tea or something. Except that I have to dash out soon to get my hair cut. Because everything needs to be done today, for some reason. Sigh.
Current worry: There are many, but the biggest and most recent one is that apparently my dad's pancreas has decided to attempt to explode again. Get well soon, dad!
Current thought: I am leaving for Hawaii in five days. How is this possible?! I am not remotely ready! Help!
Current mood: OMG, SO STRESSED. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning, tried and failed get back to sleep, and finally just gave up and got up at 3:00. And my day has just gone downhill from there.
Current music: "Crazy Train" was playing on the car radio when I was out running errands earlier. It seemed reasonably apropos.
Current annoyance: Extreme lack of sleep and other sources of MASSIVE STRESS.
Current thing: Panicking about aforementioned massive stress. Also, trying to get six million things done at approximately the last minute. Which, of course, is the source of a lot of the stress.
Current desktop picture: Still the same lunar eclipse pic as last month.
Current book: Just finished Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson, which was cheesy and ridiculous, but reasonably entertaining. Next up is The House of Doors by Brian Lumley, which looks like it also might be cheesy and ridiculous, in a less action-y, more horror-y kind of way. Apparently, I am starting on my mindless vacation reading early.
Current song in head: Mostly it seems to be "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. I blame one of the current DVDs.
Current DVD in player: In the player in the living room is season 1 of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, a British sketch comedy show from 1989 starring the great Stephen Fry and the also great Hugh Laurie. Although the show itself is only just okay, really. I keep comparing it to Monty Python or to Mitchell & Webb, and it comes up a bit lacking somehow. But, oh, they are both just so adorably young! Meanwhile, in the player in front of the treadmill is disc 2 of Pinky & the Brain volume 3. When I'm finished with this set, I will have no more cartoons. This makes me sad.
Current refreshment: Nothing. I should have some soothing tea or something. Except that I have to dash out soon to get my hair cut. Because everything needs to be done today, for some reason. Sigh.
Current worry: There are many, but the biggest and most recent one is that apparently my dad's pancreas has decided to attempt to explode again. Get well soon, dad!
Current thought: I am leaving for Hawaii in five days. How is this possible?! I am not remotely ready! Help!
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Functioning Within Normal Parameters
I had another doctor's appointment today, and I'm pleased to report that my thyroid levels are now -- and I quote -- "perfect." Yay, tiny little doses of hormone! My kidneys also appear to be functioning properly, which is good to know. The doctor thinks maybe the high readings the first time were due to me being dehydrated or something, although, being painfully thorough, she still wants to have it re-re-checked again in three months. So I have not entirely escaped the curse of the vampires yet.
It was rather entertaining, by the way, watching her look through my lab results and get all confused about which samples were taken while fasting. "But this was done at 4 PM!" Well, yes. 4 PM was also known as "too damned early in the morning" for me that particular day, and I most certainly had not had breakfast yet.
Actually, there are lots of practical issues with medicine and shiftwork that doctors and pharmacists don't even remotely seem to be aware of. Like, my thyroid medicine is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach, so the instructions for it say to take it when you first get up, at least half an hour before eating breakfast. They also say to take it at the same time every day. Um, yeah, which is it, guys? Because those two things are mutually exclusive for me. Fortunately, the compromise I came up with for that seems to have worked fine, based on the empirical evidence. But, still. This sort of thing can be a huge issue when it comes to medications you have to take every day -- or, much worse, twice a day -- and in all the stuff I've read about the health effects of shiftwork, I've almost never seen it addressed.
It was rather entertaining, by the way, watching her look through my lab results and get all confused about which samples were taken while fasting. "But this was done at 4 PM!" Well, yes. 4 PM was also known as "too damned early in the morning" for me that particular day, and I most certainly had not had breakfast yet.
Actually, there are lots of practical issues with medicine and shiftwork that doctors and pharmacists don't even remotely seem to be aware of. Like, my thyroid medicine is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach, so the instructions for it say to take it when you first get up, at least half an hour before eating breakfast. They also say to take it at the same time every day. Um, yeah, which is it, guys? Because those two things are mutually exclusive for me. Fortunately, the compromise I came up with for that seems to have worked fine, based on the empirical evidence. But, still. This sort of thing can be a huge issue when it comes to medications you have to take every day -- or, much worse, twice a day -- and in all the stuff I've read about the health effects of shiftwork, I've almost never seen it addressed.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Well, That Could Have Been Bad.
I just pulled about three feet of used dental floss out of the mouth of one of my cats.
WTF, kitty? WTF?
WTF, kitty? WTF?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
H2No
Well, at least today they were considerate enough to leave the water on until after I had a shower and did the dishes. That's something, right?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Water, Water Nowhere
Dear City of Socorro,
I know you've been working on pipes or something for the last couple of days; it's been impossible to miss the fact that the street is all torn up. But it sure would be nice if you'd give some kind of notice before you shut my water off. Or, hell, even after you shut my water off. A note on your website indicating how long it's likely to be off, maybe? I would really like to get a shower sometime before I have to go to work. Also, it's supposed to get up to 96 today, and my swamp cooler doesn't work without, you guessed it, water.
Dryly yours,
Me
[ETA: Well, looks like it's a sponge bath for me. Sigh.]
I know you've been working on pipes or something for the last couple of days; it's been impossible to miss the fact that the street is all torn up. But it sure would be nice if you'd give some kind of notice before you shut my water off. Or, hell, even after you shut my water off. A note on your website indicating how long it's likely to be off, maybe? I would really like to get a shower sometime before I have to go to work. Also, it's supposed to get up to 96 today, and my swamp cooler doesn't work without, you guessed it, water.
Dryly yours,
Me
[ETA: Well, looks like it's a sponge bath for me. Sigh.]
Friday, August 26, 2011
Geez, Look At That Weather Forecast.
Not for the first time in my life, I feel very glad that I got the hell out of New Jersey.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Awesome Video For Today
I just bought the album this comes from yesterday, and have been listening to it at every opportunity since. For spreading pure, unadulterated happiness, there is nothing in this world like the Muppets. I firmly believe that if only we could somehow bottle Kermit the Frog, we could cure depression forever.
Monday, August 22, 2011
I Have A Weird Brain. Mmmm, Brain...
Today is one of those annoying days where I'm switching over from night shifts to day shifts, and have thus had all of about four hours of sleep. Possibly less. So far, I've spent most of my brief period of consciousness lying on the couch reading Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide, which turns out to be a strangely pleasant thing to occupy yourself with while in a state of sleep deprivation. Sadly, though, survival guide or no survival guide, I have few illusions about how well I'd do in the event of actual zombie attack.
Which reminds me of an odd, random thought I have now and then, namely that if a zombie apocalypse were to suddenly erupt, whatever clothes I'm wearing right now could very well be what I'm shambling around biting people in forever, or at least until someone gets a clear head shot. This idea especially tends to occur when I'm wearing a t-shirt that would be just a little too apt in the circumstances. Like my Farscape "Irreversibly Contaminated" shirt. Or the one that says, "Life Is Short. Read Fast." Or my Monty Python and the Holy Grail pajama pants. ("It's only a flesh wound!") In this fashion, I manage to simultaneously amuse myself and kinda creep myself out.
Somebody please tell me I'm not the only person who thinks about stuff like this?
Which reminds me of an odd, random thought I have now and then, namely that if a zombie apocalypse were to suddenly erupt, whatever clothes I'm wearing right now could very well be what I'm shambling around biting people in forever, or at least until someone gets a clear head shot. This idea especially tends to occur when I'm wearing a t-shirt that would be just a little too apt in the circumstances. Like my Farscape "Irreversibly Contaminated" shirt. Or the one that says, "Life Is Short. Read Fast." Or my Monty Python and the Holy Grail pajama pants. ("It's only a flesh wound!") In this fashion, I manage to simultaneously amuse myself and kinda creep myself out.
Somebody please tell me I'm not the only person who thinks about stuff like this?
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Where The Heck Has The Beginning Of August Gone?
Oh, well, time for this again.
Current clothes: Brown shorts. Black t-shirt with a picture of an angry sun and the words "The Sun Is Trying To Kill Me." Because it is; I think the UV index was 10+ today. Also, white socks.
Current mood: Man, I have generally not been in a good mood for the last couple of weeks. Tired, irritable, prone to random bouts of anxiety and existential angst... Bah. But today I ditched work early, got some desperately needed housework done and have just now finished engaging in a vigorous session of sitting in front of the TV eating ice cream. I feel much much better.
Current music: Nothing. I think the last thing I played might have been Alpocalypse, which I got for my birthday and am not tired of yet. That was a while ago, though.
Current annoyance: What you want me to pick one? Well, maybe it's the constant feeling that I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. Mind you, what I want to do does include a lot of lazing around. Which eats up a surprising amount of time.
Current thing: I don't know. Um... I thought I was maybe going to manage not to buy any more books in August, but then I sort of... did. But I mail-ordered them, at least, so maybe I'll get some more finished before they get here. Maybe?
Current desktop picture: This lunar eclipse photo.
Current book: Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? by Johan Harstad. It's a Norwegian novel that has apparently only just been translated into English. I got a free copy through LibraryThing. Unfortunately, so far it's been fifty-four pages of some guy trying hard to convince me that he's an extremely boring person, and succeeding very, very well.
Current song in head: The theme song to The Big Bang Theory. See "current DVD" below.
Current DVD in player: Disc 3 of season 2 of The Big Bang Theory. And this season has been so freaking hilarious that it's made me almost completely forget whatever objections I had to it in the beginning. Except when it forcibly reminds me of them, but so far it hasn't done so very often.
Current refreshment: Tea!
Current worry: Oh, god, I'm going to Hawaii in a little more than a month. I'm totally not ready to go to Hawaii. I have done nothing whatsoever to prepare. How the hell did it get to be August already, anyway?
Current thought: Thanks for asking me about my annoyances and worries, meme. Now I need more ice cream.
Current clothes: Brown shorts. Black t-shirt with a picture of an angry sun and the words "The Sun Is Trying To Kill Me." Because it is; I think the UV index was 10+ today. Also, white socks.
Current mood: Man, I have generally not been in a good mood for the last couple of weeks. Tired, irritable, prone to random bouts of anxiety and existential angst... Bah. But today I ditched work early, got some desperately needed housework done and have just now finished engaging in a vigorous session of sitting in front of the TV eating ice cream. I feel much much better.
Current music: Nothing. I think the last thing I played might have been Alpocalypse, which I got for my birthday and am not tired of yet. That was a while ago, though.
Current annoyance: What you want me to pick one? Well, maybe it's the constant feeling that I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. Mind you, what I want to do does include a lot of lazing around. Which eats up a surprising amount of time.
Current thing: I don't know. Um... I thought I was maybe going to manage not to buy any more books in August, but then I sort of... did. But I mail-ordered them, at least, so maybe I'll get some more finished before they get here. Maybe?
Current desktop picture: This lunar eclipse photo.
Current book: Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? by Johan Harstad. It's a Norwegian novel that has apparently only just been translated into English. I got a free copy through LibraryThing. Unfortunately, so far it's been fifty-four pages of some guy trying hard to convince me that he's an extremely boring person, and succeeding very, very well.
Current song in head: The theme song to The Big Bang Theory. See "current DVD" below.
Current DVD in player: Disc 3 of season 2 of The Big Bang Theory. And this season has been so freaking hilarious that it's made me almost completely forget whatever objections I had to it in the beginning. Except when it forcibly reminds me of them, but so far it hasn't done so very often.
Current refreshment: Tea!
Current worry: Oh, god, I'm going to Hawaii in a little more than a month. I'm totally not ready to go to Hawaii. I have done nothing whatsoever to prepare. How the hell did it get to be August already, anyway?
Current thought: Thanks for asking me about my annoyances and worries, meme. Now I need more ice cream.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Random Links For August
So You're Mad About Something on the Internet: How to determine whether or not you're being a huge dick on the inernet. May be slightly NSFW, on account of the somewhat literal interpretation of the word "dick."
Captain Sisko: the greatest 'Trek' captain of all?: I'm still voting for Picard, but I think this guy makes a pretty good case.
This Is Your Brain on Memes: Look, it's a picture of my brain! Well, except for the comic book center.
Disturbing face distortion illusion: Aargh, it's creepy! Make it stop!
15 Ad Campaigns From After the Apocalypse: Because if you think the apocalypse is going to put an end to ads, you're too naive to live. Possibly mildly NSFW.
Captain Sisko: the greatest 'Trek' captain of all?: I'm still voting for Picard, but I think this guy makes a pretty good case.
This Is Your Brain on Memes: Look, it's a picture of my brain! Well, except for the comic book center.
Disturbing face distortion illusion: Aargh, it's creepy! Make it stop!
15 Ad Campaigns From After the Apocalypse: Because if you think the apocalypse is going to put an end to ads, you're too naive to live. Possibly mildly NSFW.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Aaargh
A hard-earned piece of advice: if your computer-illiterate mother leaves a message on your answering machine saying her computer crashed and she needs help, DO NOT CALL HER BACK. At least, not unless you're prepared to kiss your entire goddamned Saturday, and possibly your entire weekend, goodbye.
Another piece of advice: People! BACK UP YOUR DATA. Also KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PASSWORDS.
Aaaaaaargh. *insert large quantities of profanity here*
[ETA: She's back up now, at least. I feel a bit better.]
Another piece of advice: People! BACK UP YOUR DATA. Also KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PASSWORDS.
Aaaaaaargh. *insert large quantities of profanity here*
[ETA: She's back up now, at least. I feel a bit better.]
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Still Here
Apparently it's been a week and a half since I updated here. Time for an "I aten't dead" post I guess.
Things that have happened in the past week and a half:
Things that have happened in the past week and a half:
- My "I'm turning 40 and trying to be medically responsible" mammogram had a suspicious spot on it, so I had to go in for another one. As is usually the case with this sort of thing, it turned out that there was, in fact, absolutely nothing wrong. Which is nice to know.
- I, um, accidentally bought some more books. I feel as if I should be doing some sort of penance.
- I went to see the Harry Potter movie. I liked it better than the previous Harry Potter movies. Mostly because I am much less interested in watching Harry Potter and the Whatever It Is This Time and am instead attempting to watch some version in my head that's called Severus Snape and the Etc.. And at least the poor guy gets some actual characterization in the end.
- I am still slowly re-watching season four of DS9. And I am enjoying it, though I must confess that I'm beginning to get slightly tired of Klingons. I have nothing against Klingons, but I think perhaps they are best used somewhat more sparingly.
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