Reading

Current Mood: hot
Current Music: The Mighty Nein

Entry tags:

music

Running all over

Yesterday was Federico's Italian store, Aldi's and Kroger's. Today was the liquor store and it was supposed to be CVS but shockingly THIS CVS also doesn't stock my insulin. Fan-tast-tic. The only other thing I've done is edit

fandomtree stories (and found I forgot to post one)

OMG I'm doing bad with the advent tea review so let me catch up....again

Day 17 Gingerbread Black Tea - Organic China black tippy tea, organic cinnamon, organic cloves, organic ginger and gingerbread flavoring. It wasn't bad but it was mostly cinnamon forward

Day 18 Tulsi Orange Cranberry Ginger Organic Herbal Tisane - Organic tulsi, organic orange peel, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic ginger, natural blood orange flavor and natural cranberry flavor. Now this was very tasty. I'd recommend it but sadly I can't drink it often because hibiscus and rose hips mess with blood thinners

Day 19 Cozy Comfort Tea black teas, organic cinnamon pieces, orange blossoms and Black Walnut flavor. I found it to be rather weak and unimpressive

Day 20 Holiday Blend Tea Black teas, rooibos, peppermint leaves, organic alfalfa leaves, vanilla flavoring, malva blossoms, erica flowers, and vanilla beans. - Very mint forward

Day 21 - Goldenberry Herbal Tisane Apple pieces, candied papaya pieces (papayas and sugar), strawberry leaf, hibiscus, lemongrass and natural Goldenberry flavor. Also tasty also not good for me

Day 22 Sugar Plum Fairy - Rooibos Herbal Tisane Organic green rooibos, organic whole cloves, rosehips, hibiscus, sweet blackberry leaf, plum flavor, mallow blossoms, raspberry pieces, natural strawberry flavor, and vanilla beans. I bought this one last year (not seeing that it had hibiscus and rose hips) It's actually dull in spite of all the flavoring

It's music monday and let's make it some of your favorite holiday songs

For solstice

Watch on YouTube

I know I share this one every year

Watch on YouTube

Because Dino

Watch on YouTube

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Dec 21)

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. Supper was leftover strip roast.

I finished the second Jack Reacher book and watched the Bills game. Another close game, but they pulled off the win! Secrets of the Zoo was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 35.4(F). It went up about a degree, then started going back down. It hovered around the 29 degree mark most of the day. We had a lot of wind (which made it feel more like the temp was in the teens), but not as much snow as they were calling for, thankfully.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded about the same when I called her. ( more back here )

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: Sharktopus

Entry tags:

Writerly Ways

It's that time of year. I'm too tired for thinking about the craft so let's do this. Let's make now a good time to set some 2026 goal as many or as few as you'd like. I know that can be pressure for some. For me I find them helpful. I've been at it too long to get too worked up if I can't make a goal. If you like some accountability you can still sign up for these

join us as we try to write more than 75,000 words in 2026

Challenge yourself to write 75000 words or more in 2026!

inkingitout offers low key and supportive weekly check ins to help you as you try to write 75,000 or more words in 2026.

Sign ups now open! Sign ups close Noon GMT 3rd January 2026.

getyourwordsout and if those are too high pressure join us for Write Every Day which is super low pressure and bounces from host journal to host journal (if interested just ask me where it's at this week)

If you're looking for an online critique group (also low pressure) that leans into the urban fantasy/SF/horror/mystery genres again just ask me. I'm looking for people to join us. All I ask is if you decide it's not for you, just let me know, no harm no foul.

As for my goals they are as follows

1. keep looking for open calls, especially for the stories languishing in files

2. finish editing the 1980s monster hunter thing and get it to a beta (same as last year)

3. deep edit the werewolf novel which I finally DID start this year (after years of saying I would and didn't) but found out it was in worse shape than I thought

4. even though I said I wouldn't do this again, I DO want to take my thought monster long short story and expand it to a novella to make it more marketable

5. keep working on the sequel to the 1980s story

6. Decide if I ever want to do another story as Jana Denardo

7. I have so many unfinished novels. maybe I should finish one.

8. Do BETTER at balancing fanfic and original fic and the time spent on both

That seems like a nice fat set of goals. How about you? Let's do this. And if you worry about are you good enough, let me point out I'm currently watching Sharkopus and it makes Sharknado look like Oscar Worthy material. If this crap can make it, there's hope for us all.

Open Calls

Fairy Tale Magazine: January 2026 Window Green Man/Woman, Dryad, Yaksha, Tree Spirit

Crepuscular Magazine Microfiction stories exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas between

Untitled Anthology About Teeth Eerie, or creepy, or Gothic stories about Teeth

Inner Worlds, January 2026 Window. Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus.

Horrific Scribblings New Year’s Apocalypse Challenge New Year’s Apocalyptic stories (particularly the apocalyptic fears that defined the transition into the current millennium)!

The Ranger’s Almanac Winter 2025 Window. Short stories that must relate to a forest or park in any genre

30 Magazines Accepting Flash Fiction

From Around the Web

The Difference Between Tricking Your Reader and Surprising Your Reader

Easy Podcast Promotion for Writers

Comps Can Clinch Your Query

How to Track Book Sales and Identify Your Most Profitable Channels

How To Legally Quote Song Lyrics in Your Book

How To Get Book Reviews

How to Format a Book for Publishing

Optimizing Your Amazon Meta Description

Marketing Planning For First-Time Authors

From Betty

Writing a Short Story vs a Novel

Six Common Villain Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

Seven Common Causes of Reader Confusion

Five Common Motivation Issues and How to Address Them

here.

Busy Writers: When Does “So Much” Become “Too Much?”

Transforming Negative Traits into Powerful Character Arcs

That Blinking Cursor

Panning For Gold

See Why Three Types of Character Motivation Matter

Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Maladaptive Fantasy

What happens when family and friends don't support your writing?

YouTube for Writers, Part 4: Editing Tips to Improve Your Videos

Why Writers Grow Outside Their Comfort Zone: The Power of Discomfort in the Writing Life

How to Begin Your Novel at the Beginning

And of course have a blessed Solstice!

Entry tags:

Holiday Wishes Podfic!

Back in 2016 I wrote a little fic called Problem (Teen Wolf; Derek/Stiles; PG13). For this round of

holiday_wishes,

peasina created a podfic for that story!

You can find it here: Podfic of Problem by Peasina.

I listened to it this morning and it was really cute and well done. I hope you all enjoy it!

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Saturday, Dec 20)

This was a no-shopping day until Pip got a hold of it. In fact, I had no intention of going downtown at all. But the coffee maker at the garage broke and no one can live without their coffee so Pip took our Keurig to the shop and I needed to get another one for the house. (I also stopped at Dollar General for the final GC I needed.)

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and changed kitty litter. (Yes, you read that correctly. Midnight decided to take a poop outside the litter box, so since I had to clean the area anyway, decided I might as well change it a day early.) I stopped by the post office to mail what is most likely my final Christmas card and the library to pick up a book.

Today was the garage Christmas party (for their customers, as opposed to the dinner at the Bear’s which is for the employees). I put in an appearance, but I don’t know a lot of his customers, so I don’t stay long. Still, free lunch. *g* On the plus side, I got to see Former Librarian, who I went to lunch with a little while back (she’s also a customer at the garage) and the friends we go to Texas Roadhouse with (also customers), so I wasn’t all by myself.

I wrapped/bagged/boxed almost all of the Christmas presents I bought (to be fair, mostly books and gift cards * g* but there are a few other items from places like Bath & Body), which makes me happy! I can often be found doing that on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. o_O (I just have mom’s and Pip’s to do.)

I started the second Jack Reacher book and had Dr. Pol as my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 25.5(F) (and was still only 25.7 four hours later, which makes me wonder how much lower it went before it started going back up) and reached 34.3 (at around noon, and then immediately started going down). The sun was out, so it was nice and warm in the car, but don’t let it fool ya, because when you step outside it is COLD!

Mom Update:

Mom was doing the same today. ( more back here )

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Brides of Dracula

Entry tags:

holidays,
science

First party of the season

(since I skipped the work party) My brother and his wife had all our parents over their house plus one of my brother's BFFs since first grade for noshes and playing with kitties. That was the whole of my evening and my morning was putting decorations on the Star Trek Christmas tree (it's our secondary tree upstairs and always left for me) I did a weird job of it. I think I'll need to redo it again.

My brother's new kitten is a little shit. He's exactly like a cat I had in the 90s. He was evil too. He's going to give me trouble when I'm house sitting. I can just see it.

Shockingly my vascular surgeon did NOT send in the script. If he doesn't do it I'm calling my PCP and she will.

I finished another

fandomtrees story, the last of the Hazbin Hotel ones. I have about 3 others I would like to write from my original once over of the list. I might not tackle them until post holiday because there are a crap ton of zero gifts and only 1 gifts so I know this isn't going to reveal any time soon. I have a story I'd like to write for someone not part of a challenge.

Thought this might interest you Free Online Book Talk · Haunted Histories for Yuletide · Tales from America's Most Gothic with Authors Andrea Janes and Leanna Renee Hieber Leanna is the one I mention at Steampunk conventions. It's part history part paranormal. You do have to 'buy' a ticket but it's free (tips encouraged)

Have a little science saturday

Something Just Crashed Into The Moon – And Astronomers Captured The Whole Event

These Are The Best Fictional Spaceships, According To Astronauts – What Are Yours?

Brie, cheddar, and other high-fat cheeses linked to lower dementia risk they admit there are problems with the study. However, since the nervous system does have high levels of fat (in the myelin) this doesn't seem too implausible (or maybe I just want to eat more cheese)

Diarrhea and stomachaches plagued Roman soldiers stationed at Hadrian's Wall, discovery of microscopic parasites finds

here.Strange, 7-hour explosion from deep space is unlike anything scientists have seen — Space photo of the week

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Dec 19)

I hit Price Chopper, the Bakery, and Agway while I was downtown. I got GCs from Marshall’s (Price Chopper was out, so no points *sad face*), the local diner and a local pizza place, as well. (I also picked up a BK GC for Addy, which I hope she's tickled with.)

I visited mom, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I put a chuck roast in the crock pot before I left the house this morning. (If the crock pot is the greatest invention ever, the bags that go inside the crock pot have to be the second best. I love them! They make clean-up so much easier.)

I typed in my second

fandomtrees fic, gave it a re-read and edit, then got it coded and posted to AO3!! I’m very excited. I’d like to write one more; two if I have the time (and mental energy). I stopped in to see my used bookstore friends because I still had to drop off their card. We had a nice chat. AND I watched another ep of The Pitt. Secrets of the Zoo was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 53.1(F) and pretty much started dropping from there. It was 39 at noon. We certainly had the expected rain in the morning. At one point it was coming down hard AND the wind was blowing it horizontal. I got soaked walking into Agway. The rain turned to snow about noon, then stopped altogether about an hour later. But there’s more in the forecast, just not any accumulation, which I appreciate.

I thought the warmer temps and rain would get rid of all the snow/ice left, but it did not. The ‘ice’ is currently slushy so easy to walk on because it gives, but once the temps drop it’s going to be slick. Thank goodness for my Yaktrax!

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay when I visited. ( more back here )

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: The Mighty Nein

Entry tags:

Can someone actually DO their jobs?

Here's my day

1. Call vascular surgeon because no signs of my blood thinners. His nurse says Oh, your script was rejected. How did that happen? she asks herself

Me- Why did no one CALL me and tell me this?

Oh, I'm not sure. I'll make sure the doctor signs this today. If he did I don't think it was sent.

2. CVS after specifically being told not to fill my insulin filled my insulin. Now they'll have to put it back.

3. Been tracking my adagio tea order. It left NJ made it to Pittsburgh which sent it back to where it started in NJ. Made it to Pitt again. Wed they put up a can't deliver to that location. Meanwhile I have 2 boxes from Adagio in my bedroom proving they can. Go to the post office and the package it there and the substitute postmaster didn't put the delivery notice in the box. At least it was there

wrote a story that I think is really good but will probably get little notice. Ah well. I'm proud of it regardless

Title: Red Rain Is Coming Down All Over Me

Summary: Angel has gone back to Valentino because what choice does he have? That’s what he tells himself. That’s the only thing that will keep his friends safe. Being constantly high is his only solace but even drugs can only do so much. How long before he breaks?

Rating: Mature

Notes:Written for spikesgirl58s six word challenge. The words were Fireman Draw Pay Undo Exciting Frog
Also written for the allbingo prompt of (What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue and the lyrical titles bingo prompt of Lyric with "red" "green" or "blue". I chose Red Rain by Peter Gabriel.

( Story at the above link or below the cut )

Courting Disaster Torchwood

Style Icon FAKE

Not Fun The Fantastic Journey

Five Times the Knights Lie to Protect Merlin

Got My Eye On You Hazbin Hotel

Always And Forever Torchwood

Mistakes The Murderbot Diaries

Oh, That WAS Niffty! Hazbin Hotel

A Loser Gave to Me Hazbin Hotel

Cowley's the Boss The Professionals

First Aid. due South

My Best Friend Hazbin Hotel

Blue Christmas Hazbin Hotel

Snap, Crackle, Pop Hazbin Hotel

Professional Courtesy Torchwood

Pragmatic The Murderbot Diaries

Etched in Charcoal Hazbin Hotel

Floating on Sunshine Hazbin Hotel

Meliorism The Amazing Digital Circus

brothers in arms 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

It Broke His Heart to Hurt Her So, and Yet He Had to Do Hazbin Hotel

The Aftershow The Amazing Digital Circus

Touchin' Me, Touchin' You Hazbin Hotel

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, Dec 18)

I did not go downtown today. I still got in some shopping, but only because I needed both milk and gas, so stopped at Stewart’s. And I might have stopped at the Price Chopper that’s ‘in the other direction’ to see what they had.

I visited my aunt, hit the post office to mail a couple more cards, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I got leftover pulled pork out of the freezer for Pip’s supper.

I wrote ~600 words on my second fic for

fandomtrees! First draft is done, so I just need to get it typed in and edited. I read more in Boyfriend Material and watched another ep of The Pitt.

Temps started out at 30.9(F) and dropped to 22.1 before I left the house a couple hours later!! The forecast called for the overnight low to be 21, but we were skeptical of that because it was still 39.9 when we went to bed. Apparently Mother Nature was determined to get close to that forecasted low! All the snow that melted yesterday re-froze overnight, so that was fun. Temps reached 50.4 and we had sun today!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 54 with rain in the morning and snow in the afternoon, which means a huge and sudden temperature drop. That’ll be more fun.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has commented on my aunt update posts. I appreciate the hugs and suggestions.

Mom Update:

Mom is not doing well. ( more back here )

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: The Mighty Nein

Driving by Instinct

Because seriously how damn bright do we need to make headlights these days? Coming into Steubenville on 7's tight and narrow lanes (in the rain) with my stretched retinas and astigmatism, my god, I was literally blinded to the point I wasn't sure where on the road I was.

But after a late start, I made it here. The neighbors are watching Rocket. The little shit bit me last night after grooming my arm, broke skin, left bruises. I'm going to really have to keep that clean.

I wish that I could have concentrated on one story as I drove. It was more like 12 hamsters going in different directions. Ah well

At least the rain held off for most of the trip.

Tired now and I want to write a little before bed. Finally getting time to sit down with the Mighty Nein and the season of Vox Machina I haven't seen yet.

Entry tags:

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

Welcome to the savage and surprising world of Zoo Story , an unprecedented account of the secret life of a zoo and its inhabitants. Based on six years of research, the book follows a handful of unforgettable characters at Tampa's Lowry Park an alpha chimp with a weakness for blondes, a ferocious tiger who revels in Obsession perfume, and a brilliant but tyrannical CEO known as El Diablo Blanco.

The sweeping narrative takes the reader from the African savannah to the forests of Panama and deep into the inner workings of a place some describe as a sanctuary and others condemn as a prison. Zoo Story shows us how these remarkable individuals live, how some die, and what their experiences reveal about the human desire to both exalt and control nature.

Do you like zoos? Or do you loathe them? While this book gives the reader a lot to think about, it’s still left up to the reader as to where they stand. Because the title tells you exactly what a zoo is; while the animals may be safer than in the wild, their lives are boxed in by cages. They may be large and well kept cages, but they are cages nevertheless.

Especially tragic are the lives of Herman the chimpanzee, and Enshalla, the Sumatran tiger. Forced into safe but unnatural lives, they would pay the ultimate price for it. Would they have lived shorter lives in the wild? Perhaps, but I think they would have been more rewarding.

Maybe zoos will go the way of circuses and water parks, who have had to discontinue many of their animal acts. We are the ones who have caused the extinction of so many species; perhaps it would be better if we didn’t have zoos to act as balm for our guilt.

But however you think of them, this book is a must read.

( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-55 )

56. Quick Fixes: Tales of Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson
57. Followed Home (Exalls Attacks, Book 1) by Andre Gonzalez
58. The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman
59. One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky
60. Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, Dec 17)

I had a chiropractic appointment, a pedicure (another, different, red polish; she painted a nice snowflake for the design), AND a massage this morning! (Don’t laugh, but I scheduled the massage so I could get a GC for my niece. This massage therapist is local and works alone; it is very difficult to just walk in because the door is locked while she’s in an appointment, so I was like, screw it, I’ll ~make an appointment so I can get the GC. Win-win!)

I did zero shopping which made the morning even better. I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I cooked a strip roast with potatoes and baby carrots for supper. It was really good!

Today is my first injection of the higher dose of Trulicity (as decided when I had the appt with my PCP last Monday). I hope it doesn’t cause me digestive issues because I have not missed those. *fingers crossed*

I started Boyfriend Material, watched another ep of The Pitt and the current ep of one of my favorite HGTV programs, Fixer to Fabulous. Secrets of the Zoo was my background tv in the evening.

Temps started out at 32.9(F) (the temps got down to 22 before we went to bed, so it had warmed up substantially overnight) and reached 45.3!!! It was mostly cloudy, but the snow melted so that it was tough to walk in.

Today is the first of three ‘warm’ days (though it was only supposed to reach 39). Tomorrow is supposed to be mid-40s and Friday is supposed to hit the 50s! And then drop 20 degrees to being cold again. Me no likey.

Mom Update:

Mom didn’t sound good today. ( more back here )

Current Mood: bitchy
Current Music: NCIS

Entry tags:

Things I did not need

1. To find out my insurance changed coverage and I owed money on a script (not much, just enough to be annoying AF)

2. That CVS doesn't have my insulin. Again. I know why. They have a fucking dorm fridge to store all insulins, GPL1s and vaccine (plus other meds surely that I don't know but need refrigerated)

3. taking a half hour to get thru the CVS line and the line to the car wash was even longer so I had to skip it (I had a thing I had to get to) which sucks because I was on the ground floor of the parking garage yesterday and the level above me is outside and they salted it and it dripped everywhere.

4. There was an 18 wheeler on its side and I was thinking that is going to take me forever to get home but they did something I've never seen before. About 5 miles north of the accident they put up 'accident head' signs and moved everyone over there and there was no back up.

5. My olive oil brined garlic leaked in the pantry bin. I was digging through to find the food part of my parents' holiday gift and it didn't just leak, it coated everything in at least an inch of oil. It took over an hour to clean off every can and bottle and toss out things in boxes. Ugh. Ruined my clothes in the process.

6. My vascular surgeon never called in my meds.

At least I got the car partially packed. I still have to clean the kitchen in the morning since the damn pantry issue took up too much time.

Still half ready to cry. But I had my writers zoom thingie and I'm 4K into a story.

What I Just Finished Reading:

Death at the Door - paranormal mystery wanted to bitch slap the protagonist

What I am Currently Reading:

To Die Once - a Maisie Dobbs mystery which I haven't read one of these in a while and this is...slow. It's way more about the effect of war on the English people (who were still recovering from WWI) than it's a mystery

Tell Tale Treat - another paranormal mystery with another protagonist ripe for being bitch slapped

What I Plan to Read Next: Poorly Made and Other Things

Entry tags:

Wednesday Reading Meme

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Entry tags:

Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 101 & 111 of 2025

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: The Serpent on the Crown (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters and Killing Field (A Jack Reacher Novel) by Lee Child.

What I am Currently Reading: I haven’t technically started it yet, but the next book on my list is Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall.

What I Plan to Read Next: I have two library books to pick up, so probably one of those.

Book 110 of 2025: The Serpent on the Crown (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

I enjoyed this! ( spoilers )

I liked this book and have already requested the next. Sadly, I think it's the last in the series that doesn't look back at the ‘lost seasons'. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 111 of 2025: Killing Field (A Jack Reacher Novel) (Lee Child)

I enjoyed this book, but I wasn't sure I was going to. The authors writing style, with all those short, choppy sentences, drove me nuts. ( spoilers )

I liked this book enough to check out the next in the series; I'm giving this book four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, Dec 16)

I hit Price Chopper, the Pharmacy, and CVS (for mom) while I was downtown.

I did three loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and shaved. I made him cheese sausage for supper (one of the guys at work had it and he thought it looked good).

I watched two more eps of The Pitt. Secrets of the Zoo was my background tv in the evening.

Temps started out at 21.4(F) (it was supposed to be 10, so that was a nice surprise; still cold, though) and reached 31.3. It immediately started going down, but there was no wind (and no more snow clogging the trails) so the walks were actually nice.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing about the same today. ( more back here )

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

Photos: Testing Pens on Plant Labels

This year I've been running an experiment to see which type of pen lasts the longest for labeling plants outdoors. I have compiled links to the previous posts and added pictures from each month where I hadn't already posted them. Results: Sharpie Oil Pen lasted longest, Craft Smart Oil Pen was still legible at the end of the year, and Sharpie Permanent Marker faded very fast. If you're labeling plants outdoors, buy an oil paint pen, preferably Sharpie. If you want to test how colorfast or fugitive your journal inks are, you can run the same kind of test indoors on paper that is in a window with sunlight.

These are the other posts regarding the labels.
1/3/25 Photos: Testing Pens on Plant Labels
2/3/25 Photos: House Yard and South Lot
3/3/25 Photos: House Yard and South Lot
4/4/25 Photos: South Lot
5/6/25 Photos: South Lot
6/2/25 Photos: House Yard
11/3/25 Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 2 Testing the Fit (labels at bottom)
Photos: House Yard 12-16-25

( Let's do science to it... )

Current Music: NCIS Origins

Entry tags:

Warp nine

That's how my day is moving. Even working with timers I got so very little done and it was suddenly it was time to go to the endocrinologist. I could use another day down here but I'm afraid to go home friday. Thursday is meant to be nearly 60 and raining but then down to freezing again. I'd rather be home to avoid that.

I'm getting to that overwhelmed, gonna cry state. But at least I finally got the damn holiday lights out there (boy that little solar panel battery is something. They turned on immediately after being in a closet for a year. I put the garland on the other side of my porch, the one that's collapsing. I think at this point the garland is gonna be what's holding up the side rail if it get another heavy snow.

It looks like maybe, just maybe I can keep most of my meds and/or qualify for coupons. I make like 200$ too much a month to qualify for medical assistance. Let that sink in for a little while. We're doctors. We're college professors. Our pay is SO low we almost qualify for medicaid. And If I had kids I WOULD qualify. And oh, I signed up for the new insurance with the 9K deductible. It's costing 1100$ a month. Let that one soak in too. FFS. No wonder they won't hire help for my department.

My blood work is not great. My kidneys are working great but with my HGA1C sneaking ever higher. That's not great. I'm unhappy which is only going to make my sugar higher thanks to the stress. At least my hemoglobin is coming up. I still have too many tiny pale red blood cells but they're functioning better than last time. She did agree I'll probably have to start B12 shots. Cries. But at least the evolutionary bullshit adaptation for malaria is behaving itself for now.

From there I went to Gallipolis for dinner and the Christmas lights. I knew the Mexican place (since it's owned by the same brothers as the one in Jackson) would be giving out those envelopes for free stuff in January. I was laughing at the new offerings. One of them is punny. Juan Huge Burrito.

the lights were beautiful. They always are. I didn't upload the pictures yet. I will. but I haven't even showed you anything for months.

I forgot my tea advent again

Day 12 - Rocky Mountains - National Park Tea Black teas, raspberry leaf, raspberry flavor, sage leaf, and raspberry pieces. How did I miss this one? I had a sample box of these ones. either I had gotten a bad sample then because this was phenomenal very raspberry

Day 13 - Rooibos Sweet Sizzlin Cinnamon Herbal Tisane Rooibos, organic cinnamon pieces, sweet sizzlin cinnamon flavor and safflower petals. At least the cinnamon overpowers the rooibos funk.

Day 14 Apple Sage Black Tea black teas, apple pieces, natural apple sage flavoring and blackberry leaf. oddly weak sauce and boring. At least it didn't taste like sage

Day 15 Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Black Tea Blend Black teas from India, Sri Lanka, China and Taiwan and bergamot oil. They have a whole collection of literature inspired teas (Poe is my favorite) What says Dostoyevsky about this? Nothing but it is a nice complex earl grey

day 16 Snickerdoodle Rooibos Herbal Tisane Organic Green Rooibos, organic cinnamon pieces, sweet blackberry leaf and snickerdoodle flavoring. Needs more snickerdoodle/cinnamon

Fannish 50 ( Spoilers for The Amazing Digital Circus episode 7 )

Entry tags:

misc tv,
tv talk

TV Talk: The Pitt & Tracker

9-1-1: On hiatus until Jan 8.

Matlock: Now there are two eps mom and I haven’t watched.

The Pitt: I have heard a lot of good things about this show and was excited when I found out that TNT was going to air the first season. I’ve watched the first three eps so far, and my comments have spoilers for all three eps. ( spoilers )

Tracker: Dang! I was right about the cliff-hanger, but wrong about who would be involved. ( spoilers )

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Dec 15)

Today is Sister A’s b-day! She’s the baby; 10-years younger than me.

I hit Walmart, Dollar Tree and Agway while I was downtown. Dollar Tree was for cards; Agway was for a gift card because I forgot Pip’s dad’s b-day! I was reminded at the Bear’s Dinner and I was like o_O I couldn’t believe I had forgotten it.

I visited mom, hand-washed dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I also mailed more cards at the post office, returned a book to the library, and hit the bank drive-thru. AND I shoveled the sidewalk again.

I watched Tracker and an HGTV program. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 8.8(F) and reached 25.3. I’m not loving this cold.

Mom Update:

Mom was not doing great. ( more back here )