I haven't written about suit porn in quite some time, but the season 5 finale of Lucifer is insane.

IN A SUIT, DAMN IT!

Cut for spoilers
( Read more...Collapse )Damn, now I can't stop thinking about Mazakeen in a suit, too.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/624912.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Inspired a bit by Escapade, I'm going to try to post here at least once a week.

It was so lovely to see familiar faces and names and new, active persons, and to hear their voices. I now seem to have a Discord account. I don't really have a new fandom, but I've watched Old Guard and listened to enthusiasm about it, and well, they are immortals. Sad immortals, but they must have had fun at some point in their long and bloody lives. I've found a streaming site for the Guardian with subtitles, so if I can manage it, I'd like to watch a few episodes. The vids made them look so charming together.

We're undergoing a change in our caretakers staff. I fired the old agency, though they had provided some lovely and competent people. They also screwed up on a regular basis and the woman who ran the place was unbearable. I now have two privately employed CNAs during the week and a new agency to provide workers on the weekend and when needed to fill in. Mom seems to enjoy the company. Florida continues to be uninteresting and a difficult place to secure a vaccination.

For entertainment's sake, my insane blunder of the moment: I received a notice from the IRS yesterday that I owed them $700. I panicked, then looked over my last return. The amount I said I owed (marked PAID with a date) on my copy matched the total amount due on their statement, with $700 still owing. I finally dug up a copy of the check I wrote. I'd put the correct amount on the check numerically, but when I wrote the amount out, I left out the words "seven hundred" -- er. The bank paid the amount written instead of the numerical amount and nobody told me there was a problem with the check until now. It was a huge relief, not to be charged with an error in filling out the many forms that made up my return. I am BAD at forms.

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So, we’re mice this time.

'S OK.

There are cats.

There’s cheese.

There are...what’s that?

There’s lace!

Clothes. We’re mice wearing...

Ooooh

And shoes. You’re the girl?

Velvet. And, hey...

I’m the boy. Do I get a sword?

Paper. And ink.

Do I get...

*skritch skritch*

A name?

Gentle Reader, may This Author share a word or three?

Oh. Damn. This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/624227.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Dropping in from the vasty wastes to say I'm having the first new twinges in years over Bridgerton, of all things. It's massively flawed, but (inaccurately) gorgeous and how can I resist the men's clothing? It's so fluffy and ridiculous I'm even considering an AU with everyone as mice...

I've been suffering massive dizzy spells and migraines lately.

ETA: Began reading the first novel. It's far less fun and a few pages in I came across someone with "baited breath." Not at all promising. This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/623921.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Another brief post, while I'm avoiding getting Mom out of bed, though it's late. She's been sleeping later in the morning, and I've been allowing her, selfishly.

I've become a caretaker cliche. I just fired our helper of nearly a year for stealing prescription meds. I was prescribed Oxycontin and filled the scrip, even though I'd been relying on Tylenol and ibuprofin after surgery. I'd noticed that my Valium had been disappearing, but figured there was possibly another bottle in the mess in my room. My back was killing me after I lifted Mom from the floor, so I looked in the case where I keep pill bottles. The Vicodin and amped up Tylenol were all missing. Eight of the ten Oxy pills were missing, and another 40 from the Valium. We really don't have visitors or other people in the house; it had to be her.

I need to place an ad for her replacement. I've been avoiding writing a new one and posting it, and now I really don't want to deal with keeping an eye on a new stranger  or strangers in the house. I'm more trapped than ever, of course, without help, and all the physical duties with Mom increased this past year -- showering and doing her nails and changing bed linens and sanitizing her bathroom and keeping on top of laundry and keeping Mom occupied have been the worst, without the sudden messy emergencies.

Oh, and my PCP (main doctor) retired without informing anyone, which screwed up my other doctor appointments in February, including seeing an oncologist. Protracted and repeated arguments with the insurance company -- I'm going to try to resolve problems by ditching United Healthcare and joining HealthFirst before the end of the enrollment period this month, though the doctor I want doesn't take either of them. I won't need a referral from my primary to see a specialist, though, which will solve a lot.

On the other hand, work has been flowing in, including real work. I'm going to be editing a book with Simon Schama as the titular Editor in Chief and co-author and curator of this exhibition that's supposed to open at the Palace Museum in Beijing in November. My old jobs back! We're all nervous about the Chinese and the virus-caused closings, of course. Hoping things have returned to normal by the end of the year. That plus the surprisingly demanding job on my desk right now that requires four separate indexes (yeah. I don't use "indices" when talking about book jobs) requires a lot of time and attention. I can't leave Mom alone, even with the cameras and security measures. I really need to hire more help. But ugh.

So, not so short. I really need to get Mom up, now.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/623836.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Note: This list is not complete. I'm trying to bring it up to date.
I've been re-archiving everything on AO3; all Sherlock except for short bits are there, and I'm gradually copying Highlander and others.

( HighlanderCollapse )

( SherlockCollapse )

( OtherCollapse )

I'll add other links when I repost more stories to my DW journal.
My apologies for links to my stories on rec sites or comms or in bookmarks that are now invalid.

I'm OK.
I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I've been recovering both slower and more quickly than I expected. The surgery went well and the doc and pathologist say that the small area of cancer in the mass that was removed has not spread. I spent longer in the hospital than planned, under observation. My blood levels need beefing up. I couldn't handle solid food for a while (stomach thing, with spectacular vomiting and tedious nausea), but I'm gradually improving. Have added chocolate and alcohol to the diet, so life is more pleasant than before.

I still have doctors to deal with and more tests being done. With my sister and brother helping out, I've had more rest and sleep than in ages. The hospital was not a restful place, at least not for more than two hours at a stretch. The Moomin helped.

Mom didn't acknowledge my absence or sickness, not even when I was booting in the living room in front of her. She was very pleased to see my brother and sister. I hope her good mood continues, now that they're gone.

My brother drank all my good Scotch and didn't replace it, the rat!

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So, very long time since I've posted. I've lost contact with so many people, and honestly, I've even avoided reading my unovis email account -- this online persona withered away. I think I should revive her.

Nothing about my situation re: Mom and Florida has changed. Her dementia is advancing, but she's in generally good health. I'm tied to the house except for 12 hours a week, mornings, when our helper Donna is here. Thank goodness.

I'm less great. January 7 I'm going to hospital for surgery for suspected colon cancer. I'm somewhat looking forward to a break from cooking dinner and keeping house (and rarely leaving the house) and taking care of Mom. And sleep! I hope like mad I can sleep. A lot. Anyway, depending on the extent of the surgery and incisions and whether or not this thing they're removing is cancer and if it's spread, la la la, I'll be in for 3 to 7 days. The surgeon is using a robot (not a little man, he was concerned to explain to me) and specializes in minimally invasive surgery, as I suppose having a robot-not-a-little-man with binocular lenses up my ass qualifies as.

Two of my sibs are stepping up and will be here with Mom during the time I'm in hospital and, I hope, for the next week while I'm not 100%.

Who knows, maybe I'll write something.

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I haven't posted in a long time. I've been too unhappy and tired of complaining about it.

I'm still trapped in Florida hell, though I've been more trapped this past year. My mother can't be left alone now and I've had no real relief that would allow me to get away overnight or longer. I can't really talk to her about anything beyond mundane issues (housekeeping, house maintenance, neighborhood events...family), to the extent that she understands them. She likes flowers and sunsets and butterflies and babies/toddlers. I take care of her and the house. Sometimes I knit.

Anyway. In mid-November I'll get away for about 5 days, buffered by Mom escort duty to my brother's. I'll be near DC and for two days, I hope, in NY. There's a show at the Jewish Museum on Chagall, El Lissitzky, and Malevich in Vitebsk -- in other words, on the creation of Unovis.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/623084.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

So --
I watched Rampage tonight, with the volume up, on the bedroom desktop. It cheered me up immensely. Apparently giant mutant alligator, albino gorilla, and freaky wolf wrecking Chicago were exactly what I needed to see.
The next time Mom goes to Mass I'm going to play it on the living room big-ass TV and throw popcorn at the screen.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/622594.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Raising my head from beneath my rock to ask --
Who is going to Con.txt this July? It may be possible for me to attend, just to escape Florida with purpose. I don't know how interesting the con will be, but I'd love to see people again and to engage in convivial chatter face-to-face.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/622341.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Relaying thanks, gratitude, and grins from tazlet for your posts and comments on cheers_taz ! She's home now, recovering, and will post personal thanks when she can ungum the keyboard.


***Alligator of enduring grim glee.***


This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/622098.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

ETA: exhausted. That lunatic old bat kept me up all night -- fully dressed and wandering around at 2 AM, for an 8:30 AM ride to the airport. I told her to go to bed four times during the night, but finally, she got dressed again and sneaked out of her room. She'll be tired and weepy after the flight, in spite of every effort to make it comfortable and easy for her.

I've been up late, digging through genealogical records to make copies for my brother, for my mother to bring with her tomorrow morning. We may be eligible for dual citizenship, since Mom's parents were still citizens of Italy when she was born. I've also been listening for the Mom's door and sending her back to bed; when she has to travel, she obsesses over everything and will stay up all night repacking her bags. She needs to sleep!

I'm usually up most of the night myself, anyway, watching bad TV and old movies.

But I found this photo and recognized my Dad's parents, both of whom died when I was a child.



They're the couple in the middle. My grandfather, in the face, looks so much like my brother Mark! This may have been when they renewed their vows, or an Easter (going by the white shoes and those gloves and mitts). Aw. Grandma traveled with us a lot, including a trip to Florida when I was maybe ... 6? I remember sitting in the back of the Buick with my feet up on watermelons she'd bought. Grandpa I remember mostly in a wheelchair or sitting in the kitchen when we visited. Or presiding over holiday tables, with a glass knobbed rod he dipped into holy water, to bless the table.
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Met a deadline yesterday, early in the day, even. Back home, I'd have celebrated with a treat or walk or entertainment or bar, with that giddy, sleep-deprived, floating feeling.

Here -- as soon as I looked available, the Mom had several tizzies and fits and pleas for sympathy. So, hours of attention and work on her stuff and an expensive Uber trip to a drugstore and checkbook wrangling.

BUT: great dinner last night (a thick steak, perfectly medium rare, smothered in caramelized onions, plus J Pepin smashed baby potatoes, and green beans vinaigrette. AND I finally perfected an imitation of one of my favorite drinks from the Mermaid, where Olya and I used to eat oysters, blissfully (see celebration, treat) in winter months. Oysters, hot 'n' dirty martinis, and crunchy sesame flatbread. I found a very good Martini and Rossi dry vermouth in the liquor cabinet, so -- very refined vodka (chilled, in a chilled glass), a splash of vermouth, brine from green olives, a squirt of Sriracha, a squeeze of lemon, and a small pepperdaw pepper in the bottom of the glass -- one of the Plated boxes had included them, and I hoarded two.

I don't like to drink alone, but I was so tickled that the martini tasted exactly right, finally, that I had two! And so, the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards show, and so to bed.

The Mom calling for me now, because I said we'd go for a walk through the neighborhood yard sale. Door is closed...

On my needles now, and about to be frogged:



This is from a very fine, discontinued yarn -- American cashmere, in a natural color. No dye or color is listed on the wrapper. There are only 437 yards in the skein, which I bought in a thrift shop for $1, with a pair of needles. This is a very narrow scarf using a motif from a book on knitted Estonian lace. I think I'm going to frog it and start again on a wider, more lacy scarf. I love the Estonian patterns, though. Except for the nupps, they're very intuitive and easy to knit.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/621318.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

This morning:

Two jobs, one on top of the other. Betty due shortly, to take us on weekly marketing trip, destinations unknown (the Mom isn't sure). I'm making a list of things to get or do on our trip out, with Mom irritated at being asked what she wants. I'm waiting for FedEx to deliver pages, though delivery here tends to be later than it was back home. I'm in the bedroom, door closed, at the computer trying to make quick sample entries for one client to review for formatting and style before we have to go.

Mom, knocking at door, talking talking talking.
"Were you expecting a delivery from FedEx?"
"Yes--"
"Well, it isn't here."

Mom wounded at my reaction.

  I'm also now discovering that, damn it, all the freshly laundered clothing I just put on is itchy and irritating-- I'm allergic to a LOT of detergents and soaps, and lately my skin has been ultra sensitive. My hands and palms itch, I have a rash across my back and over my shoulders, and I have other intimate areas affected horribly. Benadryl cream seems to help some places, but not my hands, which are bleeding from my scratching. I've used all the hand soaps here before without consequences. I've put everything from my richest hand creams to A&D ointment on my hands with limited relief. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm allergic to the water. I know it sounds stupid. I washed the clothes myself, with the clear stuff Mom buys for me and the dye-free and scent-free softener. Doctor checkup on Thursday. I hoped I wouldn't have to mention it to him.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/620671.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Blue dragon sea slugs and other fauna on the beaches near me. The Blue Buttons and the By-the-Wind Sailors are new to me. I never go to the beach; I only discovered a way to non-fatally access it via bus a few weeks ago. But one of the brothers is supposed to visit soon, so I might mention it to him. Mom used to picnic at Jetty Park with Dad, when Dad drove and they had a visitors' sticker.


I'm still kicking at that story for the local contest -- to tell the truth, I'm not that interested in winning anything, so much as playing with mainstream restrictions. I'm trying to adapt an old HL fic, with an entirely different ending. Considering suggesting an erotica contest to one of the local writer groups, though I doubt the idea would fly. Too many men in the groups, anyway. I'm still not crazy about writing groups that include men.


Made another chicken in the Dutch oven, this time with the lid off, for a crispy skin. Same ingredients -- garlic, s&p, lemon, thyme, sage, white wine, and lots of butter -- but after browning the chicken, I added a bed of sliced onions, potato chunks, and carrots to the bottom of the pot. The vegetables and the fond were seriously delicious. The chicken had a nice golden brown skin, but the flesh wasn't as wonderful as the French-style chicken slow cooked with the pot lid on. Mom loved the veg, though, and today there will be pot pie again.

Waiting for a job to show up. Then there will be a week of frenzied work, to meet deadline. Just pay me, pay me. The temp is climbing into the 80s dammit, and I have an air conditioner to buy.

ETA: Oh, good grief. I forgot I had agreed to another job that's arriving directly on top of the job that's late (meaning, today!). So, er, that makes two--no, three--jobs overlapping now into March and then the job in May-to-June. Got to get back to using my calendar. I will not be able to put in regular working hours at the condo as planned, though. Just can't leave Mom alone for that long.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/620527.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I finally finished the Robina shawl, and I think I'm done with stripes for a while. Now I'm looking for a nice lace scarf pattern for a skein of natural color cashmere yarn that I picked up in a thrift shop. It's lace weight and almost 500 yds., so I should be able to get something out of it. I have my favorite beret pattern, of course, and some cute animals, but I'd prefer something that could be worn. Cowl, maybe...

Robina shawl, blocked, before ends were woven in:

It's lightweight but warm, from 5 different colors, all merino wool.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/620079.html. Please comment there using OpenID. This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/620079.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I must remember that posts to facebook are public, unlike DW/LJ, especially when I'm talking about writing and editing. Hm. I'm working on a short story to submit to that local thing, and trying to see how erotic I can make it without it being "erotica" -- interesting experiment, with a different audience.

I've made all kinds of stupid mistakes lately. My best, following the "slicing strawberries into my coffee instead of my yogurt" incident, dealt with my condo fee checks, mailed to an office in Merritt Island. To spur myself to pay promptly and easily, these past two Januaries I've printed up a stack of dated cover letters and envelopes, which hang by a paper clamp on a hook by the computer at Mom's. That way, I only have to write a check (if I can find my checkbook), slap on a stamp, and it's done. I was puzzled this month because neither my January nor my February check had been cashed. I hadn't been to the condo in a couple of weeks -- it's been more and more difficult to leave Mom alone -- and when I looked into my mailbox yesterday, I found both checks, in envelopes addressed to myself. Of the twelve envelopes I printed out, three were addressed to myself instead of the condo association. Cute.

I have to rearrange things there again today. Apparently, all the windows in the building will be replaced, after damage from Matthew, and I have to move still packed boxes of books around. Heavy.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/619891.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

So isolated, bored, and lonely that I've joined a Florida (ugh!) writers' association. The groups, one of them very local, caught my eye when I saw a post about a local short story competition. The cult of nicey-nice rules their online presence, and erotica is strictly taboo, but it's better than nothing.

Off to walk a few miles to the bank and then maybe, maybe a few miles more to the closest market, next to which I might get a haircut. Uber has raised its rates a couple of dollars, but just enough to make me think three times before calling them now. Last week Betty gave us a ride home from a visit to the optometrist, and while at the Mall I saw a storefront space with resources for seniors and caregivers. They have movie afternoons, and if they show one Mom can tolerate, we might make a day of it via bus. It's very hard to find new movies the Mom will tolerate. We saw Paddington 2 together and she enjoyed it immensely, so I live in hope--Peter Rabbit, maybe? She doesn't like animation. It's unfortunate because those are almost the only movies that fit most of her restrictions. She does love slapstick, and sexism doesn't bother her in the least. I have to keep poking myself to look for entertainment that's outside of my comfort zone that might appeal to her. Dogs, flowers, butterflies, and penguins are good. Sea life, bad. Will not forget her "Enough of the damned fish!" during Finding Dory.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/619637.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Last night I cooked a chicken from a French recipe, using my Dutch oven for a whole chicken for the first time. It was incredibly tender and delicious, with an amazing stock left in the pot (which I saved). I still prefer my usual roast chicken in an open pan -- love that crispy skin! But the flavor infused into the meat was amazing (garlic, white wine, lemon, thyme -- pretty simple). Tonight we're having chicken pot pie with a sauce based on last night's stock.

We tried one of the meal in a box delivery services this week. Mom didn't enjoy either dish, maybe because they were unfamiliar flavors and rather mild. We'll see how next week goes, but I expect to cancel this service (Plated) and try something else. Walmart is beginning to supply boxes of produce and meal kits; maybe that's next.

I've been eyeing Escapade notices with longing. The only current things I'm watching are... The Good Place and Lucifer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I've dug into some shows on BritBox and Amazon. Was disappointed in Frankie and Grace, though there was some very funny dialogue. I'm on the fence about The Assassination of Gianni Versace and even less enthusiastic about The Alienist, sadly. Maybe it will improve, but now it looks like a less illuminated version of Ripper Street. To keep the Mom entertained, we've been watching a ton of Murder She Wrote and Monk and Blue Bloods. She absolutely loves that game show that Ellen hosts; she loves slapstick.

My elbow is very painful, making all reaching and lifting and bending of my arm difficult. I think it's repetitive stress pain from knitting. Bleh.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/619340.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I hate selfies; I hate being photographed at all, really. But this is me last year, in my hat. Mom and I knitted dozens for Florida women and for friends. It kills me that I can't be in JC, in NY, in DC this weekend.  Protesting in a hostile environment is very different from protesting in strength, in community. Protesting in the suburbs, along a stretch of highway, is very different from marching in a city. But Orlando has a healthy movement, and it will be heartening to see tomorrow.

The neighborhood Mom lives in has strict rules about any outside displays, including all things political (except for American flags, within restrictions). There are, however, posters and banners inside garages, visible from the street when the doors are up, and Trump bumper stickers (I haven't seen any anti-Trump or progressive ones). I put one of my hats on a floor stand in the garage, visible from the street. I wanted to put it on top of the flagpole, but I can't take it down and apart by myself.


R.I.P. Paul Bocuse! 

Another successful rocket launch last night. Although you can't see the rocket as clearly, the night launches can be gorgeous, flaming red against the stars and clouds.



This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/619124.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

We thought there was something hinky about that rocket launch. On the street, I could hear neighbors saying "That's not right!" watching the glittering ring and then the flame descending.

My Cousin Johnny died two days ago. While expected, it was a blow. He was a pillar of the family for the generation after my parents. The mom and I won't be able to make it back to Schenectady for a funeral -- she's too fragile now, and I can't afford my part of the travel expenses. We'll have Masses said, but I don't know about flowers. Maybe if my brother goes up we can contribute to the after-memorial dinner. It will be at the family favorite restaurant in the neighborhood where Mom and Dad and, briefly, my brother and I grew up.

Also, I finally managed to block the Hurricane Shawl. I'm pleased with the way it came out.





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Last night's rocket launch was spectacular, maybe the most beautiful I've ever seen at night. The rocket was a red flame, rising. Halfway up, it passed behind a black cloud, making it glow around the edges, and then shot out above. The separation looked from our point of view like a shaking, glittering ring, before the bottom half began to fall back to the ground. We had enough time to brace ourselves and cover our ears before the deafening boom and rumble when it landed.

And then back inside, to watch the Golden Globes. How much do I love Frances McDormand? Tough as navy-blue tectonic shit. She reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe, irritably resisting labels. I'd just seen Three Billboards the night before. I don't think I loved anything more than her character kicking that snotty teenage girl in the crotch.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/618610.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Happy New Year to all. And hope that 2018 will improve.

Work is proving to be a lifesaver. I feel the closest to normal since I moved to hell -- more competent, more like myself and less trapped. Work, more work is on the way. I'll be trying to commute daily to the condo. I'm going to try to find and unpack my reference books. I may be able to afford the new AC system required. I hope Mom will be OK, left alone during the day, or at least some days, during the week. She's increasingly frail and distracted and depressed.
I'm actually trying to write again.

Travel? I might dream of travel in late spring or early summer.

Weather here isn't bad at all, though the Mom is acting as if it's arctic. 40s to 50s. Christmas was very quiet and almost nonexistent for me, as I stayed here alone. My Christmas gift to myself this year was modest -- just a bakelite bangle from ebay, to match the ones I wear whenever I leave the house.

And knitting... nothing exciting. I'm using up some wool that was expensive and pretty in the hank but awful when knit into lace. I'm making a plain, large, striped shawl. So far, I've doubled some lace-weight merino yarn in navy and gorgeous variegated greens, alternating with a variegated gray fingering weight yarn. I'll change to shades of purple later on. Using scraps. It will be warm. Kind of boring picture...


The book was a gift from the Squid -- The Exploding Detective.

This entry was originally posted at https://unovis.dreamwidth.org/618288.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Treats first: a story for me from the holmestice  festival: The Midnight Caller, a delightful, thoughtful look at Mrs Hudson, during and shortly after The Empty House events. I love Mrs Hudson, the idea of her, the original, and almost all of the adaptations. This is a classic version from the stories and the Granada verse. She's a proper woman of her time with all the virtues and the story is something you'll enjoy.

I'm on deadline this past week, trying to tie up a very complicated index for a hybrid British/American publication. It's for an exhibition of a gorgeous 17th-century pronkstilleven, or luxury still life that shows off the treasures of the Paston family. Miraculously, since the family estate was dismantled and sold off for debts, a few of the objects in the painting survive and will be shown with the painting. Right now, all the damn titled persons in the book have been driving me up the wall, especially as I don't have room to list persons twice.

Suddenly, work has been flooding in -- I have three jobs for January-February -- which is good for my upcoming air conditioner problem, but a problem for my current Life With Mom. Ugh, can't start to talk about Life With Mom. She is going off to Houston for Christmas and I will be here alone for three or four days, unless she extends her stay. I think I will ignore the holiday altogether and spend the time cleaning, here and at the condo. I've bought no gifts this year (been crushingly broke) except for a ring for Mom, for her birthday. I haven't had time to make anything -- no, I lie. I did send a gift to the Squid, a birthday/Christmas gift, and I'll be sending a crate of honeybells to Reiko. I've been intrigued by Litographs, a company that sells T-shirts and other things imprinted with the entire texts of books. As soon as I have a bit of spare cash, I'll buy one for myself -- Three Musketeers, maybe? Or poems of Emily Dickenson. I haven't even bought myself a gift, though I guess there's still time. (I did receive my annual, greatly appreciated, gift from Tryfanstone, WHICH I HAVEN'T OPENED YET, WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS -- was scolded one year, when I recognized the wonderful fudge).

The doc, the new doc, still under evaluation, looked over the X-rays and blood tests and the heart thingy. He said my blood work is clean, with nothing alarming (they're always surprised), but he thought he saw a kidney stone, which might have caused the back pain. Nothing to cause the nausea and vomiting and severe indigestion for those two weeks, which has lightened up, other than depression and stress and the usual GERD. No recommended diet. Lose weight. Eat vegetables. Vitamin B6 and Magnesium, to fight any more stones. He wants me to walk. Ugh. So I need to find something, anything, appealing around here to walk toward, or take up miniature golf. Ugh, ugh, ugh, sigh. Maybe weekly bus trips somewhere-- maybe, if the Mom can be persuaded to go.

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