School and children...

I have become convinced that college is like having a baby: after a few years, you think about going back, and you've forgotten what a pain it was...

So this last weekend I went to Eugene. Unlike usual trips, I wasn't there for an event. This was (mostly) a fun trip. Well, I have to qualify the 'mostly' part. Get to that later.

Friday afternoon I drove down, checked into a little motel on 7th ave (not the absolute cheapest, but reasonable, and a lot less impersonal than the ordinary chain outfit. (In fact, the maid chased me down on my way out Sunday with something I forgot- how often does Motel 6 do that?)

Got down to the University in time to meet my all-time favorite professor for tea (Dr Louise Bishop). Oh, it was so good to see her! She was as warm and funny as usual (not that I expected that to have changed), was interested in what the kids and I have been up to, and best of all, I could 'talk shop' about some of the research I've been doing and not have to explain myself every other sentence! Oh, that alone is worth gold...

She had another appointment later or I could have talked for hours and hours. But after she left I turned to my second purpose for being on campus. I headed for the library. (No! I am NOT Hermione! Don't even think it!) And that is the 'mostly' part of the trip, because while it was rewarding, it was also work. But I ended up with three and a half pages of bibliographic notes, which gives me more opportunities to find the info I am looking for. Or maybe simply another turn down this rabbit hole. (Go ask Alice- she's the only one who knows for sure...)

James got in later that evening. He brought some of his reallyreally yummy red lentil soup, and we had soup and some beer and chatted (like we usually do on a Friday night that we're together). And watched the Olympics until much too late. I have a crush on Apolo Ohno. :-) Too cute for words. Watched some skiing too. Scary stuff.

Saturday James went off to his meeting (Diocese stuff) and I slept in. A lot- I had an incredible headache. (And no, two beers with a meal does not a headache make. I think it was unfamiliar pillows and driving. Most of the pain was in my neck and the back of my head.) After he got back we hung out for a bit and then did some thrift-shopping. I found some movies and some music and drooled over some antiques. I forget what he found. Then we picked up David and Lydia and met Stephen for dinner at the High Street Cafe. Was quite an experience to have dinner with adult children, sit there and have beer with them and chat. It was cool, really. And we made the waiter work for his tip. :-) Also have to say that the Black and Tan Brownie is just as good there as up here. Pretty amazing stuff.

And then we watched some more skiing, some skating exhibitions, and the American bobsled team 1 in the Night Train WIN THE GOLD!!! WOO-HOO!!!

James left early. (He had stuff in Ashland at 9.) I slept for a bit longer, checked out, and went back to the library for awhile. And then I drove home. Got lost in Salem trying to get back to the freeway after I stopped for a burger. Otherwise uneventful.

I really am suffering a bit from a jones to go back to school. But as I told Louise, there's no money, and even if there was, I don't think my health could take it. But I really miss being in classes, the discussion, the bit of a push to stretch myself. And checkout privileges (at the grad student level, especially) would be completely awesome. :-) Hmm. If only I could figure out some way to go to school (or teach even) and get them to pay me... yeah, and while I'm at it, I want a pony, and... *sigh*

This week: another ILL has arrived! I will pick it up in the morning (or what passes for morning for me). And maybe later in the week I will go upstairs and get some sewing done. The queue is still way too long.

Happy New Year!

"May you live in interesting times" is said to be an old Chinese curse; I'm not sure I believe it is Chinese, but it does seem to be a curse.

So anyway, this month we celebrated Chinese New Year (ask Annie about New Year at Phil and Susan's! The FOOD!!!), or at least some of us celebrated it. I was busy throwing up that day, so there ya go...

Started out the month with Groundhog Day- two of my dearest friends had birthdays that day. It's always fun to give them a hard time about that. Apparently the groundhog did see his shadow back east, but here on the west coast he did not. Which may explain why we just have rain out here but my friends back east are still wondering if the mailman is under that pile of snow on the sidewalk... James' brother Geoff offered to let me shovel his driveway! He said he wouldn't make this offer to just anyone, but since I'm practically family... Riiight Geoff. I'm not falling for that one, family or no. Somehow there's a scent of whitewashed fence to that one!

A few days later I was sick again. (Still, yeah.) Was having chest pain that was oozing into my shoulders and upper arms, and short of breath too. But I didn't have the sense that the obvious was happening. So I called and got a same-day appointment with my dr, but didn't tell the nurse the whole story for fear she'd just tell me to hang up and call 911. We've been there, done that.

So I spent the week in and out of the clinic, while they poked and prodded and tested. EKG, was iffy but it was my normal iffy (stuff with the a-fib off and on), they sent it to my cardiologist but he said it was within my normal range, but to check all of my bloodwork. Potassium fine, sugars fine, the enzyme that would have said I was having a heart attack- negative. Thyroid was fine. Well, let's take more blood and test for other stuff. They put an oxygenation monitor on me and made me trot around the nurses' station (it's laid out in a giant donut, with exam rooms all around) with a nurse holding the monitor. Well, on my second turn around I sort of slid onto and slumped down the wall- not really passing out but not far from it. About eight people picked me up and walked me back in and onto the table. Was basically ok, just... sliding down a wall.

So about 6:30 that Friday evening, I get a call from Dr Becher's co-worker who was working that afternoon, she'd just gotten some of my labwork back, and did I know that my nortriptyline level was roughly four times what it should be? No, I was not aware of that! Turns out that some of the symptoms of approaching toxicity are... chest pains, shortness of breath, lightheadedness. Talking with her we determined that the best course would be to drop the nortriptyline I was on- NOW. None of the usual tapering it off over a month or so. So I dropped it. Felt not really good but ok Saturday, which was nice as James and I went for a long walk (there's a gazillion restaurants on Alberta!) and then out for Lebanese food. (Dolmas and lamb. Yummy!) Came home and had chocolate fondue with strawberries and pears and some Chilean red wine. Very tasty.

Sunday my body realized that something was wrong. James went to the early service at church, and I stayed in bed because I had a Very Bad Feeling. Very Bad got Worse an hour or so later, and I managed to get to my wastebasket before I lost it.

Dolmas and lamb and chocolate and red wine are tasty going down- separately- but not so tasty coming up together. It was pretty horrible.

Eventually I figured I was empty, and staggered into the bathroom to clean the wastebasket. And I slipped. So suddenly there I was, naked, upside-down in the bathtub, with the wastebasket upside-down on my chest. Yes kiddies, that was even more horrible.

By the time James got back I was in a pile of towels on the bed, sobbing and laughing at the same time.

I spent most of that week sleeping while I finished getting through withdrawal, felt better enough toward the end of the week that I finished Wanda's new Frankish outfit, and then dragged her off to a potluck that the new canton up the Gorge was throwing. Nice little event, quite enjoyable, decent potluck, and I met a young fellow who's also interested in Frankish stuff, so I had someone to talk at for a bit. This week is sleeping, more dr visits (and lab work- I think they should stop stabbing me and just install a tap), and some reading. I finally got through ILL several books, one of which has a LOT of the info I need on the abbey at Corbie.

This weekend I'm heading to Eugene- James has some meetings for the Diocese there, so I'm going to meet him there, spend some time with him and with the kids. And I'm also meeting with my all-time favorite prof for tea Friday. I'm so looking forward to seeing her- I haven't see her in years! And it will be nice to talk 'shop'.

Oh, and there will be a trip to the library. But don't you dare call me Hermione! I'm cuter. :-)

I think that this must be a month for stooopid drivers. Well, a little more than that, since it was on the 31st that we got rear-ended. But since then it's like Zippy the Wonder Volvo has a target painted on her. I drove from here down the the Barley Mill pub the other night- maybe 4 miles?- and had to slam on my brakes at least three times. And no, it wasn't me- it was idiots changing lanes in front of me with just inches to spare, making left turns in front of me, etc. Sheesh. Maybe they should take the bus? (Not me though- getting anywhere but downtown from here is a pain- no matter where you want to go, you have to go downtown and the change buses, adding huge amounts of time to your trip...)

Not much in the news otherwise. Wanda is out of town this week, to Louisville, Kentucky. Shadow continues to be a dumbass. I still have sewing to do (probably head upstairs after a nap). And the Republicans continue to think that Republicans are the only ones who rate meaningful health coverage- the rest of us can go hang, apparently. Grr.

But the good news is- John Kitzhaber is running for Governor again! w00T! If he gets the nomination, I might have to volunteer again. :-)

Getting a CAT scan...

So I get to go in for a CAT scan tomorrow- to see if the stuff in my lungs and liver has changed any. But I don't actually see the doctor for results until March. Grr. Y'all know how much I love waiting...

We finally got Zippy the Wonder Volvo home! She is back on the road with a replacement hatch and right-hand lights. The hatch is hunter green, but as the car is a dark brown it isn't really obvious. I'm slowly re-assembling the sticker collection. Bunch of Potterverse stickers, a Laurel wreath, a sticker that says Hwaet!, the SCA Emergency Roadside Assistance Program stickers (the SCA and An Tir stickers) and a new U of O sticker. Sadly, the ORYGUN sticker is out of print. I got a plain yellow and green Oregon sticker, and despite my efforts, it is off-centered which bugs me. (I don't know if I can take it off and re-center it- may have to buy another one.) I still have to replace my godless-baby-eating-granola liberal stickers. ;-) Think I'll start with 'What Would Jefferson Do'.

Went to Adiantum Midwinter's Feast. It was a nice time. I managed to sit next to Bera for the evening and neither of us got arrested! This may be a first. ;-) Lots of cool A&S displays, and the KEWL thing- Miriam won Adiantum A&S! Yes, our little Mermee! w00T! Ok y'all, she's setting the standard... :-)

I have stuff to sew for Rustam, and then the belated Christmas presents for Alannas and Wanda, and then some stuff for Malcolm, and then I need to make new chemises (I have a fitting problem with the ones I have, as in my middle-aged arms no longer fit in the upper-arm/armseye area) for myself. And Amalric wants into the queue too. I may surface sometime in May...

I've got my money on the guy with the pig-faced bascinet...

Doesn't that just look like a lot of fun?

We're kind of spinning our wheels lately. Finding a hatch for Zippy proved a lot hard to do than one would think. Apparently getting any parts for Volvo 240 series is hard- people keep them and fix them rather than get rid of them. Parts are at a premium, and they aren't making any more of them. But we finally managed to get the hatch for Zippy, and she's down at Adam's being fixed (crossing my fingers that it will go smoothly and be done before Saturday). The hatch we got is hunter green. I think it will look nice with my stickers. I got online the other night and ordered replacements for most of them. Still have to get a new Obama sticker. And make the Jefferson and the '0 to 60 in 8 minutes' stickers again. But it appears that the 'ORYGUN' sticker is out-of-print. :-( I'm thinking to stop off at the UO bookstore when I'm in Eugene this Saturday and see what they've got these days.

The aftermath of the accident has been... interesting. The guy who hit us had let his insurance expire- which it did, the day before the accident. The phone number he gave us was no good, and Wanda has found that he has addresses in at least two states. Apparently he's an ER physician. Where we aren't sure. Wanda wants a piece of his posterior. She's been dealing with the various reports and all and it's been weird.

In other news... there ain't much other news. I've been either sleeping or trying to deal with car fu. Got some reading done (more on Frankish women and then a book on more general women's stuff). Pulled the ornaments off of the tree, took down the swag, which is getting kinda ratty. Need to do something different next year. I still need to pack up the nutcrackers and haul everything up to the attic. I'm thinking about getting some of the good Rubbermaid totes and getting stuff out of the misc boxes, which are also getting ratty.

Miss my Sweetie, miss my kids. :-( Miss my Zippy. :-((

Ending the year with a BANG!

Proof that the universe hates me: I got rear-ended tonight. ON THE WAY TO CHURCH. Priceless, ain't it?

So Wanda and I were headed up to the service at Trinity Cathedral (their New Yea's Eve is wow. Seriously cool music), and about a half block east of Powell's, on Burnside, the car right in front of me put on their 4-way flashers. Not knowing why, I slowed down. Turns out they were picking someone up from the sidewalk in front of Powell's. I stopped behind them. The guy behind me wasn't paying attention- and according to a witness, was following way too closely. So we got the BANG!

We're ok, though Wanda is a bit sore. No damage to the other guy's pickup that I could see. My right hand rear lights are gone, and the back hatch is smooshed in a bit. Looks like he connected with the latch bar/handle. If it had been a car they would have hit the bumper and we'd be fine, but nooo, it had to be a pickup. So probably the first order of business Monday will be to call Adam and see if I can get Zippy in to get the lights fixed at the least. And find out if he can do anything with the hatch.

In other news, we had Christmas. Dan and Ellen and Carol and Chappie were here, and James made it up for a couple of days. Wanda and I have been down with Virus #267, and can't seem to shake it. Seems to be sort of cyclical- I'll miserable for several days, then I'll start to feel better- and then it knocks me down again.

And now it is after midnight, so- HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Let's hope that 2010 is the best ever!!

I really needed one of these:

Friday night, on south-bound I-5. I got all the way to Albany without incident, and then suddenly traffic came to a grinding halt. The road was a solid sheet of ice- all the way to Creswell. About 25 miles of slick-as-glass roadway. We were crawling along at about 15mph through most of it. Didn't dare change lanes or take an exit. I thought about bailing and stopping at David and Lydia's, but then I remembered the exit to their place- very tight uphill curve. Not even.

I was actually ok- Zippy handles really well on bad surfaces. It was the people around me that I was afraid of, especially the epic idiot in front of me who kept hitting his brakes (yes Mr. 'I have an SUV so I am impervious to weather!', I'm looking at YOU!) and then fishtailing. I really wished I'd had a bullhorn- crank it up to 11 and yell "Stay off your brakes, you cretin!" Alas, I missed my chance.

Investiture was interesting. About half of the usual suspects made it- the rest were holed up and waiting for spring. HRM bailed and went home after a night in a motel. Rustam and Suvia were almost late to their own investiture! I was very glad I stayed up most of the night finishing Rustam's caftan- he wore it and it looked good. I was pretty much good for nothing though, and when they offered a very short fealty court so that those who needed to leave could- I did. James and I went back to Ashland where there was a pillow loudly calling my name. After I had a nap we went out for Chinese. The Kung Pao chicken failed to clear my nose though, and the next morning it was clear that I was too sick to drive 300 miles, so it was a good thing that I'd packed an extra dose of meds just in case.

Bera ran the peerage meeting again- she rocketh! I wish she would run the kingdom meetings too- we might actually get something done. :-/

The last Rivers council meeting was here at our house- Wanda had just recovered from the plague, and I was thankful for modern medicine (fought off a kidney infection), but the meeting was really good- talked a lot about theory and standards and the sort of thing we need to talk about occasionally, rather than just blowing through the candidate list.

Plan is to go get a tree tomorrow. Yay!