Thanks for sharing that Erica Moen piece, Falconer. It made me cry, in a good way.

the mono itself has gotten a lot better, but the whole ‘contact sports could rupture zir spleen’ remains scary.

Oh Ceiling Cat. I remember that feeling. I’d got “over” it within a couple of months – I thought. Then I was rehearsing for a light opera performance. Taking in the regulation “singer’s breath” was an entirely new experience. Instead of feeling the diaphragm move correctly, I got a spleen-based reminder that I wasn’t as over it as I thought I was.

Also, I just totally blew a job interview. :(

I’d never blame anyone for suicide, I’m just sad that RW’s gone. I wish all the people who cared about him could have buoyed him up somehow.

I’ve lost friends to suicide, I don’t resent them for leaving…
Though I called the cops on the guy I’m in love with. He IM’ed me he was going to, I’m like “oh no you’re not,” and called the cops.
His mental health worker already had sectioned him and was sending the UK equivalent of a SWAT team to get him into the hospital.
But afterward, my guy thanked me for calling the police.

I think the people who do judge do so out of ignorance.

@ grumpy…there will be others, hopefully for even better jobs. Shit happens.

I passed my driving test a long time ago by figuring I was going to fail again, after failing three times due to nerves.
Maybe you can psych yourself out that way? Dunno.

Practice really helps when it comes to interviews. If you can, recruit everyone you know to interview you. You can find all kinds of resources on the interwebs and public libraries, and even employment centres.

It’s painful and awkward, but honestly, practice really helps.

Okay, the 1985 King Solomon’s Mines with Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone and John Rhys-Davies is streaming off Netflix.

Not five minutes into it, as Chamberlain leads Stone and a procession of Native Bearers (TM) through some godforsaken wilderness, probably supposed to be Darkest Africa, and Chamberlain looks straight down the camera and utters the immortal line, “Trust me, it’s a jungle out there.”

I can’t possibly imagine why it wasn’t considered a serious challenger to Indiana Jones.

Um, hey…Just noticed this news story when looking at another news story and so went to find out more about this news story.
It involves an MRA cage fighter who damn near killed his GF.
Post contains graphic images:

http://gawker.com/police-searching-for-mma-fighter-who-brutally-attacked-1619217763

but it can be excruciating for teens and adults. Making the jump over to me is unusual, apparently.

Both of ours got the super duper, turbo-charged, bad version in their early teens. One thing to watch out for that the doctors hadn’t warned us of, the older one had terrible pain in her feet on standing.

(When I say the “bad” version, I mean that one was off school for 3 months, the other for 5. The one good thing we got from that was finding out just how good our remote education system is here. They were fantastic.)

Shingles. On the side of my head. That is all.

A folk remedy for itching (that isn’t shingles) is a bath with oatmeal mixed into the water. Pure oats, no syrup or sugar added, in case it’s not obvious. It makes slimy water that soothes you. You need to really clean the tub right after, though, because that shit hardens like concrete.

Also, pallygirl, since it’s a burn, maybe try aloe vera? If you get the plant and use the ooze from the leaves, it won’t have any added chemicals, and it feels really good after sunburn. As I recall, it helps with the itching & peeling, too. (I’ve learned not to be in the sun that long, so I haven’t really needed it in a while.)

Wow. That “avoid aloe vera” made me go “huh.” and google it. Holy mixed messages! It must be so, SO frustrating to have to navigate all the chemicals for your after-treatment care, on top of the treatment, on top of the fucking cancer.

Fuck cancer. I hope your discomfort subsides quickly.

Pinetarsal is one winner. The other is Ego Skin Care’s eczema product line. All soap-free, soap-alternatives. They have a bath oil for flare ups that may be soothing.

Good old Xyrem!

I remember when I started becoming acquainted with a lot of drugs used in hospital (not stuff we prescribe patients) and, several times, had the realisation “Wait. This is coke!”

You got it. As much as I dislike antibacterial products, generally speaking, when you’re trying to heal inflamed skin you just have to use them to speed recovery along while preventing infection. Soap is going to dry you out and strip your skin of a lot of it’s natural defenses against bacteria.

Both my hands are covered in eczema and the only route that’s provided me any relief has been antibacterial cleansers and no soap.

I guess I never thought about just how isolated New Zealand is though. WAY more so than us in Canada.

We’re not THAT isolated. It’s been at least three years since we were talking on the internet by banging magnets on the telephone wires.

Also, today Sneak discovered the game Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Zie mostly had to just listen to the Let’s Play, rather than watch. That kid better not have nightmares. (I’d say me either, but this week has not been good for bad dreams; four times this week! Yeesh!)

Fribbie’s on a big cardboard box chasing her tail! I can’t remember the last time she chased her tail (she is 18, so I wouldn’t expect it). Lovely to see her doing a bit of kitty silliness!

I had a Kiwi internet boyfriend when I was seventeen so I know you guys are lying about getting the internets in the last five years. Some of you had it ten years ago.

Louis and I had a lovely afternoon on Friday. My class finished about 12.30, and it was a beautiful sunny day, so a perfect opportunity to go to Fawkner Park, and maybe get some memories of yesternight across the veil coming through. Also! My favourite French cafe is en route to the park, and something other than ham sammiches for lunch was an appealing thought. (Chocolate, orange and hazelnut crepes, YUM.)

We spent about 45 minutes in the park. It was cut short partly because two idiots decided they had to have their “fucking google it fucking on your fucking computer hurr hurr” conversation at full volume. (Protip, fellas: swear all you like, but don’t impose it on all the other people trying to relax in the park or have picnics with their kids.)

Before the interruption, I’d had some lovely memories, all right, but they were definitely of the TMI variety, and I don’t think anyone wants more of that here. I’ll just say we had a very good morning.

Even better in its own way was walking back into town, where I have to get the train, through the Botanical Gardens. I was getting lots of glimpses of Louis. He had his “mock turtle” green jumper on, one of his oldest, and I could feel the pattern under my fingers – we were walking arm-in-arm. Yes, I had my arm looped up through his, and yes, a few passers-by gave me slightly funny looks, but so what? I was busy enjoying my husband’s company. We were so happy walking through the gardens, looking at camellias in bloom, passing the Oak Lawn, and just taking our time. The only downside was my knee going twang after a while; I don’t know if it was the cartilage damage or the muscles, but it was sore as hell on the train home. Improved over the next day, though.

Couple of funny bits: I was glancing sideways, trying to get a clearer look at Louis, and he said, “Are you looking at my hair?” (It’s grown a couple of inches longer than mine, now.) I said yes, and he grabbed a chunk and brushed it back and forth over my face, like a tickly paintbrush. :D

A bit later he was walking backwards in front of me, almost toe to toe, and I said, “Being Ginger, are we?” (You know, Ginger Rogers’s famous comment about doing all the dances Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.) Louis didn’t answer but skipped a couple of dancing steps so he was walking beside me again.

Such a happy afternoon. He’d said his contentment knows no bounds, yet he is all yearning as well. It’s a contradiction that works: no ennui, no satiety, no boredom.

Here’s how he looked.

@pangloss…condolences on the ear thing. If you ever get another ear infection, ask for ciprodex eardrops. I was prescribed some the first time my eardrum burst out from pus buildup, and it is awesome stuff.
I also recommend drinking white tea, lab tests show that it boosts the effectiveness of antibiotics.