Sis-in-law LOIS is coming!!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra
We are now putting people in tents in the backyard!!!! And on top of everything else, Peggy and Tom have invited us ALL to dinner on Saturday; think of the magnificence of people who go, COOL, 8 extra people for dinner! And then music afterwards. Yes please!
Sis-in-law LOIS is coming!!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra
We are now putting people in tents in the backyard!!!! And on top of everything else, Peggy and Tom have invited us ALL to dinner on Saturday; think of the magnificence of people who go, COOL, 8 extra people for dinner! And then music afterwards. Yes please!
Weird physics
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra
http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/features/2000-2009/2005/08/nparticle-82w-fqr-2cd
go scotus!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra
The Supreme Court of the US has handed the neo-cons their balls in butcher’s paper, having remembered a little something called the US Constitution. Military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees is, uh, illegal, and it came down 5 – 3. Yee the freak HAW!
And a formal apology for the Head Tax from the Harper Government. I’m good with that too!!
Now let us see what happens with queer and reproductive rights……
Where’d everybody go?
2006-06-29— Posted by: allegra
When I got up this morning, the kids were gone. You know your kids are adults when YOU sleep in and THEY go to work.
Since people keep asking me, my back is no better. The neuro appointment is early on July 7th. More physio today.
I have asked for, and will receive, professional help in getting my songs written out. I am vastly relieved.
Spoke to Paul – he’s at Sandy’s Red Deer Lodge and Campground in Madawaska ON, low impact eco tourism at its finest, in a beautiful setting of trails, rivers and waterfalls, perfect for canoeing, hiking, fishing, hunting (in season), birdwatching, amateur astronomy, nature photography, fungus hunting and lazing around doing sweet Fanny Adams. (End of commercial plug, but every word of it is true.) He’s been making himself useful and canoeing, so he’s a happy boy. Next up, he’s getting to Cornwall to pick up Tish and Terry and bring them back here.
I miss work. The lack of structure is killing me.
Morning all
2006-06-28— Posted by: allegra
Watched Big Broadcast of 1938 last night. It goes from sophistication to corn so rapidly, and so many times, that I felt as if my critical senses had to be remounted on ball bearings. A remarkable cultural artifact.
Jazz quotes:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzquotes.php
Agnes DeMille quote:
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
Snake on a plan
2006-06-27— Posted by: allegra
from nmherps.blogspot.com
The hard working garbage collectors of Burnaby
2006-06-27— Posted by: allegra
For reasons best known to themselves, the hard working garbage collectors of Burnaby (FULL POINTS if you recognize the literary reference) came by this morning with a radio BLARING out the side of the truck. Katie and I were blasted out of bed and foregathered in the kitchen cursing under our breath.
FINALLY GOT AN APPOINTMENT to the spinal clinic, woo hoo. It’s for the DAY BEFORE I’m scheduled to go back to work, ditto, ditto.
Completed another song and fired it off to the archivist. SORRY ABOUT all the ALL CAPS. I’m feeling a bit more lively today, belike.
No, duh
2006-06-26— Posted by: allegra
http://www.prev.org/prc/prc_summary_gruenewld_aov.html
A study proves that the more bars there are in a neighbourhood, the rougher it is. Like, as in, more violent.
No blog this am, sorry.
2006-06-26— Posted by: allegra
Starlings
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6815781973393100875
Very funny nature video. Don’t watch from Dialup….
Unintentional humor
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra
Downunder websites have headlines like: Impressive Wallabies beat Ireland, which leads me to think that perhaps the Irish involved had been drinking pretty hard that day. I mean, Christ, wallabies aren’t THAT big.
enough sleep
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra
Paul’s off to Ontario to haul people back and forth, etc. (on airline passes). My mother is bugging me to finish the homily for the family reunion. I established only last night that it’s supposed to be 10 minutes long, so at least I have a better idea of HOW MUCH blather I am supposed to produce…
Kate’s at her boyfriend’s, Keith’s in bed asleep, Dr. Filk is at PondFilk (Paul at the last minute coughed up the motorcycle keys, thank Goddess) and all is more or less right with the world. I wrote a song yesterday, or applied words to one I’ve been working on for a month. My mother wanted to know where it came from, and I can only paraphrase Willie Nelson; songs are in the air, all the time, and all you have to do is listen to them.
Sleeping with the Enemy
2006-06-24— Posted by: allegra
From Gerald, provenance unknown.
Back Doctor
2006-06-24— Posted by: allegra
I read good chunks of Hamilton Hall’s Back Doctor (on Tish and Terry’s recommendation) and I guess I am feeling both better and worse about my back. He says the correct balance of rest and activity for patients with nerve root involvement from a herniated disc is 45 minutes of activity with 15 minutes of rest, which doesn’t really accord that well with going back to work. The tingling (paraesthesia) is quite consistent. It gets worse when I sit, and shifts around when I stand (better in my heel, worse in the ball of my foot). I am not imagining the weakness of my right leg – I limp because I can’t help it. Katie was quite concerned when she was walking with me today (I took her to Starbucks just before her shift started), and I just laughed. (Although I came home and lay down afterwards). I’m not going to fall over, although betimes it looks like it. Dr. Hall says it’s a good idea to distinguish between numbness and paraesthesia; on that basis, I am only truly numb in the outboard two little toes.
On the plus side, except for the Voltaren I am taking no pain killers, not even to sleep. Provided I don’t do anything stupid like bend forward or try to touch my knee to my forehead or twist my lower spine, or for that matter lift anything heavier than a book, I’m fine. I did get some exercise today, but that was after I did some driving, and driving completely sucks still, I’d be way better off not doing it.
The CT films have finally left RCH and have gone on to VGH Spine Clinic, but they haven’t been signed in yet so I’ll have to bug them about it on Monday.
I do feel relieved though. There’s only about a 20 percent chance I’ll have to have surgery, and the one really BAD thing that can happen, which is a rupture that affects the nerves involved in bowel and bladder control, is about as likely to happen as a lightning strike, so I’ve gone from being worried to being impatient to see a neurosurgeon and get some feel for what I’m up against. If I do need surgery, it’s fussy without being particularly complicated and I could be back at work in two weeks (ever supposing I got in promptly, which may not be feasible). One thing is clear…. I shouldn’t be at work and I can quit feeling guilty about it.
Keith just got in, he had a good shift at the Cirque and now he’s playing Final Fantasy X.
ow
2006-06-23— Posted by: allegra
I’m doing better, thanks to a superlative physio session late yesterday but I still can’t sit very long and my foot’s still numb.
Katie just hauled her first shift at the restaurant and it went okay. Paul got to say “Have a good day at work” to her this morning for the first time and I almost burst into tears.
Watched “Captain Blood” with Keith. Anybody who likes Pirates of the Caribbean HAS to see this movie.
Harryhausen does Muffett
2006-06-21— Posted by: allegra
Do I ever shut up about my back?
2006-06-21— Posted by: allegra
Sorry, no.
Doc wrote me off work until July 7th; I have to get my own films from RCH to VGH or I won’t get into the spinal clinic. I am dreading moving around, I am very sore.
Pic was drawn by Brooke; I call on everyone I know to witness that I do NOT look like Bruce Sterling in a wig.
More work
2006-06-20— Posted by: allegra
Katie has a job at a restaurant – she starts Friday!!!!
Pick one
2006-06-20— Posted by: allegra
1) spacy
2) snappish
3) sore
I can’t sit, I can’t sleep, my back is getting worse, not better, despite the physio and the exercises at home. I am too sick to work. I HATE THIS. I want to go back to work. But if I’m not sore enough to work I’m too spaced out to work. I’m back to the doc today, I have to get a note to get off work for at least three weeks.
More moose
2006-06-19— Posted by: allegra
From a Finnish newspic site.
I’d give anything to be able to do this
2006-06-19— Posted by: allegra
But unfortunately my back hurts too much. And I had to clean up cat shit this morning. That really didn’t help.
I see the physio at 4:30.
Pic (thx Sandy) is of a traditional Spanish figure called El Colacho; he’s jumping over the babies to ward off evil spirits.
Ow
2006-06-18— Posted by: allegra
It’s still owie owie owie but Paul dug up some more painkillers. Here’s a pic of Harry and William hungover ‘n stuff at their grans 80th. Can’t sit, must get back to my 80’s feminist sf (Native Tongue, can’t put it down).
Last night I dreamed I was Humphrey Bogart and I went to Indonesia for the earthquake (they had scheduled an earthquake, how handy) and when it came it pushed a whole perfectly preserved city into view and then the aftershock knocked it all over. Then I went to a banquet that featured Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Then I watched little mammals who got free food at the temple throw up on each other. Weird, hunh?
Lois arrives in about an hour.
From King5 Seattle news site
2006-06-17— Posted by: allegra
These wild deer are licking a dying cat, Sammy. I am assuming that Sammy, having kidney failure, would smell like a salt lick to them which is why they kept coming up to him and licking him. The cat died a couple of days after this pick was taken. Photo credit Margie Scott, Sammy’s owner.
Sammy apparently put up with it. Mammal biochemistry sure is weird.
ow
2006-06-17— Posted by: allegra
My back is sore, my foot is numb, and I’m taking Monday and Tuesday off next week. I can sit for perhaps 20 minutes before becoming so uncomfortable that I must either stand or lie down, and I’m getting frantic that by the time this is all over I won’t have a job to go back to…. everybody is managing fine without me.
Alan and Janice are here; Paul and Katie have taken up all the domestic slack because of my infirmity. I don’t mind, I just don’t want it to last.
I’m going to try to get into the spine clinic at VGH.
Guest Blogger
2006-06-16— Posted by: allegra
This is Keith here. Allegra isn’t feeling up to blogging today(this really is serious, isn’t it?). Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to run away and join the Cirque now, sans the running away part.