Some sit and the candles are dimmed by the sea

[hummingwolf]

Random bits of update:

Last Friday I was happy about three things:
1. Creepy Guy saw me on the sidewalk and said nothing but a muttered "Hi." The less he notices me, the happier I am.
2. Fluffy Canada goslings were being adorable.
3. People in the supermarket checkout line were remarkably cheerful and friendly.

Last weekend I was unhappy about three things:
1. [TMI DELETED]
2. [TMI DELETED]
3. [TMI DELETED]
(Stupid [EXPLETIVE DELETED] medication side effects.)

The medication I started taking in the hopes that it would prevent migraines probably helped ease the pain a bit, but, in addition to [DID YOU KNOW THERE'S A POLICE SONG CALLED "TOO MUCH INFORMATION"?], the drug made me feel like some alien force was sucking all my energy away, so I stopped taking it. Bleh.

The doctor's office got blood test results back this week. The good news is that most of the results were nice, healthy results. (I'm always happy to learn that I still don't have diabetes!) The bad news is that the result for vitamin D levels was not normal at all, so I will now have to take vitamin D in doses so high I didn't realize they were legal, and will also have to get a bone density scan done to see if I've got osteoporosis yet. (My reaction to that last bit was "But I'm not even forty yet!" I blame the drugs. Seriously, too many drugs increase risk of D deficiency.)

My AM/FM/longwave/shortwave radio alarm clock--the one that can go for years at a time without letting me hear a single station, being good for nothing but alarming me with beeps at set times (something it is very good at and for which I am grateful, as even an umemployed hummingwolf occasionally needs to get to appointments on time)--spontaneously decided to start playing radio stations yesterday morning. It took me a while to realize this, as the frequency the radio was set to had nothing but static which sounded rather like it could have been running water in the neighbors' yard. However, I eventually realized what the sound was and switched over to a marginally local rock station, so that was good. Today I went through some of the shortwave frequencies for a while and was oddly comforted by the continued existence of fundamentalist survivalists on the airwaves. Nobody (at least in the time I was listening) declared that the Obamas are committing ritual child sacrifices in the White House, so the Obamas are obviously a little less scary than the Clintons. Then again, maybe I just haven't run across the right programs yet.

Last two books finished:
Daniel Radosh, Rapture Ready! Sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, sometimes moving. Recommended for anyone interested in pop culture as well as anyone interested in the white evangelical Christian subculture in the U.S.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss. Yeah, I started reading this one ages ago, but I kept getting distracted by little things like pain and exhaustion. Lovely book of essays. Recommended for anyone who thinks that reading a Native American (Potawatomi) biologist's ruminations about mosses and life sounds like a good way to spend some quiet time. Not a book to be rushed through.

~~~~~

I am trying to think of something more to say, but I am drawing a blank. It looks like this:

Comments

[hasufin.livejournal.com]

I am oddly disappointed that the Obamas are not performing human sacrifice. After all, now would be a good time to do so.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know for sure that there's no human sacrifice, just that the programs I caught last night didn't mention it. Hillary Clinton surely must have plenty of advice to give.

[windsparrow.livejournal.com]

Hi, there.

Sometimes the cure is worse than the illness - I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing so much of that.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. Here's hoping things get better soon.

On the plus side, vitamin D supplements might help with the migraines. We live in hope!

[windsparrow.livejournal.com]

I started taking larger doses of D this winter - 2000mg per day - and it took care of some foot and knee pain I'd been having. It started as an experiment of the "we keep seeing it in the news, it can't hurt to try it, especially here in this northern-ish climate where I don't get much sun" experiment. But lo, and behold, it did improve some things. Hope it helps you, too.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

I think you mean 2000 IU, not mg.--doses of D are measured in either Internationa Units or micrograms, and 2000 IU is the largest dose I've seen over the counter. Prescription-strength vitamin D, by contrast, comes in doses of 50,000 IU. Those aren't meant to be taken daily, though; my prescription is for one capsule twice a week. 50,000 is still an impressive number, though. It had better help!

Oh, and I'm glad to hear that D has helped you! That gives me hope. :-)

[windsparrow.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the inaccuracy. But I do hope you find all sorts of aches and pains lifting so that you are healthier.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Bah, no need to apologize for forgetting. The reason I remembered how vitamin D is measured is that I was reading all about it last week. I didn't know before that the amount of vitamin D we need is so small--yet so hard to get!

Thank you for your good wishes, Andi. ::hugs::