Sort of relative to my Eureka post from earlier this week, this little bit from NPR TV blogger Linda Holmes actually had me cackling out loud. No, I don't have permission to copy it here but since I am linking and crediting, hopefully she won't be too mad. ;D

Twenty Humble Suggestions For New Cable Network Slogans
by Linda Holmes

MTV: Hurry Up, Human Cloning! We've Got Plenty Of Snooki's DNA

TLC: Next To These Appalling Moms, That Time You Accidentally Dropped Your Baby Isn't Really That Big A Deal

Lifetime: Still Trying To Fill The Gap Left By Hours Of 'Golden Girls' Reruns

USA: Ha Ha, We Can Make Successful New Hourlong Dramas And You Can't

Bravo: Fighting The Real Enemy, Which Is Horrible Tiny Rich Women With Tans

Spike: We Really Show A LOT Of Wrestling

History: Patriotism, Gun Safety, And Pawn Shops, Pawn Shops, Pawn Shops!

A&E: Two Of The Letters In 'Hoarders'

Food Network: GRILL STUFF LOUD FAST CHEAP RIGHT HERE BOOM SMACKAROONIE CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT

OWN: We're Not Here To Tell Anybody How To Live. Psych, We Totally Are

TruTV: The Highest Percentage Of Squad Car Dashboard Footage Anywhere On Television

FX: So Gritty It Will Polish Your Teeth

WeTV: If We Don't Have It And It's About Absolutely Horrible People Getting Married, You Don't Need It

Animal Planet: We Still Can't Believe We Didn't Think Of Shark Week

SyFy: We Specialize In Shows You Will Hate Us For Canceling

Hallmark: Everything You Need To Know About The World You Wish You Lived In

Oxygen: We Have More Yellow Than That Coldplay Song 'Yellow'

HGTV: Resent Your Surroundings 24 Hours A Day

BBC America: We've Got Swoony Accents. You've Got Anglophilia.

TNT: We Aren't The Ones Who Watched 'Franklin & Bash,' People

So I heard last week that SyFy was going to give Eureka a shortened 6th season. Then yesterday they took it back and said nope, no 6th season, it ends at 5. Today, there's new news, apparently they get ONE episode extra, to 'wrap up.' One episode. Damn you cheapass SyFy execs.

I'm going to miss that show. Thank goodness there are still a few eps for next year.

I haven't spammed in a while, so I guess it's time. Found these links on a couple of people's posts, and being a logophile, had to follow!

Test your vocabulary: http://testyourvocab.com/

I scored 42,200 words

And I knew 27 of their 34 "hardest words", and just learned a bunch more since of course I clicked on the definitions of the ones I didn't know previously!

Fun test! Yes, I know, I have a strange definition of fun. ;D

I have one more day in which I can use my Spring icon, so I shall. Though it doesn't feel very springy today, with temps in the 50's and snow overnight in the mountains! :)

Watched the final ep of Game of Thrones s. 1 last night. I'm so pleased with how they've adapted these books for television- I have very few quibbles at all with what they've done (the main one being taking Tyrion out of last week's battle). The casting is fabulous, especially Jon, Arya, Tyrion, and Danaerys. On my first read of the books a couple of years ago I basically skimmed over Dany's chapters because I just didn't connect with her character at all, but Amelia Clarke has really fleshed her out and invested me in her story. Also, they did a great job with the baby dragons last night. I just wish we'd gotten a better look at all three of them, not just Drogon.

Also watched the Falling Skies premiere. It wasn't bad- I'll probably keep watching it at least for a while, though I do wish it had been a tad less predictable. Props for a well integrated cast though, it's nice to see that not just white people survived the coming of the aliens. It did raise yet again a long-standing question I've had - in visual media, why is it that nearly everyone in post-apocalyptic societies wears fingerless gloves?? How did that get to be THE signifier of a post-apocalypse era?

On the personal side, I did go ahead and file for bankruptcy- that is proceeding apace and I hope to soon have things resolved, which should improve my monetary situation a lot. Also, my mom is doing ok, though she's still having trouble adapting to the left-side weakness and has had a couple of falls recently, one where she gashed her head and had to have stitches and another where she broke her finger badly. She tends to forget that you just can't make sudden changes in direction when you use a walker, and she also tends to let her walker get too far out in front of her, which isn't safe. She's in assisted living now (a very nice facility- heck, I'd live there if I could!), which is expensive but it's good to know she has trained help at the touch of a call button if she needs it. We go over to visit her at least a couple of times a week to try to make sure she doesn't get too bored and lonely, but I have to say I am kind of miffed at her friends, very few of whom have bothered to come and visit her.

I used to have a great Firefox add-on that let me right-click on an LJ (or DW) entry and expand all the comments, but it mysteriously disappeared last time Firefox updated itself, and I can't remember what the danged thing was called so I can't find it again to reinstall. Do any of you know what I am talking about and remember the name of the add-on? I used it ALL the time and I miss it a lot.

For any of you worried about LJ stability, I have 14 unused Dreamwidth codes I'd be happy to share. Just comment on this post at either location and let me know if you want one.

Hey, do any of you know the title of and original performer of the song that was used in last night's Criminal Minds episode "Coda"? The one the autistic boy kept playing? I can send you a download link to an audio file stripped off the show's soundtrack if you're curious.

I haven't posted in forever, mostly because I feel pretty overwhelmed by Real Life. Work continues to be difficult, they still haven't let us have our front-desk person back so office support for 35 faculty, plus about 90 grad students and 600 undergrads continues to be done by just two people- myself and my co-worker. I discovered that we're the lowest-staffed department in the college, despite the fact that we teach more Core student credit hours than any other department. I feel like we're being punished for being good at our jobs. Plus, state employees haven't had a raise in 3 years and on top of that, they're taking more out for our retirement, so essentially we've gotten pay CUTS.

The kidunit got laid off in mid-November, the same week that Bluster passed away, and shortly after we found out about his autoimmune issues. His being laid off was not a result of his health issues, but they make him difficult to insure, and I am dreading his fast-approaching birthday when he will no longer be eligible for my plan. In the mean time, I can barely pay my own bills let alone his, so we're seriously considering bankruptcy. I wonder if a bankruptcy attorney will give us a two for one deal?

My mother had another stroke about a month ago, and despite her showing all the classic signs of having had a stroke, it took the hospital 24 hours to actually diagnose one, by which time it was too late to give her the tPA like they did last time, so her recovery has been much, much slower this time. While the stroke fortunately did not affect her ability to communicate, she has left-side weakness/unresponsiveness which is responding only slowly to rehabilitation. They're letting her out of the hospital this weekend but sending her to a skilled nursing facility to continue rehabbing, in hopes that she will eventually be able to be independent, but it could be the best we can hope for is assisted. No matter what, she's going to have to sell her townhouse which is on 3 levels and completely unmanageable for her now, so that she can get an apartment in a senior living facility somewhere which can accommodate her needs.

I have been spending much of my free time at the hospital with her trying to help keep her spirits up, and running errands and suchlike for her since she can't do it herself. Once I get home from that, I'm pretty much braindead and only good for staring at the TV. Fortunately a lot of my shows continue to please me- Chuck, Castle, the NCISes, Hawaii 5-0, Criminal Minds (though I am leery of this Prentiss arc, I fear the worst since I know she was on the chopping block at one point this year and may still be for all I know), Top Chef, and The Mentalist. I know everyone else is hating on Supernatural this season, but I'm sort of enjoying it, though I am willing to admit that may be because my critical thinking faculties have gone on hiatus due to stress. I was bummed that Fabio went home on Top Chef. He was my favorite, though I kind of knew all along he probably wouldn't win. Sucks that he went home because of a hamburger, though.

Ardent and I were devastated to learn yesterday evening that Betty (Bluster on LJ) passed away earlier this week. We don't know details, but it was apparently natural causes. They are holding a memorial for her on Monday. If you would like a link to the obituary please email me at kelliedru at gmail.com and I will send it, I just didn't want to post it publicly.

If you would like to make a donation in her name, I think one of the Humane Societies near her would be the perfect place, as she always said she was "one of those crazy cat ladies."

Aurora Humane Society
1301 23rd Street,
Central City, NE 68826
(402) 694-2738
(they don't have a webpage I could find)

or the Central Nebraska Humane Society.

I am going to miss her something awful.

ETA: my son ran across this quote earlier today- it seems very appropriate.

Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. In this divine glass, they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure. This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.

--William Penn, More Fruits of Solitude

I think I'm the only person in my building who dressed up today-- but that's okay. The costume is awsome, if I do say so myself. :D I think I'll call this Drusilla Farnsworth (my middle name and a family name- it sounds appropriately steampunkish!) Here's the front view:



Most of the outfit was purchased pre-made and altered (changed the bottom of the jacket, dyed the shirt with tea, etc.) but my son the costumer made the skirt for me- it's from an actual Victorian walking skirt pattern.

A few more pix ( behind the cut. )

In unhappy news, there's another fire up in the canyons above Boulder. This is Not Good. I hope the firefighters can get a quick handle on it.

I'm making an effort to post more often, so today you get baking talk. :) I had some bananas that had gone way past their eat-by date (in my house that's when they have no green left on the skin) and I didn't want to just pitch them, so I figured I'd make banana nut bread. Being a little bored with my usual recipe, I decided to tweak it a bit. I thought chai flavors would go well with banana so I added a couple of teaspoons of chai masala. Then I had a brainstorm and threw in a bit of cayenne. It turned out amazingly well! The kidunit agreed, so I am definitely making this again. I don't have any pictures of it because I didn't think to do that before we ate it all, but here's the recipe in case any of you want to try it.

Spicy Banana Nut Bread

1 3/4 C flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp chai masala*
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne (a guess- I didn't really measure)
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C vegetable shortening
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk or half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C mashed ripe banana (about 3 small)
½ C coarsely chopped pecans (I usually use more like a cup, because I love pecans!)

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 8"x4"x2" loaf pan. I like to line my loaf pan with a long “U” of parchment paper which helps you lift out the loaf without it sticking. I use ordinary binder clips to clip the paper to the rim of the pan and keep it from curling in over the bread while baking.

Stir together dry ingredients, set aside. Cream shortening and sugar. Add the eggs to creamed mixture one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition, then add the vanilla. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the banana to the creamed mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Fold in nuts. Turn batter into pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes before attempting to cut.

*a blend of ground ginger, cardamom, coriander seed, black pepper & cinnamon used in the making of chai tea. Sometimes it also has bay leaf, fennel seed, and/or anise seed as well. The one I used was an inexpensive mass-produced blend I found at a local Asian market, but if you can't find this locally, it would be easy to blend your own. Or, the Savory Spice Shop has a version for sale online.

And here is a bonus recipe. A friend with a surfeit of green tomatoes asked me for this and since it's the time of year for those (pick them before the first frost!) I figured I would share my grandmother's recipe for a spicy green tomato relish. Gramma used 'farm' measurements which I've tried to convert to more standard ones, but it's hard to find conversion charts for specific produce. It would be pretty easy to halve or even quarter the recipe, if you wanted to.

Damn Hot Stuff**

2 quarts green tomatoes (about 5 pounds)
2 quarts onions (about 4 pounds)
2 pints jalapenos (about 1.5 pounds)
2 pints (4 C.) cider vinegar
2 pints (4 C.) sugar
16 oz prepared mustard (she used plain yellow but you can use your favorite)
1 tsp. salt

Roughly puree tomatoes, onions and hot peppers (she used a meat grinder but a food processor probably works just as well). Don't puree it smooth, there should be lots of chunks. Pour into a large non-reactive dutch oven or stock pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pack in jars, seal. Great with pinto beans, green beans, ham, on hot dogs- lots of things!

**yes, this was Gramma's official name for it. ;D

It's been a while so thought I'd check in-- things have just been a tad nutty in my life of late. It seems like I don't have much down time, between work, ferrying my mom places since she's not allowed to drive (though otherwise she is doing well), feeding the dogs for my brother and SIL when they have to be at the hospital for continuing care for his pancreatic issues. He is having what is hopefully his last session at the hospital this afternoon. He is doing better, foods are beginning to taste right again and he's stopped losing so much weight. We are all looking forward to his being completely recovered.

Then, since my kidunit finally got onto the insurance through his work, we've spent a lot of time and money going to doctors, getting all kinds of tests done (bloodwork, physical exams, an MRI, an EMS... you name it he's probably had it) and have met with 4 different doctors. And we finally have a diagnosis-- he has an autoimmune disorder. Fortunately, the docs did not detect any of the more severe symptoms of his disorder (apparently many people who test positive for it never develop the more severe symptoms) however, he does have a couple of the less common ones. Apparently while they can't treat the cause, they can treat the symptoms, and have started him on a drug which is supposed to help. We'll have to wait and see.

To add to the "interest" in my life (for Chinese Curse values of interesting), I had to have my car towed out of my parking lot at work day before yesterday- it wouldn't start. I was thinking it was the starter, solenoid or the ignition switch but it turned out to be the battery. I was sure it wasn't that, because the radio and 'door ajar' dinger worked, but apparently it was. (This is why I am not a mechanic!) ;D It also needed new battery terminal cables (the old ones were badly corroded) and a new bracket that holds the battery in place (also corroded into uselessness). It was an unwelcome expense, but still, I am sure the total was a lot less than fixing one of those other things would have been!! And I had a coupon for 15% off labor which helped bring it down a bit.

In more fun things, I've been working on a Steampunk outfit for Halloween and other costume-appropriate occasions (I found a top hat, goggles, and some amazingly inexpensive corsets on eBay!), and have been watching a few new shows (The Event, Hawaii 5-0, and No Ordinary Family) along with my old favorites. Enjoying a couple of non-US shows, too- Shattered, and Lost Girl. Anyways, I've been vibing for folks who seem to need them, and reading posts, but it's hard to find the energy to do much posting or commenting myself.

I've been worried that it is too early to say something about this- that I might jinx things, but I decided to post anyway, as a PSA if for no other reason.

On Monday afternoon I was on the phone with my 84-year-old mother when in mid-sentence, she stopped making sense-- groping for words, using words that did not make sense in context, and saying 'uh' a lot. The weather has been very hot, and thinking it might just be dehydration, I asked if she was staying hydrated, and she exasperatedly snapped "Yes!" so I knew it was more serious than that. I told her I thought she was probably having a stroke, and that I was going to call my brother and SIL and have them come get her and take her to a doctor right away. They live about 5 minutes away from her. She'd had a couple of TIA's in the past, but they never caused any perceptible symptoms other than brief dizziness. They took her to the emergency room where she was evaluated and they confirmed my suspicions- she had had a full-blown stroke (not a TIA), and her speech/language processing area was affected. When I got to the hospital, though she clearly recognized us, she was unable to identify any of the family by name, and kept inserting 'schedule' and (oddly) 'Obama' when she tried to convey complex meanings.

After a couple of hours with no improvement, the doctors told us that there was a chance that she could be helped if they gave her a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which must be administered within 6 hours of the initial event, but that there were serious risks of side effects involved, especially in the elderly, though her general good health made her a better candidate than some. After discussing the situation, we decided she would be upset with us if we did not make every effort possible, and okayed the drug. They administered it in an IV drip over several hours during the night, keeping her in the ICU so they could closely monitor her reaction to the drug.

By the next morning, she was using full sentences and was able to identify everyone by name again. By mid-day she was remembering phone numbers of friends she needed to call, and facts about her youth (prompted by the bizarre coincidence of discovering that her ICU nurse was from the same tiny postage-stamp of a town in another state that my mother was born in!) so we knew she had both good short-term and long-term memory. By the next evening, she was shaky, but had all her vocabulary back and was allowed to eat after an evaluation by a couple of speech and occupational therapists. Yesterday afternoon, they released her to go home!

On Monday, we were sure she would be in the hospital and/or rehabilitation for months. The fact that she got to go home yesterday seems rather like a miracle. The confluence of events were so fortuitous it's almost hard to believe. If I had called her just ten minutes earlier, we'd have been done talking before the event occurred, and we would most likely not have known about it for quite some time, which might have ruled out the use of the tPA. That, coupled with the the fact that she was a good candidate for the tPA therapy to begin with despite her age- it's all pretty damned amazing.

This all comes on the heels of someone I work with being diagnosed with permanent short-term memory loss (think Memento) due to several small strokes caused by uncontrolled high blood-pressure. He's younger than I am and may never be able to hold more than a menial job again, despite having a doctorate and years of teaching experience.

I guess what I want to say to you all is this: make sure you take care of yourselves (and your loved ones) and have your blood-pressure checked regularly, know the symptoms of stroke, and get to the hospital ASAP if you ever experience them. Don't blow it off thinking it's no big deal.

Wow, have I really not posted for two months? Ack!

Part of that is computer issues at home, part is that I broke my foot a few weeks ago and have been feeling remarkably hermitish, and things have been pretty crazy at work too, so when I get home mostly all I want to do is watch TV. So that means I have to post about a few season finales! Not really spoilery, mostly just a few opinions, but I'll cut them just in case because I know even opinions can be spoilery to some folks. ( Read more... )

On the birding front, my winter juncos have migrated to wherever it is they go in the summer, and a bunch of my summer birds have returned! I'm seeing goldfinches, red-winged blackbirds, and we already have hummingbirds even though we don't usually get them until June! Our Northern Flickers have re-occupied the nest cavity they used last year and are incubating a new brood. Twice now I've seen a male Bullock's Oriole, and a male Lazuli Bunting. I want both of them to come back and hold still long enough for me to get photos, they're both gorgeous! Of course, warmer weather means that the grackles are back and eating me out of house and home, too, but you have to take the irritating with the good.

Oh, and if you're a US citizen and like me, think it's a shame that our military does not allow gays and lesbians to openly serve their country, please take a few moments to go to the Human Rights Campaign website and use their form to encourage your representatives in Washington to vote in favor of repealing DADT. It's quick and easy. Of course you can always do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, too.