I don’t know what’s going on here, but they’re Oriental Short-Clawed Otters, they’d be adorable doing anything at all. Courtesy of Hamish Irvine on flickr.
Please feel free to use this thread to natter about anything your heart desires. Is there anything great happening in your life? Anything you want to get off your chest? Reading a good book (or a bad one)? Anything in the news that you’d like to discuss? What have you created lately? Commiserations, felicitations, temptations, contemplations, speculations?
Categories: Life
Soggy here, innit? 
In memoriam: Diana Rigg 
Getting out the ‘yes’ 
100 books by women in 2016 
Hoyden About Town 
How delightfully mischievous those otters look.
It’s a glorious spring day here in Sydney. I shall shortly take my lingering lung congestion off to somewhere sunny and breezy and enjoy some reading time.
Also, hurrah for Malala!
I’m glad she received it. I thought she would, when she didn’t get it last year.(I’m guessing the process to award Nobel Prize winners takes some time.) I’m glad she’s alive and able to make a statement.
She thanked her father for allowing her to be educated and have a degree of independence. I’m struck that she doesn’t thank her mother. If her father was a different man, we’d never have heard of her. Regardless of her mother?
I’m wondering how many women and girls in Afghanistan are too afraid to send their daughters/go to school after she was shot. It’s too dangerous for M to live in her home country.
I’m raining on the parade. Sorry.
I have two older sisters. They both live O/S. Whenever they fly back home they invariably expend some effort into re-establishing the family pecking order.
Sister 1 has a go for not maintaining proper standards of dress. Sister 2 has a go for spending Too Much on my clothing. I was wondering if they would experience any dissonance in their last joint visit. Nope. They both agreed I was wrong to stop dyeing my hair.
Mr a and I passed our 17th anniversary of being wed yesterday. I have had a very pleasant week off work, but tomorrow the kids and I are noses back to grindstones. Still, the Xmas hols are not so very far away…
Well, I’ve been admitted to hospital. They suspect gallstones playing up, but I need to have an ultrasound scan before they’re sure, and Sydney’s most famous teaching hospital doesn’t roster any ultrasound techs on Sundays. So I’ve been nil by mouth all day, hooked up to a saline drip to keep me hydrated, and prescribed an array of rather nice painkillers.
I made sure to bring my e-reader, but I’ve been so sleepy and floaty that I’ve scarcely read even one chapter.
I’m over my bodily frailties at the moment. Not looking forward to probable surgery at all.
Oh for goodness’ sake, they should have a portable ultrasound in the ED, no specialist tech required! Glad you have pain relief and such at least. Best wishes for a full and fast recovery.
I haven’t checked in here for a long time, but I’ve been working on some digs in Turkey and Italy and generally travelling around looking at ancient things, thanks to my uni! It’s been really great – best wishes to all Hoydens back home!
Eilish, I know exactly what you’re going through re: the sisters thing… I’m with my Dad and my younger sister in Germany at the moment, as we all had to attend a funeral together. My sister is living here now and studying dance, and boy, being around her is hard. Today I got judgy/snooty comments for taking the lift in the hotel instead of three flights of stairs (I have the flu), for making a joke that she didn’t deem funny enough, for eating bread with my salad at lunch, and for trying to give her a hug from my mum (while having the flu). So yeah.
Tigtog, I hope you get sorted out soon! *hugs*
Hope all is going well today TT.
I am gutted that I missed this.
In unrelated news I am seriously considering a stop at the cafe soon for some scallops.
A lot better today, thanks. I’m no longer acutely inflamed and since I have a performance on Sunday they’re going to schedule my op for next week (rather than stay on ward this week until a gap in the OR schedule opens up). At least so long as my system behaves tonight (I started back on solids at lunchtime).
I suspect it may be some time before my system is ready to handle a potato scallop 😦
I had a couple for lunch today. Unfortunately the cafe that cooked them had the fryer on too low and they were a bit soggy 😦
Gallstones run in my family. They are not fun at all. Good luck with your op tigtog – you have certainly had more than your share of health glitches lately.
CAKES. POTATOE CAKES.
I knew Sydneysiders had strange words for ‘beer’ but I hadn’t realised they had the wrong vocabulary for fish and chips.
It must be the humidity.
TigTog, I can see the fates have not received the note I wrote excusing you from further pain and or physical malaise this month. Hopefully the heavenly bureaucracy will get it sorted out pronto. Good grief. Be well soon.
At least I’m back home now, and coping OK. My final factor for deciding whether to stay on the ward and hope for a op slot on Wednesday or Thursday rather than going home and scheduling an op for next week or the week after was this: if I have an op on Thursday will I be in too much pain to sing on a stage on Sunday? Surgeon said ooh I think you might be in too much pain, yes. So I said I’ll have my surgery after the performance thanks.
I have just read that the violent threats sent to the university where Anita Sarkeesian was going to speak where judged by the coppers to be a normal experience for her, and not cause for concern.
Normal.
And also how the university wasn’t allowed to screen attendees for weapons. That’s apparently the specific tipping reason why Sarkeesian cancelled.
Eilish, that reasoning sounds like one of the reasons why 50 women die at the hands of present or former partners each year in Australia. I’m sure a number of public figures get frequent death threats, but the police and security services take them seriously nonetheless. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if many world leaders deal with threats regularly, but I’m sure it doesn’t lead to the police saying there’s nothing they can do to protect you, Mr President.
Yes, come into my space and swear as much as you like. Please, I love it.
Not sure of the veracity TT, but I heard that apples can assist in regulating gallbladder operations. I do know red delicious apples didn’t set my particularly gallstones off when even white bread, nothing on, was doing so.
Gallstones are the pits. Thinking kind thoughts our way.
http://the-toast.net/2014/10/16/fictional-characters-gotten-abortions/
Obviously Mrs. Price in ‘Mansfield Park’.
And Ripley in ‘Aliens’.
Eilish, I was just reading that Toast article! My favourite comment was by querulousgawks:
Oh how I would love to have Flora Poste given access to a TARDIS.
Aphie, I kept your advice in mind last night when out at a Japanese restaurant for my Sprog’s birthday dinner – I had an entree of seared salmon with sliced granny smith apple and followed it up with just some miso soup. I did not explode in agony, so yay.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/18/catholic-bishops-backtrack-on-gay-welcome
I can’t believe they even tried! That’s amazing! And there are at least 4 cardinals in the Catholic church who are progressive! Who?
I was at a funeral Friday, and I became aware I was in a room with a number of people who were seriously concerned about catching Catholic germs. It was very – odd.
Tigtog, hurrah for you not exploding in agony!
We’ve been having a quietish weekend here. Celebrated my birthday with partner/lad, a meal, a vase of flowers from the garden, and a splendiferous haul of pretty loot. We escaped the most punishing hail yesterday thank goodness – my thoughts go out to those who didn’t.
So glad you escaped the worst of the hail out West, Lauredhel – it seems to have been pretty awful for those who copped it hard this time around. We copped it hard here in the Great Hail of 1999 – still got some marks around the place to show for it.
Also PS happy birthday!
V yay tigtog! Exploding in agony is extremely unpleasant, I recall.
Last minute dress shopping for a wedding whilst fat is unpleasant and demoralising. My mother and sister are unaware, so I got to use my Sunday in feeling like an unwanted thing in a number of stores.
Happy (belated) Birthday Lauredhel!
Yay for not exploding in agony Viv, and I hope not exploding in agony continues until this is fixed. Hope the fixing and the getting better goes well for you too.
Commiserations Aphie. I am putting off dress/tunic/offortheloveofgodtheremustbesomething shopping for a wedding. Fortunately the couple have left it fairly open with a pretty much ‘no jeans’ dress code.
What did everyone think about Dr Who? *spoilers kinda* I liked it, back to the old Who for mine. It just squeaked past the Bechdel test. But I really enjoyed the story, although I wish that they had made it a multiple episode one. So much to explore!
Oh Aphie, I’m sorry
I’m going to be wedding dress shopping soon… but planning to get it tailor made, so hoping to avoid the frowns of “We don’t serve your kind here”.
Shopping for clothes has been a difficult thing lately. There are two or three fat-lady clothes shops in my local centre, but there is so. much. polyester. right now. Just why? I occasionally pick up something wearable from Target, but why don’t dedicated shops wake up and realise that swathing yourself in plastic in the Perth summer is just not a thing in the world?
I have to admit, I was surprised to hear about the hail on Saturday… down here in the southern suburbs of Perth, all we got was rain and thunder.
(OT: Lauredhel, did you actually get the email I sent you with the accessibility write up for that shop? If not, drop me a line at megpie71 at yahoo dot com dot au, and I’ll post it through again).
On the “shopping for clothing while non-standard” thing, the acres of polyester problem is why I tend to spend most of my time in jeans and t-shirts these days. At least those tend to be made of breathable fabrics. Plus, given I get them from Big W or Best and Less, they’re a damn sight cheaper than the stuff available from Autograph, My Size, City Chic or similar such stores.
What did everyone think about Dr Who? *spoilers kinda* I liked it, back to the old Who for mine.
Do you mean Mummy on the Orient Express, or the latest one (which I’ll be seeing tonight)?
Mummy I really liked; easily my favourite episode of Capaldi’s run, and one of my favourites of Moffat’s (while it’s not the most incisive criticism, Jenna Coleman can really rock a 1920’s look).
Although having said that, Flatline’s excellent too. (Riggsy would make a cool companion).
We only just caught up with Mummy on the Orient Express a few days ago, what with my hospital stay screwing up our viewing schedule. Plan to catch up with Flatline tonight or tomorrow night before I go back in for the op.
Very much enjoyed the Mummy – a return to the classics.
So, hospital bag suggestions for what will hopefully only be a one-night stay but might be a 3 or 4 night stay if I’m unlucky. So far I’ve got this list:
* loose-fitting cotton PJs/robe + orthotic thongs
* fluffy bedsocks + stuffed with nice smellies spongebag
* sleepmask and earplugs
* phone/kindle/laptop and chargers for all
What else should I definitely make sure to take with me (or do beforehand ready for my return home)?
tigtog, I’d be tempted to add a short extension cable and a powerboard for the chargers. I found when I was last in hospital that the powerpoints are very much not designed to be reached by patients and I had to regularly twist and reach behind me to get devices on and off the charger. Not fun after gallbladder surgery! (That said, I am not sure how the staff will regard an extension cable, obviously there’s a legitimate worry about trip hazards.)
Some hospitals still claim to ban patients from using cellular devices entirely although enforcement may be selective. But an emergency dead tree book may be called for.
This is a beginners tip, but my major thing about getting home after short post-surgical stays is to make sure you have adequate painkillers or ready access to someone willing to prescribe them! Particularly if you go home late in the week! My husband’s hernia recovery sheet mentioned “some mild discomfort”, which is not normally what our household would say about pain that severely restricts motion and prevents sleep. I suspect that surgeon’s tendency to operate on Friday and next see patients on Monday means he is underestimating how bad Saturday can be for them.
I had serious anxiety and distress the last time I was hospitalised, so I think if I have planned surgery or similar in future I will get my family to try and prep some kind of comfort object for me but likely not such an issue if you don’t expect emotional distress. But it still could potentially be nice to have, I dunno, a tigtog family photo or letter or similar to hand, maybe.
tigtog @ 33 – Do you have any external battery phone chargers? Last time I was in hospital the nurses didn’t let me plug in my iphone/ipad charges into their electrical sockets because they hadn’t been tagged (certified). They were happy to get them tagged for free but it was a couple of day turn around. This was even for brand-new-still-in-packaging charges. I think they’re concerned about bad chargers causing electrical faults causing important stuff not to work.
So in the end I recharged my devices off external battery packs and family took the flat ones home to recharge before bringing them back in again.
I also brought in my 3g wifi hotspot because it has better reception than my phone.
tigtog @ 33 – Do you have any external battery phone chargers? Last time I was in hospital the nurses didn’t let me plug in my iphone/ipad charges into their electrical sockets because they hadn’t been tagged (certified). They were happy to get them tagged for free but it was a couple of day turn around. This was even for brand-new-still-in-packaging charges. I think they’re concerned about bad chargers causing electrical faults causing important stuff not to work.
So in the end I recharged my devices off external battery packs and family took the flat ones home to recharge before bringing them back in again.
I also brought in my 3g wifi hotspot because it has better reception than my phone.
Lip balm, moisturiser, emergency paper book, magazines you can flip through when you’re too loopy to read properly. If you get nauseous, really sour lollies can help.
Note book and pen or pencil.
I meant Flatline, but I quite enjoyed the mummy one too.
Good luck tigtog: hope the performance was good fun.
Oh, and polyester fat clothes – why, why, why?
Good luck, Tigtog.
Best wishes tigtog!