Read, Shred then Burn

I'm fond of some odd things, such as vintage sodas. The World Market nearby offers some interesting options. The most recent find was Fentimans Rose Lemonade. This is a lovely sparkling lemonade with just enough bite from the ginger, and the rose comes through without being overpowering, more like a scent signature on the breeze.

Hyperactive Lad tried the vintage formula Bubble Up, but didn't care for it. He said it was too sweet. I like how the citrus flavors seem brighter than some of the popular/national brands.

Just remembering a few things over the past 18 months.

The last trips to visit Grandma before Sister died, she was talking to others in the room that were not in this plane. When talking about it later, one of us, I don't remember if it was Mama or me, joked that Grandma was ready to go, but that Granddaddy and Uncle had welded the door shut.

Sister just came out with "That's so mean!" We joked a bit more about it, but let it go.

Then that December, Sister died.

It took me this long to realize that Sister was better at breaking and entering that Grandma. Figure she got in a window, and it just took her half a year to find the welding kit to let Grandma in.

Yeah, morbid humor. Sister is probably laughing at me for being so slow.

I'm working again. Not in my field, but it means it'll be easier to get the next job. It has almost no slow times that I have seen, and I'm cut off from everything but answering the phone. Yes, it's a call center. Yes, it is stressful. Yes, I am still looking for an IT position.

I should have insurance again sometime about the beginning of November, and might even be able to take time off. We had health insurance of a sort, but when the deductible is over $800, and there's barely enough money coming in to cover normal bills, it's pretty much useless.

I have cats again. No pictures yet, because they are still skittish. Two young cats, semi-feral rescues, and they are just now warming up to being seen. I will be able to get them health insurance through this job, though.

Corgi brought the cats. Driving. With five dogs also in the car. We had birthday doings of a sort for her here.

Not quite writing right now. Doing some RP that is letting me do some character development, though.

...and still feeling like I don't have that much traction.

I might get another interview in a few weeks.

I should graduate in June.

The alts are writing more than I am at the moment.

There's no easy way to look at it. My sister died yesterday.

It is kind of hard to focus on things, because I'm still dealing with the bit about her being gone. Me being me, I write about it.

My little sister, who had been through more crap than most people deal with in a full lifetime, only lived to be 41. She beat leukemia, dealt with one health problem after another besides having a dozen other things thrown at her.

Then she developed interstitial lung disease.

For several years, I watched her get more and more tired. I got used to watching out for her oxygen line when we went to visit. I re-learned the techniques for loading an oxygen tank caddy into vehicles.

I kept trying to pull her into my online communities, because I wanted my friends to know how funny and sharp she could be. I kept telling her it was a way to socialize without having to get out of the house, which in recent years involved hauling two or three oxygen tanks around for a trip lasting only an hour or so. When smoking was banned in most restaurants, it meant we could go out together again. The last time we managed that was for my birthday.

I wanted to spend more time with her.

It is a selfish wish, because I know she struggled to just breathe this last year. I don't know how many medications she was on, and I suspect more than a few might have been for pain. She had been so sick for so long, I was both prepared and surprised at the news.

There will be a memorial service, and Mama said something about asking for donations to the American Lung Association in lieu of flowers. My brother-in-law is going to hold a wake for her later, just like she wanted.

I am going to try to write down a few of the stories from the past four decades for the party. Some of them, Mama might need a couple of drinks to hear. But that is why we need this, not to remember how she was when she was sick, we need to remember who she really was.

Little things, like when the chemotherapy damaged her hearing, she just broadened her musical tastes to listen to Rob Zombie as well as Silly Wizard, on eleven. Maybe we can find the dissertation she did in middle school on the life cycle of the free-range polyester herds, and see if anyone can get through it on a cold reading without giggling. Bring out the photo albums, and let the kids laugh at how we looked when we were kids.

We just need to be happy she was alive, even if we miss her.

... and gleefully stealing fromdrharper some vids...

Something for the History class. I haven't really cared for the original version, but this one rocks like Plymouth.


I have had Geeks In Love by Lemon Demon on my playlist for some time, now have Geeks At Play:




and a dose of happy:

The best part? The people joining in with the self-admitted goofy dancer. My favorite? Montreal.

So, a little bit of tale-telling...

Being awake for 30 hours at a stretch does strange things. I had gone to bed at 1:30 in the afternoon, and woke up when Himself was in the shower. I rolled over, saw it was 7:00 and started to get dressed, trying to get out the door by 7:15. Gathering my books for class, I was trying to get myself organized wen Himself asked where I was going. "Class, and I am trying to not be late." He had to convince me it was still Sunday, and it was 7:10 PM. Luckily the clock in the living room helped, because it is set to military time,  reading as 1910, so I went back to bed.

 All, right, maybe just for me, but sff_corgi has this story on the Night Witches of World War II, which is a really neat tale for between Halloween and Remembrance Day.

Then there is an icon from my childhood that turns 40 this week, Sesame Street! Of the remaining original cast, there is one that does not get mentioned often enough, Dr Loretta Long.You might know her as "Susan", but she has a Ph.D. in Urban Education, earned while she was on the show, and using Sesame Street as the focus of her dissertation.

Ah, well - time to get back to homework... and brush up on my HTML.

I will be walking, running and swimming the Relay for Life in Second Life today - it is from noon SLT (That's Pacific Time for those not on the grid) today until noon tomorrow. I was able to make it last year, and I hope to repeat it this year.

If you are on the grid, come join us.

If you would like to donate, but are not in Second Life, my donation page is http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Annechen.Lowey

Apparently, I have trained Himself well. The phrase, "things will be different when I rule the world" triggers the immediate application of chocolate and/or red meat.

... on the 14th, actually, but I feel crappy about the year in general so I throw something silly at you.

Yes I have entirely too much time on my hands, so send an interview my way, whydon'cha?

( And yes, if you have corrections to add, let me know, this much silliness might as well be educational. )