eumenidis

12:08 am: Nephews back home--blessed be their coming, & blessed be their going--may be just me, though I suspect not, but the boys were slightly more than usually wearing this weekend. For sure Isaac was in one of his futzing around moods & I made him re-dry the dishes at one point, & at another told him "Get your butt in here & dry some of these dishes." Samuel, on the other hand, has discovered crying as a means of getting attention & tool of manipulation--but we're not going for it. Love the boys, but thank all the gods of wisdom that I had the sense not to have any: nephews are enough aggro, thanks.

All Mom's rosebushes are in bloom now. The wind the last couple of days have been tearing them to pieces, so this evening after Jeff took the boys home I brought in the best intact ones, with particular emphasis on those with a good scent as well. Needed to stretch my legs &/or to get cash for the bus, so I plunked an especially pretty one in a soda bottle for my friend Kathy on my way to the convenience store. As usual, spent much longer than I intended talking about life, the universe, & everything, but a useful thing I did: the principal of her youngest kid's school called with the news that it's been confirmed that one of the students has contracted the influenza type A strain, though as yet there're no plans to close the school down. Troubling stuff, definitely something to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Need to finish Isaac's shell necklace for his birthday; good thing I thought to check the length before I did, that skinny little kid has a more sturdy neck than you'd think. Definitely need to hit Hobby Lobby for another strand of heishi beads. Also need to remember to keep the sales flyers from the newspaper Mon. & Tues., the boys will be over again next weekend.

Rearranged my bookshelves this weekend, much climbing involved, so am very tired now & expect to sleep like Rip van Winkle.

11:55 pm: Passed by city hall at dinnertime today & saw gobs of people waving signs--& one woman wearing an American flag as a cape (talk about wrapping yourself in the flag!); according to the news it was another one of those anti-tax "tea party" demonstrations. Oh dear, they don't want to pay higher taxes? Boo-fucking-hoo, excuse me--or don't, I don't give a dame--if the amount they're paying in taxes is their biggest problem they should be on their knees thanking whatever gods they worship for their good fortune, AND praying that it continues. Pfft; I guess it will have to get as bad as it was during the worst of the Great Depression--or worse--before Americans will finally face the fact that we must make major changes in how we live if we're going to survive as a nation.

More aggravation at supper. Talk of economic worries till I observed that FDR managed to impose high income tax rates on the wealthy (& they've been rabidly angry about it every since), whereupon Jeff shifted to subject to America's entry into WWII--& WWI. Yadda-jingoistic-yadda, specifically, "America bailed Europe out of its problems twice." AAAAARRRGGGHHH!!! He's my brother, I love him, & so on, but Goddess Columbia! What gets me is that he's as big a history geek as I am, & much more familiar with the specifics of WWII history, yet he spouts an idea as wrongheadedly naive as "America bailed out Europe." Yeah, right, brother mine, America didn't have any vital interests at stake in either war. Sure we didn't--& I'm Sarah Palin.

Sigh. Well, I see it's 1:30 AM now, & tomorrow is also a day.

10:50 pm: Missed a Memorial Day gathering, but Mom's having Steve & Cheri & Jeff & his boys over tomorrow, so it's the usual drill of cooking enough for several days' meals. Barbecue brisket with the usual starchy fixin's tomorrow, & because Samuel & Isaac, esp. Isaac, are fussy eaters, she made roast beef with brown gravy specially for them this afternoon. & wore herself out & had to collapse into her chair with the heating pad this evening. I-didn't-say-a-word. I just hope she sleeps well tonight.

Meanwhile, got statements from a couple of my doctors. Not too bad, the beloved ins. co. paid for most of my orthopedic treatments, & should pay for all of my last dental visit--should.

'N other news, niece Lindsey sent Mom & me each a copy of her senior picture & a ticket to her graduation. Rather dread it, but Mom clearly wants to go, & I guess Lindsey would like it too, so, duty. Well, I needed a new dress anyway...

02:11 pm: Interesting few days. Jeff came over unexpectedly Saturday with Samuel, Isaac was on a trip with his school band to Austin & Corpus Christi. I wound up going with Jeff & Samuel to a hobbists/gamers shop where there's a model train set up. Two, actually. The smaller, scale model wasn't running while we were there, but Samuel didn't fuss, he just looked at all the models, etc...& asked it he could maybe have this or that for Christmas. Not bad for a 6-year-old.

Back to the house & more trains while Jeff helped Mom trim the crepe myrtle bush at the side of the house. Think that's the longest space of time I've spent with Samuel in 2-3 years, but he's not a demanding kid, he just wants "his" grownups nearby.

Visited with Jeff for a longish time, then, when we went to look something up on the net, I couldn't connect. Ran all kinds of checks, spent a lot of time on the phone AT&T with tech support, finally made an appointment for a tech to come to the house...then yesterday, after I got home from my doctor, I tried to play a CD &...No. Sound. After a couple of hours of further checks, I concluded the problem was in the speakers & disconnected them...whereupon I noticed that the modem light, that had been flashing, had resumed a steady glow. After staring at the modem for a minute to be sure I wasn't imagining it, I tried my internet connection. Success; my speakers are dead, but I have internet. Ah, well.

Concerning my med results: my doctor wants go with Euflexa injections to replace the cartilege in my knee instead of full joint replacement, to which I say a cautious "Hurray!"

Other stuff: finally rented "300", & really, really, wish I'd rented LotR or Harry Potter instead, since I prefer my heroic fantasy clearly labeled as such. AND to have more internal logic. Feh. Jeff says that it's true to Frank Miller's graphic novel, to which I can only say that that's one book I won't be borrowing from him.

05:02 pm: Thought we'd finally managed to straighten out all the confusion regarding Mom's Social Security/Medicare/Insurance, but alas... So I spent more time on the phone with Medicare, only to be told that they'd call us back. Gotta love bureaucracy.

Mom's medical appointments are all done for a while, so I'm going to see if I can slip in a visit to my internist; I've gone all the way through the antibiotics prescribed at PrimaCare & I still have congestion in my sinuses & ears & dizziness, though oddly enough, mostly when I'm lying down.

Saw "Fires of Pompeii" yesterday evening. Not bad. Donna's showing more intelligence & compassion, though the writing's still showing a case of Rose-itis, as in Donna's interaction with the prospective sibyl Evelina.

09:45 am: OK, catching up.

Mom's audiologist had a technician from Phonak in her office Thurs., & the two of them spent more than an hour adjusting & reprogramming Mom's hearing aid, & talking to her, trying to figure out what causes the echoing & garbling of sounds. Finally, when Dr. Zaragosa was explaining how the brain processing & interprets sounds, it occurred to me to ask if the aneurism Mom has could be affecting it. The ladies didn't quite say "Aha!", but oh, yes, indeed it could, as could the micro-strokes Mom's had. The next step is for Mom to see an neurotologist; meanwhile, she needs to see her internist & an ear/nose/throat spec. to get rid of tissue swelling etc. that could interfere with testing. I restrained my unseemly glee; Mom will hardly go to the doctor when she's seriously ill or injured (there are some stories I could tell), let alone for a mild ailment, & as for preventive medicine--ftt. I was lucky enough to be able to set an appointment for Friday morning, & that Mom's internist's records still had her listed as a patient.

So while Mom went to her internist, I went to PrimaCare & got a 'scrip for antibiotics & Claritin-D. A relief to know that the dizziness & loss of balance were just because of an inner ear infection. I almost had a fall Wed. night, & I did fall in the parking garage, though fortunately against another parked car. Feeling much better than yesterday already, & grateful that I wasn't so dizzy I couldn't walk. Mom can drive me up the wall, but I don't want her to worry about me, she can literally worry until she makes herself sick.

Mom wanted to have my brothers & their families over for dinner tomorrow, but I can't get in touch with Steve or Cheri. I suspect that they have their hands full taking care of Cheri's mother, who had a major several months ago & is now crippled. Did get hold of Jeff, though, & he & his boys will be over.

There's a Blockbuster nearby the PrimaCare, so I rented "The Prestige", which Russ recommended, "Sleuth", with Michael Caine & Jude Law, & some others that looked interestings, so I'll have something to watch while I work on beading projects. Jeff's been hinting about a beaded belt again; I could probably build a loom from some boards & nails in the workshop--you just can't get sufficient tension on the threads on a little hand loom--but the question is where I could then use it. There's barely space in the back room for me to work at an old TV tray-sized typing table with Mom's sewing machine & the toys we keep for the boys. Eh, well, work something out...

09:48 pm: Hurting a lot lately, taking ibuprofen, with result that I've been feeling lightheaded the last couple of days. & a little uncertain of balance. Feh. Guess I'll have to switch to aspirin & herb teas if I'm still hurting tomorrow.

Meanwhile, watched "Exit Wounds" for the 3rd time. Well. Knew it was going to be dark & raw, given the subjects & themes this in this season, & that it involved Jack's sociopathic ex Captain John & his long-lost baby brother Grey, but they took it to a level & in directions that surprised me. Excellent casting on the long-lost, good facial resemblance, even better voice & accent, & skin-crawlingly convincing as a coldly vicious psycho bent on revenge of literally Homeric proportions. Jack coming out of the ground still sane was a big stretch, but Undead Owen bugs me more, so, pass.

On the death of Owen & Toshiko, I was braced for a casualty list in this ep., but it was still like a punch in the solar plexus. Good characterization. Owen achieved some grace this season, but he was still recognizable as the troubled & conflicted character of last season, the tantrum he went into when trapped in the reactor *was* what he'd do, as was calming himself down when it upset Toshiko. & of course Toshiko would fail to mention that she was also dying, & had been all the while she'd been directing him in how to prevent a meltdown.

Have to say that the handling of Gwen's character continues to irritate me. OK, yeah, I can certainly believe that Gwen was uncertain of her ability to cope with directing the police during the situation, & there'd be a moment she felt overwhelmed & needed Rhys' encouragement, but I think that in that situation, the scene should have been more subtle. & more brief.

Ianto & Captain John's roles weren't that demanding in this ep, but considering the complexity of the story, the actors made the most of what they had.

I could continue, but it's late & I have things to do before bed, so I'll just say I was more than pleased with the finale.