Radiation Therapy

I had my first radiation therapy appointment today. It went well. Today’s appointment was longer than the rest of them will be because they had to set up the treatment, which (for me) involved getting back into the CT-scan position they’d molded for me, and having them line me back up with LASERs along the points they’d marked on my body last time I was there.

They took new X-rays, drew a grid on my torso, and double-checked everything before finally having me get dressed again and go to wait in the actual radiation area. During the first part it was cold in the room and my tech guy was freezing, but I had comfy hand-knit socks to keep me warm. Thanks, Ra! I’ll have to alternate between warm socks for the next three weeks.

When I was ready for my actual radiation therapy (which will be the only part I’ll have to do from now on), they had me lay down in the same position again. Two cute nurses/radiation techs arranged me until I was lined up properly. Dr. Yeh came in to check on me and things, and told them to go ahead with the therapy.

The radiation therapy itself is indistinguishable from just getting an X-ray – they leave, the machine goes MMMM for a few seconds, and then they come back in. After they zapped me from above, the radiation machine rotated around the platform I was on until it was under me. The radiation techs made some measurements to make sure everything was good and then zapped me again.

I’d heard both that the first few days were the worse, and that the end will be the worst. Dr. Yeh said if I was going to feel nauseated I’d know immediately, but besides some no-food and stress-induced butterflies, I feel fine. I’m still taking today off just in case I feel sick later, but so far, so good. They’ve warned me I’ll feel fatigued, but I’m so lazy, how would I know? *grin*

"A secret message… from my teeth!" -- The Tick

Last Week

Last week was a difficult week for me emotionally. I was stressed about health and relationship issues, and it made me depressed and touchy. Luckily I was surrounded by good people who were very patient with me, and ultimately the week ended on a high note. I got to spend a lot of time with Mika last week, which was especially nice because I needed a chance to reconnect with her.

Last Sunday was a really pleasant day. Jero and I slept in ridiculously late and then we went out to Outback before meeting B!, Jobe, and Mars for a last-minute birthday Runebound game night. We still didn’t get to complete a game, but we did come a lot closer than the last time we played. I hadn’t expected to see Mars that weekend, so his unexpected freedom was an enjoyable surprise.

Last Monday I went to my first radiation oncologist appointment. The appointment went well – Dr. Leagre was very reassuring, and was happy to oblige my request to move my treatments to closer-to-home Methodist Hospital. It meant switching radiation oncologists, but I like Dr. Yeh just as much. After my appointment I headed to work. I had to work late since I traded with Napl so I could go to the doctor’s appt, so Monday night Jero and I skipped MUXing and went to bed relatively early.

Last Tuesday I went to another doctor’s appointment to meet Dr. Yeh, my new radiation oncologist. Ke picked me up at work and brought me to Methodist Hospital Radiation Therapy. I thought I’d just meet Dr. Yeh and he’d give me the same rundown Dr. Leagre did, but while I was there he had them CAT scan me as well in preparation for my radiation treatments. He answered more of the questions I’d had, and although the appointment lasted a lot longer than I’d planned, I felt like I got a lot accomplished in one visit.

After work I went over to Mika’s to spend the night with her for her birthday Wednesday. Mika and I had dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up ingredients for breakfast. When we got back to Mika’s apartment we snuggled on the couch and watched Firefly until we were both ready for bed.

Wednesday I had the day off for Mika’s birthday, so we slept in and Mika made breakfast. I had to run up to my urologist’s so they could take more blood, and then when I returned Mika napped while I watched the History Channel’s specials on end of the world scenarios – happy birthday, Mika!

Wednesday night Mika and I met up with Tojo, and the three of us went to see Mudkids, Flobots, and Matisyahu at the Murat Egyptian Room for Mika's birthday. After the concert I headed off so Mika and Tojo could have the night alone, and went over to Ke’s to snuggle and fall asleep with her to The Colbert Report.

Thursday night Amsc drove in from Illinois to see me. She was worried about her new tattoo, but she stopped in on the way to Indy and her tattoo shop reassured her it was healing just fine. Amsc’s visit was a short one, but it was good to catch up with her since I didn’t get to see her for her important rites weekend. We snuggled and she spent the night, and I get to see her again for Halloween.

Friday night after work I got back together with Mika for her birthday weekend. We had dinner, and then started in on two days devoted to the Star Trek Roleplaying Game. I have to love a woman whose request for birthday weekend activities includes role-playing Star Trek. *^_^* I had a great time with her, not just for the role-playing, but also for the chance to hang out with in an unhurried, non-sleepy setting.

Saturday Mika and slept in again and then went out to Le Peep for breakfast. We hit the knit shop, so Mika could stock up on yarn. Coincidently they were having a clearance sale, so Mika spent way too much, and then we headed home to role-play more Star Trek. We ordered in Jimmy Johns so we didn’t have to venture out, and spent the evening role-playing and snuggling.

The weekend was just what I needed. Mika had backed off from me a bit since I’d gotten sick, mostly so she didn’t get in the way of everyone else who was wanting to take care of me (I have an abundance of good fortunes!). This coincided with some NRE on her part, which left me feeling a little insecure. A weekend of snuggling and catching up was perfect for making me feel better in a lot of ways.

Arthur: “Oh, would you look at this. How many times have I told you about the toothpaste?“
The Tick: “I know what toothpaste is.“
Arthur: “When you leave the cap off the toothpaste the toothpaste gets hard and you can't get it out.“
The Tick: “Doesn't do that for me.“
Arthur: “That's because by the time you get the toothpaste, I've already cleaned it and put the cap back on!“
The Tick: “Well, good gravy! We are a well-oiled machine!“
-- The Tick

Radiation Oncologist

Today I went to see Dr. Christopher Leagre, a radiation oncologist. He was recommended my Dr. Pike, my urologist. The purpose of the visit was to set up radiation treatments for me following my orchiectomy. Dr. Leagre said I had a “pure seminoma,” which was good, because that meant it was a very well-known, predictable type of cancer.

If I do nothing, there’s an 85% chance I will be just fine. However, with the kind of seminoma I had, its size, and the speed in which it developed, there is a 15% chance the cancer will spread to my abdominal lymph nodes. If I zap them with radiation, that chance drop down to 1-3% (and Dr. Leagre said in his 20 years of doctoring, he’s never actually personally seen it return post-radiation).

Dr. Leagre said that they use a much lower dose of radiation now than they used to, with much lower chance for bad side effects. Basically I’ll just have to deal with nausea, and they’ll give me anti-nausea medicine and Xanax to combat that. There’s going to scan me and make a 3D model of my abdomen so they can zap my lymph nodes without accidently zapping anything important like my kidneys.

The appointments will be every weekday for three weeks (15 zaps). They’ll take place at the end of the day, so I can leave work, get zapped, and go home if I feel sick. Everything else should be fine. Dr. Leagre offered to sign the paperwork if I wanted to take the three weeks off work, but I shouldn’t need to. Tempting, though!

Since I live and work downtown, I asked if I could get my treatments closer to my home and workplace. Dr. Leagre is a St. Vincent’s guy, but he said he knows a doctor at Methodist he could recommend to me. Methodist Hospital is four minutes from my house and even closer to my work, so that should be just fine. I have another radiation oncologist appt. with Dr. Yeh at Methodist tomorrow.

“Who can deny the snazzy of that?” To Arthur: “Are you denying the snazzy of that?”
-- The Tick

Last Week

Last week was my final week off work. I didn’t get as much done project-wise while I was off-work, but I did get to spend a lot of time with the very sweet people who went out of their way to take care of me, which was probably the higher-priority time-killer anyway. *grin* I was a little depressed and over-emotional towards the end of the week, but otherwise have been on a pretty even-keel.

Last Sunday I had to kick Ke out of bed early so she could go to work, and then I had most of the day to myself to email, journal, and enjoy some alone time. Around 8 I got a surprise call from Chwi and M31, who had just gotten back from BlizzCon 2008 and offered to swing by and pick me up for dinner. They regaled me with their travel and vacation exploits, and when I got home Jero was waiting to snuggle and sleep. Chwi and M31 returned for Jero’s bout Saturday. B^)

Last Monday Jero and I hung out at my apartment until venturing out to meet C# and Nivagi for a late lunch/early dinner. After dinner Jero and I headed back to her place and I got on the MUX. I got a chance to role-play with Major Bludd as Dr. Mindbender, which was fun, and to set up a rescue attempt for Jem and the Holograms as Flint. It was an entertaining evening of 80s RP geekery.

Tuesday I spent hanging out with Jero during her telework day, and then she took off early to take me to my appointment to get my CT scan and chest X-rays. Jero and I had planned to go to the Poly Meetup, but neither of us had gotten enough sleep, so we wound up napping instead. When we woke up we went out to a late dinner, and then Jero dropped me off at Ke’s with food for Ke to eat while she studied.

Wednesday I had my follow-up appointment with my urologist concerning my orchiectomy. The news wasn’t as great as I’d have liked. The doctor verified that I’d had a cancerous seminoma, but no other indicators of cancer. That implies it hadn’t yet spread, but the size and aggressiveness of the tumor led him to suggest I get radiation just to make sure. I had an appointment this Monday with a radiation oncologist to discuss how all this is going to work.

After my doctor’s appointment, Ke and I went back to her house to hang out until her class. I went with her since the subject was stress management, which I could always use. The lecture was interesting, and afterward Ke brought me to the City County Building so we could vote early. The evening was spent with me role-playing on the MUX while Ke studied, and I had a great time participating in a well-run TinyPlot run by Major Bludd.

Thursday morning Ke dropped me back home, where I did laundry, answered LJ comments, and prepared to run Mika’s Star Trek RPG that evening. Mika came over and we ordered Chinese food, catching up on what’s been going on in her life while we ate. After dinner we went to lie down and snuggle before role-playing. Mika immediately passed out. That was OK, however – I was really more in a mood to snuggle Mika than role-play, anyway.

Friday I returned to work. Apparently I was supposed to go in at 8 AM since they took me off the schedule (therefore reverting me to generic 8 - 4:30 PM hours), but since I arrived at my usual time (1:30 PM) they just had me work my regular shift. After work I went over to Ke’s and we hung out and watched The Colbert Report until Ke fell asleep. Once again I wound up snuggling a beautiful woman and reading until I got sleepy, which is not a bad way to wind down the day.

Saturday was Jero’s final derby bout of the season, and she and her team kicked ass! I drove her down to Bloomington for the game, and then helped set up the Sportsplex (well, hung signs, etc), while Jero got changed and warmed up. The face-off between the two Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls home teams was well-played and exciting to watch, and it was great to see Jero skate well and do her part to help the Slaughter Scouts emerge victorious!

This week I’m back at work. I switched with Napl (who got stuck with my shift) so I could go to my doctor’s appointment this morning, so tonight I’ll be here until 10. After work I might log onto the MUX if anyone is still on, or just hang out with Jero until she passes out. The rest of the week I’ll be working 8 to 4:30 PM, and then next week I get a new work schedule – prolly working Saturdays.

I preferred Obama's statements 100% of the time Voting purely on the issues I voted for Obama Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues? Find out now!

Week in Review

This week has been spent mostly recovering from my surgery last Thursday. I’ve been exceedingly lucky to have very sweet girlfriends who have been going out of their way to take care of me and to make things as easy for me as possible. I got an infection in my lungs that made part of this week rather uncomfortable, but otherwise things are going well overall.

Sunday I slept in and spent the morning with Jero. In the afternoon Ke and Mira came over and brought the four of us food. We all ate dinner, and then Jero headed home. Ke, Mira, and I hung out, watching episodes of Pushing Daisies and an episode of Star Trek Next Generation. Mira helped Ke study while I putzed on the computer.

Monday I hung out with Mira while Ke was in class. When Ke got back the three of us had lunch and snuggled until Mira had to head home. Ke took me to Jero’s, where I was looking forward to being able to get on the MUX before 10 PM for a change. However, by the time I got on I wasn’t feeling that great, so I idled watching Heroes, and then took a Vicodin and went to lie down.

Tuesday I hung out at Jero’s while she teleworked, and then she took me home so Mika could come over for a short visit. Mika brought me dinner. We ate, and were snuggled up to watch Firefly when Nivagi called to say she was downstairs. I had security let her in, and she joined Mika and me in my bed, with me in the middle. The three of us cuddled and watched “Bushwacked,” and when the disc was over we joked and teased while I enjoyed their company.

Wednesday Ra came to visit from St. Louis! Ke picked her up at the bus station and brought her over with lunch for the three of us. We ate and hung out until Ke had to head home to take a test online. Ra and I spent the rest of the night hanging out, catching up, and watching funny videos online. Ra eventually went to bed since she wasn’t feeling well, and I joined her soon after.

Ra and I spent most of Thursday in bed, until we had to get up and dressed for Jero to pick us up for dinner. Jero took us to Murphy's Steak House and treated us to an excellent dinner. After we got back Jero hung out with us for a while before heading home, whereby Ra and I returned to our previous sloth-like existence. Ra and I did take the time to have a long Relationship Talk, and discuss how labels were creating unrealistic expectations that I can’t hope to live up to. Here’s hoping she and I can work out a solution.

Friday morning I woke up coughing my head off, and after resisting Ra’s advice all week, finally called Dr. Moretto and got an appointment. The doc checked my lungs and said I had an infection, but also assured me that the prognosis for my testicular cancer was good or else I’d have heard back from my urologist already. I got medication and spend the day recovering with Ra.

Saturday Ra had to head back to St. Louis, so I took her to the bus station and we bid farewells. I spent most of the day alone, puttering around my apartment, reading, and attempting to get things done. When Ke got a break from work she brought me food, and we grabbed a nap (my second that day!) before she headed back out. She came back to sleep, and in time I joined her.

It’s been a week of sickliness, but also of seeing people I never get to see. It’s sad that I missed seeing Amsc this weekend since I was too sick to drive seven hours to the Grove. It was nice though to get unexpected time with Mira and Ra at the beginning and end of the week. I have my follow-up appointment with my urologist this Wednesday, and then back to work Friday.

"You know, I could run for governor but I'm basically a media creation. I've never done anything. I've worked for my dad. I worked in the oil business. But that's not the kind of profile you have to have to get elected to public office."
-- George W. Bush, 1989

Weekend

I had a very pleasant weekend. I got to meet new people, spend time with the only family I actually like, and see friends and lovers with whom I normally don’t ever get enough time. Friday night Mika and I went over to Mars's to play Runebound. Mika and I'd originally intended to have a night alone and maybe a date night (as opposed to the usual case, where by time I get off work it's nearly time to sleep), but Mars had one of his rare nights free so Mika agreed to change plans. Runebound turned out to be one of Mars’s fun-but-endless games, so we wound up hanging out at his house until 4 AM.

Saturday I woke up before Mika and realized I’d somehow managed to lose my flash drive the night before. I looked for it until Mika woke up, and then drove by Mars’s on the way to the poly picnic to see if I’d dropped it outside his house. Mika and I met back up at the picnic, but I didn’t have long to hang out before I had to drive down to Bloomington to meet Mira at Chhu and Jalyru's for Chhu's 30th birthday party. Jalyru had planned a photo scavenger hunt that turned out to be a lot of fun, and I got to meet more of Chhu and Jalyru’s cool circle of friends. Good times!

Sunday Ke, Mira and I went to the Indy Irish Fest for breakfast and to see the kilt race. I escaped without spending much money, which was good, and then Mira and I went back to Ke’s while Ke went to work. I was dead-tired all morning from staying out late at Chhu and Jalyru’s, so Mira insisted I nap until Ke got home. We all had dinner together, and then Mira and I role-played while Ke got some sleep. It was excellent to see Mira before she had to head back to E’ville.

This week has been good so far – work hasn’t been that unpleasant, and for once I’m not booked to my eyeballs, so I have a little time to relax and catch up on my life. My mom is still crazy, but getting better, so now she’s only calling 20 times a day instead of 200. I’m hoping things continue to calm down at work and otherwise so that eventually I can get back to what passes for normal. This weekend Jero is getting to play with the Circle City Socialites at their first bout, so that should be fun and exciting.

"Some see the move as an attempt to preserve traditional values, while others see it as a cynical ploy to ensure that Vice President Cheney will never have to pay for his gay daughter's wedding."
-- Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," on the gay marriage ban

This has been a very stressful week, with a few very nice moments in between. Most of the stress comes from my mom, who is manic and spent the first half of the week trying to get out of the stress center, and the rest of the week driving my sister and me crazy. She's managed to get kicked out of her apartment (though she's fighting it) for scaring her neighbors, and so my sister and I have been trying to figure out what to do with her at month's end.

My week actually started off good. Sunday Amsc was still here, and even though I spent a good chuck of the day in Bloomington helping my sister clean my mom's apartment in preparation for moving, that night I got to return to Indy to go see Great Big Sea with Amsc. The show was a lot of fun, and since we were at the Music Mill we were able to hang out right next to the stage.

Monday has traditionally been my MUX night, but I've been making that more optional so that every week Jero doesn't have to spend all night staring at the side of my head. I brought over the cool socks that Ra had made for Jero, and Jero got to have a quiet evening hanging out that didn't involve me stressing over the MUX.

Tuesday night was supposed to be a productivity night, but I wound up on the phone most of the evening and didn't actually accomplish much. I did get to spend some time with Ke between and after the phone calls, so the evening wasn't completely a wash. Wednesday is usually the only day Ke can hang out because of her nursing school schedule, but she got a break this week and didn't have class Wednesday morning.

Since I didn't get much done Tuesday night, Wednesday Ke offered to come hang out at my apartment and read while I tried to get things done. That worked out well, and laundry and assisted-living research is a lot more pleasant when there's a cute nerd girl reading in your bed. Ke's presence also helped keep me from getting too stressed out or distracted by less-important tasks, so the evening quite nice.

Thursday Jero and Mika went to Perkins to have dinner with Nivagi and Salamander. We'd met Nivagi at the Poly Meetup while back, but hadn't gotten a chance to meet her boyfriend Salamander, so we planned late-night coffee as an excuse to drag him out after work. We were all tired and worn out from hard days/week all 'round, but it was still great to meet Salamander and to hang out with everyone else.

Last night Mika and I went over to Mars's to play Runebound Second Edition. We'd actually intended to have a night when we could hang out alone for a huge chunk of time and have a date night (as opposed to the usual case, where by time I get off work it's nearly time to sleep), but Mars had one of his rare nights free, so instead we wound up hanging out at his house until 4 AM. *chuckle*

Today Mika and I are going to a poly picnic for a few hours, and then I'm driving down to Bloomington to meet hotarugirl at my sister Chhu and Jalyru's for Chhu's birthday party. Jalyru has fun hinjinx planned, so it should be entertaining at least. Before I head to the picnic I need to run by Mars's to make sure I didn't drop my flash drive getting into my car at 4 AM.

Tomorrow Mira and I hope to kidnap Ke to the Indy Irish Fest, but apparently Ke is so far behind with her work we might night be able to spring her for any fun this weekend. Either way Sunday night I plan to run Mira's World of Darkness campaign, since she and I haven't gotten to RP in ever. Hope everyone else has a good weekend!

Test #3

Test 3 for posting by email

"That's my oldest. People never believe this, but he was a perfect child. College was another matter. But when he was a little boy, he'd put on his cowboy outfit and pretend he was Roy Rogers. He'd entertain himself for hours fighting the bad guys -- or, as he called them, the axis of evil."
-- Barbara Bush, describing her son, President Bush (San Francisco Chronicle)

Republicans Taunt Obama As Spineless Over FISA Reversal

From The Huffington Post --

Republicans Taunt Obama As Spineless Over FISA Reversal

In a press conference call [Saturday] morning, John McCain surrogate Sam Brownback (R-KS) pointed at Barack Obama and essentially called him a spineless panderer -- and welcomed it, saying he expected Obama to cave in on Iraq withdrawal next. McCain senior policy adviser Randy Scheunemann, with tremendous self-assurance, described Obama's support for the FISA bill -- a bill McCain also supports! -- as an example of Obama's supreme commitment to his own "political fortunes" above all else. And then, to underscore how weak they now consider Obama to be, the McCain campaign then issued an "In Case You Missed It" press release with a transcript highlighting these statements.

In other words: it's not just MoveOn.org and others on the left who are questioning Obama's principles over the FISA flap; even his opponents are pointing the finger and laughing at him for being such a panderer and accommodationist. And Obama hasn't even voted on the bill yet!

Brownback said Obama's spinelessness on the D.C. gun ban, campaign funding, and, most importantly, on FISA, meant he probably would eventually cave in on Iraq. Brownback even "set down a marker" -- dared Obama -- to concede on Iraq just like he's said he'll do on FISA. It's a remarkable display of chutzpah on Brownback's part:

More...

Great Weekend

I had a very nice weekend, although since I had to work on Saturday so I didn’t get as much rest, sleep, or time as I would have liked. Friday when I got off work Ke came over to she and I could drove down to Bloomington to go to a party with muppetofthenight and my sister. We had to nap before we left since we were both so tired, and on the way to the party we stopped at my mom’s to pick up a dishwasher.

I had fun at J031’s birthday party, even though Ke and I couldn’t stay late since she had class in the morning and I had to work. We made it back to my apartment alive and slept until I had to go to work and she to class. We were anticipating trouble getting downtown because of a marathon that day, but while Ke had problems dealing with the marathon fans I got in without incident.

For a Saturday, work wasn’t actually that bad. When I got off work I intended to go straight to St. Louis to see Ra, but I forgot my cell phone hands-free so I had to run home before leaving town. The drive was long but uneventful, and I got into St. Louis around ten PM, calling to tease Ra that I was just leaving.

Saturday night Ra and I kissed, cuddled, and snuggled up on the couch to watch Buffy season five. Ra’s husband Sckl had to go to bed earlier than we did, so we turned the sound down and watched two more episodes with the subtitles on since our hearing isn’t the greatest. Ra and I stayed up long enough to finish the first disc, and then joined Sckl in sleep.

Sunday morning Ra and Sckl let me sleep late, while Ra grabbed a shower and Sckl made us breakfast. I got up and ate, and the three of us re-watched the Buffys that Sckl missed because he went to bed earlier than Ra and I. We discussed what we wanted to do that day, and decided to go comic shopping before Sckl’s date with M@-6.

Sckl and I grabbed showers and snuggled Ra until Sckl had to leave for his date. Ra and I went out comic shopping and grabbed lunch. We went back to her apartment and snuggled more before moving to the living room to watch more Buffy. We ordered pizza and watched Buffy until Sckl came home, paused it to hang out until he went to bed, and then stayed up watching more.

Monday morning after staying up late watching Buffy with Ra I slept for about four hours before having to get on the road back to Indianapolis. I reluctantly kissed Ra good-bye, wishing I could stay longer, and then drove back to Indy, going directly to work. Work was busy but got quieter towards the end of the day since I’m back on the late shift, so I had time to catch up.

I went to Jero’s after work, with the intention to hang out and MUX. Unfortunately, I was so tired after four hours of sleep, four hours of driving, and eight hours of work, that I was too tired to RP and instead semi-idled on the MUX while discussed Gen Con plans with Jero. Eventually I became too cranky and sleepy to even do that, so Jero and I gave up and went to bed.

“Already, the Kay report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations."
-- President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address, on evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq

"I don't think they existed."
-- David Kay, after stepping down as the U.S. special adviser leading the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, on the lack of evidence proving Saddam Hussein's alleged arsenal (Newsweek)

Designated Control Freak

I think this is a *great* idea. I do a bit of this already, but making it policy sounds perfect.

From http://www.polyamorousmisanthrope.com/ --

Designated Control Freak

One of the issues that often arise in poly situations — especially in group living is who decides what gets done.

Sure, sure, a consensus model works. But have you ever gotten more than two people to happily agree on more than 50% of decisions? (The “happily” part is important in the long run. Just going along without being happy means that you’re gonna have some resentment along the line).

When the consensus model won’t work, there’s another option: The Designated Control Freak.

I found out about the whole concept of the DCF from a good friend of mine, and thought it was funny and cute and a nifty way to solve decision issues. I told my roommate about it, who also thought it was cute, so we jokingly implemented it.

It was at least six months before we internalized the awesome power of the system.

( The System )

Experts: Titanic sank due to 'weak rivets'

You know, I'm no metallurgist, but...

From http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/18/titanic.rivets.ap/index.html?eref=rss_latest# --

Experts: Titanic sank due to 'weak rivets'

NEW YORK (AP) -- The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low-grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book.

The company, Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Northern Ireland, needed to build the ship quickly and at reasonable cost, which may have compromised quality, said co-author Timothy Foecke.

That the shipyard was building two other vessels at the same time added to the difficulty of getting the millions of rivets needed, he added.

( More... )

Family Weekend

This past weekend I spent a lot of time with my immediate family. Saturday after I got off work, I waited a bit until Chhu and muppetofthenight got into Bloomington, and then headed down to help Chhu move into muppetofthenight’s apartment. When I got there two of their friends were helping already, which made things go pretty smoothly, aside from the fact that Chhu’s stuff was going to three different locations.

Sunday morning I didn’t get back until late from hanging out with Chhu and muppetofthenight, so I slept in before driving down to have dinner with my mom for her birthday. I took Chhu, Mom, and my Aunt Jamcde out to the Great Wall for dinner, and then we took her shopping for food staples since she just moved to Bloomington as well. Then I helped Chhu move more stuff before heading back.

I’m happy Chhu has moved to Bloomington, and it’s good that Mom is nearby as well. With all of us in-state, I’ll be able to see Chhu more often, and as a happy side-effect, get to see A13 and muppetofthenight more as well. I’ll be able to help Chhu take care of Mom more often, which will take some of the stress off of her. And now Chhu lives close enough to role-play again! W00t! B^)

"Everyone is a citizen of the world. But living in America for me has been my life, and I'm very thankful for living here. To be able to now say I am American is nice."
-- French figure-skating champion Surya Bonaly, who became a U.S. citizen in Las Vegas (San Jose Mercury News)

Announcing Google Weblogs (beta)

*snicker* This will make blogging MUCH easier!

From http://buzz.blogger.com/2008/04/announcing-google-weblogs-beta.html --

Announcing Google Weblogs (beta)
April 1, 2008 — permalink
Today we’d like to offer you a sneak peek at an exciting new product we’ve been working on: Google Weblogs.

Since Google bought Pyra Labs in 2002, we’ve been dreaming, planning, and implementing the next revolution in personal publishing: Google Weblogs.

Google Weblogs, or “GWeblogs,” or “Gblogs,” which will launch later this year in a public beta, is the next revolution in personal publishing. Here’s what you can expect:

Don’t limit yourself to “reverse chronological” publishing. Our advanced Google algorithms put your best content at the top of your blog. Even if your later work goes downhill your previous posts will still shine.
No more template languages to mess with or sidebars to get right. Our advanced Google algorithms automatically populate your blog’s sidebar with the most relevant possible content.

Stop worrying about your PageRank or your search engine optimization. Post directly into Google search results for maximum visibility.
Save your readers time and effort. We’ll automatically extract the most relevant sentence from your post for the index page, along with any necessary ellipsis. We'll also put some words in bold!

Your blog’s header will stay fresh with new images from our team of artists, each and every anniversary of a scientific achievement.
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Baiters Teach Scammers a Lesson

*grin* This is awesome. B^)

They pilfer nearly $200 million from Americans annually and drive some of their victims to suicide, but Nigeria's notorious e-mail scam artists may finally have met their match -- and the results can be hilarious.

British online vigilante "Shiver Metimbers" is leading tens of thousands of "scambaiters" in a crusade to shut down advance-fee fraudsters, grifters who spam unwitting victims with elaborate, e-mailed sob stories promising a share of nonexistent fortunes in return for upfront payments.

So-called 419 scams, named after the section of Nigeria's criminal code that covers the conduct, are the most common type of con; victims are sometimes left penniless.

But Metimbers and crew turn the tables on scammers one by one, boomeranging the tricksters' own tactics to entice them into performing outlandish tasks in desperate pursuit of cash -- then trumpeting evidence of the con artists' navet for the online world's amusement.

A 43-year-old, self-employed computer engineer from Manchester, England, Metimbers has most recently spun counter-yarns that have compelled 419ers to make elaborate wood carvings, pose for comical photos and fly from London to Scotland. In one episode, which concluded in March after a five-month exchange, he succeeded in having a Nigerian fraudster tattoo "Baited by Shiver" on his body in order to claim a fictional $46,000 prize.

( More... )

The most effective means of preventing the deaths of unborn children is to promote contraception

Face facts, Cardinal. Our awful rate of abortion is partly your responsibility
by George Monbiot
The Guardian

Who carries the greatest responsibility for the deaths of unborn children in this country? I accuse the leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. I charge that he is partly to blame for our abnormally high abortion rate.

Let me begin with a point of agreement. "Whatever our religious creed or political conviction," Murphy-O'Connor writes, the level of abortion in the UK "can only be a source of distress and profound anguish for us all". Quite so. But why has it climbed so high? Is it the rising tide of liberalism? The absence of abstinence? Strange as it may seem, the evidence suggests the opposite.

Last week the cardinal sacked the board of a hospital in north London. It had permitted a GP's surgery to move on to the site, and the doctors there, horror of horrors, were helping women with family planning. Though it is partly funded by the NHS, St John & St Elizabeth's is a Catholic hospital, which forbids doctors from prescribing contraceptives or referring women for abortions. The cardinal says he wants the hospital to provide medical help that is "truly in the interests of human persons".

Murphy-O'Connor has denounced contraception and abortion many times. That's what he is there for: the primary purpose of most religions is to control women. But while we may disagree with his position, we seldom question either its consistency or its results. It's time we started. The most effective means of preventing the deaths of unborn children is to promote contraception.

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Weekend with A13, Chhu, and Jalyru

I had a great time this weekend with A13, Chhu, and Jalyru. Saturday I wound up sleeping really late and missing a chance to go ice-skating with them, but I did make it down to dinner at Olive Garden. I always love hanging out with Chhu and Jalyru, and I hadn’t seen A13 in forever, so it was a really good time. After eating we went back to Jalyru’s, and pretty much spent the rest of the weekend hanging out, listening to music, playing karaoke games, and watching A13 DDR. Good times! I can’t wait for Chhu to move to Bloomington so I can hang out with the three of them more often.

River: [as her brother tends to a woman in labor] "What do you think is in there?"

Thanksgiving Week

Monday at work Damcza, our new Cobra Commander on the <a href=tfuniverse.net>Transformers Universe MUX</a> emailed me and asked if he could talk with me about MUX stuff. I told him I'd be on after work, and when I logged on we discussed ways to speed up the application process for new players. I wound up spending all night talking with him and doing admin stuff, and while the night wasn't fun <i>per se</i>, it was pleasantly productive, and I got to talk with Damcza about a lot of things about which I was concerned. After MUXing I snuggled with Jero and watched the last episode of the previous season's <i>House M.D.</i> before snuggling and falling asleep.

Tuesday night my plans had gotten cancelled, so I decided to make it a productivity night and catch up with journaling, etc. Ke saw that I was free, and invited me over to eat after work. She had a coupon for Max & Erma's, which she hadn't been to before, so we went there for yummy sammiches before heading back to Ke's so I could journal and she could write her paper for English class. Ke was a lot more productive than I – she got her paper done, but I got sucked into <a href=http://okcupid.com>OKCupid</a> and didn't get much journaling done. We took a break to run to Meijer for cat litter and ice cream (yum!), and then settled on the couch to watch an episode of <i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i>. By the time that was over, it was getting late, so we shut down our laptops, and headed to bed.

Wednesday night after work I met up with Kave, since it was her birthday. I took her out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's, and then we went back to her apartment to watch a couple of episodes of <I>Red Dwarf</>. She wound up falling asleep during the second episode we were watching, so afterward we got undressed for bed and I wound up cuddling and sleeping over. I thought I might have to leave since Caro got stranded at the airport, but S( came up to get her so all was OK. I slept until ten AM, and then dragged myself out of her bed and off to Jero's for Thanksgiving.

Thursday morning when I got to Jero's, I brought her breakfast in bed from Hardee's, and then we cuddled and went back to sleep. Jero had suggested pouncing, but I was still sleepy, so we napped instead. Even after we woke back up, we continued to cuddle. It was very pleasant to have a day we could huddle up and sleep. When we did get up, Jero made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us, and then we hung out and played on our laptops until it was time for bed. We cuddled and watched <I>Supernatural</i> before drifting off to sleep.

This morning Jero and I slept in, and then got up and went to the comic store for geeky four-color goodness. We had an incredibly late breakfast at Bob Evans, where I got Jero a cute Beanie Baby penguin. We intended to go pick up my glasses today, but I couldn't get anyone at my eye doctor's to answer, so I figured they were either closed, or too busy to bother with. Giving up on productivity, we headed back to Jero's to snuggle and watch more <I>Supernatural</i> until Ke was ready for me to come over. Now I'm at Ke's, taking a break with her before she goes back to cleaning for Mira's weekend visit.

 

Last Week

Oy, last week was a busy, stressful week, though it did end very well.

Last Monday I had off work, and Jero wasn't feeling that great, so she took the day off as well. I wanted to be productive, but Jero made sure "productive" wasn't just another day of doing laundry and fucking around on the computer. Jero went with me to the bank, where I discovered my credit has recovered a bit thanks to my efforts to be better about paying everything on time (yay online bill pay!). I opened another savings account, and got a credit card again for the first time in ages. After that we went to Jero's to watch Heroes and MUX. Productive and fun.

Tuesday Jero, Ke and I were planning to go over to Erro's to clean up her apartment after the fire, but they hadn't finished their inspection yet, so we weren't able to get in. Instead, Ke and I hung out at Ke's house, and Ke made dinner. We had a pleasant evening watching Deep Space Nine and snuggling. I tried to get a little journaling done on my laptop, but Ke and Star Trek were pleasantly distracting, so I just took the night to relax and unwind.

Unfortunately, that good mood was ruined Wednesday by a crappy, stressful day at work. By the time I was able to run away, I just wanted to be alone to decompress. I spent the evening by myself in my apartment (which is rare and was rejuvenating), and did a lot of laundry and eventually some journaling (once I escaped the distracting lure of instant messenger). I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but an evening for just me was good on its own.

I thought I might have Thursday for more solo productivity, but first Ke lured me out for dinner at Jimmy Johns, and then Jero asked me to come over to her house to keep her company after her "off-site meeting" at B-Dubs. I brought my laptop, but again was distracted by a cute woman and a TV show – this time, the season premiere of ER. It's been a long while since I watched ER on any sort of regular basis, but it was a good episode nonetheless.

Friday after work I went to Illinois to meet up with Amsc and go see Weird Al. The show was awesomely entertaining, as always, and I bought a "Weird Al Is My Homeboy" T-shirt, which amuses me at least. Amsc and I celebrated our six-month anniversary, which made the night even better. (Yes, our romantic anniversary plans involved Weird Al. Shut up! *grin*) After the show we went back to Amsc's and hung out with her housemate for a bit before heading to bed.

Alas, I had to work early Saturday morning, so I had to leave Amsc's by six to get back to Indy. Work sucked again, and I was stuck there for an extra half hour catching up on trouble tickets before I could head down to Bloomington to meet Chhu at Jalyru's to belatedly celebrate Chhu's birthday. Jalyru's friend J031 made a fantastic dinner, and then we played Midlife Crisis (happy birthday, Chhu!) and DDRd 'til Chhu and Jalyru's lungs were ready to give out.

Sunday I hung out with Chhu, Jalyru, and J031 some more. J031 had to go to a work meeting, so we dropped him off for an hour or so, then picked him up and had lunch before returning to Jalyru's. I was supposed to head up to Valparaiso to visit Juho, but I wound up hanging out too long in Bloomington and by the time I was ready to leave it was too late to go see her. Juho and I are getting together in two weeks for Eroticon, though, so it's cool for now, and it was worth it to have more time with Chhu and Jalyru.

Yesterday I had off work. Mira came over for lunch, and we snuggled and talked about her date this weekend with Ke. When she had to leave for dinner date with B!1, I went over to Jero's and she made a yummy meal for me before we got onto the MUX. We had a MUX meeting that was very fruitful, and we've jumpstarted a lot of plots that have been dormant or in the works for quite some time. We're having another meeting in two weeks to follow up. Geeky fun!

 

Mal: "You know, you ain't quite right."
River: "It's a popular theory."

• Firefly
  

Week in Review

This week was another one that was somewhat busy and quiet at the same time. On Monday I went over to Jero’s to MUX, and had a good time even though I missed the end of Hawk’s TP. People have been bugging me to end my Headman TP, so I’ll have to pick a day this week to run that with a few of my admin and our players. I plan to be on this Monday, and another day this week.

Tuesday I actually had no plans, which was bizarre, although good because I was still getting over being sick. Though I haven’t been contagious since Monday morning, my allergies have been trying to kill me all week. Since I’ve felt miserable, I just stayed home and got a few things done. I’ve been trying to read the Harry Potter books before I’m completely spoiled, so I read a bit, worked on journaling a bit, and otherwise just rested and drank a lot of tea.

Wednesday after work Jero picked me up and we went over to E{ and Mars’s. E{ and Mars are cleaning out one of their rooms and offered to give me one of their TVs, which I thought might look good in my living room. While we were there we got to play a fun card game that Mars had demo’d at GenCon that Jero and I had been interested in, and discovered it is rather entertaining. It might have to become a stable of future game days.

Thursday morning I got a message from my sister that my mom is manic again, and Chhu had to call emergency psyche services and spend two hours convincing Mom to commit herself. That night Jero offered to feed me if I was interested after work. We met at IHOP and she bought me dinner. I told her I’d just be playing around on the computer again if she wanted to hang out, and so she came over after we finished eating. I had planned on working on the Dungeons & Dragons campaign I’m running for Jobe, Mars, and her, but I started looking for a magazine and we wound up spending all night cleaning.

Friday I was still feeling sickly from allergies and stressed over the situation with my mother. Amsc was planning to come see me, but she wasn’t feeling well, either, so she floated the idea of rescheduling. Still, we mutually decided to get together anyway, and just accept that neither of us was going to be at our best. I ordered pizza online, and it arrived the same time she did. We ate pizza, watched The Ref and snuggled, and overall it was a very pleasant, quiet night. I didn’t sleep well Friday night because of my allergies, but it was good having a cuddly woman in my bed, even if I was feeling too crappy to really enjoy the opportunity.

Saturday Amsc and I got to sleep very late, which was wonderful. We went to Le Peep for breakfast, and then went to see Stardust at the theatre, which I rather enjoyed. Amsc headed back to Illinois around seven so I could get together with Nada, but then Nada cancelled. I wound up with another night to myself, which I mostly squandered relaxing.

Tonight I plan to hang out with Ke. We’d talked about attending the sky concert here in Indy, but then we found out it was Saturday night instead of Sunday, and neither of us felt like venturing out last night. Ke’s not feeling that great, either, so tonight will probably be another low-key night of hanging out and feeling like crap together. Not exactly the ideal four-day-weekend activity, but it’s probably good I didn’t make huge plans if I feel this lousy.

"Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable."
-- H.L. Mencken, newspaper man, 1880-1956