Atropa Belladonna~ Raven (a.k.a. Nightshade)'s Weblog ~
These are the ARCHIVES of April 2007. For more archives, visit the Archives page. For the current Weblog entries, check the Main page.
Atropa Belladonna| Sun, April 1st, 2007 (10:10pm) Overheard at the medical clinic... ...And after I had my baby, they gave me a tubal allegation! - - - Whew. It's April. The kids go back to school in the morning. Spring Break is over. And there was much rejoicing. I'm beat. I'm also thoroughly in debt to my mother, and to everyone who made my Spring Break Insanity plans a success. With your help, the kids and I: visited the Library, went on mall walks, got haircuts, visited Grandma, went shopping & had lunch at IKEA, vaccuumed the house top to bottom, played at the Galaxyland Amusement Park for half a day, had friends over for sleepovers (twice), and went swimming every evening (except Monday). It was a very busy week, but structure was maintained, and routines were followed. There were no elopments (at least no successful ones), no 'accidents', very few temper tantrums, and no one was brutally murdered for saying "MommmMMmmmm.... I'm Borrrrrred." for the 204th time. I hope your Spring Break was as enjoyable as ours, and if not, that you get the chance to catch some well deserved sleep tomorrow as all the kids go back to school. |
| Mon, April 2, 2007 (3:05pm) Woohoo - it's working! So far my inbox contains a message from a toaster (named 'housebound') which was correctly highlighted as important mail, and a quick peek in my junk mailbox reveals that 3 spambots are urgently trying to send me to their favorite online pharmacies. Apparently spambots are as stupid as I thought. And as desperately in need of mood altering drugs. |
| Mon, April 2, 2007 (12:20pm) I'm really getting tired of all the spam collecting in my inbox. I'm especially tired of the spambots targetting my QuickComment box (to the right) because I really like getting comments from people, even if I don't reply to them nearly as often as I should. These days, though, I spend more time deleting comments than reading them, because 95% are from spambots. Either that, or all my close friends are all incredibly concerend about my sex life, and whether I am satified with the length of my penis. So, to allay your concerns, I want you all to know that my sex life is fantastic, thank you very much, and my penis length is quite adequate. (I'm sure Shades would agree.) As for the spambots, I wish them all to die a horrible death. With that in mind, I've decided to be racist about my comment form. If you are a stupid spambot, I have already filled out the race section of the quick comment form for you, so that my email program may toss your comments into the trash with impunity. If you are human (or corvid, or piniped, or even toaster) you may enter your race in the slot provided, and I will read your comments before allowing them to languish in my inbox for an indeterminate length of time. Note - this is just in the test phase! I'd love people to send me stuff to see if it works. (I also want to see if spambots are clever enough to erase the word 'spam' when they see it. If so, I may become racist towards pressed meat products in general.) Have at. |
| Tues, April 3, 2007 (8:20am) Thank you all for your assistance with debugging my new comments form. It looks like've successfully hacked together a functioning cgi script to screen out spambot mail. For now. Until they evolve a higher functioning artificial intelligence, of course. But I must say, they'll never manage to band together and take over the universe (starting with a surprise attack on Caprica) unless they get over their fixation with large penises. Unless, perhaps, that's how number 6 developed her unhealthy fascination with 'man'kind? |
| Thurs, April 5, 2007 (9:40am) A conversation on appropriate language... Kalen: Mom, one of the kids in my class said the 'A-word'! We're not supposed to say that! Oh my goodness. No one told me being a Catholic was going to be so much fun! Wait until Kalen finds out that her sacreligious mother intends to eat meat on Good Friday! |
| Mon, April 9, 2007 (10:25am) When a new patient comes to our clinic, we need to see their Alberta Health Care card. I'm in the habit of always flipping the card over to see whether the back has been filled out, as there is an organ donor form there. If it's blank, I usully return the card with a suggestion that they consider filling it out, and some people have done so, right there in the clinic. If the card is already filled out, I always say Thank you to the cardholder: One of my friends received a lung transplant, and is alive today because of because of donors like you. Thank you, very much. Now that has changed. My friend Brianna died on Saturday. They took her off life support. She had been in the hosital for weeks, trying to fight off an infection, and her body couldn't handle it anymore. But before that, she enjoyed several years of life with her donor lungs - she made friends, travelled, played in LARPs, fell in love, got married, and changed the lives of many people who would never even have known her if it hadn't been for that transplant. Life is short. Organ donation isn't a way to live forever, but for the people who receive a donor organ, and for their families, it makes all the difference in the world. If you haven't filled out your donor card - please do so, and talk about it with the people you love. If you have already done so, Thank You. One of my friends lived a rich life because of donors like you. |
| Tues, April 10, 2007 (2:55pm) with comments added on Mon, April 16, 2007 (9:35am) Irlen Syndrome Over the Easter weekend, I had testing done for Irlen Syndrome. Irlen is a condition in which certain wavelengths of light aren't processed properly by the brain. Most commonly this shows up as some sort of dyslexia, or reading problem - discomfort when looking at black and white text, headaches when reading, complaints that words move or blur on the page - but that's not something I've ever had a real problem with. I love reading, and I do a lot of it. For me, the problems occur when I have to drive for long periods of time, or into bright lights, or even just walking on brightly lit winter days. The glare off the road or the snow can be incredibly painful, and is one of my known triggers for migraines. Irlen Syndrome is a Sensory processing Disorder, and apparently it's more common in families with Autism, or other SPDs. My sister has also been diagnosed with Irlen's. So it's no real surprise that the test showed I was a good candidate for Irlen lenses. Some time in the next few months, I'll be getting some colored lenses for my glasses, to help filter out the wavelengths of light which cause me the most trouble. They're bloody expensive, but it's hard to put a price on the relief which comes from having those shields up between me and the world. Using the testing lenses, it felt like the bright sunny day outside had been transformed into a comfortably overcast day, right before a storm. Those are the days I like best - when I can think, and I have energy, and things just don't seem to bother me as much as they would any other day. But not everyone likes grey days, so that's probably not the best analogy. I don't really know how to describe it to someone who doesn't have a light sensitivity, but I guess it's a bit like walking out of a noisy, crowded bar, and into the cool, quiet night. It feels like a pressure has been lifted off your shoulders, and suddenly you can feel the world around you much more clearly. Whatever. I hope the lenses reduce the number of migraines I've been having, and that I have more energy for dealing with the world once I'm not dealing with bright lights so much. More energy would be good. Very good. Links of interest: Color in the Treatment of visual Stress - an article on colored overlays & Irlen lenses. Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, Wikipedia - A discussion of what SSS/Irlen's Syndrome is, including some skepticism on whether it's real or not. Definition of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome - a ?slightly better page on the definition of SSS/Irlen Syndrome. Irlen Institute - link to their official site. Hrm. With statements like, "Sometimes photophobia/light sensitivity is a symptom of a head injury (TBI), concussion, or whip lash or the result of underlying medical problems. These symptoms can also be eliminated by the Irlen Method." it's not hard to see why some people think they're just trying to sell rose-colored glasses as a panacaea. Some good info, though. And some really sucky 'Everyone has Irlen Syndrome!' self-diagnostic tests. |
| Comments ...by Cori: I hate the light - particularly white light days; nothing is more painful. But I don't get migraines, so I don't imagine I need to worry as much about syndromes. ...by RavenBlack: I'm not even going to take the Irlen test since I'm pretty sure I'd show up as "definitely". ...by maskwa: I am a big fan of amber lenses. I noticed a long time ago that I have an easier time seeing with them, but in my case it is likely that they suppress blue wavelengths which are simply harder to focus :) |
| Mon, April 16, 2007 (9:35am) Bleh. Sick. Tired. I had posted some of the public comments to the Irlen thing (see previous entry), and wa going to post something else about it, but it was a complicated thought, and I have discovered that I am too tired to type. Oh, the strain of lifting fingers, and dropping them down on the keys. Especially the 9 key, which hasn't been the same since Connor most recently disassembled the keyboard - you have to hit it twice as hard as the other keys. Not usually a problem, except when entering credit card numbers for online transactions, or when tyring to make an open bracket to match the ) bracket. Train of thought rambling. Must still be under the influence of last night's friendly green elixir. Visions of giant Q's floating in my mind. NyQuil, NyQuil, we love you. Thank you, Dennis Leary. Going back to bed, now. |
| Tues, April 17, 2007 (10:00am) Mornings suck. It's all bright and stuff, and there's the getting out of bed thing, and the loud, and the tired, and the having to think. Why on earth do people get up in the morning? Because that's when most normal jobs start, and when schools want the kids to be there, and society in general expects people to be fresh and ready to start their day. Right? Because 'normal' people can function in the morning. So I guess the people I hang out with - the geeks and the LARPers and those people who, like me, agree that mornings suck and life ought to be lived in the evening - they're just not normal. Okay, some of them are morning people, but by & large, the people whom society considers weirdos and outsiders are more likely to be night people, than day people. So it's not surprising to me that a large number of my friends would have light sensitivity issues. A number of them probably also have Irlen Syndrome (or the Irlen Institute would say they did, even if they themselves thought this whole Irlen thing was bunk). Many of the same people would also score high on a Sensory Processing Disorder screen, showing up with co-ordination issues (did you suck at sports as a kid?) or hearing problems, or undersensitivity to pain (anyone into the goth S&M scene?), or oversensitivity to touch, or a strong dependence on sameness in the environment, and OCD-like tendencies. But the thing is, those people function relatively well in their chosen environments. I'm not going to run around suggesting to all my friend that they get Irlen testing done (even if I think they could benefit from it) because it's expensive, and most people have already dealt with their sensory issues in their own way. People adapt to their environment. Of if they can't, they adapt their environment to themselves. Or maybe they don't, and then they go psycho insane and start ranting on their weblogs about how much life sucks. Like me. Since I'm in a stage of my life where I have to get up in the morning, and deal with the real world, and socialize with all the normal people, I'm willing to fork over the cash for the Irlen thing. If you find yourself in that same situation, go ahead and do it. Otherwise, enjoy the life you've chosen for yourself. If things change and life starts to suck more, look into the Sensory Processing Disorder thing - it might explain a lot of things. Or it might not. I'm going back to bed now - if I'm lucky, I can get another hour of sleep before I have to get the kids from school. Yay me. |
| Thurs, April 19, 2007 (4:55pm) Jasen held my hand tightly as we walked to school to pick Kalen up after classes. He squelched his feet down merrily in the thick layer of snow which has accumulated on the sidewalks, and laughed as giant flakes fell softly on his face. Raven: Are you enjoying the snow, Jase? Jase: SNOW! Snow. Snooooooooow! Raven: Yep. This is definitely snow. Lots of it. In April. I mean, Hello? It's Spring! What's with the snow? Jasen, giggling: Helloooo? Raven: Hello. Jasen: Hello Snow! Raven, copying Jasen's conversational tone: Hello, Snow. Come here often? Jasen pauses, and furrows his brow a moment, before he answers with a perfunctory: Ya. ...And we keep marching hand in hand through the snow. Because really, this is Canada. Snow happens. We deal. Good to know Jasen is accepting that particular little fact of life, eh? |
| Sat, April 21, 2007 (10:55pm) Mya Isobel VanderZee  Mya Isobel VanderZee was born to my brother Brian and his girlfriend Morgan yesterday around 4am. She weighs 4lb, 3oz, and is currently in NICU due to her low birth weight and medication requirements. She's being tube-fed (again, due to the low birth weight) but is stable, and everything is looking good. The delivery went well, and we have every reason to hope that the baby will be HIV negative. If you're the sort of person with religious inclinations, please remember their family in your prayers. |
| Tues, April 24, 2007 (12:55pm) It's that time of year again: the MDT review. That's when FSCD decides if it will continue to provide government funding for Connor's therapy, and if so, how much. We're going to get our therapy hours cut severely this year, because Connor will be going into Grade 1 next year, and FSCD won't pay for therapy during school hours. Makes sense, obviously, but it means we have to provide a strong case for his therapy needs during after-school hours, and possibly weekends. In other news, my bro Bri is in the hospital again. Back in February, he had surgery for a perferated bowel, and although he was released from the hospital, his incision wasn't completely healed, and he needed regular dressing changes. With the recent stress in his life, though (baby being born, frequent trips to the NICU, etc.) he wasn't taking quite as good care of himself as he ought to have, and he was spending a lot of time on his feet instead of resting. And guess what? The incision got infected and the wound hasn't healed properly. He went into ER and was told they'd probably have to re-do the original surgery because things were such a mess. More updates as events warrant. |
| Sat, April 28, 2007 (4:25pm) Too busy with too many things to post much lately. No - that's not true. I am busy with approximately the same number of things which always keep me busy, but I've become hooked on Virtual Villagers and everytime I sit down at the computer, that's what I end up doing instead of posting to my weblog. Brian update: My brother did not have to have his surgery re-done (thank you for your prayers) and is instead being seen as an outpatient at the Wound Clinic. Baby Mya is doing well, taking a bottle now, gaining weight nicely, and ready to be released from the hospital soon. Also, to those who knew Jenn was in the hospital with Acute Pancreatitis - she is home again. Yay! I'm sure both Mary and Ian are very happy to have her back. |
| Mon, April 30, 2007 (9:35am) Morning! I've had a productive weekend, and am in a happy place right now. It was lovely and rainy yesterday - the air tastes better than it has in days, and the downpour washed away the dusty residue of the Street Sweepers. I can breathe again! For my readers in the US, and other places of the world which don't get snow, you probably don't know the joy which is Street Sweeper Week. I'm sure you have Sweepers which clean your streets from time to time, but unless your government sands and salts the roads during snowy/icy spells, you don't have the same build-up of salty, sandy, dusty grunge - mixed with a healthy dose of snow mold! - littering your streets every Spring. Then the wind picks it up and the world is a yucky, gritty, allergenic place for a week or so, and about a week after that it gets worse, as fleets of Street Sweepers take to the roads in force, gathering up loads of grit to re-use next year. And i do mean loads! Our Street Sweepers will often have small front-end loader and a dump truck following them during the Spring, to pick up the debris which get pushed into piles along the side of the road. And then there's the grass sweepers - little mini sweepers with reverse rotating brushes which follow along the sidewalks and grassways beside the road, and sweep the sand out of the grass, dumping it on the road for the Street Sweepers to deal with. During the process, a lot of dust and grit becomes airborne, and it makes life miserable for asthmatics until we get a good rain. Ah, sweet rain. It watered my newly turned flowerbeds, too! And I see the tips of Lilies of the Valley, pushing their way through the dirt and up to the promise of sun and warmth. Despite the hazards of breathing in the Spring, it is one of my favorite times of year. I love seeing the grass turn green again, and the flowers come up, and new leaves budding on the trees. So what am I doing with my Spring energy? Sewing, of course! On the weekend, I cut out 2 more cloaks and a bog coat, and I finished a Mongol hat. I think the hat turned out quite well, despite being my first attempt at such a creation. I did have some problems with sizing it - the felt stretched, and I had to sew it onto a band to bring it back to the right head size, and when I sewed the (fake) fur around it, I completely forgot to allow for the affect which the thickness of the fur would have on the hat's diameter. So it went from being the right size, to way too big, to way too small. Oh well. It fits adorably on Jasen's cute toddler-sized head.  And in a fit of Pixie-envy (Dazzy of Velvet and PixieDust always posts pictures of her fabulous projects) I have decided to include a small photo of my Mongol hat for you to admire. You can't see the 6 alternating panels of navy and tan felt, but believe me - they look pretty spiffy. Genghis Khan would have been proud to wear this hat. When he was a toddler, at least. |