How to spend New Years when you're boring

Today's pointless photo? I dunno. I just liked it.

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So, I have plans for New year's Eve. Obviously, if I'm bringing it up, I'm about to tell you about them. Ready? I'll be...

Sitting by myself in my apartment and doodling.




Yay me.

Actually, that's not a bad thing because it means that I've made the annual trek with my gift card from my enablers brother and sister-in-law to get some new art toys. And beads. I have to admit that I got tempted into the 60% off Boxing Week sale on beads while I was there, so it won't be All Art All the Time this year. Unless you call beading art. Which some people do, I suppose, but I'm not sure that you can count the way I bead as anything close to art.

Anyway.

I'll be quietly home playing with my new toys (and maaaybe a glass or two of wine. Haven't decided that part for sure yet), making a pseudoartsy mess, and, frankly, happy. I never did like the fuss of going out on New Year's Eve and being expected to have fun even when all I wanted to do was get out of a stuffy, noisy room. The only real exceptions to me preferring a quiet New Years were a) back in the dark ages when I used to babysit and knew that New Year's Eve meant some decent cash for a teenager, and b) when this city did First Night for a few years back around the turn of the century (makes me laugh to type that). Yeah, cheap, non-booze-based entertainment actually got me out of the house back then, and it's too bad that the event folded. Tonight, though, it'll be me, DVDs to avoid the vacuousness of TV MARATHONS (otherwise known as we didn't feel like actually programming anything over the holidays), and the new mixed media journal I started last night when I realised that the olf in me just couldn't take the mess of my old one any longer.

It, um, hit the garbage on my way to work this morning. Maybe one of our local dumpster divers will appreciate the sheer weight of the gessoed pages.

Oh, and the toys (but not the beads, because you'll probably see them in various forms on the blog later anyway)? These pencils, and these ones, and a lettering felt on a whim, and a something else that I'll tell you about later because it will also likely be starring in some pointless portraiture here as winter makes me increasingly desperate for things to take pictures of.

Bet you can't wait.

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Nothing like ending the blog year on a sad note, but I just had to mention Edward Hermann's passing. Funny that he's headlined as Gilmore Girls Actor... since I never even watched that show. I remember him more for one-offs and guest shots, really, but wherever he showed up he always seemed to make an impression.

I suppose that there should be some significance about his exit coinciding with the year's, but my two fans know that I don't buy into things like that. I'll just miss him being around, that's all.



See you in 2015.

So, what shall we talk about?

The weather? The fact that I'm currently listening to Josh White in a hopefully not-futile attempt to get my brain off of Sousa marches (yeah, I don't know either. Maybe too much Monty Python over Christmas)? The fact that milk chocolate, no matter how high quality, is always going to be somewhat of a disappointment when what you really want is dark chocolate?

Nah, let's talk tea. We haven't done that for a while.

Christmas having just passed, of course I have new teas. Today's was Uncle Lee's oolong with ginseng. Not bad at all, but I have to tell you that I've got so used to loose teas that it felt kind of weird to use a bag. Not in a tea snob kind of way; just a this is a little different.

Back over Christmas I was drinking a vanilla almond rooibos tea from Whispering Wind out of Alix. I'd love to tell you anything about them (the tea was pretty good), but it seems that they're not very internet-savvy. A very inactive Etsy shop was the best that I could do. Too bad, really.

So let's move on to the extremely internet-savvy. The last few days have found me trying out the teas from DAVIDsTEA Winter Collection, which overall has been a hit. The Apple Custard is, for me, saved by the coriander from being yet another apple tea (I'm becoming more and more aware that I'm a spicy tea person over a fruity tea person). Bubbie's Baklava was maybe my least favourite, but that's least out of a pretty good group and it's still a tasty tea. It just didn't seem that out of the ordinary, is all. Cocomint Cream should not work. It just shouldn't. Mint and coconut? Strange. Strange, but awfully good, and I managed to use up all of my mint-based tea remnants during this last cold (which has almost passed, thank Whomever) so the timing's right to have a new one. Sugar Plum Forest was a great surprise. With a name like that I was expecting overly fruity -- and, obviously, sweet -- but instead I got cardamom, cinnamon, clove... I'm such a clovehead... um, yeah. It's more like a mulled wine than anything, and I do like me some mulled wine. Lastly, the Vanilla Chai is a very nice tea, but as I've ranted (slightly) about before, I wish that they wouldn't call teas like this chai. Yes, I know that chai basically just means tea, but the word chai in this part of the world generally has specific (specifically Indian) connotations. Just adding cinnamon and ginger to a black tea does not a chai make.

It's still good, though. And as I said above, the whole collection is a hit. Nice job, tea people.





All of this linkage means that this took longer than I meant for it to. Back to work for me. Tealess at the moment, though. I finished my morning's mug-worth ages ago...

Water

This was the cats a while ago enjoying their first experience with a fountain.

We figured that they would.

Tom is becoming one of those weird cats who comes running when he hears the bathroom tap. If you you run it at a trickle he'll stick his paws in. Then he'll stick his head in. Then he'll usually sit his wet self on a clean towel just for fun.

Cats are weird.

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I'm afraid that I don't really have anything today. Didn't go to any Boxing Day sales, so I can't report on being pushed around. Not quite sick of turkey yet, so I can't complain about leftovers. Kind of in a good mood overall, which is a sorry thing when the blather sort of depends on my whinging about something. So...

Enjoy the cats, I guess. Typing isn't making anything come up, so I don't think I'll bother trying any harder. Have a good weekend. I'll probably see you sometime next week.

Bob Watching

 I called this photo Bob Watching. It fits. Bob was inside watching the birds; I was outside watching Bob.

I kind of like this shot, actually. There's more going on than you first see. There's Bob, there's me taking the picture, there's the living room inside, and the bird feeders and bird bath outside. A bit of a story, I suppose.

Not bad for a mostly accident.

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So how was everyone's Christmas? Ours was quiet, as it usually is. No tree, as I said, but presents anyway. Turkey supper, to which my uncle (other uncle, not recently-dead uncle) even came this time. He usually just does Christmas by himself, but for whatever reason Dad managed to get him out of the house this year. I'm glad. It was a nice visit.

Later on Dad and I took a drive around town to see what Christmas lights were up. There were some nice ones, but overall there were far less than there used to be when I was a kid... or at least that's the way it seemed. I can't say that I blame people for not wanting to go to the fuss. I probably wouldn't if I had a house. Still, it's one more thing missing, like the old NORAD Santa reports on the radio. Yeah, I know that the reports are still around, but tracking via twitter is just never going to be the same, boys and girls.

Speaking of boys, the Turkey Brothers made it through the day without destroying anything. I imagine that's partly because we're low-key, but it's also partly because the boys are growing up. They're definitely little cats now, and, I think, a little past due to make the Big Trip to the Vet.

Here's the latest photo of the two of them on their bed, and just for comparison... oh, hang on. I was just going to give you a link, but why don't I pull the photo instead? Just a sec...

There. First bed photo, back in September. My caption for this picture was Kind of hoping that they don't grow into this bed...

They sort of did, didn't they?

Ah well. They're growing up, and they're turning into mostly nice cats with just the occasional hint of shit to remind us what they're capable of.




I suppose that without that, they wouldn't be cats.



Anyway, that's about it from me. And to all those idiots who were so happy that we got Christmas snow after all even though it wasn't in the forecast, all I can say is enjoy the slippery roads, twits.





There's your bah humbug for the day.

Something about the 25th, maybe

 Well, so far it's been pretty much the usual Christmas around here. We have, of course, the opening of the cats, the wearing of the Christmas socks, and the washing up before putting the meal on...

Um, file that last pic under Bad Cat. And he wasn't any good at all at doing the dishes.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone. I'll aim for a more thorough blather tomorrow.

Thursday Eve

Title? Well, Hugh Laurie wished his twitter fans a happy Thursday, which of course brought up the very predictable flurry of "why you take X out of Xmas" semi-literate comments that make a person wonder how any celebrity actually manages to stay on social media for more than five minutes before wanting to smash any and all technology. It's especially astounding with that particular account, since so many of his followers don't seem to get it when the COMEDIAN and actor (and musician and whatever else I need to add for the Hughheads) is making a joke...

Today's photo, by the way, is the closest you're getting to a Christmas tree from me. I told you that we weren't going to have one, courtesy of the Turkey Brothers, and we don't.

Can't say that I miss cleaning up the mess anyway. We'll try for one next year, though.



And no doubt spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess.

Anyway, I feel like I should be trying to blather something to make up for the lame posts of the last few days, but I'm not sure what I have. Well, I do have a cold, but that's been going on since about last Thursday so by now it's not exactly newsworthy. I've been taking otc meds, which have taken the edge off, but that's about it. I suppose if I took the full dose it would help more, but that would mean a whack of acetominophen and that's so completely unnecessary -- and potentially bad for a person's liver -- that I just don't want to do it. Edge off is fine, then.

What else? Well, what with the hospital stuff and using this excuse to get my diet (which wasn't horrible, but could have been better) a little more up to par, I've lost a bit of weight and it all seems to be from my fingers. Seriously. One of my newer pinkie rings (which, admittedly, was a tad big to begin with) now fits most of the way onto my ring finger. Do I smell a reason for more new toys, then? Possibly, depending on the finances. Luckily for me I prefer silver anyway, so picking up a cheap ring or two won't be a big deal. Not giving up on the infamous rolling ring, however. Even if it ends up moving to my middle finger.

You needed to know all of this, of course.

Lastly (for the moment), if I'd had time yesterday I definitely would have made mention of Joe Cocker's death. Sad, that. He was an acquired taste for me, for sure, but once it hit there used to be nothing better than coming home from work, putting my head between the speakers of my old bookshelf stereo (which sat on the floor, in case anyone was wondering if I actually crawled up on the bookshelf) and blasting through Delta Lady or She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. The man was definite proof that it's not so much the instrument you have as what you can do with it, and I spent a fair amount of time at work yesterday with a Joe Cocker soundtrack.

And there's a good excuse to wrap up with my personal all-time favourite. I've linked to it before, but I'm going to again. And I hope that, in the lead-up to the Big Day, my two fans are also feelin' alright (must... not... fix... spelling... gah).



See you later.

Oops

Forgot to blog. Now I don't have anything to say, really. So have some unakite:

I'll leave you to look it up on your own. May it cure what ails you, I guess.

Have a good weekend rock of the day:

More tiger's eye; this time a merkaba. Sorry, merkaba. A pyramid impaled on an inverted pyramid, and a lot of mysticism to go with it. I'll let you search that if you're so inclined, because I'm not.

I, as usual, just thought it was neat looking. And besides, my "powers" have probably all leaked out because my merkaba has a couple of chips.

That's how I got it cheap.



Yep, very definitely a me stone. Neat looking and cheap.

Have a good weekend, everyone, since I probably won't have access to a computer to complain at you.

Sorry, I meant blather. Back to work now.

Blathering from work

 This, of course, is not where I work. It's my father's back yard.

I'm... a little short on new photos, to be honest. I'll try to get out a bit next week.

Anyway, since I'm kind of busy trying to catch up on a few things (having not been at work for awhile because I exploded), this'll have to be short. Here's a picture of a chair, then, and below are some tiger's eye beads so that you don't go into rock withdrawal.



You're welcome.

Did I mention that I have somewhat of a thing for tiger's eye? Even in bead form.

So...

Yesterday my father found my uncle (who had been living in the basement room) dead in his bed.

Yeah. That was... well, I was going to say fun, but that doesn't seem right since you can't read tone of voice. It wasn't fun. But that's about all I want to say about it, really. My Dad's had a helluva few weeks what with my problems and then this. It's not exactly light blog-fodder. So, a quick rock before lunch just to change the mood. And I mean quick.

This is my fossil shark tooth. This is a fossil that I'm not at all apologetic about, because shark teeth -- fossil AND modern -- exist in the thousands. Sharks make a lot of teeth. I'd never condone catching sharks so that their teeth can look neat on a cord (or so that their fins can make gelatinous soup...), but science isn't going to miss a few fossilised teeth out of the many that have already been studied.

And what kind of shark is is? No clue. Probably a smaller one.

Mysticism? Don't really want to look, but... ha! A quick google doesn't have any a shark's tooth can cure on the first page, so I can ignore the rest. Well, I could ignore it anyway since it's my blog, but now I feel a little more justified in not searching further.

That's it for today. Blogging will probably be a bit more sporadic in the next while. That's right, boys and girls, I've been cleared to go sit at a computer AT WORK as opposed to here at my Dad's place. So exciting. I'm capable of sitting, medically-speaking.



Lunch now. Later, all.

Sigh

No silly post today. There was a very sad surprise this morning, and it's just not appropriate.

Catch you another day.

Just one more question

 As opposed to one lonely shrivelled apple, I guess.

Anyway, the post title. I just got off the phone with someone from Stats Canada who's been trying to get a hold of me for a while. A month or so ago I got a lovely letter in the mail informing me that I'd been chosen for some labour study in which I'll be contacted once a month for half a year to answer questions. Our representative will be contacting you soon. It's important blah blah blah and oh yeah it's mandatory and you can go to jail if you don't comply.

Always gotta love government paperwork that comes with friendly banter and threats, right?

Well, a while later he phoned me at work when I was in the middle of something. He got my voice mail. A day or so later there was a notice on my door that he'd come in person and would I please call back. Ok, yeah, I'll get to it.

Then, you'll recall, my gut exploded.

I didn't have my phone for a while (long story, but they managed to misplace my stuff), and then when I finally got it the phone was dead anyway, so I had to wait for Dad to pick up my charger before I could even get my messages.

Six voice mails from Stats Canada guy. Six. And when I phoned him back -- from my hospital bed, no less (ok, seriously? I had nothing else to do so I figured whatever) -- I got his voice mail. I left him a guess what? I'm in hospital message, and then didn't hear from him. At all. Cue the hope that maybe they'd given me a miss.

No such luck. There was a message on the weekend when I had my phone off, and a call from him this morning. So yeah, I've finally done my patriotic duty (whatever, again) for the month. But in the mindset that turnabout's fair play, here's my question for Stats Canada:

You seriously make your employees seem that tenacious/annoying? You don't let them give up after over a week of no answer? The initial letter wasn't addressed to me, by the way. It was my apartment that was chosen by whatever algorithm they use. So what happens if a person's on long-term holiday? Has medical issues, like I did? Just doesn't ever answer the door to strangers? Do you really still make joe stats guy phone every damned day?

I'm not sure I'd last too long at a job like that. I have no desire to be seen as a government cockroach who just won't go away...

I suppose that it's his choice in the end, but geez.

Let's move on quickly to today's misnamed rock, Dendritic Pearl Opal. Neither a pearl nor an opal, this stone's a piece of agate or chalcedony that has been given a fancy name to help it sell better. The dendrites are sometimes erroneously called fossils, but they're really just a dark mineral (often manganese oxide) that's percolated through cracks in the rock making tree-like patterns.

All this futz about silly names and metaphysics (which I'm completely not getting into today. Sorry that you're missing out on the weirdness) for what is, in fact, a fairly striking-looking rock all on its own. There would have been nothing wrong with calling this dendritic chalcedony and leaving pearls AND opals to be pearls and opals, you know?

After looking at so much crystal oddness lately, I suppose that I just wish I could look up one of my rocks and find out that it doesn't cure anything.



Maybe I should get myself a piece of sandstone. Ah, but even then we'd be dealing with the wonders of tiny pieces of quartz, no doubt.





The weirdness finds you everywhere, I tell you.

I think my blog is confused

It's been a long time since there have been daily posts here. Back in the day that was normal, but there's only so many topics to blather on when you have a years-old blog, and eventually everything becomes so cyclical that it doesn't seem worth attempting anything daily.

Plus, I'm lazy.

Oh well, this current phase will be over as soon as I'm able to get back to my normal activities. Enjoy it while you can.

If it's enjoyable at all, that is.

So what's on my mind today? Oh, not much. I suppose I could give you a bit of a kitten update, since Bob's recently picked up a fairly weird habit.

Facecloths.

Yep, he's picked up the habit of facecloths. Mostly when they're damp.

It's like this: you wash your face in the morning, then a few minutes later you find the wet cloth in the middle of the living room. Or you're doing something with the bathroom door open -- say, brushing your teeth -- and you suddenly hear the garbage can, the toilet brush, or the spare roll holder (or the trifecta) being knocked over by a certain Bob on his way to grabbing the facecloth. Or you're sitting in the living room and in chugs (yes, chugs. Best description I can find for that sort of determined movement) a Bob carrying a facecloth as though it was the most important prey a kitten could ever find...

All I can say is that I hope this is a short phase. It's kind of annoying to have to go facecloth hunting several times a day.

Tom, on the other hand, surprised both Dad and me by hardly being yelled at at all yesterday. Must be some sort of weird shift in the stars or something.

Speaking of stars, did any of you go out to watch the Geminid shower peak last night? I forgot until I was already in my pyjamas, but Dad got out early enough this morning to see a few. If you didn't get a chance to meteor watch yesterday it's still worth a try tonight or for the next couple of days, since the Geminids go on for a while.

And speaking of stars obviously leads me to today's rock, only because I can't help but think that many of the people who believe in the power of rocks also believe that the stars guide their lives. And sorry to those who think that I'm being snide about the whole thing, but I just, just can't buy into stuff like that.

Anyway, this pretty thing is called Ocean Agate or Orbicular Jasper, usually depending on clarity. If it's translucent people tend towards the agate, and if it's not, towards the jasper. Mine's a bit on the translucent side.

Agates are silicates sometimes associated with volcanic stones, and often found in geodes where they can be deposited when mineral-rich pockets of water get trapped in some substrate or other. As the water evaporates it leaves behind the agate.

Apparently (according to the internet, which... well, you know), ocean agate/ocean jasper is only found in Madagascar. I wonder if it likes to move it move it?

Um, I haven't actually seen those movies, if you wondered. I've certainly heard the song ad nauseum though. Easier to handle than Let it Go by a long shot.

Ok, magical mystical time. Short version, because I can't really be bothered. Relieves stress, calms nerves, brings joy to life, physical healing stuff blah blah blah. It's good for meditation, as is apparently EVERYTHING.

Will someone explain to me why so many people follow this route? I really simply don't get it.

Ah well. I suppose that it's mostly harmless.





You just have to remember to bring your towel, I guess.

Sleeping on a bed

Tom may choose towels (proving that he is, indeed, a cat; albeit a smallish one still), but most people don't. I mentioned yesterday that I'd been sleeping on the recliner since I came home from surgery, but last night I thought I'd see how the bed worked out.

It was... ok.

I mean, I did get some sleep. Maybe not as much as I would have if I wasn't flat, but it was definitely possible to sleep. On my back if my knees were bent, or on my right side but not my left yet. That's all right, though. I sleep on my right side more than my left anyway. And it'll get better now that my body knows what to expect, and of course as I continue healing.

I'm tired of this healing crap by now, you know. Can't we just get it over with already? Yeah, yeah, I know that's not how it works, but it's kind of frustrating when otherwise I feel fine.

Anyway, actual sleep on an actual bed means I'm that much closer to getting back to my actual life. And that's a good thing for the boredom factor, let me tell you. It's definitely not my father's fault because there are plenty of things that I could be doing, but not having any targeted thing to do is making me sooo bored...

Ah well. We'll try for some art or something later today, I guess. In the meantime, today's rock:

This one's leopardskin jasper. I've talked about jaspers before, and the main difference with this one is that it has orbicular inclusions. My sample looks nothing like real leopard skin, but maybe some of the pieces out there do. It's just an interesting-looking rock to me, but of course to the crystally-types out there it's...

(deep breath as she searches the weirdness)...

Good for dealing with animals, both real and spiritual. It will help you find your totem animal if you're so inclined, and is good for healing.

Healing what?

A little bit of everything, apparently. General healing, detoxing, removing body odour (ha!), and a bunch of shamanistic stuff that it's not my business to get into, really.

Can you tell that I'm getting a little tired of looking into the mysticism of perfectly good rocks? I am, really, but I still have a few pointless pictures left and I'm going to use them all, dammit.



With intermittent cats.



Because I can.





I'm done typing now.

Something

 Or maybe nothing. I don't know yet.

I'm a little tired at the moment, I have to admit. Didn't quite get the sleep my brain wanted, I guess. Oh hey, speaking of sleep -- I'm thinking that I might try sleeping in a bed tonight.

Yes, yes, most people do, but lately I've been sleeping in the recliner instead. When I got here from the hospital it would have been massively uncomfortable to sleep flat, so the recliner it was. And has been since. I think I might actually be able to sleep on my side at this point, though, so the bed (not the futon, to those who know what I'm talking about. The futon's long gone and is now a click clack sofa bed instead) sounds like a possibility. We'll see how I feel tonight. It would be nice not to be bothered by kittens in their midnight rambles like I am in the living room, but since that can't be the only deciding factor, we'll see.

More baby steps, I suppose.

Oh, I should explain the picture. My uncle felt that since my father plays Santa for a number of events this time of year he should should have a proper reindeer car. At least you can find him in parking lots a little easier these days.

And now, rock:

This is Lapis Lazuli. I'd wanted a piece of lapis for a while when I picked this up. It probably stems from the usual childhood fascination with ancient Egypt (why does everyone I know seem to have gone through that phase?) and the use of lapis in jewellery and decoration. That lovely blue with the little glints of pyrite... who wouldn't want a rock like that?

Did you know that in addition to being carved and used for inlays, lapis was ground to make the pigment ultramarine? That's right, all of those blue-cloaked renaissance Virgin Marys were painted with lapis.

My particular piece of lapis contains a fair amount of calcite (the white bits) as well as the gold pyrite and the blue lazurite. When you wear it in a cage I suppose it looks a bit planet-like, as I found out when one of the nature school kids last spring told me it was like the wooorld (her emphasis. It was slightly weird).

There's a good cue to move on to the more than slightly weird:

I'm not sure I can manage complete sentences with this stuff anymore, so let's just make a list. Wisdom, truth, evil eye, inner peace, freedom from negative thought, good judgement, problem solving, new ideas, higher mind, knowledge, memory, spiritual honesty, calmness, communication, friendship, throat, heart, circulation, insomnia, infections, menstruation, migraines, autism (sheesh), clarity, connection between physical and celestial planes...

And on and on and on. Amazing, in whatever way you want to take that word.



Ok, that's enough of that. I kind of miss my rocks, you know. I do have my little amethyst tortoise with me (and one of the lab techs even noticed it. Turns out she's the type that carries rocks in her pocket... they're everywhere, you know), but I miss playing daily dress-up. And work. And people in general.

I'm never going to make six weeks, you know.

It's not a rock

Yes, it's the Turkey Brothers in all their glory. Lounging, of course, on the afghan I brought into the living room to use myself.

If you're wondering why the rocking chair doesn't have any cushions on it anymore, think Turkey Brothers. When they were smaller they were climbing the cushions. I'd say that it would probably be ok to bring the cushions back now, but the cats would probably just use them as scratching posts.

But they look cute, don't they?

Yeah, and they know it.

I don't really have anything purposeful to blather about today, so...

Rock!

Ha. Bet you thought you'd escaped.

This is Kambaba Jasper, which some sites say should be Kambala Jasper. Which is sometimes also called Crocodile Jasper. Which isn't even a jasper at all, really. It just sounds good that way.

This rock is a fossil (yep. I told you that I sometimes buy them without meaning to. And this particular stone was definitely a case of oh, that's neat, as opposed to let's buy a fossil today). It's a piece of a stromatolite, which is a sedimentary rock consisting of fossilised cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). In keeping with the rock's many commercial names, blue-green algae isn't even algae. It's bacteria found in water (think pond scum, and occasional no-swim warnings because of the associated toxins) that sometimes lives in colonies. Fossilized colonies are called stromatolites, and this particular African stromatolite shows attractive green circle formations backed by black when it's polished. I'm very fond of it, to be honest.

And of course, the weirdness follows:

Well, hey, it's a stress reliever. Good on it. It can ease a broken heart and increase prosperity. It also increases fertility and help your tropical fish (what?). It soothes the state of mind and gets rid of the meanies in your office. It cleanses and nurtures, and protects you from environmental pollution. Amazingly, it also stimulates creativity and increases self-worth. It protects you while travelling as well.

So don't leave home without it, I guess.



Lunch time now.

And the rock is...

Jade.

It would probably be more exciting if it was carved or something. There's one to put on my list, I suppose.

I have no idea whether this is jadeite or nephrite, but either way it's a metamorphic silicate yada yada yada. That's right. I know that my two fans don't really care and yet I'm STILL doing this.

Until I get new photos.

Today, maybe.

This is one of my more recent stones, and to be honest I got it just because I thought it might be nice to have a piece of jade. I wear it in a cage, like my other loose rocks. I know that some people are buying tumbled rocks to just keep in their pockets or use as worry stones when they need something tactile, but as you've no doubt noticed I buy pretty things to wear. Such a disappointment to the mystic crowd, I'm sure. Speaking of which...

Oh Whomever, I can't even. Dream stuff, travel stuff, kidney stuff, aid in diagnosis for doctors, protection against deception, wealth-gaining, clear reasoning, love-attracting, lungs, heart, thymus, stomach, immunity, energy, longevity... how does anyone on this earth survive without a piece of jade on them at all times?



Jade apparently ups the weirdness factor by about twelve-fold, boys and girls. Look it up for yourself if you want details, because I just feel like banging my head against the desk for a while now.





Or having lunch. That might be more productive.

See you in a bit.

Yeah, it's still a rock

This one's garnet, and as much as I like it I don't wear it too often. It just seems a little more formal than the plain rocks that I usually wear at work. I should wear it anyway, really. It's pretty.

Garnets are nesosilicates that come in a wide variety of colours depending on what other chemicals are in there. They can be separated from other clear gemstones by using a strong magnet. That's right -- they respond to magnets. That ought to be good for the weirdness crowd. Let's see what I can find...

Ok, garnets on your desk apparently make your business successful, and a garnet under your pillow will cure depression. Garnets are good to travel with, and will increase your self-esteem and keep your friendships constant. They'll purify the blood, help your thyroid and spleen, and increase your sex drive.

Wow. Amazing. I really had better start wearing mine more often.



In seriousness, I've noticed that I tend to go to the blues and greens when I'm buying stones. I should look in to more red things for contrast.





That's it for today, since I have other things to get to before lunch. For any of my two fans who wondered, I was able to download Windows 8 friendly printer drivers yesterday, so... well, dammit, so there's one less possibility of a Christmas present for my Dad, I guess.

Screwed myself over there.



Damn.

Yes, I know that you're probably tired of rocks

Don't care, really. Rocks are what I have pictures of at the moment. And yes, I will get off my behind and take some new photos at some point.

They won't be of a Christmas tree, though. We've decided that it wouldn't be worth the Turkey Brothers mayhem this year. And mayhem it would definitely be. These guys would be absolutely launching themselves into anything resembling a tree, and that's not even figuring decorations. Better to save ourselves the mess, I think. Dad certainly agrees.

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Now then, Dendritic Jasper. Jasper's kind of a catch-all for several kinds of microquartz aggregates, really, and dendritic just refers to patterns that look like tree branching. Dendritic jasper = aggregate of tiny quartz crystals with branching patterns. It's not too exciting when you put it that way, I suppose, but it's still a neat stone. I have a bit of a thing for jaspers and agates, to be honest. You can get some interesting looking stones in those two categories. This one? Honestly, I got it because it was half price. It goes well with my work uniform t-shirt, at least. And it looks neat. Did I say neat already?

Weirdness factor: Dendritic Jasper is the "stone of the mind". Ooooo. It brings clarity and sharp-thinking, and improves both your inner and outer self. It's good for writers and inventors. It encourages blood flow to the brain (really?) so is beneficial for epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's Disease, and dementia.



Seriously? Does anyone actually believe this stuff? It's a rock, people. It... sits there. That's what it does.

It looks kind of cool while it's doing that, though.

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I guess that's it from me today. I still need to figure out how to get a (slightly) older printer to talk to Windows 8, since the drivers don't seem to want to load from the disc. No worries if I don't get it, however. I kind of said it would make a good Christmas present for me to just get a new one. I meant it, too. This one's pretty much out of black ink, and the sad fact is that you can get a cheap all-in-one for the price of an ink cartridge nowadays. I hate thinking of printers as that easily disposable, but unfortunately they are.

Says something about our society, but I'm not in the mood to spout off today. Off to the printer company website, then. Yippee.

So when you find yourself wearing asbestos...

I said before that sometimes I'll pick out a neat looking rock without knowing much about it, intending to look it up later. With this one, though, I had a little trouble. My two fans will remember (and I'm too lazy to link to the old post, so use the search bar if you're interested) that I managed to forget the name of this specimen before I had time to research it, and that kind of thing drives my latent librarian absolutely nuts.

I have an olf need to catalogue things, for those new to the program.

Well, I finally found out that it's chrysotile, and that name faintly rang a bell at the time. No wonder. Chrysotile is a form of asbestos. Yeah, I thought that it would be a good idea to wear asbestos. Because it was kind of pretty.

The asbestos industry (especially here in Canada, unfortunately) will tell you that chrysotile is the safest form of asbestos to use, and some research backs that up. However, even if it doesn't cause lung cancer as quickly as the amphibole forms of asbestos, it's still a carcinogen. I kind of hate that my country has been one of the biggest lobbiers to have restrictions loosened on it just to protect a dying industry. And yes, I do realise that the industry is still very important to those involved in it, but sometimes you have to back down, you know? Just like I know how important Alberta oil is to the country's (and province's) economy, but that doesn't mean that I accept the environmental cost that the oil sands development is creating.

Aaanyway...

Here's my little piece of the asbestos pie, then. I still wear it, by the way. It's perfectly safe in this form.

And besides, you have to admit that it's kind of pretty.

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Oops, forgot to add the weirdness factor. Chrysotile apparently aids in divination and telepathy, helps you find your spirit animal and access ancient knowledge, and encourages honesty and sincerity.

It is used to treat arteries, abrasions, lung disorders, MS, and chronic fatigue (sheesh).

It can also give you lung cancer. Ok, so I added that last part.

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Lunch time for me, now. Things seem to be going decently at the moment, so I might aim to be down here doing a little doodling this afternoon. If it happens, you'll see it on the other blog. Erm, if I can find the scanning software for the printer, that is. Kind of forgot that I haven't done that yet...

Milestone... or was that just stone?

Milestone first, I guess. I'm currently doing laundry, which, considering that I've been here at the computer when I'm not changing loads, means the longest time I've been away from the recliner since I came to Dad's. Yay me. I'll probably be exhausted tonight, but whatever. I'd be getting bored otherwise.

Dad's going to have to be the one to take everything back upstairs, though. This no heavy lifting thing is a pain. You don't realise how much lifting you generally do in a day until you're not allowed to do it, you know. But since I don't exactly want to burst...

Anyway. On to today's rock. This is Blue Tiger's Eye, which is pretty cool. I've been a fan of tiger's eye in its usual brown form since I was a kid. Years ago, somebody -- couldn't tell you who at this point -- gave my brother and me tiny rings with even tinier pieces of tiger's eye mounted in them. I still have mine. Can't get it past the first knuckle on my little finger these days (yeah, it's that small), but I wear it on a chain now and then. I'll take its picture at some point when I have nothing better to do, no doubt.

And now, on to the weirdness. Most people like tiger's eye for its chatoyancy (that light-shifty thing you notice when you move it around), but it's also a hit with the healing crystal crowd. Let's see if it'll cure what ails you...

Ok, here we go. Blue tiger's eye apparently aids in communication and organising thoughts (who knew?). It's also supposed to reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a positive attitude (such an amazing stone). It can boost psychic abilities and give insight into mental conflict, and protects against curses (wowww...). It shares the powers of regular tiger's eye as well, which I'll be getting into when we get to my regular tiger's eye things.

So, yeah, all of that stuff... or it's just pretty and kind of fun. Guess which side I vote for?

Either way, not bad for a piece of quartz, I figure. The towels are in the dryer now, so I should probably head back upstairs. Are you tired of me ending posts like that yet? I'm open to other suggestions, you know. They just aren't presenting themselves at the housebound-moment, that's all.



Later, everyone.

Pointless rock of the day:

Today's wearable rock is an ammonite.

Ammonites were cephalopods like octopods or nautiluses (nautili? I don't know), but they're long extinct now. I've said before that I'm a little leery of buying fossils just to wear when they should probably be studied instead, but ammonites are really very common so I made an exception.

Thinking about some of the other rocks that I wear -- which you'll be seeing soon, if I don't get off my butt right away to take some new photos -- I guess I make that exception more than I want to admit. It's often not done on purpose, though. Proper or not, I sometimes buy things because they look neat and then find out what they actually are later. Um, surprise...

Anyway, this little ammonite isn't worth much in the scheme of things, but some of its relatives are. In southern Alberta there's a deposit of ammonite fossils that, for whatever reason, are iridescent. Literally all the colours of the rainbow. When they're made into jewellery they're marketed as ammolite rather than ammonite, and ammolite doesn't come cheap. It's interesting, though. I might look into a piece someday when I'm feeling flush (ha...)

Notice how I haven't given you links to any of this stuff? Just not in the mood to be that helpful today. Either that or lazy. You all know how to use search engines anyway.





Have you used one to search stoma yet? I don't want you all to be bare beginners when I start talking about that, after all.

Done sitting here now.

Look, rocks!

I'll likely get out and take some new pictures once I'm a little more mobile, but for the next little while you're going to have to put up with the pointlessness of a few close-ups that I took of some of my rocks when I was testing things with the short lens a couple of weeks back.

For those of you who are already groaning about the thought of more rock talk, just consider that it's probably more easy to take than more gut talk. Although at some point we will be talking about stomas, make no mistake. Just not tonight is all.

Now then, today's featured rock, which isn't actually even a rock. This is Baltic Amber, and I bought it mostly because I've always wanted a piece of amber. A lot of Baltic Amber is found washed up on beaches and naturally tumbled, but I haven't a clue about this piece. It's just as likely to have been through a machine to make it smooth.

"Medically" speaking (yeah, that needed to be in quotes for me. There are a lot of unsubstantiated beliefs in the power of rocks out there, and just because I might mention them doesn't mean I buy into them), amber is supposed to ease inflammation because of the succinic acid it contains. It's said that the skin's warmth draws the acid out, and it's then absorbed by the skin. I dunno, really, but amber teething necklaces, amongst other things, have been used for years. Centuries, even.

Amber's also been used for many other medical purposes, to what effect I couldn't tell you. One of my personal favourites of the traditional recipes is to use a tincture of amber in vodka as a cure for male virility problems. Have at 'er then, guys. Let me know how you make out... literally...

Anyway. There's amber for you. Tomorrow? Ah, we'll see. I'm about done sitting in this chair for now, though.



Baby steps, Dee. Baby steps.

Cats... and probably some other random stuff about intestines

 Well, the Turkey Brothers remain turkeys (and brothers). They're getting bigger now, and no sign at all of fluffy kitten coats anymore. Tom in particular is looking very shiny and sleek. Bob is shiny in his own right, of course, but the tabby coat doesn't show it as well.

They're still turkeys. I might have mentioned that. Tom goes headfirst into trouble pretty much whenever he's not sleeping. Bob? Goes headfirst into trouble as well, but a lot more subtly. Just because he's quieter doesn't mean he's not quietly being destructive.

Tom's still the big purrer, but Bob's the lap cat. He'll actually sit on my knee and stare, waiting for me to become smart enough to extend the footrest on the recliner so that he can have more space. If Dad's lying on the sofa, Bob's likely to be lying on his legs.

If he's not chasing after his brother, naturally. Priories, after all.

Speaking of priorities, do you know what a weird feeling it is to know that you could have died (now there's a whiplashing change of topic for you)? It's just weird, weird, weird and that's all there is to it. If I'd waited much longer to go to emergency I would have gone septic and died.

Not that many decades ago I would have gone septic and died no matter what.

That's a weird thing to know.

I'm not going to say that it's life changing because we are what we are in the end and life will get back to more or less normal in a few weeks, but it definitely gives a person something to think about when stuff like this happens. I'd like to be able to say that it puts things in perspective, but again... it probably does for a little while, and then regular life comes back and the perspective changes again.

That's about as philosophical about this as I'm going to get, by the way. You'll probably be hearing more about the physical side of things because I'll be lacking in blather topics, but as far as deep thoughts go I haven't honestly got much deeper than this is weird...

Just as well, really. My two fans wouldn't know what to do with me if I actually started to take life seriously. Neither would I, for that matter. I don't do serious all that well.



Anyway, probably time for me to head back upstairs and recline for a while. Likely with cats, since Dad just headed downtown for something.





Life could be worse, you know?

Busting a gut

So, on Saturday the 22nd I exploded.

Oh, wait. I should probably make that clearer.

On Saturday the 22nd I had a diverticulum (who knew I even had a diverticulum? Not me, that's for sure) rupture.





I didn't die, just to cut the suspense a little here. I did, however, have emergency surgery. And a week in the hospital. And a boatload of antibiotics. And now? I have a very large incision that's doing its best to heal without driving me batshit, a lot of bruises from various procedures, and a bit of difficulty getting around. Oh, and poverty, I guess, since I'll be off work for a few weeks.

No worries there, actually (or at least at the moment). I have savings I can get to when I need them.



Anyway, you'll no doubt be hearing more about this in the next while since I'll be here at Dad's with time on my hands. For now, though, my body's telling me to get away from the computer and give it a bit of rest.









I didn't need this much fun, just so you know. What's that curse, again? May you live in interesting times? I'd be thrilled to be a lot less interesting just now.

More unedited cat photos

 My Dad has a cat closet. It was created for the last set of cats, but has been closed up while these guys were still too little.

They're not too little now. And they're more than happy to prove it.

The carpetted steps lead up to a shelf that Dad cut a cat hole in. They can sit up there if they want to get out of the way for a bit, or (as is more the favourite at the moment) they can bat the crap out of the mouse toy that's dangling from a higher shelf.

It's pretty perfect for the climbers.

Anyway, that's it for today. I'm too busy being angry at my body (long story) to really want to post, so I'll leave it here for now.

Later, all.

Ah, new. And some Turkey Brothers.

 Today's pointless photos are completely unedited, because I have other things to do. You'll hear what in a bit.

The first pointless photo is, admittedly, boring. It's a bridge, obviously, and if you click on it you'll see that it's a little fuzzy because my hand was getting tired at that point.

The cool thing about the picture, though, is that the bridge is way down the hill and across the river valley from my Dad's place, and I took the shot from his driveway.

Yep, someone got a new zoom lens. 55-200 mm, which will nicely extend my range since the kit lens (the one that came with the camera) is an 18-55 mm. And the new lens was on sale.

No, really, that's a good thing. Maybe my family's weird, but we're always happy when we can a) get things on sale, and b) tell the person we give them to that the things were on sale. I know that some people would think it's lessening the value of the gift or something like that, but it's more like being proud of finding a neat thing AND managing to get a deal on it.

Anyway, happy birthday to me, and thanks, Dad.

The other new thing is the computer that I'm currently using. My brother and sister-in-law decided to get Dad a new system for his birthday (yeah, she'd had to use Dad's old one when they were out here. I'm not the only one who was hearing the hamster wheel). Now I just have to figure the thing out. You see, the person who does our IT at work has decided that she doesn't like Windows 8, so all of our stuff is on Windows 7 whether it's new or not. Right now I'm using the Desktop on this computer rather than the Start page for anything that I want to actually get done, but don't worry. I'll figure things out eventually. Erm, not that you'd know one way or the other anyway since it'll all look the same to you, but... You know, I'm not sure what the but is. But I'm not a dinosaur? But it isn't giving me the jitters? But even though I'm now officially smack dab in my mid-forties (yes, dammit) I still know how to computer?

Whatever. Fill in your own but.

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And now for a quick Turkey Brothers update. The boys have lost their kitten coats in a big way. Tom has become very shiny and sleek, and Bob is still a fair bit coarser. They're both pretty handsome cats. You can see from the photo above that Bob is very much the speckled kind of tabby rather than the stripey kind. They're both still shits climbers and are on everything. The only way to keep them off the piano, for instance, is to make sure that they never get anywhere near the piano. Yep, these little boys see a lot of closed doors. I'll have a few more pictures of them in the coming posts, so more later.

For now, though, I'm off to explore the wonderful world of Windows 8.



I'll leave a trail of breadcrumbs in case I get lost.

Totally not recent photo of the day:

Alpine Veronica flowers in the spring, generally. It's not spring now.

I don't know if you've heard, but it's winter here.



Bah.

Now, don't get me wrong. It's not unusual for it to be wintery in mid-November in Alberta. What is unusual, though, is for it to happen in a day. That's right, one day. One day it was something like 9C for a high, and the next, if I'm remembering right, the high was -12C.

Yes, that's a minus.

This week I decided to take Monday off because the fall of the Remembrance Day stat on Tuesday (and I seriously didn't realise that Remembrance Day isn't yet a national stat. Really, Canada?) made for an easy long weekend for a part-timer like me. The weather hit on the weekend, though, and decided that I was staying home anyway because it was too cold for me to be able to clear the 10 cm of snow from my car.

I am not making this up.

I had to get out Wednesday, unfortunately, because some stupid person delayed getting her driver's licence renewed until just a couple of days before her birthday. So, rather than face -- at best -- a fine or -- at worst -- redoing my driver's test after all of these years, I sucked it up, cleared the car, went to the registry, got a really bad toque-head photo taken... and then went right back home because the headache from the cold had set in and I couldn't face doing anything else.

I did manage to make it to work yesterday afternoon. On my own, even. Made me feel like garbage, but I did it. Today? Early program, expected morning temperature of -28C. Yes, seriously. Wheat took pity on me and said that he'd pick me up (thank you, and did I mention thank you?). It didn't get quite as cold as all that (only -21C, I think, when we left), but I'd've still had to scrape the windshield and that would have done it for my hands for a while.

Just so you know, being allergic to the cold isn't the best life choice in Alberta. Not that it was a choice or anything, but still.

Aaanyway, there's how things stand. They're saying that it's supposed to start warming up tomorrow, so hopefully that will give me a chance to get into Dad's and give him his birthday present (happy birthday today, Dad). Which is... ummm... probably peanuts for his bird feeder. Yeah, the crap weather meant that I didn't get my last-minute shopping done, so he'll be getting something from our bookstore. He's ok with that, though. It's not the first time.



Later, then. Assuming that I survive until the next time I'm at a computer and don't get lost in a snowbank somewhere.

Your weekend cat:

I'm actually telling you that I won't be around for a few days instead of just disappearing. Don't die of shock, ok?

See you next week sometime. And until then, do please enjoy this picture of a naked cat bathing.

Quick pointless bad cat of the day:

No time for anything else today. Maybe tomorrow, but don't get your hopes up.

Too bad, because I did have one or two things to say about politics and stupidity. Or I could have just said stupidity to avoid being redundant...



Bet everyone's sorry they missed that particular post.

Ah, technology

Today, Bad Cat is not scratching no really not scratching honestly not scratching...

Seriously, though, it's ok if he scratches there. If you look closely you'll see that it's an extra carpet square put over the actual carpet. I can't remember why it was put there originally, but our old cats used it as a scratching pad and if these cats choose to do it as well it saves the real carpet.

Tom's actually decent at using scratching pads, I'll admit. It's Bob that you catch trying to decorate every scratchable item in the house.

He just acts innocent, you know.

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As I generally say, this'll be short because I have to do work etc. etc. I just wanted to mention that today and Thursday some of us are sitting in on an online interpretation conference. It's been interesting so far and has led to some good staff discussion, but it... well, it just seems a little weird to me. These things always do, really. Let's get everyone into the staff room, throw the computer feed up onto the big screen, and spend a while listening to someone talk while we stare at a powerpoint slideshow. This particular one also has a chat box so that you can ask questions or comment as things go, but still. Everyone walking past the room is hearing a voice and seeing us staring at the screen and apparently not doing anything. Doesn't that strike anyone else as weird?

Probably just me.

I have to admit, though, that it makes me almost miss the days of actually going to conferences. Yeah, there was always the hassle of getting there and the hassle of accommodations and (for me, at least) the hassle of not sleeping... wait, what did I miss, again? Oh, socialisation, I suppose. I'm not exactly a social butterfly, but even a person like me got a chance to make connections when conferences were physical rather than virtual.

Ah well. At least I'll get to sleep (or not sleep) in my own bed tonight.



I guess that's something.

Later, all.

Pointless turkey brothers of the day:

Otherwise known as Bad Cats.

I could have a whole series of these two up on things they're not supposed to be on, you know.

Probably will, in fact.

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Ok, this will be quick because I have a lot of things to catch up on. I wasn't exactly intending to be away from work for a week, you know. I was expecting not to work early in the week because I only work part-time and that's not unusual. I wasn't, however, expecting to be knocked off my ass by some bug or other and end up missing the rest of the week.

When you're home and not really feeling like doing/able to do much, you end up watching a lot of television, you know. Well, you do if you're me and have no computer or wifi, at least. Sometimes you end up seeing things that you really wish you hadn't seen. The other day, for example, I was watching some show on giant food makers. You know, things like competitive pumpkin growers or people who make huge wheels of cheese. I know it was all supposed to be just a bit of light fun, but really all I could think of was the first-world cliché that this is why the rest of the world hates us. I mean, think of it. All of those wasted resources and time, just to grow a huge onion. And then, all that wasted food so that you can have the world's biggest vat of macaroni and cheese. If you were having trouble feeding your family at all and knew that things like that exist in other countries, would you see it as a bit of fun?

I certainly wouldn't. In fact, I guess I didn't see it as fun even now. Food is just one of the things that we really, absolutely need to start taking more seriously, folks.

And don't get me started on those shows where they go to greasy diners or county fairs and eat the biggest, fattest plates of food that can be made. Oh, I watch them all right. But I hate myself for doing it.

Anyway, back to work now. There should actually be blogging this week, fingers crossed, and I'll try to find something lighter to blather about. And if you need something lighter now, go to the other blog and look at Socky. I hadn't looked at it since I posted it until today, and if I do say so myself, boys and girls, that's one fine sock puppet.

And my two fans know how rarely I say that about my own doodles, so you know it must be true.

Catnip pose of the day:

Yeah, so catnip's good...

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I think that'll be it today, folks. I'd planned more, but I'm having one of those days where I woke up with a headache and I don't really feel like putting together coherent sentences.

Waking up with a headache, by the way, is one of my least favourite things. I mean, I know that it's not exactly anyone's wish to ever have a headache, but to my mind waking up with a headache before you've even done something to deserve it is just a huge, huge, cheat. Thanks a lot, brain. After all, all I did for you was let you sleep. That's what I'm being punished for?

Um, yeah. My brain and I (which, of course, is still my brain) tend to have arguments. That's how I can live alone, you see. I've already got company.

Little known fact about me (unless I've told you, that is): You can usually tell if I have a headache by looking at my forehead. I have a muscle over my left eye that contracts, so there's a slight bulge there. For anyone who knows that, they can tell right away that I'm not faking it. I was asked once if the muscle spasm causes headaches, and I really don't know. I should have it checked, I guess. It might be an actual medical case for botox or something.

On another note (and this is rapidly turning into a post whether I meant it to or not), I should have taken a picture of my hand this morning since I'm noticing as I type that it sort of shows the state of my life at the moment. Rolling ring because I put it on to go to work (I don't usually bother with jewellery on days that I'm going in to Dad's since I don't generally wear it all weekend. Sort of slipped my mind on Friday, though) and I almost always have it on to play with at work (yay fidgeting), new swanish-thingy pinkie ring because I'm a sucker for that sort of thing, and... kitten scratch. Not a bad one or anything, but it certainly looks like a what did you do this weekend, Dee?



Aaanyway, I think I'll leave off for now. And leave earlier than I usually do to beat some weather on the way home. Nothing serious -- it'd just be nice to miss the wind and the rain, what with the stupid headache and all.

Catch you in a couple of days, probably.

Short post of randomness

As usual, I've wasted most of the morning catching up on mindless internet stuff I didn't get to during the week. And then, when I went upstairs briefly for something, Squeak McCuddleme had woken up and had some demands. Have I mentioned that if you don't pick up Tom right away when he wants to be held that he'll just climb up on his own? So yeah, I had to include a bit of quality cat time there.

That's a big sacrifice, you know. They're cute when they're not destroying things. I just wish that he could figure out that Allergy Annie here doesn't appreciate a cat nose all over her face.

Some of my two fans might be wondering by now how someone with cat allergies has managed to be with cats most of her life.

Simple.

Drugs.

I should explain that a bit more. When I was a kid I was on an inhaled steroid for various allergies, including the cat one. Later on as an adult when I decided to drop the steroid, I just started using otc antihistamines when it was necessary. Not exactly the best move since many antihistamines and I don't get along very well, but I eventually found one that works without a lot of side effects, and there you have it.

Me, the cat cuddler.

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I wanted to make sure I said a huge thank-you on behalf of those of us who have sense to the people of Cold Lake who helped clean up a mosque that some pseudobrained idiot thought it would be fun to spray paint. Well, done, and way to show (without just talking about it) that one sub-moronic jackass doesn't reflect the values of your community. Or this country, for that matter. I wish that there were more people out there like you who would actively do something about a problem.

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That's it, actually. I did say short post. Tomorrow, probably more cat things, especially since Dad just gave them their first catnip and I apparently need to go up and see the results.


Sorry, no apparently about that. I neeeeed to go up and see the results. Later, everyone.

Late post because rocks!

Yes, my favourite rock shop was having its annual fall sale so of course I had to stop on my way to Dad's place. I should explain for anyone new to the program that I like to wear rocks. I'm not a huge fanatic about them and I'm also not one of those who believes that they have powers, but they're fun. I don't wear them everywhere, though. Mostly to work, because the kids (and sometimes the big kids) find them interesting. It's a good way to lead into other facets (Ha! Facets! See what I did there?) of geology. Sneaky, huh.

This sale, by the way, is borderline huge. They take over most of a small mall, with tables all down the hallways. They also take over any unused retail space. There are lots of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. And it's fairly hard not to spend lots and lots of money.

Before I get into this year's haul, a couple of notes. The picture's background is, as usual, my piano. The rubbed-off area on the right is where everyone keeps grabbing it as they come in the door. And the white flecks just tick me off. They were left by some ceiling painters who had no bloody idea how to cover furniture. They also managed to take some antique music off of a music stand, put it on the piano, and then glop a whole bunch of paint on it. The stuff would have been better off left on the stand. I wasn't thrilled.

Note number two is that while I was at the sale I remembered to check the name of the forgotten green and white rock from this post. It made me laugh when I saw it. Chrysotile. Otherwise known as asbestos, and I should have remembered that. Don't worry -- it's perfectly safe when it's in massive form. Kind of attractive, too. I just wouldn't want to be the one polishing it.

Ok, on to the new stuff. Above you'll see two pairs of earrings (lapis on the left, amethyst on the right), mostly because I can't remember the last time I bought earrings and these were cheap. Cheapness rates high for me, as my two fans know. At the bottom, a snake chain that I picked up way cheaper (yay) than I would have at the store where I got no service (for those who don't remember, try this post. For those who do remember... why?). In the centre, a little pinkie ring that I thought was kind of cute. It's a bird of some sort. It looks kind of like a swan, but knowing this store and its occasionally... shall we say overly spiritual... customers it's probably supposed to be a phoenix or something. I'm going with swan, personally.

Now for the rocks. Going clockwise, the white one is dendritic opal (actually more of an agate. And the dendritic part just means branching like a tree). Then we have (well, I have) a piece of jade, which, yes, I'll be wearing in a cage like the rocks in the first linked post above. If I didn't cage them they might fly away, you know. Next is chevron amethyst (sorry for the slight weirdness of the link. It can be hard to find mineral/crystal links that don't go all chakra on you. And chevron amethyst is technically quartz mixed with quartz, since amethyst is a form of quartz) with a little piece of garnet, and finally a small ammonite that's been left with some of the matrix surrounding it and then polished. I don't buy a lot of fossils since it kind of bothers me when they're used for jewellery instead of science, but ammonites are pretty common and undeniably interesting-looking.

That's more than I intended to buy, really, but it should keep the cravings down for quite a while.

Since I'm going to end on somewhat of a sad note, let's have some kittens.

Ok, they're really here because I had the camera out for the rocks and I didn't have any recent shots of the boys. There will likely be more in a day or two.

A quick update on the turkey brothers, then. Tom has put on a growth spurt and is starting to look like he might be the long, lanky type. Bob so far is looking more solid, but that can change as he gets bigger. They're both still cute as anything when they're tired, and little shits very busy and actively in trouble when they're not. I imagine that I'll have more to say about them as the weekend goes on, because of course the internet needs more cat stories.

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Ok, the last thing. I see that there's been another school shooting in the States today. Very sad, and very sad that it's so predictable. Part of the reason we in Canada are pretty freaked out about the Parliament Hill shootings (other than the big, giant, shocking fact that we could have had government members killed as easily as Cpl. Cirillo) is that we don't have the gun culture to expect that someone's likely to run up and shoot an unarmed honour guardsmen in the back. In the US they likely would have been upset about such a shooting, but I expect that they would move on pretty quickly to demanding that every single person in the area should be armed anyway.

Canada? Please let's not go there, ok? I don't ever want to have to live like that.



And I don't really want to end a post like that so... um... go back and look at the pretty rocks or something. See you later.