Stentorian

It's amazing how much better I can type when my brain is clearer. The operation was successful, I have a temporary stent clearing out the bad stuff and feel 100% better than I did this morning. The stent comes out in a couple weeks after the same doctor zaps my kidney stones into nothingness, for which I'm eternally grateful as I've heard horror stories that passing those things is worse than childbirth and I'd like to live my life without either experience. Bedrest and (finally!) fluids tonight, taking things day by day. It's good to be alive.

Happy Blogiversary to Me

When I started Pen-Elayne on the Web on September 7, 2002 (Rosh Hashanah 5763) I never dreamed I'd be celebrating this blog's eighth blogiversary by getting a stent in my kidney. At this point they're estimating I'll be home by Rosh Hashanah 5771 (Thursday) if the infection clears as it's supposed to. My fever's gone from high-grade to low-grade so that's something, but I can't drink anything until after the procedure so I feel totally parched. And nauseated. And frustrated. But it's a lovely day outside, it could be a lot worse, and I'm grateful to even be around lo these eight years, both online and in real life.

Contact Isolation

I'm in solitary, man! Well, not yet, I'm still in ER, having been through all the tests, awaiting my hoo-hah private room where people have to don gowns and gloves to see me. Hope I can use this laptop in the room, there are routers all over the place here so it doesn't appear to be a problem at least in ER. Now it's just a waiting game...

Back to ER

Not sure when they'll let me out this time. Will probably miss my blogiversary. Carry on, folks!

Still Bad

Not a kidney stone but plumbing-related. My doctor wanted me to stay overnight, and he was probably right. I may be going back to check into the hospital tomorrow. Some run-up to my 8th blogiversary.

No Stone Unturned

Fever still raging. Given all my symptoms I'm wondering if I'm not trying to pass a kidney stone. Heading out to the local emergency room now. Hell of a "holiday" weekend.

Another Sick Day

No Silly Site nor anything else today. Temperature back up, worse than it was a few days ago. Nasty, nasty bug. Back to bed.

Silly Site o' the Day

Val D'Orazio had the same favorite alternate universe poster of this bunch as I did. I want to see that Creed film!

Friday Cat Blogging*

Okay, I'm a stoop. Maybe the illness (which now looks to be behind me, even though the lingering dizziness forced me to take a second day off work) has slowed up my brain a bit, but I never noticed there was a limit on how many photos I could upload to Blogger. If I'd realized that earlier I would've shrunk 'em all to web size. Ah well, no harm done. Since I was in bed much of the day with The Vapours, Amy kept me company and had muchness of cutitude. Oh, and I got a few of Datsa as well when he deigned to come within camera range. So I've decided to upload them to my Flickr account, which I don't use so, hey, why not?

Here's Amy's set.

Here's Datsa's set.

Guess I'll be experimenting with Flickr more now. As soon as I finish consolidating all of our iPhotos (mine are done, I just need to weave Robin's in).

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Silly Site o' the Day

There's nothing better to lift my spirits during times of sickness (other than Robin waiting on me hand and foot as best he can) than the sound of children's squeals of jubilation, particularly when they're not taking place in the basement apartment of our house.



The intro is almost as good as the thing itself. Don't know if this informal "Rube Goldberg summer camp" actually exists, my brief Google search came out inconclusive, but if it's not a Real Thing in the World it should be. Via BoingBoing. Oh, and happy birthday to Robin's Dad!.

Silly Site o' the Day

White Rabbits, and welcome to my favorite time of the year, as well as the countdown to Pen-Elayne's eighth blogiversary next Tuesday! The day hasn't gone as well for me as I'd hoped, however, and I'm currently typing this with a 100.1° fever (it had been 101.3° earlier this evening), so I won't be hanging out at the computer very long. Just long enough to pass along BoingBoing's problem solving flow chart. Alas, I haven't found anyone else to blame yet for this low-grade fever, so I must be, as the chart indicates, a Poor Bastard.

Silly Site o' the Day

In attendance at last night's Yankees/A's game was practically a cavalcade of the architects of misery, as Michael Kay & co. introduced, in short order, Joe Lieberman, Henry Kissinger (no stand-seating for him, he was in a sky box), Bill O'Reilly and (sitting next to him) Donald Trump. Feel free to insert your own punchline in the comments. Meanwhile, there were quite a few repeats of that annoying New York Times Weekender ad, which I'm glad I can no longer watch without it bringing to mind this wonderful parody using the New York Post:



Via August Pollack. The sad reality is, of course, that the Post loves people like Trump and O'Reilly and Kissinger and even Lieberman.

Silly Site o' the Day

Sometimes a gal just wants a little mindless escapist fantasy. On the surface I don't really have a problem with Disney princess movies, but then I love animation and I've loved fairy tales since I was a kid (I have the whole Lang Fairy Book collection). On the other hand, the grown-up no-fun-at-all* feminist in me recognizes the weird messages some of these cartoons send out. To women:



And to men:



That's all via Princess Xeni at BoingBoing. On the other hand, some gals from Second City just have fun with it:





Dang, now I want to go watch some Disney animated films again.

*sarky alert

Silly Site o' the Day

Back home, being pestered by a constantly-meowing kitty, hoping to start dinner soon. Roast chicken, I think, but not Paula Deen style. Even so, I can still draw inspiration from PaulaDeenisms (via Erin at Serious Eats). Watch out for flying hams!