Medical Menagerie

Just a little update. I'm still sore as all get out from the semi incident. It pretty much sucks - super-sore mid-back and a sore neck combine to basically give me a constant headache. Fortunately, it seems like the muscle spasms in my left shoulder have stopped after this weekend, so that's cool. The rest of it is still very much unfun and it makes me whiny.

I've been drafting Dan to help me regularly apply the Badger to my back. Additionally, when I was at the chiro on Friday, she gave me some Tiger Balm. I gotta tell you, I'm loving that stuff. It's like a cross between Vicks Vapor-Rub and Icy Hot. The Badger is nice - it has a gingery warmth that isn't overly strong but kind of cuddly - but I'm kind of partial to the Tiger's more in-your-face mentholated tingle. I'm also doing regular chiropractic appointments and getting adjusted, some electrotherapy and delightful acupuncture.

I really like acupuncture, by the way. When I first had it months ago, I figured eh, why not, it's not like it is making things worse so sure. But I had to skip acupuncture one appointment and I could really tell a difference. Post-poking, there is a nice looseness and lightness in the area that was punctured. It isn't a permanent thing - more like an extended release pain pill - but I really like how it feels. And if it is doing that, I can't help but think that there may be some longer term help that it provides that isn't as noticeable. So I definitely wanted to do it for this current issue, if we could. And we can, so I did! Dan got to witness it and said he thinks it's a bunch of voodoo. Hehe. While my prior shoulder issue got me six needles per session, looks like this one gets me something slightly closer to twenty. (I forgot to count and Dan just said between ten and twenty, but I'm pretty sure I had 10 just on the shoulders alone and she also did my upper spine and neck.)

In more related news, Dan and I are taking my car in this evening to get a damage estimate. (We have a Price Is Right style betting pool on that currently. Feel free to offer your own guesstimate!) Of course, our appointment is in an hour or so and it is raining cats and dogs outside (thankfully not literally). And my trunk doesn't seal anymore. And my CD player is in my trunk. Sigh. No good can come of this.

Semis Suck

Apparently, some drivers don't think the evening commute is exciting enough. And when that is the case, apparently these drivers decide to add their own brand of excitement to stop-and-go traffic by turning it into a game of bumper cars. And apparently they do this by picking a car and then ramming into them not once, not twice, but three separate times, each time bumping that car down the highway for a bit before stopping, resting, then doing it all again.

Which really sucks. But it sucks even more when you are the car they pick to do this to.

And it sucks even more when that driver aching for bumper car commuting excitement is in a semi.

Yes. I got rear ended (a lot) by a freakin' semi. Fortunately, the not-so-accident happened at a very low rate of speed (probably about two miles per hour) so the damage to my car (and me) is not near as bad as it could have been given that I was, you know, rear ended repeatedly by a semi.

But the back of my car is dented and heavily scratched up (from metal on metal, as the nice officer kindly pointed out), the trunk latches but no longer seals, my taillights are both broken and the bumper is no longer aligned. And I'm not sure what (if anything) happens to the inner workings of one's car when a semi shoves it about 200 feet down the highway while the brakes are fully engaged, but I can't imagine it's anything positive. And let me tell you, after being shove-shove-shoved multiple times down the highway by a semi? I'm not feeling too hot either. (My chiro doesn't normally work on Fridays but I've already called her and she's going to see me tomorrow morning for some adjustment, therapy and acupuncture. I've dosed up with Excedrin and am icing my neck/back currently, too.)

Ironically, I had just been to the grocery store and picked up some herbal muscle rub.

I mostly picked it up because, hello, badger! How fun! But I thought it might help with my post-yoga shoulder soreness (I'm trying to get some more upper body strength). Now, however, we get to see how it works on post-bumper-carred-by-a-semi soreness.

Book One: FINALLY!

Finally. I have managed to finish Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro. I've been working on this freaking book since last September but kept putting it down. Last night, though, I turned the last page (read it even). Go me!

Ultimately, this book was pretty interesting but I had issues with it at the beginning. This book is like a big spiral, with the yakuza at the center. Instead of focusing on the yakuza (you know, like the title would suggest) this book circles around and around the topic, gradually getting closer and closer until the very end when the book is actually about the yakuza. Until then, though, it's more a general corruption in Japan. Sure, that corruption ultimately ties back to the yakuza in some way or another and learning about police corruption or corporation payoffs was fairly interesting, but I was really expecting something more detailed about, you know, the yakuza. Ultimately, the book did end up discussing the yakuza, specifically how they've expanded into other parts of the world (though at the same time, I got to learn almost equally about Chinese triads and tongs), but I think this book would be better represented by a title like Those That Deal with the Yakuza or Associates of the Yakuza.

Verdict: Three and a half stars for interesting corruption-related information and two stars for only mild yakuza-ness. So I'll call it three stars and move on to the next book.

Frustration

Just taking a moment to vent.

I'm working on a new knitting project, trying to learn how to do colorwork, specifically colorwork with one color yarn in my right hand, one in my left. I knit English style (carrying the working yarn in my right hand) and I want to learn how to knit Continental (yarn in the left) to see if it was any faster/better for me so I figured that this project was a great chance to learn how to do that.

It's not working well. I just can't keep even tension on my yarn that is in my left hand. Which is ironic, since when I crochet, I carry the working yarn in my left hand and have to maintain even tension on it. Yet the way I hold yarn for crocheting won't work for me while knitting. It's rather frustrating trying to knit smoothly using my left hand.

But that's just issue one. First off, look at this yarn.

Isn't it pretty? Should be fun to work with something so pretty, yes?

No. OMG. Horror. It splits like mad and is so hard to catch the whole strand when knitting into a stitch. Very annoying. And, even worse, the plied cream wool I'm using does the same thing. Not quite to the same extend, but still enough so that it is difficult to knit into.

On the positive side, the pattern is nice. At least I'm not dealing with issues there (other than the fact that I tend to skim instead of read the chart, which means I have to backtrack a bit... but really, that's my own fault). Of course, the wonky tension issues I'm having are kind of screwing up the pattern in that the contrasting color stitches are being pulled too tight so they don't pop as much as the natural yarn color. Which means the pattern doesn't show up as nicely as it could.

I'm hoping that that issue will resolve a little when I wet block the finished product. Maybe the colorful yarn will bloom a little, puffing up a little to be more visible. Fingers crossed.

Sigh. I'm about ⅓ of the way through the project. I really hope I get the left hand tension thing straight. Because I have a pattern for a colorwork hat that features alpacas and I really want to not hate colorwork so I can make me an alpaca hat.

Beer Updates

Last weekend, Dan started brewing his third beer. This one is going to be a pumpkin one, too, but sorghum-based and it will be gluten-free.

He's not all that huge on the gluten-free beers that are commercially available, but then, he's not big on the "typical" commercially available beers either and I'm pretty sure that's what the gluten-free ones are trying to recreate. So hopefully, his version of a gluten-free will be more in line with his fancier commercial beer tastes.

He does love the pumpkin beers, though so it's really no surprise that he's making a second one. His first one turned out very nice though I think he wants a little more pie flavor, which this one should have.

Of course, even if this one goes the way of other unimpressive gluten-free beers, he'll have himself the pretty fun challenge of making a good gluten-free beer that he (and my mom) like.

It's always nice to have goals.

Healing, But...

Okay, officially, I'm still sick. But I'm starting to feel a little better. Not good, just better. But now I'm at that dangerous point in my healing that I feel cruddy enough that I can't really do anything but I feel non-miserable enough that I get bored. For instance, I tried ironing some of Dan's work shirts (because I really don't want him to have to go to work naked) but I had to stop after the fourth shirt when I noticed I was ironing wrinkles into the shirt. Oops.

But I got some goodies in the mail today, and that's occupied me for a good while now. Because I took pictures and now I'm blogging. See, occupied! (And occupied without wrinkling!) So what goodies did I get in the mail today?

Tea!

I got some flavored black teas from Lupicia that I ordered earlier this week. I have tried one of them (the Chocolate Strawberry Pu-erh) but the Budoh and Grapefruit I've only had as a green tea, not as a black. But I really liked the flavoring in the green so I thought I'd like them in a black tea (which I tend to prefer when it comes to flavored teas). We shall see!

But that's the normal tea that I got in today. I also got another, slightly more special tea (if only because it is a limited edition).

I actually ordered this tea when I was posting this blog entry, so yay for speedy shipping! Honestly, reviews on Steepster haven't been overwhelmingly outstanding (though they've been in the low 80s (out of 100)) but I can't find it within myself to care because the tin is just too cool. Last year's Christmas blend tin was pretty nifty (see right) but I think the Thirsty Elf tin is just super awesome. I'm definitely going to be keeping both tins intact and use them to store... something. Most tins I take the labels off and reuse for more tea, but these are too fun to do that to. Hopefully, the Thirsty Elf will taste at least as good as last year's Damn Fine Holiday Blend, because I did enjoy that and only have about one or two cup's worth of leaves left.

So yay for (slowish but still present) healing and fun tea!

Next up due to boredom: an overdue Dan beer update. (Though that might wait until tomorrow.)

Day 429: Who Is Still Fat?

It's been quite a while since I posted about the kitty Weight Loss Challenge, but rest assured that it is still ongoing. I just haven't been weighing in the kitties. We really have only two contestants now, Cocoa and Sam, as everyone else is a delightful weight. Chloe, in fact, got a compliment from the vet last month about how svelte she was now.

I don't think either Cocoa or Sam are ready to be called svelte but they are both looking very good. So how do they weigh in? Here it is:

• Cocoa - 12.2 lbs (starting weight of 17.0/total loss of 4.8lbs)
  Cocoa's lost an additional 0.6lbs from her lightest weight of 12.8, but she's lost twice that since her last weigh in (since she had apparently porked up a bit after that 12.8 weigh in). She's starting to get rid of all the fat around her chest and neck (which is where she carries her extra weight instead of her stomach) so I imagine that she's about half a pound from ideal. (And only 0.2lbs from a full 5lbs weight loss!)
  
• Sam - 18.0 lbs (starting weight of 24.0/total loss of 6.0lbs)
  Wow, check out that total weight loss! No wonder Sam is looking so good nowadays. His back leg is distinguishable from his body and, when he's standing, he has a definite waist! Even his tail looks longer since he's lost the fat rolls on his bottom. He's still got a ways to go and, since he's only lost 0.4lbs since last October, I'm sure it is going to take a while. But after loosing 6lbs, another 4lbs should be cake! (Well, maybe more like a rice cake. It is weight loss, you know.)

So that's where things are now. Pretty good, isn't it? Not bad for 429 days of work!

In Process

Currently, I'm working on Book One for this year's 24 "real" book goal. It's still the book that I got roadblocked on last year, Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro. I've got about 100 more pages and I'm finally pretty into it. It's not quite so much about the yakuza as it is general corruption in Japan (politics, banking, business and policing), but since that corruption has ties to or leads back to the yakuza, I suppose it works. (If you tilt your head and squint.) Wanting to learn specifically about yakuza, I was finding this book a bit disappointing. Looking at it as learning about corruption in Japan, it's much more interesting.

Anyway, the point (or closer to it): there is a lot of corruption in Japan. A lot. And it isn't hidden, underworld type stuff. It's out and proud kind of behavior that is really enmeshed with regular society. Which leads me to this...

Back in '97, I was living with the Tokiwas, my third host family, when the daughter told me that a building a couple of blocks over was on fire and that it could be seen from my room upstairs. So we're standing on the balcony of my room, watching this maybe eight-story building burn (not the whole thing, maybe the fifth or sixth floors), firemen rushing up and down the fire escape and she explains to me that it was a yakuza building.

Honestly, it wasn't that I didn't believe her, but I took it with a grain of salt. I mean, it's not like I can go to Dallas and point out what, if any, mob connections certain buildings have. Shoot, I don't even know what street gangs are the most prevalent around here (though when I see a group of guys all wearing the same colors, I do catch a clue, even if I don't know their particular affiliation). I just figured it was one of those "See that house? That's crazy Mr. Burns' house. He murders and eat little kids" kind of things.

But reading this book? Yeah, I'm kind of thinking she was 100% correct, no salt required. Apparently the yakuza in Japan is a lot more known and visible than what I think of when I think of the mob in this country.

This also helps explain more about all the Japanese TV shows I've seen that have yakuza members shaking down the owner of some noodle restaurant. Cause that seems to be a pretty common theme.

Y'all, Not Cool

Sigh. I had a dentist appointment this afternoon that I just had to cancel. Why? Cause I'm pretty sure I'm sick. Again. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm at the start of another cold, given the sneezing, sore throat and runny nose.

Boo.

But I always get mad at those people that go out into the public world while sick. Because if I come in contact with someone sick, chances are very high that I will get sick. So I refuse to be one of those people, out in public, attempting to infect the world.

I have a chiropractor and massage appointment tomorrow. I will wait to cancel them. Maybe I will have a miraculous recovery. Though at this point, I think running out of tissues is more likely.

Happy New Year!

Well, Happy 2012, y'all! I can't believe it got here so fast. I still have to think about whether I should write 2010 or 2011. Adding 2012 into the mix has me totally stumped.

Last year's goal was to read more "real" books. I failed at 19 of 24 books. It was a totally achievable goal so it was my own fault for not meeting it. I just kind of lost my motivation around September and picked a bad book to try to get re-motivated. (I'm still trying to read that book, by the way. It's going to be Book One of 2012 come hell or high water.) So this year, I'm going to do it again. But this time, I'm actually going to get my full 24 books in.

I have a secondary goal, too. This one isn't as structured as the "real" book goal. This one is tea related. I want to try out new tea vendors.

This is something I need help with because I'm kind of stuck on a handful of vendors (Chicago Tea Garden, Lupicia, Adagio, Andrews & Dunham's Damn Fine Tea (Ack! I just noticed they have a new tea out! Must order now!), O-cha) and I don't really deviate from them. In 2011, I did order from a couple of other vendors (TeaCuppa and SerendipiTea) which weren't exactly new to me but I hadn't ordered from them in a couple of years and one new vendor (Yuuki-cha), which I will totally have to add into my regular rotation because they've got some really neat offerings (Japanese black and oolong teas!).

But really, one new vendor and two neglected vendors? Not good enough. Especially since, after all this time, I have yet to order something from TeaSpring. It's supposed to be one of the best places around for Chinese teas and I've been lucky enough to get to try some of their teas through swaps with a friend so I know that their Tan Yang Te Ji is a sample of divinity in a teacup. I need to order that tea.

Which leads me to my secondary goal for 2012: try new tea vendors. Specifically TeaSpring but also Sugimoto and American Tea Room. Nothing too ambitious, just three new vendors spread over twelve months. (Of course, if I can fit Ito-en and Ippodo in there, it wouldn't upset me in the slightest.)

So there we go, my goals. Read 24 "real" books in 12 months and buy tea from some specific new-to-me vendors. I can totally do that!

Christmas is Done!

Woo hoo! I finally have officially finished my Christmas knitting! The only outstanding present was Dan's hat, which only became a present (versus just a random knit gift) because of timing, but since it worked out, I'm totally counting it as an additional Christmas present for him.

I actually finished it a couple of days ago, but I had to block it and I don't call things officially done until it is dry from blocking. The blocking finished it off nicely - it made the decreases around the crown oh so sharp and pretty. Which is good because those crown decreases were a big pain in the rear. It seemed like I had to pull those stitches so tight just to keep them from gapping. Which leaves me feeling a bit torn about the pattern in general - kind of a pain to make, but really sharp results. See?

"Weekend" Side


"Work" Side

Since it's reversible, it's got a bit of a multiple personality thing going on. Dan says the side with all the orange is his fun, weekend side and the mostly gray side is the more mature, work-appropriate side.

He's actually wearing it right now as he hangs out in the living room. I think that means he likes it.

How Did This Happen?

I am not one to give handmade presents - crochet, knit, whatever. Even the simplest project takes hours of work and, unless the recipient is involved in pattern and yarn selection, there is just too much of a chance of the hours of work going unappreciated. And nothing is more heartbreaking than so much time and love going into something that is unwanted or receives just a lukewarm response. So yes, I'm a selfish crafter.

I have made a number of things for Dan (like this and this) but they've never been a surprise to him. Instead, we select the pattern and yarn together. Sometimes that's frustrating (Dan researches things a lot before making a choice, even yarn, and I tend to be more quick deciding) but at least it results in projects that I know will be loved by someone else in addition to me.

Of course, all that being said, I somehow managed to knit something for everyone on my Christmas list this year. Sigh.

  
    
  

I'm not exactly sure how that happened!

That last picture, though, is a hat I made for Dan (yes, we picked out the hat and yarn for this one together) and it wasn't finished until today. It's pretty nifty - it's reversible!

I still have to block it but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Of course, all that Christmas knitting was why I haven't been posting much about what I've been working on. But radio silence has been broken so yay!

Next up: fingerless mittens for me, a pillow and a sweater!

'Mingo Christmas!

Muchas gracias to my MIL for the adorable flamingos! We are such slackers, they are our only Christmas decorations (But they carry the weight of such responsibility so well!)

Book 19: Failure is Imminent

Well, my goal this year has been to read 24 "real" books.

I'm going to fail.

I was doing great this fall. I was even two books ahead! So what happened? Well, I started comfort-reading.

Back in September, I tore my rotator cuff and that sidelined me from most normal activities, which was kind of unhappy making. Then as I started to get a handle on that, I got a cold. Then another one. Which turned into a sinus infection. And then, when that went away, I got another cold. All of these things made me sad. So I've been living in some state of disgruntlement for the past three months. And my normal response to grumpiness it to read (and re-read) fluff.

So have I read some new books in the past few months? Yes, quite a few, actually. But it's all been romantic fluff, which I am not counting towards my goal as they are not the books that I wanted to get read this year (since I typically have no problem reading those fluff books on my reading list). I've also re-read some of my favorite fluff books. And I've read a fair amount of fanfic online (which really doesn't count as any sort of book in my world). But I haven't really read any "real" books.

I'm half way through Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro, which I started reading back in September. But it's been kind of difficult to get through (and to get to the point) which, combined with my need for fluff, means that I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it this year.

So yeah, my chances of getting through enough "real" books in the next two weeks to meet my goal of 24 are fairly low. Though now I am, at least, one book closer. Because audiobooks count.

I used to listen to audiobooks quite a bit on my drive to and from work. But since I'm not working anymore, I don't have a commute. And I can't normally focus on audiobooks unless I have something to occupy me visually (like driving) so my remaining audiobooks have just been languishing. Until I realized I could listen to them while knitting, cleaning and cooking. So the past couple of days I've been listening to The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy as They Do by Clotaire Rapaille. It's presented as a business/marketing book but it covers some pretty interesting psychology, specifically how (and in which culture) someone learns about a concept impacts the subconscious associations with that concept, giving certain "codes" to certain words and ideas. The codes differ from culture to culture as an American and a German will have had different experiences when first learning about/experiencing something, for example cars, and that means that different advertising will be required to "speak" to each culture's experience.


Overall, it was quite interesting. The narrator was a bit flat but not so annoying as to be difficult to listen to. I did sometimes question how up-to-date the book was; a few of the studies seem like they could be many (many) years old even though the book was published in 2007. (For instance, when talking about the concept of beauty in Japan (and associated codes), it spoke about how women would dress in their kimono to accent their neck, as the neck was seen as sexy. Yes, that's true - the Japanese view the neck as very sensual. Geisha makeup is even done in such a way as to accentuate the neck because it is alluring. But the book talked about kimono like it was daily wear, not the special occasion wear it is now. That made me question how current the information was and if the author was fudging things or skimming topics, potentially ignoring facts that didn't match his conclusions. There are other instances that made me question how current (and thorough) the author's studies and conclusions were, but the kimono one stuck in my mind the most.) Anyway, I took the information presented with a tiny little grain of salt but I really found it interesting. And I'd love to know more specific codes, actually, because it was very intriguing.

But for now, I'll switch gears and pick another "real" audiobook to see if I can't get closer to my year-end goal before failure happens. My goal now: little failure instead of big.

Christmas-fest

Dan and I were out and about today, and not just to the grocery store. We went to an event!

This weekend is the first annual Arlington Christkindl Market.

It was described to Dan as basically the Christmas equivalent of Oktoberfest. So we figured there should be beer.

There was!

Of course, food was also another draw. Dan saw a snippet about the festival on the news and they had a shot of what looked like a tenderloin sandwich. So we went thinking that there might be one of those, too.

There was!

There were other goodies, too, so naturally we had some of those, too.

Potato Pancake & Sausage


Peach & Cheese Strudel

(Unpictured are a fantastically tasty and sweet apple cider and Dan's second favorite wheat beer.)

It was just the first year of the festival, so it was pretty small, but it was still neat and gave Dan and I couple of hours of meandering and munching. And pointing out folks in funny hats and/or lederhosen.

A good time was had by all! (Except perhaps by the guy that was there in the shorts. Cause it was cold.)

Grr

I feel that it is too early in the year to awaken to this:

Yes, I realize that there is no way to expect any day in December to be anything other than late in the year, yet I still feel like it is too early for snow.

When is the first day of summer? Oh well, at least I'll get to wear some of my cuddly knit goodies.

Speaking of which, I went to a new yarn store this weekend. I got goodies!

Exciting, isn't it? Yes!