Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Textual Relationships
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Making Music
For to see my Tom of Bedlam, 10,000 miles I'd travel
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes, to save her shoes from gravel.
Still I sing bonnie boys, bonnie mad boys,
Bedlam boys are bonnie
For they all go bare and they live by the air,
And they want no drink nor money.
I went down to Satin's kitchen, for to beg me food one morning
There I got souls piping hot, all on the spit a turning.
There I picked up a cauldron, Where boiled 10,000 harlots
Though full of flame I drank the same, to the health of all such varlets.
My staff has murdered giants, my bag a long knife carries
For to cut mince pies from children's thighs, with which to feed the fairies.
Spirits white as lightning, shall on my travels guide me
The moon would quake and the stars would shake, when' ere they espied me.
No gypsy slut nor doxy, shall win my Mad Tom from me
I'll weep all night, the stars I'll fight, the fray will well become me.
It's when next I have murdered, the Man-In-The-Moon to powder
His staff I'll break, his dog I'll bake, they'll howl no demon louder.
So drink to Tom of Bedlam, he'll fill the seas in barrels
I'll drink it all, all brewed with gall, with Mad Maudlin I will travel.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Chicago-Bound!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Care and Feeding of an Immune System
- Drink clear liquids - If you can handle it, hot lemon tea with honey is great for a sore throat, but no matter what you need to be attached to a full cup of something the whole time. The faster you flush your system the faster you wash the crud out. Stay away from the caffeine right now, it won't help.
- SLEEP! - You may feel like a heel for not doing the 800 different daily tasks that no one else but you ever does, but you will not get better if you don't let your body do its job. You have to recharge the batteries more often then you might think.
- Eat lightly but as often as you need. - Stay away from dairy products if your illness has lots of mucus. Milk makes snot thicker most of the time. Have a little toast or other bread, enough to settle your stomach for your meds, but not more then you need.
- Take all the Medication you are given. - I know it seems like a waste, particularly if you're on an antibiotic strong enough to lay waste to your internal bacteria, but most modern illnesses are clever. They will back off before they give up and if you stop taking your meds then they come back stronger and drug-resistant. It won't hurt to take a multi-vitamin too.
- Check with your doctor about *all* your meds, even the over-the-counter stuff. - Always make sure that you're not taking a pill that reacts badly to citric acid with your morning orange juice. If you regularly drink a glass of wine, take insulin, take a decongestant, or spend lots of time in the sun, those very different things can effect some medications. Tell your doctor if you think there's *any* possible chance of interaction. Better to look a little silly and learn, then be dead.
- Have some yogurt handy - If you're pumping in massive amounts of antibiotics, you are going to get a stomach ache. You need most of the bacteria in your gut, so have some yogurt to help rebuild it. I use this excuse to get lots of tzatziki sauce when I'm sick.
- Be polite to the people around you - Some of us (me) get really nasty and sarcastic when we don't feel well. If you get mean, take yourself away from other humans until you feel better. This will result in people being more willing to bring you cold drinks and gyros when you ask.
- Bathe - Wash yourself, clean your hands before you touch your face, don't breathe on other people, don't lick the doorknobs, you know what I mean. And finally,
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Ninja Star Fish!
I was staring at this thing I had made when my daughter came into the room and grabbed it. She looked it over and tossed it like a ninja star at the cat. I was immediately consumed with a need to make lots more of these little things and embroider ninja face masks and eyes onto them. So far I haven't found exactly the right pattern for the face but I've got a few other color schemes in mind and another candy-corn colored star on the needles, which are now the right size. It will be smaller and should be easier to sneak into office buildings to pelt my friends with.