Month: February 2006

Categories
Abducted by Aliens Educate Me

It Isn’t All in My Head…

The Real IMG_4362

I realized today that the same time that my dingy issues began and I started to forget everything was also the time when Dr. Head (the one that I go visit for the whole cyclothymic issue) decided to try me out on a different medicine. I guess I didn’t think about it before because I’ve been feeling so great on this medicine. Well, great aside from the fact that I can’t remember what I study for more than 10 minutes, which doesn’t do me any good when the tests roll around. It seemed like a smart idea to look into it (I still have an appointment with Dr. Has-a-Clue, the blood pressure doctor, for next week) and so I got an appointment to see him.

The second I walked in to his office, he said he was surprised that on a relatively low does I was suffering from the memory-loss side effect. Ok, he used some fancy word that began with a “C” that basically meant that I’ve become quite flaky. He then went on to ask if I’ve had a dry mouth lately – uh, yeah. I had just sucked down about 32 oz. of water while sitting in his waiting room. So we’re changing the meds. Hopefully we won’t lose the positive effects that this one brought on, but I’ll be able to find my brain again.

I knew it was a bit odd to go from having straight A’s to making C’s in almost all of my classes. Just not right. I wonder if the teachers will take a note from my doctor and let me take those tests over? Hm. Well, it actually won’t hurt me too bad in some of the classes – they drop the lowest test grade and replace it with our quiz average if it is higher. So there is still a chance to pull it all up.

I’m just so happy to know it wasn’t just my imagination that I was forgetting everything so fast.

Categories
Media Consumption

I Can’t Stop Rolling My Eyes…

Last year in front of the Supreme Court the RIAA’s lawyers said it was perfectly legal within the realms of “Fair Use” to take your own CDs and convert the songs into mp3s to put on your own iPod. Now they are trying to say that it isn’t legal.

Workers must endure dangerously extreme weather, all while working under extreme pressure. Many times, workers will travel from rig to rig across dangerously rough waters, working at multiple stations a day. The Houston, Texas Oil Field Explosion Lawyer is designed to protect the legal rights of workers as well as the rights of those who work on jack-up rigs, barges, drill ships, crew boats, and other moveable vessels.

If I own the CD, I should be allowed to listen to it any way that I want. Things like this make me want to listen to nothing but podcasts, podsafe music released by the artists directly, and groups that aren’t signed to big labels that release CDs of their own music. Screw the deep pockets. Down with the man!

Categories
Geek Love

Would the Local Blogosphere Benefit from a Blog Critic?

Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle TechBlog wrote a post asking, “Would the local blogosphere benefit from a blog critic?” He is talking about the Houston blogosphere, and a blog critic to help bloggers grow. I linked the post, you can read all the juicy details along with his “requirements.”

My response?

Personally, I think it is a terrible idea. I’ve been blogging for over 6 years now, since before the word “blog” was a household name or had caught the media’s attention in any way. I have hundreds of readers daily. However, in a “blog critic’s” eyes, my site might be terrible. And you know what? I don’t care.

I blog for me in the end. I write when I want to write, about what I want to write. When it comes to reading blogs, you either read it because you want to read it, you have a common interest with the person, or you don’t.

I’ve seen many attempts at being “blog critics” in the past, all of which have failed TERRIBLY. Feelings get hurt, names get called, mud gets slung. It always ends up BAD. It is much like the situation that happens around the blog awards that people coordinate. Not good at all.

I don’t think the Chronicle or its representatives should have any part in that. If you find a blog that is interesting and you feel it deserves attention, great. That is how my photoblog ended up in the Chronicle years ago, and another site of mine ended up in the NY Post. Positive reviews are great, but once you point out that a site has poor writing or bad code, it is going to get ugly.

I think Charles Kuffner said it best when he pointed out that whoever takes the task would need asbestos underwear. It would be flame city before long.

And my pet peeve of the day? When sites have the “TypeKey” sign-in link on their comment page and then don’t have it enabled. Gah! Remove the link or fix the code. Does Akismet work for MT? Because personally, that is the best thing ev-ah for getting rid of spam. I love being spam free!

Categories
Educate Me

Beat Head on Desk. Repeat.

Pink Roses and the Flying Buttress

I’m not having fun in school this semester. Last semester, I rocked. I had a 4.0! This semester? Not so good. I feel like I have no memory. Today, for example, we worked on equations in Chemistry. I did 4-5 problems using the same equation. Within 15 minutes of leaving class, I couldn’t tell you what the equation was that we learned.

Gah! This is driving me nuts!

What is going on? And more importantly, how on earth am I going to make it through this semester like this? I can’t do it, and all of my grades are going to be terrible if it continues. I study, study, study and within an hour I feel like it is all gone. I’m not doing anything different, so I just can’t figure it out. If anything, I am eating better and getting more sleep – I should be doing better, not worse! I really have to find a solution for this. Have any advice?

As I just lamented to GC, do you think I could get my Bio teacher to count knitting as work for the class? Like if I identify which phylum, class, order, family, genus and species the fiber came from? I mean, that should earn me a good grade, right?

Categories
Abducted by Aliens

Family Discount…

Today my Mom is having Dr. Hand do the carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand, and I realized I haven’t posted an update about my hand in awhile. I’m breaking it down by surgery, because the results are definitely different.

– Carpal Tunnel Surgery: This has been *fabulous* so far. I highly recommend it if you have any carpal tunnel issues. Seriously, the recovery for this wasn’t bad, and now I have no numbness, tingling, pain – nothing. No more splint. I wonder why I waited so long to do this surgery, because it has brought me so much relief. I’m considering doing the left hand during the summer since it has mild to moderate carpal tunnel too.

– DeQuervain’s Syndrome Surgery – This one has not been as fabulous. Basically, they cut the area causing the pain for the tendons leading to the thumb, along the outside of the right wrist. From time to time, I feel like there is a “pulling” feeling of tightness over my wrist. It is getting better, but in hindsight I wish I had just done the carpal tunnel surgery first and then addressed this if it was still a problem afterwards. This part of the surgery was the reason for my giant club cast that I got to wear for two weeks, and it was a month after my surgery before I learned that while the initial recovery is 6 weeks (vs. 2 weeks for carpal tunnel), the full recovery time is 6 months. Ugh.

As for all the other medical issues, we still have no clue. No idea what causes the pain in my right side, which has been better for the past week, so we won’t talk about it and maybe it will stay away. The blood pressure battle is still a matter of finding the right combo of medicine, but at least I’m no longer taking ones that make me swell up like a sausage or give me hives. I’ve actually gone entire weeks lately without seeing any doctors!

I still think my Mom should get a discount on her hand surgery. First the doctor worked on my Dad’s shoulder, then my hand, and now hers – we should get a family rate!