Series final reaction — Person of Interest
Apr. 17th, 2025 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brithistorianA. and I finished Person of Interest tonight.
Now that I've finished it, I can dive into the wiki and the fanfic without worrying about getting spoiled. I'll probably even write some fanfic of my own — based on the parts of the show I enjoyed most and the style of fanfic I tend to write, expect my fanfic to be "season 3 forever."
At any rate, I really enjoyed the series, I simultaneously wish there had been more of it and am glad that it didn't go on so far that it wore out its welcome, and I recommend it to those of you who haven't seen it!
Now that I've finished it, I can dive into the wiki and the fanfic without worrying about getting spoiled. I'll probably even write some fanfic of my own — based on the parts of the show I enjoyed most and the style of fanfic I tend to write, expect my fanfic to be "season 3 forever."
At any rate, I really enjoyed the series, I simultaneously wish there had been more of it and am glad that it didn't go on so far that it wore out its welcome, and I recommend it to those of you who haven't seen it!
Mom health update
Apr. 16th, 2025 03:37 pmredbirdI just got off the phone with my brother, and don't need to dash off to London. This is the current situation:
There are treatment options for the cancer, but they know it's not curable: the goal is to get my mother more time, and make her more comfortable for however long that is. Mom definitely wants to fight this.
The immediate problem is that there's fluid around my mother's lungs. The pulmonologist described the problem, and said there are two possibilities for dealing with that, and he will come back tomorrow and ask Mom for a decision. Given the hospital schedule and what the choices are, if the first doesn't work she can have them do the other.
The pulmonologist doesn't think the oncologist will want to start treatment until after the fluid is drained, but the cardiologist will also be back tomorrow.
Given all this, I'm not planning to travel before Saturday [three days from now], and Sunday or Monday might be better in terms of both having my and my brother's visits overlap, and giving Mom company for longer. Mark will call me again once they talk to the specialists, to fill me in and maybe discuss travel plans based on what they learn. and decide, tomorrow. In the short term, knowing we're not traveling immediately is helping the three of ust deal with logistics like what to make for dinner, and Adrian picking up a prescription. It also means Cattitude can try to decompress a little, and wait until tomorrow to do laundry.
The other open question is how long I will want to stay in London. One possibility is that the three of us are all there there for a few days, after which they fly back to Boston and I stay longer.
There are treatment options for the cancer, but they know it's not curable: the goal is to get my mother more time, and make her more comfortable for however long that is. Mom definitely wants to fight this.
The immediate problem is that there's fluid around my mother's lungs. The pulmonologist described the problem, and said there are two possibilities for dealing with that, and he will come back tomorrow and ask Mom for a decision. Given the hospital schedule and what the choices are, if the first doesn't work she can have them do the other.
The pulmonologist doesn't think the oncologist will want to start treatment until after the fluid is drained, but the cardiologist will also be back tomorrow.
Given all this, I'm not planning to travel before Saturday [three days from now], and Sunday or Monday might be better in terms of both having my and my brother's visits overlap, and giving Mom company for longer. Mark will call me again once they talk to the specialists, to fill me in and maybe discuss travel plans based on what they learn. and decide, tomorrow. In the short term, knowing we're not traveling immediately is helping the three of ust deal with logistics like what to make for dinner, and Adrian picking up a prescription. It also means Cattitude can try to decompress a little, and wait until tomorrow to do laundry.
The other open question is how long I will want to stay in London. One possibility is that the three of us are all there there for a few days, after which they fly back to Boston and I stay longer.
Interesting translation fact I learned this week
Apr. 16th, 2025 09:48 ambrithistorianIn an article in the March 2025 issue of Multilingual magazine, I learned that while there's a sizable minority in Spain who speak Catalan, very few of those people are monolingual in Catalan. Therefore, it's common for Spanish publishers to buy both the Spanish and Catalan translation rights for a book but only produce a Spanish edition. They thus get most of the Catalan readers (because most of them also read Spanish) without the expense of producing a Catalan edition and without the chance that someone else will produce a Catalan edition and cut into their sales. This strikes me as yet another of those things that's a best practice within the "rules" of capitalism while at the same time being a generally scummy thing to do.
bad health news about my mother
Apr. 15th, 2025 07:00 pmredbirdApparently the reason I hadn't heard from either her or my brother yesterday is that she fainted, went to the emergency room instead of her doctor's office, and then waited hours to be seen.
A CT scan found lung cancer, in both lungs. They're still waiting to talk to an oncologist, and my brother is on his way to London now. The three of us will be going to London in a few days, possibly as soon as Thursday, or maybe Saturday. My brother has a long layover in Charlotte, and is going to spend part of it looking at airline tickets for us, possibly using my mother's frequent flier miles for one or more tickets.
I spent some time this morning looking up travel-related things that we may not need, but will do no harm, and wondering about Oyster cards is better than doomscrolling. I also called my doctor's office and asked whether there were limits on where the patient can be for a telemedicine appointment. The receptionist said she thought that technically, I have to be in Massachusetts; we agreed that I can call back if I need to postpone that.
My gut was bothering me earlier, which is almost certainly from anxiety, but still has me a little nervous about this trip. (It's been just over a week since I saw the GI doctor.)
A CT scan found lung cancer, in both lungs. They're still waiting to talk to an oncologist, and my brother is on his way to London now. The three of us will be going to London in a few days, possibly as soon as Thursday, or maybe Saturday. My brother has a long layover in Charlotte, and is going to spend part of it looking at airline tickets for us, possibly using my mother's frequent flier miles for one or more tickets.
I spent some time this morning looking up travel-related things that we may not need, but will do no harm, and wondering about Oyster cards is better than doomscrolling. I also called my doctor's office and asked whether there were limits on where the patient can be for a telemedicine appointment. The receptionist said she thought that technically, I have to be in Massachusetts; we agreed that I can call back if I need to postpone that.
My gut was bothering me earlier, which is almost certainly from anxiety, but still has me a little nervous about this trip. (It's been just over a week since I saw the GI doctor.)
It's a nice spring day, and my feet hurt
Apr. 14th, 2025 05:13 pmredbirdMy feet hurt because I decided to go for a walk with Adrian and Cattitude, even though one hip and my feet were hurting before we started, and even with an NSAID. I went anyway because I didn't think walking would make things much worse, and tomorrow's forecast is less appealing. It was sunny and 69F/20C outside, with a bright blue sky and delightful spring flowers, including two kinds of maple flowers, red and the underappreciated light green of Norway maple flowers.
We went to the supermarket, and bought ingredients for Passover-suitable lunches that we can make ahead of time. This morning/early afternoon was difficult because I slept later than usual, and Adrian and Cattitude got up later than that, and we didn't have plans for lunch, or useful leftovers.
That was on top of worrying about both my mother and the world situation. I was expecting to hear from my mother or brother by this afternoon, and haven't. I realize that bad news would be, and be treated as, more urgent than good or ambiguous, but I still worry. The time zone difference doesn't help any (it's five hours later in London than here).
We went to the supermarket, and bought ingredients for Passover-suitable lunches that we can make ahead of time. This morning/early afternoon was difficult because I slept later than usual, and Adrian and Cattitude got up later than that, and we didn't have plans for lunch, or useful leftovers.
That was on top of worrying about both my mother and the world situation. I was expecting to hear from my mother or brother by this afternoon, and haven't. I realize that bad news would be, and be treated as, more urgent than good or ambiguous, but I still worry. The time zone difference doesn't help any (it's five hours later in London than here).
Ain't that a kick in the head
Apr. 12th, 2025 10:05 pmbrithistorianJust discovered today that a cough and flu-like symptoms, which I've been experiencing for the past few days, are a fairly common side effect of the antiseizure med I'm on. Mere words cannot express how unthrilled I am by this. I want to post things other than my medical problems, and to read the things that you all post and leave you comments on them, but right now I have neither the time nor the energy to do so. But please, know that the desire is there: If you've done well recently, consider me as having congratulated you. Conversely, if things have gone badly for you, consider me as having commiserated. In the meantime, I'll actually be over here doing the bare minimum I have to do to make it through day-to-day life, then going to bed early. (Which in and of itself should tell you how badly I'm doing, given my oft-stated resentment of the need to sleep.)
some good (health) news
Apr. 12th, 2025 01:01 pmredbirdThe advice the GI doctor gave me on Monday seems to have done the job: my gut has been behaving since the visit, which is five days so far:
The doctor told me was to take the imodium (anti-diarrheal) twice a day whether or not I have symptoms, and start taking psyllium (metamucil). I was surprised, because psyllium is generally referred to a laxative; I suspect that's why Carmen didn't think of it. Assuming I'm still fine on Monday, I'll be sending her a MyChart message
I've taken one/day for five days, which seems to be enough. The package instructions are not to take it within two hours before or after other medication, because it can interfere with absorbtion. I'm already taking other medication on something resembling a schedule, which means this one has to be at or a little after 6 o'clock, unless I want to fiddle with the timing on something else. The schedule includes "right after I wake up" and "after breakfast." )
The doctor told me was to take the imodium (anti-diarrheal) twice a day whether or not I have symptoms, and start taking psyllium (metamucil). I was surprised, because psyllium is generally referred to a laxative; I suspect that's why Carmen didn't think of it. Assuming I'm still fine on Monday, I'll be sending her a MyChart message
I've taken one/day for five days, which seems to be enough. The package instructions are not to take it within two hours before or after other medication, because it can interfere with absorbtion. I'm already taking other medication on something resembling a schedule, which means this one has to be at or a little after 6 o'clock, unless I want to fiddle with the timing on something else. The schedule includes "right after I wake up" and "after breakfast." )
worrying about my mother
Apr. 12th, 2025 11:44 amredbirdMy brother and I are both worried about our mother: she's a lot weaker than she was a few months ago, and apparently hasn't been eating much. So far, the doctors she's seen haven't found anything specific, and/but she has a follow-up appointment on Monday, by which time the doctor will have more blood test results to help him figure things out.
I'm not jumping on a plane tonight, but I will likely be going to London soon, with Cattitude and Adrian. Even if she's feeling a lot better by Tuesday, I haven't seen her in a while, and want to. Mark is probably flying to London in a few days, in any case, even though she visited him for Mardi Gras.
I've done some planning and preparation: we all three have valid passports, and I now a UK Electronic Travel Authorization, which they started requiring a few weeks ago. It took me about 20 minutes to apply, much of that spent repeatedly trying to get their iPhone app to read the RFID chip in my passport, and about two minutes for them to approve it. So I can visit the UK anytime in the next two years, as frequently as I like.
I emailed our catsitter yesterday, and said that I might need them soon but I didn't know how soon, and she assured me someone would be available. (The person I talked to has a small team of cat-sitters.)
Fortunately, the very simple instructions the GI specialist gave me on Monday seem to have resolved my problem (I've been fine since Monday afternoon). Thank goodness for that last-minute appointment.
I'm not jumping on a plane tonight, but I will likely be going to London soon, with Cattitude and Adrian. Even if she's feeling a lot better by Tuesday, I haven't seen her in a while, and want to. Mark is probably flying to London in a few days, in any case, even though she visited him for Mardi Gras.
I've done some planning and preparation: we all three have valid passports, and I now a UK Electronic Travel Authorization, which they started requiring a few weeks ago. It took me about 20 minutes to apply, much of that spent repeatedly trying to get their iPhone app to read the RFID chip in my passport, and about two minutes for them to approve it. So I can visit the UK anytime in the next two years, as frequently as I like.
I emailed our catsitter yesterday, and said that I might need them soon but I didn't know how soon, and she assured me someone would be available. (The person I talked to has a small team of cat-sitters.)
Fortunately, the very simple instructions the GI specialist gave me on Monday seem to have resolved my problem (I've been fine since Monday afternoon). Thank goodness for that last-minute appointment.
Consider the Fork
Apr. 11th, 2025 01:15 amredbirdA couple of notes on Consider the Fork, by Bee Wilson, which I read a couple of weeks ago. This started as a belated reply to anne's comment, but I want to post it where other people might see it. (Apologies for any fuzziness, it's past my bedtime.)
I liked it. There's some overlap with the book I read a while ago about the history of refrigeration, but mostly the emphasis here is different. Despite the title, the author starts by talking about wooden spoons, and that they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Having started there, the book ends by discussing some kitchen tools that are younger than most people realize, such as good vegetable peelers.
Asacelightning2 alluded to, the Chinese approach, where food is either cut up into small pieces before cooking, or cooked and then cut up in the kitchen, means diners aren't holding anything pointier than a pair of chopsticks.
Something that stuck in my mind: one 19th-century home ice cream maker made ice cream in only a few minutes, faster than any of the ice cream makers you can buy today. A few of these machines still exist, but their owners aren't using them: it turns out that the zinc-lined bowl leaches toxic zinc into the ice cream.
anne's comment, but I want to post it where other people might see it. (Apologies for any fuzziness, it's past my bedtime.)I liked it. There's some overlap with the book I read a while ago about the history of refrigeration, but mostly the emphasis here is different. Despite the title, the author starts by talking about wooden spoons, and that they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Having started there, the book ends by discussing some kitchen tools that are younger than most people realize, such as good vegetable peelers.
As
acelightning2 alluded to, the Chinese approach, where food is either cut up into small pieces before cooking, or cooked and then cut up in the kitchen, means diners aren't holding anything pointier than a pair of chopsticks. Something that stuck in my mind: one 19th-century home ice cream maker made ice cream in only a few minutes, faster than any of the ice cream makers you can buy today. A few of these machines still exist, but their owners aren't using them: it turns out that the zinc-lined bowl leaches toxic zinc into the ice cream.
a productive afternoon
Apr. 10th, 2025 04:19 pmredbirdI have done several useful things this afternoon, including two of the three things from today's list. Unfortunately, the one remaining is the one I'm least looking forward to.
I don't usually have a to-do list anymore, but enough things had piled up that I grabbed some scrap paper and wrote a reminder that I would definitely see when I sat down at my desk this morning.
The two list items were to make appointments for the cats to have their annual veterinary exams, and to get an itemized bill for my last couple of dental appointments. The appointments are made, using the veterinarian's app; it's part of a small chain, so the first question was which office I wanted appointments at.
I called the dentist's office this afternoon and explained what I wanted (itemized bills for the last couple of visits, for insurance purposes), and the receptionist said they'd send me the bills. I actually had an itemized bill for one of these, but didn't keep it, because I didn't expect to need it. But Aetna has sent me a patient reimbursement form, and it asks for the date of the visit, what they did, and the amount, which has to match the itemized bill. So, I need an itemized bill, not just "on X date they cleaned my teeth and charged me Y dollars."
After talking to the vet's office, I paused and did some useful things that are routine enough they weren't on the list: taking out trash and recycling, and a little PT.
The remaining item is calling Aetna yo ask about colonoscopy coverage, since Mt. Auburn doesn't appear to be in-network for this. Whether or not it's in-network, I am hoping for some idea of how much I'll be charged. I don't expect to like the answer, but that's partly because the answer may be "we don't know," and is more likely to be that they pay X percent of total, which the hospital won't tell me in advance.
I don't usually have a to-do list anymore, but enough things had piled up that I grabbed some scrap paper and wrote a reminder that I would definitely see when I sat down at my desk this morning.
The two list items were to make appointments for the cats to have their annual veterinary exams, and to get an itemized bill for my last couple of dental appointments. The appointments are made, using the veterinarian's app; it's part of a small chain, so the first question was which office I wanted appointments at.
I called the dentist's office this afternoon and explained what I wanted (itemized bills for the last couple of visits, for insurance purposes), and the receptionist said they'd send me the bills. I actually had an itemized bill for one of these, but didn't keep it, because I didn't expect to need it. But Aetna has sent me a patient reimbursement form, and it asks for the date of the visit, what they did, and the amount, which has to match the itemized bill. So, I need an itemized bill, not just "on X date they cleaned my teeth and charged me Y dollars."
After talking to the vet's office, I paused and did some useful things that are routine enough they weren't on the list: taking out trash and recycling, and a little PT.
The remaining item is calling Aetna yo ask about colonoscopy coverage, since Mt. Auburn doesn't appear to be in-network for this. Whether or not it's in-network, I am hoping for some idea of how much I'll be charged. I don't expect to like the answer, but that's partly because the answer may be "we don't know," and is more likely to be that they pay X percent of total, which the hospital won't tell me in advance.
movie/book review roundup - February-March 2025
Apr. 10th, 2025 10:00 amalibi_shopMovies:
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016, ***½)
The Monkey (2025, ***½)
The Conformist (1970, *****)
Wicked (2024, ***)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007, ****½)
Books:
The First Bad Man - Miranda July (2015, ****)
Provenance - Ann Leckie (2017, ***)
Monday - Andy Hartzell (2024, ****)
The Bright Sword - Lev Grossman (2024, ****)
Arachne Rising - James Vogh [John Sladek] (1977, ***)
The Message - Ta-Nehisi Coates (2024, *****)
If On a Winter's Night a Traveler - Italo Calvino (1979, ****)
Naked City - Eric Drooker (2024, ***)
World Within the World - Julia Gfrörer (2024, *****)
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016, ***½)
The Monkey (2025, ***½)
The Conformist (1970, *****)
Wicked (2024, ***)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007, ****½)
Books:
The First Bad Man - Miranda July (2015, ****)
Provenance - Ann Leckie (2017, ***)
Monday - Andy Hartzell (2024, ****)
The Bright Sword - Lev Grossman (2024, ****)
Arachne Rising - James Vogh [John Sladek] (1977, ***)
The Message - Ta-Nehisi Coates (2024, *****)
If On a Winter's Night a Traveler - Italo Calvino (1979, ****)
Naked City - Eric Drooker (2024, ***)
World Within the World - Julia Gfrörer (2024, *****)
Doing my bit for Democracy (as it stands)
Apr. 9th, 2025 10:20 pmladyjax- Oakland is having a special election so that we can elect a new mayor. Our previous one got pinched in the FBI raids that took down her partner and then her administration. Per usual, I am working a voting center. Three days instead of four which I actually appreciate.
- The two front runners are Loren Taylor (booooo) and our former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. There's at least four other people running; although someone may have dropped out. But the real race is between Taylor and Lee and now we've got dark money apleanty in play.
- I still harbor a great deal of resentment that Newsom didn't just appoint Lee to fill in our open Senate seat and now we're stuck with Adam Schiff. The fix was in on that one and Katie Porter was not wrong when she talked about how the Senate campaign spun out. I don't care what anyone says, that shit had Pelosi's fingers all over it and her ass needed to have retired years ago.
- Gav (I can call him Gav because right now he has veered back over the line to frat boy) is doing whatever Gav does. He's doing podcasts with right wingers, all of whom deserve a punch in the face (we're past the point of being polite with these assholes). However, he's also giving the hoodlums in the District the finger. At the moment, he is not selling us out completely. HOWEVER:
- California is in grave danger from the wingers as we head towards the midterms next year and the governorship after that. This is where I am going to get a little shouty: California is not blue; we're reliably purple and downright red in big swaths in the state. What saves us collectively is that there's a super majority in our statehouse on the Dem side keeping things in check however, that could change.
- No firewall holds forever. If you want things to change, then show up and help change it. I have no time for people who want to do a protest vote; do that shit on your own time. Also, educate yourself on what it takes to get a third party on the ballot and then ask yourself why your favorite third party candidate never shows up to run for city council or even dog catcher but will always show up for the Big Job.
- The California Secretary of State website actually has a list of third parties going through the process of getting certified in the state. Look at that - knowledge!
- A friend hipped me to The Phoenix Project, a group that is tracking billionaire money in San Francisco politics. They have two Astroturf maps, one for Oakland and one for San Francisco that identify the groups operating under various names that sound nice but are a cover for getting a foot in the door. Loren Taylor is part of Empower Oakland. I already knew they were hinky but it goes deeper than that and it's frightening.
- I have thoughts about the recent protests that took place but I'm going to keep most of them to myself, except to say: anyone notice how the cops didn't show up to beat anyone's head in or snatch them off the street? Ask yourself why and then ask yourself how long that's going to last. At some point, whiteness or certain types of it will no longer protect one's body. Its just a matter of when.
Mask and tea prices
Apr. 9th, 2025 02:08 pmredbirdFor people living in the United States: Bona Fide Masks has sent out email saying they will not be raising the prices of the Powecom KN95 masks they import from China, and gave a discount code, SPRING25, good for 25% off through April 20th.
Separately, I just ordered a bunch of tea, because I expect the price to go up, and realized after placing the order that while we think of the Formosa oolong as Chinese tea (rather than Indian or Japanese), Formosa is another name for Taiwan, so those ridiculously high tariffs may not apply.
Separately, I just ordered a bunch of tea, because I expect the price to go up, and realized after placing the order that while we think of the Formosa oolong as Chinese tea (rather than Indian or Japanese), Formosa is another name for Taiwan, so those ridiculously high tariffs may not apply.
Oddity of Dreamwidth formatting
Apr. 9th, 2025 10:00 ambrithistorianI was posting a comment this morning and attempted to refer to someone's Threads handle using the standard @ notation, and I noticed that when I did, it showed using in the posted comment as a DW username. For example: brithistorian. I didn't do that by using the DW account link button or the html tags. I typed "@" and then "brithistorian" with no space between. Now that I know that I can do that, it's useful, but coming as a surprise, it was rather unwelcome.
brithistorian. I didn't do that by using the DW account link button or the html tags. I typed "@" and then "brithistorian" with no space between. Now that I know that I can do that, it's useful, but coming as a surprise, it was rather unwelcome.