From asatomuraki---

"hominysnark needs a hysterectomy to keep an unpleasant medical condition from becoming a life-threatening one (it's already most of the way there) and she can't, because she doesn't have health insurance.

Why doesn't she have health insurance? Because she's self-employed, and as many self-employed creative people (she's an artist and writer) know all too well, when you have to choose between eating and having a place to sleep or having health insurance, the health insurance loses. I know this, because the hubby and I have been paying for self-employment health benefits for most of this decade, watching the cost go higher and higher while the benefits get lower and lower. We pay more for health insurance than we do for shelter, but live in terror of not having it, just in case. Because not having it could mean complete financial ruin, and destroy our children's future. It's freaking scary.

So, anyway. She needs $2700.00 for the operation, or she has to wait for her condition to become life-threatening. (It will get there long before she could save up that much, especially since she has $8,000.00 in medical bills from just having it diagnosed.)"

"What was the #1 song the day you were born? Google the date and #1 song and then post your #1 song on your LJ - preferably with a Youtube vid!"

I kinda love this one. :-) Expanded it to include some other people in my family:






((Me
October 16, 1981: Endless Love-- Diana Ross and Lionel Richie))


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Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, and a whole lot of things going kaboom. This movie was tailor-made for me.

So I'm working out a list of "Things to Get Done Before Ian's Born":


1) Put In the Darkness Find Me up on my website.

2) Finish the decorative paintwork on the upstairs bookshelves.

3) Complete a revised edit for both Jia's Charms and its sequel.


I just got one thing-- rewrite the solely-my-character parts of Eight Ruby Slippers for Charlotte in the first person-- done tonight. :-) And Chris and I found a wall-mounted pot rack for a good price, and he also built a shelf out of scrap lumber and hung it on the kitchen wall, so we gained some cabinet/counter space and were able to reorganize the kitchen a couple of days ago. Another checkmark.

So, three things to get done before late May. I think I can handle that.

We rented the first season; I've watched five episodes so far; thoughts under the cut:

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This sounds like a really interesting idea!

((haven't seen Avatar yet, but since I'm not going to rent it later for the plot, I haven't exactly worked hard to avoid spoilers))

Here's a link to an organization I just found out about: V-Day. There's also a link to Doctors Without Borders there.

Found out about V-Day thanks to this entry from the kickass ursulav.

So a couple of months ago, one of my back teeth (that I'd a filling put into when I was about ten) broke practically in half. Weirdly enough, it didn't hurt, and since things like X-rays and strong antibiotics weren't exactly a good idea, I figured I'd wait it out and go see a dentist right after the baby was born.

Well, over the past few days it's started aching if it touches something cold. And yesterday while I was eating, it actively hurt. It fades off to basically nothing when I'm not eating or drinking, but . . . yeah.

My next doctor's appointment is about half a month away, and I'll talk to her about my options then. Hopefully there are options other than "tough it out until May", because if this does get worse I'm going to be an incredibly cranky person by the time summer gets here.

Just watched 500 Days of Summer and I am in love. For once, a romantic comedy that I like! Probably because it's not exactly a 'romantic' comedy. ;-)

A few spoilers follow:

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They took a lot of the romance cliches and played with them-- esp. the solemn, emo-type guy (I was a bit surprised that Zach Braff wasn't playing the Joseph Gordon-Levitt part. There were several times in the movie where Chris and I were saying, "Seriously, JD, is that you?") and the impulsive Manic Pixie Dream Girl, only instead of having her be juuust quirky enough to win him over and then switch to more traditional as soon as he wanted that, she actually said what she meant, stuck by it, and expected him to respect her words.

There was the date with the new girl where he spends the entire time whining about his last relationship, and instead of giving him any sympathy she flat-out says, "So let me get this straight. She didn't take advantage of you, and in fact told you at the start she wasn't looking for anything serious?"

Also, how much did I love what they did with the bar fight cliche? Starts with a guy pestering her, when she won't take the bait he moves on to "I can't believe this guy is your boyfriend!!" and when the 'boyfriend' punches him for it and gets soundly whomped in return, Summer doesn't give him any "ohhh, poor baby, you were so brave!" stuff. And then when he whines about that, and how "I just got beaten up for you!" she just gives him a look and says, "Ohhh, that was for my benefit, was it?" I just about cheered.

((this is the closest I have to a 500 Days icon at the moment. Which by the way, his character should've been in the movie more, but hey))

I just thought it was an interesting way to play it to have it told from his perspective, but not have him be the sympathetic protagonist, if that makes sense.

Oh. And I loved the "expectations"/"reality" split-screen.

Spoilers done!

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Speaking of movies, I know Taking Woodstock is out and so that's next up on my list, partly because it sounds like a fun story and also because Jeffrey Dean Morgan is in it, albeit apparently briefly. I do want to see The Accidental Husband, but that one does seem to be a more traditional romantic comedy and therefore my desire to see a new JDM movie is warring with the knowledge that I'll probably spend 3/4 of the thing gritting my teeth.

Also, when Shutter Island comes out I am so asking mom and dad to babysit for a couple of hours, because if the movie is anything like the book that one'll be worth ticket price at the theater. I just stayed up until about 1:00 last night finishing the novel and Dennis Lehane is an evil evil brilliant man.

Chris has basically been working 14 hour shifts this past week, which means when he's actually home he's trying to sleep. So he's been tired, and I've been cooped up with Kaylee (*glares at persistent snow*).

He's off today, so we're getting out of the house.

She seems interested in one part of baking, anyway. . . ;-)


The littlest one. This is Rodent (though given the habit of sitting on people's shoulders, we probably should've gone with Parrot).


A rare quiet moment.

A few more are at my Myspace and FaceBook accounts-- next up will be pics from Kaylee's 2nd birthday once they're uploaded!

Am now avoiding sleep, since we just rented Paranormal Activity. lol

Seriously, that's horror movies as I tend to like them-- no big CGI monsters or people running around in costumes or little girls with long black hair, just bizarre, creepy stuff happening that's never fully explained, with more focus on atmosphere than on special effects.

Up next on the rental list: 500 Days of Summer. Just for some contrast. ;-)

The May Baby is officially a little brother. :-)

Chocolate truffles and Oreo truffles made yesterday; peanut butter cookies and amaretto candy made today. Gingerbread and fudge on the schedule for tomorrow.

I love this time of year.

Found via rm-- dr_is_in's husband needs some meds that insurance won't cover for stupid reasons, that cost $400 for a 10-day supply. Can anybody help out a little, or repost?? Thanks. :-)

To call_me_ps and that_evening for the snowflakes! *admires glittery profile*

Pic is by Daniel Carvalho, you can read the story behind it here.