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Ellesmere

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Everything posted by Ellesmere

  1. I started listening to it after you posted about it (in a podcast thread, I think), Laura. That article does describe a lot of why I have kept with it. I'm so glad you recommended it.
  2. M*A*S*H -- I hadn't thought about that show or movie in awhile but I grew up watching the TV re-runs on all the time, probably way too young (definitely too young with the movie) but I never got around to the book. But looking back at all that explains a lot about my book/entertainment tastes. Almost done with the Margaret Drabble short story collection. I think I should stick to short stories for the rest of the year! I got through some thick books and with craziness going on IRL, I should probably work with the attention span I have, not the one I want.
  3. I think I might have water trying to escape from my eyes. The other day I was thinking of someone who struggles with those sorts of issues and I can't think of anything more that someone like that needs than what you said -- it's work, that kind of friendship, but worth it. I have avoided John Green books (not out of dislike, but out of avoiding heart-in-a-blendery content after a spin with one of his books) but thank you for sharing that quote.
  4. My Father's Dragon -- I still have a vague memory of my 1st grade teacher reading that aloud to me! It is one of the first books I read to my my kids. :001_wub: I said it last week and will say it again -- Catch-22 is a favorite. Read/listened to it earlier this year and yes, Stacia, it is so quotable! I have not read much lately. Just started a short story collection because my attentions span has been rather short: A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman by Margaret Drabble. I haven't read anything spooky yet, but am reading (or re-reading?) Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of a Craft. I read his fiction for the first time this year & plan to read more but not this month. I keep checking in to see updates from Rose & everyone in the midst of the fires. :grouphug:
  5. I haven't read much lately. Still listening to Anna Karenina. I did finish Galileo's Middle Finger by Alice Dreger, which was not at all what I thought it was going to be about, but that's what happens when I just grab a book off the library shelf without looking at more than the title. Glad I read it, though. I saw Catch-22 mentioned and I both read & listened to that earlier this year. I loved it. :wub:
  6. For a simple oatmeal muffin, I use this recipe as a basis. I have lowered the sugar (but not salt) too. The oatmeal variation is towards the bottom & it talks about adding berries. There is a blog post about the variations. Hope one of these recipes works for you :) King Arthur Flour Basic Muffins
  7. I'd go as is, neat and tidy. I rarely leave the house without at least lip gloss & tinted sunblock (more for sun protection, the tint is just bonus). But I used to interview cashiers and never noticed either way. My focus was on reliability and skills. Since I like to use it for fun, I do notice well done (or really unflattering) make up but I do not care or judge if a person wears it.
  8. Finished Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and started Galileo's Middle Finger by Alice Dreger. The second one is not at all what I thought it would be but with only one chapter finished, it's interesting so far. I had grabbed both from the library display shelf, not really knowing what I was getting into with them. As usual. :laugh: I was so excited, I PM'd an incomplete address. Must run in the family because on the same day I asked my mom to send me the address of someone she knows and she did the same mistake. Thank you, Jane, for helping me out!
  9. Checking in for the first time in a long time this year. Between a move and some other IRL turmoil (nothing tragic, just beyond my coping skills at the time!), I have been out of touch. Thinking of everyone dealing with the hurricanes. Been keeping tabs on friends & family in Naples & Sarasota and hope all here are safe. Sending big :grouphug: to all those who have had difficulties, tragedies, challenges. I have skimmed threads here and there and saw some heartbreaking news, I know I missed out on others. Rose, so sorry to hear about the Lyme issues. I have a friend struggling with chronic issues and she's doing well, but I know it is so difficult. Books: finished my Goodreads challenge by book count. Quite a few were speed reads (Louise Penney, hello repetitive recapping) or YA/kid books that I read on my own just for fun. Also I got through some of the long ones (Middlemarch, David Copperfield, and Anne Karenina is almost done) via audiobook. I listened to all at regular speed except Anna Karenina. I read a different translation before and this version on audio just felt slow to my ears. Of them all, I didn't outright hate any of them. Some were a bit of a challenge to finish (Gold Fame Citrus, some Louise Penney). I love Dava Sobel's writing. Stephen King was a nice surprise -- I've read his non-fiction& always enjoyed him but realized I hadn't gotten into his fiction, which is odd. Some of my favorites were rather brutal or dystopian but as usual cozy mysteries were my default for when I was 1Q84 is a special one because the lovely Stacia sent it to me, & I enjoyed it. It is still up for grabs if anyone wants it & is patient since I can be slow to get to the post office.
  10. The here and on previous BaW threads about this book have me less inclined to read it, too. I was interested because, birds, and it kept showing up on recommendations. But I have so many other books to read and while the book may be worth a try, it sounds like it's not for me.
  11. :grouphug: prairiegirl and everyone struggling recently. I had said this would be a week of me reading less, tackling my to-do list more, but so far reading is winning. Combination of my usual procrastination and avoiding some sad & stressful things. Back to books: I think you can see the most recent books here: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/7514947 The most recent books on my list were mostly enjoyable. I wasn't sure about Pachinko by Min Jin Lee because I'd been let down last year by a few well-reviewed novels with gorgeous covers. I didn't read any reviews closely or have any ideas about the book ahead this time. Am glad I read both that and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey this week. Oh, I'm in awe of the crocheting. I've been crocheting for awhile and everything I do still looks like my first project. My knitting is only a smidge better. I have pretty much come to terms with my ineptitude in the yarn-into-art department. :laugh:
  12. It sure does. I'm due to go through dusty stacks of books in someone's garage this spring and will probably not find anything so obscure (to me, anyway) or even anything worth holding on to. Guaranteed wheezing from the dust and disorder, though! Many hugs to you, dear Rosie, and as with everyone -- just wish we had a way to make it all right for you.
  13. I haven't tried Imitrex. And I'm obviously not having success with mine. But my doctor asked me to read Heal Your Headache 1-2-3 by Dr. Buccholz (link here to articles about his protocol). I should not have tried his diet without talking with one of my specialists. Could be coincidence but since trying it I can no longer eat some foods and my diet was already slim pickings from genuine, serious food allergies. I do think his ideas about medications make sense, from what I remember. (Avoiding rebounding from OTC stuff, using meds like propranolol or amitriptyline.) He's a no caffeine, cold turkey advocate, and I disagree there, unless I'm an outlier. I've quit caffeine and done it gradually, no problem. I also didn't see improvement so I do drink a measured dose of coffee daily, nowhere near a full serving. But I'm not a doctor, so I'm not really arguing for or against his methods. I don't think I'm typical regarding reactions to meds, but I once got a shot of ketorolac and one of promethazine and never, ever again for me. But supposedly it does offer relief. I did it only because I was out of my mind in pain and coincentally had a physical with my PCP. Someone had driven me in and was also just wanting me to feel better, hence the encouragement. I was in pain for days afterward, both migraine and at the injection sites. So sorry you have TN, on top of everything else. And I won't even get started on the small insurance allowance on Axert. ETA: I do take B2 and found the magnesium supplement that was mentioned by crazyforlatin. If I'm brave enough to try magnesium again, I may try it since both my PCP and OB/GYN mentioned it.
  14. I don't notice my sense of taste changing but I am really bad at recognizing my prodrome symptoms. (Silly because I get them often enough.) Dh is more observant than I am. But it used to be I'd have some sort of issue with my vision (losing partial sight or scintillating scotomas) and they always came at the same time of the month. But then I stopped having a regular, predictable pattern. Sometimes, but not always, I get very sleepy for a few hours before the pain -- a sleepiness not explained by poor sleep or diet and feels different than regular sleepiness for me. Apparently I complain about smelling things that no one else does. I will sometimes slur or not be able to talk properly even though I can think exactly what I mean to say. I sometimes get a weird ache in my mouth. I went to the dentist thinking my teeth were going to fall out but had a perfect checkup and all was clear. Turns out every time I get that feeling, I also have a migraine. The least funny of all is when I get roaringly hungry and feel like I'm going to throw up. Glad Imitrex can help you!
  15. You mentioned her being late with reading & writing. One of mine was early with those things and run-on sentences are an issue, too. And I would agree that a good writer isn't necessarily good at grammar. I'm terrible at grammar but at one point in my life, I wrote quite well. After my kid writes a draft full of run on sentences, we both read it aloud. If the run-on isn't noticed right away, I'll ask, "Ok, where did you hear your voice come to a full stop?" Sometimes that works, although if you have a run-on talker, that's not going to do much good. :laugh: But I agree with having her read aloud and listen to audiobooks or stories on podcasts, if that would help. Also agreeing that it is something to work on. But it isn't something I get too worked up over, or at least I wouldn't for her age. My run-on sentence kid is a prolific writer and at this point, I'm doing what I can to keep the love for it going. Grammar is important, and I wish I were an expert but I did well enough winging it most of the time. I was just talking about research, citations, and formatting with one of mine and we discussed how no professional writer gets it all done alone. As mentioned, editors have jobs for a reason. And look at the the number of people thanked or credited by professional authors in their books. I was just reading in a local paper and some news article were full of run-on sentences and commas where even I know commas do not belong. :huh: Finally, for those who just love to talk about punctuation, some fun articles: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/world/europe/period-full-stop-point-whatever-its-called-millennials-arent-using-it.html?_r=0 (This is about texing/social media patterns, but I first saw people using periods. like. this. on FB and just saw it in a print children's book published recently. Also, the comments section is just full of grammar nerds!) http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/09/punctuation-day-brits-call-period-full-stop http://grammarist.com/usage/full-stop-period/ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/stopsandmarks/full
  16. Short answer is yes. Longer - - hearing, touch, sight are all distorted or over sensitive. Dh says I complain that things taste off just before I get hit with a migraine, too. All I can take right now is Zofran for nausea, which I don't know is worse. They are all hard, depending on how it goes for you. So sorry you experience them too. Spryte, hugs to you too. That is awful. I feel lucky I have only been down ten or so days out March so far. Hope you are better soon.
  17. I shouldn't even be on here, but I am avoiding real life for a minute. If you can't see my sig, here's my Goodreads list of what I've read so far this year. I realized I was light on non-fiction so I'm finishing up two lighter books (geared for younger readers) The Where, The Why, and The How (art meets science) and 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History, edited by Tonya Bolden. The history book is older and while it's not knocking my socks off, I'll be going through it with the kids at some point. It was a library display find. From the science book, one of the artists has an Etsy shop with lots of cute things, some book themed. Expecting my reading pace to slow way down. I'm sorry to say this in light of poor mum2two's post, because nothing that happened here was that sad or bad, but this past week was, ugh. I'm not even going to detail. But just hoping the best for the BaW group & grateful to hear how it brings comfort to those who need it. I'm not sure how much I'll be around since I really ought to be Handling Things IRL (I know I'm not alone -- how many times do we post and say we should be doing ....), but I keep getting drawn into threads here & on the rest of the forum, so we'll see. Either way, just very glad to have connected here.
  18. :grouphug: , mum2two, and glad to hear you have some comforting memories of your friend.
  19. I think I remember watching an interview (probably in the bonus DVD materials) where the composer Alan Menken mentioned that Howard Ashman (lyricist) put Shakespeare in. I always think of him and the dedication of the movie in his memory. Growing up, I did not get into Disney but Beauty & the Beast was a favorite. Here is a link where the Shakespeare quote is referenced and another (just in case anyone is interested in Howard Ashman) on a letter from Kurt Vonnegut.
  20. Thanks for posting! :hurray: Rivka! Jeopardy was rarely missed when I was growing up so Alex Trebek was a top tv star to us. I love that Women in History was one of the categories for her show. And the Final! Perfect! Oh, :svengo: to hear the admiration in Alex's voice when she got a tough one! Congrats!
  21. I don't know if this is available everywhere and it wouldn't help if the stacks of paper are really huge, but I've also seen AAA offer free Shred-a-Thons for everyone. One that I saw advertised was offering raffles and prizes. They also said to be prepared if there is a crowd. I haven't used it so I do not know if there are any catches, but figured I'd post it in case you don't have a credit union nearby. I am going to check with our credit union -- good idea!
  22. Do you mind sharing what you take? My doctor said to do the same (B2 and magnesium) but the magnesium I tried did not go well. My sympathies to anyone who gets migraines. I've been getting them since I was a teen. They have been much worse over the past few years. I can only tolerate Zofran for nausea. I had an ice pack work but only once. With other meds the side effects were not worth the help, if any, and my last dose of meds made things worse. I wished so much that I'd followed my instincts and refused them.
  23. Oh, dear Rosie. :grouphug: So true and right, as usual. Wishing I could be there, again. Just so unfair. What an inadequate thing for me to say, but nothing I say could make it better. All I can do is send love & virtual hugs.
  24. Over here, my youngest is a huge Chetna (of GBBO fame) fan. Has been watching her Youtube channel almost daily. Of course, we never have Indian food at home but I keep watching and telling myself, one of these days, I'm really going to try making that! But I probably won't because with my cooking skills it would turn out to be The Best Irish Pizza in America and not at all what Chetna told me to do.
  25. Just quoting you because I was barely successful with my last multi quote. :lol: Jane, I read yours, too, and thank you both for helping while Robin is on break. And I respect all the work and love she puts into books & these threads. First, I have to wonder how many people, like me, missed a couple threads completely this year and didn't even see last week. So my apologies to you if I sound like I'm just stirring things up. (And to you if you did see it and just want to move on! I won't say more after this post unless someone wants to discuss more with me. Unlikely, but feel free to PM or respond to me here and I will. Otherwise, I'll consider this to be my final thoughts on it. *sigh of relief* :gnorsi: ) Also I know there are weeks when it all hits the fan and I just read, no energy to participate. I also understand just wanting to get back to book chat because I have loved it so much here. Where else can I confess my attachment to Hugh Fraser? I was so sick the past couple weeks but I was thinking of you all and wanting to confess about show I watched instead of reading the book it was based on. And I wanted to ask you all about a book I was wondering -- could it really be worth all those chapters? Many of you have led me to wonderful books. So of course, no one wants this to be an unwelcoming place. Putting all my cards on the table here: Before I posted a response to Stacia last week, I messaged and asked if she minded a public response or should I skip it. I didn't want to post so late in the game if everything was resolved privately. To her credit, she didn't try to influence how I saw the discussion or ask me to post. So I just posted last week out of appreciation for her bringing lovely books into my life and for her words. Also, this is a great group and I am all for feedback that helps. I think it is uncomfortable to discuss this but it is a sign that people care deeply. I can't speak for anyone else, but as you said, Amy -- it is a group of smart woman, so I believe some spoke out because they love and care. It's worth the time, to me, to work this out and discuss. Also, none of what I said was based on agreement with anyone in particular. It was the way it was done that had upset me. We all have bad days and say things we wish we could take back. Or at least wish we'd found a better way to speak our minds. I am not speaking from the seat of wisdom or because I think I am Talented at Communication. It's coming from things I've learned from stepping on toes and putting my foot right in my mouth. I'd save time if I just left it there. :laugh: So I am writing this knowing I did my best not to offend and am not going to take it personally if you don't want to hear more from me on this. :001_smile:
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