Neologism

Have you noticed how many new words are present these days? Specifically I refer to taking two words and combining them in interesting or unusual ways. I submit the following examples

Man + Panties = Manties (NSFW)
Giant + Enormous = Ginormous
Web + Log = Blog
Idiot + Democracy = Idiocracy

These word combinations are called neologisms. Pulled from the Wiki entry: "...is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created ("coined") — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary."

I submit for your approval: Smacuracy. (Smack + Accuracy)

-iRob

"I pwned him with a high degree of smacuracy! w007."
-iRob

Glands

I'm pretty tired.

In fact, I'm always pretty tired. It seems that I never sleep well, that I get up groggy and am ready for bed early. I'm always the first one nodding off at a party, and I'm always the last one awake when camping or overnighting. And I've been this way for a very long time.

Apparently I have an excuse.

I went to the doctor on Wednesday to get checked out. He asked when the last time was that I had had a proper physical, and any answer that starts with "Ummm.. It would maybe have been... sometime in nineteen.." is the wrong answer. So I got all poked and prodded and checked out, etc.

He sent me for some tests, and checked off about 1/3 of the crazy sheet of 'what to test my blood' for. (Gave me the works, apparently.) They said that they would only call me if there was something abnormal and they needed to discuss it.

Then they called me. Apparently there was something abnormal and they needed to discuss it. (!)

I have a thyroid problem. What that problem is, they don't know, but apparently the way that they test for thyroid issues is by measuring how much thyroid activation hormone my pituitary gland is producing. Apparently the 'high' end of normal is '4.1'. I am at '6.66'. (The devil gland!) Don't ask what the numbers mean because I don't know myself.

What that means in general terms is that my brain is saying to my gland, 'More! No, really! MORE MORE MORE!', and usually it would do that because it's not receiving the hormone it is ordering. (And a side salad.)

The doctor gave me two possible explanations: One is that my immune system is bored, and is treating the gland itself like a disease. (as in: it is producing antibodies that are harming it now, and will eventually destroy it completely.) The other possibility is that there is something wrong with my thyroid gland. (A cyst, growth, cancer, etc.) That would be somewhat more serious, although I'm assured that it is a) Unlikely, and b) Treatable. (Still makes me nervous.)

Since it is overwhelmingly likely to be 'door number one', he prescribed me some medicine. I have an ultrasound in two weeks to be on the 'sure' side, but we're going to approach it as if it's an immune system issue.

So now I have a small bottle of pills. The advantages of this are 1. it's 99%+ effective, 2. The side effects are generally minimal, and 3. The drugs are very inexpensive. The downsides are 1. The directions as provided by the doctor and elaborated on by the pharmacist are, "Take one daily, for ever."

Blah.

But more 'blah' to be dopey and grumpy and not be able to concentrate. Doubly 'blah' to not know why. If this is something treatable I will be in a happy place, regardless of cost and inconvenience. It would be nice not to be exhausted after a normal day of work, especially considering the frequency I experience 'crazy, stupid, busy, stressful, annoying, 'kill me now' days at work.

It takes 4-6 weeks of this pill before I can expect to notice anything, and in 2.5 months I get checked again and have levels adjusted if needed. And then fairly infrequently for the rest of my life.

I'll let you know.

-iRob

"I got the bill for my surgery. Now I know what those doctors were wearing masks for,"
-James H. Boren

Brotherhood

I don't know who this is, but they rock.

It's a little hard to make it out from my hastily -snapped cameraphone picture, but back in December I managed to catch this outside the farmers' market a block from our apartment.

It's the Rebel Insignia, in the window of a blue Dodge truck. Most likely it's someone I know, and I would be willing to bet that they spend time on the boards, but in reality I don't know who it could possibly be. In fact, it's even possible it's one of the men in white. (And women. Yes, I can hear you, sith@heart.)

Seeing this on a random vehicle in a parking lot gave me an instant feeling of community with the stranger who drives this car. It's amazing how Fandom brings people together. This is someones little way of saying to the world - I'm a geek. I'm proud of it.

It's not Star Wars, but I really think I'm going to order that sticker I wanted for my hood. (in White) After all, it's my car, and I'm a geek, and I'm proud of it.

-iRob

"The dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the young."
-Willa Cather

iBought

iReplaced my iPod which iBroke because iDumb.

-iRob

"Everyone has a purpose in life. Perhaps yours is watching television."
-David Letterman

Quack!

Tourist - What the heck was that?! Something just ran past here in a blur!!
Farmer - Don't mind that. It was a duck with four legs. They're super fast.
Tourist - Why does it have four legs?
Farmer - We breed them like that so we can get extra drumsticks. It's much cheaper.
Tourist - Wow. So how do they taste?
Farmer - Don't really know, nobody can catch one.

-iRob

"Quack!"
-Stumpy the four legged duck.

Old News

This always happens when I plan a big post. I procrastinate, and don't end up doing it until I can hardly remember the event I was planning on posting about.

We went to Invermere a few weekends ago, for a weekend cabin getaway. Got to visit with friends, eat good food, and visit the hot springs. (Was treated to the cabin by sith@heart, to whom we are quite grateful.)

It was the first road trip of my new car, weighing in at around 1160Km, and I got to try it out on the highway for the first time. It performed quite nicely. It is now officially 'broken in'. As opposed to my old car, which is simply 'broken'.

It was quite the drive, in the snow and after dark, and the mountain roads. Had I known what I was getting into from the start, I may have been more hesitant. However it worked out O.K. and we had a fun time with friends old and new.

That's it. Just thought you should know.

-iRob

"No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other."
-Jascha Heifetz

Yeah, Baby!

w00t!

-iRob

Brains...

Had a bad dream last night.

When I was a kid, I experienced night terrors. The idea there is that I'm screaming in terror but don't remember a dream later. Also don't remember screaming.

It's always been rare for me to remember my dreams, and even more rare for me to have bad ones, but last night it was about zombies. That's right, zombies.

I don't scare really easy, in fact I've lately realized that I really don't find any movies scary. I've been trying to find movies that really frighten me, but mostly they're just silly or gory.

Last night was different. Dreams are vivid, and personal. I wanted to go to the Calgary Zombie Walk, and I smile and laugh at people dressed as zombies at conventions, but last night was awful. It sounds silly, until you dream about everyone you know being eaten.

-iRob

"Oh, fine. Last week it's 'I wish I could find a boy who was interested in my brain and not my body', and now you're all like 'Aaaugh Zombies!'. Seriously Shel. Make up your damn mind."
-Amy, Scary Go Round

Of Love and Leis

Hey,

Went to a Luau on the weekend down home in Calgary. Our very good friends Laughing Magpie and Dr. Smith hold it each year to celebrate their birthdays, life, and friendship in general.

It was a wonderful evening of friendship, food, drinks and music. We partied with wild retro-futuristic abandon, and watched 50's "B" sci-fi horror into the wee hours. (This of course being the Luau of the Atomic Age.)

I'm not very good at describing fun parties, but luckily I don't have to. (Link. Link.) Enjoy.

Thanks to you both for such a wonderful time!

-iRob

Doppleganger

This is really, really creepy.

This is not a picture of me. Now, while I flatter myself that I may someday look like that with my shirt off, you have to admit that at first glance this is pretty startling.

As I said, it's not me. Rather, it's Harry Potter. Strange, considering I look nothing like Harry Potter. However, it would appear that I look a great deal like Daniel Radcliffe.

Upon closer inspection the differences increase. His lips are thinner than mine and his eyebrows are bushier, but his forehead, jaw, nose, ears, and hair are pretty darn similar even for all that. It was enough to give J. the willies when she first saw it.

What do you think? Near or Far? Imagination? Or do I get to say I 'look like a movie star' from now on?

-iRob

"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read."
-Mark Twain

I am a damned fool.

There are things I truly, deeply, hate about myself. One, is that I always think I know the best way to do anything. And 9 times out of 10 that bites me in the ass.

I have now completely destroyed my beautiful iPod nano. I'm nearly in tears over it.

It was starting to show it's wear, and I thought I would shine it up a little. (I take pride in keeping my toys looking nice.) So I did what I always do when I need to shine something made of plastic, I got out my container of acrylic polish. I've used it before, and it always keeps my nano looking nice and new.

Not this time. This time I managed to get a little dribble of polish in the click wheel, which made it partially stop functioning. I couldn't believe it - The slider still worked but one of the four touch points didn't respond. I panicked.

So I found a video online that showed how to disassemble them, and I opened it up thinking that I could clean it up inside. It wasn't just mucked up, it was damaged. And when I tried to put it back together I damaged it further. It will never function again. I haven't even had it a year.

I'm so sad, and so ashamed. I can't keep anything nice for any length of time. The worst part is that I'm not careless with my things, but am trying to care for them well. I've stripped paint off of the Saturn trying to remove tree sap, and I've scratched my bathtub trying to clean some old stains. I try so hard to take care of the things I treasure properly but I always end up doing more harm than good.

I'm going to replace it, because:

1. I've often admired the new version of the nano. It fixes a lot of things that bothered me about mine, but I didn't see a reason to upgrade. Not for that price, anyway. I always would have liked one, but had no intention of replacing mine.
2. Every time I want to listen to my iPod but can't, I will feel small and hot and stupid. I'd rather just pay the money and not go without than put myself through that every day.

I don't even know why the scratches bothered me anyway. It's hardly ever outside one of the many, many protective cases I bought. And now I sit, exhausted, upset, and feeling very, very foolish.

-iRob

Layers

I went to put something in the dryer in my building today, which is something I rarely. do. (I find that dryers tend to wear clothes very quickly.)

Luckily I had the foresight to check the lint trap before using the machine. There was quite an impressive strata of lint in there.

It was over 1/2 inches thick, and was at least 4 distinctly different colors. I think it was last emptied long before I was born. I think I saw Trilobites from the lower Paleozoic era deep down in the 'burgandy' layer.

Sure not looking forward to the next time someone tries to burn down my building. The laundry room is 3.5 feet from our door.

-iRob

"I don't mind what language an opera is sung in so long as it is a language I don't understand."
-Sir Edward Appleton

This is only a test

I'm toying with a new way to create posts. Don't mind me. Normal operation will resume shortly.

That is all.

-iRob