Last week, I had a full migraine for the first time in years. I think the last time I had a migraine with all of the symptoms was in graduate school, which was more than 15 years ago. I think it was early in graduate school, so honestly, it has probably been close to 20 years since I had a full migraine. A couple of years ago, I had a cluster of visual migraines, but those didn't come with the headache and didn't last long.
So, I had no idea what to expect, and when I found that a combination of ibuprofen and caffeine made it possible for me to function after the first day, I took ibuprofen and increased my usual caffeine intake. I got through Thursday and Friday, not feeling great, but functioning. I got through Saturday and Sunday, still not feeling great, but thinking I was basically better because the headache was mostly gone. I went off to my main client site on Monday thinking I was back to normal.
Boy, was I wrong. I felt like I was in a fog. I couldn't really think straight and I was exhausted. A little Google searching told me I was likely experiencing a postdromal phase to my migraine. So I cut my day short and came home. And I took a 2.5 hour nap. I got up and made dinner (Monday is swimming night, so Mr. Snarky was with the kids at the pool) and then I collapsed on the sofa until it was a reasonable hour to go to bed, and went to bed early.
I felt better Tuesday, but not quite 100%. I got through my work day and dinner... and hit a wall around the kids' bedtime.
Today I'm better still, but not back to normal. And I'm left wondering if I would have gotten better faster if I'd allowed myself more rest time in the early phases. I hope I don't get a chance to find out, because that would mean another migraine. But still, this is yet another reminder that I need to learn to allow myself to rest when I'm feeling a little under the weather but am not completely incapacitated. I really do.
-----------------
Pumpkin was excited to watch the women's gymnastics at the Olympics, but the NBC coverage has made that next to impossible. Luckily for her, she's going to visit my parents next week, and they have recorded some gymnastics for her to watch. But I'm really frustrated with NBC. The have made it so that the only way to have even a decent Olympic-watching experience is to have cable, so that you can access the event replays on streaming. We don't have cable, but we added NBC to our Sling channels thinking we could catch enough on broadcast. But no, they've tape delayed all the "big" events such that the majority of them are well past my kids' bedtime. Heck, a lot of it is past MY bedtime.
This is frustrating because I know that it is possible to provide a better experience. We bought access to the Rugby World Cup that allowed us to watch all of the games on demand, whenever we wanted. NBC could easily have done something similar with the Olympics, perhaps providing different streaming packages with different groups of events. Instead, it feels like they're trying to bully us all back to cable. That isn't going to work. Nothing NBC can do will make us go back to cable. Cable is just not a good fit for us anymore. They would be better served to recognize that the way people access entertainment is changing, and work to figure out how to adapt their business model to the new reality.
Oh well.
-----------------
Speaking of annoying things... why do stores insist on acting like the seasons are the same here in Southern California as they are on the East Coast? We want a patio umbrella to tide us over until we can figure out what to do with our patio (the old pergola went down with the remodel, and now we have a larger patio). We were finally going to buy one last weekend, but apparently it is now time for autumn things at Home Depot and they've taken all their umbrellas away.
This is silly. September and October are two of the nicest, sunniest months here. (May and June are called May Grey and June Gloom....) We can sit outside on our patio almost year round, really. We should be able to buy a patio umbrella in August.
Of course, we CAN buy a patio umbrella in August. We ordered one from Amazon. It should be here tomorrow.
There's a lesson there for Home Depot, too, I think, along similar lines to the lesson I wish NBC would learn. The world has changed. Best change with it.
-----------------
I think I hit the "I should really go rest" wall about an hour ago. So I'm going to go rest. I'm still working on the "listen to my body when it says I should rest" thing, I guess.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Friday, August 05, 2016
Weekend Reading: The Migraines Suck Edition
I've spent half of this week struggling with a migraine. It really knocked me flat Wednesday afternoon and evening. Since then, I've been able to keep it at bay with ibuprofen and caffeine, but it is still there. I don't usually get a lot of migraines, so I'm a bit puzzled by what brought this on. I hope I'm not about to start getting migraines more regularly!
Anyway, I did still gather a few links for you. Here they are:
First of all, I'm running a GoodReads giveaway for The Lilies of Dawn. Enter if you're into that sort of thing. Or, you can enter into the ebook giveaway associated with this lovely review of Vanessa Fogg, the author of The Lilies of Dawn. And here's a really nice review of the book from Rope and Tire.
Now, on to the other stuff.
I really liked this piece about how political idealism is not the best way to improve society.
This is an interesting piece of cold war history.
Here's an article about humpback whales protecting other mammals from orcas, which may be the coolest thing I read all week.
And this is a great piece from Andie Fox (who blogs at Blue Milk) about hiking with kids.
An explanation in Slate for why the courts are suddenly striking down all those voter ID laws (beyond the obvious that they are unconstitutional, of course).
If you're white and you've been looking for how to get involved in the fight for racial justice, here's an article about an organization that can help you.
Apparently, Hillary's secret to remaining calm admist all the BS is meditation. Another nudge for me to try to restart my practice....
I shared this link out on my Annorlunda Books accounts, but I like it so much I'm going to make it my happy thing to end on: 24 Unusual Travel Words.
Also, this thread will make you smile:
And if you're a Hamilton fan, this is fun:
OK, this really is the last thing... some Kiwi pride.
Anyway, I did still gather a few links for you. Here they are:
First of all, I'm running a GoodReads giveaway for The Lilies of Dawn. Enter if you're into that sort of thing. Or, you can enter into the ebook giveaway associated with this lovely review of Vanessa Fogg, the author of The Lilies of Dawn. And here's a really nice review of the book from Rope and Tire.
Now, on to the other stuff.
I really liked this piece about how political idealism is not the best way to improve society.
This is an interesting piece of cold war history.
Here's an article about humpback whales protecting other mammals from orcas, which may be the coolest thing I read all week.
And this is a great piece from Andie Fox (who blogs at Blue Milk) about hiking with kids.
An explanation in Slate for why the courts are suddenly striking down all those voter ID laws (beyond the obvious that they are unconstitutional, of course).
If you're white and you've been looking for how to get involved in the fight for racial justice, here's an article about an organization that can help you.
Apparently, Hillary's secret to remaining calm admist all the BS is meditation. Another nudge for me to try to restart my practice....
I shared this link out on my Annorlunda Books accounts, but I like it so much I'm going to make it my happy thing to end on: 24 Unusual Travel Words.
Also, this thread will make you smile:
In a Twitter feed filled with distressing news, this thread brought me a lot of joy today. https://t.co/Jhmd1MgLXK— Lakshmi Gandhi (@LakshmiGandhi) August 4, 2016
And if you're a Hamilton fan, this is fun:
W. Shakes (@WillChaseMe) joined King George III (@RoryOMalley) to urge @Lin_Manuel to "take a break." #Ham4Ham https://t.co/bgvYDcWPOx— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) August 3, 2016
OK, this really is the last thing... some Kiwi pride.
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
Dinner during Dora: Tequila Pasta
I don't want to write about politics right now. I can't promise not to write anything more about politics until after the election, but I can promise I probably won't write much about politics. I don't think I have anything particularly insightful to say, and at this point, we probably already all know what we plan to do in the ballot booth, and in the time until election day.
So, let's talk about other things! For instance, I decided to tweak the design of this blog. I'd like to migrate to WordPress someday, but that would take more time than I want to invest right now, so I settled for decluttering a bit. If there's something that you really liked that has gone missing, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy the less crowded layout.
Also, I continue to cook weeknight dinners. And I continue to not want to spend a lot of time on that, even though my kids are now old enough to wait a bit longer for dinner. So, I continue to find recipes that fit my "Dinner during Dora" theme, even though no one watches Dora here anymore.
I realized as I made this dish last Tuesday (Tuesday night is pasta night....) that I had never posted the recipe. It is one I invented. I was trying to make a cheese-free pasta, although I'm not really sure why. So, this recipe doesn't call for any cheese. If you want to sprinkle some on, I guess a cotija would be most appropriate, but I tried some of the pseudo-cheese in a green can that my kids like and honestly, that was pretty good.
So, anyway, here's the recipe for Tequila Pasta:
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 carrot, cut into discs and then halved
1 small zucchini, cut into discs then halved
3/4 cup frozen corn
~1/2 package rotini (or bowtie pasta, or your favorite shape)
~1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs tequila
Dried chopped onions, salt, and pepper (to taste)
Cook the pasta. While the water's coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, make the rest of the recipe.
Toast pepitas in a skillet. No added oil is necessary, but watch they don't burn. When they're toasted, set them aside.
Add the olive oil to the skillet and then saute the carrots and zucchini in it. Sprinkle dried choped onions (from the spice aisle), salt and pepper on the veggies while they cook.
About 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the corn.
Cook ~2 minutes, then add the tequila and let it boil off.
When the pasta is done, reserve ~1/4 cup of the cooking water and then drain it.
Add the reserved water and veggies to the pasta. Stir to mix.
Add the pepitas and cilantro, and stir to mix.
Serve!
Source: I invented this one. It was probably inspired by something, but I can't remember what at this point.
Who eats it: Just me and Mr. Snarky. The kids eat plain pasta that I set aside before I add the disgusting veggies.
So, let's talk about other things! For instance, I decided to tweak the design of this blog. I'd like to migrate to WordPress someday, but that would take more time than I want to invest right now, so I settled for decluttering a bit. If there's something that you really liked that has gone missing, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy the less crowded layout.
Also, I continue to cook weeknight dinners. And I continue to not want to spend a lot of time on that, even though my kids are now old enough to wait a bit longer for dinner. So, I continue to find recipes that fit my "Dinner during Dora" theme, even though no one watches Dora here anymore.
I realized as I made this dish last Tuesday (Tuesday night is pasta night....) that I had never posted the recipe. It is one I invented. I was trying to make a cheese-free pasta, although I'm not really sure why. So, this recipe doesn't call for any cheese. If you want to sprinkle some on, I guess a cotija would be most appropriate, but I tried some of the pseudo-cheese in a green can that my kids like and honestly, that was pretty good.
So, anyway, here's the recipe for Tequila Pasta:
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 carrot, cut into discs and then halved
1 small zucchini, cut into discs then halved
3/4 cup frozen corn
~1/2 package rotini (or bowtie pasta, or your favorite shape)
~1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs tequila
Dried chopped onions, salt, and pepper (to taste)
Cook the pasta. While the water's coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, make the rest of the recipe.
Toast pepitas in a skillet. No added oil is necessary, but watch they don't burn. When they're toasted, set them aside.
 |
| Yummy toasted pepitas |
Add the olive oil to the skillet and then saute the carrots and zucchini in it. Sprinkle dried choped onions (from the spice aisle), salt and pepper on the veggies while they cook.
About 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the corn.
 |
| Sauted veggies |
When the pasta is done, reserve ~1/4 cup of the cooking water and then drain it.
Add the reserved water and veggies to the pasta. Stir to mix.
Add the pepitas and cilantro, and stir to mix.
Serve!
Source: I invented this one. It was probably inspired by something, but I can't remember what at this point.
Who eats it: Just me and Mr. Snarky. The kids eat plain pasta that I set aside before I add the disgusting veggies.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Weekend Reading
First of all, some blatant self-promotion. Or, more accurately promotion of things other people wrote and I published:
The Lilies of Dawn is out! Get yourself a copy. You'll be glad you did. It is a beautiful story, beautifully told. Here's the author's post about it, and here's the GoodReads page if you want to read some early reviews.
Also, the GoodReads giveaway for Academaze ends tomorrow. Enter now!
Moving on....
The Democratic convention is over. There were many great speeches. I think that Barack Obama's speech will be studied on day much like the Gettysberg Address, as a speech aimed at defending the existence of our democracy.
But the speech that I found most powerful was Khzir Khan's. If you haven't watch it, please do so. Just the image of him holding up his copy of the Constitution makes me get all teary.
Here's Josh Marshall on President Obama's speech and the terrifying gift of living in interesting times.
Matt Yglesias on why we should elect someone who is good at governing. Best line: "Make politics boring again."
Here is Jamelle Bouie on the Democrat's new type of optimism and patriotism.
There is so much truth in this tweet:
I've seen so many people wishing that Obama could stay for another 4 or 8 years. But... it is time to pass the baton. I don't know if we have our term limits set properly, but I do think we need to change leadership periodically, even when we love the outgoing leader.
This may be the only time I'm OK with a story about what a woman leader wore.
Sticking with the clothes angle: why so many powerful women are wearing the same jacket.
More clothing news: if you've got to fight a racist dress code, I guess you might as well have fun doing it.
Speaking of racism... taking Bill O'Reilly to task on his ignorant remarks about the slaves who built the White House.
This is a great post about how racism is represented in the stories we read.
I need something funny to end on. Sorry... my feed has been full of politics this week (and last week and the week before...) so I only have political funnies. But they're pretty funny.
A perfect Hamilton reference:
And Hillary showing some good judgment.
The Lilies of Dawn is out! Get yourself a copy. You'll be glad you did. It is a beautiful story, beautifully told. Here's the author's post about it, and here's the GoodReads page if you want to read some early reviews.
Also, the GoodReads giveaway for Academaze ends tomorrow. Enter now!
Moving on....
The Democratic convention is over. There were many great speeches. I think that Barack Obama's speech will be studied on day much like the Gettysberg Address, as a speech aimed at defending the existence of our democracy.
But the speech that I found most powerful was Khzir Khan's. If you haven't watch it, please do so. Just the image of him holding up his copy of the Constitution makes me get all teary.
Here's Josh Marshall on President Obama's speech and the terrifying gift of living in interesting times.
Matt Yglesias on why we should elect someone who is good at governing. Best line: "Make politics boring again."
Here is Jamelle Bouie on the Democrat's new type of optimism and patriotism.
There is so much truth in this tweet:
Daveed Diggs says the most iconic moment is Chris Jackson singing "One Last Time" in front of Obama, against Washington portrait. #TCA16— Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) July 28, 2016
I've seen so many people wishing that Obama could stay for another 4 or 8 years. But... it is time to pass the baton. I don't know if we have our term limits set properly, but I do think we need to change leadership periodically, even when we love the outgoing leader.
This may be the only time I'm OK with a story about what a woman leader wore.
Sticking with the clothes angle: why so many powerful women are wearing the same jacket.
More clothing news: if you've got to fight a racist dress code, I guess you might as well have fun doing it.
Speaking of racism... taking Bill O'Reilly to task on his ignorant remarks about the slaves who built the White House.
This is a great post about how racism is represented in the stories we read.
I need something funny to end on. Sorry... my feed has been full of politics this week (and last week and the week before...) so I only have political funnies. But they're pretty funny.
A perfect Hamilton reference:
MEN: Talk less— Steve Horton (@tropicalsteve) July 29, 2016
HRC: What
MEN: Smile more
HRC: Huh
MEN: Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for
HRC: You can't be serious
And Hillary showing some good judgment.
Clinton's refusal to actually do the Macarena looks smart here. https://t.co/IXVVSvBUoB— daveweigel (@daveweigel) July 29, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Some Election Musings
I did not watch the Republican convention. Even following it on Twitter made me feel stressed and sad, and angry, but not at the people the speakers wanted me to be angry with.
I can't say why I decided to turn on the Democratic convention on Monday night, but I'm glad I did, because Michelle Obama's speech was amazing, and restored a good deal of my faith in my country. Trump's amazing press conference (which again, I couldn't bring myself to watch, only read about) destroyed it again. And last night, President Obama's speech convinced me once again to hold on to my hope that we can continue our progress in this country towards a more perfect union.
Pumpkin was absolutely transfixed by Michelle Obama's speech, and has wanted to watch the speeches every night. We tune in after dinner, so we missed Joe Biden's speech last night (I watched it later) and Time Kaine kind of lost her (although she enjoyed the Spanish), but she paid attention through the President's speech.
She's been asking lots of questions, which I like, because it gives me a chance to try to put this weird election into context without needlessly scaring her.
One of her questions last night was about why we need to have two parties. At first, I thought she was asking about why we didn't have more than two parties, so I launched into an explanation about how in our congressional/presidential system, coalitions are built within the parties, and compared it to the situation in New Zealand's parliamentary system, in which coalitions are built between parties. I doubt I did a great job, because let's face it, I'm no political scientist. But I thought I did OK.
It didn't matter. What she wanted to know was why there were parties at all. I struggled through a bit about parties allowing people to coordinate and work together towards common goals... but I found myself talking more about why we need an opposition. Why, even when the party that is in the ascendency is the one with which I usually agree, I can't celebrate the utter implosion we're watching in the other party.
I don't know what the future holds. Maybe the Republicans will get their act together and morph into a party that is less beholden to racists. Maybe they will figure out how to turn themselves into a party that looks a bit more like the country, instead of a group of freaked out white people who want to go back to a time when everyone else "knew their place." If they can do that, I will be happy.
But I've started to wonder if maybe that is too much to ask, and if instead they are just going to die out, leaving just the Democrats. If that happens, then I strongly suspect (and in fact, actually hope) that the Democrats will have their own period of chaos, in which they end up splitting. Or perhaps the Greens will get their act together and evolve into something we can take seriously. I don't know. But a democracy needs an opposition, and given how our democracy is set up, it would not be healthy to have that opposition be entirely within one party.
So, if I think about what I hope happens- not about what I think will happen, but what I hope happens, here it is: I hope that this ugly election will help us find a path towards becoming what I heard Gwen Ifill call a "post-racist" society. I don't want a "post-racial" society, because that would deny us the beauty and strength in our diversity. But I firmly believe we can learn to celebrate our differences instead of fearing them.
I hope that this election is last gasp of the politics of White Fear. I hope that it demonstrates that catering to the segment of society that is responsive to these dog whistles (or, in the case of Donald Trump, clear calls via bullhorn) is not the path to power, so that maybe that segment of our society can finally force itself to find its place in our diverse society instead of pining for the "good old days" that were only good for them. They have been pandered to and lied to by their supposed leaders for far too long, and this has let them hide from the truth of our history and impede our progress towards living up to our founding ideals.
I hope that we can look at how close we came to electing a "homegrown demagogue" and reflect on how we got there, and then start the hard work of acknowledging the racist sins of our history so that we can find a way to redress them and make our diverse society more truly integrated, allowing us to create a society in which everyone gets a chance to live up to their potential and we all get to fully benefit from the full diversity of ideas in our society.
I don't think this is going to happen in my lifetime, but if, in the aftermath of this scary election season, we find ourselves at least on that path, all the anxiety and worry this election has caused me will be OK with me.
I'm sure Pumpkin will want to tune in to hear Hillary speak tonight. I wish I could enjoy this moment without the undercurrent of fear, but that is not what history has dealt us. So I will listen, and I will commit myself to work for her to win, and I will hope that we not only make it through the scary months ahead, but come out better on the other side.
I can't say why I decided to turn on the Democratic convention on Monday night, but I'm glad I did, because Michelle Obama's speech was amazing, and restored a good deal of my faith in my country. Trump's amazing press conference (which again, I couldn't bring myself to watch, only read about) destroyed it again. And last night, President Obama's speech convinced me once again to hold on to my hope that we can continue our progress in this country towards a more perfect union.
Pumpkin was absolutely transfixed by Michelle Obama's speech, and has wanted to watch the speeches every night. We tune in after dinner, so we missed Joe Biden's speech last night (I watched it later) and Time Kaine kind of lost her (although she enjoyed the Spanish), but she paid attention through the President's speech.
She's been asking lots of questions, which I like, because it gives me a chance to try to put this weird election into context without needlessly scaring her.
One of her questions last night was about why we need to have two parties. At first, I thought she was asking about why we didn't have more than two parties, so I launched into an explanation about how in our congressional/presidential system, coalitions are built within the parties, and compared it to the situation in New Zealand's parliamentary system, in which coalitions are built between parties. I doubt I did a great job, because let's face it, I'm no political scientist. But I thought I did OK.
It didn't matter. What she wanted to know was why there were parties at all. I struggled through a bit about parties allowing people to coordinate and work together towards common goals... but I found myself talking more about why we need an opposition. Why, even when the party that is in the ascendency is the one with which I usually agree, I can't celebrate the utter implosion we're watching in the other party.
I don't know what the future holds. Maybe the Republicans will get their act together and morph into a party that is less beholden to racists. Maybe they will figure out how to turn themselves into a party that looks a bit more like the country, instead of a group of freaked out white people who want to go back to a time when everyone else "knew their place." If they can do that, I will be happy.
But I've started to wonder if maybe that is too much to ask, and if instead they are just going to die out, leaving just the Democrats. If that happens, then I strongly suspect (and in fact, actually hope) that the Democrats will have their own period of chaos, in which they end up splitting. Or perhaps the Greens will get their act together and evolve into something we can take seriously. I don't know. But a democracy needs an opposition, and given how our democracy is set up, it would not be healthy to have that opposition be entirely within one party.
So, if I think about what I hope happens- not about what I think will happen, but what I hope happens, here it is: I hope that this ugly election will help us find a path towards becoming what I heard Gwen Ifill call a "post-racist" society. I don't want a "post-racial" society, because that would deny us the beauty and strength in our diversity. But I firmly believe we can learn to celebrate our differences instead of fearing them.
I hope that this election is last gasp of the politics of White Fear. I hope that it demonstrates that catering to the segment of society that is responsive to these dog whistles (or, in the case of Donald Trump, clear calls via bullhorn) is not the path to power, so that maybe that segment of our society can finally force itself to find its place in our diverse society instead of pining for the "good old days" that were only good for them. They have been pandered to and lied to by their supposed leaders for far too long, and this has let them hide from the truth of our history and impede our progress towards living up to our founding ideals.
I hope that we can look at how close we came to electing a "homegrown demagogue" and reflect on how we got there, and then start the hard work of acknowledging the racist sins of our history so that we can find a way to redress them and make our diverse society more truly integrated, allowing us to create a society in which everyone gets a chance to live up to their potential and we all get to fully benefit from the full diversity of ideas in our society.
I don't think this is going to happen in my lifetime, but if, in the aftermath of this scary election season, we find ourselves at least on that path, all the anxiety and worry this election has caused me will be OK with me.
I'm sure Pumpkin will want to tune in to hear Hillary speak tonight. I wish I could enjoy this moment without the undercurrent of fear, but that is not what history has dealt us. So I will listen, and I will commit myself to work for her to win, and I will hope that we not only make it through the scary months ahead, but come out better on the other side.
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