Snowpocalypse 2011

Someone just came and dug us out, which was nice of them.  I wandered outside in my jammies to take some photos.  Earlier we couldn't get the screen door to open more than a few inches.  Fortunately for Oreo, the back door still opens.

The steps up to street level.  They had been filled in.

Window.  Snow got blown in through the screen.

The sidewalk.  The bigger mounds in the back are cars.

View to the east.

View to the west.

It's about 20 degrees F right now, but the windchill makes it feel -6.  We're supposed to drop to -2 tonight.  Fun times.

The university finally ordered the main library to close, recognizing that people might actually really die if they try to walk home after dark.

We're going to make some hot and sour soup in the Crockpot.  My hands are swollen up and hurt, but I might try knitting or spinning later if only to keep limber.  I'm debating bundling up and going to peek at the lakefront. 

In more somber news, our thoughts and hopes are with the citizens of Egypt right now.

Egypt

Image by shoveling_ferret via FlickrI feel like I should say something about recent events in Egypt.  Really, the demonstrations, etc. were only a matter of time, but I think *this particular time* surprised a lot of people. 

I mostly stayed out of a lot of detail regarding modern Egyptian politics.  What I did know always made me wonder from time to time if I should be there at all.  Not because I feared for my own safety, but more out of a sense of concern that I was somehow tacitly supporting a fairly nasty dictatorial regime.

The flip side of that, though, was the knowledge that a revolution could wind up making things worse if crazy fundies wound up in charge. 

I really, really hope things get better.  I can't begin to imagine how to revamp Egyptian government to be better after decades of entrenched dictatorship and police-state habits, but I hope and pray that it can be done.  It's time to stop throwing people in jail just for saying unpopular things, time to stop rampant corruption and greed, time to stop brutality and torture in jails and prisons.

I didn't get to spend as much time in Egypt as I'd have liked and did not get to spend as much time with Egyptians as I'd have liked either, but the men and boys I worked with were nice, good-humored, ordinary people.  The people I met on the streets were too.   Even at a time when US foreign policy had made the US unpopular in a lot of the world, no one treated us like crap for being Americans.
I guess the point I'm trying to make none too elegantly is that Egyptians are people just like the rest of us, they just want to be able to make a living and be safe and happy.  Unfortunately, unlike most of us in America, that isn't very easy in Egypt any more.

I've seen reports that some of the protesters have been helping the police and military to protect the Cairo Museum.  I have no problem believing that to be true.  Many Egyptians are incredibly proud of their heritage.  They are also well aware that a lot of the economy is based around tourism. 

I hope very much that this situation resolves as peacefully and successfully as possible.  And my thoughts are not only with friends there now, but with everyone there now, especially the people putting themselves in harms way for what they believe in and what they hope to see in the future.

Research shows chronically ill might be happier if they gave up hope | University of Michigan Health System

Research shows chronically ill might be happier if they gave up hope | University of Michigan Health System

AKA "Take your Pollyana BS and shove it!"
(Why yes, I'm a bit grouchy today, why do you ask?)

I found this interesting and, though I'm probably prone to confirmation bias here, it does make perfect sense to me.  I've done much, much better since I quit waiting to be "better" and have gotten on with things as best I can.
There is a huge difference between self-pity and accepting reality (something I've gone on at length about before) though it often seems in modern American society that many people cannot grasp that difference.  I am not, by recognizing my limitations and learning to cope with them and by making plans on the basis of how I feel now as opposed to how I might feel in the future, wallowing in self-pity and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of chronic illness and doom.
It would be far, far less healthy to sit around waiting for a "cure" or to feel "better" and to be utterly devastated every morning I wake up and feel like ass and every time I go to the doctor and they have no clue.  (Well, that does upset me, but that's different...)

On another note - I think someone(s) deserve "Asshole of the Year" awards for letting some people think their bowels could be re-sectioned and letting others think the colostomy bag was permanent.

Apartment hunting continues

The search continues. We're supposed to see the inside of a place we have very high hopes for on Saturday. It is outside the city. The more we think about it, the more we like the idea of getting out of the neighborhood and also potentially out of the city. Since I'm not in coursework anymore and am not terribly likely to continue with my dissertation there's not a deep need to stay in the neighborhood on my part. The only thing I currently have to do in the neighborhood is all medical. It would be nice for Tom to stay in the neighborhood as at the moment his commute consists of walking a few blocks.

Unfortunately, finding an apartment in the neighborhood that accepts dogs, is somewhat larger than a refrigerator box, is not on the upper floors of a walk-up, and is not in the freakin' ghetto for less than $900/month is really, really difficult. Yes, I know it's the city. I know housing is at a premium. I still think it's ridiculously expensive. And what the hell is with taking cats and not small dogs? Is it the noise potential? Because in my experience cats can be a hell of a lot more destructive than dogs and, if their owners don't clean up after them, have the potential to leave a lingering stench.

We've also considered the Bridgeport neighborhood, but the presence of the White Sox has me a bit worried - noise, traffic, NOISE (every home run gets a fireworks barrage that we can hear in our current apartment), stupid drunks, etc.

Anyway, strain plus heat yesterday is still making my delayed sleep phase disorder waaaay worse. And I'm extra shaky and twitchy with a side of Elvis-pelvis. And having random numbness again - the usual last two fingers of the right hand plus the tip and bottom of the first section of my right big toe - figure that one out. It seems like every time I start to get used to how I feel and start to wonder if maybe I can "push" a bit more I run into something a bit more stressful and discover that I still have virtually no reserves and cannot cope well with even minor, stupid strains. And it manifests physically. Poo.

Anyway - the more I think of it, the more I think that despite potential commute hassles, living outside the city, especially some place with a yard-type thing, near a nice little lake, that is several hundred dollars less than what we're paying now would be WONDERFUL! We can pay down our debts a bit more and stash a bit more in savings while I attempt to find work I can actually do and/or acquire disability. Oreo and I might have a yard to putter around in and/or a nice porch to hang out on. We might get to know more people (in person) who aren't academics (not that I don't love our academic friends, but it's always good to expand). There are a bunch of sweet little shops and stuff within walking distance (even for me, on a good day) that might make it easier for me to get out and about a bit.

Think Geek MUST make this

I'm sure few Star Wars fans and those of a generally geeky nature missed Think Geek's awesome April Fool's joke

After vociferous protest from the blogosphere, best summed up in my opinion by Geek Central Station's post Think Geek has promised to try to see if they can get permission to produce it.  Even if they can't, I think I might wind up making one myself - if not for myself then for a lucky niece and/or nephew or eventually offspring of my own (who will undoubtedly be Star Wars fans, unless they like the idea of boarding school).