August 2021- awful and awesome

Practically mid-month and no good/bad thread so I'm starting it on a sad note.

An old friend of mine has died. She was a librarian, and for many years the head of the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy, which is part of the Toronto Public Library. Before that, she lived here and was one of the people who got me into SF fandom. She promoted SFF tirelessly at work, she backed authors on Patreon, and she read voraciously and recommended constantly. A kind, generous person who will be much missed.

>1 tardis: so sorry to hear.

>1 tardis: My condolences on the loss of your friend. By the sounds of things she connected with many people.

>1 tardis: My condolences on your loss. It sounds as if you have many good memories accumulated, to remember her by.

>1 tardis: I am so sorry. She sounds like a remarkable woman.

>1 tardis: I’m so sorry.

>1 tardis: Sorry for your loss.

>1 tardis: What a wonderful person, and such a sad loss. She must have had an impact on so many people through her advocacy for SF.

>8 Sakerfalcon: She really was. If you google her name, Lorna Toolis, you'll see lots of tributes.

>1 tardis: Sorry to hear that, tardis.

Well, I'm going to add something else, if I may, but I don't know if this is awesome or awful:

With the housing market where it is, DW and I have discussed possibly putting our present house on the market, moving to something that better fits our needs. This isn't that big a deal for most people, but this is a house that I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, it was bought with an ex and I don't have 100% happy memories here. But on the other, I've been here 14 years and moving is a huge undertaking. Especially at our ages. Then there's the whole money aspect of it. We still owe a decent amount on the house and, according to our realtor, we need to hit a number close to what I paid to break even. And we're getting offers that are ... notably lower. Which now brings us to short sale the sucker to get out from under it or wait. There's still a lot of questions that I'm not sure if we have answers to yet. And that's probably part of what's throwing me into a tailspin.

We meet again with the realtor on Sunday to reassess and regroup.

>10 gilroy: Oh, I don't envy you. Best of luck with all of it.

Looks like we've got a hurricane headed up the East Cost. They are predicting it will take a turn towards the West. Keep your fingers and toes crossed that the models are wrong and this heads out to sea. Just in case I ordered one of those rechargable camping battery packs that will be powerful enough to run a fan, and keep my phone charged, etc. It will arrive today. I really wanted the giant one that has solar panels and can run a fridge, but the wait time was 10 days, and that won't help me. I will probably invest in one of those before Winter, though.

>12 clamairy:
Keep safe. I hope your kindle does not run out of power at the wrong time.

It looks like it's going to land somewhere between you and me, clam. We have a generator hooked into our gas line so we're not too worried (and I'm looking forward to getting some rain, because unlike the rest of the northeast, we've got a drought on the Cape) but my 95-yr-old M-i-L's house is *right* on the beach. I think we need to try to convince her to spend Sunday night at our house, in case the road to her house is washed over.

We need the rain, too. But I'd rather not get 3 inches in a hour. LOL I really hope this thing just rains on us and we don't get the winds. I have so many plants that are finally blooming now, or just getting buds. (Like my moon flowers and morning glories.) They could be decimated.

>12 clamairy: >14 Marissa_Doyle: Hurricanes are scary! I hope you, your families, your homes, and your gardens escape unscathed!

I have some good news to drop into the awesome camp... my wife and I are expecting our first child in December. We're excited and daunted all at the same time.

>1 tardis: She sounds like a wonderful person. You were fortunate to know her.
>17 Tane: Lovely news! Congratulations.

>17 Tane:
Fantastic news. Best wishes to you and your wife.

>18 Taphophile13: thank you

>19 pgmcc: thank you

>17 Tane: brilliant news! Congratulations!

>17 Tane: Congratulations! So happy for you.

>17 Tane: Best wishes and many congratulations!

>17 Tane: My congratulations to you and your wife. It is lovely to hear such good news.

>12 clamairy:, >14 Marissa_Doyle: To everyone facing severe weather - keep safe!

>17 Tane: Happy news, best wishes!

To all under threat of storm or hurricane, I hope you come through it unscathed!

>22 tardis: thank you

>23 MrsLee: Thank you 😊

>24 Marissa_Doyle: thank you

>25 -pilgrim-: thank you

>26 NorthernStar: thank you

>17 Tane: Congratulations! Now you will have an excuse to buy all the children's books!

Keep safe, everyone who is in the path of the storm.

Much less important than those who have lost loved/honoured ones or find themselves in the path of a monster storm, but still an unwelcome first(?)-world problem. Yesterday evening while I was quietly reading Veritas, suddenly boom! No internet. Rest of the family reported the same, and that we had no phone (we have VOIP when it works). So I checked everything until I got to the router. Which was submerged under more ants than anyone should ever see in one place at one time. A hearty spray of ant-killer solved one problem, and Better Half spent time sweeping up the corpses and repairing the damage to furniture. But the router was history, and so first job on return from the Railway Society at Inchanga was to set up the new router, which obviously is now done.

>33 hfglen: So. The great cyber-attack which people are anticipating, may be coming from an un-thought-of source! Glad the invasion is under control in your sector at the moment.

Well we hope so! DD found another nest at the front door (also removed). Whether the huge number of dead eggs will actually have any effect on the next generation remains to be seen.

>33 hfglen: That's not the type of bug I'd expect to affect a router...

>17 Tane: Yeah! Awesome news! Congrats!

>12 clamairy: >14 Marissa_Doyle: I think Henri swiped us on the way as it passed. Stay safe!

To all in the path of Henri: best of luck and stay safe.
>17 Tane: Congratulations!
>33 hfglen: I was just beginning to wonder why we didn’t seem to have seen you in the pub for a while.

>15 clamairy: I've dodged the storm over here to the east, but it looks like clam is in for it. Take care, you!

Be safe everyone. I hope you have no severe damage from the storm.

What, you don’t welcome your ant overlords? Beware!

>40 Bookmarque: Yes, be afraid of Them!

clamairy I hope the storm doesn’t do too much damage! Stay safe!

>17 Tane: congrats!

>33 hfglen: ick! Ants gross me out almost as much as spiders! I hope they now leave your house alone.

We got some much needed moisture in Oregon today. Hopefully it will help to control the forest fires. It did clean up the air. So nice to step outside and be able to take a deep breath!

>42 catzteach: Wonderful to hear about your rain! No such luck here, but at least the temperatures are cooler (80s) the last two days.

I just needed to share this: when I woke this morning I was not in pain.

Pain was not "bearable", not "at a level that I can filter out enough to concentrate on something else", but actually absent.

Of course, one cannot lie stationary for ever. I had to move eventually, so normality has now reasserted itself.

But that half hour was so wonderful. It has been so many years now, that I had completely forgotten what it feels like, to not be in pain.

>42 catzteach: They're Argentine Ants, an invasive species from (surprise!) South America. AFAIK they're effectively impossible to get rid of with any permanence. But I hope we've hit the population here hard enough to make them pause before taking over the house again.

>44 -pilgrim-: May you have many more such half-hours. Nose to tail and while moving around, if possible.

>45 hfglen:
I have had several battles with ants in France, Germany and here. They will not have been as severe as you experienced, but they can be hard to detract from invading your home. I came across a gel that one puts down. According to the leaflet the ants like it and take some of it back to their nest were it eventually kills of the occupants. This does not sound very eco-friendly but I have found frontal attacks with sprays only serve to provide temporary respite from trails of black insects winding their way into your living quarters. The only issue with the gel is that it can take a few days to work and you need the ants to be actively wandering around and taking the bait. I have found ants do like the gel and have seen a blob of gel surrounded by ants clambering to get their chance at the edge of the blob.

>44 -pilgrim-: Definitely awesome. What >46 hfglen: said.

Clam, looks like you got slammed with Henri. Hope you came out of it alright, look out for the floods later.

>44 -pilgrim-: Awesome! I hope this becomes a regular thing!

We're actually good here! Quite a bit of wind and rain, but nothing like it could have been. So aside from a lot of downed leaves and a few small branches I have nothing to clean up. And I didn't lose power! Though the lights did blink a bit. Looks like a lot of folks in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and other parts of New York have not been as lucky.

I did try to take the dog to the beach when the sun came out briefly. The sand on my legs was like small needles, so that did not last long.

Glad you had a brief respite, -pilgrim-.

>44 -pilgrim-: I hope there are many more half-hours like that for you (and hopefully longer than half an hour if possible)

and thanks again to everyone, my wife and I are a combination of excited and apprehensive... exhensive, apprecited? Something like that.

Two pieces of really crap news:

When I agreed to the change in treatment
- reduction in number of radiotherapy sessions, but increase in frequency (even though that was stimulating underlying CRPS and setting up a pain cycle that the neurologists had warned they would be unable to treat, which also damages neurological control of my lower body, as any nerve impulses get interpreted in random ways) and cancellation of the chemotherapy the was planned for July, the rationale for it was that this was "so much more effective than what was planned" and would "bring your treatment to an end sooner", with the consultant radiologist assuring me "don't worry about triggering the CRPS, and the warnings from the neurological pain experts, if that is triggered, just let me know and I will deal with the pain".

I have been going up the wall with pain for the past two and a half months, and contacted her department repeatedly, even having an appointment with her, but she has done NOTHING so far.

Today I went to an appointment with the consultant oncologist, to discuss the results of the CT scan.

Results:
1. I learned that the "what I will do about the pain I am inducing" that the radiologist was proposing was nothing herself, but to refer me back to the neurological pain experts
Yes, the ones who told me that I must not repeat an action that was triggering neurological pain without allowing my body to recover in between, because if I did, and the cycle was set up, there would be nothing that they could do to help.
I believed her when she told me to ignore then because she knew what to do, because as a cancer specialist, I expected her to be familiar with pain, so I trusted her when she said she could deal with it. Except she is not going to.
All she was going to do was refer me back to the specialists whose advice she told me to ignore, and expect me to do what they told me they could not.

2. And the reason given for inflicting this pain? That was not true either. I have metastatic breast cancer. The spots on the lungs, and auxiliary tumours under my arm were not being treated by the radiotherapy. So, although the primary tumour has shrunk, the cancellation of the chemo has meant that the other tumours, particularly on the lung, have grown significantly.

3. I need to move house. I had agreed with the oncologist to a "treatment holiday" after the chemo in order to do this. (The chemo that radiotherapist cancelled, that is.) This is now "completely inadvisable" - and even more difficult to manage in my current state . But cannot be postponed any longer.

I am completely screwed.

The only bright side I can see is that the damage done to my prospects will hopefully reduce the length of time I have to endure this pain.

Oh my...I just don't know what to say, ~p~. Am truly at a loss for words, not that any would help, but I am so sorry this is happening to such a vibrant soul as you.

>53 -pilgrim-: I feel the same as >54 Bookmarque: said and expressed so well. Holding you up in my prayers and thoughts. So very, very sorry it has gone this way for you.

>53 -pilgrim-: oh my. I’m so sorry this is happening to you.

>53 -pilgrim-: Sorry to hear that.

I wish well to everyone in the path of Hurricane Ida. Take care.

>53 -pilgrim-: Sending virtual hugs

Picture on BBC news of the damage caused by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana is strongly reminiscent of some images of the aftermath of our riots six weeks ago. Strength and sympathy to affected Dragoneers.

Huh. Not a good way to spend a Bank Holiday. We'd gone into town in the morning to the Monday Market, and got back home for lunch. For some reason himself went out to the bins to dispose of something, tripped and face-planted on a pile of rubbish left by the contractors. It included an old trellis with a large set of rusty nails.

First I heard was him walking through the hall going 'ow, ow'. He spent the next 15 minutes bleeding over the kitchen sink - at least 2 gashes, one rather large.

We've spent the afternoon in A&E. He's been super-glued up and given a tetanus booster since it's been at least 30 years since his last one. At least I got a good nap in the car park and got a bit of reading done (Robert Macfarlane's Underland).

>61 Maddz: ow!! I'm glad it wasn't worse, though! Underland sounds interesting!

I keep my tetanus shots up to date, being a gardener. I damage myself fairly frequently :)

I'm happy because I have a new garden project. I love a good project. I'll be replacing the rotted wood around my herb garden. My husband and I went to Home Depot this morning and got concrete slabs (8"x24") which will be the replacement frame. They have a sort of wood texture on one side. Should look pretty good and never ever rot again.

And another, more local awful. Durban prides itself on not being cold. Over the weekend we were hit by what the weather bureau claims is the last cold front of winter. That the Berg and maybe the Midlands should be hidden under snow is understandable. But on Sunday it snowed on Alverstone ridge, only 17 km (by road) away.

(DX enthusiasts may recognise that name. It's been the site of the SABC's Durban transmitters since "one year before the Flood".)

Noting the amount of awful here:
>53 -pilgrim-: hugs from me too
Hurricane Ida: stay safe, and best wishes
>61 Maddz: ouch! Agreed not an ideal way to pass the summer bank holiday
>63 hfglen: Durban is on about the same latitude as Sydney and the weather there hasn’t been ideal either—my colleague Manuel had his power taken out for 24 hours by a thunderstorm last week.
As for us, the weather is just gloomy and depressing. Last day of summer tomorrow. Summer. Yeah, right.

>62 tardis: We're in the last stages of the back garden remodel. The fence was rotting, so was the shed (complete with mice), and the bamboo was taking over. We now have a new fence and gate, 2 new sheds with rodent-proof floors, the bamboo is mostly gone (although we keep finding shoots), a new patio right by the house and at the bottom of the garden, the path has also been relaid, and a second path constructed. They did a little bit of work out the front as well - some root suckers got taken off the birch, a variegated laurel bush got dug up, and some of the old paving slabs got turned into hard standing for the wheelie bins - 2 lots, one for my 3, and another for my neighbour's 4.

All we're waiting for is the turf for the lawn (it's been raining and they can't get the turf cutter out), the gate to be hung and the final clearing up to be done (which explains the pile of rubbish out the front). Don't ask me how much it's cost - prices for materials have gone through the roof. I'll be getting raised bed kits next spring and installing them in the veggie patch.

When it's complete, I'll post pictures. I will say the local crow population thoroughly approves of the piles of topsoil on what is going to be the lawn - I've watched them caching food in them.

>65 Maddz: Sounds amazing! I look forward to pictures. Bamboo isn't hardy here, so not a problem, but we have other invasives.

My project has gone fairly well today. I broke one of the long slabs, but it won't really matter in the long run, and had to do some frustrating driving around trying to get new paving stones for the patio, because the new bed is slightly smaller than the old one. Unfortunately, I can't get exactly what I had before so I got something close, and I'll take some from a less obvious part of the patio and use those bricks for the fill-in, and then use the new bricks where they won't show.

>61 Maddz: Ouch. Sorry to hear about that.

Thank you to everyone who has sent hugs and good wishes. I would ask for the prayers of anyone so inclined.

As to Hurricane Ida: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148767/hurricane-ida-batters-louisiana.

Oh, and a bit of news that is kind of awesome: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-coronavirus-vaccines-hospital-cases-ra.... Please get vaccinated.

I've come back from music festivals with a positive LFT. Currently isolating in a tent in the garden because immunocompromised OtherHalf doesn't want me in the house. waiting for formal PCR results before deciding if this is sustainable for 10 days. No symptoms just cold and bored. Typical british summer - not sunny. Book reviews to write and plenty of reading to do but I'd rather be on the sofa.

Hugs (safe virtual ones) to all those worse off than me!

>70 reading_fox: Oh, I am so sorry to hear this. Is there anywhere else that is safe to go? Or, can you get some heat out there?

>67 -pilgrim-: Hang in there. I don't know what else to say that hasn't been stated already.