Patron Saint of Falling Over Things

I'm not doing very well. The prednisolone did not go down quietly, I had rebound inflammation and I've been back on pred once already for a massive skin flare up (let me tell you about the 1 in 10,000 chance of getting photosensitivity while taking frusemide.) The cellulitis came back and I had another round of antibiotics (let me tell you about the rare side-effect where you can taste clindamycin IN YOUR SALIVA.) I've had lots of meds changes. I feel wrung out and tired all the freaking time. I am pretty down about this. I want to feel well, and not like my skin is crawling off my body. It's busy at work, too, and that is more exhausting than it ought to be.

I've signed up for wipbigbang and Camp NaNo, so hopefully I can get some fic posted. I wasn't game to sign up for an actual exchange, so I sadly had to miss out on ssrconfidential. I'm starting to be more chatty on Dreamwidth, which is nice, and I did manage to do a big push on answering AO3 comments, which feels like an achievement. My only other achievement was to crochet a sock monkey hat with a big red pompom. I'm quite pleased with it, even if my sister says the button eyes are demonic. That's part of the charm, I think.

( Button eyes will eat your soul, my sister says )

I've been hoarding linkspam, too, which I shall try to group in themes:

The Expanse
- From Indiewire, The Expanse: How The Syfy Series Found the Unfindable Actress (Which Means Other Shows Can, Too)
About casting a S2 character, who is apparently female, Polynesian and tall/muscular. This is what made me want to start watching The Expanse, and I'm so glad I did. (I've just finished S1, so no spoilers, please. Apart from what's in this article, I guess.)

Podcasts (mostly The Strange Case of Starship Iris)
- From buzzfeed, 27 Podcasts You Should Listen To In 2017
Which reminds me, I've been listening to The Strange Case of Starship Iris and it's really lots of fun. The first episode drags a bit, but once there's more than a cast of two (from episode two), the dialogue bounces along, and the world building opens up. The story is building f/f UST between Violet and Arkady, it has a trans character and a gender fluid character, and I really like the crew of the Rumor. Would recommend.

You can listen here: The Strange Case of Starship Iris

For non-listeners, there's a transcript of Episode One, which isn't the best episode but it sets up the dynamic between the two characters well:
The Strange Case of the Starship Iris, Episode One: Violet Liu, written by Jessica Best

There's an official tumblr, where (I presume) the author discusses world building, nuances of the alien language, and other cool stuff: iriscasefiles


Iron Fist
- via netgirl_y2k, who also has an excellent post about Iron Fist, Here's The Important Stuff That Happens In Iron Fist So You Don't Have To Watch It
There were so many weird things about Iron Fist, (apart from the obvious weird thing of why they cast Finn Jones as Danny.)

( brief spoilers )

Dance-themed links
- From Pointe Magazine, #TBT: Watch Baryshnikov Do 11 Pirouettes in White Nights
Because Mikhail Baryshnikov is so pretty.

And through that video, I found a slo-mo analysis of the move, which was really interesting. It's mind blowing to count those turns in slow motion.
( embedded under the cut )

Speaking of ballet, the Dance Academy movie comes out next week!
( Trailer under the cut! )

More Dance Academy links:
- I wish I’d grown up with ‘Dance Academy’, ABC’s beloved teen drama

- The career of Joanna Werner, and how Dance Academy remains en pointe


Other random links
- From HuffPo, Dolphins Might Be Chewing On Blowfish To Get High
Dolphins are bastards and kind of sketch.

- From Buzzfeed, 23 Accidental Google Image Searches That’ll Make You Pee A Little
Very silly. Somehow very satisfying.

- via Nalini Singh's facebook, The Moistest Chocolate Mug Cake
The word moist has ceased to have any meaning that is not disgusting, but I do like a mug cake.

- via the medical tag on Ravelry, Dressed for Success
Crocheted stethoscope sweater. CN: anthropomophising of a stethoscope. Also not addressed is how this could contribute to spreading infection? IDK. The idea is cute though.

- via dine, Artist Paints Realistically Detailed Animals on Smooth Stones
So beautiful!

- From The Age, Police hunt for unicorn after attempted servo smash and grab
CN: armed robbery, only extra.

12 Yarn Ball Types and How to Knit with Them
Hankenstein. Heh.


I still need to post fic here that I've had up at AO3. And get planning on what I'm going to write for Camp NaNo which inexplicably starts tomorrow omg. Tomorrow is April Fools, too. *reminds self to watch out* I always fall for stupid shit, me.

On the drive to one of the bigger rural centres we can shop at, there's a wetland where black swans nest. The last couple of times we've been past there's been this massive, and I mean, MASSIVE swan standing on a nest. Like, amazingly huge, you can see it from much further back than you'd expect. Swans' nests are reedy piles of grass floating in the water, so it looks like the swan is standing on a pedestal, like a mighty statue to honor the swan gods.

Anyway, the other day, we drove past and instead of one giant swan, there were five swans on the nest, standing in this weird pentagonal arrangement facing each other. Theory: giant swan? Five swans put together into one mighty swan. Possibly for great justice, but I don't know enough about Voltron to justify this part of my theory.

State of me
I had to slow my prednisolone wean - the shakiness and early morning mania and other weirdness was getting too much, so I slowed to 5mg per week, per what the doctors said if I was feeling the 10mg weekly drop too much. I'm not sure if I'm starting to get the moon face or if it's just that I had my hair all cropped off and I have a round face anyway. But wow, I'm bruising up a treat. Also wow, it's nice to have knees. I haven't taken any NSAIDs in December at all. I put them back in the cupboard.

I got my Yuletide fic to the place where I want it, which is a big relief. I didn't get time to write any treats, for which I feel bad, but it has been the worst of Novembers and Decembers. I'm planning to dive into fandom_stocking as soon as I'm through the retail Christmas panic times. Which aren't too bad today - I'm actually writing this at work. (ETA: Finishing at home, though! It got busier.)

State of the cat
He's doing great! His CK levels are still high, so we're doing sub-q fluids twice a day until next Wednesday, and he's getting to a stage of wellness where he's pretty much done with our stupid medical stuff and puts up a decent fight. We are up to this, though! And he forgives very fast. Hopefully the blood test on Wednesday will show a reduction in CK which means the snake venom is no longer breaking down muscle tissue and then we can get onto finding out what his renal situation is, and if there was damage. Hopefully not. He's lost so much weight, poor darling, both from not eating and from the muscle waste, but he's working hard on rectifying it. He is a cat who lunches! He demands it! And his fur is growing back in all the places where he got clipped to have cannulae, so he's got all these cute fuzzy patches on him. I took a video of him walking meditatively in his wheel to show the vets, because they've only seen him sick and miserable and immobile. I wish I could figure out how to post the video here! But image hosting is so complicated now. I miss photobucket. Here's a photo, anyway:

( Here is his slightly haggard self, getting some fresh air )

Tineee linkspam
A thing I think is pretty awesome and also gorgeous:
World’s first Maori emoji app launches with unique Polynesian expressions

From umadoshi, something I found useful for myself, and for helping lilacsigil when I'm having a meltdown:
When Your Partner Has Anxiety: A Meltdown Guide

From the Guardian, not that I agree with all/most of their choices, but I'm always cruising for something new to listen to, and you might be too:
The 50 best podcasts of 2016

A thing I learned recently and I feel I should share:
Why do wombats do cube-shaped poo?


Oh, oh, house of sharpest_asp, ilyena_sylph and killing_rose!! I got your AMAZING card - thank you so much for the well wishes, and for the big smile it gave both of us.

I something something made it to 50K in NaNo. I don't know why I didn't quit, and I don't know what I actually wrote, and what are words anyway? In the last desperate hours, I wrote some fic about Harold Finch feeding a kitten with an eyedropper.

I finished some stuff. I wrote some crack. I need to get onto Yuletide now.

( state of the meatsack: )

omg I just found a post I wrote in the first week:
( talk of pee, weight-loss, generally a bit deluded )

Wow, I am so much less off my face now. I was really sick. :O


Activist Links
- Rec: rydra_wong is doing stellar work collecting and compiling links.

- And as always, thisfinecrew is a great resource.

- How to call your reps when you have social anxiety
(This one has done the rounds everywhere, but I liked how clear and simple the plan was.)

- Revenge
(I really liked this poem, especially:
And of course it’s not fair but rest assured,
anxious America, you brought your fists to a glitter fight.)


Links to Distract
- The Cast of Criminal Minds Like You've Never Seen Before
I WOULD FREAKING WATCH THE SHIT OUT THIS SHOW, with all the ladies running heists and shacking up together and why can't this be on tv why.

- Captive Prince opening titles
Oldie but a goodie, and the casting makes me laugh. Also, really skillful, you know? It pleases me.

- FringeMusic107 is a youtube channel that makes mixes of TV themes, and I found them to be really good writing/studying music, especially the Person of Interest themes. I played Harold's Theme a lot through NaNo.


Anyway. I am not dead. The world goes on. We are a great team. I love youse guys. <3

So, anyway, I got sick. Something bit me, I don't know what, but I woke up with a leg the colour and shape of a hotdog and a fever that made me get lost in my own bedroom. I mean, it obviously wasn't deadly. But it sure was germy because I'm infected.

I hate being so sick that all you can do is sit and cry in bewilderment. I am really bad at being that sick.

Then there was interesting investigations with the doctor, and pen marks all over the biggest and reddest part of my leg, and I'm on antibiotics, but wow, I feel terrible. I can feel every lymph node in my body right now, istg. And yet, I'm still at work because people in my trade are notoriously lousy at taking days off. (It's hard to justify the cost, plus my locum has her childcare all sorted out, and I mean, it's not like I'm stuck in bed or anything. Ugh, self-care, why is it so hard?)

ETA: since I left this post hanging, my leg blew up even more, and I've been in hospital on IV antibiotics. They're not admitting me, yet, but it's possible if I don't show a vast improvement. At the moment, they've sent me home to stay 'in bed with toilet privileges'. Some hours later, I am disappoint that (a) I am not instantly better and (b) staying in bed when you have to is a whole other extremely tedious thing.

At least I am very lucky to have lilacsigil to brain some sense into me and to bring me meds and coffee and a muffin and to remind me that it's okay not to be at work.

Activist Links:

New comms:
- thisfinecrew - a place to gather links to resources and step-by-step actions to take to be more involved in various efforts in the wake of Donald Trump's election to the Presidency.
(Is helpful at breaking tasks down into little steps, and has links to things like phone scripts.)

- spoonlessactivists - for anyone who wants to do something about this world we're in, something to make it a better, more humane place - but is short on resources.


Cheering links:
Oldie but a goodie:
- Shelter dogs feel lonely and abandoned, so children practice reading books to them - an old link, but one that I find continually revivifying.

News about Phryne Fisher:
- Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Movie, Prequel TV Show Details
- ABC's Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries set to become an action movie trilogy

Sea life, squee life:
EVNautilus - this youtube channel is soothing and delightful, for me, anyway. It's a bunch of science nerds of various flavours watching the feeds from the Exploration Vessel Nautilus as it explores the ocean floor off Vancouver Island's west coast. The scientists geek out in delightful ways over cute octopi and pooping sea pigs and this one time a sperm whale came to check out the submersible. I find it very cheering. Nautilus Live is the home for the project if you want to read more about it.
Some of my favourite videos:
Rare Sperm Whale Encounter (They're so excited!)
Shy Octopus Hides Inside Its Own Tentacles


Ugh, I have to go back to the hospital at 8:30 tonight to get more ABs, and again tomorrow and it's very tedious. And I thought I'd get so much NaNo done, but strangely enough, when you're sick and uncomfortable, your concentration is not great, and I am probably never going to catch my word debt from being sick all week and. I mean. Honestly, I'm really bad at this shit. My leg seems to be less swollen, though? Still really red, but instead of a red shiny hotdog, it's more like an old shrivelled wrinkly hotdog.

Son of ETA: I forgot that I caught a Diglett at the hospital!! Diglett is so ridiculously cheering.

[A hospital bed with a Diglett spawned at the end. The Diglett is CP 183]