Little Bits, This and That

Last night, I was cutting something up, and my hands were having a tough time of it. They're still useful, don't get me wrong, but their strength has degraded significantly in the ten years since my arthritis first manifested, and the last week or so, they've been in one of their periodic grumpy states. They hurt so much last night that it felt not just painful but really sad, because it's only going to get worse.

*****
Stories that are not over yet
So, I got to drive the loaner again--yes, the car started to make that noise again, so back to the shop it went. They decided that the left strut part must have been defective, and put in a new one--and the noise went away, they reported, as though it didn't do that last week, too. We'll see if the noise stays away this time. I'm getting right sick of going there, not to mention the trips I have coming up in a few weeks. Reliable wheels would be nice.

Also, I got a bill from the lab work, saying that I owe them 50-some dollars that the insurance didn't cover. So I have to call the insurance, again, about that. Sigh.

*****
I went to get a voice-mail off my cell phone recently and, not for the first time, forgot my password. Not that I drew a blank--rather, the number I was certain of was rejected. Hmm? I think I used my ATM code, since I had been at the bank that morning. I guess I need to make them the same. Too many passwords, not enough brain cells, apparently.

I did remember it again, but it took a while. Oy.

*****
My lunch today did not agreee with me, and my stomach is still rumbling over seven hours later. Two things about that:

1. It was leftovers from dinner last night, which caused no internal distress at all. Perhaps because I had a Coke with it last night? Would that make a difference?
2. Did you know there's a word for stomach rumbles? Borborygmus. There is your thing for the day.

*****
An example of how I'm not useless at work even with a moderate migraine (not today, mind you): doing a final read-through on a report, I look at "anti-diabetic" and think, "Didn't I see 'antidiabetic' elsewhere?" And I did. So.

*****
Setting up job search alerts reminds me of how challenging my field is to job-search in. It isn't that there are no jobs, but finding them in the weeds of the terminology is "fun". Different people mean different things by "edit" and "proofread"; also, you have to watch for titles like "editorial manager" which typically do not involve editing, but managing the editors. Ugh!

*****
Have I already mentioned that my mother is coming for Thanksgiving? With appropriate levels of pleasure and enthusiasm? Well, double that, since now my brother is coming too! We will be a little snug here at Casa di Cat Hair, but it will be fun! Particularly since my brother, having just started a new (permanent!) job, won't be coming east for Christmas.

*****
Sometimes when I'm googling things at work, I wish I could set the search to not bring up images. Why is it that you can do an image search, but not a text-only search? Is that possible? I mean, why are they so sure I want to see images of lichen planus overlap? I didn't!

*****
Time for couch, Carlos, and Bruins game on the radio! What's on YOUR mind?