Morphy's Magical Manor - Part 1

A new year. A new beginning. I'm hoping to be much better about being part of the community this year instead of disappearing and reappearing at random.

I read 367 books last year which is my highest yet in about 10 years but it's nothing to write home about as the majority were comfort rereads. At some point, hopefully in the next month, I'll have them in my database and I can get percentages. I'm two years behind but I have everything written down. Well, at least the important bits - title/author, month read, etc. That's another thing I want to be better about. Writing down all the information about a book I've read within a day or two so I have that record.

I made out quite well in the book department for Christmas thanks to three people in particular plus the coordinators of SantaThing (lorannen) and the 75ers Christmas Swap (mahsdad.)

(How do you do the touchstone on people again?)

SantaThing by liveshipvivacia
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (DOORSTOP, my word! Never seen anything like it.)
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
Words I Wish I Wrote by Robert Fulghum
The Chosen by Chaim Potok

75ers Christmas Swap by Catarina1
The Round House by Louisa Erdrich
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Jimmy Bluefeather by Kim Heacox

A dear friend. Amazon pre-order
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (March 2017)
Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (March 2017)

Meanwhile, MrMorphy is out running a few quick errands. I was surprised that the grocery store was open today! We were running low on milk and I thought we'd end up with expensive convenience store milk, but not so.

* Set up dailies template (for journal) *DONE*
* Set up 2017 LT page *DONE!*
* Place Amazon order *DONE*

My dear friend above also gave me a $25 gift card for Amazon. And MrMorphy's parents gave us a nice check for Christmas. Almost all of it is being put into savings to live on, but we're taking a bit of it to splurge with. Both of us will be partially using it on Amazon, too. MrMorphy is getting his usual pin-up wall calendar plus a pocket flashlight. I want a weekly planner but don't know what else yet.

Last night I watched episodes 9 - 12 of Season 1 of Gilmore Girls. I'm quite entranced. Also, I finished Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas as my final book of 2016 and while it wasn't *great*, it's good enough that I'll certainly be continuing the series and soon.

Happy New Year! (dropping a star)

Dropping my star, Morphy! Looks like a terrific Christmas haul - I have several of those in the stacks.

Happy reading in 2017, Morphy!

Happy reading 2017, Morphy. What a gorgeous book haul.

Wishing you the best for 2017. That's a great book haul.

Happy 2017! Have a *.

Happy New Thread, Morph! I hope you both have a good and healthy New Year.

367 books? Not shabby. Doubled my count!

Happy New Year Morphy! Glad to see you here so early. I was also hopeless at threads last year (a combination of life complications, work and discovering the Gilmore Girls on Netflix!). Looking forward to keeping up with your thread in 2017. May it bring you and MrMorphy good things!

Hi, sister!!

Yay for The Three Musketeers, yay for Gilmore Girls, and yay for splurges!

>1 Morphidae: The touchstone on authors is double brackets instead of single brackets for the book.

Great to see you back, dear lady, and I trust that 2017 will be a kinder one to you. Love to Mr. Morphy. Please try to remember your Whacky Wednesdays which I used to love and to drop by and see your stubby little pal from Malaysia, once a while.

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Hey Morphy. Happy New Year! Good luck on War and Peace. I gave up after reading only about 40% of that book, which in my edition was around 500 pages. Oof!

>1 Morphidae: War and Peace made my top 5 last year. Enjoy!

Hope you have a wonderful 2017!

>1 Morphidae: Is this your first time through with Gilmore Girls or are you rewatching?

Happy New Year, Morphy!

Welcome back!

Happy New Year to you and Mr Morphy! And we're okay with you coming and going. I've been doing a lot of that myself lately. Just so long as you always remember to come back some day!

Happy New Year, Morphy!

Happy New Year, Morphy!

Happy New Year, Morphy! May it be much kinder than the last!

I'm blown away by your stats from last year. Almost a book a day! War and Peace should be a cinch, although parts of it can be downright tedious at times. I made it through in three months last year with the group read. Still, I enjoyed it a lot and love to have a notch on my belt for having read it!

I'm watching The Gilmore Girls for the first time, too. I just finished season four and now waiting for the next season to be available from the library. The new Netflix update seems to have increased the waiting time by a very large amount!

Morning, Morphy! A group of us read War and Peace last year in January - I liked it much better than I thought I would, but the beginning feels a bit overwhelming because of all the characters.

>2 ronincats: >4 FAMeulstee: >5 Ameise1: >6 avatiakh: >7 BBGirl55: >12 PaulCranswick: >16 rosalita: >17 drneutron: >18 cammykitty: >19 swynn: >20 Berly: >21 DianaNL: Thanks!

>3 Crazymamie: I'll try to let you know when they are on deck. Maybe we can read a couple at the same time.

>8 msf59: I doubt I'll get as high this year. I reread all most all my "reread books" and so won't be doing that again for at least a couple years. I also want to concentrate on reading new books. So I'll be happy with 250 this year.

>9 klarusu: Where's your thread again? I can't find it in 75ers.

>10 scaifea: I have to be cautious with how I watch Gilmore Girls. If I splurge too much, I'll get sick of the show and not want to watch. But once I start watching a DVD, it's like potato chips, I want more and more!

>13 reconditereader: Yes, it's looking rather intimidating.

>14 thornton37814: I'll try! Right now I'm about to start Les Miserables.

>15 ChelleBearss: First time through and loving it!

>22 streamsong: I'm still on season 1. That's a concern I've been having about Netflix. Now that they are concentrating so much on streaming, what's going to happen to us DVD folks?

***

>11 PaulCranswick: I meant how to touchstone LT members. And there won't be Wacky Wednesdays anymore but instead...

I would like that, Morphy - just give me a head's up, and I am ready.

Monday Meme



The meme might be funny, inspirational, cultural, or cute (awwww.)

*****

Quiet day today. I have some phone calls to make (are doctor offices open today?) for appointments for MrMorphy and to arrange my MetroMobility ride to my doctor on Wednesday (three month checkup.) We should pull our Christmas decorations down (one mini-decorated, lighted tree.) Ooooh, oooh, I can go back to plural. I need to put the Christmas cards we received away. Whoo hoo!

For dinner we'll be having Salisbury Steak over mashed potatoes with corn. MrMorphy eats it separately. I mush it all together. We'll either watch another episode of The Librarians* or read The Mote in God's Eye** by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

* OMG, MrMorphy introduced me to this show last night and I LOVE IT. It is so funny and so much fun. I'm going to have to portion this out so I don't watch it all too quickly! At least with Gilmore Girls I have seven seasons. With The Librarians, they are only in the middle of season 3!

** The Pecan Paradisio book club gave me the idea and the Morphy household has decided to do the same thing though it will be a bit trickier. MrMorphy has become something of a reluctant reader except for a few favorite authors though he swears he is willing to do this as long as I don't pick "girly romantic" books. I'm going to try to pick a combination of old classic science fiction and newer similar books.

*****

* Pay bills *DONE*
* Call MetroMobility *DONE*
* Set up d appt for MrMorphy *DONE*
* Set up p appt for MrMorphy *DONE*

Morphy - I could never find your thread last year. I've got it starred now.

>24 Morphidae: ooooh wonderful! Enjoy!! I've loved that show since the second season was on TV, then I bought the seasons when they were all released! I'm a total Gilmore nerd :)

Good morning, Morphy. I just found your thread, and starred it. I started Gilmore Girls a little while ago too. I'm still in season one, but I'm liking it so far. Also, did you know The Librarian was a movie first. My family loves it, and I think the ended up making three movies in total. Happy New Year, and good luck with your reading.
(Thanks for visiting my thread.)

>24 Morphidae: I've been able to get the Gilmore Girls DVD's through my library's ILL. Downside is that I get the whole season at once with only two weeks to watch it!

I think Netflix has been very slow delivering DVD's during the holiday season. :-(

I adore Gilmore Girls. I first watched the series on ABC Family (now Freeform), then got the DVDs from my library, finally (after my very generous husband got the hint), I have the first seven seasons on DVD. They are my go-to for slowing down, taking it easy, leisure TV viewing.

Did you know that Netflix just published a new season of Gilmore Girls? Four episodes, each representing a different season in the year. Very nice to see the old characters again, and to see some resolution in their lives.

Karen O.

Happy New Year, Morphy. I'll be lurking around. Hope 2017 is good to you guys.

Happy Tuesday, Morphy!

>27 SandDune: Welcome! One thing that should help in the future. I always put a link to the first thread of the year on my profile page.

>28 ChelleBearss: I thought I was a Gilmore nerd until my husband introduced me to The Librarians. O.M.G. I LOVE that show. It is so much fun. Gilmore Girls still remain in the top 5 though.

>29 thearlybirdy: I just found out about the movies last night. I think I'll wait on watching the movies until we've watched all the episodes and are waiting for new ones to come out!

And it's always a pleasure to visit Mamie's girls!

>30 streamsong: I get one disk at a time from the library which has four episodes. We just sent disks back to Netflix for the first time in months so I haven't noticed anything yet about a slow down.

>31 klobrien2: Yes, actually seeing all the hullabaloo about the new season was the final push to get me to finally start watching it!

>32 mahsdad: Same to you!

>33 Crazymamie: Is it movie night or reading night for you all? It's a reading night for me and a computer night for MrMorphy.

I just looked at your thread topper. Three of your SantaThing books are huge favorites of mine (the Tolstoy, Dumas & Potok). I hope you enjoy them!

Reading night. What are you reading?

All quiet today. Dinner is what we call "Baked Prego" except we are doing an even easier version on the stove. Ingredients are (cooked) ground beef, Prego, pasta, and cheddar. Usually we use ziti, penne, or mostaccioli, mix the beef, Prego and pasta together, sprinkle the cheddar on then put in the oven long enough to melt the cheese (10 minutes?) and warm the Prego. Tonight we are doing the easier version with spaghetti noodles. Just mix everything together and leave on the stove until the Prego warms and cheddar melts.

I'll be starting In the Woods by Tana French for the book club. After that will most likely be Farm City by Novella Carpenter. (Touchstoned as The Wonderful World of Oz? Weird.)

Last night we watched episode 3 of The Librarians. Still loving it! I have a little crush on Jenkins. He's adorable.

*****

* Fill out Prudential form backup
* Gather Xcel app for H
* Make January TIOLI list *DONE*
* Get addresses for C and L *DONE*

Oooh, Baked Prego sounds fabulous!

>26 Morphidae: Like.

I am a masher like you, Morphy.

I like the idea of a family bookclub. Belle looked fit to kill me when I suggested it in my household. "Dad, I couldn't read your crap!", struck rather a low blow. I felt like asking her - "You don't know Morphy by any chance do you?"

>34 Morphidae: the Librarians, eh? I'll have to check that one out

>38 scaifea: I realized I forgot to mention that the ground beef needs to be cooked first. LOL.

>39 PaulCranswick: Okay, that made me bark out loud with laughter! I'm just glad MrMorphy didn't ask why I was laughing like he usually does. It would have taken too long to explain...

>40 ChelleBearss: I looked over your library and you might like The Librarians - a group of four young people who solve supernatural mysteries and retrieve magical artifacts. It's a fun adventure.

oh boo, Netflix Canada doesn't have it available :-(

>42 ChelleBearss: That's a big ol' boo! :(

Can someone tell me how you mark a member's name so you can link to their member page? I thought it was three brackets but that doesn't seem to work.

I went looking, but there doesn't seem to be one. They only mention authors and books. Were people just using html?

Howdy, Morph! Glad I am not working today. Windy and cold out there. My feeders have been hopping too.

The Baked Prego sounds tasty! I made up a batch of chili in the crockpot. Can't wait to dig in.

@Morphidae Put the @ symbol before the member's name

Happy New Year, Morphy! I'd love to see a photo of your Baked Prego.

>45 London_StJ: >47 calm: has it. Thanks!

>46 msf59: I think the highest it got today was 7F/-14C. Since they were expecting only 2F/-17C, I won't complain as much (i.e. still a lot of it, just not as much.) I'm glad you are feeding the birds through the winter. #1 The colder it is, the more calories the birds need. #2 Once you start feeding them in winter, you really shouldn't stop. They get habituated to looking to your bird feeder for food and could get ill or worse if you suddenly stop. It's okay to stop once Spring comes along.

>48 kidzdoc: Honestly, I'm really surprised so many people think the Baked Prego dish sounds good or interesting. I was embarrassed to post it as it's a "low class/lazy/poor people dish." You know, one of those that only bad cooks or those with no money would make. I'll see what I can do next time MrMorphy makes it.

>49 Morphidae: Baked Prego sounds like comfort food to me, and an easy dish to prepare as well. I think a lot of us would like it!

>49 Morphidae: w00t @calm

Happy New Year, Morphy!

Great to have you so active on LT again. Looking forward to a fun '17 with you.

367 books read is awesome!

>50 kidzdoc: It really is easy and doesn't take that long to prepare.

*Start the oven to 350 degrees.
*Start the water boiling.
*When the water is boiling put the noodles in. (1 box - ziti, penne, any short noodle)
*Start cooking the ground beef, (1 pound - we use 80 to 85%)
*When noodles and beef are done, combine with about 36 ounces of Prego.
*Put in 13" x 9" baking dish.
*Shred 8 ounces of cheddar cheese on top.
*Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 6 - 8 generous servings.

>51 London_StJ: Now we can all visit @calm!

>52 jnwelch: Thanks! I'm hoping to be more active (and fun) in 2017.

I can't promise regular visits (in fact, you can bet on irregular ones) but I did want to wish you a happy new year and all the best for 2017.

>53 Morphidae: We do the same with spaghetti noodles too - call it baked spaghetti!

Hey Morphy just starred your thread thanks for coming to mine.

>24 Morphidae: I've finally set up a thread here. I shall endeavour to keep it up-to-date this year ... *famous last words*

I even namechecked you ;-)

Morning, Morphy!

Thanks for posting the recipe, Morphy! I'll probably try it the weekend after next, although I'll probably substitute ground turkey for beef to limit my red meat consumption.

Popping in to say hello and drop a star. Happy reading!

>53 Morphidae: We make something very similar called "Spaghetti Pie"--except it's in layers. The spaghetti (along with some egg and cheese) form a "crust", and then you put the meat sauce on top, topped with cheese. IMO, nothing wrong with baked pasta.

>59 kidzdoc: and ground turkey sounds like an interesting change--I bet it'd be great!

Karen O.

Oh, and I wanted to tell you, Morphy, that The Librarian was MOVIES before the TV series. The movies had Noah Wylie, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin, and various actresses, and were pretty good. Unfortunately, did not see either the movies or the TV show on Netflix, but my library has all three movies--maybe yours does too?

Karen O.

>61 klobrien2: I've been substituting chicken sausage and ground turkey in place of pork sausage and ground beef in old and new recipes the past few months, and I've been pleased with how they have turned out.

Hi Morphy! Glad to see your threads moving along splendidly.

>63 kidzdoc: Your food pictures always look so good, and the recipes "read" so delicious! I've been impressed by your positioning towards healthier eating--it's such a good example for me! Morphy, sorry to hijack your thread, but we were talking about food, right?

Karen O.

>54 tiffin: A visit, however often, is always welcome!

>55 drneutron: We did a quicky version on the stove top with spaghetti the other night. Instead of melting the cheese on top, we mixed it in.

>56 GeezLouise: Any time! I look forward to chatting with you in 2017!

>57 klarusu: Oh, I'm using Berry, too!

>58 Crazymamie: Good morning, dearling! Or rather, good afternoon, now!

I'm a big fan of easy to prepare meals. Tonight we are having a boring meal of breakfast sausage and pasta with alfredo sauce (premade jar) and broccoli. Very gourmet!

>59 kidzdoc: We've never used ground turkey for Baked Prego though we have for "Burger Mac" yet another "poor man's comfort dish" - 2 Kraft Mac & Cheese, 1 pound cooked ground meat, 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 cup (4 ounces) Cheddar. We tend to make these relatively regularly because we can get several leftover meals out of them for lunches. Yesterday we made Beef Bean stew (aka Cupboard Stew because it used canned kidney beans, canned garbanzo beans, boxed beef broth, egg noodles, red lentils, etc. from the pantry) which gave us six lunches. (We used fresh stew meat, onion, carrot and celery as well.)

>60 tapestry100: Thanks so much! The year is off to a slow start. In the Woods is taking time to read. I wish I could read something quick next but Farm City is due back at the library.

>61 klobrien2: Oh, yum. Recipe?

>62 klobrien2: We have the first DVD from Netflix. One way or the other we'll get the movies, too. We're planning on watching them after we get caught up with the series. All those characters are in the first setup episodes.

>63 kidzdoc: We'll switch off between ground beef and ground turkey in some dishes but neither of us is much into sausage.

>64 The_Hibernator: Me, too. I think a lot of it has to do with how often I respond. No Morphy, no posts.

>65 klobrien2: I don't mind thread drift even though I don't ever hijack threads. Mamie. Mamie! Stop LAUGHING at me, Mamie!

>67 ChelleBearss: Yes, that's another - frozen chicken breasts (well, thawed then cooked, angel hair pasta, and alfredo sauce (jarred.)

If I haven't visited your thread, please provide a link. Especially if you aren't in the 75 Books Challenge for 2017.

***

MrMorphy ran out to the food shelf today and came back with a nice pile of food. They've changed it so you can go through the shelves yourself and pick out what you like. It makes it a lot easier to get what you want without receiving food you won't use (no more generic tomato sauce!) We got a lot of meat today, too, including chicken wings, a beef roast, brats, hamburger patties, and pork chops. We accidentally got a can of chicken along with our usual tuna. Anyone have ideas on what to make with one can of chicken? Also, the front area (doesn't count toward our allotment) had a lot of bakery stuff and we got sugar cookies, a half-dozen old-fashioned donuts, mini-croissants, and an apple pie. Then, of course, the usual generic Hamburger Helper stuff, Mac & Cheese, canned beans, canned vegetables, milk, etc. We can get that stuff once a month. Once a week we can do the "front area" which has bakery and produce on an irregular (but decent) basis. I'd say about 1/2 to 3/4 of the time we can find something to use there. About 1/4 of the time, we can get a really nice load like we did today.

Tonight we are having burgers and oven fries for supper and I'll keep reading In the Woods by Tana French.

I had my weekly visit from S. from the church today. I've been showing pictures mostly from my youth the last two visits. It's not so much the pictures, I guess, as the stories they bring about that are of interest. But the last two visits have just flown by.

***

*Answer LT messages (oh, this is so anxiety provoking) *DONE*
*Send thank yous *DONE*
*Contact T about E's LL *DONE*

>69 Morphidae: Chicken salad sandwiches? Half a can each with a bowl of soup?

Hi, Morph! Staying toasty? I saw your recipe for split-pea soup. Boy, would that go down good right now, plus I can pack a bowl for lunch. We do have a ham-bone from Christmas too. NEED to send the wife a memo...

What do you think of In the Woods so far? I know not everyone, was crazy about it, but I thought it was excellent. I still have to read her latest.

Morphy, make chicken melts instead of tuna melts. Mix the chicken with a bit of mayo, chopped celery, sliced green onions, a bit of grated cheese, spoon it on top of slices of bread and grill in the oven on a cookie sheet for a few minutes until the bread starts to brown a bit. It stretches it and goes nicely with a bowl of soup.

I'm getting so hungry reading your thread, Morphy! :) I'll post the Spaghetti Pie recipe on my thread and let you know when I do. It's a bit fussier, but it makes a nice large casserole, and my DH and I eat it for several meals.

How are you liking In the Woods (to insert a little book-related note)? I haven't read any Tana French, so I'll be interested to know how you like it.

Karen O.

>71 msf59: The onion, garlic, salt and pepper can be adjusted for taste, but the rest should stay the same.

>72 tiffin: Oh, great idea. I love tuna melts anyway. We use Miracle Whip, American, and Swiss cheese then cook it on a sandwich-sized griddle on top of the stove.

>73 klobrien2: We don't mind fussier as long as it isn't TOO fussy. And how much harder can adding some eggs be, eh?

***

>71 msf59: >73 klobrien2: I'm going to hold off on any feedback for In the Woods until Sunday afternoon after our book club meets.

Hi, Morphy! I thought I'd visited your 2017 thread before but looks like I was just dreaming or something. Anyway, want to wish you a Happy New Year before the month gets too far along.

Hi Morphy. Thanks again for the recommendations! I'll try to be more active here on your thread this year. ;)

>74 Morphidae: Oh, let me guess, detective Ryan is wishy-washy and the whole book is about miserable people being miserable?

I've added The Librarians to my Netflix queue. I'll probably wait to start them until I've finished either the Gilmore Girls or West Wing, the two series I have going now.

Hi Morphy! Just want to say once again how nice it is to have you back. : ) I will have to check out the Librarians. We (my oldest and I) have watched the first two of the new four Gilmore Girls episodes this year. That used to be our thing and it was such a great chance to talk about all sorts of random things as she was growing up. Love it!

Morning, sister!

>75 Storeetllr: Thanks! I've been watching the Donate 2017 collection to see when it settles down. I see that it just had a big bump!

>76 Kassilem: You know how I love recommendations!

>77 The_Hibernator: Nope and nope! Ryan is not wishy-washy and I happen to like at least one character who is certainly not miserable.

>78 streamsong: I know. I'm trying to mix the two up so I don't watch too much of either.

>79 Berly: I like being back. A lot. It will be a little nicer when the threads calm down and it doesn't take as much time to go through the threads! Sounds like a fun thing. MrMorphy and I watch The Librarians together. I watch Gilmore Girls alone though sometimes I hear a snigger from the other room.

>80 scaifea: Hey there, girl! Did you get my PayPal payment for Charlie?

This thread made me all hungry! A couple months ago I randomly caught a couple episodes of the Librarians and it was the perfect silly show.

>81 Morphidae: *scurries off to check* Yep, sure did! Did you get your postcard yet?

>82 reconditereader: Yes, it is very silly. But sometimes you need silly in your life.

>83 scaifea: Just did today! Check your PMs for a note!

>81 Morphidae: I guess I'll have to wait until Sunday to hear more of your thoughts. I think my review doesn't hit my blog (and thus my LT page) until Monday. I've written it already though.

>85 The_Hibernator: Yep, else why meet? ;)

To update Liz?

>87 The_Hibernator: You talk to her every day! Like you haven't told you what you think? :P

Morning, Morphy! Happy Sunday Saturday! Carrie has informed me that it is actually Saturday!

>89 Crazymamie: Last time I checked, yes. :D

MrMorphy had a big errand day on Friday. First, the medical supply place for bandages. I'm having on-going issues with pressure sores that he has to bandage with a honey dressing every other day. The honey dressing supply lasts for quite a bit but the bandages have to be replaced weekly. It's about a thirty minute trip. Ugh!

Then Aldi's. We haven't been using Aldi's since it's so far away but with these trips to the medical supply place, it's now on the way. They have very inexpensive meat plus OMG the chocolate. I get Choceur hazelnut milk chocolate from Germany which is to die for.

Target for a couple things then an oil change. My word, those things have gotten horribly expensive. I remember when you could get them for $20 and now they 2.5 that.

Lastly, Cub for some grocery essentials - other meat, ketchup, Parmesan, cookies, creamer, etc.

More of The Librarians but now we have to send the DVD back. *pouty face* I don't know whether to get the next one or more on to the next Eureka so I don't get tired of The Librarians. I think we need to finish Eureka - we are mid-season 4 THEN finish up The Librarians. Or at least switch off. After those two, it will be time to go back to the next season of CSI - 13 or 14, I think?

I've finished In the Woods by Tana French and will post it tonight or tomorrow after book group this afternoon. I've started Farm City by Novella Carpenter (oh, like that isn't a pseudonym!) I've also started the one chapter a day Harry Potter challenge that @The_Hibernator is doing. I don't know how much writing I'll be doing like her, but I will be reading the book and the posts. Next up will be When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

I have two movies to watch from Netflix - an old favorite I haven't watched in a long time, Cruel Intentions, and one I haven't seen, Zootopia. Quite a juxtaposition, eh?

I love Aldi, for their chocolates (YES) and their inexpensive everything-else.

Do you or Mr. Morphy have a smartphone? If so, I suggest looking into apps like ibotta, checkout 51, mobisave and shopkick. I use them every week and I rack up quite a bit of extra cash with them (they're rebates-on-grocerys-and-other-stuff sorts of apps). I learned about them from www.thepennyhoarder.com, which I also think you'd like, if you don't know it already.

Charlie and I watched Zootopia for the first time this week and liked it pretty well. Not a favorite, but still fun. I hope you like it!

Now, back to baking...

>92 scaifea: I've never looked into them because we buy so little. Only the most basic of groceries and those are usually at local groceries not national brands. Would it be even worth it?

>93 Morphidae: I think so. The apps are free, so even if you hardly ever use them, you're not out anything for downloading them. Plus, most of them will frequently have offers on "any brand" items (ex: eggs, any brand; bananas, any brand,...), and I use them the most, because I buy generic/non-brand stuff whenever I can, too. Plus, shopkick will give you points just for walking into some stores, and also for simply scanning them with your phone (and not buying them). The rebates are generally not large amounts (ten cents here, fifty cents there), but they add up after awhile - I saved up enough before Christmas to cash in for a $20 Amazon gift card, and that helped with buying Charlie's presents.

Mrsdrneutron uses E-bates and that works out pretty well. Have you tried getting the medical supplies through Amazon or an online pharmacy? Then you could have them delivered.

Hi, there! Interesting discussion on the rebate apps! I might have to check them out.

I posted my "Spaghetti Pie" recipe on the Kitchen thread - http://www.librarything.com/topic/243785#5875285 (down at post 31). There are usually at least a few great-looking recipes on the thread.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Karen O.

>95 drneutron: Jim: Oh, great idea about the bandages via Amazon!

Enjoy Zootopia! We watched it with Chloe and really enjoyed it! The sloth is my favourite!

I buy a lot of stuff online and had started using ebates too. I keep forgetting to log in first before checking out my items though so I keep missing my discounts! I wish there was a way to keep logged in

Zootopia! The DMV is fantastic!

>94 scaifea: You said Amazon gift card, of course I'm going to check them out.

>95 drneutron: >97 scaifea: I need to use a Medicare approved supplier. Amazon isn't one. I don't know if I can find an online one. I'll have to check. I might even be able to have them mailed from where we get them now. I'll have to check. Great idea.

>96 klobrien2: I've got the recipe marked as a favorite, thanks! It's been a good weekend especially with @The_Hibernator and @eeblue for book club.

>98 ChelleBearss: >99 drneutron: Well, I'll have to watch it soon then and let you know what I think!

I think I've gotten to everybody but if I haven't visited your thread at least once this year, please let me know and if it's not in the 75ers group, please also provide a link. Thanks!

Happy Sunday, Morph! I hope you liked In the Woods as much as I did. Is this the first time reading French?

When Breath Becomes Air is a terrific memoir. Good choice.

I don't typically post about politics but this has me upset. A judge has ruled that a doctor can refused service to a person simply because they are transsexual or have had an abortion. For instance, a doctor can refuse to give a woman treatment for cancer because s/he believes that abortions are evil. Or a doctor can refuse to give a transsexual an exam and a prescription for a sinus infection because they believe being transsexual is evil. What's next? Refusing service because the person is Jewish? Black?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2017/01/03/doctors_may_refuse_to_treat_transg...

I'll be calling my clinic tomorrow to see if this is something they allow.

>103 Morphidae: Bad, bad, bad. What about the Hyppocratic oath? Surely the doctor would have a moral obligation to treat any patient for cancer irrespective. The Judge must be a complete ASS.
I can understand that a doctor should have the right to exercise his conscience and not undertake an abortion or to carry out a sex-change operation but what you describe is just rank discrimination.

On the other hand I must say that the threads are much more fun with you visiting them Morphy, dear. I have missed your wit.

>104 PaulCranswick: What's worse is that this is a District Federal judge. From what I understand, the only things above that are the Appeals Court and the Supreme Court. So this wasn't some little backwaters judge doing this.

Missed my wit?!? You are the one who stole it from me in the first place!

>105 Morphidae: It is funny how the legal systems of different countries deal differently with things. In Northern Ireland one 'Christian' couple were successfully sued by a homosexual couple because they refused - citing their religious principles - to provide the couple with a wedding cake. I am not passing judgement on that one or even expressing an opinion but the court took the position that the bakers were being discriminatory on something far less black and white. I don't see any court in the United Kingdom agreeing with the District Court Judge.

Hahaha on the wit......see what I mean?

>103 Morphidae: This is the sort of thing (and it's far from the only instance lately) that makes me feel like we're at the beginning of a dystopian novel right now. Terrifying.

>103 Morphidae: Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.

In other news, good to see you so active round here again.

>103 Morphidae: There was a time when I would have been certain that such a ruling was destined to be overturned on appeal. I don't have that kind of confidence any more. I agree with >107 scaifea:. This kind of thing is terrifying.

BUT on a happier note, I'm thrilled to see you actively back among us, Morphy. Your comfort food posts made my mouth water before breakfast, this morning. We love baked ziti here (in fact, in NE PA, it's a staple of all kinds of catered events from weddings to sports banquets). We also use Prego, and usually add sweet Italian sausage, which one of our local supermarkets makes to perfection. I note that you and Mr.M aren't wild about sausage, though. It's equally yummy with ground meat, meatballs, or just plain with lots of cheese.

Hope you'll stop by my thread, which is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/245241

>108 lunacat: What Jenny said.

So nice to be able to pop over and check on all things Morphy. Even when you have bad news like the insane District Federal Judge. > : (

Hope you can get the bandages through Amazon!! And that the apps work out. Happy Monday.

>112 streamsong: I so agree with Amber that this feels like the start of a dystopian novel.

"The religious rights of insurance companies" - Wow I didn't know corporations had religious rights.

>112 streamsong: Isn't that a remarkable phrase? But don't forget, "corporations are people" in some cases, according to the Supreme Court. Talk about a slippery slope.

>106 PaulCranswick: Yeah, I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that the same thing happened here but the *bakery* won instead.

Nope, I did some research and it seems the justice system so far isn't as bad as I thought. Just wait a year or so though...

>107 scaifea: Exactly. I'm terrified especially when it comes to our financial situation as we're barely hanging on depending on SS, Medicare, and Medicaid. And we're waiting on a decision on MrMorphy's SS which would come no earlier than this summer.

>108 lunacat: Thanks!

>109 laytonwoman3rd: I just finished another comfort food for breakfast - grits with butter and salt. Yum yum. I'll get over to your thread toot-sweet.

>110 Crazymamie: *smooches!*

>111 Berly: Happy Monday! It started off pretty good. I had a panicky moment with my Ipad Aire with some type of Lock Confirmation that required my email address and password. I thought I had been hacked so called Apple. I got the nicest gal on the line and we had a terrific time, laughing our butts off about where not to store passwords, fingerprint ids, chopping off fingers, corpses, and toe fetishes.

>112 streamsong: That is where >113 laytonwoman3rd: was meant to lead. I can see into a future where insurance companies or doctors turn down people who are obese because of the sin of gluttony. How about out of wedlock pregnancies or STDs because of lust? Heart conditions because of wrath or sloth? I'm sure I'm exaggerating for effect. But then I never thought we'd be HERE either.

>114 Morphidae: I'm worried about my parents, too, who rely heavily on Obamacare and Medicare and such. With my mom's Type 1 Diabetes, ooof, things could get rough for them.

Love the help folks at Apple; I had nothing but excellent experiences with them over the phone. They're always so personable and funny.

Last thing for now:

"Steve Bannon...ex-Breitbart executive, who serves as Trump's chief strategist for the new administration, told The Hollywood Reporter that "darkness is good."

Welcome to 1984...

“War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength” Darkness is Good.

Hi Morphy! I'm dropping off my star (finally getting around to visit folks' new threads!) and wishing you all good things in the new year.

>103 Morphidae: and your comment about feeling like we are in the first chapter of a dystopian novel. I agree. It's very scary. And it's not fiction.....
Sigh.

Monday Meme

(Almost forgot it!)



Or looked for my glasses when they were on my head...

Or told MrMorphy I couldn't find the phone... when I was on the phone with him.

Or tried to mute the laptop with the TV remote.

Or worse tried to mute the TV with the phone.

What!? Wait, all of those are entirely understandable!

>103 Morphidae: Morphy, I agree. That's totally wrong and walking down the wrong path. If you can say you think someone transsexual is evil and therefore can be denied life-saving services, you can deny services on the grounds of race, religion or gender too. This is against the constitution as it has been interpreted by the Supreme Court and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty." and Article 22 "
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty." Unfortunately, it doesn't say anything specific about right to medical attention - but if it were written today instead of over 50 years ago, it would've. Transgender is a "sex"

>103 Morphidae: Welcome to the United States of Dystopia.

On a lighter note (not kidding), Jenny started the War and Peace thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/246276. I read through Chapter 8 last night. I think Jenny's read through Chapter 9. I hope you'll join us!

Morning, Morphy! Happy Wednesday to you!

>115 scaifea: Huh. I thought I just got a particularly personable CS. It's good to hear there a good CS people out there.

MrMorphy and I are nervous enough that we are going to start a survival plan. I never thought I would ever say that. We'll start slow with a three day, then a three week and build from there. But after Trump decided on an anti-vaccine crusader to lead a commission on vaccine safety, it's firmly in my mind now that Trump is out to destroy America. We're talking Great Depression type destruction. We're preparing now. Even if we're wrong, it won't be the worst thing in the world to have a survival pantry, equipment, and knowledge.

>117 EBT1002: >118 EBT1002: Welcome, welcome! I'll scoot over to your thread soon, if I haven't already. And see above. :(

>120 ronincats: I know! I mean, someone made that meme!

>121 cammykitty: Unfortunately, they are considering transgender to be sexual orientation not sex. And Trump will be loading the Supreme Court with people who think just like this.

>122 Storeetllr: I will. It will just be a week or so.

>123 Crazymamie: Good morning, sweetheart! How are you feeling today?

A bit better, thanks for asking. I'm about to go read out on the deck. And I'll be sending warm thoughts your way while I do so.

I think a survival plan is a good idea - let's you take action in a positive way and help to lessen your worry. Lessen might not be the right word, but what I mean is that it is active rather than passive, and active always feels good.

1. In the Woods by Tana French

Genre: Mystery

Why: Local LT Book Club

Rating: 6/10

The book club agreed we all had mixed feelings about this book. If I rated it just on her writing style, I'd give it an "8". I was able to get absorbed in the book and into the story. However, her characters leave something to be desired, there are plot holes, and plots left hanging in the end - and not minor ones either. Since this is a series, I looked over the plots of additional books and not one mention the main character. So, there will be no satisfaction there.

I did enjoy Cass and Sam. I thought they were cool people. If it hadn't been for them, I don't think I would have finished the book.

Per @The_Hibernator's post, Rosalind was the murderer but she actually was the instigator and planner. She didn't touch the person, nor was at the crime scene. I have a problem with who was the actual murderer. They were too weak. Yes, they had to be to be manipulated by Rosalind, but too much so to actually do the deed. And in the end, Rosalind did not get what she deserved as an accomplice which made for a unsatisfying ending. Additionally, Rob didn't remember or find out what happened in the woods twenty years ago, adding to the disappointing ending. What was the point of even bringing it up, coming close to figuring out, if you weren't going to solve it? It's an annoying tease.

Question of the Day:

Is it reread or re-read?

>126 Morphidae: Nice review, Morphy. I really liked that one, but I also agree with your comments. I just loved the writing. Although I was also initially disappointed with the ending, I think the point is that we are sometimes haunted in life by things that have no resolution for us. So Sam can't let it go, can't stop thinking about it, but he also doesn't have any answers and isn't likely to get them.

>127 Morphidae: reread

>127 Morphidae: I generally use re-read.

>124 Morphidae: Today's shitstorm of a press conference makes your plan even more sensible, eh? I mean, honestly.

>130 scaifea: Oh dear lord. I'm afraid to look.

>131 Morphidae: Yeah, I don't recommend it.

Re-read for me because reread looks weird, although I think the latter is correct. : )

I'm late to the party, but...Happy 2017 to you, Morphy!

>133 Berly: Actually both reread and re-read are correct, so it's just a matter of which one you prefer. I love when that happens!

>124 Morphidae: I'm hoping that there are enough good people to speak out and hold out against Trump. In the meantime, he scares the heck out of me, too.

I do worry about healthcare. I think the best thing I can do for myself is to continue working to get as healthy as I can, which means taking excellent care of my diabetes in every way possible. That several month long episode of diabetic eye problems this fall scared me straight!

But I also haven't checked my storm supplies recently. I'd be in trouble if the electricity went out for 72 hours with the weather we've been having for the last month.

I'm reading Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for the AAC, and that sort of apocalyptic novel always bring out the 'hm, what would I do?' in me.

>119 Morphidae: That made me laugh so hard, because I have done every single one of those things. I remember one day, my grandmother and I spent a good hour looking all over the house for her glasses, which were sitting on top of her head the entire time.

That makes me sad that people are so scared of what Trump is going to do. When we went to our bank appointment yesterday the first thing our advisor wanted to talk about was Trump and his effect on the banking world. So he is even affecting other countries and he hasn't even taken office yet!

>125 Crazymamie: Did you back that gunk out of your head/chest?

>128 Crazymamie: Yes, but this is a mystery. One of the rules of mysteries is that you don't leave it unsolved. Even if it's a secondary mystery. I mean, you can if it's a series and you solve it later in the series, but not one of the later books is about Rob/Adam.

>129 drneutron: >133 Berly: >135 Crazymamie: No wonder I could never decide! I think I'll stick with reread.

>132 scaifea: Eh, not as bad as I thought. His usual blah blah blah - nothing new.

>134 rosylibrarian: I saw this post and I was like, how could I have possibly missed Marie's thread? And ran over there then was all, "Whew, I didn't. I posted already." Welcome!

>136 streamsong: I've read tons of apocalyptic fiction in the past and MrMorphy's been on a prepper website kick lately, so we've got some good info, including from FEMA of all places. The only part that worries me is using Pool Shock (only certain types) as water purification. I don't want to end up killing ourselves by trying to protect ourselves.

>137 tapestry100: I know! It's so pathetic.

>138 ChelleBearss: Wow. I knew other countries didn't like Trump but I didn't know it was affecting them at that level.

2. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Genre: Nonfiction

Why: January TIOLI Challenge #3 Best/Notable books 2016

Rating: 6/10

I decided to read this book because everyone raved about it. But typical me, I didn't like it that much. I found the parts where Kalanithi wrote about dead white authors and philosophy boring and I doubt I could tell you anything about them. Not that I skimmed them, but they were simply so tedious and/or baffling they went through one brain cell and out the other. When he stuck to more autobiographical stories, he was entertaining though still somewhat cool and removed. My favorite chapter was actually the last one by his wife. She was able to humanize the author and to tell a moving narrative. Maybe she should have written the book?

>140 Morphidae: I would have thought that there was an obvious danger in allowing your spouse to write a chapter of your book. That she makes a better job of it than he does is a little typical.

3. Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter

Genre: Nonficton

Why: LT Recommended (by Maggie1944?)

Rating: 6/10

I don't know what rubbed me wrong about this author. The story of a couple raising a garden and some animals for meat in the middle of urban Oakland, CA, sounded pretty interesting to me. There were even multiple unusual characters and engaging stories. I've never called an author or book pretentious before. But that's the first word that comes to mind about Carpenter. And there's just something wrong about using the same tone of voice to talk about using a homeless, mentally ill man to move your car that you use to talk about getting honey from bees. It's all the same to her and made me twitch.

I'm having no luck with books this year. I mean nothing is AWFUL, but nothing really good yet either though I have hopes for Jimmy Bluefeather - it's pretty good so far.

4. Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey

Genre: Science Fiction

Why: Reread

Having a bad anxiety day. I'm blaming it on Friday the 13th. I just remembered I have Xanax I can take. Duh. Shows how often I take it. I don't like medicine much. It will make me sleepy but, heck, better than the anxiety, I suppose.

I'm reading Jimmy Bluefeather which I got from the 75ers Christmas Swap (Catarina1). I'm enjoying it so far. It's not a quick read but it is a short one. I should finish it tonight. I'm also going to watch a movie. Most likely either Cruel Intentions or Zootopia. Netflix does this thing now where they will send you two movies at a time instead of one when you send one back. Unfortunately, they were both "me" movies and now MrMorphy and I are "out" of movies until I get one sent back!

*Watch a movie
*Dailies (LT, HP (Harry Potter), D (Duolingo - Spanish), TC (Trivia Crack) *DONE*
*Put appts in new engagement calendar *DONE*

Let's see, what's dinner tonight. Oh, yes! A quickie. Cut up chicken breasts, alfredo sauce in a jar, and pasta of the day - most likely will be angel hair. I have to make sure MrMorphy doesn't make too much pasta. Sometimes when he makes it, it's a little dry because of that.

Now I need to go back and check off tasks I've gotten completed...

ETA: Please tell me this is normal.

Yesterday I had a friend coming over. She's been coming over almost weekly for about six months.

And I couldn't remember her name. I had to wait for MrMorphy to come back in about ten minutes later to find out her name. I knew it started with "S" but that's it.

This isn't the only problem I've had with memory, only the most worrying. All the others my doctor has blown off. (At least my GP did, my psychiatrist listened and changed some meds around. Of course, he's gone now. But the reduction in Topomax has helped some with the word loss/mix up, e.g. not know what to call a bowl or calling the couch a bed.)

Anyone else have this happen to them?

Hopefully your day gets better. I have had anxiety for the last week too, starting with my dad's health issues. He finally told Colette and Mom about it, but not quite how serious it could be. I just had lunch with Colette and she was crying about it when I explained. That only increased my anxiety.

I was going to give up the Harry Potter because I am reading too much right now, but too many people complimented me on my commentary, so now I feel encouraged to contine. I'm a week behind. Hopefully I can catch up today.

My memory has suffered from my meds, and I can often not remember names of people I know well. It's usually worse when I'm stressed out. Like today.

>139 Morphidae: I'm working on it, Morphy. I love me a Friday the 13th because my Rae was born on one - now they are lucky for me!

>144 Morphidae: Yes with Topomax. I couldn't tell down from up after a couple weeks of being on it. In some circles it's known as Dopamax for that nasty side effect

ETA: Firday the 13th and a full moon which will not happen again for 40 years or so according to the Facebook meme I got this morning. The full moon cancels out the bad luck. :-)

Happy Friday, Morphy! I liked When Breath Becomes Air a bit more than you but I agree on the final chapter. His wife did a wonderful job and she narrated that chapter herself on the audio version. Wow!

I really liked Jimmy Bluefeather. Janet and Ellen are also fans. I hope you feel the same.

>144 Morphidae: My doctor prescribed me Topomax for migraine prevention. I had to take the day off work the first day I tried it because I was having memory problems and couldn't keep a thought straight in my head, it was one of the most disorienting experiences of my life. I stopped taking it after the first pill because it terrified me.

I switch between reread and re-read, probably because neither is emphatically correct. Killashandra rocks! (pun alert) And I manage to forget words and names without any medication! We were going to the cleaners the other day and I couldn't think of the name of the cross street, one that is very familiar because our hospital is on it. I managed to retrieve that it began with Z and had four letters on my own...

Heck, that happens to me and I'm not on anything. We'll, not counting the wine I had tonight. I blame the quantum mechanics I studied in college. :)

Hi, Morphy. I'm just dropping in to wish you a good weekend, and a good morning.

Morning, Morphy!

>145 The_Hibernator: I'm sorry you had to bear the burden of having to explain the seriousness of your dad's illness to your sister. That can't have been easy.

I'm really happy though that you decided to continue with HP. I was sad that you quit but didn't want to say anything because I didn't want you to feel bad. But I join with the others in that I really enjoyed your commentary.

>146 The_Hibernator: It makes me feel better to hear that others are dealing with the same memory issues. I never used to have these problems and, in fact, prided myself on my excellent memory.

>147 Crazymamie: I meant "bake" not "back." If it was a nice day (i.e. not too hot, humid, or rainy in Florida,) my mom would have me sit out in the sun. It felt so good on my stuffy nose and chest.

Friday the 13th never bothers me. My mom was born on Friday the 13th, she was married on the 13th. The 13th is a GOOD day. I think I was just having a bad anxiety day and it latched onto the date.

>148 streamsong: Yep, I'm familiar with the Dopomax name. However, I'm on it for several reasons (daily headaches, obesity, essential tremor) and have to weigh in the side effects vs. what it's helping me with.

>149 msf59: The further I get into it, the more I like it. Perhaps because I'm getting used to the style?

>150 kgodey: I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. Mostly it made me extremely fatigued.

>151 ronincats: Ha! Okay, perhaps I shouldn't laugh but it does make me feel better. I ended up remembering the number of letters, too, because I thought it might be Sarah but it ended up being Susan.

>152 drneutron: Oh, please don't go on about quantum mechanics. I think it's quite a... Bohr.

>153 thearlybirdy: >154 scaifea: Good morning, ladies! It's a bright, chilly one here in Minnesota. It's a whole 8 degrees F out! (-13C)

>156 Morphidae: Ow! Ow! That was so bad it hurt!

"I think it's quite a... Bohr." Made me giggle. Happy Saturday, Morphy!

Friday the 13th here is generally a good day here because one of our local towns does a HUGE motorcycle rally that day. Motorcycle enthusiasts come from all over. When it lands on a summer day we get upwards of ten thousand motorcycles and one hundred and twenty thousand people! This one only brought about three thousand people because it was too cold for most people! Nate and I went one year (when I still had my bike) and it was so packed you could barely walk up main st! It was very cool to see though!

>140 Morphidae: I'm another one who liked When Breath Becomes Air a lot more than you did, Morphy, but I agree the last chapter by his wife was terrific.

>140 Morphidae: >160 jnwelch: I'm another one, but books written by the terminal always get me.

Gosh, I didn't realize medication could affect memory so much. I haven't had that issue, knock on wood. I hope it gets straightened out for you, Morphy.

>119 Morphidae: Love that!

I'm up for a February read of The Round House.

And I'm glad Jimmy Bluefeather is improving for you. I enjoyed it, as Mark has mentioned.

Good morning, Morphy.

^Morning Morph! Hope you have a relaxing day planned.

Have a great Sunday, dear lady.

Happy Sunday!

Morning, sister!

I hope you have a good week, Morphy.

>157 drneutron: I think you mean it was so GOOD it hurt.

>158 Crazymamie: Sometimes I am very punny.

>159 ChelleBearss: They do it only on Friday the 13ths?

>160 jnwelch: >161 rosylibrarian: I haven't found one by/about the terminally ill that really gets me yet. Though the movie My Life with Michael Keaton just crushed me.

>162 EBT1002: I enjoyed Jimmy Bluefeather as you'll see below.

>163 thearlybirdy: >168 scaifea: Good evening!

>164 msf59: LOVE the pic.

>165 PaulCranswick: >166 drneutron: >167 Berly: Hope you had a great weekend.

>169 thearlybirdy: Other than a doctor's appointment is should be. Any plans for yourself this week?

5. Jimmy Bluefeather by Kim Heacox

Why: LT Recommended by msf59, TIOLI Challenge #2 Compound word in title
Also 75ers Christmas Swap 2017

Rating: 7/10

Genre: Fiction

Not a lot to say. It took me awhile to get into it as the language was a little too lyrical for my tastes. While the title claims the book is about James, it seems to be much more about Keb and Anne, but even more so, about a way of life. Though I did enjoy all the other secondary/tertiary characters. And, again, with the supposedly being about James, I expected to be shown more growth on his part rather than it happening so fast. I like that they showed what a 95-year-old would be like realistically.

6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Why: LT Recommended by jnwelch, L******** Family Monthly Book Club, TIOLI Challenge #5 on a list of books you might have missed for 2016

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Science Fiction

Whoo hoo! The first high scorer of the year! For our monthly book club, we not only read the same book, we read it at the same time. This book was so good, we both finished it in one night. We started at dinner time and I was for sure that he'd want to stop after dinner. But nope. "You want to keep going?" "Yep."

From then on every half an hour or so, one of us would go, "You doing okay?" "Yep." Or the equivalent.

MrMorphy says, "(It's an) interesting take on the multiple worlds scenario."

I thought it was really creepy near the end. You know, with all the (can't talk about BLANK because it would spoil the book.) It is NOT where I thought it was going at all.

And I can see why he ended the book the way he did. But I REALLY wanted an epilogue. There really isn't room for a sequel.

Yup, I loved it!

>170 Morphidae: Yep, only on Friday the 13th. Sometimes we get a few a year and sometimes only one. I think there is another in October this year and that will draw a big crowd as the weather is still fine for biking here in October

Monday Meme (a day late)



Let's just say this is how I'm feeling today.

I'll get over it. He's just being very... Mr. GrumpyPants. Give him a day or two and he'll get his humor back again. Meanwhile...

:P

***

I'm rereading Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. Probably my mood but I'm not enjoying as much this time. Still a good book, I just can't seem to get absorbed in it. I might watch Zootopia tonight. It's a toss up as the book will be over due tomorrow and I'm only halfway through. Eep!

Next book will be After the Crown by K. B. Wages, the second book in the Indranan Wars. I liked the first book and for once I'll be reading the next book in the series early enough that I'll actually remember what happened in the first book. Whoo hoo!

My SIL, the one with lymphoma, is doing very well. We all didn't think (including my SIL) that she was going to make it to Christmas. Her body was gaunt and her face was looking skull-like. But the palliative chemo and a two week trip to Hawaii seem to have done the trick. I mean, she's still terminal, but we think we're back to months/years, rather than weeks/months. She's put on a bit of weight, she's got color in her cheeks and her eyes aren't sunken in.

In other good news, my brother (her husband) found a new position for a great company in Savannah. He's high enough up the ladder that he'll get some great perks which should make it easier as my SIL and niece will be staying in Florida until my niece graduates from high school in summer 2018. I certainly couldn't do it, but they seem happy and eager. My nephew will be headed off to college this fall. Right now he's been accepted to USF but he's still waiting to hear from UoF which doesn't send letters until February.

We're having simple chef salads tonight with lettuce, ham, cheddar and boiled eggs.

Hi, Morph! Hooray for Jimmy Bluefeather & Dark Matter! Glad you enjoyed them. I was a big fan of both.

>175 Morphidae: We've had days like that! :)

>175 Morphidae: YES!! We had a day like that too! After having an argument in the store about whether one is allowed to try on a swim suit or not I gave up and threatened to leave him there! Spouses! Sheesh!

>176 msf59: I have quite a few of your recommendations in my LT Recommendations collection.

>177 drneutron: Thankfully, they aren't all that common. In fact, it turned around a couple of hours ago.

>178 ChelleBearss: At least that one makes sense. Ours started after he declared he was going to, "Talk loud all the time" because I heard the first half of the sentence but not the second half. But, you see, the second half of the sentence was him mumbling to himself and I was supposed to magically know not to ask him to repeat that part. Grrrr.

We have an agreement that I don't ask what he's saying when he's mumbling - it's either about stuff he's currently writing (dialogue and such) or about a task he needs to do or is currently doing.

>179 Morphidae: Well, not really sure if our argument made sense either. How do you know if the swim suit fits without trying it on? Just keep your underwear on while you try on the swim suit. So he bought one and is hoping it fits because he refused to try it on.

>180 ChelleBearss: Well, ish. How else would you try on a swimsuit but with your underwear on? Who knows who else has tried on that bathing suit? Then when you get it home and WASH it, then you can put it on "for real." And I'm with you. Drives me nuts when MrMorphy buys clothes without trying them on. Especially as he's been getting a tummy.

Ow, this is us... :) I'm always buying clothes without trying them on and it bugs mrsdrneutron to no end! But it works for me and almost never have to take stuff back.

I loved Dark Matter and >175 Morphidae: made me laugh. And I am laughing at the clothes buying experiences. Thanks...I needed this!

>181 Morphidae: Exactly! But for some reason he thinks it is not allowed to try them on at all. Such a goof ball. At least with tshirts or sweaters he is generally always the same size and if I buy a size that doesn't fit we can always take it back. Swim suits are final sale so if it doesn't fit then what??

My boyfriend never tries things on either. Is it simply a man thing? I hate to be that sexist, but I rarely buy something without trying it on because the fit is often very different between shops, or the length might not be right because I'm short, or it looks great on the hanger etc etc. Whereas he walks in, chooses stuff, tries it on at home and if it doesn't fit, I'm the one that ends up taking it back.

I've started saying that I'm keeping all the money from the returns..............

>185 lunacat: Tomm *always* tries stuff on before buying it, and generally takes several sizes and colors with him into the fitting room. So, no, they're no all like that.

Morphy: I've just come from Paul's thread where I responded to your post, and now I'm over here and this is what's running through my brain:

I'm tyyypiiiing, I'm tyyyypiiing
I'M IN A THREAD, AND I'M TYYYYYYPIIIIIING!

(*hoping she gets the reference, but fairly confident that she will...*)

>186 scaifea: I wasn't trying to imply that it was a solely man thing, an all man thing, or that there don't exist men that try clothes on before buying. I was simply ruminating on whether purchases without trying on occured more frequently among the males of the population than the females.

Given the comments of Chelle, Jim, and my own experiences with several different men, I was thinking of the ratios. That's all.

>187 lunacat: Apologies; my comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, but my clumsy ways have foiled me again.

>188 scaifea: Don't worry about it. I was just concerned about being seen as sexist when I wasn't trying to be. Wires muddled, no big deal.

Be sexist all you want ladies because in my case the cap would fit as I try on nothing before I buy it. Hence of course a wardrobe full of useless clothes!

Hi Morphy. xx

I try to avoid any trying of clothes, and ordered most online. After a few misses last year (I lost weight in the last 5 years) I was brave yesterday and went shopping. Tried and bought some clothes and hope to be done for the next 2 years, or preferably much longer ;-)

Well, one reason my method works so well for me is that I tend to buy the same things over and over - button-down shirts and Dockers for work, jeans and t-shirts for off hours, etc. If it were something new or a new vendor, I'd be more likely to try it on first.

What I'd really like to do is try the Steve Jobs approach: buy a bunch same shirts and pants and wear the same thing every day. That's one less decision I'd have to make! :)

>185 lunacat: I find that since Nate won't even go shopping for himself I tend to buy his clothes from the same stores over and over. So I generally can pick the same size for him and can be pretty confident that they will fit. However, a swim suit is a little tighter than most clothes and I would think that should be something that one would try on! I find that women's clothes fluctuate in their sizes from store to store a little more than men's do. I always have to try on my clothes or else my normal size in one store might be way too tight in other stores.

ps
I fear that I have taken over Morphy's thread with a husband rant!! Sorry Morphy! xo

First I want to say, ya'll are crackin' me up.

>182 drneutron: Key words, "almost never."

>183 Berly: And I'm having another >175 Morphidae: day today but not as bad. He's just being grumpy in general rather than specifically. Now that I think on it, I'm wondering if he's spending too much time on FB reading political posts.

>184 ChelleBearss: Ew. I forgot about that. What was he thinking?

>185 lunacat: MrMorphy "tries things on" by holding them up to his body. "Yep, that'll fit."

>186 scaifea: You got me on that one. Unless it's Finding Nemo?

>187 lunacat: >188 scaifea: >189 lunacat: Generally speaking, it's a man thing.

>190 PaulCranswick: Hey, toots! I'm a sexist, too.

>191 FAMeulstee: I order online, too. But at my size and since I buy loose dresses, this isn't really an issue. Not that I've bought anything in years.

>192 drneutron: MrMorphy is almost the same thing except for color. Jeans and polo shirts with a collar and pocket. If he could wear that all the time, he'd be happy. Just change the color for variety.

>193 ChelleBearss: No sorries! I started it. :D

This thread is making me laugh! Craig never tries stuff on, either. I do think it's less of an issue with men because the sizing seems to be more standardized. Women's clothing, on the other hand, is all over the place. I mostly shop online, but if I buy something in the store, I always try it on first.

>196 Crazymamie: I can assure you Mamie that there is nothing standard about my size! I think one of the problems is that we are not great at dressing ourselves!
No I think it is because some guys see clothes as being something functional and we are less keyed into the fashionista way of doing things.

>194 Morphidae: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eto6DU_2oI

I HATE trying on clothes in those hot cramped dressing rooms (where someone may be watching you on a surveillance cam, btw). I buy from two department stores locally that have very liberal return policies. So I often eyeball things, take them home and try them on in the comfort of my own bedroom. It's a nuisance to return 'em, but I manage to keep more than 50% of what I select. It's harder now that I'm not working, because one mall was within walking distance of my office. But then, again, I don't need nearly as many different clothes now.

>196 Crazymamie: "I do think it's less of an issue with men because the sizing seems to be more standardized." I'd have to disagree with that, simply because my husband can try on three seemingly identical pair of jeans from the same manufacturer and find they all fit him slightly differently. It works better with shirts, somehow. We have an elderly friend who worked for years in various garment factories, and she swears that they would often tag things with the wrong size to fill out an order when they didn't have enough pieces of the right size to complete it on time.

" I have quite a few of your recommendations in my LT Recommendations collection."

Well, I hope to add many more, Morph, in the New Year. I have been off, to a very good start. Did you read Girl Waits With Gun?

If it weren't for Lands End and LLBean I'd be in big trouble. I hate shopping for clothes. I did buy a few shirts at a really cool boutique down in Oregon last spring but that was an exception.

Morphy, I'll let you know when I create a thread for our February read of The Round House, probably next week.

Have a great Thursday!

Hope it's been a better day! That xanax day had me worried, and glad you talked about your memory lapse with your doctor. It could easily be one of the medications. I have memory blocks too once in awhile, but usually not something I should know so well as a name of a good friend. Friend yes, one I see every day, no.

Yeah for Dark Matter! I was worried you weren't going to get to a book that was more than "meh" this month.

>172 Morphidae: Wasn't Dark Matter good! It was on my top 10 from last year.

>199 laytonwoman3rd: (a) friend who worked for years in various garment factories () swears that they would often tag things with the wrong size to fill out an order when they didn't have enough pieces of the right size to complete it on time

I've suspected that for years!

BTW, I'm with you - I hate trying on clothes at the store and also bring home to try on. Occasionally, I'll buy two of the same item in different sizes, if I really like it. Of course, returning things is really problematic when you hate shopping in the first place.

>203 Storeetllr: It's almost easier to take a chance with on-line ordering, especially when there are websites that offer free shipping both ways. I almost never buy shoes anywhere except through Zappos or another site that lets you return things free (I forget the name at the moment).

Stole from scaifea/Amber

Found this as a 'memory' on Facebook this morning and though it would be fun to do a re-do:

Ipod Shuffle Game
1. Put your iTunes (or whatever you have...)on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
(Making an exception for this. No classical. For example: Waltz in E Minor Op: Posth. It makes no sense.)

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
To Be With You

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
The Dark End of the Street

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Another One Bites the Dust

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Brighter than the Sun (Like this one!)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Rosanna

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Tracks of my Tears

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Beginnings

WHAT IS 2+2?
Working in the Coal Mine

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Photograph

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Spirit in the Sky (If I were religious, this would be perfect!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Rhythm is Going to Get You

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Lovefool (LOL!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Cool Change

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Words of Love (Awwww.)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Where Did Our Love Go (*snickers*)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
What is Love

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Your Love Has Lifted Me Higher

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Cathy's Clown

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
The Mind of Love

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack) (A gopher is going to get me. Either that or Chevy will blow me up.)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
The Lucky One

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Rapper's Delight

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Can't Buy Me Love (*cracks up* I can't buy a hooker/gigolo?)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Desperado (Amusingly appropriate if I wasn't already married and wanted to be.)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
The Tide is High (*glug glug*)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Key West Intermezzo (Forgot I had Harry Potter/HBP on it and I first got "Chapter 01 - Dudley Demented." LOL. Either way, a total, "Say what?" moment.)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Give a Little Bit

I really wish I could have picked more appropriate songs. I could have made these really funny.

>172 Morphidae: I've got Dark Matter sitting at home - sounds like I may need to move it up the TBR pile a little.

>205 Morphidae: Ha! Nice song for a wedding. :-)

Hiya, Morphy. I'm glad you and Mr. M had a good time with Dark Matter. I really enjoyed that one, too.

>114 Morphidae: I apologize if this is already been shared, but I'm trying to play major catch-up right now. The bakery won, but has sense gone out of business because of boycotting.

I'm going to go steal your meme, because I've just purchased some ridiculous albums from my youth.

>201 EBT1002: I just ordered a few things from L L Bean. I tried in vain to find replacement pants for a couple of colors locally. I still wasn't able to find one color in the right size. I didn't think of Land's End. I should check there. My old ones finally just wore out.

I'll answer posts tomorrow. I'm too upset right now. I was looking for the most recent Logan trailer that came out and found a video of what seemed to be a recent teaser. It started out that way then changed into someone stabbing another person in the stomach and chest. It looked like something a terrorist had filmed. I just started sobbing. How can people do this? Film this? Then put it out to ensnare unwitting souls to see it? It's horrific. I don't have words for how upset I feel.

That's horrible and I'm sorry you had to see that.
Humans can be such terrible creatures sometimes. Hope you are able to get it out of your mind and get some sleep tonight. Hugs

Those are terrible things, Morphy. I hope you've had a good night's sleep now. xx

>210 Morphidae: I wish I could say I'm surprised by the fact that someone did that, but sadly not. It's not a new thing and it's more common that you think. It's like the sadistic version of "rickrolling". Some people are just horrible.
I'm sorry you had to see that.

Morning, Morphy.
>210 Morphidae: I'm so sorry that happened to you.

Morning Morph! Happy Friday! I am getting tired of this damp gloomy weather, but I guess it beats snow and ice. Sighs...

How awful awful awful. There are some sick people out there. I'm so sorry.

I hadn't heard of it either. By sharing it here, you've warned others, so we'll all be double careful and know to stop as soon as something isn't right. Thank you. I don't know if I could deal with seeing that.

Ooof. Sorry, friend.

Feeling better this morning? I'm hoping so.

I just bought a copy of Dark Matter. I don't know how you renewed it so many times when there are like 50 holds on 8 copies in the HCLIB. Must have been a mistake somewhere. I decided to read the book rather than listening to it because I'm having trouble finding time to listen to audiobooks right now, and I need to do some catching up on books that I've already started. Though hopefully I'll get back to exercising regularly after this awful virus is gone.

ETA: there are some awful things out there on Facebook and YouTube. I'm sorry you had to see it. I saw an awful picture on FB today, but I won't share the details because it was pretty darned awful.

I'm so sorry about that wicked and traumatic video, Morphy. I hope you can put it out of your mind. No matter how careful we are, we can stumble onto such evilness all unawares.

>196 Crazymamie: I also think it's because we have more *types* of clothes than men: dresses, blouses, shirts, skirts, pants, jeans, etc. And they all fit differently.

>197 PaulCranswick: I agree that MrMorphy thinks of clothes as simply functional. And they MUST be a certain way. All shirts (except tees to wear at home) simply must have a breast pocket for pens. (Yes, I married a geek. No, he does not use a pocket protection. Though he does confess to using one in college.)

>198 scaifea: Ah, that's why. I haven't seen Elf yet. Mostly likely this Christmas. You'll have to remind me. I wasn't impressed with National Lampoon Christmas Vacation and won't be watching it again. Anyone want a slightly used DVD?

>199 laytonwoman3rd: Wow, that's a lot of returns, but I don't blame you.

Why am I not surprised about the incorrect sizing?

>200 msf59: No, that doesn't seem like something I'd be interested in.

I hope you have a great weekend, Morphy.

>201 EBT1002: Okay, but realize I won't be be able to start before February 1st.

>202 cammykitty: I was, too! I thought it was because of the depression and that I'd never get an 8, 9 or 10. But I did! And I have another coming up, too!

>203 Storeetllr: Another one of the reasons (along with jnwelch's recommendation) that it got pushed to the top of Mount TBR!

>204 laytonwoman3rd: It's been so long since I've bought clothes (or shoes for that matter), I don't even know what's available online anymore.

>206 tapestry100: If you like literary fiction/science fiction-y stuff, try it out. It's rather dark and has a mind twist-y "Holey Moley*" ending. But we both liked it a lot.

*"Moley" is not the word we were using. :D

>207 jnwelch: Yeah, I had to laugh at that one.

>208 London_StJ: I've done some Googling and all the bakeries I've found have lost or have given up. At least here in the US. Do you have a link?

>209 thornton37814: One of these years I'll lose enough weight to shop from a "regular" store!

>211 ChelleBearss: >212 DianaNL: I'm very grateful it was just a few seconds long else shock would have prevented me from stopping the video. Once I cried myself out on MrMorphy's shoulder, I was mostly fine and slept okay.

>213 PawsforThought: >214 thearlybirdy: Thank you.

>215 msf59: We're getting mid- to upper 30s the next several days. It means heavy fog with us being by the lake, but we'll take it!

>216 streamsong: I also know to be more wary and check out the video author first.

>217 scaifea: Thanks. Yes, I'm feeling better over that.

>218 The_Hibernator: The "50 holds on 8" copies is for Large Print. There are something like 6 of 134 available copies of the regular book.

>218 The_Hibernator: >219 laytonwoman3rd: I won't ever understand people who share ugly things like that. There is no purpose.

>221 thearlybirdy: Thanks. I'm getting a lot of reading done and MrMorphy and I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

>220 Morphidae: We would be twins Morphy because I will sulk if Hani brings home a shirt without a breast pocket. Over time the ink stains become a badge of honour.

Loved the music meme. Loved it so much I did it myself. If you haven't seen mine, I won't spoil it save to say that a certain Chuck Berry song came up right on cue for the final "What Hurts Now?". I am pleased to confirm and will enlist Hani if necessary to support my contention that My Ding A Ling is fine.

Morphy, I can't unsee what I see on video and so try to be very careful what I allow into my system. I can definitely understand your reaction. I still have flashbacks to violent scenes seen as much as 40 years ago. I'd just as soon not habituate, thank you.

Hi Morphy! Like your shuffle meme. And glad the "meh" books seem to have run their course. Feels like being a good member of LT should protect us from streaks of "meh."

Oh you definitely need to watch Elf! Love it. I'm sorry you didn't like Christmas Vacation, though.

And I'm excited to see that everyone is loving my music shuffle meme!

Hey, Morphy. Elf is my brother's favorite christmas movie. I think it's funny, and even if you were to hate it, I'd say it's worth watching once.

>229 thearlybirdy: It's great, isn't it? We quote it frequently here at Scaife Manor.

>230 scaifea: We like to quote it too.

Morphy--Just popping in to say how nice it is to see you out and about the threads. Even if you are naughty. LOL : )

Hope you have a great week this week!

She's always naughty! LOL ;0

Morning, Morphy.
>232 Berly: >234 cammykitty: All the best people are ;-)

Morning Morph! I love having Mondays off. And thanks for the bird book recommendations. I hope to do some research today.

>236 msf59: Mondays off? Oh, I dream of such things.

Good morning, Morphy. I hope you have a good Tuesday.

Psssst, hope you are doing well!

Just dropping in to say hi, Morphy. I see you out on the threads but not here.

Good morning!

Morning, Sister! What's on your plate today?

Morning, Morphy. I hope you are having a good day.

Hey, everyone. I've been having a difficult time with my fibro then had to go to a doctor's appointment which caused it to flare up again just when it was calming down. I'm hoping to get back in here this afternoon or tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.

Oh, dang. I'm sorry, Morphy. I hope you're back soon!

Meme of the Week

Sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better soon.

Hope you are feeling better, Morphy.

I was just visiting Julia's (rosalita) thread and thought this might give you a bit of a chuckle (see Clickbait 2): http://www.librarything.com/topic/247226#5906332

Take care of yourself, Morphy. Chronic pain is no fun at all, I know.

I hope you are feeling better soon, and >246 Morphidae: is too funny. I would have to concur with it's message.

>246 Morphidae: *snork* oh, isn't that so true? Best wishes to you Morphy. I hope you feel better soon.

Aww, Morphy. I hope you feel better. : )

>246 Morphidae: Truer words have never been spoken.

Hello. I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. Take good care, and feel better soon.

I hope you had a good Saturday, Morphy.

>225 PaulCranswick: Somehow MrMorphy manages to avoid the ink stains. Perhaps he uses a different type of pen?

>226 ronincats: Same here. I'm grateful it was only a few seconds long. It doesn't seem to have "taken."

>227 cammykitty: I need to get the latest books typed in. While there is a yuck and a meh in there, there are also some goodies, including a new author that I was introduced to by an LTer in a genre I don't usually care for.

>228 scaifea: >229 thearlybirdy: >231 thearlybirdy: I try a new Christmas movie every year and Elf is my firm choice for Christmas 2017.

>232 Berly: >234 cammykitty: Naughty. Who me? *bats eyes innocently*

>233 drneutron: It's been a rough one. Between my fibro flare, MrMorphy pulling something in his back, and the general state of the US, all I have to say is BLECH.

>235 thearlybirdy: Oh wait. Okay than. I'm naughty! *preens*

>236 msf59: Do let me know how it goes!

>237 PawsforThought: Just think. If it's Monday, just one day and it will be Tuesday. Then it will be all over until the next week. :D

>238 thearlybirdy: >239 ChelleBearss: Tuesday was the roughest day. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday which meant a 4.5 hours in my wheelchair between the MetroMobility ride and the doctor's appointment. (Mostly the ride.) The day after a ride is pretty awful when it comes to back, knee, shoulder, and arm pain plus exhaustion (symptoms of fibromyalgia plus just my size.) But the next day I started getting better. If the worst it has been this time was an 8, I'm down to about a 6. So, getting there, slowly.

>240 ronincats: For some reason it seems to be easier to post something interesting or witty out in other people's threads rather than here. I feel like I'm boring on my own thread.

>241 drneutron: Dude! Morning!

>242 scaifea: Today is Sunday. So, I'm getting caught up on my own thread. Hopefully, I'll get my new thread started. And I'll be reading Words I Wish I Wrote by Robert Fulghum and A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. Perhaps this evening MrMorphy and I will watch Despicable Me 2.

>243 thearlybirdy: Not too bad today. Pain is leveling off so I'm not crying at least. This is a good thing! LOL. I think I'm also feeling better because I'm not reading any news on Facebook or Google. I know I'll eventually go back to it. But for now, I can't handle the misery of it.

>245 scaifea: She's baaaaaaaaaaaack.

>247 PawsforThought: I am, thanks. Any day there are no tears is a good day.

>248 Storeetllr: Yes, I had a great time with it. Thanks for pointing it out.

>249 rosalita: The thing is, I thought the fibro had gone away. It's been a good six to nine months since I've had any symptoms then BAM! they were back again. When you get to the end of the day and you're sobbing, "I just don't want to hurt anymore." Oooh, that sucks. :(

>250 thearlybirdy: >253 tapestry100: Yeah, basically my whole life.

>251 Kassilem: >252 Berly: I am feeling better, slowly, thanks. No more crying at the end of the day. Just a lot of moaning and groaning. LOL.

>254 Whisper1: Love the fairy. The geranium reminds me of Florida. Thank you.

>255 thearlybirdy: Yep, spent the day reading. Haven't done that in awhile. Thanks,

>257 Morphidae: That's pretty much exactly how I get through work. Except I also divide up the days into (just an hour until coffee break, just 45 minutes until lunch, etc.)

>258 Morphidae: I used to feel like that a lot of the time, because of undiagnosed endometriosis, but then I met a doctor that didn't think "it was normal" and got me help. I'll have to be on BC pills until menopause but I feel good!
I wish they could find some form of miracle cure so you wouldn't have to be in pain.

New thread is all up and ready, folks!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/247635