Intergalactic House of Paisley

After three days of infusing, Toe of Doom™ II: This Time It's Tarsal looks much, much better. Better than it has in quite a while. It feels better than James Brown. How do you feel? I am still assuming that the Toecapitation will happen, but that 5% chance of it not being done the podiatrist gave me is still in play.

As for work, I talked to the boss about the holiday schedule, and barring a sudden influx of work, my last day will the the 24th, leaving four days to obsess about this and post crap here, there, and everywhere about it. This is far less of an issue than the triple bypass, but for that I had very little time to think about it (and I think they were slipping me some happy juice while I was in CICU all weekend). So this is how I deal with it, by overloading you, my tens of followers, with my thoughts, such as they are.

But it is the holiday season, and to kick off the countdown of the greatest songs of the Xmahannukwanzule, here is a classic.

And the rollercoaster ride continues. I was all ready to get the PICC line installed this morning, but yesterday at 4.30p my contact for that called to say the insurance drones (yo, actual death panels, motherfuckers!) had denied it. No reason, but the one that immediately sprang to mind was that I had blown out my deductibles already this year, and they wanted their tithe.

So this morning I called my podiatrist's office to have them re-up the amoxycillin scrip, so I had something fighting the (not Scott) Staph infection until the Toecapitation. Then, about 2p, I got a call from my contact saying that the UnHumanans had decided I could have the PICC line after all. But not the preferred antibiotic to go in it, which is dispensed once a day. Noooooo, I have to do this three times a day, which means one infusion at work for this week and next.

In any event, I will be heading out to Lee's Summit tomorrow to get a tube run up my arm so liquid antibiotics can be dumped directly in my bloodstream on a thrice-daily basis. I do love the future. Insurance companies can die in a fire. Onward.

On the off chance that some of you might not be connected to me via all the other social media, a brief recap. I went into the emergency room at KU Med at 4a on March 15, where I was diagnosed with a heart attack (one of several over the week, it appears) and three cardiac arterial blockages. On the 17th, I had a triple bypass. On the 21st, I was sent home. I feel much better now. I feel better than James Brown. So let's have some music, hey?


1) Hold My Life, The Replacements

2) Trivani -- Sacred Knot, Tony Scott

3) Life On Mars?, barbra streisand (this is a real thing! I am shocked!)

4) Hippie Dream, Gitar (yes, a hip-hop Neil Young cover)

5) Almost Cut My Hair, David Crosby and Graham Nash [The Arlington Theater Santa Barbara, California March 27, 2011] (well, they did shave most of mine)

6) New Mama, Neil Young & the Stray Gators (3/11/73, Civic Auditorium, Bakersfield, CA)

7) Following The River, The Rolling Stones

8) dreams, railcars

9) Hungry Wolf, X

10) 1-2-Another, Mirror Kisses


MOAR!!


11) Satisfied 'N' Tickled Too (Mississippi John Hurt cover), Taj Mahal

12) Habanera, Dweezil Zappa/Dweezil Zappa

13) Keep The Car Running, Arcade Fire


And here we are on the other side. Since I am off work until June or so, I'll probably be dropping by here a bit more often with whatever I happen to have on hand at the time. We shall see. And get a checkup, people! Plus Opening Day (US version) is Monday (except for the Sunday part [fuck you Bud Selig!])!

Well, that was an interesting trip around the sun. Still trying to get closed on the new house, but at this point I am doubting it will happen (the FHA people don't like my paystubs, still). We shall see, like so many things. Onward. To start the year, I am at 59,217 items in my iTunes, up from 42,796 at the start of last year. I need a bigger backup drive, stat. So here's a small sample of the whole.


1) Halloween [1981], The Misfits

2) Through The Wall, Bobs

3) (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes, Hem

4) If I Had A Boat, Lyle Lovett

5) Tear Stained Letter, Richard Thompson (Fat Fry in California 9-28-96)

6) Mystery Dance, Elvis Costello (8/23/80, Heat Wave Festival)

7) Happy Thursday I Love You, Frank Bango

8) Universal Corner, X

9) The Dog Breath Variations, Frank Zappa

10) So Ben Mi Ch'a Bon Tempo, Richard Thompson


and


11) Ocean Colour Resurrection, The Plimptons

12) Mystery Dance, Justine Bateman & The Mystery

13) Judy Is Your Viet Nam, TMBG


And we will crunch through the light snow from Wed night to work. Hoping it warms up enough that we can use the washer, rather than having to endure the laundromat again. One way or another, clothes must be cleaned. And one last (probably) gathering at the OC Saturday afternoon, to see if the Chiefs can keep their season going. All in all, a much better season than 2-14 last year. How soon until pitchers and catchers report (not a euphemism)?

I am home, and not in Canadia, taking my rightful place as Emperor of Toronto this weekend. Not happy about that, though there may (given how things have been going, very much may) be some compensation for that on Monday. In the meantime, we are scrambling to get the financing done on the house we have made an offer on. Don't know if I've mentioned this, but the current owners are the Sisters of St. Mary's, who used the place to house some of the sisters. I am thinking we might have to call it Penguin Place should we get it.

In other news, the Intrepid has deveoped new symptoms, to wit drooling coolant and not heating the air coming into the car, both of which people who know more about these things than I (like most everybody) tell me are signs of heater core failure. With an estimated cost of $600-650 to fix it, this might be the end of the road for this car. On the plus side, Rohanna's retirement means that I won't have to take the bus to work in the winter. Anyway, here's the tunes.


1) Fuzzy & Wild, The Ghastly Ones

2) Born Under Punches, Talking Heads (Heatwave (08/23/80))

3) Stranded In Your Love (Cool Calm Pete-Sweet Nothing Mix), Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

4) Bad Asteroid, The Aristocrats

5) Pyramid Song, Radiohead

6) A OK, Boy Kill Boy

7) Rise Above It, Afro Celt Sound System

8) Forever Young, Spirit Animal

9) Here Comes My Baby, Mavericks

10) Seánce on a Wet Afternoon, Girls Names


overage


11) Good Morning Little School Girl, Leroy Powell

12) Person To Person, Average White Band

13) Out Of This World (Oakenfold Mix), The Cure


Another advantate of being here, rather than at Smofcon, drinking Canuckistani beer, is that we all will be attending the Holly Holly Holly Days sale this weekend. It's probably the best feminist/lesbian/maker Holiday craft fair in the area, and definitely worth checking out if you are in the KC metro area. I'm running late, so just google it. Onward!

Last weekend was a mess. Plans had been made, then fell apart for reasons that were understandable, and no one's fault, but incredibly frustrating given the way this has been going for the past several months. Wound up spending Sat night at ConTraception (KC's adult relaxacon) hanging with frends, and had a good time. Still frustrated, with no change in that respect in sight.

Actually went out last night to see bands with NPulsifer and Gisele. First time in way too long. All three were good, with their own style. Snake Island, Spindrift and Dead Confederate are all worth checking out. Have some other music.


1) Guttersnipe, Bhi Bhiman

2) Mansford Roof, Vampire Weekend

3) 60 Cycles Numb, King Black Acid and The Womb Star Orchestra

4) 1605 Unfinished Turkey, The Kleptones

5) It's Already True, Weinland

6) and so begins the task, CSNY (Royal Albert Hall 6-1-70)

7) Ophelia, Mark Erelli

8) Christmas Morning, Loudon Wainwright III

9) Always Already Gone, The Magnetic Fields

10) You Done My Brain In, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band


more


11) Gravity/Falling Down Again/Street Hassle, Alejandro Escovedo

12) Hangers On, Dan Sartain

13) Take Your Time (Coming Home), fun.


And it's everything at once weekend, so up to Lawrence for KanPoly, then back to prepare my special surprise for the KaCSFFS Thanksgiving feast. Once again won't be at Skepticon, damnit.

For those not on other media, my car was once again broken into this week. Idiots didn't notice the Club™ on the steering wheel, or were dumb enough to think I'd leave the key for it in there. Once again, steering column busted, and probably $500 I don't have to get it fixed. Then I found out last night the van is kaput, most likely the starter. And what with the encroachment of winter, I wasn't feeling at all good about much of anything. But I had a couple of good conversations this morning whilst listening to this set, and I am doing somewhat better. Knowing some things are going to be happening that I had resigned myself to not doing so help, too. So have some music.


1) Sweepstakes, Gorillaz Feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

2) Fade to God, ToToM

3) Waiting On The Stars To Fall, Hayes Carll

4) Crime in The City, Neil Young (New Orleans 3-12-1991)

5) I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio, Stereophonics

6) Haitian Divorce, Steely Dan

7) Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Amilia K Spicer

8) The End (Moonbeam), Harry Nilsson

9) Big Shot, The English Beat

10) Big Business, (Saratoga :: 1983-08-05)


plus


11) World's Smallest Violin, Paleo

12) Angel Dance, Los Lobos

13) Your Bird, Retribution Gospel Choir (2013-02-12 Knitting Factory Brooklyn NY )


And off to work. We'll look at a couple of houses tomorrow, and work on getting more done here. Go Chiefs!

On the plus side, my car is once again conventionally functional, after the usual oddities. Last Friday I had two repair places giving me estimates on replacing the steering column and the passenger side mirror (fixing the damage from the second time it was stolen last summer). One told me they could get a column and fix it on Saturday, so they won. Then it turned out the salvage yard wasn't open Saturday, so it would be Monday. Fine, no prob.

Saw the podiatrist for Toe of Doom 2: This Time It's Tarsal™, Monday, and since I was in a hurry, he was running way behind. Got done (it's doing fine, but not fully healed yet), raced down to the Firestone on Truman to drop off the car, then walked over to Grand to catch a bus to work. Yes, Monday is normally my off day, but there was a lot of stuff to get done, so extra hours.

About 3p, I called to see how things were going, and was told the parts were there and they would be working on it shortly and it would be done by the end of the day. Shortly thereafter, they called back to say that the steering column they had been sent was stripped out where the steering wheel was connected, and the salvage yard would be sending a good one over on Tuesday. Somehow, this did not surprise me.

Tuesday I caught the bus again, and waited and waited to hear. Finally I called, and was told the replacment column was in, and good, and they would be getting the car into the bay shortly. At 5p, they called to say it was done! Dragonet picked me up at work and dropped me off to get the car, which now can be started with a key*, not a screwdriver, like real cars! And has mirrorz! To celebrate this, and topping 47k in iTunes, here's this week's random selections.


1) Rural Explosion, Mojack

2) The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, Oxford Collapse

3) Lady Love, Mike Mains & The Branches

4) The Stone That Speaks, Deadline

5) Porcelain (Force Mass Motion Remix), Moby

6) Bell Tower (Bleek Mix), Two Twins

7) Marlene, Todd Rundgren

8) Upside Down, Bruce Haack And Esther Nelson

9) Moves, The New Pornographers

10) Emancipated Minor, Ani Difranco


and then


11) Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) (Club Edit), Yeah Yeah Yeahs

12) Step Aside, Dead Models

13) Bricks, Hurray For The Riff Raff


Another busy weekend. Rohanna and D2 are heading to St. Louis for Joseph Felknor's graduation shindig, while I stay here and go to the KaCSFFS meeting (it's a picnic, kinda! Indoors! The Writers Place, Valentine and Pennsylvania, KCMO! 6:30! Come on by!), then help out with the Campbell Conference afterparty on Sunday. Should actually have Monday off to start prepping for Soonercon.

*When the mechanic gave me my keyring back, I asked which of the keys on it was the new ignition key, and he looked at me and with a straight face said "Oh, you wanted a key!" then laughed. Came close to going over the counter.

It's Friday, so there must be car problems. This time it's the van, again. The brakes were re-done before Archon, and now either the thermostat or the water pump is acting up. This, along with the bills still coming in from Dragonet's summer adventure, have led Rohanna and I to determine we can't make SMOFcon this year. Very annoying. Oh look, music to distract me.


1) Straighten up and fly right, Nat King Cole Trio

2) Strangelove, Depeche Mode

3) What A Day That Was, Talking Heads (Saratoga :: 1983-08-05)

4) Forever, Walter Meego

5) No Easy Way Down, Okkervil River

6) White Winter Hymnal, Birdy

7) Tramp, Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

8) Someone Else’s Fancy, Richard Thompson

9) The Laws Have Changed, The New Pornographers

10) Whatever You Please, Steve Wynn (1992-11-06 - Havana Club)


and


11) Making Love to a Cannibal, Final Diners

12) Wheel Me Out, Was (Not Was) (2008-05-01 Blender Theatre at Gramercy New York, NY)

13) Deal, Dr. John


This look to be a quiet weekend, so I'm sure something will come along to blow it up. Onward and downward.

The van has developed a grinding noise (low, not high-pitched) when the brakes are used. It hasn't affected performance, but is a concern. It's going into the shop tomorrow morning. Ideally it will be a affordable fix.