h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Carol-the-cleaner has been and gone. It only took the three of us an hour and a half, and it was tidy(ish) in the Living Room when I got up this morning, so between us the Stepson and I are managing to keep ahead of the curve. I don't obsess about cleanliness, but I do like things to be tidy at least once in a while, and any place I live in has to actually function.

Stepson is playing his PS-2. I think I am going to do some UG editing, and then find a book to read.

Not sure what to advise, Z. It doesn't seem to me like you have a lot of stuff. I have been known to keep things stored in my car, so Logicus's suggestion is quite a good one. There is a security issue of having it broken in to, though.

Free-ish accommodation is a good way to save up though.

Ben

why not? liveing acc must have parking....hey how many
Dr Cons...drive off road 4wh..parking space have to be.......wide
securty........hey should 1st class sfter all remember where you are.--or willl be

[Affy]

Hypatia, its a known fact that a lot of people's blood pressure goes up while they're in the doctor's office. That's why you are supposed to take the average of a few readings at one time. Mine is always high when I visit the clinic, but when I test my blood pressure on my own it is always several points lower.

I admit it, I am a clean freak (thanks, MR, for the comment about chaotic minds ). But I am a lot mellower these days--I only dust about every two months or so and I don't sweep the floor every day. The bathroom gets cleaned every two weeks, I only vacuum once a week, and you will find dirty dishes in my sink. But because I don't own a lot of things (I hate clutter and knick knacks) my home always looks neater than it actually is.

Did they only discover the woman, d'E, because her family and friends were worried about her whereabouts?

Ben it's a good idea but aside from the security issue the fact is I can't keep a tropical fish tank in my car. I'll make the descion when I know which job I'm getting, what the accomodation's like and what A's up to.

Hypatia, whilst you do need to take lifestyle measures, but if he or she is presrcibing medication the doctor does need to know that you're taking readings and home and what sort of results that you're getting. It sounds like that you'll be a getting a different doctor after three months anyway so you could raise the issue with them.
Of course the ideal doctor shouldn't have got huffy when you challenged the reading. But we're people too.. and it could be that as you were upset anyway, becuase of the row with your mum, you said so in a way that made him go defensive rather than listen to your point.

Doctors shouldn't but if a patient comes in and seems to be reguarding the doctor as incompetent, they then subconsciously want to defend what they're doing. I'm on a TS mailing list or I was before I got annoyed with them all and left! but anyway a lot of them found that all doctors they ever saw were incompetent and hated TS people Which I found odd because all the ones I've ever see have been quite the oppostie. I wonder if the difference could be that they expected the doctor to be hostile to them so were automatically hostile to the doctor.

Anyway I expect the doctor you change to will be youngher, and they are more used to modern medicine where the doctor isn't reguarded as god.

Security, well it certainly isn't first class, hospitals often have things stolen from them, and cars are often valdalised in car parks. It's something I'll consider though.

I've always found calling the doctor by their first name helps establish a more equal relationship. It annoys some of them, but my attidude to my health is one of co-responsibility, and most of them respond really well.

Interesting point about patient expectation, Z.

B

[MTG]

FG, the woman had been missing for nine months and her current abusive husband was a suspect in her disappearance.

Her teenage children found her skeletal remains hanging from a pipe in the basement behind piles of boxes. Now the focus has shifted to suicide. The article I read made no mention of where these kids were living all this time.

I found an article about the case:

http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,878801,00.html

I have got to STOP vacationing. The blog was over 400 for me. Skimmed most of it (not like a "good" Salonista would do) and it's good to see some familiar (though long absent) faces appear again.

Holidays went well. We had our No.1 and No.2 sons, over from St Louis and we opened presents, feasted on salmon, played games, and chatted about life for a day-and-a-half. Good visit.

"Little Bit" (our youngest) is gleeful that Mom got me a Gamecube with the Classic Zelda collection. We're muddling our way through Majora's Mask, which is 'new' to us. We thoroughly enjoyed about 6-8 months in Ocarina of time last year, so this is a nice follow-up.

My Honey got a sewing machine (something she's wanted for years now) and some jewelry from 'Santa', so she's happy, too. Our middle-teen daughter enjoyed the cash the red-suited guy left for her and has already hit the fashion shops to outfit herself "to the nines". (Who was it earlier this year did the research on that idiom? Caer? Ti? d'E? Ach! Don't remember...)

Looking forward to thawing out when Toasty (and the whole "Fetching the Goo Spruce" crew) returns. Should be any moment now...

Hypatia...try fish oil capsules. Helps me a lot.

"keep a tropical fish tank "source of fresh really fresh [fish-oil]

*stands in front of the *

Shusshh they might here you...

One of the reasons I started going to the gym was raised B/P. When I was Practise Nursing those with raised B/Ps used to get sent to us, they were always lower when a took them and we would get them to come in over a period of two or three weeks at different times of day and then take an average. Also, when I was community nursing we would go out and check them at home too, the readings would be even lower. Of course, if they weren't, then they had to have medication if dietary changes didn't help either.

In my case being fitter has helped and drinking more water too. I've been taking cod liver oil capsules on and off too, but since coely 'nagged' me , I've been taking them every day

I rather miss No2 son's not that they did much, but they were nice to look at and Cassie enjoyed watching them too.

Witty, that's just sick and sad. And yes, fg, your house is remarkably clean, but as you've said more than once, I think that's because you live alone, and the only messes are your own. I live with two people who hoard stuff, and can't see dirt.

Hypatia, I think Z has a point. Your high blood pressure could be stress related, but not necessarily doctor related. You've had a relatively eventful year, what with the library and F and your issues with lawnmowers (or was that Witty?!). I'm sure that between dietary changes and just being mindful, you won't need the medication. I'm on a beta blocker to keep my blood pressure *up*.

Z, speaking of that, are new doctors moving away from the whole medication route? I've had doctors that want to stuff me with pills of all kinds, and I'm terribly resistant to the idea (other than the beta blocker...much better than an arrythmia). My doc now likes to use all sorts of methods, and I like that.

An aquarium! What a wonderful idea. I haven't had one for 20 years or better. And the cats will love it. I have some Christmas money to spend.

I tried fish oil capsules once and had dreadful indigestion. I wonder if it was just a coincidence?

[T&R]

Try again. I love the fish tanks in restaurants. But I like fish so I wouldn't. My mate has just moved on from his latest woman and replaced her with a fish tank. The filter mesh was too open and two losses were recorded every night.

I think he regards his love life that way. But anyway he's gone in for a larger species. Yet more losses as the bigguns eat the littleuns. I like nurses Caer. My mother was a nurse and as a child I often used to hang around the hospital where she worked.