la_belle_laide | Historic reform and other ramblings (Reply)

CAN HAS HEALTH CARE REFORM. Yet, Yahoo's top story is somehow about Jessica Simpson's dress. What the hell.

I mean, people are making a huge deal, and it is historic, but I'm hearing things like "The civil rights movement of this century" and "health care for EVERYONE AND THEIR PET FISH!!!1111" and I'm not yet convinced (have heard even from other libs and Dems) that it's not gonna be too huge a change. OTOH, what I love is the part about not denying insurance to folks with a medical condition. Sweet. And that the companies can't up and cancel your insurance when you get ill. Because seriously, WTF.

Either way, I'm happy. It's something. Change is good.

Yesterday I went for a jog in the ridiculously 70 degree weather, before dinner. For a few minutes, I felt like it was summer. I jogged again today, and decided to experiment with different kinds of running. Not something like running with my hands behind my head, or flailing, or shooting rounds from an AK47 or dodging behind trees like a ninja or anything. But experimenting with different stride lengths. I was totally surprised to find out that ~~the balls in my other pants pocket~~ strides make a ~~bit of~~ difference ~~guys.~~ I absolutely feel a different kind of fatigue and muscle-ache when I lengthen my stride than when I shorten it. And then I decided to run for the last stretch, instead of jogging. Like, leaning forward and going somewhat faster kind of running. Not, like, sprinting like hell. Although I used to like sprinting, in college. Maybe I'll give that a shot, too.

Don't anyone think that I'm some kind of runner or am seriously into it or anything. I know people who run five miles a day. Shoot, I'm lucky if I do a half a mile. And honestly, it's not totally fun, either. Those first few strides are always awesome, like, "Ahh, wow, running, feel those muscles working, this is nice, what a rush." And then literally 70 strides into it—I counted—it's "This blows. When can I stop?"

What else did I do today, let's see. I bathed both filthy dogs, and did a crap-ton of reviews on the OWW, and submitted my new chapter, too. The email I'd gotten about the Editor's Choice told me (and the other three writers who were chosen) that the reviews would be up on the 20th. I stayed up past midnight last night waiting, then I wrote to one of the other three and asked if he'd heard anything. He's been there much longer than I have, and he informed me that they usually put up the new choices on the 1st, not the middle of the damn months, and he didn't know why they'd told us the 20th. He advised me to sit tight until the 1st of April. I hate sitting tight but honestly I'm still stoked. I read up some on the editors' choice thing. They choose you out of hundreds of entries because they think you've got potential. And they used the words "Congratulations to this month's authors." Oooooh, I like congratulations! This seriously makes my month!

Also, I called my brother and we talked for a long time. I guess we're both still having some pretty rough days, and as it gets closer to the summer, it seems to get worse instead of better. Well, I expected that in a way. And I expected to feel this way when April was on the horizon, too, because of Gran. But I just can't seem to reckon how, I don't know, after Gran died I just figured on being upset around April. And then—I don't know, it's so weird to say this and I don't mean it like it sounds, but—it's strange to feel nostalgic for a time when I had only lost Gran. I mean, last Spring was so awful. But it was still so ridiculously much better than losing Dad that I feel nostalgia for that awful time. It's terrible, to miss a time when things were bad enough already.

Well anyway, that wasn't the point. I just got onto a grief tangent again, and I didn't mean to. Totally wrecked the mood of this entry, which was supposed to be light-hearted and somewhat goofy.

Anyway, getting back to the phone call with my brother, he said something so weird I have to write it down. We were talking about dreams (most of them aren't so good, as I'm sure everyone can imagine,) but he mentioned one that he had a few night ago that made me go O_O . My brother works as security in this high-profile building, and so the other night he dreamed that he was at work and someone gave him a gun. He told me, "Here's the weird part: The gun was, I don't know, on backwards. The barrel faced the wrong way. And I realized that if I ever had to kill someone with it, I'd have to flip the hilt over."

Okay, so I'm possibly the only anime geek here so maybe no one else gets it, but it's weird because Mom and I have been (obviously) watching Kenshin, and I've been reading the books before bed. And a few nights ago I was fixating on one panel with Kenshin flipping the hilt of the sakabato. And for anyone who doesn't know, the character has a sword with the blade on backwards, to prevent him from killing anyone.

The point of that is that my brother and I always have had this weird mental connection. I can't explain it; I just think it's weird. We also have the same birthday.

I know I'm flipping from subject to subject like a mad subject-flipping thing, but why the hell is my mollie Lucrezia shaking herself back and forth? I don't remember seeing her ever swim like that before. She's just wiggling and wiggling in one place. I wonder if that's a mollie thing or if something's wrong. I hope nothing's wrong, 'cause she's my favorite. And I'm afraid to google "wiggling mollie" because, you know, the internet.

Okay, I just did some searching. Apparently mollies get a disease called "shimmy" when there's something up with the water. I just had to add an ammonia filter and the water is nice and clear. Gosh! It never ends. I have to look for a product called "Mollie Bright" or "Shimmy Blocks" because they like brackish water. But will that be okay for my betta Leon? Is it because Leon's chasing her? What?

Off to Petco again tomorrow, I guess. :/

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