General update

[luzula]

1) Ack, I forgot to do Yuletide nominations after all. /o\ I suppose this is a demonstration of the general decline in my fannishness. But I am determined to do Yuletide anyway; it's a tradition and I don't want it to end now. I'm sure I'll find things to request/offer anyway.

2) I was out birdwatching with my dad today, and it was a lot of fun. Ten new species for this year, among others a peregrine falcon which I have never seen before! Generally I am pretty bad at birds, because I tend to have my attention to the ground, but my dad is good at it.

3) I have some red itchy things that look like bites and I don't know where they come from. And somehow that gave me the semi-irrational idea that I have bedbugs. I haven't been out traveling and I haven't bought any second-hand furniture or anything in the last year, so the probability that I would have them is really pretty low, but somehow the idea has wormed itself into my head. Okay, I will closely examine in and around my bed before I go to bed and hopefully that will resolve things. But I have the greatest sympathy for people who actually have bedbugs, because bed is the place where you need to relax, and even the suspicion that something is lurking in it to suck your blood is just not conducive to relaxation. (I do appreciate biodiversity but not in my bedroom.)

4) If you're wondering what I did about that offer of a new position at work, I said yes. It's only just started so it's too early to say how much time/energy it will suck, but I am cautiously optimistic that it will be all right.

ETA: 5) Oh, and I have to share this: there's this woman who's maybe in her 70's in our apartment block, who is...well, let's just say that she needs to work on her critical thinking skills. Her latest theory is that people are transsexual because of the mercury in dental amalgam. *sigh*

Comments

[lilysea]

ETA: 5) Oh, and I have to share this: there's this woman who's maybe in her 70's in our apartment block, who is...well, let's just say that she needs to work on her critical thinking skills. Her latest theory is that people are transsexual because of the mercury in dental amalgam. *sigh*

Oh Dear God. :(

People are trans because people are trans because people are trans.

There've been genderqueer or third-gender people for thousands and thousands of years, long before modern dentistry, for example Native American two-spirited people.

I saw an article the other day about how
"Third gender gods, flexible or even transgender divinities, were common in ancient polytheism, from Egypt to Mesopotamia, to India..."
http://www.ancient.eu/article/941/

I hope she moves house, or at least stops regaling you with her opinions.

[luzula]

Well, her main focus is not actually trans people, but dental amalgam and mercury in general, which in her opinion is the cause of everything from cancer to global warming. I think the trans thing was just a driveby comment.

[seascribble]

OH GOSH, I too have been waking up with itchy bites recently, but it doesn't seem to be bedbugs, as none of the other signs are there? It's gotten better recently, but I'm putting the cats on flea meds and hoping that fixes it.

NO to biodiversity in the bedroom.

[luzula]

Here's hoping neither of us has bedbugs. I did examine my bed and the area around it thoroughly yesterday, and didn't find any signs. I did find some larvae of fur beetles/carpet beetles, so I think I need to clean more often in general...

[brigantine]

Mysterious Bitey Things, noooooooo!! DNW. /o\

I hope you solve the mystery. Maybe it was a nettley sort of plant you knocked into, rather than a naughty wee beastie?

[luzula]

Well, they're mostly on my belly, so not a plant, I think? But I haven't got any new ones, at least. Could also have been some sort of heat reaction, I suppose--it's been unseasonably hot here.

[jesse_the_k]

Heat rash is definitely a thing -- my mother called it "prickly heat" and that definitely matched the uncomfortable feeling.

Available now to ramp uo bedbug paranoia:
http://bedbugregistry.com

This is the other project which keeps Maciej Cegłowski busy. I've wasted many a happy hour not thinking about Cimex lectularius by reading Maciej's well-written & amusing articles at
http://idlewords.com

The main project being the fandom-embracing bookmark organizer,
http://pinboard.in

[luzula]

I have thoroughly cleaned my bed and room and saw no signs of them, so I think my paranoia has receded for the moment. It needs no feeding, thank you. : P

Oh, interesting! I didn't know he had a blog. *opens tab*

[ride-4ever.livejournal.com]

#5 Huh? *boggles*

[luzula]

Well, she thinks mercury and dental amalgam causes everything from cancer to global warming...I have tried to reason with her once, but got nowhere.

[lyr]

1) That's pretty much my position.

2) May be related to 3.

4) I am optimistic for you. I hope it turns out to be rewarding!

5) Mercury. In dental amalgam. So, since most people in first world nations have fillings, most of us are trans?

[luzula]

2) is definitely related to 1), since that's why I forgot about Yuletide noms...

I had the bite thingies before I went birdwatching, but I've definitely been outdoors at other times during the week, so they could've happened then.

5) I have tried applying reason to her theories, but sadly it has no effect on her. Her focus isn't really trans people, that was just a driveby thing--she thinks mercury in dental amalgam causes everything from cancer to global warming.

[lyr]

2) Yep, I always come back from outdoor things with inexplicable bites I don't remember getting.

5) Awesome. That's the sort of thing I'm writing my dissertation on, actually: people who aren't scientists misappropriating scientific rhetoric either disingenuously or from complete lack of understanding of how science is different from faith.

[luzula]

Well, I can give you a further example then:

Neighbor: "The plants in my garden are much taller these days. That's because of all the mobile phone masts."
Me: "Why would you think that? Do you have evidence for that?"
Neighbor: "Evidence? It's just common sense!"
Me: "But what if someone else thought it was common sense that it was because of, say, global warming. How would you know who was right?"
Neighbor: "But that's the same thing."
Me: "Mobile masts and global warming? That's not the same thing."
Neighbor: "But everything is connected to everything else!"
Me: "Sure things are interconnected, but don't you think it's important to find the most important factors so you can be more effective in the actions that you take?"
Neighbor: "I know more than you do. Don't think I can't use Google just because I'm old!"
Me: *extricates self from discussion*

She's not limited to amalgam...

[lyr]

Wow, that's a lot like some of the research I'm doing. It's going to take me weeks to scrape the crazy off after all this is over.

[luzula]

It was very frustrating, because I kept seeing glimpses of something I could sympathize with, such as care for the environment and for people's health, but I just could not reach her. Ah well. I'm not going to try again; I think I have more productive things to do with my time.

Do post about your research some time! Or maybe you already did, and I missed it.

[lyr]

That's a good idea - especially during this posting month, posting about my research seems timely.