The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility that is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020. With a greater mass than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye, and, as of 2010, is the largest artificial satellite orbiting the Earth. The ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology. The station has a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews, and has been continuously staffed since 2 November 2000, meaning the ISS program has maintained an uninterrupted human presence in space for the past 9 years and 140 days, which is approaching the current record, set aboard Mir, of 9 years and 257 days. As of 18 March 2009, the crew of Expedition 23 is aboard. ~Wikipedia

And that leads to this dolphin video I saw a while back:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg6VXFOtRsU

Whales at National Geographic.

Isn’t the world full of incredible creatures?

Since my blog is about nothing everything, I thought I’d try a random word post. Today’s word was whale.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcBV-cXVWFw

Do you feel puny?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXQbmZxWYY

• Go to Scotland
  Of course this will require money, and lots of work at the Y so I can actually hike a bit.
• Go to Ireland
  Same here. I told my kids if I finally ever went I’d probably spend the whole time in my room on the computer
• Volunteer at the SPCA
  This one would be somewhat doable, but until I get some stamina, only for short time periods.
• Make money designing web sites
  Also doable (as soon as I get the courage to market myself) and even better if I don’t have to talk to people in person!
• Join a camera club
  Might be too scared to tackle this one, but maybe some day.
• Join the Ymca again to get my poor body back in shape
  Very doable as soon as I get the money for membership. I already know that even though there are lots of people there, I don’t have to talk to any of them.

So, heh, I only need four more to add to my list of things that I’ll probably never do.

According to all the spam I just emptied, all is not lost that my pineal gland is gone missing. They are guaranteeing that they can enlarge my penis!! I really don’t understand the point of that. They can’t possibly sell stuff by spamming totally inappropriate posts can they? Of course if I was a guy with a little weenie, maybe I’d fall for it. But why are they putting that on a post about a brain tumor? or a post about depression and suicide? Really., I promise I’m not depressed because I have a teeny weewee

Oh give me the spam of old, which was at least totally hilarious. It’s unfortunate that the story in it’s entirety seems to be gone, it was quite the saga. I spent days enjoying it

Then there’s the scammers, and w00t!…as soon as I finally collect from all those poor widows and cancerous folks, I’m going to be a bazillionaire! It’s fairly amusing to read about the folks that actually take the time to string the scammers along for a while.

The saddest part of all, is that my blog is so lame, that’s about all the comments I get. Except for my few ever faithful and I thank you my friends, for that. You are so much more interesting reading than plowing through pages of spam to see if there is anything worthwhile in there. (P.S. I remember when I first started I wanted to publish the spam, just so I’d have some comments! ).

Note to self…when you are feeling so like garbage that you write the previous post, stop and think. The big clue is that when I told my doctor that I couldn’t keep track of when I was due a B12 shot, she said “If you start feeling awful, give yourself one.” Duh… So yeah, it helped somewhat. I still am wobbly, can’t do much and have migraines like I’ve never had before, but I’ve decided maybe I’m not dying after all.

This whole daily routine thing seems to be beyond me anymore. You know, like eating, sleeping, taking meds, doing housework. I think I need to make a chart like I used to have for my kids. But what in the world could I use as a reward? A gold star isn’t gonna cut it. A huge start would be to get out of this 30+ hour day thing I have going on. Someone mentioned it on one of my tumor posts, and asked if I was taking a melatonin supplement. Perhaps it’s time to look into that. In case you don’t know, your pineal gland regulates your circadian rhythm (it tells you when it’s day and night). Well being that my gland has gone missing, maybe a supplement would help me a lot.

Of course that isn’t going to cure the rest of this mess, but maybe it’s a step. The real issue is right here, and it isn’t going away. Adhd is not just about inattention, that part is bad enough. It’s also about getting too focused when it’s something you love. Boy do I remember my dad sitting up all night checkering his gun stocks. That’s what keeps me sitting here 30 to 40 hours straight mucking around with code. Everything in moderation doesn’t seem to be in my vocabulary.

My therapist says William is good for me because he makes a pest of himself and forces me to be social. Ever since kindergarten when I used to say I was sick to skip school, I’ve had this problem. Social stuff feels overwhelming to me. I learned early on I was no good at it. So yesterday because I refuse to do anything requiring interacting with people, he told me to list 10 things I would enjoy (I think he means things that require interaction with other humans). Ten?! Right this moment I can’t even think of one….blame the bloody migraine.

The Royalty
	This is Robert II (1316 – 1390), he became King of Scots in 1371 — the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Before his accession he held the titles of High Steward of Scotland and earl of Strathearn. He was the son of Walter Stewart, High Steward of Scotland and Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar. Robert Stewart became heir presumptive to his grandfather, Robert I in 1318, but this lapsed in 1324 with the birth of a son, afterwards David II. On his father’s death in 1326, he inherited the title of High Steward and in the same year parliament named him as heir presumptive to Prince David. In 1329 King Robert I died and the 5 year old David succeeded him. On David’s unexpected death in 1371, Robert succeeded to the throne at the age of 55.
	Robert III (1337 – 1406) and his lovely wife Annabella Drummond. King of Scots (reigned 1390–1406), given name John, was the eldest son of Robert, High Steward of Scotland, afterwards King Robert II and Elizabeth Mure and was legitimated with the marriage of his parents in 1347.
	Christian I (1426–1481), Danish monarch and union king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464), under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa. Also Duke of Schleswig and Holstein 1460–81.
	Dorothea (1430 – 1495)was a Princess of Brandenburg and by marriage became Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
	James I (1394 – 1437) was nominal King of Scots from 4 April 1406 until his death, although his effective reign only began in May 1424. He spent the earlier part of his reign as a prisoner in England. On his release he made moves to create a strong centralised monarchy in Scotland, and was assassinated by dissident nobles. He was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond.
	James II (1430 – 1460) was the son of James I of Scotland and of Joan Beaufort (daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and of Margaret Holland). He had an elder twin, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, who lived long enough to receive a knighthood, but died in infancy. James became the father of James III. James, whose nickname “Fiery face” because of a conspicuous vermilion birthmark on his face, had six sisters, all of whom married into various European royal dynasties. Inheriting the throne at under seven years old, James saw the government in the hands of others for most of his reign. The assassination of his father James I had formed part of an attempt to usurp power by Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, but it failed miserably, and James’s guardians had Atholl and his allies captured and executed in the months after the assassination.
	James III (1451 – 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family. In 1488 when he faced an army raised by the disaffected nobles, and many former councillors at the Battle of Sauchieburn, and was defeated and killed. His heir, the future James IV, took arms against his father.
	James IV (1473 – 1513) was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from Great Britain to be killed in battle.
	Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite; 4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was the Queen consort of King George VI of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 1936 until his death in 1952. After her husband’s death, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the last Queen consort of Ireland and Empress consort of India. Born into a family of Scottish nobility (her father inherited the Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904), she came to prominence in 1923 when she married Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. As Duchess of York, she – along with her husband and their two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret – embodied traditional ideas of family and public service.[5] She undertook a variety of public engagements, and became known as the “Smiling Duchess” because of her consistent public expression.
	Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is the Queen regnant of sixteen independent sovereign states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. She holds each crown separately and equally in a shared monarchy, as well as acting as Head of the Commonwealth, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As a constitutional monarch, she is politically neutral and by convention her role is largely ceremonial. Her father, George VI, was the last Emperor of India. On his death in 1952, Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth, and queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, later renamed Sri Lanka. During her reign, which at 57 years is one of the longest for a British monarch, she became queen of 25 other countries within the Commonwealth as they gained independence from Britain. She has been the sovereign of 32 individual nations, half of which later became republics.
More Recent
	George Washington (1732 – 1799). Once when I was at school I told my classmates I was related to Charlemagne and Alfred the Great. They laughed at me and said “Next you’ll be telling us George Washington is your cousin.” Well, he is…or was.
	Yep, Robert E. Lee (1807 – 1870).
	John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 – 1892) was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets. Whittier was strongly influenced by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

That is just on my mother’s side of the family. My dad traced us back to Alfred the Great And Charlemagne. I had a pedigree hand written by my dad of the line back to Charlemagne. My mother says she never saw it so I have no idea how I had it but I sure can’t find it. So I won’t add them here since I can’t prove it. But how else would I have ever heard of Pepin the Short? (He was the father of Charlemagne.)

Is it any wonder that I feel like Scotland is in my blood? My dream is to see that land before I die.

(most info taken from Wikipedia)

edited to add the queen Elizabeth’s. They were cousins of George Washington and Robert E. Lee.