The Dark Side of the Moon

Ignatius, the friendless fibroid

2008-07-26T18:46:00.002-05:00

Like me, Ignatius is a loner. As I reported earlier, I decided to explore the possibility of a UFE, or uterine fibroid embolization, procedure. On Tuesday, July 22, I took the first step with an MRI scan and a consultation with Dr. V., an interventional radiologist. Despite my best efforts to be late, I arrived a little early. After I'd been chided for standing in the wrong line (I was supposed

Book review: Priestess of Avalon

2008-07-23T20:00:00.003-05:00

Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 2002. 416 pages. Set mainly outside Britannia, Priestess of Avalon marks a departure from Bradley's Avalon series and the buildup to the Matter of Britain. Bradley and Paxson trace the acceptance and spread of Christianity to the goddess through the travels and actions of one of her Avalon

At Morton Arboretum

2008-07-20T17:42:00.002-05:00

Late yesterday afternoon J. and I finally made it to the Morton Arboretum—finally, because he has wanted to go for a couple of months. After a morning of solid rain, the weather brightened but remained humid. On the way, I noticed several electronic signs that read, “State police enforcing motorcycle reckless driving,” which of course implies that reckless motorcycle driving is required by a law

Christmas in July

2008-07-19T13:08:00.001-05:00

Monday, July 7, 2008, was like Christmas in July at the house of Slywy. I came home to four packages. I'd ordered all of them, but it's always fun to get mail—even if it weighs more than 30 pounds. The biggest and heaviest box was not for me, but for Hodge—24 cans each of chicken and turkey cat food. He can take comfort in knowing that he'll be fed for another 48 days, at least. A second

19 July 2008: Miscellany

2008-07-19T12:16:00.003-05:00

The landscaping at the Hyde Park Shopping Center was changed earlier this week, and I haven't see Peter Cottontail in the three times I've looked since. I'm hoping that he left on his own or, at worst, the landscapers humanely trapped and relocated him to a better habitat. I was moved to see that someone had thrown baby carrots into the planter on the off chance he was still around. It was an

Dream: Identity crisis

2008-07-15T10:26:00.001-05:00

A young woman opened a door set in a wall on a narrow European-style street to a tall man in cavalier dress. He held and kissed her forcefully—too forcefully—and they disappeared inside. I wondered if all was well, or if I should have intervened. Although I didn't know her or the man—I thought they might be college students—I went in later to check on her. She was in a large, claw-footed bathtub

Dream: Shaken, not stirred

2008-07-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

James Bond was being pursued through a large building, most likely a hotel. He stopped to remove his socks, probably just before he was captured. When I found them, I had the presence of mind to pick them up, realizing later that they were the reason that he was being hunted. He escaped and found me, and I thought I was about to learn the secret of the socks when we heard a woman outside

The secret life of Peter Cottontail

2008-07-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

Last year I began to wonder how much space an urban cottontail needs when I spotted a mother rabbit and two friendly offspring in The Flamingo's garden. I grew up seeing rabbits emerge from several acres of woods at dusk to browse the field next to us and probably unthinkingly assumed they need lots of space because they had it. The Flamingo rabbits—at least one of which remains, presumably the

Dream: Full metal jaw

2008-07-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

I had a robot whose most prominent feature was its metal teeth. It chased me out of the house into the midnight air, and I became afraid of it. It also got away from me on the street and looked as though it were biting a man's rear end. It attacked so voraciously that I thought it must have chewed up his buttocks and left a bloody mess. Then it turned sideways and deliberately spit out, not blood

Storm coming

2008-07-10T20:19:00.002-05:00

A thunderstorm blows in from the west.

A Prairie Home Companion at Ravinia

2008-07-06T18:18:00.003-05:00

It could not have been a more perfect day. The last few times I've gone to Ravinia with J., we've brought a few things, but we didn't plan ahead. This time I decided to overcome my work-related aversion to planning and to try to have a real picnic, taking into account our mutual desire—and need—to watch what we eat more closely. After a stop at Caffe RoM (Hyatt Center) and three trips to

Dream: Alma mater again

2008-07-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

I had returned to college and was trying to find a reception on the second floor of a building, but there were no stairs that I could discover. I came across a long line of students who might have been waiting to get into the reception, but I needed to bypass them. I found some concrete stairs flanked by dirt banks, but students appeared and began painting them black. I attempted to climb the

Dream: The whipping boy (bonus: Viacom vs. Google)

2008-07-04T19:49:00.001-05:00

Before I get to my latest nightmare, I should mention that I read that a judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom the names and IP addresses, along with everything they've ever watched, of every YouTube user. I'm not a lawyer and don't know the law, and presumably the judge is and does, but my common sense and practical sense immediately asked, "Why? Why should the representatives of a

Dream: Double jeopardy

2008-07-03T07:09:00.001-05:00

I came upon a stand full of people listening to an orator, who was declaiming against an elderly woman accused of a murder that had happened long ago. I interrupted her, but she continued speaking. I interrupted her tirelessly until I could finally say what I had to say and engage her in discussion. I pointed out that the woman, who was suffering from dementia, had already been tried and could

Dream: The vampire betrothal and back to school

2008-07-02T19:23:00.000-05:00

I needed to go to the bathroom, but the room labeled for women was behind a barrier so the door couldn't be opened outward. I used an ornament to jury rig it open somehow. When I came out, a handsome but frightening vampire who I understood to be my prospective husband accused me of stealing the ornament, which seemed to be in pieces. I returned the ornament, although I had thought it was a gift,

Catfight!

2008-07-02T06:49:00.002-05:00

Everything you love about cats in one short video:

Giant pencil from Western Michigan University

2008-07-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

I can’t believe I didn’t noticed this pencil during my previous stay at the Ann Arbor Bed and Breakfast. Perhaps it wasn’t there before, or the golf pencil along the ledge next to it. The pencil is imprinted with Western Michigan University and seals.

Review: Lady of Avalon

2008-06-29T18:15:00.002-05:00

Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. New York: The Penguin Group, 1998. 380 pages. Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley picks up where The Forest House ended. Avalon has been established under the leadership of high priestess Caillean in the shadow of the holy Tor and close to the Christian brotherhood at Inis Witrin. The first book follows Eilan's son Gawen and his contribution to Avalon

Hyde Park's weak hippie

2008-06-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

The sign on an empty storefront announces that "In a few weeks there will be a fruit and vegetable store here." Below are sheets of paper with an invitation to make your desires and preferences known. Someone requested varieties of that comfort fruit/vegetable, cheesecake. To clarify, "vegan" is penciled in nearby. Another soul would like "bears, coyotes" to be sold. Someone helpfully noted

Wacky weather and dragonflies

2008-06-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

After I picked up Hodge, who, I am told, was well behaved (I assume this is relative to his typical behavior versus relative to that of a normal cat), I went to Bonjour for coffee and sat inside. I noticed some cloud buildup in the west, and the temperature seemed a bit cooler when I came out. On my way back, the sky to the east was mostly sunny, but a dark cloud loomed directly overhead, and

Dream: Tests of fortitude

2008-06-28T17:58:00.002-05:00

The Partridge Family was performing in an auditorium. I liked the music, which was new. When I saw people with signed CDs, I decided to get one, which required going on stage during the performance. I felt shy, but steeled myself to do it. To get to the stage, I had to work my way across two narrow ledges and pick up a magazine with each successful step sideways. It was harrowing and time

Time and relativity

2008-06-26T17:34:00.002-05:00

I'm on the train returning to Chicago after what feels like the shortest vacation I've ever had. I slept more than I meant to and didn't do some things I intended to , but I don't regret that as I have before. I did what I could and enjoyed it without feeling bored, at a loss, or disappointed. Now the weather has turned hot and humid, so perhaps it's best that I've gotten all that walking out of

Post-birthday blues

2008-06-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

I don't feel blue, but for the first time since Sunday the sky is wholly overcast and the rain more than intermittent if not constant. I don't mind rain and clouds, and sun causes me all kinds of problems, but at this time of year I prefer the partly sunny or cloudy of the past few days to complete gray. One damp woman, carrying a plant purchased at the farmers' market through the rain, saw me,

"I'll cry if I want to"

2008-06-24T13:42:00.001-05:00

Mr. Wolf is correct—it's my birthday, a date I hide from my day-to-day acquaintances and highlight on my Web site. Thank you to those who sent greetings. I am celebrating by experiencing one of the pains of middle age—perhaps a rite of passage of sorts. For a while my lower back has been expressing unhappiness, and my abdominal region has been feeling tense and full of pressure. Both seem to

Dream: The lost pencils, and a "good tired"

2008-06-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Both yesterday and today I've been unusually tired. I didn't get much sleep Saturday night. I wanted to do some writing and reading on the train, but after I had settled in I couldn't stay awake. Even sitting up in an uncomfortable position, I fell soundly asleep. This morning after breakfast I fell asleep, and then again this afternoon after I had gone for a walk and eaten a portobello mushroom