constance: (*grows*)
constance ([personal profile] constance) wrote2009-04-05 03:03 pm

steady rain on Sunday

My mother had her surgery this past week. Apart from the usual snafus and indignities visited on patients a thousand times a day by overworked hospital staff -- an entire day of taking blood pressure in her arms when doing so is specifically counterindicated for mastectomy patients, just as one example -- she came through beautifully. Went home on Thursday evening, takes her many, many meds religiously, watches many bad movies in fifteen-minute increments, reads a bit, does various puzzles one clue at a time because her concentration is shot to hell, and is altogether out-of-it enough that she hasn't had a chance to be bored. Which is a good thing! And she is fine, she is with us, and it turns out that is all we really needed to make this a good week.

With that one thing taking up most of my time, there are things that have been pushed to one side, one being regular yard work, which. I didn't know until very recently that I'd been spoiled by the drought which has lasted the entire length of my term of homeownership, but it is true, because I spent a solid two hours yesterday afternoon weeding my freaking sidewalk, which the cracks have sprouted up nicely in the recent rains, and since my front walk is composed of eighteen-inch hexagonal concrete tiles, THAT IS A LOT OF CRACKS, MY FRIENDS. On the one hand, nice not to be on water restriction any more; I plan on washing my car three times today alone, just because I can. But on the other hand. If I have to spend an entire summer WEEDING MY SIDEWALK just to keep my house from looking abandoned: I can see the merits of desert living, is what.

Also, I've been inexplicably obsessed lately with written Burmese, which to my eye is the prettiest language imaginable, so satisfyingly curvilinear and uniform! I don't expect many people to have thought about this with great depth or energy, but I'm gonna put the question out here anyway: what is your favorite written language?

[identity profile] gmth.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad to hear things went well for your mom. I hope she recovers quickly. *hugs*

I have decided this year I'm just going to kill everything in my yard in hopes of avoiding the usual $800 fee for clean up at the end of the season. I plan to weedwhack the shit out of everything and then dump weedkiller on all of it.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
HAHAHAHAHAHA

I might just follow your lead! Man, this yard work crap is exhausting, even if it does look so pretty when it's all done!

*hugs*

[identity profile] xanthophyllippa.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I really love how Sütterlin looks - the 19th-century German script I work with in my "real" research.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
ohhh, that is pretty! Clearly, I love a language where all characters look so much alike as to be indistinguishable to the unpracticed eye.

[identity profile] xanthophyllippa.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm also a big fan of Hindi, and would love to learn Arabic.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes to both! They're on my list of favorites as well.
thalia: photo of Chicago skyline (Default)

[personal profile] thalia 2009-04-05 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I like Korean a lot, but I agree, Burmese is prettier.

I'm glad your mom is doing OK.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Korean is pretty too! It's very architectural, and I approve of that. :D

And ME TOO.

[identity profile] jossish.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm so glad your mum is ok! Phew.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I completely agree with the phew!

[identity profile] tilney.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm very happy your mum did well. I hope the recovery will be speedy and complete.

Farsi is very beautiful. Thai is also very pretty, and can be quite similar to Burmese, but it depends on the script used.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! If things continue as they're going so far, everything will be well.

I agree with both! Thai looks almost like complicated musical notation -- gotta love that.

[identity profile] lolaraincoat.livejournal.com 2009-04-05 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
So glad to hear good news about your mom! Sending you both good thoughts ...

Favorite written language: Arabic is gorgeous, to me.

As to the weeds, try washing down your front walk with a vinegar solution. It won't work quickly, but it will work, it's easier than weeding (even if you do a little supplementary weeding too) and it's a lot gentler on the planet than using a commercial weed-killer.

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-06 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, I agree about the Arabic! And about my mother, for that matter. And all good thoughts are appreciated. :)

I've been thinking about vinegar ever since [livejournal.com profile] laurelwood mentioned the results of their experiment! I don't really like using chemical pesticides because the dog does too much grass-eating and -rolling for me to be comfortable with spraying it everywhere, but vinegar does seem to work, and it's got to be better than nothing -- even if my front walk smells kind of weird for a day or two.

[identity profile] octoberstory.livejournal.com 2009-04-06 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
I'm so glad your mom came through this all right. ♥

[identity profile] tofty.livejournal.com 2009-04-06 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
MEEEE TOO. ♥