Forsan et haec olim legisse iuvabit.

So I was there when it opened because I had to vacate the hotel and the coffee house I wanted to go to is on street parking and good luck finding a spot. Ha. My new GPS doesn't know its left from its right but it's rather hard to miss the Washington County fairground building. I have questions. Big ones.

This venue is on par with the tiny cons my friends run in Athens or the one at my university. the space is about the size of a basketball court. So HOW did they get nearly a dozen guests lined up? Granted these aren't A listers but still. I thought there would be more events than this. Nope just the cosplay and the vendors so note to self, next time just drive up. There are no lines for this (much like the aforementioned small cons) or at least come up to Marietta and do other things the night before.

The vendors were good. I bought crap I don't need like usual (You bought a plant Dana. Go to your shame corner). I bought more rocks (now you stay in that shame corner) but I didn't buy books (okay you can come out eventually) I did get a cool wine glass (I thought it was glass but its food safe resin) with Medusa on it. More and more she feels like my spiritual twin. Bought some holiday gifts.

Had the singularly worst cup of coffee this year. They had a drink vendor, mostly these fruity drinks made of 90% torani syrups and pop. I can't drink those (because my sugar is sky high today, maybe because I slept like crap on that rock hard broke ass bed) 'oh we just added coffee'. It sounded good. Basically caramel and butterscotch with some whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. At least it wasn't pricey. I swear to you there was a demon in it that drank up the sugar because it was bitter as hell in spite of the syrups and I'm fairly sure it was just brown water. Like did you make a singular cup of coffee and then water it down into this?!?

So...I met Butch Patrick. I did think Eddie Munster was cute when I was a child. He was a sweet guy seemed very impressed that I was a doctor (that came up in conversation with someone else standing in line while we waited for the boomer to figure out how to use his phone to take payment). Shook my hand upon meeting me wasn't expecting that.



I had planned to go to Spagna's for lunch, the Italian place I like in Marietta but oops it's dinner only but right around the corner (literally) is Harmar historical village within Marietta (one of the oldest cities in Ohio) and Harmar tavern. I did a dumb thing. I looked at the ABV percentage of alcohol after I drank the drink. I'm like Oooo Ace's Peach cider (they do, for my money, the best ciders in America) I didn't think about it having a lot of alcohol. Only as much as three beers. Oops. I tried food I wouldn't normally eat, a juicy lucy with pimento cheese, hot honey and pickles. It seemed like usual sandwich price...only I learned it had no fries/chips/side of any kind so that made it pricier and...someone in their kitchen needs to learn what a juicy lucy is (the cheese is inside the burger). It was tasty but it wasn't a juicy lucy.

I also needed gas so I swung past Stokes coffee shop on my way to the gas station which I haven't been too in forever. Pumpkin Maple Macchiato oooo so good. I let the caffeine and alcohol battle it out (shut up liver, you're fine)

I stopped off in Athens at Marshall's for more christmas shopping and into Jackson for my brisket sandwich (eating more beef in one day than I usually do all month)

And then I cam home and started grading the last class of bone practical exams. It's finally happened. Someone scored a zero. They wrote something in every blank but missed all 85 questions. I didn't think that was possible. Also everyone the hyoid is NOT a baby mandible. Good guess though. Can someone get more about five more of those 10% alcohol ciders?

Have the fannish recs

Organizing the Future Teen wolf

Angel Enchanted Hazbin Hotel

Out of Touch Chainsaw Man

An Invitation ("Say It") Doctor Who

No Program In My Spice Please Star Trek: Lower Decks

Out Of The Frying Pan… Torchwood

Perfection Hazbin Hotel

Hypocrites Get What's Coming Hazbin Hotel

Stuck in this Godforsaken Town. Hazbin Hotel

Toxic Bliss Hazbin Hotel

Lot #69 (Lurched Like a Stray to the Arms That Were Open) Hazbin Hotel

we can go forever, until you wanna sit it out Hazbin Hotel

Burn The Murderbot Diaries

Behind The Scenes Hazbin Hotel

The Ol' Razzle Dazzle Hazbin Hotel

Family Fears Torchwood

Life After Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Slumber By Your Side Star Trek: The Original Series

forgetting any other tie but this 山河令 | Word of Honor

Red Hood: Hollow Mercy Batman

To Be Known Merlin

Pretzels and Pizza Hawkeye/Thunderbolts

Open Arms Teen Wolf

Not My Father Batman

Meanwhile, Back in Beacon Hills Teen Wolf

93 from Oak HIll to Ironton (on my way to Ashland KY) is perfect for curve hugging cars and I'm sad my parents no longer have their miata because it would have been fun. But naturally because I planned to get to Ashland in time for brunch at this brunch place, I get behind someone terrified of curves going up and down the hills and is crawling along.

You can't pass on this road for the most part. Sigh. At least Wayne Forest (which it cuts thru) was beautiful in colors. And I made it to the clinic on time.

I instantly liked Dr. B. What an old hippie with tons of gemstone bead bracelets on. He shook my hand upon meeting me and leaving. He even escorted me out the back way because it was quicker to the elevators up. He essentially said the same thing the other surgeon said but explained his reasonings. Most thyroid tumors are benign (I knew this).

Yes i should be concerned about the one that is a TR4 nodule (which can be cancerous). We're going to take the watchful waiting approach and follow up next year. We can biopsy it which has changed since my days in the OR. They now do genetic studies on the sample which is over 90% accurate. Good to know because that's a mere needle biopsy.

I explain my concerns about the compressive sensations. He believes it's because my thyroid on the right is 25% larger than it should be. He doesn't want to remove it yet because there is a chance of nicking the nerves to my voice box (he does use a nerve finder, another cool tool I did not have access to 30 years ago) and if my parathyroid glands are stuck into my thyroid (which is not uncommon) i could have calcium issues for life.

Fair. I can live with the sensation now that we're sure this is what it is. I do worry I won't see him again because seriously he is an old hippie, dude has to be approaching 70. But we shall see. This is how you treat patients btw. (also he was super impressed with the thyroid ultrasound, wanted to know who did it)

I hit Superhero creamery on the way home. It's a combo comic book, superhero themed ice cream, paint your own greenware ceramics joint. Thankfully I remembered it moved in the mall and I got myself a laven-doom (Dr Doom) lavender ice cream/blackberry swirl ice cream dish. Yum.

I wanted coffee (needed the caffeine) saw a starbucks. ugh but beggars can't be choosers. The line was onto the road in the drive thru so I went inside. Also nuts and they were getting constant phone calls. Apparently some Hello Kitty stuff dropped today and at 6 AM there were people lined up and it was sold out before the official opening of the store. Wow


Got home, called for a hotel room in Marietta for tomrrow. The front desk lady askes 'do you know what's going on in Marietta this weekend?

Me - Well I know I'm coming in for the Marietta Monster Mash

Desk - SQUEEEE. It's so good. Have you been before?

Me - no

Desk - EDDIE MUNSTER IS STAYING AT THE HOTEL

Me - cool. (listens to her gush about the horror con for a while, gets my room) oh it'll be a late check in (I have my writers group meet up in Athens first)

Desk - Hon, I'm here til midnight. I get to check in all the stars!!! See you tomorrow.

She's so excited. Ha.

I also managed to do my writers group on zoom tonight and fit in both episodes of Hazbin. Wow. Just wow. (also almost every story of mine got jossed but such is the perils of an active fandom)

But waste it I did. There were still mistakes on the test. two caught in test and fixed, one while grading. Ah well. Some of the students wasted my time. Can you tell me what you mean by what is this projection of bone? No. I have spent SEVEN weeks telling you that so no. And the one who's slated to do this test on friday asks 'is there a list online?' If you don't know this after 9 weeks, I don't like your chances. (the answer is yes, I've been showing them this every week for 8 weeks)

But the biggest waste of my time...it's a toss up between sleeping and voting.

I slept great from 2-6 AM and then from 6-8 I woke up and fell asleep so many times I was convinced I forgot to set the alarm and sleep paralysis-ed my way through it. And the dream was weird. I was in a fancy spa bathing area, trying to bathe...with the door open and somehow this led to murder. I don't know why I killed the person or how I disappeared the body but the rest of the dream was me trying to dispose of the chair I set him in (which had been mixed in to a church hall sort of room) and the blade...

As for voting, I have zero tv stations from OH (as Charleston WV is the closest big city along with Ashland NY) BUT on Facebook governor and senate race ads have been hitting hard and heavy so I thought that was what we were voting on. I have to go thru the hinter lands to get to my voting bingo hall and...it's for 3 school board members and three levies to keep 911 and firefighters rolling. Really? I could have skipped this.


Fannish 50 junk

Baking shows. I don't watch many anymore but I do watch Halloween and Holiday baking shows and I guess they're getting long in the tooth. I'm also wondering how rigged all of this is? Or how swayed we are by sad stories.

In Halloween we had one guy who apparently thinks this is another type of show, where you have villains etc but that was only episode 1. I thought maybe they spoke to him but that wasn't true apparently because in the second to last episode another baker commented on this sort of bullying and smack talking but they opted not to show it. I guess it tested poorly. It did with me. I can watch other shows if I want that. The winner had two sob stories. Was she good enough? I think the other two were better and it made me wonder did they decide to give it to her?

Holiday baking challenge aired last night and it is in teams with them bickering like the other sorts of cooking challenges with teams. I hate that. I have enough drama without that. Do you like that kind of thing? I figure someone does as it's so prevalent. I hope that won't be the whole of the show.

So much was going on today I felt it deserved it's own separate post.

If my kitchen was fully functional, I might have tried some pane dei morti and you can find a little write up
here. and here.

I was going to share pictures that have been on my mind of my great grand mothers but for the life of me I can't remember what file folder they're in and it's been too busy of a day to find it.

Speaking of which, sorry I owe lots of comments. I am just slammed. I will get to them. Promise.

Last night ysabetwordsmith shared an article on New study: Viewing art in galleries 'immediately' reduces cortisol levels, boosts health which I found fascinating and I wonder what else art can do. With that in mind I did go to the Witch Walk art trail in Athens tonight (I was on the fence) Here is the facebook event post

A free, family-friendly “spooky art trail” featuring glowing upcycled installations and community-made magic along the Ora Anderson Trail. Costume friendly!
The Witch Walk is a first-year pilot designed to empower youth and foster multigenerational connection through hands-on creative collaboration. By transforming the Ora Anderson Trail into an immersive, upcycled art experience, the project fosters artistic skill-building, environmental awareness, and community pride—culminating in a free, one-night “spooky art trail” for all to enjoy.

Sounded fun. and it was...but would have been better if I didn't have to drive an hour to get there because it wasn't quite as expected. The Dairy Barn is open with free snacks, pizza and hot apple cider for us (the Dairy barn is now the arts center) and they had environmental booths set up and tons of stuff for the kids. There was an accordion player and an art scavenger hunt.

And Ora Anderson Trail turns out to be a one mile trail...up a hillside...through the wetlands...in the dark. Lit by luminieres. So being the I can do this person I am, I grab my cane and up I go. In the dark. (and OMG people why do so many of you need flash lights half blinding me. I can tell who has never been in the woods in the dark before).

I was expecting a different kind of art. It was basically upcycled stuff (tires, other detritus) turned into 'scary things' It was basically a horror trail with no one popping out at you. At the top of the hill was a theater, a puppet show on offer (sort of the big puppets you kinda wear) Well puppets are at least part of the Sicilian day of the dead (or so I read. I am not Sicilian) Also I hate puppets. I turned around and went back and that's when things got weird

I'm not more than a few yards from Puppet central when I feel someone behind me. Not surprising it's well attended but it's just me and a young man in all black with the barista hipster look going on, short beard, slightly longer hair. I invite him to go around me as I am slow with a cane going downhill in the dark. He does but around the next bend he is behind me again. And again. And when invited he doesn't go around me. When I can finally see the lights of the dairy barn, he isn't there. But I have to go through one more dark woods spot and there he is behind me again. It was strange (I feel a horror story coming on)

And let me share all the other fun stuff. fandomgiftbasket opened and I got two Hazbin Hotel gifts (from the same person so thank you to them)


Emotional Support Pigs and the Cats They Sleep On and and a bunch of icons

As for me I wrote a few stories. Hope you like them

Someone in the Dark Hazbin Hotel

Evil Minds That Plot Destruction Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Jealous Kind Hazbin Hotel


Are You the One That I’ve Been Waiting For? Hudson & Rex

It's All Saint's Day. Since time no longer means anything to me I thought it was Il Giorno dei Morti (head desk) You can learn more here.

Since right now with my broke ass fridge I don't have milk/eggs so I couldn't make any of the sweets. Was going to make Frutta Martorana (marizpan shaped like fruit) but Kroger was out of it and I'm WAY too lazy to make it by hand. I did make up a batch of suga di zucca because I am too lazy to make pumpkin gnocchi so I'm putting pumpkin sauce over shelf stable potato gnocchi. You can find the recipe I used here. (unless you read Italian, you will need to hit translate)

Got a letter today. My bank has change my routing number. Remember when my job couldn't pay me and my loans couldn't get paid back in April/May and my bank insisted it wasn't them...bullshit. You see my bank bought out my original bank EIGHTEEN years ago and suddenly now they made it a Wesbanco routing number so now I have to go change ALL my credit card payment sites, paypal, Payroll, my student loans, change my checks and they gave me my new routing number. It's my SAME number. OMFG. did you send this to everyone?!? now I need to call them.

And it's NaDruWriNi right? Well I didn't look at the discounted wine when I grabbed it to make my sauce. It was peach/mango yellowtail (I thought I grabbed the pinot grigio) It was like adult kool-aid. I drank a little...turned out it was half the bottle. Oops. off to write.

It's been a long time but here you go, science saturday (all from one source, lazy lazy me)


Differences in red blood cells may have 'hastened the extinction' of our Neanderthal cousins, new study suggests

Building blocks of life detected in ice outside the Milky Way for first time ever

'Puzzling' object discovered by James Webb telescope may be the earliest known galaxy in the universe

James Webb telescope celebrates Halloween with eerie image of a dying sun — it's what our own might look like one day

Nanotyrannus isn't a 'mini T. Rex' after all — it's a new species, 'dueling dinosaurs' fossil reveals

Halloween dragons click them if you want



( Hazbin Hotel S2 spoilers but what ain't a spoiler is it has 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is now the most viewed animate show. Ever. )

I've been so down I didn't even dress up today but at least I did get to watch the first episode of Hazbin Hotel. Will watch the other one tomorrow and share my opinions then other than I'll need to rewatch is a few more times, not just to write it. It's got so much going on I can't follow it all (I will say didn't much care for either song)

So have the fannish 50 for the week, all the recs

( there is a lot this week )

Today we were talking about muscle fatigue and one of the causes is psychological. It's easy to convince yourself you cannot do things but you can just as easily convince yourself you can do it. Like I told them I still hike in spite of my arthritis and disability because I believe I can. Sometimes it gets me in trouble but sometimes I get to do things going on sheer belief. I also told them just thinking about yoga tonight was me hitting the fatigue wall and I didn't want to go (storm came in bringing pain) but I did it because I know I can.

And I did. And I'm so proud of the instructor. She was a former student who has become a great adult. She's a beautiful teacher, knowing we're all older and not in great shape. She heard several of us talking about the pain (from the storm) and she modified her class so we were less stressed. She also reminds us we can modify the poses to fit our body's abilities. No judgment no shame and those are words we need to hear.

Mom isn't done giving me a stroke. So I'm in my 10 AM class and my cell phone rings. It's Mom's cell. She never uses that thing. My answer was 'what's wrong?'

Mom- I didn't mean to call you

Me - well here we are. What were you trying to do

Mom - to send you a picture.

Me - this is not how you do that. I'll explain how tonight.

Me- (to students) Mom. She's 82 and is a hazard with a cell phone.

Mom (to me tonight) you never hung up the phone and I was listening to your lecture

Fine, we're both dumb.

Right now I SHOULD be watching Hazbin Hotel. Am I? No. Why? I've been logged into my brother's Prime for over a year now no problems. Today it fucking logs me out AND won't let me back in without texting my brother's phone. yay. Thanks for nothing Amazon.


What I Just Finished Reading:

Mirage City - Really good, really depressing, deals heavily and I do mean heavily with historic homophobia and LGBT rights in the 1950s



Lackadaisy vol 2 - huge volume, gorgeous art, love the story


What I am Currently Reading:



Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio - you know why



Spellbound - turned into 100% male fantasy fulfillment




What I Plan to Read Next: Anne of Green Gables

to off set the whole nightmare of work today (It's too late in the day to relive it) I had students be very kind. I visibly had a hypoglycemic attack but I didn't want to run back to my office and while I was debating it, it dropped so much I was shaking and sweating so students ran to the vending machine and got me recesee's cups and wouldn't let me pay them back.

And another student stayed with me and a third student who had fallen on the steps because they didn't want to go to urgent care and could I examine their sprained ankle (I kept the other student as a witness) It looked fine, told them what to do if it looks even worse in an hour or so (it didn't look bad) i.e. yes go to urgent care. They knew was RICE was and that's what I suggested because I can't treat patients. I could only give advice.

Didn't get into the lesser cryptid anthology. Oh well. But had the online writers group thing and got some progress made.


It's music monday and next week I'll be sharing a meme from shipperslist but for this week one last Halloweeny one, have some of the most successful Halloween songs

Literally my favorite and one of my favorite comedic movies. evil_little_dog shared a FB story about Dan talking about how much Ghostbusters meant to him and why he still loves it so much. Me too. Me too. If the local group was closer I'd join





Back with MTV was king


And the one that started it all in many ways