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shadowkatWell, some good news? I misread the Bed Bugs notice on the entrance of my apartment building. Not surprising - considering it was in tiny print. ( I brought home my reading glasses from work to read it properly.) I read after I asked a neighbor if we should be worried about it - and he looked at me quizzically, and said, not really, although I'm always concerned.
Then I read it. It stated:
Units: 81
Inspected: All
Infested:0
Cleaned: 0
Number found: 0
And the date of the inspection.
No wonder I was confused. Without my reading glasses, 0's look like 8's and 9's.
I worried about this all day long, went on the internet (which of course made it worse) - and finally convinced myself to read the sign in the lobby again, but with my reading glasses this time around.
Whew. No bed bugs in the building.
***
Now, I just have to figure out the will - first things first complete it, have it reviewed by lawyer, then sent, notarized and witnessed. And try not to worry about the knees. I'm icing both now. And hobbling very slowly up and down steps. Plus side? I'm grateful I moved years ago to this apartment complex - it's highly accessible for folks with ailments. It has a ramp to the entrance, so you can avoid the two steps. Then once inside - two elevators. So I don't have to go up and down the steps. And, I can either do laundry in the basement or send it out to be down - still without having to go up and down steps. I can also order food to be delivered to me.
Not certain about pharmaceuticals (other places yes, just not sure about my pharmacy).
***
Thought about the Spike/Buffy ("Spuffy") and Angel/Cordy ("Cangel") relationships, and realized Spike/Buffy is kind of loosely a friendship of sorts up until they start having sex. Then the sex becomes a kind of drug. She loses herself in him, and he loses himself in her. But it's not the same as "making love". It's sex as a drug. Using someone to get off. (As he puts it in Once More with Feeling - "you know you could make me you're willing slave, but until you do, stop visiting my grave" - which is what she kind of does. He says he's through being her whipping boy - yet, he still is, just in another way.) Buffy's doing with Spike, kind of what Willow was doing with Tara - until Tara left.
Angel/Cordy - never gets that far. Mainly because of Angel's curse. But it's doomed too - mainly because the two characters can't get past themselves long enough to communicate and actually be on the same page.
They have a friendship, and I think part of their issue is that neither is certain a romance is really worth ruining the friendship, particularly with Angel's curse being a factor.
I liked how the writers delved in the nasty consequences of using another person to "get off" or using sex as a drug. While alcohol and other drugs - are problematic, using sex as a drug is kind of similar to vampirism - in that you are using someone, with little care to how they feel, to get yourself off. Our society tends to handwave that - or generalize and state all consensual and kinky sex is bad, ie demonize the people and the act of sex (particularly if the act varies from whatever is considered the norm). (Let's face it - our global society and culture has serious issues regarding sex and sexual behavior. Always has. They also like to generalize (no despite what people might think we all don't experience sex the same way, our bodies are very different from each other, and no two people experience or need the same thing in regards to it, everyone is different). Part of our problem is - we can't talk about it in a way that doesn't involve ribald humor or running for the hills. A lot of folks can't say the words vagina and penis. And come up with other words for these parts of their anatomy.) One of the things I loved about Buffy is how the writers satirized societal views regarding sex and the culture's relationship to sex. They examine the societal relationship with sex, and it's horrors from multiple angles. Taking some sizable risks in the process. I think that's one of the reasons the series resonated with so many people? Everyone in our society has issues with sex - either sexual orientation, sexual prowess, sexual relationships, etc. I've seen it all in the fandom. Heard all the horror stories. And in each case - something about the show really resonated and/or triggered folks on the topic. I don't think Dollhouse worked quite as well in this regard as Buffy and Angel, which were more subtle and a little lighter in tone. I think it's partly the metaphors? Firefly and Dollhouse relied less on them. Also vampirism really works well as a sexual metaphor - it fits sexual predator, prowling, seduction, rape, assault, orgasm (or the little death), and power plays. Actually that may be the reason Angel and Buffy worked better in regards to this topic - vampirism and to a degree demonology is a better metaphor for the dark side of sex and society's issues with it, then whatever was going on in Dollhouse.
Then I read it. It stated:
Units: 81
Inspected: All
Infested:0
Cleaned: 0
Number found: 0
And the date of the inspection.
No wonder I was confused. Without my reading glasses, 0's look like 8's and 9's.
I worried about this all day long, went on the internet (which of course made it worse) - and finally convinced myself to read the sign in the lobby again, but with my reading glasses this time around.
Whew. No bed bugs in the building.
***
Now, I just have to figure out the will - first things first complete it, have it reviewed by lawyer, then sent, notarized and witnessed. And try not to worry about the knees. I'm icing both now. And hobbling very slowly up and down steps. Plus side? I'm grateful I moved years ago to this apartment complex - it's highly accessible for folks with ailments. It has a ramp to the entrance, so you can avoid the two steps. Then once inside - two elevators. So I don't have to go up and down the steps. And, I can either do laundry in the basement or send it out to be down - still without having to go up and down steps. I can also order food to be delivered to me.
Not certain about pharmaceuticals (other places yes, just not sure about my pharmacy).
***
Thought about the Spike/Buffy ("Spuffy") and Angel/Cordy ("Cangel") relationships, and realized Spike/Buffy is kind of loosely a friendship of sorts up until they start having sex. Then the sex becomes a kind of drug. She loses herself in him, and he loses himself in her. But it's not the same as "making love". It's sex as a drug. Using someone to get off. (As he puts it in Once More with Feeling - "you know you could make me you're willing slave, but until you do, stop visiting my grave" - which is what she kind of does. He says he's through being her whipping boy - yet, he still is, just in another way.) Buffy's doing with Spike, kind of what Willow was doing with Tara - until Tara left.
Angel/Cordy - never gets that far. Mainly because of Angel's curse. But it's doomed too - mainly because the two characters can't get past themselves long enough to communicate and actually be on the same page.
They have a friendship, and I think part of their issue is that neither is certain a romance is really worth ruining the friendship, particularly with Angel's curse being a factor.
I liked how the writers delved in the nasty consequences of using another person to "get off" or using sex as a drug. While alcohol and other drugs - are problematic, using sex as a drug is kind of similar to vampirism - in that you are using someone, with little care to how they feel, to get yourself off. Our society tends to handwave that - or generalize and state all consensual and kinky sex is bad, ie demonize the people and the act of sex (particularly if the act varies from whatever is considered the norm). (Let's face it - our global society and culture has serious issues regarding sex and sexual behavior. Always has. They also like to generalize (no despite what people might think we all don't experience sex the same way, our bodies are very different from each other, and no two people experience or need the same thing in regards to it, everyone is different). Part of our problem is - we can't talk about it in a way that doesn't involve ribald humor or running for the hills. A lot of folks can't say the words vagina and penis. And come up with other words for these parts of their anatomy.) One of the things I loved about Buffy is how the writers satirized societal views regarding sex and the culture's relationship to sex. They examine the societal relationship with sex, and it's horrors from multiple angles. Taking some sizable risks in the process. I think that's one of the reasons the series resonated with so many people? Everyone in our society has issues with sex - either sexual orientation, sexual prowess, sexual relationships, etc. I've seen it all in the fandom. Heard all the horror stories. And in each case - something about the show really resonated and/or triggered folks on the topic. I don't think Dollhouse worked quite as well in this regard as Buffy and Angel, which were more subtle and a little lighter in tone. I think it's partly the metaphors? Firefly and Dollhouse relied less on them. Also vampirism really works well as a sexual metaphor - it fits sexual predator, prowling, seduction, rape, assault, orgasm (or the little death), and power plays. Actually that may be the reason Angel and Buffy worked better in regards to this topic - vampirism and to a degree demonology is a better metaphor for the dark side of sex and society's issues with it, then whatever was going on in Dollhouse.