Well, when we found the Lab (the sort that does blood work un-connected to a doctor) we all went inside and it was so hot in the building. I realized that my allergies were not quite as bad then, but had the misfortune to note that the heat of the room was stifling and made the whole affair just a cloggy dried out mess. Great.

The attendant finally called me back for the blood drawing, I had just about finished my water bottle and still felt parched.

I sat down and the attendant asked me which arm is best to draw blood from. I told her “whichever one you want to try first …” and she immediately seemed too mellow out and come alive personally, saying “Oh, you’re one of THOSE people!”

Yeah, I am. I knew it when I sat down, from past experiences which were flooding back to me I recalled a myriad of times dealing with blood being drawn, IV’s being inserted … trouble, trouble, trouble.

She started with my left arm and confidently tried, but failed, twice and decided to abandon the left for the right. She took more time then and did get into a vein easier on the right, after the steep learning curve of my left arm, she said something like “I can see it, but then I can’t feel it with the needle … “  speaking of my veins.

I know that many people are so icked out to watch such events occuring to their own bodies, I was, as usual, interested and facinated to see the blood start to flow and fill the vile, and then another, and so on. Yes, I watched her searching for a good spot to stick me, and watched her failed attempts and her final success.

The children wondered afterwards “if it had hurt” and I said something like, “not really, just a little prick when the needle went in, and the band around my arm above the elbow joint was worse, tight and uncomfortable.” Pain for me is not the same as pain for others. I’ve a high-threshold, and it’s more like things are “miserable” on a scale, rather than “painful” if that makes any sense. (Even migraines are often more miserable than “pain” and the pain involved in some can be great, and maybe I just don’t see/feel pain the way some others do, and that’s why I haven’t ever sought out help from any professionals about migraines, but deal with thing my own way.)

So I got my Prenatal blood work started, and the results will be ready maybe by Noon on Saturday, or by Tuesday. In any case, it’s fine, since it’s started and I was still pregnant, and most likely will be into next week, but in the event that labor starts sooner, the proof exists.

My household plans suffered today, abandoned. We went to Whole Foods after the Lab, and then went to find some food. It was later than expected, traffic was a bear around there … and we went to a Taco Mac closer to home, since it was evident that we’d miss the baseball games on TV that were about to start if we went elsewhere, and needed to eat (me especially) and not go home and have to cook something.  Usually we’ll set the DirecTivo to record such an event, baseball game in this instance, so that if we are not home in time, we’ll be able to start the stream that was recorded and then “catch up” to the live game eventually.

For me it didn’t go well, the Yanks were held back from scoring, though R.C. pitched a decent enough game, and the Y. batters were getting on base. We lingered over our food and finally left (the food was alright, it was the game that wasn’t.) When we got home the game was in the top of the 9th, so I tried to follow it, but had layed down on the couch and kept drifting off. I was able to note that the game ended with no score for the Yankees. All good things come to an end eventually. So they Lost. Winning streak ends at 9 games. I can’t really predict, but hope for a good result from the Saturday afternoon Subway game.

The last time the Yankees played the Mets (not that long ago) it was an “away game” and the games seemed strange to me, but not blow outs, per se. Friday’s game wasn’t a blow out either. It was just a low scoring, no scoring match-up … the first being an L and the next 2 having great possibilities for the pinstriped home team. It’s something that I won’t be able to watch though, since Fox controls rights to MLB games on Saturdays. I can listen over the internet, and follow MLB.com’s “Game Day” interface, which is nice, but just not the same as watching the Real Game. I find it like as being “tedious vs. intuitive” (Game Day and Audio vs. watching the whole game on TV.)

I woke up after awhile, on the couch, and hubby awakened hubby and struggled to get up and go to bed, it was after midnight, and I despise falling asleep there (or more precisely, sleeping there then waking up and feeling as I do at that point.) I can’t stay asleep all night anymore, and usually, when not pregnant, I don’t either, but have a better chance of a real night of sleep every so often. Being this pregnant on the couch is just plain miserable. So why do I lay down there in the first place? I don’t know.

Coming upstairs to the master bedroom, hubby goes right back to sleep, and I sit here realizing how allergic I’m feeling again, that it wasn’t THIS bad when we were out and about earlier. Seems it’s something locally then, which is bothering me. I’m still awake, it’s been over an hour since coming up here, and I’ve taken a long time writing this post too.

What I didn’t get done on Friday, anything much in the house, I have to get done on Saturday, and this awake session isn’t boding well for the future of those plans. I’ve a small amount of liquid Benadryl left, I did take a small bit when I first came up, and should soonly try to close this and settle down and take a bit more Benadryl and hope it does the trick to calm the itchy, drippies down and let me sleep some.

Thanks be to God for headphones and MP3 players. It’s what gives me my rest, listening to something as I lay there, sleeping or just resting, it brings about a similar effect to actual sleep for me, but I tend to not do that entirely, but sit here typing or reading other things online, instead of lying down. I inevitably do stop and lay down and when it’s later, as it is tonight, the MP3 player is my best friend.

Mine is a SanDiskSansa e260 which was purchased over a year ago already. It’s a great little device and I haven’t always put it to good use, but have been of late. I also have a little SanDisk player, a 512mb device, that will do Audio Books, Audible.com in particular, which I’ve had a subscription to for a decent while now. My e260 won’t do Audible books. A sore point for me, as well as many other e200 series device owners.

I don’t listen to books often, I get so distracted and am lulled to sleep easily with them, which is not very useful to me, so I don’t “listen to books” in bed. Music is totally different. Osmosis doesn’t work for Audible books, but does semi-work for Music.

I love Bruckner and only have one Symphony on my e260 of his, the 4th “Romantic” … it’s in 4 parts, and I often will hear at least half of the 1st movement without drifting off, and sometimes get to notice something of the 2nd or 3rd, but mainly it’s interesting that I will noticeably awaken to hear the 4th movement, and sometimes then drift off as it goes along, but near the end I snap to attention … the last 7 or less minutes, with the last 2 minutes (+ some odd seconds) being my ultimate favorite part of the piece … often coming to right about with 2:30m left to hear. It’s just that great and worth it.

Anyhow, my e260′s battery power is getting low, so I made a point to be sure and bring the (proprietary) cable up to the bedroom tonight, and I can get it charged up since my laptop is hanging out by the side of my bed lately. Inserting the USB plug into the USB port of the laptop slowly, not all the way, allows the player to charge without “connecting” so one can then still listen to music via it, and charge up at the same time. It’s a nifty tip, not exciting, just nifty and useful. Not that I can’t listen to music via my laptop, I sure can and THAT then will go up to my last.fm profile … but I love my shiny black e260 instead lately, and suffer no data aggregating on last.fm for my listening habits most of the time.

Well, Saturday is upon me, has been since I awoke on the couch, in fact. I need to get some rest, then try and motivate everyone to “get this stuff done” and really get it done.

[UPDATE: 11-04-2005 See my Stryper Reborn Page on my other site for pictures from the concert, taken with a camera phone, nothing pretty, not exciting, just a view from afar, we could see it all better, of course, camera phone lense is very tiny and non-zoom-able.]

Earthlink Live – Nov. 3, 2005

Stryper w/House of Heroes or try: the official HOH website, which I don’t like the format of.

House of Heroes is a group I’m not very familiar with. I’ve streamed a few of their songs from their MySpace site. They are supposedly a Christian group, but not everything in what I saw and heard was in-your-face Christian, which I don’t mind, it’ll be nice to see a fresh group, in this case, and see what they are like in person, how their actions speak and what their spoken words are. They are a three-guy band, Drums, Bass, Guitar, and Vocals.

Overall, they seem to be a modern alternative-ish sounding group, FWIW.

Stryper is a four-guy band: They are more complex, so I won’t write more. If you like Stryper you know. If you don’t know about Stryper, you might not like them. I can’t say. I do like Stryper, have since sometime in the early-to-mid-80′s. My taste in music runs the gamut from show tunes, big band, swing, some modern jazz, some country, opera, “classical” to group many periods of good music into one name-group, to modern rock, classic rock, punk-ish, alternative punkish, some metal, hard rock. ballad rock, album oriented rock, hair band rock, etc. On top is my Hymns and “sacred” pieces, which somewhat falls into “classical” but not really, some do, some don’t.

Overall, about the “rock” like modern stuff, I really haven’t liked many so-called “Christian” bands, particularly those inside the CCM camp, as I find their quality in sound lacking in definition and that’s not listenable by me. Some seem to be “overproduced” and on a whole, the genre is just that, a genre, and there are a few good things in it, it’s a small genre. I also see the reverse outside of CCM, there are good bands out there, but not every band is good. Some singers can carry a tune sort of, but don’t sound good. I like different sorts of voices, but they have to have a certain command over the material they are doing, and if it passes my ears as “O.K.” it’s just that “O.K.” for me. I listen to only select things. Things I select from what is there, few and far between are on my lists.

I get nervous before going to events. This is one inside the city and that makes it worse. I can get ready, and then just wait to leave. I lose it if I try to do much else. I can’t eat, only munch on snacky things. In other words, I am an Introvert. A true Introvert’s Introvert in these cases. I relish the going out and doing, but the waiting makes me think too much. Introverts do like to socialize, you know, just not any old time or with any old body.

So today is dedicated to ‘Stryper-Only Music Listening’

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Now, I like all sorts of music genres. I listen to lots of Vivaldi done by more than one. Some only orchestral, others with vocal by Andreas Scholl or Cecilia Bartoli. Then there is Michael Sweet, Stryper, The Cure, The Cult, Asia, Yes, Styx, Bread, and other 80′s Hair bands, Handel’s Messiah, Phantom of the Opera, other stuff too, like the newer group Red Letter Agent (an Atlanta up and coming band). Don’t get me wrong about music, I like all sorts and though I have no “hymns” listed I do love them, I have a fondness for classic hymns of the reformation era … the stuff that came before 1800 mostly, and I mostly (not meant to insult anyone) dislike Psalter songs (I love the classic hymns such grandure, I just do. I dislike the use of great tunes with Psalter words that DO NOT FIT THE TUNE! I find Psalter nice to consider, but not fit more than bymns as it’s not pure scripture or even translation anyhow … I like the hymns that have thought of glory to God behind them, men singing praises and triumphant victory, and what worms we all are.)

Now, how can I pick? I can’t. I don’t want to drop the ball, but oh, in-decision is my middle name when it comes to whittling large things down to one, or in this case five choices.

Forgive me Kelly, please do! I just can’t come up with five songs, nor people either. Since I can’t come up with my own, I daresent stretch myself out to tag others.

IF I can, later, I may attempt it. I have tried, I’ve been weighed, measured, and found wanting.

So I have one now. Someone on eBay had several they were selling. Well, they didn’t say they CD’s had that dumb notch sawed into the bottom side of the spine. The new one I have does. But it’s fine, for the reasoning of rarities this and that, the disc can live in the other Stryper Reborn case.

All in all it’s not that big a deal, I will have to open the new one to do what I said, and that’s just it. I will have to do that and know that it matters not, to prove what the disc is, it must be played. The case is the same as the next pressing of it From What I Can Tell. I mean, there are not marks or numbers different from my look-overs so far. From what I can see about it, putting my INTP mind to it, I don’t see any reason for anything to be different, only the actual disc is not arranged the same as was supposed to be, so it’s just like old albums. One vinyl is bad, and one is good, one sleeve is good, and one is bad. Swap them out for ONE MINT. It’s not the same, just nearly so. In this case, the case is the same, the disc is different, only the disc. (to be confirmed later)

The buttons are nice, little ones that will look nice on a collar, on a Jean Jacket, etc. One black, one white, with the “classic” Stryper logo.

The T-shirt is nice. Girly Black shirt with the “classic” Stryper logo.

And last but definitely NOT least … Stryper Reborn LP, yes, vinyl.

I am not going to open the LP, not at this time, at least. I have the CD and that’s what I’ll continue to listen to for now.

I see on eBay that there are people selling the first press of the Reborn CD. Three tracks were printed out of order … the mistake wasn’t realized until they shipped already. So there are some on the street. I found their new album too late, way over a month too late :”rolleyes: to find one of the first presses.

On eBay they aren’t expensive though. Right now it’s a wait-n-see bit about whether or not to go for one. They are enhanced CD’s though, the one I have is not.

This comes to the point of what I’m doing. Certain books and music I’m starting to become a collector of. Nothing superior or anything. Just good old something I really like.

So that means I need to find good copies of anything I do not have from the past. The biggest thing about it is I need to fund this somehow, and really need to start selling on eBay again. I have sold a few things, way back when, then nothing else. I really have very little of value to sell, so I need money to make money.

I’m glad to see my package has arrived though, I’ve been keeping a keen eye on each day and wishing and hoping … and today finally was the day.

The Earthlink Live venue is an 1,100 perfect view seating hall, general admission, therefore, first come with tickets, first seating choice.

We were downtown yesterday to get the tickets and for Frank to pick up something he won from a radio station. We don’t normally go downtown and walk around at all, but had to in order to get to the box office. The children were keenly interested in the streets and buildings and all the noise, traffic, trees, and exaust-smelling air. Russell definitely connected with me: the country is so much quieter and smells better! It’s nicer. It’s alright to go into a city, but not stay longer than you have to.

The children aren’t going to the concert. They COULD, it’s an All Ages concert, but we sure aren’t going to fork out the $23 per seat for them. I think Victoria would enjoy it though, more than either of the boys would. She’s almost 7, but still younger than I’d like to go out with her to such an event.

It’ll be Frank and me alone, an odd occurance. It’ll be me in my element, one of my favorite all time groups in an intimate setting … I mean, this is no huge stadium, and not even a large auditorium. 1,100 people are a lot of people, but that’s not bad when you know that most concerts have a larger attendance possibility.

So then, about the concert, Stryper has been around for many years, but not productive in the last 15 (yes, they have done something, but I mean a full blown new album and tour for such) until now. So they are on-tour once again, and I wonder how many seats will be empty at the concert. I have no idea what the Stryper fan-base is around Atlanta. We live many miles from the outskirts of Atlanta, and I don’t know any one personally that listens to Stryper. The only people I really know around here are from Church, and I’ve never had a discussion about Stryper nor heard anyone listening to their music, nor talking about them or their music or lyrics or theology. FWIW

The band is a Christian band, their lyrics are simple and to the point. Critical of them I am not overall. I love Michael Sweet’s voice and the music he writes and how the band puts it’s all together. I love intense music, and overall you find many of those tracks in past recordings. Their new album, Reborn, which I posted about last week, is less simplistic in lyrics and has upped the scale of intensity and gorgeous drums, guitar and base and the melodies and harmonies are so very melancholic in a very bright and hopeful way that just the music alone is medicine to my heart. The lyrics call people to God from every walk of life, despair being one theme, broken, upside-down, and more.Their actual theology differs from mine, seeing as I’m a 5-point calvinist presbyterian (to name just a few labels) and they are involved with Calavary Chapel to the degree of thanking them on their latest album … sure they don’t have the same “end times” view as I do, and any of their arminian lyrics are transparently really calvinistic since they do get the “you must be called” first … that “no one comes to the father lest he be called” sort of thing.

The idea of music is one that pleases people differently. Some like Stryper, I know they do since I see folks online that sure do, and I know I do. Many others aren’t into it, and that’s fine. I really like them though, since they have good hard hitting music that isn’t pretentious, it isn’t screaming, it’s the lyrical sweet voice of Mr. Sweet, belting it out and crooning it out and hitting the high notes inevitably at some point near the end of most songs. I love to sing along … it’s a good workout for my voice.

We shall see how the concert turns out, and I’ll give it a review when the time comes.

I guess it was late last Winter that I was on Stryper’s website wishing for news of a tour nearby, or some material being recorded. There was something, I’m not sure what, a hint or something, maybe. I don’t recall, only that I stopped going there and thought about it at one point to remind myself to check back sooner than later. Well, I didn’t. I forgot. I have even played the albums I have of theirs on my computer many times over this Summer, no thoughts of them beyond that, for some reason.

So needless to say I was SHOCKED when I found the CD ‘Reborn’. It’s a really neat cover. The music is incredible. If you ever loved Stryper before you must love this CD, I think. I know. I feel it myself. I loved them in the 80′s and never stopped loving their music. They are the only “Christian” band I’ve been able to tolerate, and it isn’t toleration at all for me, I really like them, and their simple lyrics that don’t mince words. The music is complex and wonderful.

Their newest then is new. It’s better than ever, truly. One that is really nice is an updated In God We Trust, titled I.G.W.T. this time around. The overall tone of the album is true about this one too: it’s hard, a bit melancholy, moreso glowingly minor and melodic and heavy hard undertone and overtones all at once. Another familiar song, Amazing Grace … done over Stryper “Reborn” style … really good to hear that updated too. The rest is all new material, delicious as chocolate in any way you like it the most.

Frank is away for a couple of days and may be gone longer than scheduled, so after a flurry of “Stryper Talk” I gave him on the phone today, he said I could get a few things I saw and so I was able to order their new album on Vinyl (!) I’ve been buying older vinyl of groups I like, on eBay lately, and this is even better, a brand new just released Stryper albumn, on VINYL! I also ordered a T-shirt and a couple of Stryper buttons.

The other good news is that, if we can get them, Frank agreed to go to their concert in Atlanta in November, actually just one month from today. It’s a small venue and hopefully tickets will be available when he can get there later this week. I saw them long, long ago. I was a young person back then. Now I’m old, of course, they are too

I do have the VHS version of the 1945 film that starred Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, & Jeanne Crain though. I want to get it on DVD, just haven’t run across it ever nor looked on purpose for it. It is one of my all-time old-movie favorites. The film is well done, and won an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Color in 1946, and had three other nominations as well.

Leave Her to Heaven catalog card on My Library Thing account.

Inside the book, opposite the first page of the actual story which is on the right, is a quote from Hamlet, which is, of course, Shakespeare:

I declare the rest of today, Day after Birthday Recovery and Sinking into Egragon through Literary Portal Day.

Cheerio!