CafePress shop update!

I've added some seasonal images to Marlyn's Corner Store.
If you'd like photos on items other than those shown, please contact me, and I'll do my best to oblige.

Just finished reading...

Believe it or not, this is the TWENTY-THIRD title in the Dalziel & Pascoe series! It's extremely well-written, as Hill's work generally is, though this time around he uses a slightly unusual narrative technique. The first couple of chapters are emails from Charlotte (Charley) Heywood to her sister Cassie. Subsequent chapters vary between Andy Dalziel's oral journal, straight narrative, and the aforementioned emails. Also unusual, is that very little (in fact, I can't remember any) of the narrative is from Peter Pascoe's point of view.

The convalescent home where Dalziel is recovering from an encounter with a terrorist's bomb, is located in Sandytown, on the Yorkshire coast. The community leaders are trying to turn it into an expensive "alternative healing center", complete with acupuncturists and other holistic healers.

However, when Daphne Brereton, who fancies herself Lady of the Shire, is murdered in a particularly gruesome way, the future of the healers' haven is in doubt.

Although I think the solution to the mystery is needlessly complex, it was wonderful to be with old friends like Dalziel, Pascoe and Wield again.

Yowza! Another FO!!

Unblocked


Blocked

Pattern: Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Vogel
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino
(Colourway P177)
Needles: 4.5 mm circulars

Just finished reading...

The fifth Isabel Dalhousie novel begins with a dinner party at the home of an old school chum of Isabel's. She's not really sure why she's been invited, but suspects it's so that her old friends can get a look at Jamie, the father of her infant son Charlie.

Later, she discovers that the reason for the invitation was actually so she could meet Stella Moncrieff, whose physician husband has been forced to resign due to a prescription error. Mrs. Moncrieff asks Isabel to prove her husband's innocence, of which she is adamantly confident. Isabel agrees to look into it, which she does, despite her other obligations, including minding her niece's delicatessan while the young woman is on vacation.

I love this series. They are mysteries, though not all revolve around a murder. The writing is serene and thoughtful, and there's a lot of philosophical thought, not all of which is related to Isabel's position as editor/publisher of The Review of Applied Ethics. Like all the others in the series, this book was a delight to read, and left me a little wistful at its end.

Finished object

This is going to be a Christmas gift for someone I cannot name here, as I think she might read this blog.



Stitch detail:


Pattern: Caryl's Kerchief
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, 1 skein, colourway 818-173

Virtual Book Tour

I recently read Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend by Rosalind Joffe and Joan Friedlander, and offered to be part of their virtual book tour. Both of the authors write from experience, as Joffe lives with MS and ulcerative colitis and Friedlander with Crohn's disease.

As I mentioned in Monday's post, there was nothing like this around when I was first diagnosed with lupus. These two women have done what I dreamed of doing: created a supportive manual for those of us who live with chronic illnesses and face daily problems that most people don't (like whether or not we'll even feel well enough to get out of bed on any given morning, and people who don't believe we're unwell because we look just fine), and still manage to have a life that includes a career. For having a chronic illness does not remove ambition, interests, or passion from a woman, though it does make things more difficult to achieve physically.

Joffe and Friedlander use their own experiences, as well as those of other people, to show what kinds of obstacles we face, and various strategies for coping with and even overcoming them.

Even though I'm in my late 40s, and am fortunate enough to be able to work part-time so that I can usually function well, this book was an inspiration to read. As well as providing many ideas and strategies for dealing with chronic illness, the book brought home to me the fact that I'm really not alone in what I face every day.

LoLNacht

Olbermann's Special Comment on Prop 8

My secret

I occasionally mention in this forum that I'm feeling tired or unwell, but I don't believe I've ever mentioned exactly why.

I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus when I was 16, and as happens with lupus, I've had ups and downs ever since.

The lowest low was the heart attack in 1990, which led to a quadruple bypass. Things have been mostly good since then, with the occasional chest pain or joint pain.

When I found out I had lupus, it was still relatively rare, and there was a significant lack of information compared to what is available now. Today, I have access to the internets, not to mention many well-researched and -written books and the Lupus Foundation of America.

One of the aforementioned books is called Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend! The authors are having a virtual book tour this month, and I'll be posting a review of the book this Thursday, November 13. I hope you'll check back then.

Chocolate swap goodies!

I just got my package in the ravelry Chocolate Swap. Thanks, Elizabeth!

Pictures - Worth 1,000 Words

Rachel Maddow: Tips for making your vote count

I'll say it one last time. PLEASE VOTE!

Proposition 8 - Fact vs. Fiction

There is a lot of misleading information about Prop 8 floating around.

Here is some truth.

And, just for fun:

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die