April 04, 2022

Offbeat Offline: March 2022


Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? More medical drama, and, um, that's it? I'm slowly/not so slowly inching toward the end of my 20-plus-years stunt as a radio personality (ha! "personality" makes it sound like I'm famous, which is SO not the case) and I'm still incapable to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. And oh, of course I've been reading. Pretty average...


๐Ÿ“š A VARIED BUNCH. I was approved for two ARCs this month, and two more I downloaded because they were Read Now (all of them are from NetGalley). The approvals are Prison of Sleep by Tim Pratt (adult, sci-fi, book 2 in the Journals of Zaxony Delatree - out at the end of the month) and the anthology Someone in Time (adult, sci-fi/romance, out in May). The Read Now books are the anthology Classic Monsters Unleashed (adult, fantasy/supernatural/sci-fi-ish, slated for release in July) and Picture Unavailable by Andrew J Brandt (YA, afterlife/thriller, out in October). And yep, you read it right - Someone in Time has romance in it ๐Ÿ˜ฎ. But hear me out...I requested/downloaded the two anthologies because Seanan McGuire has a story in both, but the primary reason why I decided to brave Someone in Time was because the stories hinge on time travel...and go figure, while Classic Monsters Unleashed didn't work for me, I'm liking Someone in Time a lot. Quality writing and originality go a long way...plus, as I said, time travel ๐Ÿคฉ. (Also, to be honest, the romance part isn't heavy).


Here are the books whose reviews I'm going to post this month: the aforementioned Prison of Sleep by Tim Pratt (on the 10th) and End of the World House by Adrienne Celt (on the 15th). I got the latter in September via Edelweiss - it's an adult story in which two friends go through a lot of weird stuff, but I'm not going to place a genre label on it because it would spoil the fun in case you want to read it... 


Reviews aside, I'll participate in two Tell Me Something Tuesday rounds: on the 19th (question: How Did You Choose Your Blogging Platform?) and on the 26th (question: Do You Still Own Any Books/Comics/Toys/Memorabilia From When You Were a Kid?). Both are prompts that I submitted. About that...I'm not purposefully ignoring my fellows hosts' questions...but sometimes I can't make the time to write my posts, so I end up commenting on theirs and leaving it at that...I plan on changing course though (here's hoping). 


๐Ÿง‘‍⚕️AN ARM AND A LEG. I got X-rays on my right arm because it's been hurting for a while, mainly when I raise it, and I made an orthopedist appointment. To cut a long story short, the rays showed signs of arthrosis, but still at an early stage. A handful of days before my appointment, I kneeled and heard a crack in my left knee, followed by a sharp pain and a warm sensation. I was able to return to a standing position, and after a while the pain receded - but the following night, while I was shifting in bed, the same knee cracked again, and when I went to straighten it I found that I couldn't. I sat on the bed, braced myself for pain and tried again, finally managing to unbend my leg. Needless to say, I was a bit scared. When I went to the orthopedist's, he suggested "holy water" as a cure for my arthrosis, and almost like an afterthought he prescribed ultrasounds for my arm and gym for my knees (with a personal trainer, no less, because I can pay for one ๐Ÿคจ), since from my most recent knee X-rays (dated six months ago) he could see that my leg muscles are weak and their bones bear all the weight of my upper body. In case you're wondering, he didn't even visit me - he only asked me to move my arm a little and concluded that I have "excellent mobility". Hey, you asshole, my arm can move, but it fucking HURTS ๐Ÿ˜ก.


So, the day after, my husband - who works as a switchboard operator for the local hospital - mentioned my problems to another orthopedist he is in friendly terms with (I don't mean they are actually friends, but they have a good working relationship), and went as far as to mention the first doctor's unfortunate "holy water" joke. The second orthopedist told him I could go and see him in two days. He DID visit me (thoroughly), and concluded that I have tendon inflammation - both in my arm and my knee - which should benefit from laser therapy. (BTW, when I say "visited" I mean that he made me push at his hand with my arm in different positions until I couldn't take it anymore - not just "move" it - and he applied pressure to my knee as well). He was puzzled about my knee-bending incident, to be honest, because he couldn't detect any meniscus issues, but advised me to try therapy and to get an MRI if the thing should happen again. Welcome to the next installment of my health's downhill saga ๐Ÿ˜ฌ ๐Ÿ˜ซ.

๐Ÿ˜ IN STASIS. As for the rest, nothing new. I don't want to talk about my upcoming unemployment right now...I'll do it next month, when I'll be out of work for real. I'm regularly checking the net for job opportunities in my town, but I haven't been actively looking lately (as in, placing calls and giving out copies of my CV). I'll go back to that when I'm officially unemployed and have more hours to kill...The only good piece of news I have is about my MIL, who's doing a lot better. On Wednesday the doctors will remove the nail they put in her bone to help it heal. At least there's that.


PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

OTHER
(I'm sorry about this section's being so short...I forgot to take notes for this post...๐Ÿ˜ณ).

That's it for now! My next post will be up on Sun. 10th, and it will be the Prison of Sleep review I announced above.

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?

27 comments:

  1. I kind of feel bad reading this. It's hard enough to do anything in this day and edge but to worry about one's health, freaking annoying and kind of scary. That first doctor with he holy water joke is just dumb. Does he take his job seriously? I don't mind doctors making jokes but maybe sometimes it just wasn't appropriate for it.

    As least you got to read. I think without books, we're all a little more anxious than normal. Even though I don't read as much these days, I find even if I read just a little bit, it helps makes life a little less worrying.

    I hope you'll get better soon and find a job at the same time. Miracles can happen, right?

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Books are soothing!

      Thank you - it takes a miracle indeed, but who knows, maybe I've earned one, after the 15 months I've had...

      Delete
  2. Ugh those health issues stink. Getting older certainly has a downside at times. I'm glad you were able to get in with the second doctor; I'd report the first one! And glad your MIL is doing better. *HUGS* I hope you find something soon.

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    1. Getting older *is* the downside LOL. Thank you Jen!

      Delete
  3. Thank you for sharing my post, Roberta! Again, I'm sorry about all the crappy life stuff you've been going through. I'm so happy your MIL is doing better, and that you were able to get a second opinion from the orthopedist that your husband works with. I can imagine it is convenient that he does work in a hospital.

    I wish you all the best in the coming weeks.

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    1. Our local hospital is a disgrace. Sometimes one needs to take a shortcut to avoid having to go out of town (or to pay) for the simplest things. Not ethical, I know, but what is?

      Thank you!

      Delete
  4. Someone in Time is one I'll need to look into. Time travel- yes! Classic Monsters Unleashed sounds good too- I mean, the classic monsters part- but sorry to hear it didn't work for you. That's disappointing.

    End of the World looks intriguing too...

    "holy water"???????

    The knee thing is weird and sounds scary. I mean, not able to straighten your leg there briefly- that would be SUPER frightening. Hopefully that was a fluke and doesn't recur...

    I love dark academia so that list is welcome.

    Hope you are having a good start of the week (I almost said weekend and then remembered Monday)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. CMU has a number of tales set in the past, and I don't fare well with those - plus I realised I know very little about some of those monsters, so maybe I'm not the right audience for it. Then again, some of the stories are not particularly well written...End of the World House was a trip!

      I had trouble with the same knee in the past, too - only not to that extent.

      I just remembered that it was your birthday a few days ago! I read it on Nicole's list, and made a mental note to wish you a happy one, but then forgot...๐Ÿ˜ณ So, happy belated birthday! ๐ŸŽ‰

      Delete
  5. Obviously you had to download those anthologies when one of your favorite authors is featured. I hope you can get some relief. It's a shame we get out and our parts don't work as good as they used to. --sigh-- Good luck with the job search!

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    1. All my parts seem to have declared a strike against me at the same time...๐Ÿ˜ญ

      Thank you!

      Delete
  6. I didn't know you worked in radio, how cool! Also sorry the medical ailments continue. WTF, holy water? I hate snarky doctors. Im here for you to help me, not laugh at me!

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    1. Cool? Not at all, believe me. Not the way I've experienced it for 20+ years. Not in my work environment. And since the station is closing and leaving me unemployed, you can do the math. Of course Covid broke us, because radio stations live off advertising and it's hard to find customers in the middle of a pandemic, but the fact is, if we had been remotely cool, we'd probably have found a way to survive, because people would have cared if we continued to exist or not ๐Ÿ˜ฌ.

      I wanted to ask that doctor if he thought he was House MD...

      Delete
  7. Wow, Roberta, all your health issues must be exhausting. Was that holy water suggestion a joke? I hope so! I am looking forward to your review of Prison of Sleep. I'll be reading it in the next few weeks๐Ÿ˜

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    1. A poor joke...I know there's no cure for arthrosis, but I'm looking for some relief...(...also, the other doctor didn't blame my problems on arthrosis, so...๐Ÿคท‍♀️).

      Looking forward to comparing our thoughts on POS ๐Ÿ™‚.

      Delete
  8. You need to just stay inside a cushioned bubble and stop getting hurt. At least that's what I wish I could do. At least you found a doctor who was a little better than the first one you saw which is good.

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    1. I need to rejuvenate my body, that's what ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜ญ.

      Delete
  9. Goodness, I am SO sorry about the health issues. And the doctor who was more than useless. It is so insulting when doctors behave that way- and believe me, I feel your pain there. I'm glad that your husband managed to track down a doctor who wasn't trash, at least! I was going to say that the radio thing was cool too- until I saw your response to Amber, and yiiikes. I am sorry that has been such a source of stress too. Especially for 20+ years, that is terrible! I am glad you'll be done then soon, and hopefully onto better things! Sending lots of love and good vibes that something will come your way soon!

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    1. I used to love radio so much. I've always wanted to do it. Be careful what you wish for...I've never left because I needed the money, and now...no money all the same without me being the one who leaves ๐Ÿ˜ข.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  10. Oh god... the less one has to do with doctors the better (except for the Doctor, then the more is the better :D) I have a bit of a work finding luck-mojo, I will send you some of it, to help...
    The covers of Someone in time and Prison of sleep look very good *.*

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    1. "(except for the Doctor, then the more is the better :D)"
      Haha, exactly!

      Thank you - I need tons of mojo right now, so every ounce helps...

      Delete
  11. 'and went as far as to mention the first doctor's unfortunate "holy water" joke.' - are you sure it was a joke? Maybe they're just that bad a doctor!

    I hope your medical stuff resolves itself as much as possible and that you feel as well as you can! :) <3

    Also - OMG YOU ARE SO SWEET! Thank you so much for the link and for being so generally awesome!!!! :D <3 <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "are you sure it was a joke? Maybe they're just that bad a doctor!"
      LOL, maybe. He went on to say "if someone had found a cure for arthrosis, they would be millionaires", which, thank you very much, I know. I'm just looking for a bit of relief ๐Ÿคจ.

      Thank you! And it was well deserved ๐Ÿ™‚.

      Delete
  12. I didn't even get the holy water comment at first. It wasn't a very good joke. This doctor sounds terrible, though honestly par for the course with my doctor experiences. Glad the other was a bit better. Hopefully you'll find something you can do that helps. At least your MIL is doing better, gotta take the wins where we can get them!

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    1. "This doctor sounds terrible, though honestly par for the course with my doctor experiences."
      ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ’š

      Delete
  13. High five arthrosis twin!! lol My shoulder x-ray showed mild arthritis, narrowing and bone spurs *cries* so when I did whatever I did to my shoulder - the tendon is inflamed and has no room to go.
    I also have full range of movement except when I reach across and then I cry lol
    Mine also recommended physicals therapy, which I think my insurance will cover some but I can't seem to get them to call me back to get in.

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    1. There's something about being in your 50s ๐Ÿ˜ฅ. But we do have lots of similar symptoms/pains, even if we live completely different lives.

      I have been put in the waiting list for my arm laser therapy for now (God forbid one could get therapy for two things at once...๐Ÿ™„). I hope you'll find an entry for yours soon!

      Delete

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