Althouse: In the Dark Winter Hotel...

February 25, 2010

In the Dark Winter Hotel...

... we can talk our way through this.

23 comments:

kentuckyliz said...: I'm dreaming of iodine rich foods. By mid-morning I can eat whatever I want. No more restrictions. I am craving cheesy things and milk in my hot British tea. Just a couple more nuke scans and I'm freeee.

I ate 5 millicuries of radioactive iodine two days ago, but it's not enough to take atomic leper precautions. It's kinda fun thinking I'm irradiated.

Boop booop boooooop

Yellow and black atomic symbol here.; 2/25/10, 11:39 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Thyroid? A close friend went through that a couple years ago. Everything has been clean since.

I'll keep you in my prayers.; 2/25/10, 11:59 PM
former law student said...: Actress Brittany Murphy died from a complication of diabetes.

Walter "Chekov" Koenig's middle-aged son Andrew "Boner" killed himself.; 2/26/10, 12:00 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I hope everything goes your way kentuckyliz.

Its been snowing like gangbusters here in NJ.

Going out tomorrow to see if I can make a few bucks plowing.; 2/26/10, 12:12 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Bob "Chilly B" Crafton, founding member of the influential 80's electro/hip-hop band Newcleus, passed away this week from complications associated with a stroke.

He died at age 47.; 2/26/10, 12:16 AM
Joan said...: Dang, KentuckyLiz -- wish I'd known, I would've linked my awesome LID pancake recipe sooner.

You may be interested in the revised Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Treatment Guidelines from the ATA, which came out late last year.

/ThyCa facilitator

Don't sneeze when you're under the scanner, you'll give yourself a concussion!

Seriously though -- best wishes for a clean scan. I just had a scanless (and thus LID-less) Thyrogen trial in December and my bloodwork came back clean -- here's hoping for the same for you!

Whenever I was nuked I always used to tell the kids to go round up a spider to bite me... Moms could really use Spider-Man abilities, don't you think?; 2/26/10, 1:17 AM
Unknown said...: Hang in there, KY Liz. The Blonde is going stir crazy with her cast and the problems work is giving her, so I can empathize a bit. I try to remind her it's less than a week, but she is sick of CSI and Monk reruns.

You'll make it, it just seems like forever.

BTW If I look at the satellite photos, do you glow in the dark?

;); 2/26/10, 4:32 AM
rhhardin said...: The WSJ has Peggy Noonan behind the pay firewall.

She'll disappear like Maureen Dowd did.; 2/26/10, 4:46 AM
AllenS said...: Good luck, Liz.; 2/26/10, 5:27 AM
rhhardin said...: Imus on Obama yesterday: He's not as smart as Jimmy Carter was; he's not as smart as he thinks he is. He's a thin-skinned jerk.; 2/26/10, 6:09 AM
Scott said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/26/10, 6:45 AM
Scott said...: Snowed in today. Called the "Associate Information Hotline" just now. The recording said that the office is closed, and that we are to work from home.

Our office is in Jersey City across from where the World Trade Center once was. As a consequency of that event, our division has exchanged our desktop computers for notebooks. Now we are required to take them home with us every night, in fulfillment of our division's disaster recovery plan. (We use triple-DES encryption and total hard drive encryption to make sure our client data is safe.)

I guess the fact that the company can keep our division running during a snow day is a vindication of the plan. Still, I remember back to September 11, 2001, which was a gorgeous day with a clear sky. If the disaster happens after we're in the office--earthquake, tsunami, suitcase nuke or biological weapon in lower Manhattan, whatever--then we are fucked.

Besides this, it's really inconvenient to lug this ruggedized office notebook computer around after work. It sure dampens my enthusiasm for meeting friends for dinner in Manhattan, or going to a movie.

But what really burns me is that although the company can make 500+ employees work remotely on a moment's notice, they still don't want to let us make that the permanent option. I could do what I'm doing just as easily from Pennyslvania. Or Puerto Rico, or Texas, or Hawaii for that matter. And I would enjoy a better quality of life at lower cost than living in northern New Jersey.

Hell, they should just keep a small office in JC and move the rest of the division to North Carolina. Then they wouldn't have to maintain elaborate plans to keep the company running in case of a disaster. No terrorist would ever crash a plane into Mayberry. And I could afford to buy a decent sized house with some land on my (just barely) six figure salary.

wv: capon, which describes each of us worker chickens perfectly.

(reposed with minor edits); 2/26/10, 6:49 AM
Scott said...: (reposed = reposted. Still haven't had my morning coffee. I am in repose.); 2/26/10, 6:53 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Good luck kentuckyliz. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Good luck to you scott, getting out of Jersey City.; 2/26/10, 6:53 AM
Christy said...: Good luck with you scans, Liz.; 2/26/10, 6:56 AM
Christy said...: Scott, do you guys have a lower rate of "stolen" notebooks than the TSA?

Try working for a utility. No such thing as a snow day, for anyone.; 2/26/10, 7:09 AM
Scott said...: @Christy: I wouldn't know on either topic.; 2/26/10, 7:26 AM
Scott said...: @Fred4: Who knows what the future may bring. So far my retirement plan is to get a job as a greeter at Walmart in some small town in Texas, and live in a trailer off a county road with my yeller dawg and shotgun.; 2/26/10, 7:29 AM
Fred4Pres said...: scott, I lived and worked in Jersey City, so I have been there and done that.

And while Walmart turns out to be a pretty good starting job (where employees are actually given far more responsibility than Target or other similar stores) or job for a retiree who wants to earn a few extra bucks, there is life beyond the shores of the lower Hudson River.; 2/26/10, 8:59 AM
From Inwood said...: Prof A

Since these posts are lighthearted & attract personal comments, let me add mine.

About admission to U. Wisc. & your winter Pictures.

One of my daughters (PhD U. Wisc.) married a widower & inherited a stepson. His late Ma was a Jew & so I, an Irish-American, have a Jewish stepson (Shhh, don’t tell C4). Only in America.

Sounds like one of those old, now racist, jokes:

“Heard the one about the Irish Catholic girl who married the Preppy guy with a Jewish son?

BTW, not sure that my son-in-law’s Ma quite gets her son’s choice in wives, but I digress.

Anyway, my daughter & son-in-law are taking turns going with this HS Senior to his college interview destinations. Daughter, naturally, went to Mad Wisc & stayed a few days in 5ºF weather & met some friends. She wanted him to get some idea of the clime in the Winter. I keep sending your pix. She appreciated the one of Lake Mendota. I’m sending her this also.

He’s been accepted, at U Wisc (along with several others) &
Don’t know what he’s gonna decide.; 2/26/10, 12:36 PM
From Inwood said...: Fred4

I worked in Hoboken, but on the waterfront.

So I left & went to law school to be a contendah.; 2/26/10, 12:40 PM
knox said...: Congrats Joan, and good luck KYLiz!

KYLiz, I don't know how restrictive your diet is, but I have been doing a low-carb diet for quite a while now. I can sympathize... it sucks to not be able to eat good stuff.; 2/26/10, 4:19 PM
ken in tx said...: We are Presbyterians. My step-son was raised as a Presbyterian and graduated from a Presbyterian Seminary. He got another theology degree from a Methodist seminary. Guess what he is now--a Messianic Jewish Rabi. He keeps a strictly kosher household. You have to be careful not to eat toast off the wrong plate. His dad was a non-observant Jew. It would be easier to live with him than to live with my step-son.; 2/26/10, 7:12 PM