Gronklies. I did get some sleep last night. Hope the rest of the night shift here got a bit of rest as well.

I found out tonight that at nearly twenty-nine years old, when I feel that sick, I still want my mother to come take care of me. I didn't call her, of course, but I wanted to. Pathetic much?

Nah, my mother was in her late forties when she mentioned to me that it didn't matter how old you are, you still want your mom when sick.

GOING TO MAINE OMG WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

This just made me sniffly, in a mostly good way. Have a FABULOUS time.

Enjoy yourself, Nora!

sj, I hope when you get up your tum is feeling better. That really sucks.

I'm off to the wilds of Door County for the next three days. There will be wine tasting, DIY art, Christmas ornament shopping, lots of nummy food and possibly fireworks. The only reason I say wilds is because I don't think there's a Starbucks on the entire peninsula where I can hook up my wireless, so I'll likely be very dark gray to black for the weekend. See you all on the 5th!

Oof:

"I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

"Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially." -- Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) In a speech voting against internet neutrality.

And did you know?

And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

"It's a series of tubes."

(I'm hoping he was trying to use pneumatic tubes as a metaphor, not vacuum tubes....)

sj, hope you finally got some sleep. I'm so sorry about your stomach aches, I get those every once in a while and they SUCK SUCK SUCK. Like you, I used to get them mor frequently and I was convinced it was some sort of food allergy. It wasn't though. I don't know what it is.

I am feeling a little bit better today. I slept a few minutes here and there. Mine used to be mostly because of my lactose intolerance, but since I have been using lactaid, I don't get them as often. The rest of my problem is IBS and the Spina Bifida. Bad stomachs run in the family.

sj, I've found that sometimes one lactaid doesn't completely do the trick. As soon as my tummy starts feeling the bloat-ick, I chew on another one. It can help after the fact, too.

To bookend Michael Palin, when I saw Eric Idle I was so overcome with fangirlishness that I had to leave the scene before I asked him to father my children. Usually I'm levelheaded around celebrities--I either ignore them or talk to them like, you know, people.

Not Eric Idle. Monty Python is a whole different level.

sj, I've found that sometimes one lactaid doesn't completely do the trick. As soon as my tummy starts feeling the bloat-ick, I chew on another one. It can help after the fact, too.

Do you use Ultra? That's what I use and I almost never have a problem. I don't think last night was lactose related. I have reasons for thinking this, but I would rather not gross out the entire board.

I like peppermint and/or ginger for irritated GI problems. Ginger ale, or ginger tea/peppermint tea, sometimes even peppermint candies can help.

I was having issues myself last night, and chose TJ Good Earth tea. Nicely spicy, with ginger and peppermint!

I have lactose intolerance and general tummy-sensitiveness, too, and there's a yoga pose I find helpful sometimes. It's also good for cramps. I can't find any pictures online, but my teacher calls it supported butterfly.

Lay a longish (torso length) pillow on the floor with a little pillow at the top for your head if you like. Put a couple of throw pillows on either side of you.

Sit at one end of the long pillow with the soles of your feet touching. Pile the throw pillows under each of your knees so that your legs are relaxed and supported.

Now lie back on the long pillow, tucking your tailbone a bit. Let your arms fall to either side. If it isn't relaxing, try adjusting the pillows. If that doesn't work, than the pose might not suit you (or I did a crappy job describing it).

I hope the pain goes away soon.