Do we need to start wrapping cars in bubble wrap, too?

Oh, Cass that's so annoying.

For those following the saga of the antibiotic, I finally have them! At least I have three days worth until I talk to my doctor on Monday.

Generally, for a colourful North American bird I'd first think tanager, jay or cardinal (inc. buntings). I don't know that there are any jays with yellow bellies in those parts, and there are only a few tanager species that get that far north. That leaves me thinking cardinal family.

The summer camp I grew up going to and working at had a healthy population of scarlet tanagers. It was always a thrill to see one.

We have booked our wedding photographer! The last "big" thing we have to do is the cake (or, more likely, cupcakes). And then it's just a mountain of little things. So. Many. Little. Things.

Cool, Teppy.

In me me me news. It turns out that my pain is NOT caused by anything in my spine. Two separate causes.

The pain in the groin area is cause by prostatitis, an infection that I'm told is the male equivalent of a bladder infection for women. (Which seems a bit odd since men have bladders, so I'd think the male equivalent of a bladder infection in women is a bladder infection.) I'm on antibiotic for six weeks and hopefully that will clear it up.

The pain in my leg? Somewhere a pulled or inflamed muscle is pinching a nerve. The doctor says that there is no point in finding out which muscle cause it will go away in two months. My take: it has not gone away in four months. Also there is a lot of point in finding out which muscle. Because then I can avoid exercise that will make it worse, do exercise that will speed up healing, and do alternating heat and ice in the appropriate spot. So I'm going to really push for figuring out which muscle is pulled or inflamed.

Which seems a bit odd since men have bladders, so I'd think the male equivalent of a bladder infection in women is a bladder infection.

You'd think so but men have the penis and thus bladder infections can be super special with them. (I know my Dad had one, actually a few. So, yeah, men have bladder infections but sometimes their bladder infections are superspecial and not just in their bladders or at all.) But I am very glad if you have a cause and treatment plan for at least the infection part, Typo because that is actually important. Infuriates me that we can't treat humans as humans. But glad you have a partial diagnosis and should have treatment that will help at least this part while you fight for more.

Good Lord. My mom told me that her cousin's* son was killed over the weekend. He was shot by a co-worker, if I understood the news report correctly. That's horrible.

*She's my cousin, too, but she's my mom's generation, and they grew up together. The cousin lives in Akron now, and I literally can't remember the last time I saw her, but I know my mom is FB friends with her and still talks to her. So it's a sad, horrible thing, but I don't think I ever met her son, so I feel like my reaction is kind of cold and clinical. I mean, I am genuinely horrified about it and so sorry for the family's grief (including my mom), but it's just weird because I didn't know him.

What the hell? That's horrible.

Seriously. It sounds a little shady, too, like my cousin and the guy who shot him were there after work hours. My mom sent me the link to a news article, and it was low on details. Or, I should say, it had just enough details to confuse the hell out of me.