Sue, I hope the rest of the trip more than makes up for the sucky start.

Today, the HR assistant walked into my office and said "happy anniversary". At first, I thought she meant the firm's 10th Anniversary in Norcal, but it turns out she meant that it is my 5th anniversary in this job.

I've never had one of those before. It's weird, and I'm not sure I like it, but at least they gave me money.

Yay money, that's pretty sweet.

YAY for ita's nurse! Non-hands reiki apparently works according to my decidely not-woo-woo skeptical yoga instructor (yes. that really is a good descriptor for her. She spends a lot of time cursing in yoga class).

See, that's one my skeptical mind has trouble with. Chiropractors and massage and even acupuncture, I get get with (well, chiros only for musculoskeletal things, or headaches, or whatnot, not curing diabetes and shit like some of them believe). But reiki, where you don't even TOUCH me, but manipulate my "energy" with your magic hands? Yeahhhh, I just can't do it. (Possibly doesn't help that the first person I ever knew who did it is a nut job in many other ways, but...)

Jenny, my teacher, was totally making fun of reiki before she did it and then she had to admit it helped her. In some mumbo jumbo way that remains unclear. Or some sort of psychosomatic way.

When Grace's g-tube hurts, which happens frequently, I will often put my hand just over her skin and over it there and tell her I'm making it better. Then she nods and kisses me and says it doesn't hurt anymore. I figure reiki must be like that. (Granted, Grace is an almost 6 year old with some brain damage and developmental delays -- though still awesome -- so take that with a salt shaker).

MAGIC!!

or a witch.

Ooh, maybe Kat's magic hands are because she is secretly the next pope and just doesn't know it yet! GOD IS MOVING THROUGH YOU.

I suppose the human body is capable of pretty miraculous feats when it wants to, so if reiki works for someone so be it. I still give it the side-eye as a practice in general.

I think reiki was the practice disproved by the published study run by a preteen. Google no help, though.

I didn't know this was a thing until today: having to reintegrate cats after a vet visit. 12 hours later, Avon's got no idea who Kripkat is, and he's PISSED. I think I'm sleeping with Avon on the guest couch.

Damn. My cats never had that issue. If anything, MK, Lokes and Pumpk were more ready to welcome Devi home. And then she'd demonstrate that she still hated them, and they'd wander off.

FTR: she still hates them. And has consumed almost whole raw egg. Just buying time. I avoided calling the vet, don't really want to outline what's next despite the fact I have in my head.

I think reiki was the practice disproved by the published study run by a preteen.

Seriously? That's kind of awesome. For the pre-teen, anyway.

The study I'm thinking of is the first cite here: [link]

If I could psychosoma myself into any migraine relief I don't really care. I'd take any placebo on the market if it worked. I have a pain issue, and since even when they shut off all the identified inputs it is better but not good I'm not at all picky about what makes up the difference.

But everyone who's tried to woo woo me? So wooey.

The grammar link led me to the saddest movie in the world article, I'm almost tempted to watch it and see if it saddens me--but I don't want extra sad right now. Not from Ricky Schroeder. Though, seriously, if I think too hard about Carry On My Wayward Son or the bit of Serenity after Wash dies or the cops in Avengers--I can get 0 to welling over in 20 seconds.

I'd be curious to know if there are any TV shows that can convey that sort of sadness shorthand. Like--150 seconds of sad. Or does it take a movie and its lack of accumulated canon to bring that on?

...I love that car ad with the chocolate lab. I will have forgotten it's a Subaru in fifteen minute, but the music makes me think of big fun dog or cute brown puppy every time.