(no subject)

Something bit me on the inside of my elbow two days ago. I suspect a spider, a very, very small one most likely as I was up and about when it happened and didn't see anything. The bite started out tiny, not even a mosquito bite sized lump, but it's now considerably bigger and quite red and itchy. I'm not sure how much of the redness is due to scratching and/or abrasion and how much is the bite itself, but the lump, the part that's hard when I press, is more than quarter sized. The part that's swollen enough to see but not hard to the touch is about half the size of my fist.

I applied topical Benadryl last night without much effect. This morning, after a shower, I'm trying hydrocortisone. If that doesn't help, I'll try ice. I suppose I'll see. I don't think this is anything to worry much about. I've very occasionally had bites like this before (usually around my ankles where they can't swell as much), and they do eventually go away after driving me crazy for a while.

I suppose I should be glad it didn't happen while I was in bed. Then I'd feel the need to turn out the bedding and wash as much of it as I could carry. Instead, this happened in the kitchen while I was taking my evening medications. The clothes I was wearing are in the laundry, and cleaning the counter isn't likely to do much to protect any of us, so I don't have to worry about it.

(no subject)

Is there an end point after which holiday cards ought not be sent? I need to find ours and start addressing envelopes. I also need to get Scott to make the card for our relatives (that will have picture of Cordelia if we can find a good one. I can't make it, and Scott hasn't had time). Starting all that is on my list for today. Really.

(no subject)

I can't find the instruction booklet for the rock tumbler Santa brought me and Cordelia. This is a problem for two reasons. The one of most current concern is that the number of days for each stage of polishing varies. I think it runs from 2-7 days. We're on stage two and have had the stupid thing going almost five days. I need to know if we're done or if it needs to keep going.

The secondary (but eventually primary) concern is that that's where the information about spare parts, additional packets of grinding powder and so on is. The machine is designed so that one particular part-- a rubber belt-- will get chewed up and need to be replaced regularly. The tumbler came with two sets of grinding powder and two belts. I have an unpleasant suspicion that that the belt will only last through one or two sets of rocks. I'm hoping that I'm wrong, but....

Scott tidied the box it came in out immediately, so that's gone. I've found an image of the tumbler online. It's a Discovery Exclusive Next Generation Rock Tumbler. Sadly that's bringing me no closer to directions. It will help with replacement parts, I expect. Ah, well. Time to look for generic rock tumbler directions. With luck they'll generalize.

There are still a couple of places where the booklet might be, mostly under furniture in the living room and in large stacks of Cordelia's homework. I'm annoyed because I put all the pieces of the set together in a box and kept them next to the tumbler in the basement. Cordelia pulled everything out to investigate it and strewed the pieces across the floor. The instructions don't seem to be down there anywhere (I've looked. Twice), so I'm left with the desperate hope that I didn't take them down there.

ETA: ::bangs head:: I can find several sites with instructions for using a tumbler, but they all use a different length of time for the first step than the one we took from the instruction booklet and used. This makes me doubt that I should rely on them for this tumbler. The difference between four days (the instruction booklet) and seven days (all the websites) is considerable.

(no subject)

Scott and Cordelia still love the Wii. Scott bought Cordelia a Disney Princesses game that she adores. She can't quite navigate it by herself yet, but she's willing to go through it over and over even though it's shallow and short and unvarying. I think part of the fun for her is seeing the Disney characters over and over again and part is making new princesses to run through the game.

( Cut for lots of Wii related babbling )