Tears of Lys

@Rippounet Calling Mlle "billionaire loving," is extremely unfair. She merely raised a few interesting questions. But I'm sure she can defend herself far better than I could.

I've been having dreams lately that revolve around a certain theme. (Not the dream. Unfortunately, reality.) My husband has been slowly declining the past few years. He's always had a bad back, but despite (or because of) numerous back operations, the pain and disability have gotten worse and worse. Then he was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, he's in remission, but then he slips and falls in the bathroom on the tile and cracks the neck of the femur. Long time recovering from that. Actually, he hasn't fully recovered. Recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, so now he's on a walker. He pretty much needs 75-85% of my time helping him in various ways, which I'm glad to do since I love him. Anyway . . . my dreams lately have been concerning my being lost in some weird situation or another, and at the very end my beloved shows up, healthy, handsome, strong as he used to be, and saves the day. Not too hard to figure THAT one out, huh?

@Madame deVenoge How old is Spicy? Maybe the best thing is as long as he's having a good life, let him be. If he shows signs of being in discomfort/pain, then give him the easy way out. Sounds like with all the health issues he has, something's gonna get him sooner rather than later. I spent a bundle on my late, great dog buddy, Benny, keeping him alive as long as I could. Truth be told, I should have let him go sooner than I did, because the last year or so of his life, he wasn't really himself. Couldn't go for the long walks/runs we both enjoyed, would sometimes just lie down on the ground during even a short walk. On the last day, he couldn't get up from his bed and refused a piece of chicken I offered him. Now I have Katy, and she's far more loving than Ben ever was, but I was crazy about the guy. (I should have put this is the dog thread!) My late cat, Dozer, lived to about 18. We spent a lot on him too! He's buried in the back of our yard.

Sort of the "uncanny valley" effect?

@Underfoot Lots of people swear by it. It couldn't be THAT unpleasant if people do it for entertainment. JUST THINK GOOD THOUGHTS!! and don't be writhing in horrendous pain before you go under.

After a few weeks of unbearable heat, we've finally cooled off to 73 F. What a relief.

I had Ketamine once - in a medical setting. They were trying to re-set a badly broken leg and the pain it elicited was horrendous, so much so that I lost my ability to breathe. Didn't know what they were injecting me with - the anesthesiologist just told me to "think good thoughts." I went into la-la land and found myself behind the bookcase with Matthew McConaughey in "Interstellar." Strange place to be. I could hear the doctor and my husband talking, but I was disconnected from it. It felt like I had died and was attending my own funeral. Needless to say, I wasn't given enough time to put a "good" thought in my mind.

Practically killed myself making a seafood fricassee (salmon, scallops, shrimp, mussels) in a dill cream sauce over sauteed leeks with baked rice w/pine nuts. It was heartily enjoyed by all, but I found myself wishing I had made a cold shrimp salad instead. Rich food isn't so great, IMO, in very hot weather. OTOH, our guest brought THREE bottles of wine, spumoni ice cream, and an assortment of incredible mini cakes.

@Theda Baratheon So where's my picture?! I took it easy on myself this year and just planted around six tomato plants (a Brandywine, a Superboy, couple of "patio tomatoes", and three orange pepper plants. I did order lovage seeds. Turns out they're a perennial! Yay! Lovage is a completely wonderful herb I discovered last year. I've been hitting my herbs pretty hard, cutting and cooking with them, and drying them. French tarragon is wonderful in scrambled eggs, and it's a perennial too. So far, it's growing gang-busters. Always have to have flat-leaf parsley - so flavorful. A couple different kinds of oregano and basil. This year I tried growing summer savory and lemon verbena. What an aroma! They're doing well, but I've got to water them so often due to the sun and heat. Haven't harvested any tomatoes yet, but soon!

What's a period? It's been a while . . .

Well, that's the obvious guess, isn't it. Your prize is an incontinent dog.

What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog with one leg out? Shake hands, of course. /groan (but this is a true dad joke.)

Wasn't quite THAT bad. Just have a raw patch to the right of my mouth, about 1 1/2" across. But it itches, GDI.

@Theda Baratheon Sure! Post a picture and I might be able to identify it. Although, you're in Wales, right? There's probably a number of plants that we never get to see in Michigan. Spider plants are definitely satisfying to grow. I once had one for years and years. It grew so big and had so many baby spiders, I didn't know what to do with them. I finally put it out on a rummage sale for $10 and it was snapped up quickly! Right now I'm having tremendous luck indoors with Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti. It's a kind of succulent too even though they call it a cactus. They both bloom at the right time and even not during a holiday - they'll sometimes put out a few flowers at any old time of year.

The succulent family of plants contains some of the most interesting in terms of forms and growth patterns, and colors! I used to, waaaay back, own a plant store, and we'd occasionally stock "living stones," Lithops. They've got to be the most fascinating denizens of the plant world. https://lithops.com/wp-content/uploads/15972592_1342073622523666_951305261022958831_o.jpg ETA: It'a worth it to cut and paste this link into your browser. Prepare to be amazed!

Just be prepared to sweat your balls off, 3CityApache. (or in your girls' case, their ovaries.)

Used a hyaluronic acid mask last night. Supposed to leave it on 15-20 minutes. Slept in it. Resulting hilarity.

I hate to think that that could have saved his life.

I didn't realize that the oil comes in a suppository form. My sisters and I were pushing the oil on my brother, but he could only stand so much of it since his cancer was esophageal. He couldn't take it.

Could that new sense of joy be FREEDOM? Let us know where the fates have decreed you go next. Ok? You have more friends than you know.

I hope you're not still upset this morning, Spocky. I really don't think Ran meant to rain on your parade. The way I look at it, if Ran could run this AI thing, he's not the only one who'd possibly think about doing it. And knowing about and being prepared for any objections is powerful. And it MAY even give you an idea about something that needs tweaking. I understand your protectiveness about your company and how important it is to your family and you. But being aware of any potential pitfalls can only make you stronger in the long run. We're rooting for you. As an aside, if it were me, I might have taken the $$$ offer (even though there much bigger rewards down the line) simply because Chop's needs are immediate. Money only goes so far. Time can be much more important.

Being an entrepreneurial type myself, I find all this fascinating. The Uni of Lincoln's LIAT Research Unit looks to be a perfect fit. Thanks for sharing.

But it sounds so good!

Pardon my ignorance, but what's a co-founder? Is that like a partner? Are they bringing $$$ to the table and sharing the work? Would they have half-ownership in the company/corporation/? I just Googled it, so I get the basic idea. What skill set are you looking to add to your company?