Irregular Update #2

Hello Friends in the Computer,

As it turns out when you mentally commit to doing a newsletter based on interesting things you see on the Internet, you actually start to notice them. Thus, an issue of Irregular Update…

Legal Innovation After Reform: Evidence from Regulatory Change

I don’t work as much directly in the legal regulatory reform world as I did, and I really am done fighting about it with randoms on Twitter, but I was really glad to see that the folks at Stanford put out a study giving some hard data answers to the FUD that usually perpetuates these conversations. I have not read the actual report yet, but - as always - Bob Ambrogi is on it and gives a good summary.

I Guess I’m a Blogger Again

I finally did it, I finally wrote a blog post on my blog for the first time since… December 2018.

Wow. Holy cats I knew it’d been a minute but dang.

I’ve been wanting to start up again, but frankly didn’t have the capacity or space (mental, physical, psychological) to do it until recently. I have some philosophical issues with social media and substack plus…maybe hot takes and weirdly distributed conversations are not the solution for everything. Then Bill Hunt posted this on Twitter and it was the kick in the pants I needed.

So, here we go: It’s Not A Small World After All 

While trying to find the older post I reference in that new one, I decided that I should do a series where I review old posts and see if I still agree or not. I’m calling it “Nailed It or Failed It.”

Statement of Principles

First of all, True Librarian Facts: Half of all GenX librarians are named Laura.

Secondly, while creepily stalking people on perusing twitter, I noticed Laura Crossett, who is one of about 27 Librarian Lauras I used to talk to regularly, had added “Proprietor of IC Tiny Tech” to her profile. I love what the company does - basic tech support for individuals - but she had a statement of principles that she tries to abide by on her About page.

I particularly liked

I have my general mission statement for what drives me in life, but I need to think about one that focuses on how I interact with others.

Get Your Boobs Checked

October starts tomorrow which means we are about to be awash in Pink Ribbons for breast cancer awareness month. Let me tell you a story, but also let me assure you I am perfectly okay.

So, I have been having some issues <shines flashlight under chin> of a gynecological nature for the past few months. Specially, as it turns out, I have two pretty good sized ovarian cysts which, for only being a little bigger than a golf ball, really have caused a lot of problems.

This whole adventure has been exasperated by the fact that my gynecologist moved and I needed to find a new one and getting appointment and then finding one who would actually listen to me (and not ask me how my periods have changed even after I told them I had a hysterectomy) has been…a struggle.

My former gynecologist was wonderful, so much so that when she noted the extensive history of gynecological and other cancers in my family history, she sent me for genetic testing without me even asking for it. I didn’t have any of the mutations they tested for, so I have to admit that I became complacent, especially with covid regulations making doctors visits more stressful. I last got a mammogram in September 2020.

I finally got into a doctor who left me waiting for three hours because she got caught up delivering a baby. It happens, it’s fine. Then she had about 3 minutes for me and while ordering some other tests noted “Oh, you’re due a mammogram, let’s get you scheduled for that. We can do it today.” My day was already shot so I was like ‘sure, why not.”

No one likes getting mammograms. No one. I’m far from a prude, but I also don’t frequently get topless in front of strangers, especially since the global pandemic started. Here in Northwest Indiana, breast imaging centers seem to be staffed by a series of older large women of eastern European decent who, frankly, could give less than a shit about seeing your boobs. Whatever you’ve got going on, don’t worry, they’ve seen it and they are not impressed. They’re gentle and as careful as possible but they also seem to adjust your boobs around on the machine with the same vibe as a deli worker arranging hams in a display case.

So I go home and forget about it because I was in in a lot pain for other reasons and mainly worried about my ovaries exploding at any second.

Then I get the call.

They saw something weird in my mammogram.

Fuuuuuck.

My grandma literally died of breast cancer and half the women in the family get it but because I didn’t have the one gene (of many that could be involved) I got complacent.

Boy I felt dumb. And kind of worried. And I was scheduled to go to ILTA in a few days time.

I was told to come back for a recheck but they couldn’t get me in for a month.

I went in - the day the Queen of England would eventually die - and got rechecked. They did a regular mammogram again and if the radiologist saw something still there, I would have further testing done.

Because I am extra as Hell and document my life constantly, I decided to do a selfie while waiting for the results as this might be the last minute of The Before Times.

As it turns out, things were fine. This time. But it was enough of a scared straight experience that I will no longer be complacent. I kept thinking that I had I not had belly barnacles causing me pain, I wouldn’t have gone to doctor, and thus not gotten cajoled into getting mammogram and what if it wasn’t okay?

So if you have been waiting for a sign from the Universe to tell you to schedule a mammogram, this is it. Since it’s October, lots of places have will have mobile drop in clinics.

So that’s all for today. I’m off to enjoy the start of Spooky Season.

Be well.