Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

The willow is too close to the house.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Usually wrong but never in doubt

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

This blog will pay for itself.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

The lights are all blinking red.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Open Thread: Socks for Xmas

Open Thread: Socks for Xmas

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And you thought you hated it when that happened.

Spousal Unit & I will be taking off for our Xmas tradition, movie (Arrival) and dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. But first, thanks to commentor SFBayAreaGal for the story behind my favorite Xmas song:

In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass… Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his “Cantique de Noel” was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician’s hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe Charles Adams, for help…

As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adolphe the words of “Cantique de Noel” represented a day he didn’t celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adams quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau’s beautiful words. Adams’ finished work pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Initially, “Cantique de Noel” was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adolphe Adams was a Jew, the song–which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France–was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed “Cantique de Noel” as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and “total absence of the spirit of religion.” Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.

Not only did this American writer–John Sullivan Dwight–feel that this wonderful Christmas songs needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: “Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease.” The text supported Dwight’s own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight’s English translation of “O Holy Night” quickly found found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War…

Reader Interactions

142Comments

  1. 1.

    Hungry Joe

    I (wife & kiddo out of town) just got back from “Arrival.” Not great, but pretty good, with some fun linguistic ideas. There was a predictable subplot as a tension-ratcheter, and it got a little squirrely at the end, but I enjoyed it.

  4. 4.

    Mathguy

    Nothing better than an Italian Greyhound in booties–we have three, so we’ve witnessed this before the first walk in the snow every year.

  7. 7.

    Keith G

    What a shame. George Michael was always in my ears during the most important and most fun time of my life.

  8. 8.

    MomSense

    I gotta have faith. I gotta have faith faith faith.

    RIP George Michael. You were beautiful and I have lots of memories of being silly and carefree dancing to your music.

  10. 10.

    Hal

    Ugh. George Michael was some awesome 80s and 90s pop music. But he had depth and talent. Very enjoyable. Plus, the video for Freedom along with Madonna’s Vogue confirmed for me how gay I really was.

  11. 11.

    Dr. Ronnie James, D.O.

    @Mike J: No, the singer. Argh, this year.

    He was a genius, maybe not up with Prince & Bowie, but close: he was basically doing “neo-soul” 10 years before anyone was even using the term. Godspeed.

  12. 12.

    hovercraft

    This horrible year is just determined to keep on sucking till the very last minute. I remember watching and singing along to WHAM and then later Faith, on Top of The Pops. RIP Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, you were part of the soundtrack of my youth, and you will be missed.

  14. 14.

    SFBayAreaGal

    Damn, I fell in love with George Michael when he put out his Faith album. I got the cassette tape and wore it out.

  17. 17.

    mai naem mobile

    Wow George Michael WTF 2016. They come in threes they say. I don’t wanna even think about this.

  22. 22.

    Mike J

    Public service announcement: when buying a cpu cooling fan, bigger is better if you’re measuring airflow. Bigger is not necessarily better when measuring physical size if it is so big it won’t fit in the case. Off to Fry’s for Boxing day.

  24. 24.

    CaseyL

    Well, that bites. RIP George Michael, and thanks for contributing to the music I danced to like a madwoman back in the 80s.

    And, yeah, people die every year; including lots of famous ones. It just seems that this year the icons of our generation(s) are dropping like flies, most of them way too young (in your 60s is not old, dammit).

    IANA statistician/actuary, but it looks to me like a real anomalous cluster. The only common factor I can think of offhand is, they were music stars in an era where heavy drug use was widespread, especially coke, and maybe you never escape the long-term health effects even if you’ve been clean and sober for decades.

  26. 26.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    2016 needs to get the phuck over with.

    ‘Listen Without Prejudice’ is one of the most powerful albums you’ll ever listen to. It’s one of those albums that doesn’t grow on you, it simply reaches out and grabs you and never lets go.

    So sorry. His music will live with many of us. That’s probably the greatest way to remember him. Sigh.

  28. 28.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Raven: Some friends of mine, with the best of intentions, sewed/knitted up booties for their dogs so that their paws would not get so stone bruised on our Ozark gravel bars. First thing those dogs did was chew those booties off. My friends did not try again. My comment above was with tongue thoroughly implanted in cheek.

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    Cooking for the holiday feast has commenced. Having trouble getting it in gear today; hoping the aroma of sauteeing onions will provide the extra jolt needed.

  35. 35.

    lamh36

    Ugh…what is happening!

    I LITERALLY was talking to a coworker yesterday about George Micheal and when I saw him on what I think was one of his last if not his last tour in the US, before he last run in with drugs…

    Ugh…that’s it’s…I will never utter the name of a celeb spontaneously ever again..nope.

    When Micheal Jackson died, I swear to ya’ll the day before after McMahon and Farrah Fawcett died I was doesn’t it happen in threes…I LITERALLY said, “who’s next…Micheal Jackson”…he DIED the next day!

    I loved George Micheal. One of the BEST concert I ever went was the last one it went to of his. He sang beautifully…he danced his hip dance (big fans know the dance I’m talking about). He sung Wham, (Baby I’m Your Man…and my ABSOLUTE fav Wham song “Everything She Wants” along with others), and his big hits from Faith on to the last one with the song “Outside”..

    Damnit…first white artist, I remember hearing in constant rotation on my local urban station…they played Careless Whisper ALL THE TIME!

    And don’t get me started on Last Christmas.

    RIP George!

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Not a big fan of ham*, however if you could push some of the aromas through the computer in this direction it couldn’t hurt.

    *exception is a hearty cabbage soup made with a ham bone.

  37. 37.

    mai naem mobile

    So I went to the Guardian website and they said Rick Parfitt from Status Quo died yesterday. They weren’t that well known in the US but they’re huge in the UK. He was 68 and it was unexpected.

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    @mai naem mobile: I saw that yesterday (it was all over the BBC). The only song that they mentioned that I recognized was “Pictures of Matchstick Men” from the ’60s. It sounded like he was a hard living rock and roller (proudly smoking and drinking in the hospital while recovering from a heart attack or something)…

    I assume George’s demons were different. He was a great talent. RIP. :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  41. 41.

    TriassicSands

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Am I the only one who thinks that dressing up critters and making them parade around for human amusement is cruel and demeaning? It’s too bad dogs can’t make their humans run around smelling each others butts. Reciprocity.

    (Note: No, not cruel on the level of physically harming them, but just kind of mean-spirited and inconsiderate. That doggie looks very unhappy to me and s/he had no say in the matter. That’s unfair. I hate Internet videos that show humans yucking it up while their critters deal with situations they obviously find unpleasant.)

  42. 42.

    Mike J

    @EBT:

    The take away is coke and speed are bad for you, and you should do more weed and acid.

    The people who do coke and speed are certainly more likely to be assholes than people who do weed and acid.

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Just removed the boule from the oven. You sick fucks are on your own, I must make the ultimate sacrifice for my wife.

  46. 46.

    ProudGradofCatLadyAcademy

    Wishing, you all a peaceful holiday.
    Snow, sleet, icing, and winds today made travel treacherous, so I went out last night with my father, stepmom, and sister to the local casino buffet. Not my ideal Christmas dinner, but my elderly father enjoys the food, and the wait staff adores him, and he’s earned the right to do what he wants for Christmas. Someone else doing the dishes is also a plus in my book. It was pleasant enough, a few stories from my dad on Christmas in Newfoundland as a newlywed. Last night it was how Dad and my Newfie grandfather drove to Gander AFB, bought out all the 90 cents! rum and gin from the base exchange and stuffed it in my grandfather’s Newfoundland Power and Light truck to evade detection by the mounties patrolling the roads. My father mentioned the police would pull over cars coming from the base to check for “American liquor” being pirated off base to evade the taxes but my grandfather said, Oh no, they won’t pull over the Power and Light truck. Sure enough, dad and grandpa made it home unscathed, decorated the Christmas tree with plenty of rum for all. A nice story of a Christmas past.

    The roads were marginally passable this morning so trekked to dad’s house with a couple of presents I forgot to bring last night and had some tea and chatted for a bit. The rest of day spent home alone trying to arm knit one of those giant blankets and it is not going well.

    I am a militant agnostic apatheist-(really don’t know, and I really don’t care) but gosh darn it, the pretty pictures of people celebrating have me feeling depressed about spinster aunthood and Christmas.It’s not the religious aspect, it’s the cultural part of Christmas I miss from my younger years. I did get a bona fide Christmas orange this year, it’s as large as I remember the ones in the bottom of my stocking as a girl so that will be a nice Boxing Day breakfast treat.l normally am excited about being alone even at holidays but today feels different than the last few years have felt. Then the news of George Michael’s death made me feel even more melancholy. I really am wishing I could sleep until 2017 because it has to start getting better at some point.

    Well, off to pet the cat and watch some Netflix or read a book with a nice glass of mulled wine and then off for bed and hope the power doesn’t go out during this storm.

    Thank you all, I lurk a lot, and I really enjoy the commentary, I feel like I know you all in some small way so wanted to say Merry Christmas from the Balloon-juice wallflower.

  47. 47.

    SFBayAreaGal

    Anne credit for the O Holy Night story belongs to Denise Oliver Velez at Daily Kos. O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas carol also. When I read the story behind the carol, I knew the BJ community would appreciate the background of the carol.

  51. 51.

    Another Scott

    @OzarkHillbilly: Our Sophie has huge feet for her body, and lots of fur on them that picks up ice and compacted snow. I got some snow booties for her, but she looks like the poor pooch at top whenever I’ve tried to put them on her… :-/

    Of course, that mini greyhound would freeze to death in the snow, so this might be more of a “look at the funny dog” thing… :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  54. 54.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @TriassicSands: The closest I ever came to that was a cat I had who returned to my apt. with his hind leg slit open from stem to stern. We smeared it with mucho antibiotic ointment and wrapped it heel to hip. The poor animal would take 3 steps forward and 127 steps backward. My roommate and I laughed our asses off, but every time it backed itself into a corner it could not walk out of, we took pity on it.

    Our poor animals will go straight to heaven when they die. They put up with us.

  59. 59.

    Spanky

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    Hope the oven still works after that.

    We had oven failure today. Second go with the automatic probe, in a 12 lb turkey breast. The big mistake was not checking in on it until 3 hours in. Stone cold. Probably operator error (me, not the Mrs.), but I want to make some test runs on something not so big and expensive.

    Anyway, I went out to get takeout Indian, which was awesome.

  60. 60.

    geg6

    Lovey and Koda are content with gigantic rawhide candy cane chews. I’m stuffed from chateaubriand, twice-baked potatoes and Brussels sprouts (and assorted Christmas cookies and candies) and the BIL and I are set for lunch and Rogue One tomorrow. Oh, and the Steelers clinched the playoffs. All in all a pretty good day.

    Only sour note was seeing that George Michael died. Fuck 2016.

  63. 63.

    MazeDancer

    @satby: @lamh36:

    Right there with you in the George Michael fangirl club.

    Such a dazzling, major talent. Just tossing off those effortless remarkable hits. Twitter right now is non-stop links to “This is my favorite” George Michael song – making a panoply of remarkable music. “Faith” is an album that does not grow old.

    Being 53 he was old enough to have been penalized for being gay. Ridiculous Wham! where he was pretending to be a teen girl heartthrob still had fabulous tunes.

    And 53 is young enough to imagine what could he have done in his 60’s, 70’s, 80’s.

    So very sad he’s gone.

  66. 66.

    NotMax

    Lawdy, lawdy. Character on the TV just clearly said “enervating misery.”

    Subtitles said “innovating misery.”

  68. 68.

    Adrift

    @MazeDancer: I’m right behind him and yes, it was a terrible time to be gay. I’m part of that penalized club, and coming of age then was like staring at an automatic death sentence coupled with homophobia x1000 from society, peers and even family.
    All of my memories of that time are tainted by that.

  71. 71.

    delk

    @Schlemazel: Yeah–they suspect he might have eaten something he shouldn’t have. His liver enzymes are off and he will need to go to the vet in a week to have them checked. Two prescriptions to give him, luckily I have never had any problems getting him to take pills.

    He polished off a whole bowl of water when he got home, so I’m sure he will want to go out. Just happy to have him around!

  73. 73.

    Another Scott

    @delk: Our Sophie got sick once last year or so, and her liver enzymes were way off. We took her in for an ultrasound and they found some lump on her liver that they were very concerned about – to the point of talking about surgery – but it was in some bad location and surgery would have been very hard on her. We decided to wait.

    She eventually got better and we took her in for a followup ultrasound and they couldn’t find the lump. She’s been fine ever since. (Fingers crossed.)

    Here’s hoping your pooch has similar luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  74. 74.

    Adam L Silverman

    @delk: As long as he’s drinking, that’s a good sign. If a dog won’t drink, then he or she is really in bad shape.

  75. 75.

    fuckwit

    @Spanky: he had blood exchanged.

    after the apocalypse, there will be nothing left on the planet except cockroaches, CDs, and keith richards.

  76. 76.

    MazeDancer

    @Adrift:

    Hope Freedom is yours now, to name a great George Michael song. Here he is performing it live on MTV in 1991. Still sizzling, rocking fresh today.

    Narrow definition of masculinity penalized men first. And then the rest of us.

    Trump is just another end product of the insane idea that “there is only one right way to be a man”. A cartoon cruel definition of fake strength.

  78. 78.

    lamh36

    @Adam L Silverman: Don’t ever become a celebrity Adam…my powers only seem to work on celebs…doesn’t extend to pols though…

    but just in case… DONALD TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP

    DICK CHENEY, DICK CHENEY, DICK CHENEY…

    Hmm…who else

  79. 79.

    lamh36

    @therealelp 2h2 hours ago
    REAL SHIT IF YOU HAD A HIT RECORD BETWEEN 1978 AND 1988 STAY INSIDE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR ITS NOT SAFE WTF

  81. 81.

    lamh36

    “Call me good, Call me bad, Call me anything you want…baby

    …If ya gonna do it, do it right…

    I’ll be your boy, I’ll be your man I’ll be the one who understands I’ll be your first, I’ll be your last I’ll be the only one you as”

    Wham! – I’m Your Man

  83. 83.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lamh36: I don’t think we have to worry about that. But just to be on the safe side, just don’t talk about me to anyone.

  84. 84.

    Morzer

    @TriassicSands:

    Am I the only one who thinks that dressing up critters and making them parade around for human amusement is cruel and demeaning?

    Nope. Some of our fellow semi-evolved ape-creatures have a bit more evolving to do.

  85. 85.

    raven

    @delk: Glad to hear he’s better. We’re staying at our niece’s in Asheville and my bride wants Bohdi to be in the bedroom with us to sleep even though he’s in the crate so I get to carry him up and down the frickin stairs!

  89. 89.

    Mnemosyne

    Just got home from my aunt’s house in the LBC. We were talking about seeing a movie tonight, but two of my aunts (sisters) were there and chattered incessantly, and now poor G is totally exhausted in that introvert’s I cannot deal with any more people today kind of way. We may end up watching a movie at home later tonight.

  95. 95.

    Mnemosyne

    @CaseyL:

    David Bowie was a heavy smoker back in the day, and late 50s/early 60s is when tobacco-related cancers can start to show up. So to Fuck Cancer I will add Fuck Tobacco, that goddamned cancerous weed.

  96. 96.

    lamh36

    Aww…if your a fan…I think you’ll love this!

    Watch George Michael Sing on an Early Version of Carpool Karaoke via @ew

    If you’re a fan of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, you might have George Michael to thank. The singer, who unexpectedly died at age 53 “over the Christmas period,” his publicist confirmed on Christmas Day, was the original guest on an early version of the segment.

    Earlier this year, Corden explained during a visit to Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show that the popular segment had its origins in a 2011 sketch for the British charity Comic Relief. In the video, Corden — playing his role on the British sitcom Gavin and Stacey — and George Michael drove around singing some of Michael’s biggest hits.

    “My original idea was to pick George Michael up from prison in a car,” Corden said. “And then we realized, ‘Maybe we’ll lose the prison, but what if there’s still some fun for me and George to be in the car and we’ll sing some Wham! songs?’”

    You can watch the segment above, beginning around the 1:22 mark.

  97. 97.

    Ohio Mom

    @ProudGradofCatLadyAcademy: Sorry to hear it’s been a blue day for you. Not to be smug but one of the things I like best about being Jewish is the lack of expectations and memories surrounding Christmas. It is somewhat similar in feeling as playing hooky.

    You have a great nym by the way.

  99. 99.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    I’m at Perkins, getting dinner before heading into work. I pulled a 16 hour shift yesterday/this morning. I’m looking forward to some time off.

    If the rest of you want your Christmas lights to come on, someone has to go to work.

  101. 101.

    lamh36

    @geg6: I said previously I really wanted to see this film today, but it’s not showing here until wide release…

    everyone is raving about it.

    Oh a Fences…

  103. 103.

    opiejeanne

    @Mnemosyne: Our girls and their SOs came over and opened presents, we had a quick lunch, then we went to see Rogue One. It was a good day.
    Now we’re back home, Dave’s asleep with the cat on his lap and a knitted cap on his head. It’s so quiet here tonight; I’ll dig out a movie to watch when he wakes up. .

  108. 108.

    fuckwit

    @Adrift: George Michael’s solo music always will remind me of the Plague Years. Never much went for Wham!, but when he went solo and got into his white soul years his talent really came out and shone. RIP.

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    @fuckwit:

    Not drama, just talking-talking-talking. My oldest aunt (turned 80 in July) was SUPER chatty today.

    Fun fact: I used to live down the street from the park in Mar Vista where Snoop got into that beef and shot somebody. IIRC, it was ruled self-defense.

  114. 114.

    Steve in the ATL

    @TriassicSands:

    Am I the only one who thinks that dressing up critters and making them parade around for human amusement is cruel and demeaning?

    Pretty sure our golden retriever and English bulldog would agree with you after this morning’s matching elf costume incident.

    But in our defense, it was HILARIOUS.

  116. 116.

    Mike J

    @lamh36:

    but ya know the 80s was ALL about image for alot of artist.

    I worked at a top40 radio station in the 80s. Hated the music on the radio. Never understood the modern fascination with music I hated when it was new. For example, Journey. They sucked then. They suck now.

    I’m sure George Michael was a nice guy and I do feel sorry for his family, friends, and fans.

  117. 117.

    Larkspur

    I am dog-sitting for a beautiful golden retriever in a beautiful quiet house, and today I also made two cat-visit trips to Sausalito (a gorgeous young Maine coon kitty), and it took me till this evening – and only after a text from the homeowner – to realize there were presents under the tree for me and the dog. Duh! They gave me a beautiful hoodie from REI, and the golden got a squeaky toy and a new Nylabone. I was so surprised and pleased. No family around, but I have critters and their people who care. It’s very nice.

    I think I am also getting shingles. Not the best Xmas/Hannukah present. The discomfort and location of the band (half around my back and then around to my ribs) makes me pretty sure it’s shingles, but it’s only uncomfortable, not excruciating the way I’ve heard it can be. Fingers crossed for a mild case. Gotta go snuggle with the dog now.

  123. 123.

    Ohio Mom

    @Larkspur: Yikes! I am under the impression that there are some meds for shingles that only work/work best at the start of the outbreak — maybe you should goggle this?

  125. 125.

    Anne Laurie

    @TriassicSands:

    Am I the only one who thinks that dressing up critters and making them parade around for human amusement is cruel and demeaning?

    Well, believe it or not, some dogs enjoy it. The one who surprised me most was a cranky Scottish Terrier in one of our training classes, who turned into a literal party animal when his (veterinarian) person dressed him up for the annual Halloween class. Like a dour old bank manager putting a lampshade on his head after the first pitcher of martinis!

    And a somewhat larger subset of critters learn to bear with getting togged out, as being better than the alternative. The star of the video needs protection from snow/ice/road salt, even if it feels weird getting used to it every winter — even the festive snood can probably be justified, since IG ears are thin like tissue paper & very frost-sensitive…

  126. 126.

    Anne Laurie

    @delk:

    they suspect he might have eaten something he shouldn’t have. His liver enzymes are off and he will need to go to the vet in a week to have them checked. Two prescriptions to give him, luckily I have never had any problems getting him to take pills.

    Glad your guy is home!

    Your vet probably warned you about this, but they’re putting xylitol in every damned thing these days — gum, mints, toothpaste, baked goods — even if you didn’t accidentally share the wrong thing, there’s plenty dogs have managed to make themselves ill snatching & scarfing down something off the ground during a walk. Or a visitor may have unknowingly discarded something in a trash can where dog could access it…

  127. 127.

    fuckwit

    We are going to experience, over the next decade or so, a parade of funerals of famous icons.

    First of all, many are in their 60s-80s.

    Secondly, many of them did a LOT of drugs back in the 70s and 80s and even beyond– the kinds that are really hard on your body: coke, alcohol, speed. And let’s not forget cigarettes.

    I’d guess that the most recent rash of famous deaths might have been in the mid-1960s when the icons of the vaudeville and early Hollywood era started to go. I’m thinking of the movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, with many of the alter kacker Borscht Belt comics making their last movie and then… kicking the bucket.

    Sucks. But it’s the circle of life, people.

  128. 128.

    Larkspur

    @Ohio Mom: Yeah, hard to know what to do especially on a holiday. It’s not ER stuff, but getting ahead of worse symptoms would be good. I probably will end up just watching what happens. Hope I don’t regret it.

  129. 129.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Larkspur: Go to the doctor’s as soon as you can get scheduled. If it is shingles and you are within the window for a medicinal response you need to do so. You do not want to just try to tough it out. One of my grandmothers had shingles as did a good friend/colleague. This is not something to play around with.

  130. 130.

    Ohio Mom

    @Larkspur: Do you have a regular primary care doc? You could call the answering service and whoever is on call will get back to you with advice and maybe even call in a prescription. Really, that is their job, you are entitled to call. You are not imposing on him/her, you are doing your share in your doctor-patient partnership.

  131. 131.

    lamh36

    @Death Panel Truck: It went…Ed McMahon on 23…then Farrah Fawcett was announced the morning … I was in DC for a White House and when we made it to the hotel, I had the conversation with my friend that I’d heard it came in threes…and I said “who’s next Micheal Jackson?”

    I forgot Fawcett was the same day, by the time it really hit MJ died and that was all I recall about Farrah, sadly

  132. 132.

    Lizzy L

    @Larkspur: What Adam said. There are specific antivirals (Valtrex, Zovirax) which can reduce shingles pain or reduce the duration of the inflammation, but they need to be started ASAP. Please don’t wait — contact your doctor or go to Urgent Care.

  133. 133.

    NotMax

    @Larkspur

    Most certainly go in to first confirm it is shingles. Did you ever have chickenpox? Are there skin eruptions? If so, then a decent bet yes.

  136. 136.

    Larkspur

    @NotMax: @Lizzy L: @Ohio Mom: @Adam L Silverman: Yes, I had chicken pox, a long time ago – at Christmas. There’s a photo (long lost) of me in my PJs, draped on my new bicycle in the living room by the tree, with chicken-pox-face. Then my father carried me back to bed.

    I get my health care at the local community clinic. I’ll call them tomorrow, but I know the office will be closed, and I suspect the Emergency Room is the only alternative. I hope getting in on Tuesday, if I can, will be soon enough.

    Thanks for the advice, everyone. I appreciate it.

  137. 137.

    Zinsky

    @Ohio Mom: There is a shingles vaccine, which I got just recently, but not sure if it is effective once you manifest the symptoms. I would highly recommend seeing a doctor immediately, though. I had a severe case of hives about a year ago from Amoxocillin prescribed after a dental procedure and I swore that I would never go through anything like that again.

  138. 138.

    mai naem mobile

    @Larkspur: I know the thread is dead but I know somebody who had the post shingles pain and you don’t want it. You should be able to get into one of those walk in urgent care for pretty cheap if you can’t get into your regular doc today.

  139. 139.

    Ohio Mom

    @Zinsky: I’ve gotten the vaccine but you know there is some debate about how long it is effective for. There is no booster, yet.

    As others have said, there are some anti-viral medications that can help if started early enough. After that, I think all that is left are painkillers for the discomfort, and crossed-fingers that the pain doesn’t linger for months and months.

  140. 140.

    Larkspur

    Dead thread but I don’t want to drag this up to a new one, but I took everyone’s advice and went to an Urgent Care center: yes, shingles, am now waiting for prescriptions to be filled. Thanks, everyone.

  142. 142.

    Larkspur

    @Ohio Mom: Thank you! Seriously. Otherwise I would have held off – I always worry that I’m being a big cry-baby – and now I’m started on the medication. Yay! Because the feeling has graduated from discomfort to OW! But I’ll soon be kicking shingles back onto the roof. Or something. You know what I mean. Anyway, I have to be strong for the Resistance.

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