The Hibernator's Last Thread

Hi, my name's Rachel (the_hibernator). I'm recently engaged to a science-fiction reader/gamer (Aaron) who has two kids: Deirdre (8yo) and Malcolm (5yo). The wedding will be May 19th. I have two handsome nephews and one beautiful niece: Johnny (13yo), Bryant (3yo), and Leilani (2yo). I have three cats: Myra, Hero, and Puck.

I have bipolar disorder and am passionate about decreasing stigma about mental illness. My own mental illness has had a negative impact on my career due to my poor understanding of my problems, and I hope that educating people on mental illness will help others avoid these problems in the future. I am currently working as a patient care technician at a dialysis clinic and am taking prerequisite classes to apply for a PA program (I hope to go into psychiatry). All of the classes will be repeats for me - they need to be taken in the last 5 years to get into a program. This semester (winter 2018) I will be taking Anatomy.

2017 was a hard reading year for me. I had a bipolar incident lasting several months, during which I wasn't reading. I was also internet dating, at the end of which I met my fiancé. So I've been busy. :)

My sad list of books read in 2017:

1. In the Woods, by Tana French
2. Winter's Tale, by William Shakespeare
3. Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
4. Dream Magic, by Joshua Kahn
5. Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler
6. We Need to Talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
7. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
8. The Sisters Chase, by Sarah Healy
9. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, by Bryn Greenwood
10. The Hollow Boy, by Jonathan Stroud
11. Final Girls, by Riley Sager
12. Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin
13. Amulet: The Stonekeeper, by Kazu Kibuishi
14. Amulet: The Stonekeeper's Curse, by Kazu Kibuishi
15. Creeping Shadow, by Jonathan Stroud
16. Hounded, by Kevin Hearne
17. Hexed, by Kevin Hearne

Thanks everyone for your kind messages on my last thread! I know I have been practically nonexistent on LT this year! Hopefully next year will change.

This week was pretty good. I went to Star Wars: The Last Jedi with Aaron (it was ok...not as good as I'd hoped, but not bad) and to Ragnarok with Johnny (it was definitely full of action). Johnny has been acting a bit depressed lately - in fact there're apparently rumors going around his school that he's been cutting! :( Hopefully they are false. I read two books to Deirdre: Amulet: Stonekeeper and Amulet: Stonekeeper's Curse. They were presents for her birthday.

Today is my last day off work before I go to Oregon with Aaron and kids to meet his family for Christmas, so I'm finishing up some Christmas shopping.



For Aaron, I bought Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer and Artemis, by Andy Weir. They look like they will be two good science fiction books which I can borrow when he's done. :)




For Mom, I bought the Amish Heirloom novels, by Amy Clipston.



For Dad, I bought The Muslims Are Coming, by Arun Kundnani and Slavery By Another Name, by Douglas A. Blackmon.




For Deirdre I bought the rest of the Amulet: Stonekeeper series.



And for Malcolm, I bought two Mouseguard books and the role playing game.

Currently Reading:

Mt TBR foundation for 2018

Nonfiction:

American Psychosis, by E. Fuller Torrey
No One Cares About Crazy People, by Ron Powers
Insane Consequences, by DJ Jaffe
The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander
Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance
Strangers in Their Own Land, by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Listen Liberal, by Thomas Frank
The Populist Explosion, by John B. Judis
Get Ready to Get Pregnant, by Michael C. Lu
What to Expect Before You're Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff
The Gene, by Siddhartha
Evicted, by Matthew Desmond

Fiction:

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer
Artemis, by Andy Weir
A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin

Many of these were on my list for 2017, but since 2017 wasn't a year for reading, I'll push them on through to next year.

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread!

I see you’re starting the kids early on your twin vices of reading and gaming ;0)

Happy new thread! Congratulations on your engagement. :)

My kids and I read the Amulet series a couple of years ago and we loved it. Great gift idea!

Happy New Thread, Rachel. Congrats on the engagement. How exciting.

What did you think of Artemis? I have not seen much LT activity on that one.

Happy new thread Rachel. It has been a highlight of the year in the group that your engagement has happened in the last half of the year. xx

Hi Rachel!! Wonderful to see you posting again. I hope it is a trend for 2018. : )

I have read three of your NF and I have read all your 2018 TBR Fiction except for Artemis--you should have a great year of reading ahead! Love all your gifts. Very thoughtful. And very you. : )

Sorry it was a tough reading year for you, Rachel, but love that you met your fiancé!!!

Happy new thread, Rachel, nice Chrismas presents for everyone.

I saw on Mark's thread that you are headed to Corvallis for Christmas. I love that town. I lived there for 13 years before moving to Seattle and I still grieve having it as my home. Enjoy!

Hey!! I will be in Portland for the holidays. Any chance of a meetup? Pretty please? : )

>6 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>7 humouress: Yup, Nina, Start them early! Although gaming is really more Aaron's forte than mine. I enjoy gaming, but I'd rather be reading.

>8 nittnut: Hi Jenn! Thanks! I read the first half of the Amulet series back when it was was still unfinished. At the time, my older nephew, Johnny, was reading it. Deirde certainly is enjoying it. Mostly I'm reading it to her, but she's also working on it in bed with a flashlight.

>9 msf59: Thanks Mark! I haven't actually read Artemis yet. It's in my 2018 plans because I bought it for Aaron for Christmas. But I'll let you know!

>10 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much Paul!

>11 Berly: Thanks Kim! Yes, all the books I bought I wouldn't mind reading myself. Though I doubt I'll ever make it to the Amish books. They're interesting, but not enough to climb to the top of Mt TBR.

>12 EBT1002: Thank you Ellen! Bad reading years happen...I can always move on. And in the end, the manic episode at the beginning of the year actually did more good than harm. I broke through some inhibition barriers that needed to be chipped away at. Granted, manic me took them too far, but now that I'm healthy again, the broken barriers are good.

>13 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

>14 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! Funny, I assumed Corvalis was a smallish place and was surprised to run into someone that had lived there (you), but Aaron tells me it's not that small. Here I thought I was afianced to an enlightened country boy. Lol. Did you go to college there?

>15 Berly: Hi Kim! I'll have to talk to Aaron and see what he says anout a meetup. I can hopefully swing one. Probably either on the day we fly in or the day we fly out, because that's when we'll be in Portland. My understanding is that his dad drives from Corvalis to pick him up usually, which would make things difficult for a meetup. But I'm going to try to talk Aaron into getting a rental car. That would free me up a little to meet you. Plus, I don't savor the idea of driving to Corvalis squished between two booster seats, as I would if his dad were driving...

I'm flying in at 1:26 on Saturday and flying out at 11:34am on Tuesday. Most likely the best time would early afternoon on Saturday.

I will also be in Dayton, OH for New Year, which means I should see what's going on with the Ohio people.

>18 The_Hibernator: "...now that I'm healthy again, the broken barriers are good." I know just what you mean. And I admire your perspective. I have worked with so many folks with bipolar disorder over the years and I know it's a struggle to navigate the complex and nuanced territory of boundaries, decision-making, and focus --- without falling into rigidness as a way of protecting. It's a difficult road.

>19 The_Hibernator: Well, Corvallis is a smallish town if you're used to Portland or Seattle, or even Eugene. And not everyone loves it. It's a liberal town but not very diverse. I worked at Oregon State University for the 13 years I lived there. I miss the 17-minute door-to-door walk from my house to my office. I liked the quiet-ish town with easy access to Portland (Powell's!), wine country, and the Oregon Cascades for hiking. I also developed a passion for trail running -- MacDonald Forest and Bald Hill and many other places abound for such and I could get to them in 10-15 minutes by car. I can't really indulge that passion in Seattle and I miss it terribly.

Happy new thread, Rachel. I am way behind on your news. Congratulations on your engagement! How wonderful that things worked out for you and Aaron and that you got to change the name of your thread from "engages in online dating". LOL

Congratulations on your engagement!

I was considering sending a Santa or Christkindl pic, but maybe a snow-covered family dog - Anton, my aunt Karin's Eurasian - serves better
as a neutral messenger for the joys of the year-end. :)



A Very Merry Christmas or Very Happy Holidays to all my dear LT friends and their loved ones.
May there be lots of great books under the tree or in the stockings, may there be your favorite foods on the table,
May there be joy and laughter and above all lots and lots of love around you and everywhere in the world.
AUGURI A TUTTI! FROHES FEST!

>22 EBT1002: Thanks for the support, Ellen. I look forward to seeing this city you are so fond of. :)

>23 Familyhistorian: LOL! Thanks Meg! I've been wanting to change that totle for a while.

>24 bell7: Thanks Mary!

>25 Deern: Lovely dog, Nathalie!

Well, I've had a crazy couple of days. Yesterday, one of the floats was having psychotic/delusional thinking. He decided that another tech and I had hired a hit man to have him killed. He called the police to the workplace. Then I had to work with him for about 6 more hours! I now feel unsafe because although he has not threatened me, he has delusions that make him fear for his life, and that can make him unpredictable. My boss doesn't know how to confront the issue, and called HR. I want to tell someone that I am concerned about my safety, but my boss doesn't want me calling the complaint line because she doesn't want to deal with them. She says she's going to approach it from a "he's a danger to the patients" perspective. But that doesn't make me feel any better.

That incident triggered bad memories of another time I was dealing with someone delusional, and it made for a really bad couple of days. Then, yesterday, our nurse (who often frustrates me) was leaning really close into my bubble. My anxiety was so high from the delusional guy that the nurse was making me very uncomfortable while I was trying to work on a patient. I asked her three times to back up. She refused all three times. Even when I specifically said "I'm having a bad day and my anxiety is high, I need you to back up." Today, I asked my boss to mediate a talk because this nurse is impossible to talk to - she's the worst listener I've ever met. Her excuse for not backing up was literally "I was thinking about the patient, not about you." Mind you, her presence hovering over the patient was not vital or even particularly helpful. She just didn't care how I felt, and she admitted it to our boss!

So. Looking forward to vacation, Only 3 more hours of work!

On a side note, Aaron did some number crunching and figured that financially we probably won't be able to afford a new baby (which we're hoping for) if I continue working at my current pay or go to school. He says the best option is for me to be a stay at home mom, thus saving on daycare for the baby, and afterschool care / summer camp gor the kids. He wouldn't have suggested it if I hadn't already told him a few times that I'd be perfectly happy as a stay-at-home mom. So it looks like I may drop next semester's class and focus on wedding planning. And quit my job as soon as I'm married.

Maybe next year I would have more reading time!

Hooray for "3 more hours of work!" It is probably much less now. Happy Friday. Happy Vacation. Happy Holiday!

Whew, what a couple of days. But you are DONE and it is holiday time!! Yay! Looks like your new life has many things to be considered. Wishing you lots of joy, however it works out. : )

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

I'm sorry about the rough time at work! But exciting report about your plans for the future!

>27 The_Hibernator: What a tough ending to this round of work! I'm glad you are now on vacation and can, hopefully, relax into it. And I love the story of Aaron doing the number crunching and the two of you sorting out what makes the most sense given what you want. I know a bunch of folks who have dealt with that exact dilemma: "if I work, we have to cover daycare and daycare is so expensive that essentially, I'm working just to pay for daycare. why not stay home and be with my kid?" Everyone I know who decided to stay home is glad they did, although it's important to build in breaks and time-with-adults for the stay-at-home parent.

I keep offering advice you didn't ask for. I think I'll stop that now. :-)

And what I really came by for was....



to wish you and yours a holiday season filled with light, love, laughter, and many good books.

Hi Rachel, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Knowing you lights my world!
Merry Christmas! Peace and Joy!

Happy Christmas Eve to all! Even though I haven't been around much this year, I want you all to know how much I value you. This group is fantastic. I expect I will have a lot more time for you all next year, as I have decided that I will be a stay-at-home mom starting in May, after my wedding.

I am currently in Oregon with my fiancé's family. Typing up this message on my phone. I am proud of myself for being able to insert an image in a phone-typed message! 🙂🙂🙂

>29 msf59: Thanks Mark! I'm glad I'm through this day.

>30 Berly: Thanks Kim! Knowing I won't have to work there after May will make these inconveninces much more bearable.

>31 Ameise1: Thanks Barb! You too!

>32 _Zoe_: Thanks Zoe! Aaron and I talked about it a bit more, and since he is so confident it's the right step, I'm feeling pretty good about being a stay at home mom.

>33 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. The advice doesn't bother me at all. You're right, I will have to find some tome alone from the kids. Luckily, Aaron is an excellent father and I'm sure will be a supportive husband. We've already discussed the importance of weekly or every other week alone-time jaunts, as well as date nights. I know things don't always happen as planned, but as long as we make the effort for it to happen, it'll happen enough.

And thank you for the kitten!

>35 lkernagh: Thanks Lori, you too!

>36 ronincats: Thanks Roni! Very thoughtful.

>37 nittnut: Thanks Jenn! I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Happy new thread Rachel my dear and wishing you, Aaron and the kids a very Merry Christmas and sending love and hugs to you all.

Have a great holiday, Rachel. Enjoy your time in OR. You sure have an exciting year coming up. Smiles...

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

Rachel, that is wonderful news about your engagement. I am very happy for you!


May the joy of the season continue into the New Year!

Merry Christmas and congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Rachel!

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Stopping by to wish you the best of the end of 2017 and the start of 2018.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Its such a joy to be a part of this group, and I’m glad to call you friend.

wishing a holiday and new year of peace for you and yours! And congratulations on your engagement and other exciting plans!

hi Rachel! I hope you are enjoying Oregon. What are your plans with Kim for tomorrow?

Hi Rhonda! I'll PM you. If we miss each other, I'm sure I'll be back to Oregon at more convenient times as my fiancé's family is here.

Thanks John, Mark, Rhian, Robin, Donna, Darryl, Paul, Kristel, Jeff, Rhonda!

I had a great Christmas in Oregon with Aaron's family. I was given 5 books by Aaron! (I only gave him two.) We are currently stuck in Oregon due to a delayed flight, but will hopefully be back in MN today.

On the flight in, I finished The Creeping Shadow, which I will review when I have access to a computer after New Year. Right now I'm on my phone.



From Aaron, I received:





Currently Reading:

Happy Boxing Day!!

Hi Rachel. Thank you for your Christmas wishes. I’ve been rather busy so I’m doing the rounds now. I’m impressed you inserted an image on your phone; it’s taken me ages to work out how to do it from my iPad after they changed the quote marks in the new iOS :0(

So now that I have, belated Christmas wishes to you and your family. And congratulations once again!

>54 Berly: Thanks Kim!

>55 humouress: Hi Nina! I was pretty impressed when I managed to get the first picture inserted. But once I figured out a system, it was just as easy as doing it on a computer. Except that I can't get the image location off Facebook on my phone for some reason.

Well, here I am in Oregon still. Our flight was delayed so many times that we finally rescheduled for today. Which means our trip to Ohio was delayed by a day. Hopefully our trip back today will be uneventful.

Not come across either of those mental health books, will add them and (also) come back and look for your comments too, of course.

Rachel!! So sorry that your flight was a no-go! Best wishes for an uneventful trip home today. Although it is kinda brisk in MN. My family there was complaining, and justifiably so. -50 with wind chill? Brrrrr!



Stay warm!!

It sounds like you had a good Christmas. I hope that your trip home and the rest of the holiday season are as good.

>57 charl08: I think both of those mental health books were published in 2017, so they're fairly new Charlotte. I'm definitely planning on getting to them this year.

>58 Berly: The flight back was uneventful, Kim, and the weather wasn't as horrible as I expected when I got here. Hella cold, yes, but not too windy. We survived pretty well.

>59 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Yup! Trip home was fine. I hope you have a great rest if the holiday season too!

So now that we're back and the kids are safely stored with their mother, Aaron and I will be driving to Dayton, OH to meet his friends for New Year. We will be finishing up the first book in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, and have the next two to keep us company on the drive. I'm introducing him to audiobooks. 🤣😂

Wishing you safe travels, Rachel. Those Iron Druid books are so fabulous on audio!

The thought of listening to the Iron Druid Chronicles with MrMorphy makes me wish we took long drives together.

Sounds like the end of your year has been very exciting, Rachel. Wishing you all the best with the planning for the new year.

>61 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! We're certainly enjoying the books!

>62 Morphidae: You can find other excuses!

>63 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! You too.

Well, we're still on our way to Dayton - slowed by the snow and ice. We've finished Hounded and have moved on to Hexed. We've seen several terrible accidents, but so far have been safe.

Safe travels, Rachel. I am so glad you are getting to the Iron Druid series. They are such a hoot and work perfectly on audio. Great choice.

>65 msf59: Yes, I'm really glad I ended up listening to them on audio. They are really well done. And Aaron has been thoroughly introduced to audiobooks now. He says they're great and make the time pass quickly.

We made it to Dayton safely, and have finished Hexed now as well. I'm making progress on Storm of Swords, even though I struggle on big books.

Hi Rachel, just stopping by to wish you and yours a Very Happy New Year my dear and hope that 2018 is a really good year. Sending love and hugs dear friend.

>67 johnsimpson: Thanks John!

Well, this shall be a pretty calm New Year. Aaron and I are still visiting his friends in Ohio. We have been doing a good amount of reading and board gaming.

Yesterday we had a down-point where Aaron's ex-wife (who has 15% custody and really sees the kids less than she should) texted and asked if we would take the kids next weekend, which is hers. He was upset because the kids love seeing their mom and he hates to see them so disappointed. But I suggested he tell her that they could discuss it later (in person). He's afraid she's going to start seeing them even less, as has been her trend since the divorce. Says if she asks for even less time, he's going to press for child support. Which she'll probably blame on me. Lol.

Anyway, we'll probably head to bed around 9pm in preparation of driving back to MN. Hopefully we won't have an extra 4 hours added on due to weather like the trip out to Ohio! We'll listen to Hammered, by Kevin Hearne.

Since my last update I have acquired no books. I finished listening to:



Currently Reading:

>53 The_Hibernator: The Asimov series is one of my favorites. Happy Reading!

Good luck with the Ex. : ( But never mind her...



Happy 2018!!

Hi Rachel. I looked for your thread on the 2018 group, but I can’t find you. Are you hiding over there?

Happy New Year!