Month: March 2017

I made something of a discovery researching my Blackwell’s book, so I have to make sure all my facts are absolutely correct. It involves math and my math is not great, and it took me the whole day yesterday to make sure my conclusions are correct, and I’m still not done. I have to request an offsite material from the New York Public Library to be absolutely sure. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but it’s interesting if you’re into the subject. It would also be very embarrassing if I was wrong, so I’m check check checking away.

That reminds me, I had to contact an pharmaceutical science historian to check something, more to get an opinion and an explanation for something I’d found and she said she’d never heard of what I’d found and she was very excited, which was fun to hear. She was so nice I have to mention her. Her name is Mimi F. Pezzuto and I found her watching the show Who Do You Think You Are? (Love that show.) She was on the episode with Jennifer Grey, whose grandfather was a pharmacist in Brooklyn. But she gave me a brief and extremely informative and fun lecture about pharmacists in the 19th century, it was GREAT. God I love history. She was just so generous with her time and knowledge, and I of course immediately sent her the source for what I’d found. (It was an interesting thing, if you love history.)

Workers working. I just liked the colors and the light.

I was thinking I’d need clothes for my new job at the ASPCA’s Kitten Nursery. After working from home for years, all I’ve got is jeans and tshirts for the most part. But then I remembered watching a video of the Kitten Lady visiting the Nursery. Everyone wears gowns and caps all the time. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing!

While researching lunatic asylums for my book about Blackwell’s Island, I came across a brief reference to what I thought was a very bizarre case. “A little girl, three years and four months old, evincing unequivocal symptoms of mental disorder, was admitted in the early part of the year. The mental disorder was recent. This case, so interesting on account of the age and mental peculiarities, still continues under treatment.” That’s all it says. There are no details or descriptions of the disorder. But it comes from the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital in 1853, from the notes of Dr. John Curwen, Superintendent.

At first I got all judge-y about about diagnosing a toddler, and of course it was a little girl vs a boy. But apparently toddlers aren’t diagnosed enough, under the mistaken belief that children don’t develop disorders that early. According to the article in that link, they can.

Just kidding. I thought someone famous was doing some shopping inside (like Ivanka shops at Old Navy) and I even took a look. But no. So I asked them. They told me they roam the City and are assigned all over the place, mostly as a show of force, and to be ready just in case anyone (terrorist) tries something.

Anyone who knows me knows I love snow, so blizzards make me ecstatic. I plan to be outside and playing, and taking pictures. Please impress me, storm!

Creepy plushie costume. The cross adds a whole level of creepiness, I think. PS: I love everything about the outfit, accessories, and hairstyle of the girl to its right.