Whoo-hoo! CEO called, and instructed us to close the office at four for the rest of the week! This never happens - he's more the type to call at 5:25 on x-mas eve with complicated projects that Must Go Out Tonight.

Timelies,

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Ouch, TomS!

Continuing the saga of the leaking waterbed, around 6am, the jury-rigged syphon stopped pulling water. I tried to get it restarted without success, then said screw it and passed out on the couch. Since the water wasn't draining anymore, I just had to hope it wouldn't shift.

Of course, my boss then paged me around 8:20 asking when I'd be in. I swear, getting woken up out of a deep sleep after only two hours is ten times worse than not sleeping at all. I explained the situation (which I had done to the night person when I called in originally) and went back to lie down on the couch. 10 minutes later I got another page from work. I called the person back, again explained my situation and went back to bed yet again. I can only assume at the night shift person I talked to wrote a completely uninformative e-mail or forgot to send one at all.

I finally woke up around noon, called a bunch of waterbed places, found one that was open and picked up a new matress, liner and drain/fill kit. I'm out another $200+. Ugh.

In the meantime I've got the drainage kit doing it's thing. Hopefully the mattress while be empty enough to move in a few hours

t, my friend called from NO on Christmas to tell me it was snowing (I heard from a cousin that Houston got some too) and I thought of you and Dana.

It was surreal. Ice. Falling from the sky. In New Orleans. First time there's been snow in 15 years, and first time on Christmas Day in nearly 50.

It was surreal. Ice. Falling from the sky. In New Orleans.

Hee. We had unsticking, but falling, light snow in Birmingham. It was warmer in Baltimore than Birm for most of the time I was there.

My SIL's poor parents were driving down from Ohio in the midst of the storm. They detoured to avoid the worst. Through Virginia and Georgia.

Freaky weather.

Frank, if you have a dog or a cat, then you are not immune to the world of malicious urination or malicious vomitation.

Or malicious pooping.

We had a cat who did that whenever we returned from a trip.

My head needs to stop hurting.

Walking into my apartment after five days away, with my cat-hating parents along was....exciting. Cat-hating may be too strong, but they definitely don't like them. My dad said my cat was "needy." I tried to explain that no, that's just friendly.

Cute kid, sara!

I completely sympathize on the waterbed, since my news is that I STILL do not have electricity in part of my house.

This AM landlady's husband and father came over and tried all the same things that I had tried last night, before deciding (at noon) to call an electrician. I REALLY hope that I have power before new years!

Dear lord, Sophia -- that's horrible! Do you have heat? Are you at work? (Sad when going to work sounds like a good plan.) Oh wait -- it's not out in the whole house? That's something, but STILL.

Oh wait -- it's not out in the whole house?

No-- I am actually very lucky, because my kitchen and the furnace (and the whole downstairs apartment ) have electricity-- my living room, bedroom and bathroom do not.

I am just annoyed because of the "you're a girl, so I need to come and check whether or not the circuit breakers have flipped myself, even though you say they have." I imagine there is some sort of serious problem with wiring, as the house is from the turn of the century. I was actually up all night worrying that the house would burn down because of faulty wiring.