Okay, see, the letters things was just going to be a way to say welcome back P-C!! in a way that I thought he might like, and that would be entertaining to those involved, but then he came back earlier than was expected, and people are away or offline for the weekend, and it just didn't work out as hoped. It was not meant to be exclusionary, beyond the number of people it took to spell out the message.
I was right! I didn't want to look all self-centered if I were wrong. Thanks for the effort, though. It would have been very amusing, and I appreciate it all the same. (I set the 10th as my definite return date because I wasn't certain I'd have Internet access at home. Thus my "early" return.)
Lee has a new tag, and I think Sail does, oddly enough. New since I got back, though definitely new since I left. GC too now. Ha! (And to save time...everyone who previously had letters will undoubtedly revert to their previous tags which were most likely new since I left.)
I would be interested in the reactions of everyone much closer to the disaster than I. When you get a chance, let us know how people reacted to the tsunami when you were over there. It's one thing to be half a world away from such a thing, I was wondering if it was another to be on the other side of one of the affected nations.
I didn't even hear about it until a few days later. And really, I didn't see much of a reaction on my side. Then again, I didn't get to watch or read the news that often. But as far as regular old people go, there wasn't a lot of talk as far as I knew. Yeah, so...I got nothing.
Maybe the US news is more "Big Event" centered.
P-C, did you tell your parents you were doing science writing? What did they say?
It was/is a very clever idea welcoming P-C back.
Which he is.
Both.
Clever and welcome.
Appreciate also the disclosure when we mentioned the crankymaking.
P-C, did you tell your parents you were doing science writing? What did they say?
Yeeaaah. They were a little surprised, and my mom's still trying to understand why I can't just finish my Ph.D. first and then do science writing, and my dad seems to be in some sort of denial. The story isn't over, and the fallout hasn't dissipated, I guess, but they haven't kicked me out yet.
That's good, I think, P-C. Sounds like a promising beginning, at least.
Have stopped beating myself up and am working on the article I mentioned in Great Write. This is possibly the first time in my life I've had trouble with a piece being too short. I'm on 650 words, and I need to hit at least 1500. I'll get there, somehow, but it's sloowwwwwww.
There may be more fallout to come, but surprise and some sort of denial have got to be better than tears and recriminations. It sounds like less of a storm than the not-shaving-fib misery you went through a while back. For which I'm very glad.
As per Hec's suggestion last night, I have told the story of the Best Riot Ever. However, since it was a New Orleans riot, I've put it in the F2F thread. It really is the best ever.
And now... Zmayhem is off to pick up erinaceous at the BART station and take her to the pirate supply store!
Big welcome back hug and smooch for Sunil
{{{Cass}}} It's been over 20 years since I divorced. DH#1 may know me and understand me as well as anyone on earth, and I know him that well. Not so much a soulmate though. Knowing and understanding someone doesn't make you good for each other. I still have regrets over the divorce. Divorce sucks. I felt that I had failed and I still have not quite released that although I know I did the right thing in leaving him. I am grateful we still talk. Being widowed was worse. Communicating the pain and working through it now has to be better than carrying it for decades.
ION MIL is having her gall bladder out this morning. She ignored it for many years and now has to have the whole thing out. We are conspiring against her to discuss her female disorders with her doctor while she is in the hospital. She is going to be 61 and she thinks she still gets her period. The women in the family have yelled at her for years that this is not normal.
I thought I was bad about refusing to see doctors, but MIL is worse.
