It causes everyone who cares about them fear and sorrow and anxiety. They go to seek their own peace, while robbing all who are close to them of theirs. One can understand the behavior, one can forgive it, but it doesn't change the fact that it's deepy hurtful.

Yes, this.

I know my impatience with actions like the fake kidnapping is heightened by two factors: my reaction to the perpetual expectation of me (as older sister) to excuse behaviour in others that I'm not to excuse in myself, nor expect to be excused for (and even the exhortation to not be me, so that other people can be themselves), and of having had the luxury to never have found myself in such a twisty position (with the result that I doubt they happen that often).

Well, I've tackled my backlog of voicemail. Billing is next. I think I'll save my e-mail backlog for if I get bored to the point of insanity.

One of my former roommates pulled a milder form of that sort of disappearance as a practical joke on me and our other (sane) roommate. He had his ex-girlfriend call us one evening when he and a friend were supposed to be visiting her, and tell us they'd never showed up, were hours late, and that she was really worried. The "joke" fell apart when we called his mom to find out if he'd stopped there unexpectedly, and he called us back—angry that we'd worried her unnecessarily—just before we were going to get the highway patrol involved.

Sane roommate had to talk me down from moving him out of the apartment in absentia. And might not have been able to do so if a 400 lb. waterbed hadn't been involved.

I think I've finally found a way to rearrange my furniture to maximize space and fit in the new loveseat.

I need extension cords and a strong boy.

I need extension cords and a strong boy.

Don't we all.

With the right extension cords, you can TRAP the strong boy.

(Ignoring the plaintive cries and thumping from the closet.)

Was there a new EW this week, or was last week's summer movie preview a double issue? (Still trying to figure out how much of my mail is missing, grrrrrr.)

It's a double issue (the cover says april 29th and may 6th). Of course, I just got mine this week, but at least my missing mag worries are laid to rest.

Thanks, ita. Good to know. I reported the missing issue to EW, and they've extended my subscription a week. And I now have a list of things I'm expecting through USPS within the next ten days or so--an Amazon package that should've been here yesterday, contest entries that it looks like were just mailed out, and several people on a list I'm on who are mailing me things in exchange for writing critiques and/or free blackberry jam. If any of it doesn't turn up, I'll make a stink about it. If NONE of it shows up, I think I'll camp out at my post office and cry.