It may not help much, but you are more than welcome to come visit us in Italy.

Thanks! And back atcha, for when you and the new DH are in the Med.

Deena! Great suggestion about illustrations - I'm working on it right now.

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Deena, I know why I'm still up, but why are you still up? I hope it's not a flare-up.

(Can I use the word "up" any more?)

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Though their latest few attempts at an album suck like a hooker on the strip. It's sad to say, but David Gahan was never the same once he sobered up.

Really? I think Martin's songwriting got way less self-indulgent handstapleforehead, starting with Music for the Masses (though there's still some of it there), so I find that almost everything I listen to is off that or later. Well, okay. I own my love for Black Celebration (the song) and Stripped.

And they still kicked live ass in 2001. Though for the love of Mike, someone tell Dave to please, please, please keep the shirt on his pasty white self.

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OK, perhaps I exaggerated a bit. The disappointment really started with Ultra, but hit full force with Exciter. There's a new one coming out in October, and I won't buy this one without taking it for a test listen first.

Though for the love of Mike, someone tell Dave to please, please, please keep the shirt on his pasty white self.

ITA. It's not a pretty sight. And they've always kicked ass live. Probably will continue to do so when they're dead, too.

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Maria, sorry, Nick came to me with tale of woe and there was much motherly comforting. He's feeling restless, rootless, almost 20 and what am I gonna do-less.

I am still up because, though this flare-up seems to be going away, I got a not too terrible tummy bug of some sort and sleeping wasn't an option, what with not having a toilet in the bedroom. I'm about to go try now, though.

eta: thanks, Raq. I'm glad you like it.

Night lovelies. I hope you all get adequate amounts of rest tonight.

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And they still kicked live ass in 2001. Though for the love of Mike, someone tell Dave to please, please, please keep the shirt on his pasty white self.

Oh dear, yes.

God, that was a mind-fuck, though, to go to the show and then realize that it'd been fifteen years since I'd last seen them. I can't be that old, can I?

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Goodness, there's a lot of joy in Bitches this morning (not to discount the worries or anything). Congratulations to Emily and Stephanie on test-passing! Congrats to Fay on the teaching job and to P-C on the good interview! Yay libkitty on motivational discoveries!

Beej, I hope you hear from your mom soon.

I have some good news, too. After four weeks in the hospital it looks like my mom will be moving to a rehab. clinic by Friday. And her CT (or is it CA?) 125 counts are below 30, which means they may have chemo'ed her cancer into remission.

So now I can put my worry energy about whether my job will go away in January or last through next July. Much less of a problem, overall, than worrying if my mom will be gone on one of those dates.

Re: bussing. I looked into bussing to work a couple of weeks ago. I live less than 10 miles from my job, and there are busses that go through my neighborhood and past my office everyday, so I figured it would be no problem.

It turns out that using Durham's public transit system would require a one mile walk from my apartment, two bus transfers, and a three mile walk on the other end. All told, it would add four hours to my work day, every time I used it.

Gas will have to get above $10/gal to make it worth it for me.

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Good news on your mom, Calli!

That sucks about the bus. One of the things I love love love about Chicago is the public transit. Better than anywhere I've ever lived.

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Great news, P-C!

The Raleigh (NC) News and Observer has on its main Web page a map showing the lowest gas prices in the area. Last week, the lows were around $2.40. Today, $2.50. Nearer to home, I paid $2.80 about 1/2 mile from home on Monday.

There's a new bus stop practically at our front door. May have to check it out.

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Mal is already taller than the side of the Pack-n-Play when he stands up. Which also means he touches both sides of the crib when he lays laterally. Which means he can engage in his new favorite pasttime of kicking the rattly crib side over and over. At 3:00 am.

Heh. Babies are so cool, especially when I'm not the mommy.

edited out note to Raq because clearly I'm coffee deprived.

Oh Plei, that first year with the baby, and with the salary loss or reduction is a bitch and a half. We were living on our extended credit, and it wasn't pretty. It somehow adjusted for us soon after a year. I hope it gets easier for you, even before you return to work.

Speaking totally out of turn, if there's no where to go in the car that isn't a horrible gas expense, and even though there's no place to walk to--take Lily for walks, everyday the weather permits, a couple of times a day, if you can.

I love having you online more, but it's good for you to get out of the house, even if it's only to walk around the block a couple of different times a day. It's good for Lily, too. For some reason, being outside, even having their tushies in a stroller, makes them nice and sleepy.

I think walking the dingy streets of South Medford saved my life, during Ben's first year and a half. I knew every crack in the sidewalk, and each weed growing there in. There was precious little to look at, except blocks of two family houses, cars and little shops, but it is very, very, very, very good to get out of the house.

Though I never developed a deep and abiding love for The Smiths/Morrissey or The Cure. Music shouldn't make me want to slit my wrists.

I had a tawdry ear fling with The Smiths, post-college, when I was dating my drummer and for a while, after we broke up. Somehow, the depression was cheering for me. I think it must have worked along the lines of hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-me.

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I'm miserable, now.

Oh, Susan's going to kill me.

We'll send Sean Bean over to distract her, only to save your life, mind.

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