I like ChiKat's idea, Cindy. Have her work for it, somehow.

Peeking in after days and days away...

Vibing hard for Cass -- all kinds of peace~ma for you and your grandmother.

Also sending ~ma to Nora and Maidengurl and vw.

And Teppy -- WTF?! I keep rereading your post expecting it to make some sort of sense, but that's not happening. Your poor grandfather.

Cindy, it makes me sad that Scholastic has gone downhill. I remember them very fondly.

It's so true -- it always seems to me that there are more branded books than anything else. I used to think that letting them read anything was better than them not reading at all, too, but the thing about those Hello Kitty and cartoon-inspired books is that they're *awful*. Which doesn't seem like it will lead to a greater love of reading, you know?

Address (will be deleted shortly).

Got it. I was expecting you to email it, actually, but this works.

Steph, that's just craziness! I hope things go well when you visit tonight.

Thanks for all the kind words today, everyone. I really needed them. I'm feeling better, fed and ready to go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Teppy, I'm still boggled by your story. Absolutely boggled.

Also, I just want to say that vw is a fun, kind, and wonderful person, and I really, really hope to have her as a houseguest again, because that would be cool.

Steph, I echo everyone else's WTF?!

Much ~ma to Teppy's grandfather. Teppy, go kick someone's ass. That is a seriously fucked up story.

Much surgery ~ma to MG's mom.

Barbie Books? Hello Kitty books? CDs? Plug and Play games for the TV.

That's pathetic. I remember scholastic being much better than that, and I agree with Sean, bad timing to ask parents for money in the first week of January.

Sometimes, I feel like I need to say "no" or "spend your own money" just for the lesson. Then I waffle, and think "What's the harm? She wants books, not crack." I dunno.

The spend your own money thing is a good lesson to learn young, because suddenly you are in your 20s and realize you have no idea how to stick to a budget. Not that I know anything about that. Nothing to see here.

{{{vw}}} I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. Sleep well.

re: Teppy's story o' insanity:

Did she do it? No. Does anyone know *why* she didn't do it? Of course not. And now she's flipping her shit.

Well, (and bolstered by the fact that this is Petty!Caretaker!MorallySuperior!Aunt) I guess she'll have to learn that these things don't happen By Magic.

Talked to mom and grandmother today. Am very tired. I love my grandma bunches, but when I called her about meeting for dinner tomorrow night after I'm at the hospital with Dad and before driving 2 hours home and going to work the next day, she said, "oh wonderful! you can pack the car up!" (she's packing her car to be driven to Florida)

Um.

I have Seany's adreeee-ess
I have Seany's a-dre-e-ess
Hee hee hee hee heeeeee hee

Tep, I'm sorry about your Grandfather. Is there any chance the doctor got in there and couldn't go back excision-wise? (I don't know how these things work)

I have Seany's adreeee-ess

Didn't you already have it? Goof.