Ok, Excedrin taken. Water being drunk. I leave in half hour. Nervy, but, it's good thing.

I'ma go smoke and read.

Crap, Erin!

Man, I so feel for you. And this is 100% the kind of thing that would happen to me if I had a car. I'm really shit at dealing with this stuff. Terribly terribly not good.

Hope that the House of Reason is getting on okay with their deadlines.

Emily, I realise that I started talking to you about the teaching thing yesterday and then got cut off and didn't come back. Man, I have no social skills. What I meant to say at the time was - I'm all admiration for you tackling that age range. I totally get that it would sting like buggery (and not in a good way) to hear one's class being dissed by any of the kids, but I'm also very conscious that you've got them at a time of their lives where the last thing they WANT to be doing is sitting in class, and right now it's almost the end of the year and they all want the summer holiday to be here already. With the best will in the world, it's bloody difficult to make every lesson thrilling and Dead Poets Society-ish. I would totally trust you with my own (okay, strictly hypothetical) kids' education.

ion: have just seen X Men 3: The Last Stand and have extremely mixed feelings about it.

And immediately afterwards we went to the loo, and what did we walk in on? At the poshest, swankiest shopping mall in Cairo (think the equivalent of Rodeo Drive or whatever in terms of who all shops here)?

A woman had her toddler's trousers around his ankles and was helping him to piss into the sink.

I really wish that I had not been so utterly shocked, because what I wish I'd done is gone up to the woman and told her how fucking disgusting this is. She's there in her swanky clothes, with her sparkly headscarf, as if she gives a shit about the Qu'ran? I'm sorry but this is TOTALLY unclean and disgusting and Haram in your own house.

In the public washrooms? Good God!

When we emerged from our respective cubicles a few moments later, she had departed, leaving behind a load of tissue and stained baby wipes in the sink.

So. Very. Gross.

I have a new tag, and I must point it out, because it makes me laugh and laugh and laugh!

Also! Go Aimee! You're gonna be fabulous!

Oh my word, Fay. That's disgusting.

(I should not say everything I want to say about that woman, because for all my cleanliness, I bet her when her son is six, he will never eat a white square he believes must have leapt from under the toilet rim, up onto it.)

(She should have to, though.)

I'd appreciate it if you'd send some "it's not as bad as it sounds" -ma towards Nashville. I just got an e-mail from my best friend. She's out of town helping her mother go back to her assisted living apartment from a nursing home. Her mother's recovering from a broken hip. (The broken hip is one of those "no place is safe" stories. Her mother went downstairs in the assisted living place to get her mail, and another resident fell on her.) She just got word that she had a fire in her house, apparently caused by lighting. The firemen got the fire out, but they used lots of water. She has thousands of books. Literally thousands. She can't get home until tomorrow.

Oh, Ginger, I'm sending lots of ~ma in her direction.

another resident fell on her.

God help me, I laughed out loud. But this is the old lady I will be -- falling on the other old ladies.

Ginger, despite the inappropo laughter, I feel awful for your friend. I would be freaking out, too. I hope the water went on the roof, or towards the lilac bushes or something.

another resident fell on her.

It was pretty funny, in the abstract. My friend commented that it was particularly ironic since she was so relieved when her parents moved into the assisted living place because she was afraid they'd fall walking out to street to get the mail in the winter.

Oh Ginger - lots of ~ma.

In mememe news, I'm typing this from my laptop, sitting in my car while K-Bug is at softball practice. Go me!!!

Today with the auditors was a bit better. They do understand that I'm not trying to get around the corporate rules and procedures and that I'm beyond short handed. Will see what ends up in the findings, but knowing that on a human level, they understand - helps a lot.