I'm up, I'm up! Gronk.

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I'm so sorry for your friend and her family, msbelle. Strength and peace to all of them.

>I wish I could do something actually helpful, but having gone through it just over a year ago, I know people need to be given the space to mourn and grieve and come to whatever terms they can.

I think you're right about the above, but if you keep feeling the need to help, I know what has been helpful to our family in the past is when people took initiative, or offered to do specific things.

Whenever anyone said, "What can we do to help," we never had an answer. When people offered things such as, "I can babysit on these days," or "I am going grocery shopping and would like to drop off a few things for you," or "I'm on my way to the Post Office, do you need anything mailed or do you need stamps," or whatever, sometimes, we did need what they were offering.

When my dad was dying, my children's pre-school teacher sent her husband over with cold cuts, good rolls and scali bread, potato salad and/or chips, a bottle of soda, and some goodies for the kids. It was a small gesture out of the blue, but it made a huge difference, right when we needed it. When a friend at church was in the hospital, a bunch of us bought gift cards to restaurants between the family's house and the hospital, so her husband and daughter could just pick up take-out on the way to/from when they were too tired to cook, without worrying about the expense.

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Sweet! BBC America has an Avengers marathon on today.

Also, I concur with Cindy's assessment of what's helpful when somebody's dying.

The two things I most appreciated when my Mom was dying were cards (which didn't demand my attention but definitely felt supportive) and food (all the neighbors brought over casserole dishes, which allowed us the luxury of simply focusing on the funeral arrangements and not having to deal with making meals).

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{{msbelle and BFF}} What Lee, Cindy, and David said. I'm sure your friend appreciates your loving support.

My list is long, and yet I am doing nothing on said list. The rain is falling gently and the comfy chair on the porch calls my name. I've been snuggled with my pets reading all day.

I had to scroll back to find the Matt link. Hee.

eta: Al Gore and the Robin brother just went up higher on my list of cool people.

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I saw Emily off around noon, with her rental minivan packed to the gunwales. She seems as well-prepared for a solo cross-country drive as you can get.

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Thanks everyone.

So I listed a new batch of things on ebay and craigslist, and I just sold 2 things for $50 total and possibly have a buyer for the craigslist stuff which would be another $20. Am Happy.

Also watched the Eureka premiere finally - laughed out loud a couple of times.

I think it may be naptime shortly.

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Hec, thank you for alerting me to the Avengers marathon! The BF is covering some kind of all-day screenwriting seminar and I am home from the gym and plan on avoiding the heat by staying insde all day. The BF likes the Avengers, but he doesn't LOVE them the way I do, so I am happy to have Steed and Emma all to my fangirlish self.

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Robin, is he at the one at the WGA that I was at this morning?

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Yup. How was it? Did you see an adorable tall and burly guy in jeans and glasses and a slightly scruffy beard murmuring into a small digital recorder? That would be Jason.

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So after the crazy night, I couldn't sleep until 4. And was awoken at 5:20 by the most unearthly howls. Like, death howls. I raced into the livingroom to see Mister Kitty quite alive, thank you, sitting in the middle of the coffee table. Carried him back to bed. When I got up at 7 to shoot him, I think I discovered the source of the death cries: his food dish was empty. Cats.

Slept until 1, fitfully. Have now bought out all of the face powder I like but can rarely find (it's probably been discontinued) at a RiteAid and picked up bleach for my neighbor. Also found a nice obnoxious card. God, I'm lucky my friends put up with me and my whacked humor.

I've been picking up around the house, and really need to start the vacuuming. But ish. Laundry can wait, I think. Until tomorrow. Also need to dye my hair because finding all the white hair in the roots is just way too fascinating. Tomorrow too.

msbelle, I have no doubt you'll do the best for your friend in this rough time.

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