So much love and ~ma to you and yours, Bev, and please please never ever feel like you have to apologize for snarking at the pain. I agree with the Empress--you have to laugh to survive.

Glad JZ is doing okay and hoping she gets some fresh air on the porch today. Being confined inside during the summer is awful.

Hoping S. is doing better and Sean is hanging in there.

Hugging Aimee because I know she misses her grandpa.

Sending good vibes to anyone else who needs them.

The Roto Rooter guy just arrived to fix our plumbing. ND and I took turns driving over to the hotel where my mom is staying so that we could take showers and use the bathroom this morning. I suppose I should be upset but eh...no big deal. When I look around at what everyone else is dealing with, it's completely inconsequential. Besides, one of the benefits of being a renter is that we don't have to pay for this kind of thing. t shrugs It's an old house. No surprise that the plumbing is a little wonky.

I am a bad person.

I was just helping a family into a loaner car. They have a 7 series. VERY expensive car. I have X3's, 3 Series', and a 5 Series wagon. All of which are also somewhat expensive cars, but not anywhere near the 7 series. Anyway - the wife looked like your typical Hollywood Wife. Tanned within an inch of her life, breasts high, perky, and looking like they are trying to get away from her, and Goldie Hawn puffy lips with clearish pink sooper high gloss gloss. Kids were typical, guy was typical. Here's where I am a bad person.

I assumed the wife would be a total snobby bitch. Why? Obvious boob job, obvious puffy lips, thin, tan, designer Jackie O sunglasses.

Turns out, she was the nicest of all of them. She fawned over my charm bracelet, fawned over Em's age, thanked me numerous times, and was just generally sweet. Meanwhile, the husband called the $50,000 vehicle I was giving him a "piece of shit" and his 13 year old daughter turned her nose up at both the $50,000 AND the $60,000 car. The son was quiet.

I think I'm becoming too jaded and might have to leave this job soonish.

Egad, Aimee. I think I'd have to dress in junk yard clothes with paper clip earrings and tell the hubby that he needs to get his wife's fashions up to date. You saw this on Vera Wang's runway in NYC this spring! And cars with obvious scrapes and bullet holes are all the rage in Detroit this year.

Hey Sail - I just signed in to Yahoo messenger. I'm starborn74.

Ok - everyone was talking about High fructose corn syrup this am - and look what was in the chronicle this am

[link]

and avoiding it is very very hard

What I found ver interesting was the end of the article - a woman who join WW lost a lof weight - didn't like the idea that it was environment was at least part of why she was overweight. Oddly, I find that that makes her efforts and sucsses more comendable.

Bev, you are in my thoughts, and DH thoughts constantly .

My jokey freak moment(oh, yeah, like there's *one*) but the one that might get me sent to Hell. 9/11 anniversary makes me think of a Jeff Foxworthy joke:

Parents always think their kids are brilliant. A friend of mine thinks it's just great that his kid points at the sky and says "airp'ane". Secretly we think he ought to get over it...(pause) The kid's fourteen, after all. Much love to Bev and family, and the completely superficial news that I'm back to Bombshell Blonde again.

Go, blonde, choose blonde! (Says the person whose daughter is slowly taking her lighter and closer to blonde.)

Bev, just adding more ~ma to what I can. Hope to hear the fever is going down and StE is resting well.

Um. That's an interesting dating arrangement, there. How does Emmett feel about it?

They were having a discussion about crushes and she mentioned she had a crush on Wayne. Emmett started laughing hysterically. Literally doubled over with laughter. She asked what was so funny, the idea of the two of them kissing? "Yeah. Sorta."

Later he taunted her with a "Waynelover."

So its not an issue now. It would only be a problem if they started something and it went south and there were bad feelings.

But they haven't started dating yet. They're having a preliminary get-together to discuss the possibility. It sounded like he had some kind of unfinished business which might pre-empt, but he was interested.

Younger nephew was in size 18 month clothes at 9 months old. Now, at 20 months, he is still in 18 month clothes. He eats a lot, but he is so active that he just doesn't gain weight. The doctor was worried about him, until he looked a younger nephew's mom and asked if he was always running around crazy like that, and she replied, "Not when he's sleeping." Most conversations to that house since they moved to Dallas consist of whoever I am talking yelling, "No, Jimmy!" multiple times in the conversation. Older nephew was average weight as a toddler, but he has been chubby since school started, mostly I think from his refusal to eat anything but chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and hot dogs.

I had a nice afternoon at the tea shop with Teacup Guy's stepmother. We get along really well and she is so thrilled about Teacup Guy's new job. He's supposed to be giving he two weeks notice to retail hell today. Woo Hoo!

If I were a policymaker, I'd propose corn subsidies that make biodiesel fifteen thousand times more profitable than HFCS. And then I'd buy everyone a puppy.

Jessica for President!

{{{{Bev}}}} I wish I could do more than send virtual hugs and tons of ~ma.

buh. I hab a code. I am in Maryland. I am dealing with a lot of family stuff and I feel like total yuck. The drive down yesterday took 11 hours, and we are doing it again tomorrow (but in reverse). On the bright side, free wireless in the hotel!

YAY for Teacup Guy and sj! Continued ~ma to Beverly and family.