Oooh, thanks Plei! And I will be looking at the Gymboree cupcake stuff, too, Aims! CU-CAKES!

Also, ((((Sparky and family))))

Right now, I'm a Petite Fleur Whore. I love that whole collection.

$4100 just for the privilege of staying in a room overnight? The mind boggles. Here I thought a $300 night at the Fairmont was pricey. The really scary part of this story is that those are the prices charged to insured patients, and lots of places have different, much higher rates for the uninsured. If I should become ill, I expect that will mean that all my money will disappear with a small, pitiful whooshing noise, and then a giant mountain of debt will smother what's left of me.

People are shooting at hang gliders? What a craptastic hobby.

In Much Better News: I had a phone call last night. Looks like we're going to have another niece or nephew in May or so. My youngest cousin is feeling virile and proud of his aim, and I am thinking, but I remember carrying you around when you were little, how can you possibly be old enough to reproduce? Eeek! I'm old!

Then I got another phone call from my high school buddy who's been widowed recently. Three hours of drunken telephone counseling and cameraderie and being awake till 2 am has left me a tired and cranky mess who really, really doesn't want to go on another job interview today. I don't want to handle paperwork concerning severely emotionally disturbed youth. I don't want those sad stories clogging up my forebrain.

While I am horrified, disgusted, and outraged at JZ's hospital bill, I just have to say...

The Halloweenie? Worth. Every. Penny.

At least now we have an estimate of her market value.

At least now we have an estimate of her market value.

well, that's really her presale value. She'll be worth more after she's actually born.

JZ, were you in an ICU? I've been out of the hospital biz for ten years, but even allowing for that, your room price is a multiple of what I would have expected.

Katerina, in my part of the country, the room rate is the room rate. The ins co may have a contract stipulating what they'll allow for charges, but the rates themselves don't change. Of course when a roomrate is 4k, that's not even cold comfort.

Cute cupcake wear for toddlers/babies:

• >[link]
• >[link]
• Scroll down a bit to see Birthday Cupcake Tee: >[link]
• Frou-frou site but cupcake shirt is sweet: >[link]

well, that's really her presale value. She'll be worth more after she's actually born.

Ah, yes. Babies appreciate a whopping 73% just out of the womb.