'Cattery' sounds like an offshoot of 'catty' to me, and thus does indeed sound like a place you stick randy women. Or something.

Erin, it's so hard to believe you're already with a new class! I remember when you'd just finished last term and were looking with such relief into the summer... It went by so quickly!

SA, your car blew up?

Yes. 'Cause it always reminds me of 'Get thee to a nunnery', with the nunnery/whorehouse thing.

As are my kids. OMG. OMG, the cuteness! I cannot tell you! So much cuteness! I could wax tedious about all of them. And to think I was worried about teaching Year 2 (Grade 1)! I just want to kidnap half of them!

So Fay, are they about six years old, then? That's Christopher's age, and I was looking at his class all lined up on Wednesday, and fell in love with them all over again. I think it's a truly adorable age. Is this the year they'll learn to read? It's magic, that's what.

Cass, I hope Kittenish is doing okay and that you are, too.

SA, your car blew up?

Indeed it did. On my way down to Knoxville to see amyth and smonster, the radiator blew because of the heat, and because I'd just driven it about eight hundred or so miles. Luckily I was only fifteen miles or so from Berea, and a very nice Kentucky State Police Officer saw the smoke coming out of my car and stopped to help me out, even though he wasn't on duty. He called a tow for me, and the auto dealership (who I swear was out of every bad movie that has toothless and dirty auto mechanics in them) found a radiator and replaced it, and then pointed out that one of the tires was showing the metal frame, so I had to go to Wal-Mart in order to get that replaced, and they were all very dour about the engine being fucked even if the radiator *was* replaced, but I made it Knoxville and then to Nashville in time for my plane, so it worked out more or less okay. But it really sucked to put about $500 into a car I wasn't going to use in the forseeable future.

It's kind of a relief not to drive and have all this awesome (or at least acceptable!) public transportation available to take me wherever I want to go.

Oh, SA. That's a bummer. I'm glad you weren't hurt or anything, and that it all worked out, but that's not fair having to sink that money into the car. Public transportation is so wonderful. We've always kept that in mind when looking for a place to live.

We were a one car family from April until, well basically until today, because the registration stuff on our now-second car just got sorted yesterday afternoon. My old car blew a head gasket right after Scott's job got transferred. It needed more work than it was worth overall, and we'd just bought a new car in December, because we'd totalled the "good" car.

At first, it was difficult, because Scott's job moved from Boston (and we're in walking distance from the bus and commuter rail lines into Boston) to New Hampshire, but his boss was wonderful about letting him work from home whenever we needed it. I got to the point where I liked only having the one car, because it allowed me to say, "Oh, I can't. I don't have the car."

Last Wednesday though, my mother bought herself a new car, largely so that she could give us her old car for when school started up. Ben's in a different school from the little ones, now. And although I suppose we could walk, it's a hike, and the way home all uphill. He could take the bus, but it's not cheap, and if he were sick, or whatever, I'd have no way to bring him home other than a mile walk all uphill. Thank goodness for my mum.

SA, the public transportation in Dublin won't be looking as great come late Autumn where all it does is rain and be cold all of the time. That being said, it does get you pretty much everywhere you want to go.

Woah, not that interesting the first time, let alone the second and third. Crazy college computers.

I might've said something about a lemur at that point.

If the Halloweenie was a lemur she would've had her arms over her head and been hooting. (I do a mean lemur impression).

Yay for SA in Ireland and not being stopped by blowing-up-car. Yay for healthy Tufted Halloweenie. Yay for Kittenish being in care, and for Erin and Fay loving their jobs. Much yay!

Hair update: I put a little Manga Gel in last night before going to bed and it looks better today. Less mommy-ish, more with the curls and volume. I think it'll be okay, but it's going to take work and product. Based on Hec's links, I think the secret to great short curly hair is: Fake eyelashes! And good lighting.

Egad, SA.

And since you and Jars are both around, a note that Hubs and I will be in Ireland from 9/29 through 10/4. We'll be with friends in County Kildare, though, so I'm not sure how doable Dublin will be timewise.

And since you and Jars are both around, a note that Hubs and I will be in Ireland from 9/29 through 10/4. We'll be with friends in County Kildare, though, so I'm not sure how doable Dublin will be timewise.