Ok. My outside cat, Sabrina, has occasionally left lizzard bits and bird bits on our porch. Tonight I let the dogs out before bed. There is a HUGE DEAD RAT disemboweled on our welcome mat. The human is not pleased no matter what the cat might think.

Ewwww, critter guts. It's, um, a sign of affection? Yeah, not helping me either.

Snoozed for a while. Heading back to sleep now. Need more snooooooooze.

My parents bug the hell out of me for whether I've sent thank you cards for big events. Like my college graduation--honestly, I didn't get aroud to the notes until three or four weeks after I graduated, but every couple of days, "Did you send them out yet?" I don't know, I was raised to think that they were important, a necessary respose to the receipt of a gift, but there are times when I'm just as fine with saying an effusive thank you over the phone or in email as I am sending a paper card.

I'm still only just beginning to grasp the whole remembering-important-dates thing, so I don't really have an opinion on the receipt of thank you cards. I'll be lucky if I remember to get my package for my nephew's and sister's birthdays tomorrow! And my sister Gail is the worst for remembering dates and christmas presents and stuff--I don't think I've received a present from her in years. But I don't care about that; she's been there for me in ways that make presents unnecessary, you know? But I do it because I want to. And frankly, because it makes me feel like an adult.

Amusing...

Mom pinged me to ask if I had sent the thank you notes for a dinner some friends had when she was visiting. I bristled a little (lot!!!!!) because I had *meant* to but hadn't sent off my notes.

Took us a few emails before we realized that she was asking whether I had mailed *her* thank yous... Which I had mailed about two hours after she handed them to me.

But it did remind me to send my damn notes as well.

To note: Mom felt bad when I thought she was niggling me because she was only asking if I had mailed things that she handed to me. She wasn't picking at me. Nice mom.

So going back to sleep now.

With the time change (or lack thereof), I feel ike I"M now on the late night shift instead of the morning shift.

Itwas directed at you Stephanie - not in snide tone, just as the first question to ask when you get in that situation.

beth, I worded that poorly and I didn't think you sounded snide. I was wondering only if the question was rhetorical.

The discussion last night made me realisze that in this particular case, it was more about Ellie's day and not notes. Hopefully I'll be a cheerful giver this Christmas and not be petty/stewing about it. Now, breakfast!

Timelies, all!

Here's a picture of my new tattoo: [link]

It's fairly work-safe. You can't really tell where it it, just that there's some skin with some ink on it. (It's located at the top of my right leg, on the outside, so it's not even that pornily placed, although you wouldn't have known that while we were trying to get a picture of it that didn't look like I was trying to show off my undies.)

Re: thank you notes. If we give and open gifts in person in my immediate family, we say our thank yous in person. Mailed stuff gets mailed thank yous. Emailed stuff (amazon.com gift certificates, etc.) get emailed thank yous. Outside of the immediate family I try to default to the Miss Manners end of the spectrum and send written thank you notes. I don't always succeed.

Calli, that' s a cool tattoo! How long did it take?

Yes, the tattoo is neato! I like the other pictures in that grouping as well. Pretty! Plus fun captions!

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Calli, your tattoo is lovely! And exquisitely detailed. Very nice.

I just made biscuits for the first time in a depressingly long time, and just as when I had that first sip of sweet tea after a month of going without, it was HEAVEN. HEH-VEN. Even though it had been a long time (and frankly, they looked kind of mutant) they tasted amazing. And the best part is that I have a whole plateful just sitting there and a day off to eat 'em in.

So much for the lost pant size! *g* Thank dawg for bank holidays.