Strength to you, when she comes to visit. I hope it can be a good one.

{{{libkitty}}} I'm so sorry your mom is acting like that. Much strength and wisdom to you, m'dear.

{{libkitty}} Strength~ma to you. I hope the day with her passes by quickly.

((((libkitty)))) I'm so sorry. The only advice I have for you is what my dear friend M. finally started doing with her overbearing and difficult mother: everytime her mom went off on a tangent, M. would mentally add "and porn!" at the end of each sentence, Avenue Q style. It's the modern-day equivalent to imagining someone in her underwear.

SexM, yes, Halo works cross-platform, no worries. We have a regular X-box and a 360 in the house now.

Pete, I'm not particularly into shooters, but it's hard to resist the opportunity to gang up against play with you.

Thanks guys, so much. I'm actually thinking of rearranging my plans to spend the week with other relatives, but I'm giving myself a day or two before I make any decisions.

M. would mentally add "and porn!" at the end of each sentence

Love. this.

libkitty, I'm sorry. Your mom sounds way too much like mom, and I would not wish that on anyone. {{libkitty}}

Cindy! I just watched the Diwali episode. "All right, this isn't Lord of the Rings. " HA HA HA HA HA.

Oh, libkitty. I'm so sorry -- it's even worse when that kind of stuff gets dumped on you without any notice. Decision-making ~ma to you.

Good news about your BiL, Cash! Heart problems are so scary.

Those of you who have met me or seen my photos know that I have a serious weight problem. My mom is thin as a rail. She seems to think that I don't care that I'm overweight. That without her to nag me about it, I might somehow forget about social issues or health issues.

Oh, Libkitty. This sucks so bad, and is so needlessly painful. My mom is rail-thin, too, and I'm overweight, and she's been *seriously* invested in my weight for my entire life. And I understand exactly what you're saying -- sometimes I just want to shake her and say "Do you think I MISSED THE PART WHERE I'M FAT?!? Do you think I'm BRAIN-DEAD in addition to being fat, and managed to not understand a SINGLE WORD of the 8 billion books, articles, infomercials, and TV specials about THE HORROR OF FAT?!?"

So far I've managed to not actually do that, but it's always a crapshoot.

I'm turning 40 next year. I thought I would be past this crap by now.

I wish I had good advice, but my experience is that one never gets totally past parental crap.

Oh, so he did have a blockage, then? Yikes! I'm so glad he went to the hospital and is doing so well.

Minor blockage, yeah. His last stress test was only a few months ago so there was only minor blockage. It's just genetic with him, mostly. Except for him needing more cardio exercise--he's doing everything else pretty well. It was an early warning, to be sure and one that he's taken to heart (figuratively and literally). They're putting him on a medication that is supposed to increase his good cholesterol--which appears to be his main problem.

{{libkitty}} Feh and feh. I hope you can deal effectively with your mom. There is some middle ground between gently encouraging and voicing concern with your loved ones and being horribly critical and naggy and making someone feel like shit. I wish more people could find it and park their keisters there permanently.

DH is battling a raging sinus infection. It's started affecting his upper jaw/teeth and it's causing him no end of pain. I know it must be really serious because he's hardly ever sick and this has had him down most of the weekend. He's calling the doctor first thing in the morning.

I need to wash the dog beds now that Mac's on medication to stop her leaking everywhere. And I've got an entire list of things to do before the snow flies here--including putting the grill in the garage, putting away the patio furniture and the kids' slide.

Then there's Thanksgiving to shop for.

Eeek.