Announcement: the dates for my return to Australia have been confirmed. I will leave Philadelphia on November 19. I will leave the US on December 3. I will be in San Francisco for Thanksgiving. I also intend to visit Seattle, L.A. and San Diego on my way out.

Further details will be hammered out in the F2F thread.

Hey there. Can someone who has Aurelia's phone number (or sees her online) let her know to check her email? We're supposed to get together today and my phone has gone kerplooey and I'm afraid she won't see my e on the subject in time.

Thanks!

Lest anyone wondered, I wasn't in the Hilton Hotel in Taba last weekend.

It's entirely possible you didn't realise it was in Egypt - the CNN coverage certainly made it sound like it happened in Israel. Despite Israel's attempt to annex Sinai some years ago, it's still part of Egypt, and a large percentage of the victims of the bomb were Arab Egyptians.

Since it was a holiday weekend, I was in a hotel at the beach myself - but happily I'd chosen a less swanky hotel up on the Mediterranean coast, rather than a posh hotel on the Red Sea coast. Two of my friends and co-workers, however, were in the hotel. Their room was destroyed in the blast, and they are only alive now by the slimmest of chances; they'd left their room a scant five minutes before the explosion. Their friends were not so lucky, and they have now been confirmed as among the dead. They leave behind two children, one nearly two years old, another nearly nine years old.

Hi all,

I have another in-person interview tomorrow (9 AM CST Wednesday) for that job I interviewed for last week, and have been going through process at a contract house for two months to even get this far, so...

One more time with the job~ma request. I'd really appreciate the good vibrations.

Aw crap.

[Company] did contact us this morning.

Unfortunately they decided to go with another candidate for the position in Lakeville, MN. I'm very sorry that it didn't turn out the way we all hoped. Thank you for your time and patience with the interview process. I wish you every success in your future endeavors.

There goes two months of back and forth and testing, etc.

::Sigh:: Thanks for the job~ma anyway, folks.

I am woefully behind in all threads due to being very gray the past few days. i went to the ER on monday morning because i was in intense pain and the doctor was fearful that one or more of my cysts had twisted and burst. turns out that i was fine. however, i think this made the doctor realize just how much pain i'm in. i am now scheduled for surgery on tuesday. i go in to the hospital at 7 am.

so...please send as many vibes tuesday as you can. i am very nervous as this is the first surgery i've ever had in my life and it is the equivalent of having a c-section.

hope to be back to posting as soon as possible. keep it warm for me.

tiggy update: she made it through her surgery ok and will be in the hospital for another 2-3 days.

Hopefully, her sister might be taking her a laptop so she can check in herself, but I wanted to let the buffistas know she's ok and recovering.

DH would appreciate a little exam-ma this morning. He's heading in to take an actuarial exam--hopefully his last.

If he passes this, he becomes a Fellow with the Casualty Actuarial Society and I get something shiny.

Some of the attorneys in my office will be at polls in swing states to facilitate voting for people who are having problems. This just came from one of them:

Make History: Protect the 2004 election

Dear Friends,

It's time! Unless you voted early, this Tuesday, November 2, is your opportunity to make your voice heard at the ballot box. Know that your vote really counts.

Here are a few Election Day tips to help your voting experience go as smoothly as possible.

Bring a picture ID. Many states have new identification requirements this year, so play it safe by bringing your drivers license or other official ID if at all possible.

Go to the correct polling place. Many polling places have changed since the last election, and in some states, your provisional ballot will not be counted if you go to the wrong polling place. So check your polling place ahead of time by calling your local election office or reviewing your sample ballot.

Call 1-866-OUR VOTE if you experience or witness a voting emergency. Lawyers will be standing by to provide free, immediate, on-the-spot assistance.

Remember, you have the right to vote if you are in line before the polls close -- no matter how long it takes. There has never been a more important time to make sure that you vote and that your vote is counted.

My dog is not really back to herself yet. She has been a devoted friend and her doctor is very expensive so we would like her perk up by herself if at all possible.Thanks.