If anyone in San Francisco is heading over to Berkeley for Victor and Thessaly's thing tonight, could you email me? Ripper (the car) has got an intermittent left headlight - if anyone is driving from here, and has room, I'll happily pay tolls/gas/whatever.

I leave tomorrow morning at seven am to start going back to the States. Any travelma would be appreciated.

Dark for the next month while I gallivant around the Antipodes. Have a safe and happy February, everyone!

I'd like to request a little ease~ma for my S-i-L's B-i-l. He has inoperable cancer and his lungs are filled with fluid now. They give him 24-48 hours to live. His wife Kathy is a wonderful woman who's done everything she can to make his life pleasant since he was diagnosed. They could both use kind thoughts and any ~ma you have to spare right now.

I'd like to thank all the people who wished Kathy and Jerry ~ma. Jerry passed away at 4:45am (this morning.) Your kind thoughts were all greatly appreciated.

I need some major health~ma for my great aunt -- she fell and cracked a rib. She and my great uncle stay at the beach and she had to be life flighted to the nearest hopsital (which is here). Grandma E met them at the hospital and dealt with the situation.

My great uncle let my great aunt LIE ON THE FLOOR! for at least 1 1/2 hours because he didn't think she was in pain (he's been in bad health and he isn't rational at times. Well that and he's emotionally abusive).

My Great aunt wants to go back to the beach (where there are a lot of stairs and my great uncle) right now she's staying with Grandma E. Greataunt's sons are out of state, one just had a minor heart attack, so Grandma is now the main careperson.

I would also like to request some Clue Sticking ~ma for my great aunt's sons that they would get off their asses and realize that their parents don't need to be isolated and that their decision making capabilities are faulty.

Do we have anyone left in and around Milwaukee? I'm coming down on Thursday night to go to a show, and it'd be great if anyone else could make it. The band is Cowboy Mouth, which is just about the most fun live band I've ever seen. The show is at Potawatomi, and it's free. Anyone who's around and interested let me know.

Going even darker than I have been, since we're heading out to L.A. tomorrow.

A reminder for anyone who wants to come out on Saturday: booksigning (and excellent Mexican dinner with neat people afterward!) at 4 pm at the Los Angeles Mystery Bookstore.

Good travels, deb.

Personal news item A) Remember how I asked for grant-ma for our two major grants? Just got news that we did not receive the second one. Too bad, because I really wanted to get to the next tier of that one. Bah. But thanks for the help here anyway. And also, we'd already gotten the big one, so we'll survive. Just would have been more comfy with both.

Personal news item B) We're considering some major changes, including possibly moving, renting, buying, or building a house. Just getting tired of dealing with the issues where we are. But everything involves relationships and consequences, so we're not too sure about the decisionmaking process. So we could use some make-the-right-call-ma, and some don't-go-crazy-in-the-meanwhile-and-or-process-ma.