I just want to post a loud thank-you to the Buffistas for the unexpected gift I received yesterday. One of the best things about having a baby has been the discovery that we are not alone. Both of us are kind of light on family; both of my parents are dead, my MiL is disinclined to be involved, and we often live in places where we don't know anyone. We expected, when we decided to have a baby, that we'd be doing so pretty much on our own.

But generosity comes from unlooked-for places. Our friends have been extremely generous with gifts, good wishes, and emotional support. Some of these friends are people we've never met in real life, or have only had the chance to meet at the Buffista F2F.

I can't truly speak how grateful I am to all you people, who show such generosity of spirit and who are in many ways the village that will raise Mallory. Even if he never meets you guys (and I so hope he will), he will know that there are people in the world who take care of others, and that's a good thing for a new member of this world to know.

Thank you.

It's never good when you get a phone that starts out with, "I just want you to know dad's okay." My father had surgery this afternoon. He's fine, but it turns out my cousin was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, went into cardiac arrest last night, and is now brain dead. My aunt and uncle have to decide whether to take her off life support.

I may be more scarce than usual for the next while.

My dad had a heart attack today. He's in intensive care. I don't know anything else yet. Healthma please.

Eta: He's had a stent placed, though they don't think it's working. He's currently resting and his doctors will be re-evaluating tomorrow morning.

My cousin passed away this evening.

Shrift, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Dad's stent is working fine this morning. Sometime this afternoon they're going to move him to a regular room, and if all is well tomorrow, they're going to send him home in the morning.

Thank you all for the ~ma. I do believe it helped. I know it helped me.

I've accepted a new position. Thanks for the be-calm~ma as well as the anonymous job~ma Suela requested for me. May the ~ma do the next Buffista as much good as it did me.

I hope Betsy's wish comes true, because I just got laid off.

Yes, two weeks after I was all, "For the first time, I made it to a year in a job without wanting to quit."

The Gods have a sense of humor, and whatever jobma you can spare me should go D.C.-wards.

Thanks.

If any Buffistas who happen to be Java programmers are looking for a job in the San Francisco or Kansas City area, let me know (profile addy) and I can hook you up with an opening. Got one for a software QA person, but that's just KC.

I just accepted a position at a school in my neighborhood. I'll be their office assistant and help out with supervising the kids as needed. It's a residential school for high schoolers with behavior problems.

I am thrilled.

Selected random photos from my trip to meet Andi (Windsparrow) in Arizona almost one month ago.

Some high, some medium pics, some are Andi's, some are mine. I had to tweak them as both of us had camera problems.

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More captions later.