I do like this city. It's a fascinating mis of humanity. I don't know if it is Home home, but it is an interesting place.

And regarding Woodruff, exactly. The Walter Reed issues coming to light NOW sadly only underscore the need to actually cover the whole non-terminal casualties of war thing. As of a year or so ago, I recall reports on how the Pentagon "didn't track" that or made it pretty damned fuzzy, and that is just INSANE. The improvements in medicine and armor mean that hey, more survive. But there's a big cost to that. (Not that dying is necessarily preferable, depending on where you sit on that scale, but it is a major change from past wars.)

ita, I somehow love the idea of your mom going to town on kravvers. And I'm really glad for those who will be there. It's big. It's important. And you've got family that gets that.

Spoke with sister who's bought her ticket to visit for the test, as has my father.

So Ima meet them, then.

Kristin, a friend of mine from high school is teaching fourth graders. She sends weekly reports of the work the children are supposed to complete for that week. The kids that turn in all their assignments get to have a party at the end of the month. She sent a note home with one of her students who was not turning in assignments that he wouldn't get to go to the party if he didn't turn in the rest of his assignments. When this happened, the father called her and berated her, including swearing at her up and down about how she was being unfair to his child.

My poor friend had to call another staffer in to be witness to his verbal abuse. They then had to have a meeting with the principal. And then the SUPERINTENDENT. Now my friend has to email this asshole DAILY with the assignments for his son.

WTF?

The worst part of this story is that the asshole father is living with my sister's fiance's ex, who has custody of my future BiL's son.

Me too, of course, Sarameg. Our city is so much richer, but you know, as an artist in Phoenix, it's like...oh, when are you going to L.A.? Cause it's that or write about NASCAR for the hooples. We have three hundred sunny days a year and a 97% cable penetration rate. Somehow, these stats are connected, but I'm not sure why. But it's a Shiny, Happy, Wasteland at least.(See why I just fit like a damn glove?! Outdoors, heavy sports, and moi...contradiction much?) Oh, and we had 214 murders this past year, so it's not even like "Well, it's boring, but it's safe." (Well, compared to *y'all* but, see, we have the border with Mexico to engage our...uh, independent pharmaceutical contractors... our gain is Douglas' loss. I'm sure you feel me on that.)

I just turned on Survivor for the first time in years, and what is with these people's names? Dreams, Rocky, Boo? I feel like I'm watching I Love New York.

Ha! I haven't watched tonight's, but this season has been boring enough that I'm considering giving up.

My poor friend had to call another staffer in to be witness to his verbal abuse. They then had to have a meeting with the principal. And then the SUPERINTENDENT. Now my friend has to email this asshole DAILY with the assignments for his son.

I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I've been in similar situations and had similar constraints placed on me, and that's at the high school level. Craxy-making. Thank goodness 95% of the parents I deal with are so awesome. (Like Buffistas parents! Send me your children!)

I so killed Natter.

t hangs head in shame

Does it help if I tell you all that I talked the parent off the ledge, and now she's all sweet and wanting to work together to help her daughter? I'm so friggin' stoked that I went around the house loudly proclaiming myself the Parent Whisperer.

Does it help if I tell you all that I talked the parent off the ledge, and now she's all sweet and wanting to work together to help her daughter? I'm so friggin' stoked that I went around the house loudly proclaiming myself the Parent Whisperer.

PARENT WHISPERER BABY!! Oh, the irony.

I'm here, Kristin. I'm just posting from my phone, so long, inspired posts with appropriate quotations are a little too much to ask right now.

Billytea! Sean! t tacklehugs

BT, how are wedding plans going? I heard something about a honeymoon hotel issue...?

Sean, how is S. doing? And how are you? No more fever?