She's just tetchy with the teething, and also possibly heading into stranger fear. On Sunday at church she was flirting and cooing and grinning with a very friendly lady in a pretty Sunday hat, and out of nowhere she went from Big!Merry!Smile! to her entire face turning into a clenched little red fist and exploding with woo woo woo waugh! for no reason at all. It's awful; her woe is both heartbreaking and incredibly comic, and it's so disconcerting to the poor person who's just been happily chatting with her.

But, in short, not you. She's got a funky little brain and its ways are deep and mysterious.

Always fun to come back to work after vacation and find piles of crap all over your desk and your coworkers looking like puppies who just piddled all over the carpet.

On the phone with mom. I suspect she doesn't need me for this conversation as it hasn't been my turn to talk for a while. But she's merrily prattling and I am zoned on drugs. It's a combo that works so long as she doesn't expect me to follow along at home.

Poor wee Matilda trying to make sense of the whole world and occasionally finding it frightening and off putting.

And hearing-back-today~ma to sj and TCG. The sooner you're out of there and free from the disagreeable landlady and the stream of lookers and realtors, the better. And I forgot to mention it at the time, but I'm both sorry and incredibly amused that your evil stinky-fish-dish plot a few days ago was totally undermined by your culinary skill.

Thanks, JZ! I'm worried right now that if we don't hear back about our first choice, we're going to lose our opportunity at our second choice apartment, and then we're back at square one. We have a deposit down on our first choice, so there's not much we can do until we hear back.

You know what I will *never* understand? How the government figures a "family's" EFC (expected family contribution) for college tuition. I just. I don't understand. I made less money last year and my EFC went UP. Craziness.

I made less money last year and my EFC went UP. Craziness.

because they assume that you made less money, so your family will increase their contribution.

My family doesn't enter into the picture at all, though. It's just based on my income. I don't know. Me just hateses them.

vw - I go through the same thing each year. I totally don't understand the EFC.

I didn't say it made any sense, I just said why they do it.

But I'm pushing 40...why would my parents chip in now? The only income information I put in my FAFSA is for me, DH and the family expenses. I'm considered an "independent student".