Yeah I'm not sure my sister-in-law Suzanne would be happy if we had a cat named Suzanne either.

Oh no, Tom. So very sorry about Senor Sock. Was the name attributable to him being a "sock" cat (in the way there are "cow" and "tuxedo" cats)?

Nope. Senor Sock's namesake: [link]

He was a character on E's Talk Soup.

{{{{tommy}}}} May Senor Sock rest in peace with unlimited access to kitty crack pads and whole milk.

Aimee!

FINISH THE STORY OF YOUR TRIP BACK TO MICHIGAN! YOU LEFT IT ON A CLIFFHANGER!

I AM DOING IT RIGHT NOW!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So do people call in to work for bereavement for deceased pets? A friend says I should do that. I just called in sick a week ago so I don't want to say I'm sick. I'm not sure if I want to go to work or not - maybe it will be a nice distraction, or maybe it'll just be too much for me. But if I do call in for some pet bereavement, it'd be nice to tell my bosses, "Hey, people do it all the time." (They're a little inexperienced with being bosses.)

Also, they gave me a little clay pad with his pawprints on it. I'm baking it right now (to make it solid).

This sounds kind of ridiculous, but I always rolled my eyes at my mother when, after some real or fictional trauma, she would tell me, "Don't ever die, OK??" and now I kind of get it. My cat had gotten several Stern Talks to that effect over the years. He has pretty much the same response I did.

You want dorky? Even when MK was at his sickest, I tried not to say the d-word EVER. I resorted to trailing of in a half-finished euphamisms. I stick to "you're gonna live forever, damnit" for pets and humans alike.

What's all this sand in my ears?

And when dad started talking inheritance the other night (him being, hey, it'd be easier to give it all away to the intended beforehand so no estate craziness) I cut him off and told him I'd kill him. Mature, no?

Speaking of which, I need to strangle my brother. Every.single.time. I ask if he's wants a ____ for the new nephew, his response is "Oh, we bought that today." !!!! I'm gonna break and get a giftcard. Sheesh. It may be weird sibling telepathy, but it is a pain in my ass.

Also? I talked poop with D, the elder nephew. Baby poop ("it's gooey"), dung beetles' collection of poop, dog poop. And vampire bats. This is so much a kid of my family and of my heart.

Some places allow you to take a "mental health" day.

xposty: oh yeah. When my Mom starts talking about what will happen after they're gone I stick my fingers in my ears and shout, "LA LA LA LA LA!"

I have to share a few things from my weekend at my uncle's (and aunt's) house. First, I found out that my aunt's niece, who's been staying at their house while getting her masters at Ohio University but is home until the fall semester, is a huuuge ME fan (she had left her dvds in the bedroom I stayed in, and they included the full sets of both Angel and Buffy, and the room had two Serenity posters and many other Firefly-related items around). I'm going to send my aunt a little introduction to b.org and the link so she can send it on to her niece--I hope she'll stop by and check us out!

Second, I had what was one of the top three meals I've had in my entire life at a tiny little restaurant (indoors doesn't seat more than 35 people) in a tiny little former coal company town near Athens, OH. It was simple food exquisitely made--lamb chops with a cherry sauce, carrots and rice on the side, and the best dessert I've ever had, a berry tart with a crust similar in taste and texture to shortbread, berries layered on the bottom, and a custard with yogurty consistency that was just bliss to eat.

Finally, getting to see my aunt and uncle was wonderful, as usual. My dad's younger (and only) brother was always the "cool uncle" when I was a kid, and both he and his wife are still as fun, interesting, and in love as they were when they married 36 years ago. My aunt is coming out to Chicago for a conference in June, and I'm hoping she'll have time for us to get together one night.