Just had to share my current favorite Ellie phrase. On the plane a few days ago, I taught her to say "permiso" as we made our 6th trip to the bathroom in an hour, since the guy next to us was puerto rican. (He was totally nice about it, btw.)

So, yesterday, she was trying to walk on the edge of this planter but the plants were hanging over the edge and in her way. Then I hear her saying "mermiso, plants, mermiso." So damn cute!

Raq, how did you get Mal out of the banister. That sounds so unfun!

I wish that were an option for me. That's what Joss did when he wrote "Lover's Rock" - just shacked up in a hotel room with a cassette box filled with The Replacements and Husker Du.

Though JZ has been awesome about vacating the house with Matilda while I try to finish.

I'm actually somewhat impressed with myself and my ability to switch modes between "writing essay" to "fetching milkies and playing with Emeline" and then back to "writing essay".

Not that it's easy, but easier than I thought it would be.

I had to do it.

How do they do that, Raq? Did you need to pull out the Crisco?

I am of the "really can't get into the writing or art zone if child around" breed. Alas.

I got Mal out of the banister by brute force. I basically held his whole body up with one arm, to get his head to the widest space with no pointy parts, and then kind of squeezed his face to squeeze his jaw corners in, and shoved. I have to admit to briefly considering WD-40.

(Random Raq story): This one time, in Yemen...it had just rained, turning the dust into mud but also making puddles here and there. One of the newborn embassy kittens, just all over mud, found that there was a clean puddle under the external unit of the air conditioner. So she stuck her head in through the struts to drink. And, because heads are designed to push into openings but not back out of openings, she got stuck. There was yowling.

The mother cat and the rest of the litter gathered around, and added to the yelling. One of my friends and I took it upon ourselves to get her out, but by the time we could get our hands in, all the mud had dried on her fur. So her head was about twice its normal size.

My friend spent 3 hours laying on the ground with his arm stuck under the a/c, massaging water into her fur to get the mud out.

After that we were able to turn her head and get her out, but man, THREE HOURS.

Well. Emeline's asleep. Aims has gone to see HPatOotP with her sister. In-laws have gone to bed.

Bored now.

I'm having a "I'm really glad I'm no longer Fundamental Baptist anymore" moment.

Charming behavior/discussions from the relations, vw?

Bored now.

t gets popcorn

t waits for Joe to show up in leather and lots of green eye makeup

Very jealous of brunch at Suzi's.

Also? Turns out Winchester is a girl. I guess I can call her Winnie.