So, walked home tonite and noticed a sewer bubbling brown water that was also somehow coming OUT OF THE SIDEWALK AND MAKING A RIVER DOWN THE STREET. Luckily, it was down the line from my building, but I knew things were going to be ugly. Thank dog I filled my Brita before they shut off the water.

Turns out ugly's not even the half of it. They've had jackhammers and back-hoes pulling up huge sections of the area around the (I assume) main break. They've also got one of those monster sewer vacuums that keeps coming in intermittently. Then the bring in the back-hoe again. And then the sewer-vac again. It looks like they are filming a movie out there with all the lights they've set up.

I fear this will not be resolved by tomorrow morning. And if it is, I fear the water that's going to come out of the faucets. I gave up caffeine a while ago - showers are my primary form of wakeup (and I can't even just wash up if this isn't resolved). Ugh.

Good for you for getting through it, vw!

Emily, that's great about the VA licensure. Sounds like you'll be all set (and no, sadly I am not in the least bit surprised that CA still hasn't gotten around to sending you your license).

SA, glad the vacation is going well, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY (in 15 minutes East Coast time)!

In CT news, my mom decided today to buy a 42" HD Samsung plasma TV. ND and I have spent the evening helping her to mount it to the wall (on a ginormous industrial full-movement arm thingy) and getting it all hooked up. It is verra verra shiny. The new progressive-scan DVD player is having issues, however, and ND isn't sure if the issues lie in the cable or the player. A bit bummed since we bought her Planet Earth to demonstrate how very awesome her new picture will be. Right now her new picture is a giant blue screen of death.

Update: ND has determined that it's the DVD player. Denied! Guess we'll be going back to Best Buy in the morning.

Sorry to hear about the bummer of a bedtime, vw.

Thanks Kristen! It's weird that my birthday is tomorrow.

Hey all. Just got home from ER. Mom is being admitted and will have surgery once they rebalance her blood levels (she is on blood thinners). The current target is 6am. Her hernia got "trapped" and needs immediate attention.

I'm not doing too well. I hate this.

Oh, Suzi! I am thinking about you all.

(((Suzi))) And (((Suzi's Mom))) May her blood do everything it needs to, and may the surgery go well. And, ugh. Your poor mom, and poor you. You've had two or three families' shares of health worries and miseries just over the last year alone.

I get to go to Portland in FIVE DAYS THOUGH OMG.

My massive brain fade is working out too. Which I hadn't mentioned here yet cause I had to work it out with SA first. So what happened is this...

My dad calls me a few days ago. He wants to meet in San Jose for the Champ Car race there and, dude, I am so there. He has already bought tickets and has our rooms reserved and is going to pay for my freaking flight even. A race weekend with dad! I am all kinds of exclamation points about this. It's a crazy good surprise.

We get off the phone, I find the dates for the race weekend and start looking at plane tickets and the shark theme music of doom starts up. Because those dates? Look awfully familiar. So I check e. Yep, that's smack in the middle of when SA is in the PNW... Oh, *expletiveboldfacedandthendeleted* noes!

BUT! Okay, much flailing and rending of garments happened. And tracking of SA down to explain the mess which she said would work out perfectly fine. And it will!

So now I get to gleeble about getting SA in less than a week, much fun to be had and trips around the PNW *and* I am also getting a bonus race weekend with my dad too! And I just have to book some plane tickets and endure some mocking for not realizing that the dates were, in fact, very much overlapping from you people. YAY!

And my birthday is tomorrow! Which I tend to remember because it follows Juliana's and I share it with Jared Padalecki.

Happy birthday, SA! I can makes you a cake. When you are here. So I don't eatted it.

{{{{Suzi}}}} I am so sorry, love. We're here.

Suzi--much strength to you and your family. This health roller coaster your mom is on must be so difficult for all of you.