Dressing up is all smoke and mirrors and sleight of hand and misdirection with fabrics and accessories, all tricks anyone can learn.

So true.

I think you are lovely, Allyson, not to mention that you always look effortlessly sexy (nevermind that it isn't effortless, it always looks effortless and natural on you).

Timelies all!

I still need to shop for jeans, and more chinos. Not looking forward to that at all. Which is to say, we all have our body image demons to get past. You'll do fine, paperdol.

Daisy Jane, let me second what erika said - we owe you help because it's what people do for each other. It's what's makes a civilization civilized. (and, considering that the govenment keeps bailing out people who build - and rebuild - fancy houses on the beach and on floodplains, why not?)

Well, and thanks, my family and friends are all ok and doing well considering. It's the people stuck in the trailer parks and cities they don't consider home and that are increasingly hostile to them I lose sleep over.

Me too. I think about that Spike Lee film a lot.Especially the woman who said Barbara Bush should "call my ass up and say that. I got my cel back now."

I have a credit card again! Yay. Dana won't have to be my Sugar Mama this weekend after all.

only place without anything really bad was Utah

We're one earthquake away from being a liquification textbook illustration. Then there are the droughts and wildfires.

You'll never get me to live where there are tornados. I'd rather have hurricanes. Those you have plenty of warning for.

Thanks for the shopping advice/hairpats.

Clothes shopping ends in tears, so I'm freaking out at having to do this. It's like a scheduled pap smear or something. Nothing but awful misery and that horrible anticipation of inevitable embarassment/humiliation.

Oh dear, paperdol. Is there any way to avoid the shopping? Perhaps you have the pieces to pull together a nice outfit (that skirt was very cute) so instead of shopping for something difficult, like a blouse, you can get a little cardigan to wear over a top you already have, or new earrings, or snazzy stocking or a pair of shoes.

I'm sorry paperdol! I wish I could help but I think I've gone on shopping forays with you and I think I end up pissing you off.

I would offer to go to Torrid with you, but they only have sort of disposable clothes.

Today Noah and Grace are 5 months old. It shocks me.