Kristin: I have insent a request to attend NCTE to my boss. If I get approved, I'll probably be going with co-worker, but hey, maybe she'll be ok with getting a single and me shackin' up with you!

Fabulous! I've put in a request with my boss as well, but seeing as all of the hotels are already booked at the convention rate and I don't have a roomie (which is fine, just more expensive for the school), she may decide that the costs are too much. The convention fees and plane ticket are around $700, and then you add in 4-5 nights of hotel at around $250/night (and that's a super cheap and scary hotel)...we'll see. I'm just not able to front the cash myself, so it's all up to them.

Zen, my sister hasn't answered the email I sent, yet.

I have just walked for a couple hours around town poking my nose into open houses. I am often surprised about the choices people make, but one of the houses today was a 4 bedroom, with 4 kids living there and the only place they had to eat was a little two person table in the kitchen. I thought it was sad that there wasn't any evidence of them being able to all sit down together and have family dinner.

There's a big bungalow just over the DC line that I'm sort of in love with, but it needs updating, and I'm not sure we're mentally prepared for ripping out a kitchen. Someone has taken great care of the place, and there's been no bad updates, so I'm having trouble crossing it off the list.

I think y'all just didn't know what the word meant.

Eh. I think that, once it's in Merriam-Webster, it doesn't really count as "wrong" anymore.

hopefully we can all agree that usage ultimately defines a word.

hopefully we can all agree that usage ultimately defines a word.

Isn't that, actually, the main point of contention in the prescriptivists-vs.-descriptivists debate?

hopefully we can all agree that usage ultimately defines a word.

If 10,000 people think the word "coccyx" means "penis bone", it still doesn't.

I suppose at some point the new definition might become acceptable, but I'm not sure when that point would be. And after that point, I'd still be going around informing everyone talking about their penis bones of what it really means. I'm annoying and stubborn that way.

hopefully we can all agree that usage ultimately defines a word.

Heh - case in point. (hopefully)

Zen, there are some gulten free recipes in the new issue of Vegetarian Times. Nothing for real bread though.

You may want to look around at vegetarian/vegan websites to see if there are any recommendations for gluten free bread.

I fucked up my money already this month. And it's only the 10th! My credit card payment is going to be a few days late and I pray that stuff happens so my direct deposit goes through on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.

Luckily I'm well stocked on food so I'll just be eating "creative" meals for the next few days and I have enough money for gas to last me through until I get paid.

I hate that I do this, and I waste money on stupid stuff like snacks at work.

OMG, learned a new game last night. *LOVED IT* Apparently it's one of the oldest known board games documented. Senet. I lost, but still liked it. Very topsy turvey game play. Much fun!

Now, it being Sunday, and first day off all week, I am loafing something fierce. Not wanting to go grocery shopping, despite needing it. O ya, and why, on a day I can sleep in, does my body suddenly not understand the concept of sleeping the day away and wake up at 9am!?!?

Annabel stories of the day:

She pronounces "astronaut" as "nastronut."

When I went to pick her up from the 3's and 4's class after church, the teacher told me that she'd been playing with two of the little boys, and that she thought Annabel was the mommy. A high school kid who'd been helping out said, "No, actually, I was listening to them. Annabel was the queen."