Good god, Raq. It's a sad sad day when the DC DMV is the one getting praise, I tell ya. I went there after Vortex did, and whipped through the drive-through lane in ten minutes (though the walk up lane was much longer, the drive through is only for renewals). It was awesome.

AND the Apple Store fixed my computer (by giving my laptop a whole new keyboard!) in just a couple hours! YAY, go them.

Congratulations sj!!!

I finished the Campaign and now I'm upping the difficulty level

Holy crap.

Someday, ita maybe PC can do all that. But in all honesty your mother has NEVER sounded as crazy and unfair and manipulative as PCs. Yours always sounded like a pretty typical mother other than the whole near-genius thing. PCs sounded like someone fighting to be in absolute control of PCs life - not just overprotective but trying to own him. I'm sure PCs mom is doing it out of love - but his mother and yours don't seem comparable. I mean whether your mother always respects them or not it seems like she's always acknowledged the existence of boundaries. (It actually sounds like your Mother mostly respects them too, but that is based only on what you post publicly on b.org.) So PC shouldn't give up, but it does not sound like he should have comparable expectations either.

I finished the Campaign and now I'm upping the difficulty level

Holy crap.

Have we mentioned Pete's, er, obsessive nature when it comes to video games?

It came out yesterday, right?

Oh, and re: your tag, I caught a bit of Addams Family Values on Monday and thought of you, Jilli.

It came out yesterday, right?

Yep. He was playing it by, oh, 1PM or so yesterday.

Oh, and re: your tag, I caught a bit of Addams Family Values on Monday and thought of you, Jilli.

Yay! I think I'm going to watch part of that movie on the bus ride home tonight.

Hey Jilli - Em just renamed her Sleeping Beauty Barbie "Prudence".

Hey Jilli - Em just renamed her Sleeping Beauty Barbie "Prudence".

Well, it's a good name. I have a bunny named Prudence. (She's Clovis' #1 Bunny Minion and Faithful Sidekick.)

Which reminds me - Please let Clovis know that Sam has been put in her spot near the west window and is ready to receive orders.

TB, no one's parents are identical. But in the end I think my mother and his--both want to fix everything. I couldn't have not had this be terribly stressful between my mother and I at his age either.

Understanding some of my mother's frustration helped me. And, honestly, if I'd made my proclamation and she hadn't been working with me, I'd have withdrawn and shut her out (though maybe I wouldn't let the friend beat her up--he might get hurt) and considered it exactly my right to protect myself in the situation of pain.

Standing up and saying "We both want the best for me, let's start from there" may turn out differently for you PC, but I think when you're ready to say it, do it with sincerity, conviction, empathy, and love.