It is better for my blood pressure if I'm talking to the other drivers like they're small children. "Okaaaay, now what do we do when the light turns green? I know you can figure this out. No, not the brake. The accelerator, yes! Keep going, you're almost there! Good job! You get a gold star!"

Yes, this! Exactly.

Truck drivers are usually very courteous to others on the road.

That used to be the case, but I've noticed as a lot more truckers hit the road in recent years, the new ones don't seem to have the same courtesy or knowledge of the road's rules as the old-timers. Nor do they have the instinctive understanding of what their 40 ton metal projectiles can and can't safely do.

I just finished some sausage and mushroom pizza. Yum.

Oh, thank goodness -- I just finished up a work thing that almost fell into absolute disaster. OK, it was a minor thing, but still -- I hate when a small thing can't seem to get done on time because of logistics.

And a TV update for Sara: Ellen Degeneres opened her show today crying uncontrollably about a dog that she adopted from a rescue organization, got fixed etc., and then gave to her hairdresser. But then the rescue organization called to check up on the dog, she told them she had given it away to a good home, and they came and took the dog, since apparently she had signed a thing saying she'd either keep the dog herself or give it back to the rescue organization. So she feels really bad that the dog is out of a home again and the hairdresser's kids are out of a dog. She was really crying a lot.

Oh, man, I've been on the getting your dog taken away end of that and it sucks.

One of my co-workers is coming back from maternity leave on Monday, which is good, because that means I won't have to do the early-morning load from the laptop at home any more (getting up at 6:45 to get it done by 7:30 is very tiring). I have to wait until she returns before I can find out if I can go out to NJ for Thanksgiving, but I'm hoping that I can do so, because then I can drive out and save myself some money. If I have to wait until Christmas to head out there, I'll have to fly (in case of snow in the Allegheny Mts. on the PA turnpike), which I hate doing at Christmas.

I've got ten days of vacation yet unscheduled--I can take five at Thanksgiving, be gone for 10 days total (leave the Friday before, drive back the Sunday and Monday after), and still have five days to blow in December.

ETA: which has nothing to do with adopting dogs being taken away from homes. Why would they do that to the poor pooch?

Why would they do that to the poor pooch?

Them's the rules! Which is why poor Ellen was so upset.

Yesterday I made a GIANT food faux pas and ate half a pineapple. My mouth regrets it still.

Ow. My mouth stings in sympathy.

I understand rescue places are trying to make sure the animals are well cared for and all that, but geez! How bout going to visit the other home and making sure all's well there?

This is what makes people think it's just easier to buy from *other* places! This is what leads ND and Kristin to be rejected as kitty parents! (Still bitter about that) It must stop!