There's no such thing as climate change, right? It's just a coincidence that this is the driest recorded year in North Georgia. It's just a coincidence that the Western forests are on fire and we have 80 days of water left if things don't change.

Today's high in NYC is 78°, and the low is 60°. That doesn't seem so bad when you compare it to the record high of 88° in 1979, but the average high for this date, across the data on weather.com, is 61°. Looking back over the month of October, we have averaged 10° hotter than previous Octobers. That is simply ridiculous. I'm missing out on my autumn, and I don't like it at all, especially when you realize that I teach in a classroom with no air conditioning - it's not supposed to be suffering level this late in the year.

Pretty pretty pretty tattoo!

And, zombielike expression notwithstanding, my God, I'm suddenly having a flashback to my experience of watching Julia Styles in The Bourne WhateverItIsThisTime and going "OMGWTF! SA!"

...meanwhile, this is my packing. Yes sir. Packing. That's what I'm doing. Yep. For sure.

Far too early, ND, but at least you're getting a break from all the miserable smoke and filth in the air for a bit.

That story Daniel posted last night about the elderly Englishwoman who'd been institutionalized since she was 15 for stealing some piddling amount of money? Unbelievably depressing. She passed away on Friday, about a week after being reunited with her brothers (whom she'd recognized instantly despite not having seen them in almost 70 years). Zero justice for her, at all, and I can't even imagine a punishment that would be adequate, or possible, for the armies of doctors and bureaucrats who made one shitty decision after another over the decades of her imprisonment.

Bleah.

On the other hand, Matt is feeling better and P-C is getting his shoulder fixed today and Laura stopped by to love us for a bit, and Jars's Boy contriving to watch the game in real time is incredibly cute. Buffistas are good for the sore and sour soul.

Then maybe an MP3 player?

My wallet and I are taking it under advisement. My father has decided against one because he doesn't have the patience to put all his music on it, and I don't know if my brother already has one or not.

What about various guide books for wherever it is they're heading to, Emily?

Pretty sure they've already got this covered, but thank you!

Emily, you must be in midterms now, right?

Essentially. The first of 4 9-week portions, anyway.

Very pretty tattoo, SA!

Stay safe, LAistas. I hope the fires are out soon.

OMG THE GRONK! At least everyone in Red Sox Nation is also gronklified so we're all on equal footing. Except for people who went to bed before the rookies blew that game wide open! Game till midnight and then I couldn't calm down and get to sleep for like another hour.

Wrod. I slept in, so I can't complain too much about the gronk, but we stayed up after the game to enjoy some of the post game craziness, then I couldn't sleep. TCG must be exhausted at work. I told him he better sleep well tonight and tomorrow night, because all the games are starting at 8.

Y'all should just fly out here and be locals for the duration of the World Series! Yes, I like this plan.

Seconded.

I just sent a thank you e-mail to my old boss. She was the one who encouraged me to return to school. Now I feel like a dork.

A dork who went back to school, and is about to graduate. That's my kind of dork.

That's not dorky, Suzi, that's sweet and awesome.

Emily, phone cards good for international use? A bunch of postcards pre addressed to you and other people with stamps, ready to be written on and sent? Stationery or blank journals or directions on how to make a podcast?

What Brenda said. Also? That's the best kind of thank-you note there is. No sense of obligation or quid pro quo, just pure "you made a difference for me". I'd be really touched. And, in fact, am right now, but that could just be the insomnia doing the wacky on my mood.

Although, I did try to set our house on fire yesterday.

"Set the house on fire" for "not set the house of fire". There is no try grasshopper...

t grabs Laura real quick-like and snogs her madly