My mom would probably like a daily phone call from me. Which is funny, because she hated that her mother wanted daily phone calls.

I try to call my parents every week-ish or so. Sometimes I don't manage it because I get distracted, so when I do call, I get the traditional greeting of "Oh wait, we have a daughter?" I despair of ever getting them to agree that they could call me every now and then. "But you're busy! We don't want to bother you!" But running a not-quite-mock guilt trip on me isn't bothering me, in parent-logic.

My mother believes that mothers and daughters should talk daily.

when I was in law school, my mother tried to start this thing where I would call her every night when I got in. Just so she would know I'm okay. I refused. I knew that there would be days when I'd forget, or be out late, or god forbid not come home. I just wouldn't do it, and eventually she gave up.

Today my mom called me, and for the first time in ages stopped herself from saying "it's your mom," right after "Hi". It's become a joke that she does this because (a) I have caller id and (b) she's easily recognizable. People get her and me confused on the phone all the time, but I obviously don't have that problem.

Still, it was a bit of a letdown that she left it off today. It's a tradition by now.

Susan, crying is okay for whatever reason, or for no reason if you just feel like crying. If you can let the cry be a catharsis, you're golden.

Oh Susan, I'm sorry about the shoes. It's so often the seemingly little things that are just too much.

I don't think I could ever order shoes because of my square bunion laden feet. I have to walk around the store in sandals before I'm sure they won't rub the wrong way.

Also, my boys better call me when they leave home! Actually I would much prefer that they email. I do hate the phone.

argh. I have a dilemma. I can't find my @(#^%@@#% keyboard. I need my keyboard to use my desktop. I need my desktop so that I can download music to the new iPhone. I decided to borrow a keyboard from work, but it's a different plug. (my old keyboard had an adapter) I'm fairly certain that I've seen the keyboard since I've moved, but I have NO FREAKING IDEA where it is. I suspect that I put it "somewhere" at some point, and therefore, there's no logic to it's current location. I know that at some point, I will find that shit. Just not now. Grrr.

OK, fuck Zappos. I know some people have had good luck with them, but...grrr.

Apparently I used my one "courtesy exchange" on the fact that FedEx lost my original order, though how that's my responsibility is beyond me. So they won't refund my account or let me exchange until they have the shoes back.

DH just persuaded me that I need to go buy some new shoes, even though that means breaking out the credit card, because having leaky work shoes in Seattle in the dead of winter when it's raining every fucking morning counts as a necessity. So I'm about to head out to a shoe store, on a Tuesday night, because I found one that's open till 9:00 and I'm sick of not having minimally functional shoes to wear to work. But this day completely sucks.

Susan, what size do you wear, and what sort of work shoes are you looking for? I mean, yes, go out and buy some shoes that don't leak RIGHT NOW, for goodness sake. But I can also ask around with some of the other people I know and see who has what stashed away in their swap boxes.

Vortex, can you do what you need to do with no keyboard?:

Use your on screen keyboard.

On the Start menu:

• Point to All Programs.
• Point to Accessories.
• Point to Accessibility.
• Select On–Screen Keyboard.

Using On–Screen Keyboard

and of course, I'm sure that someone is thinking "why don't you just buy a new keyboard". problem is that this computer is old and slow, and I don't want to put any more money into it. I even have a USB keyboard, but I cant use it with the iPhone because only one of the USB ports work. argh. I'm just whining, ignore me.