Oh dear, Owen.

One of my friends had two of her kids with her at the office today -- the 18-month-old and the baby. The 18-month-old is an interesting kid. She's not terribly responsive to other people -- you try to talk to her, and she gives you this look like, "Huh. A human. Fascinating."

Oh, Cash! What a horrible ordeal. Please don't apologize for ranting. I would say that situation is extremely rantable.

Thanks, guys. I've just been dark grey because of computer issues, then I come in and vomit all this out. Been a rough few days.

I suspect Owen is totally fine. I asked him about knives and he said, "We don't cut friends" and "we only cut bananas"--the only thing I'll let him cut up with a butter knife. He must have seen one of my Buffy comics or possibly PotC because I can't see him getting homicidal urges from Noggin or Nick, Jr. programming.

Who knows? Maybe the New Mom freaked him out. He's impulsive that way. But they've removed all the play knives from the kitchen set in the playroom at the gym.

DH has apologized to me and we are leaving tomorrow for a weekend away (albeit to Columbus to handle some house stuff). But we will be in a nice hotel and my in-laws are keeping the kids for us. So we should hopefully recharge and I can regain my sanity.

But not until I finish editing this piece, get some emails out and pack for our trip.

"We don't cut friends" and "we only cut bananas"

Sure thing!

I'd try to meara, but there is just too much.

{{{{{{{{Bitches near and far}}}}}}}}}

Professional conference today. Learned some stuff. The thing that stands out most clearly is the differences in the brain scans of normal vs. Alzheimer's patients. I knew there was deterioration of brain function, but I did not realize that actual brain tissue degenerated and was lost. Fuh-Reaky.

eep!

Is it true that working puzzles helps keep Alzheimers at bay?

I remember reading an article years ago about a study that they did on a group of nuns, and there was one elderly nun who was totally lucid and sharp and witty until the day she died, and when they did an autopsy, they found that her brain had the same sort of deterioration that they usually see in Alzheimer's. Really weird.

Is it true that working puzzles helps keep Alzheimers at bay?

Dunno, it wasn't brought up. But while cognitive skills such as memory, concepts of time, language, planning and judgement are lost, things like enjoyment and response to music, sense of humor, and ability to read non-verbal emotional cues are not lost. Alzheimer's patients can get to the point where the mirror their caregivers' feelings. So if you are in a stressed out rush, you get a stressed out, frustrated Alzheimer's patient. If you can stay calm, easy-going, and ready with the humor, it will come back to you from the patient/client/resident/whatever-term-is-appropriate.

I bought some chocolate hemp milk. It's interesting. The chocolate mostly covers up any hempy taste, but there's a sort of weird undertaste.