Whoa, Meara, that's rotten. As much as it's been difficult to severe all communications with the woman who birthed me, I probably should be relieved that I have no siblings who offer judgment (although all of my other family members completely back me. Still.) because every person's relationship with his/her parents is unique. Hope he takes the hint and backs the hell off.

I am terribly, terribly cranky and tired and sitting in the Lounge at the Buenos Aires airport on a 6 hour layover...totally diamond shoes crankyness. And you know what's worse? And so totally diamond and emerald shoes cranky? I am SORE from the unbelievably awesome horseback ride (in the Andes, yeah!) yesterday; a bit hungover from staying up too late with friends drinking fantastic (and cheap) Chilean vino, and fiercely pissed that I've seen ALMOST all of the silly film "27 Dresses" but the planes keep landing before the ending, so I've not seen the ending. I wanna see it! Waaaaaaaaaahhhh. Hope they show it on the flight to DC so I can watch the last 20 minutes. It's probably wrong to think Katherine Heigl is as adorable as I find her. But I don't care.

Did I mention the cranky?

Maybe the real problem is that my vacation has ended. Sadmaking. And angrymaking. I really should have skipped Buenos Aires and spent the whole time in Chile.

Ugh, meara. I hate it when siblings tell you how to be a good daughter by doing all the things for your parents that they DON'T do.

I found my missing Important Document last night! Until then I'd been having a horrible weekend, but that redeemed it. I'm just glad no one saw the sort of flamenco-jig combo I danced around the basement to celebrate!

I also went to bed at 10:30 and didn't get up till 8:00, so I'm feeling the best rested I've been in like forever. And, funnily enough, I'm in an infinitely better mood than I was 24 hours ago.

Off to Costco to pick up my new glasses...

Java, I totally get the end-of-vacation blues! I'm glad you had such a good time in Chile, though.

I need to keep on grading, but I seem to not be doing so. Oops.

Do I need to empty those out?

I second Suzi. When I moved, all the movers told me that I didn't have to empty any drawers if the contents were not breakable. So, my 2 drawer filing cabinet, 4 drawer dresser, and 5 drawer lingerie chest stayed full. No problems whatsoever in the moving.

Go, Kristin, go!!! (I'm trying to motivate for the grading process....would bribery of chocolate be a better motivator?)

Love the hivemind! I'm sure there will be more questions to come. I think this is the biggest move I've ever done. YIKES!

Um. Pictures in frames on walls. Poster size kind. Bubble wrap? Box? What supplies do I need to make sure they & the glass survive the move?

Just sent an e-mail to landlord giving notice. 8 years in one place! I think that is the longest I've ever lived in one dwelling. My 1st dwelling as a child might be longer, but not by much.

(yes, I am avoiding cleaning/packing. I shouldn't be, but I am feeling agggh. Must make list so I don't feel trapped of "too much to do")

Um. Pictures in frames on walls. Poster size kind. Bubble wrap? Box? What supplies do I need to make sure they & the glass survive the move?

U-Haul makes picture boxes. I would wrap in bubble wrap and put in the picture box.

Check craigslist for free boxes. People are giving boxes away all the time. And, boxes can add up to mucho $$. I got all my boxes free from craigslist except for dish boxes and drinkware boxes. I splurged on good ones from U-Haul.

Just sent an e-mail to landlord giving notice. 8 years in one place! I think that is the longest I've ever lived in one dwelling.

I totally get this. When I moved last fall, I had been in my previous apartment for 8.5 years. That's longer than I lived anywhere ever.

To the people who move every few years, where is "home"? I lived in one place till I was 21, then moved to Utah, where I lived in a couple of apartments until I got married and we spent the next twenty years in one place. We've moved twice in the past two years, and I've realized that there's an uneasy blank spot in my head that's labelled Home.

So what do people think of as Home? How do you define it when you move on a regular basis? Hubby never had a place he called home until we got married, he was raised military and moving every couple of years was standard for him. For me, that kind of transcience is a kind of hell. He liked having one place to go back to, but he called my unwillingness to move inertia. I suppose we're both right, but I'm wondering if people possibly saner than I had a better way of coping.

So what do people think of as Home? How do you define it when you move on a regular basis?

When I was a kid, it was where my parents were. And, it really was like that until I graduated from graduate school. Now, home is where my stuff is.

I don't have a place where I grew up that I think of as "home" just places I used to live.

I have been more productive today than in...a month! I did a load of laundry, and cleaned two if my ceiling fans (boy, that was gross) did cover letters and on-line apps job-hunting stuff, and am now going to go to the grocery store!

Then I am going to go see the SatC movie with a pregnant friend.

Oh, and (girly stuff)I got my period for the first time since April! Not usually an occasion for !!! but I'm happy to know that my uterus is still working. Let's hope Le Surgery makes things a bit easier in the girly-bits monthly maintenence department.

Home is where the books and cats are.