Oh no Sue! I'm sorry.

I think that Project Runway should have a creamer suit design challenge.

Well tommyrot is certainly on a roll.

Jesus, Sue. I mean, yay, but that's after you recover from the gut-punch. Hugs to you.

My day has caused me shriftian levels of rage.

Dude. That sucks. I almost took out a socially-maladjusted little shit in the Barnes & Noble manga section this afternoon, but other than that, I've been scrambling around all day doing job interviews and juggling phone calls.

Have now more interviews than I know what to do with. Talking to Google on Friday. Waiting to hear back about job interview at Northwestern. Have interviews Thursday and Monday as well.

I need a personal assistant. Or, you know, a day planner.

because she's kind of snobby and also mostly blind, aside from having everything she needs, after 89 years!

Gifts I've given to my grandmother when she was blind and I was at a distance: chair massage cushion (she was mostly sedentary at that point), restaurant gift certificates (depending on her status, you could give ones that deliver), audiobooks, life story recording session.

About the latter, we had the equipment, but you needn't make it fancy. We interviewed her and recorded her telling about her own life. When it was complete, we gave her a polished up copy, and gave them out to her family.

We just did a similar prompting project for my folks; we gave them some Circa notebook supplies and asked them to write their own story. The SO's dad did it years ago at his prompting and it's been a great thing for the family to have. My dad just began his and hopes to expand it as he goes (thus the Circa, so it's reconfigurable).

Anyway, aural or tactile stuff, or stuff that smells nice or tastes good if she likes that sort of thing. We buy lots of consumables for people that have a bunch of stuff. Spend the money on quality instead and get really special foods they wouldn't normally buy.

Not that you asked for ideas! I think the flowers are awesome and should come on her birthday!

On clothing & book accumulation, I'm really on the other side of the spectrum right now. I've done a pretty good job purging in the past and I use everything I have (not having that much money helps to focus in my needs).

But now that we're in the new house that finally has some storage space, I've been thinking it's time I deliberately and carefully added to my clothes and books. I want to do it slowly, because I know I'll accumulate junk in this house and use up the space quickly and I hope to stay here for a long long time.

Still, I feel like it's about time I felt like an adult and bought specific types of clothing I want to have in my wardrobe, and specific collections of books from authors I love. I'm trying to buy hardback so they'll last (it was traumatic when my Douglas Adams' tRatEotU wore out) and I am trying to buy used (like at the library sale here where I totally scored, including a copy of the abovementioned), but I'm definitely adding stuff.

Thanks guys. It was a gut punch. But it was sweet at the same time.

Anyway, I've been distracted by news of another severed foot floating ashore. This time, in SWEDEN! [link]

Oh, Sue. That is a gut punch. {{{}}}

Have now more interviews than I know what to do with

This is not a bad thing at all! Yay!!! Here's to you finding employment at a good place with great $$ and benefits!!

Sue, I'm so sorry for the gut punch. Oooof. Still, a very sweet gesture.

waves sloungy ponpoms for shrift

I know conversation has moved on but I'd switch teams for Rachel Maddow.(Rowr!) And Richard Wolffe grabs a little piece of my heart every time he says "Obamar". I'm not sure why, except Anglophilia likes carrots.

Anyway, aural or tactile stuff, or stuff that smells nice or tastes good if she likes that sort of thing. We buy lots of consumables for people that have a bunch of stuff. Spend the money on quality instead and get really special foods they wouldn't normally buy.

Yeah, that is what we tend to do, but I try to rotate, you know -- a person can only use so much lotion! And, awesomely, she gets her audiobooks from the library at the local school for the blind, so books on tape are wasted. I've given her clothing store gift certificates, because she still likes to shop but doesn't have much money.

Anyway, I think I'll do the flowers and get one of those singing cards to give her at the party.

Timelies all!

{{{Sue}}}