Man, I missed so much Natter.

Allyson, I'm very happy that a solution was found at your work. Clearly, a guy who actually needs two assistants wasn't going to be happy with one, heavily overburdened assistant. Definitely, Not your fault.

Check out this puppy! - they've played with the Daily Puppy format and I like it.

What else do they like, Dana? Sometimes the organic wines are v. good, and sometimes...nsm.

I have always done chores since I was a kid. Mom would do laundry when we were little but I think by the times we were 12 or so, we started to do a lot of our own clothes. By the time I was about 15, I didn't WANT mom to do my clothes. She still did towels and sheets, tho.

I was absolutely flabbergasted by a girl in my dorm freshman week who didn't know how to wash her own clothes. Also, we were getting ready in her dorm room for a party, and she was lending me a shirt or something (as girls do -- "This would be SO CUTE on you, OMG!!) and when I stripped down, I had -- GASP -- non-matching panties and bra. Her dumbfounded statement: "Your mom LETS you wear non-matching lingerie?!"

I just looked at her for a minute and said, "My mom really doesn't have a say in my underwear anymore."

The only time I have EVER EVER had maid service was when I did my semester abroad and the building had a lady who would come in once a week and vaccuum and change the sheets. I thought that was nice, but weird.

One of my girlfriends has a cleaning service that comes in once every two weeks, and she's so not rich, and it just amazes me.

Gronk. Second night in a row where I woke up at 4 am and only got very restless sleep for the rest of the morning, if that. Do. Not. Like.

At least it was a gorgeous weekend in Maine - finally a trip away that was actually relaxing (and I managed to get laundry and grocery shopping done as well).

Two videos which I haven't watched: Law prof and cop agree: never ever ever ever ever ever ever talk to the cops about a crime, even if you're innocent

In a brilliant pair of videos, , Prof. James Duane of the Regent University School of Law and Officer George Bruch of the Virginia Beach Police Department present a forceful case for never, ever, ever speaking to the police without your lawyer present. Ever. Never, never, never.

I'll have to watch them later, but is this so?

Only time I have done maid service was when we were moving. Too much going on with working and packing and needing to keep the house in show quality.

My kids do chores and know how to wash their own laundry. CJ is a vacuum king. Dishes - my mom cooks, I work, so the kids do those for the most part. With K-Bug heading off to school soon, I'll have to jump in and help CJ. But hello - it is all part of keeping the house running.

Last night in CJ's Karate class, we wre joking with the instructor about Karate Kid and turning all the house chores into Karate exercises - Show me Vacuum Floor, Show me Wash the Windows.

What else do they like, Dana? Sometimes the organic wines are v. good, and sometimes...nsm.

Um. They like their grandkids, but those are pretty much covered.

I'll have to watch them later, but is this so?

If there's anything I've learned from Law & Order (not to mention Criminal Intent), it's this.

He was really appreciative of me coming in on the weekend to sort out my stuff and get it all organized.

I think the problem was, at JPL, my assistant role was completely different. My job was to deflect the bureaucracy and bullshit away from him and let him do his job in peace. I was running defense.

Here, he's not a group supervisor in an immense 5000 person strong lab, he's the CEO of a company that has grown 40% in the last year, and will double in the next 18 months.

His needs have completely changed, and my talents don't suit those needs.

He needs a sort of polished, calm, sweater-set and clicky heels sort who has his calendar open on a PDA all day.

I'm the jeans, nails bitten to the quick, on my hands in knees under a bench crawling through wires searching for a missing resonator while proofing a press release and dealing with the fire department about a missing bottle of hydrofluoric acid and trading mix CDs with the engineers-sort.

Whatever that means.

My hopes and dreams remain the same, though. I still want to get a masters degree from USC. And I really desperately want my new book to be good. Oh please please let it be good. And sell. Please. I want that more than anything.

Do they do digital photos? Maybe one of those frames that changes the photo every ten minutes or so?

A subscrption to Organic Living and an organic fruit basket?

I dunno -- my hostess gifts are usually limited to making my bed and helping with the dishes, and leaving whatever liquor I didn't drink the night before at the house.

Sounds like this wouldn't quite cut it.

Dana, sometimes some nice flowers (or a fruit basket, cookie basket, or whatever) with a thank you is wonderful--I often get caught up with wondering what someone likes or needs or wants but I've found that these things are always welcome and it's the thought that counts.

We just got a box of pears from Harry & David as a thank you gift for hosting some guests and we LOVED them. I often send thank you's via Cheryl & Co.