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.

Oh, yeah, organic wines is totally a big thing now. there's a journal and everything evidently:

I didn't know they existed either until last night when I happened to see them drinking it on Alter Eco.

I have a hivemind question...about twitter? Is it something useful? Is it for teens? If you join, do you use your name like here or use your real name? I am so out of the loop on this.

That makes a lot of sense, Allyson. and I see no reason why your dreams shouldn't happen.

Dana --tickets to some thing they can do with their grandkids?

But , remember a thank you is just that, a thank you. The gift is the part that says "no really, thank you". it doesn't have to be grand -- just something nice. That's why flowers are often the best thing -- they say thanks , they are pretty and they don't clutter up the place forever. ( just no lillies -- they kill anyone with even vague allergies)

SuziQ, Karate Kid was on tv last night! I had fun watching "Sand the floor...paint the fence...wax on, wax off..."

Good luck on the new position, Allyson, and on any potential job-hunting in the future if you decide to do so. Oh, and definitely on the new book!! I saw you mention it was a kids book--what's the topic, if you don't mind my asking?