I have never heard of Sambo before today. What's the connotation?

Also, for a good old-fashioned WASPy name, I present Elizabeth. It's been popular forever for a reason. Also, it has a list of nicknames a mile long. And yes, I did have ancestors on the Mayflower. But otherwise you're probably safe choosing the name of any American Girl doll. Surely there's a Charity or a Chastity somewhere.

Let's see - that was middle school so she must have been 13 or 14. She traveled to 5 countries in Europe over 2 weeks.

Wow, you're awesome. My mom didn't let me go to Europe by myself when I was 22.

Yay, Burbank, ita!!

And OMG. I started a diet TODAY for the first time ever. You guys are making me wanna cry about pie. Holy crap. How on earth does the diet business stay in business? I don't think I'm cut out for this nonsense. I want pie. Followed by a pizza pie.

I don't think I can finish my thesis. I sit down to work on it, and I stare at the screen or the paper, and I just can't get anything done. At all. It's like my brain has just blocked all thesis-related thoughts. I don't know what's wrong with me.

I had a vegan vanilla cupcake for a snack this afternoon. So dense I had to cut it with a knife into several small slices.

Sounds amazing. Would almost be a fabulous substitute for pie.

Aww, Hil. I suck at higher math, but is there anything I can do to help?

OOh, I would say the top layer of creaminess should be banana, but then there should be a layer of like, just thin thin chocolate. Not cream.

Sort of like the Dove ice creams with their layer of ganache. Which is not so much with the thin, but the idea is there.

Now I want ice cream. And pie. Mmm... warm berry pie with good vanilla ice cream.

Yeah, I'm on a diet too-- and my sweets/desserts calories were taken up with the Reese's peanut butter cup my son insisted on sharing with me because he's actually a good kid like that.

Thesis ~ma to Hil

Thanks, guys.

Everyone keeps suggesting I take a break. I'm not sure how taking a break will solve the problem of not doing work. I think that, tomorrow, I might try working on a different section than the one I've been working on -- maybe just thinking about a different topic might help.

An actual break might help you get re-started, instead of just not getting stuff done. If nothing else, I often have breakthroughs in thinking when I'm doing something else, other than the thing I've been staring at the computer about. Go to the movies or something.

Hil, when I was working on my thesis ( BS) I had a friend who would fairly regularly "kidnap" me when I descended into spirals of non-productiveness (or just plain nutsdom.) Whether it was to one of her ultimate games, forcing me into the pool, a movie or a heavy 3 drink lunch (when I was really losing it), it probably kept me sane(-er.) Maybe suggesting that to a friend might help?

It was really hard for me to motivate myself to take a break that was actually worth shit, but being bodily dragged from the lab and not allowed to talk about what I was doing (I think the phrase was "Shut the fuck up.") did me a world of good.

So barring the kitten having anything that would make my cats permanently sick, looks like I'm acquiring a third. Oy. He's got a vet appt Friday, after I take mine in to update their vaccs.

N stopped by (Miss Louise's great granddaughter) to borrow catfood for HER cat, since she'd run out. (Yes, this worries me.) Luckily, I still had leftovers from when mine weren't on special diets. She said "So you are taking Tiger?" Looks like, since the family all seems to view it that way. N is moving out, with her cat.

This is going to be Very Interesting.

(Despite all my trepidation, I really, really hope this kitten isn't a carrier of anything. I'm happy to give him a home. Even if it goes against all my plans.)

Funny after the conversation in here today, I just got an email from a friend who is opening a maternity/kids consignment boutique in NYC. At the end of her list of the kinds of things they're looking for was this:

We cannot accept gear of any kind, because NY requires a license for that kind of stuff.

I wouldn't have had the first idea what that meant before today.

(Here's the store, by the way, opening at the end of the month: [link] She's working on the website.)