(((Laga)) I'm so sorry you and your family are having to deal with this.

Ugh, Laga, that's so hard. I hope it helps, even if it takes a while (which I gather can be the case with intervention/addiction-type situations). And I mean "helps" for both your sister and your entire family, because this is hard for all of you.

I just shocked myself while removing a plug from a surge protector.

Ironically, after I posted this morning, we went back for the final classes/presentations of the kink convention, and one of the presentations was on electric play. (It did NOT, however, involve surge protectors.)

Also, vw -- I didn't mean to post melodramatically about wanting to stab my hand with a pen and then leave for hours. But I'm about to check my e-mail, so thank you in advance.

ION, we just bought a KitchenAid mixer. We've had a $100 Best Buy gift card since Xmas 2007, and we also actually had a $100 bill that was also left over from Xmas (I have NO idea how we had the discipline to not spend it), and there was a Best Buy literally 2 minutes from where the kink convention was, so we decided it was time to get a KitchenAid mixer. (We had kept on talking about it, but then never following through, but I've been doing a lot of baking this fall, and I realized how much easier it would be with a mixer. So opportunity presented itself and we jumped on it. Not literally. That would break the mixer.)

Ohh Kitchen Aid mixers are the best.

Steph, where is your brother in Vermont?

Laga - I'm glad your family is facing this together.

Teppy - what color did you get?

Mmmmm, I got mixer envy.

Ohh Kitchen Aid mixers are the best.

I want to bake something right now!

Teppy - what color did you get?

White, because the white 275-watt mixer was $199, which is what we had. The colored ones cost more (but they are also higher wattage -- 300 watts -- which I assume is the real reason for the higher price). If the prices were the same, I would have lobbied hard for a red one.

The Boy just yelled from the other room that I should say we bought the VANILLA mixer.

Steph, where is your brother in Vermont?

The restaurant is in Waterbury -- called The Alchemist Pub & Brewery. In case SLNRLBF is anywhere near there, he should definitely go eat there and have their beer. It's very very good (both the food and the beer), as a handful of Buffistas (Nora & Tom, Trudy, megan walker) can attest. He and his wife live in Northfield. Waterbury is maybe 10-15 minutes west of Montpelier, and Northfield is about 10 minutes south of Montpelier.

Not literally. That would break the mixer.

Unlikely. The fuckers are cast iron -- they can defend themselves.

{{Laga}} I'm so sorry your family is going through this. I hope your sister pays attention, even if she doesn't act on it now.

I have the serious KitchenAid envy. I've got a FauxAid, which is better than a hand held, but not by much. I want a red one, even if it doesn't match my kitchen.

I'm so classically Virgo in that way—the cool exterior that masks a really sensual, earthy inner self, but no one believes me when I say that and I don't let the inner self fully out except with someone very trusted. Or to lesser degrees, in my adult writing, my cooking, or on occasion, my clothes.

Barb, I suppose it must be because of how much time here is spent talking about writing, cooking, and clothing, but I've always assumed passionate and sensual about you. Then again, passionate is a default assumption I make about authors. I figure a writer without passion is like dessert without chocolate: can happen, but not very interesting.

Hugs to all Bitches who want them. Warm fuzzy thoughts to the rest of you, anyway. Also, Harvey-purrs.

Well, SLNRLBF will be in the area later in the week and plans to stop in.