I was planning on giving them the gifts until my dad informed me it would be inappropriate,

I meant to say this (but maybe didn't, because brain all gone this week): wonderful as your dad is, you two don't exactly live in the same world. So while you totally shouldn't kill yourself, and shouldn't feel the need to give them if you don't WANT to, it's not inappropriate at all. From what you said, the parents nice people, and I don't think it'll be particularly weird. Now, if you'd tried to kill him, rather than just having said enough to his ill-informed criticism, and THEN gave them presents, that might be inappropriate.

Which people may have said already, since I just skipped ahead.

I was really hoping for a snow day today (and I think the kids were already counting on it!), but no go. Blah.

(In an addendum: after I broke up with Good Ex of the East, I would absolutely have given his mother the tablecloth I'd been making... except a) it turned out she had, like, 15 tablecloths and b) I'm really lazy and never finished it. But his parents gave me their old Ataris, and THAT wasn't inappropriate, so there you go.)

I got a cal from the garbage truck people. Garbage truck lost air pressure and can't move.

Wonderful.

Hi. I just dragged myself out of bed and am about to get in the shower, and I'm seriously just over it. I haven't slept well in days and I only got a few hours last night and my body and my heart just ache, literally, and I'm so tired that driving 45 minutes to work just feels impossible and I don't know how I'm going to get through all morning of teaching. I can't call in. It's a review day for finals. But dear god do I want to. Sorry to whine, but I'm so over this fucking year. I was jut talking to my best friend from high school last night and saying how nice it was that the crises had finally let up a bit, and now...

Anyway. I just needed to get that off my chest before I could force myself into the shower and through the day.

vw, you haven't been horribly bitchy about CBD here. You've bitched considerably less than I usually do when I am in a break up.

{{{{{Kristin}}}}} Much getting through the day ~ma, and ~ma for Zoe.

Kristin, I hope the commute, and the day is as easy as possible on you.

Much Zoe~ma. It's never easy. Kristin, how possible would it be to have your students work on their own for large parts of the day? Or would that help even if it were possible?

((((Maria)))) I spent a large part of my growing-up years in a town with a major GM plant. If GM goes under, the town's dead. So I sympathize.

((((vw))))

{{Pix and Drew}} Much, much Zoe~ma.

{{Maria}} Gobs of job~ma. Here's hoping the short-sighted Senators go out and get a new prescription before they drive the economy-bus over the cliff. If it was only their own private short bus, I'd say let it go.

All possible ~ma to Pix and Drew and Zoe.

And, vw, what everyone else said, about how wise and mindful and self-aware you're being through all this sadness, and what an amazing person you are and how hard you've worked to get here -- and what a fool Aaron is to not see it (though, I think, part of it is that he's just so young, and six or seven years down the road he's going to look back at his present self and be baffled by his complete ignorance and cluelessness).

And {{{Maria}}}. I've thought of you often and missed your pixels and your good self, and I'm sorry it's taken panic over impending economic catastrophe to bring you back and posting again. Your life should be full of good things, dammit.

ION, Hec just called from the road. The car died again, in traffic, so he's going to lumber to the East Bay and just stash it someplace safe, and we'll try to figure out what to do over the weekend. It's on the verge of total disintegration, and I'm guessing that by trying to get by with it over the last couple of weeks we've driven its trade-in value down to zero. But we can't get by without a car. If any localistas know anyone who's got an extra car they're trying to get rid of, ping me, please.

(though, I think, part of it is that he's just so young, and six or seven years down the road he's going to look back at his present self and be baffled by his complete ignorance and cluelessness).

Yeah, Tom recognized his old self in some of the cluelessness.

And I'm also sorry if I've been very bitchy about CBD and/or the breakup in this space (and in my LJ, actually). He really is not a bad guy, and I don't want to paint him that way.

This is your place so you can bitch as much as you want but, as others have said, you've come across as being remarkably fair.

(though, I think, part of it is that he's just so young, and six or seven years down the road he's going to look back at his present self and be baffled by his complete ignorance and cluelessness).

This is what I've been thinking too. I think he's being an ass about the christmas presents (although, like everyone has said, you should do what you feel is best) but mostly it sounds like he was just not prepared for how difficult and complicated being in a long-term relationship can be and he isn't willing or maybe even able to do the work that it takes to sustain the relationship.