I was about to leave the house when it started pouring rain. I took it as a sign to stay in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUMI!!!!!!

Poor mac and msbelle! I have a vague memory of literally climbing the furniture in the examining room in an effort to escape the doctor, screaming bloody murder the whole time. Neither my mother nor the doctor were amused.

I think you talking him through it, again will help. Maybe you can give him like a code word or signal or something that he can use to remind himself to breath and think happy thoughts.

we just had a talk about a lizard brain, because he was spazzing out about walking into a room that had all the lights on - you see, he could see a doorway into another room that had the lights off and that is scary. He claims unable to go into the room with the lights on without me because of the visual on the scary dark room, and of course he is unable to go turn on the lights in the dark room.

also? they were playing Christmas music in the grocery store.

Here, too. And B&N.

I had a big freakout when I was 4 to avoid being given a billious yellow-green liquid tranquilizer—my parents had to chase me throughout the house and pin me down to make me swallow it. I have no idea why I reacted so strongly to it out of the blue (though I was right to do so... to this day it's the worst thing I've ever tasted), but needles have only ever made me slightly squeamish if I watch them going in.

OMG -- I can't believe I didn't realize until I looked it up that this one guest star on Ugly Betty was Ralph Macchio!! He must have had good work done, because he looks way too generic.

Finished the writing part and I have all day tomorrow (after resting my brain with homebrew and sleep) to edit and tweak.

Excellent!! Have some wonderful brews (home or otherwise).

ION, there's apparently a tornado warning in the Boston area now as well.

needles have only ever made me slightly squeamish if I watch them going in.

I'm much better with needles if I can watch them going in. Not being allowed to watch makes everything ten times worse. I don't really like needles, but I hate feeling something without knowing what's happening.

This was always a huge pain when I was a kid, with blood-taking people who thought that they knew what was best for kids, and what was "best" for kids was to close their eyes and look away. They wouldn't even attempt to put the needle in until I was distracted, and I was so freaked out at the thought of a needle going into my arm without me being able to see what was going on that I'd scream and cry and do everything I could to get the designated "distract the kid" person to go away. And I had a very hard time trying to explain that it wasn't the needle I wanted to go away (though I wasn't thrilled about the needle), it was the distraction that I wanted to go away.

I do have to admit - this above 60 degree weather in November up here is...not reassuring.