It's nothing compared to the Invisible Woman effect, but when I was a kid buying my first car with Dad in tow the dealers were all trying to sell me on powerful engines and speed and Girl Magnet potential when I was looking for low maintenance and good handling. One tried to pressure me to buy on the spot with the threat of another buyer, and lost any chance at making a sale. (The car I did end up buying was a pitiful jalopy, but the dealer had a low-key sales pitch and always treated me fair.)

Couldn't find out what happened to the roommate I moved out on is doing. I knew it'd be a bad match when she stated we that the smell of feta made her puke as I was putting feta in our fridge, she was a morning person who went to bed at 8, did not allow alcohol in the room and that smokers were evil. It was as if the dorm people had matched polar opposites, so I quickly got a single. She wasn't a bad person, we got along fine at work, just a horrid combo.

Aw. My parents called to check up on me. Verdict? Scotch is working tonight. Heh. Completely sober me was shaking all day and pretty useless.

It'll all be part of your past soon, sarameg. Never mind.

Someday, I'll laugh at the nerves. Someday. Actually, I laugh at them now but cannot shed them. At least I've had confirmation that stress=major factor in weight loss for me. I've been losing since the stress amped up but then when it went to 11? So did the loss.

I am thrilled to pieces the Irena Sendler story is coming to prime time. God love those students in Kansas who fleshed it out for consumption.

Cool: the new president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California is a lesbian who was active in the Prop 8 fight. [link] (The Board of Rabbis of Northern California has had a gay president for a few years now.)

Our closing was anticlimactic in the end. Our seller was not local, so he'd mailed the docs in. We went in earlier that week to finish the paperwork and hand over the jack. And it was just land, so there wasn't any key to give. There wasn't any time we were sitting at a table; we just waited until the official time and it was done. We were kinda like, huh.

Anyway, I'm super excited for you and can't wait to see you happily settled in.

When my mom wanted a Cadillac she and Dad went to the dealership and no matter how many questions Mom asked or how many times Dad insisted, "the car is for her." The salesman would not stop talking to Dad. Finally Mom & Dad walked away & the saleman followed asking what he could do to put Dad in a Cadillac. Dad said, "The car is for her and I can tell you one thing: it won't be a Cadillac."

I also have a friend whose Mom was the accountant of the family for so long that when the Dad endorsed a check (for an account under his name) the bank didn't want to cash it because the signature didn't match the signature on file... that his wife had been forging for years.

Please to help: What's with the hipster grifter?

Thanks Barb, I enjoyed that.