Oh yeah. What a horrific train wreck -- horrific because there are so many small children caught up in it through no fault of their own.

Add into this... three of her pre-existing children are disabled enough to qualify for disability payments. And her father has to go to Iraq as a translator for work... which has to rank up there as one of the most dangerous jobs there can be.

Why was my haircut being discussed? And, more importantly, WHAT WAS SAID?!?

I was complimenting the look. Again. And Hec was describing how thick your hair is. With hand gestures and everything.

Man, I need . . . something.

Apparently, I missed some deadline with my lease and didn't get the message until over the weekend so I left a message with my landlord's service and got another message last night. They need to inspect my apartment. What's up with that?

Is that normal?

I'm very ashamed of the state of my apartment and the prospect of strangers coming in and seeing it is really, really wrecking me.

Should I worry? Can I be tossed out for extreme slopmonsteriness?

My apartment complex had a big-time inspection last summer due to the city coming by later in the fall for their own inspections. They did fix the loose fence on my balcony, which was a good thing.

If you can just do a quick pick-up, wash your dishes, sweep the floor/vacumn, I think they'll ignore any dust on the shelves or grungy tile in the bathroom. That's what I did Monday morning before the maintenance guy came over to fix my HVAC unit and replace my kitchen light bulbs, and it really looks much better for the two hours I put into cleaning. The bathroom is still in dire need of some serious scrubbing, and the bedroom has piles of stuff to go through in the corners, but otherwise, it's not too bad.

Is that normal?

Leases generally have a section that allow landlords to come in and inspect the property once a year, ostensibly for safety reasons, etc. The inspection isn't supposed to be of your housekeeping, but of the HVAC, water pressure, etc., kinds of things.

Well, we'll see if I have time to do anything. (I have stacks of stuff that needs to get thrown away. Stacks.)

Well, there's stuff like a gap in the plaster between the ceiling and the wall of the living room - that I didn't create but has been building for years. But is that really something that they can fix?

If you think you'll have time to go through stuff tonight after they show up for their inspection, you can always do what I usually do in such circumstances--take everything off of the floor and pile it on top of my (made) bed, and then go through the pile before going to sleep. It concentrates all the mess to one area, making the rest of the apartment look great, and gives the impression that you've at least made progress on the "cleaning stuff out" front.

Underwear protest at India attack

Indians outraged at an attack on women for drinking in a bar have gathered together to send a provocative gift of underwear to right-wing activists.

More than 5,000 people, including men, have joined the Facebook group, which calls itself the Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women.

The group says it will give the pink underwear to Sri Ram Sena (Army of Lord Ram) on Valentine's Day on Saturday.

It was blamed for the bar attack in the southern city of Mangalore last month.

Pramod Mutalik, who heads the little known Ram Sena and is now on bail after he was held following the attack, has said it is "not acceptable" for women to go to bars in India.

He has also said his men will protest against Valentine's Day on Saturday.

The Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women, which was formed on Facebook last Thursday, has also exhorted women to "walk to the nearest pub and buy a drink" on Valentine's Day.

Okay, my co-workers need to shut-up. Their voices are even cutting through my earphones. This place is nearly always quiet, except when I am on a deadline!