Being in the pool or laying on my heating pad helps, but unfortunately I can't do that all day long.

GC - the pregnancy massage I got at Burke-Williams was nothing short of amazing! AND I got a milk bath beforehand. It was AWESOME!!

(Thanks again to the awesome ladies who got that for me. Five years on and I still marvel in the wonderfullness of that massage.)

So, hearing about the man in Wales who accused a supermarket of discrimination because he's a Jedi and they made him remove his hood led me to the Jedi Church website: [link] .

I know I should be working, but this is so much more fun.

ETA: Not employers. Just a supermarket he went into. Even more fun.

I love Tesco's response in the Guardian.

I love Tesco's response in the Guardian.

Someone in their Human Resources dept had a really inspired day there.

GC, have you tried ice? It helped my back problem this summer. And if you can sit up, it's relatively easy to slip an ice pack (or even a bag of frozen vegetables) on the area.

However, my problem was an inflamed disk. So, very different causes, possibly very different solutions.

I knew you guys would be nice about it.

All pets, particularly ones who help their owners through hard times, deserve respect.

Here in the Land of Too Much Water, I've been dealing with a stir-crazy terrier. Mr Peabody insisted on going out when it was raining and now the sky has opened up and he's stuck under a table in the back. It has been so wet he's gotten over his fear of the towel and will run to me to be dried off.

We also have school system closings; roads closed because of flooding and sinkholes; many fallen trees, which is what you get when you have four years of drought damage plus very soggy ground; and at least four deaths. It's pretty apocalyptic out there [link]

Poor GC.

I love Tesco's response in the Guardian.

And yet again, I love the Brits. They have such a higher tolerance for harmless oddity in their lives.

Tesco's response, for those who haven't seen it:

Tesco said: "He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores although we would ask them to remove their hoods.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood.

"If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers."

Happy Birthday, Smonster!!!

Seska, I'm sorry for your loss.

{{{GC}}} I hope you find some relief for the back pain.