I have entered the Pit of Despair, AKA, Abby's room for a culling and cleaning and a vague hope of eventually finding the floor.

That sounds like my daughter's room. She was supposed to clean it up early this week, but she got sick. Maybe this weekend.

CJ has until school starts to take care of his room on his own. After that, it is me and a garbage bag. Mean mom, mean mom.

I love Xenu. From Wikipedia:

Xenu, also Xemu (pronounced /ˈziːnuː/[1][2][3]) was, according to Scientology founder and science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions[4][5] of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes and killed them using hydrogen bombs. Scientology holds that the essences of these many people remained, and that they form around people in modern times, causing them spiritual harm

Awesome! A stunning amount of not-sense-making. I never knew about the DC-8.

The appearance of these spacecraft would later be subconsciously expressed in the design of the Douglas DC-8, the only difference being: "the DC8 had fans, propellers on it and the space plane didn't."

Uh-huh. And what does it mean that the DC-8 was sorta' a copy of the 707?

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I really want to go to Paris, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford it.

Can't I pretend I'm dying and you guys could do one of those fandom internet funds for me as a final wish and then i could have a miracle recovery or something?

I love Xenu. From Wikipedia:

I think this probably was supposed to go into the Bitches thread. But it is an awesome non-sequitur in here.

I think this probably was supposed to go into the Bitches thread. But it is an awesome non-sequitur in here.

Oopsie.

Yes, random Xenu love can be amusing....

I really want to go to Paris, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford it.

My friends went in April and rented a flat near Montmarte for a week through an agency. It was cheaper than a hotel and let them eat at home for most meals, which also saved them money. You could go with a group of friends which would make it even more affordable.

I'd go with you.

I really want to go to Paris, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford it.

Well, maybe not Grand Everything Shop Till You Drop, Paris, but if you want to hit museums and eat great food (because even their street food and snacky food is better than our food) you could probably save up for that.

When I was there I didn't have enough money to go up the Eifel Tower but I had a fantastic time -- and I'll get back eventually.

Allyson, I know someone who owns a small apartment in Paris that she rents to friends. I'd be happy to ask her what her terms are.

When my DH and I went, about 2.5 years ago, we got last minute tickets for $144RT + taxes (which were about $250). The above mentioned friend's apartment wasn't available, but she steered us to a hotel that was friendly, clean, and less than $100/night.

Allyson, I think with a little creativity, some legwork, networking and flexibility, it can totally be doable. And you should.

Hell, I'm trying to figure out how to save up for a little softie trekking in the next few years because I MUST, and right now, I don't know how the hell I'll save for that with my current obligations. But if I don't commit to it now, in theory when I'm still all rosy happy shit, it'll be another 8+ years and for once, I need to go without my family...

OH! I forgot to mention: while I was away some TLC program contacted my realtor about recent buyers and so thought of me. Why, I don't know, because that makes me want to run screaming, but still surreal.