This one, as opposed to the first one, actually has a postmark on it--for 2007

You know, I wish more of these had postmarks. Then I could at least keep the most recent one easily, without having to open all of everything.

I have a great deal of shredding ahead of me--I haven't filed decently in long enough that most of what I have filed is ripe for the machine.

I'm normally pretty news avoidant, but they've been running with that Ryan Jenkins/whatsername Fiore story (allegedly he killed her and mutilated the body and then fled the country) and I just caught the snippet that he's been found hanged to death in a Canadian motel, apparently a suicide. This leads the news off because she was a swimsuit model and he was a reality show contestant on one of the music channels, which makes it really hard to avoid. I wonder if anything important happened today? I think San Fernando Valley is on fire again, but that always happens, so it's much less interesting.

You need to listen to NPR. They are blissfully reality tv contestant free.

Athens Greece is on fire. Badly. It is all too common, and usually due to arson. Bastiges.

I just sent my baby off to her first day of middle school. Of course, the other middle schooler is currently still in his pajamas working on a SpongeBob typing program.

Please, fates and little fishes, let this year go smoothly.

What flea said. . . because your post, ita, is the first that I've heard of any of that and I am listening to NPR right now and it's got NEWS and no reality contestants.

This is why I read my news online. I've gotten to a point where I don't want to hear it, don't really want to see it, unless I choose to.

Abby and Nate start early! Much middle school ~ma to them.

If anyone will be at the Old Time Fiddle Festival in Le Mans, Iowa over Labor Day weekend, my 17 year old nephew will be there with one of his bands. Very exciting for him since this is the first all-expenses paid gig he's done outside of the family band.

Also, blech! Monday!

All that news was gleaned from asd for news showos *and* I have TiVo so it was shat leaked in between fast forwarding. That's how everywhere it's been in LA news.

We had the first soccer games of the fall season this weekend. A tale of two games.

Emaryn's team got hammered. They played an experienced team and her team has several first season players, so it was a tough time. She also started off in goalie which is an interesting paradox. She loves to play goalie, but she's kinda terrible at it since she just wants to stand in front of the net and kick at the ball. Once she was on the field, she played much better and the team did better too, relatively speaking.

Leif's team hammered their opponent. They have a number of players who are pretty young for the division, but it doesn't seem to matter. The coach tries to never have all his best players in at once, but they have so many good players on the team, it's kinda hard to put in a lineup that isn't tough on the other team.

In general, how do kids handle it if their team gets beaten badly? Do you tell them it "builds character"?