I like all the de-lurking, by everyone - high-fives to those with good news to share, brackets and good thoughts to those going through hard times.

Not much has changed since my post from last year. link

We're all a year older. My two sons are still in college, my oldest daughter is in Israel for the year at a women's seminary, I haven't killed my teenage daughter yet (despite severe provocation at times), and I'm helping with 6th grade and 3rd grade homework for the two youngest girls.

Last spring, I survived being thought a troll in Buffista-land (because of my political views) and have tried to be a better neighbor (if unrepentant Republican) since.

I can generally be found (lurking, if not posting) in Literary, Natter, and Bitches.

I hope when we check in like this next year, there will a year of good news to share - or as we say in my neighborhood, "May we share only simchas."

Best wishes to Betsy and family.

I'm without permanent housing at the moment, couch surfing and spending most of my time in north Oakland, CA. Looking for work and expecting some stimulus money toward finding a permanent place.

Otherwise, I'm in good health. I've started playing music again, joining a band and making a concerted effort to get better on the guitar. Don't ask me when we're playing, though.

Betsy, that is crazy. Best of luck dealing with the paperwork bs. And hopefully something can be done to relieve the pain. I can't help but think with three of you having the problem, I wonder if it's an environmental trigger or something. I seem to recall something in the news about bad wallboard from China that outgasses and causes health problems. Or something like that?

I`m sure Betsy has investigated environmental stuff. And iirc, they did still suffer, particularly son, while on international travels. So although it would be nice if it were something simple like a sick house, I don`t think it is.

Oy. I think we need to add "fuck migraines" to "fuck cancer".

Indeed. As everyone said, good to see your pixels, Betsy, but hate the update.

I better post here before the month goes away, ack! I totally meant to hang out in here more and post earlier. But then I had a week of massive piles of papers to grade, and then a week where my Internet was out, and then my computer died and I had to wait for the new one to get here, and now October's almost over.

Ahem.

Hi! I still mostly lurk due to shyness and lack of time, but I adore this place, especially Firefly, Jossverse, and Minearverse. I am an instructor of biology at a community college in southeastern Washington state, on track to get tenure at the end of the year. Though I really hope to move back to the left side of the mountains either in Oregon or Washington, an area I have missed terribly since finishing grad school over there.

I have totally skipped to the end to post this, so I don't know what positions we are currently declaring. So let me just say that besides the fandoms, I enjoy this place for the other forms of geekery--including, but not limited to, fonts and punctuation. Someday I hopw to be half as smart and funny as you all!

Hi, Una. It's good to see your font here.

It's getting close to the end of the month, so I guess if I'm going to update, I should do it now.

I've had some pretty major changes in the past year.

The bad:
I had H1N1 flu last November and the fatigue never went away. Now that it's been more than six months, I officially have chronic fatigue. It's not as severe as many - I haven't had to stop working, but I've stopped doing almost everything else.

The good:
My first nephew, Simon was born last December, and he is awesome.

The what-a-mess:
Last winter when he was visiting here, my brother cheated on his long-time girlfriend and oops! a baby resulted. She was born in late September and is named Georgia.

He and his girlfriend got married in the summer and he doesn't want anything to do with the baby (although at least he is going to pay child support). He doesn't even want to meet the baby.

The rest of us (his sisters and mother) want to be involved aunts and grandmother, respectively. It seems like the mother is ok with this, once the legal stuff about the support is done with. We don't know how long that will take, and we don't get to meet the baby until then. It's all very uncertain.

Whew! I've been trying to post a bit more, but I'm mostly lurky at heart. I'll keep working at it, though!

Ouise, that's CRAZY!

Like, all of it.

Good to "see" you.

Hey Trudy! Good to "see" you, too.

eta: There's actually more crazy. For instance, my brother's wife's family does not know about the baby and they do not plan to ever tell them. This made the wedding - when we met her family for the first time - interesting, to say the least.

Denial! It fixes everything!