Oh, good reason to avoid it. Thanks.

Oh, yay Sean getting a party! I admit, I too was a bit worried not having seen him and birthdyas being stressful and all.

I am currently frustrated and confused and annoyed by a girl. But had a very good time partying with out of town friends who are here for the big show.

We live on a quiet cul-de-sac where everyone is either our age or retired. Last night our dog Toby barked a few times at 3:45am. Joe looked out and saw a guy who had been walking on foot jump into a car and speed off. There was another car at the bottom of the cul-de-sac that then sped off too.

Makes me happy to have dogs.

You know what's better than reading Bitches? Reading Bitches with a fluffy cat at your elbow, who is stroking your hand with her tail. Sammie's warmest greetings to y'all.

{{{{Erin}}}}}

{{{{Teppy}}}}

I'm glad you had a good time at the show, meara.

Sean, I hope the hangover isn't too bad.

Good Toby, lots of treats for you.

I'm glad this house is working out for you, Seska.

There are times I really wish I could sleep on planes. It is also a drag that the flight i make most often is one of the longer domestic flights you can take.

That does suck, Drew.

ION, I'm going to the other special hell, the one for people who torture cats. I have once again succumbed to the temptation to use the laser pointer to make the cats chase each other all about the house.

Honey, you're not going to hell. You're just their personal trainer!

ION, I am up after having gone to sleep at 6 am. GRONK. Micah's 8th bday was today, and we got on Skype to watch him open presents and I couldn't fall back asleep again. (Of course.)

Also, smsonster's snotsmonter(heh) has moved into my nose. Take effect, allergy pills.

I'ma think I'll bite the bullet, get coffee and grade papers.

CBT, weekly therapy sessions, and a psych. I am OVER hoping medication alone will "fix" it. I am happier than I have ever been, and I would like to feel it for more than 48 hours in a row.

My problem is that last year I deliberately asked my doctor to switch me OFF of Zoloft, which had been working *beautifully,* simply because I was gaining a few pounds and also having some sexual side effects. I was hoping that something else would work as well as Zoloft but with fewer side effects.

It was a gamble, and I lost. I tried Celexa, which I didn't think was effective, and then switched to Cymbalta, which I'm currently on, and that doesn't seem to be working at all.

So I went back to the doctor this week to say "Okay, my experiment was folly; please put me back on Zoloft, and as for the weight gain, I'll just have to watch my food intake much more carefully, and as for the sexual side effects, well, I'll deal." Because I can't function like this.

So, back on Zoloft. But I know it'll take 3-4 weeks for it to kick in, so I'm just muddling through right now. But I *know* it's always worked for me, so I have that to hang on to.

We may add Wellbutrin in also, which I think will help the weight issue.

In conclusion: me -n- Zoloft 4evah.

Holy crap, Stephanie! Scary. Good dog.

Yesterday was a fun day with meeting people and drinking. I went to the NOLA Brewery tour (new microbrewery in my 'hood!) in the afternoon and chatted with fellow beer geeks while enjoying the pint-sized "samples" that were flowing.

Came back, took a nap, and went to go get Tom and we went to The Avenue Pub for a combo Beer Advocate/local homebrew club meetup. Some very nice folks, and of course some great beer. Tom brought a bottle of his most recent homebrew which was well received, so that was great for him.

Then, Maystache at the neighborhood place (Pete's)! Maystache celebrates the mustaches grown during the month of May with costumes and much revelry. We didn't have costumes (SCANDAL!) but we were able to get elaborate mustaches painted on with face paints and all was well. Really great neighborhood folks, and we had a great time.

We are currently up and slightly hungover and about to head out to the Farmer's Market.

Yay doggies, indeed.

Last night, I decided to go to bed early (10)and was happily tucked up until 2am, when I remembered that I have weekend cat duty for a friend.

My conscience would not allow me to go back to sleep, so Bartleby got dragged out of his cozy crate to walk me to the house of a cat who would happily flay him, given the appropriate tools and time.

Now, in truth, Bartleby would probably rather have a philosophical conversation with a potential mugger, but he does serve as a deterrent.

And can I just say, I love my neighborhood! At 2am, there were still cheerful people walking about...some a bit too loudly but, hey, happy drunks > muggers.