Never look up medical stuff online.

Seriously - the top hits are ALWAYS either worst case scenarios or total whackadoodle bullshit. Dr Google hears hoofbeats and thinks zebras.

Thanks for the sympathies. And allow me to offer mine to FredPete, sara, and Kate P. I am just all up in my own mess right now (though getting better). I spent most of last night/this morning bawling my eyes out and am just exhausted now.

Had a work dude get snippy with me over email. Professional emails are no place for ASSCAPS!

I just got an email that another school wants to interview me -- I'd applied a long while ago, and they just realized that they need to hire one more person than they'd originally thought. It's a really good school in a city that I don't know much about, but it looks like a place I'd be OK with. Phone interview tomorrow.

There seems to be a large group of Orthodox Jews in town protesting something (someone said something about Israeli cemetaries?) headquartered near my office. Lots and lots and lots of men in long black coats (just asking for heatstroke - it's 100 out there!) in bunches. Right across the street from where they're having the tennis matches. Clash of cultures anyone?

Toddson, it looks like it's some anti-Zionist haredi groups protesting archeological digs and construction on the sites of ancient cemeteries in Israel, and also Israel in general. [link]

Thanks, everyone, for the hugs and sympathy. Things are going to be difficult for Mark and his family for a long time to come. I'm grateful that I got to know Joey as well as I did, and so unutterably sad that he's gone: that he won't get to be Mark's best man at our wedding, or be around to be Uncle Joey to our kids, or travel with us or spend holidays with us or anything that he should by all rights be doing for the next 60 or 70 years.

Anyway, I may be darker than usual for the next little while, but I wanted to stop in and say thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts. It means a lot to me. And this would be a good day to call up your brother or sister (or parents or kids or anyone else) and tell them you love them.

Well, there was a lot of shouting (over the noise of the drummers for the tennis matches), I looked out the window and there were all these men in long black coats, etc., and then they loaded themselves into about five tour buses and took off.

Gotta love DC ... someone's always protesting SOMETHING and you get the complete range of cultures, issues, and so on.

DJ & Fred, much punctuation.

I just can't imagine that, Kate. I'm so sorry for what you're all going through, and the years that Joey will miss.

Daisy, I completely forgot to say how sorry I was to hear about your cat. That's just heartbreaking.

Oh Kate, I'm so sorry.