Thank you, Chikat. I just found the news article about it and there are three other young people in the hospital tonight as a result of the accident, all from the same car. No drinking, no speeding, just a blown tire that caused the car to go out of control and flip.

I'm sorry. I should stop spamming the thread with this. I just can't get it out of my head.

No need for apologies, that's what we're here for.

Frankie has been all whiny and weird for the last hour. Took him for a walk, that didn't help. He finally just went and got his "dolly" and hopped back up on the bed with it. Seems to be calm now. Oy.

I really hope that I get the job that I interviewed for today. It's not a perfect job, but it's a good enough job, and I'm getting tired of interviewing. Also, the closer we get to the beginning of the school year, the less time I'll have to move and find an apartment and get settled and everything before the school year starts. My apartment right now is a disaster, and I know that packing will take a long while. I really should have started packing boxes a while ago, because I knew I'd be moving somewhere, even if I didn't know where. But my apartment really doesn't have any room for boxes to be sitting around for long while I'm still living here.

That's beyond tragic, sj. Of course you need to talk about it. So much ~~~~~~ma for that family. And lots of {{{{{{{{{{{{{{sj}}}}}}}}}}}} for you. Surely if that gets you full to the brim with punctuation, then you will have some to spare for others around you.

sj, lots of ~ma for your friend. That's a nightmare I don't dare imagine.

Bev, ~ma headed in the NC direction as well.

sj, much ~ma for your mom’s coworker, her family and especially the daughter and the others who’ve been injured. That’s just terrible.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It was a lovely day. High tea was followed by shopping, the Shrek movie, and dinner at a steakhouse. We went from classy to ‘ah, this is more our style’ rather fast. Great stuff.

I love the high tea at Fornum & Mason. It just makes you feel so civilised.

Heh. It mostly made me feel like I had no class. I argued with the waiter who wanted to move my wheelchair, ordered more scones (apparently you’re supposed to refuse when they offer you more...), poured a cup of tea back into the pot (cue The Girl being unable to stop giggling) and said “shit!” very loudly at one point. Bit too posh for this irish farmer’s granddaughter. But such amazing food! I may have slightly overdone the cakes and scones. Just slightly.

(It's a sandwich. You pick it up with your hands and eat it.)

I sympathise with your mother. These are the sorts of the places where you feel like there’s etiquette you just don’t know. Makes you look nervously at what other people are doing a lot. (No good if you’re surrounded by tourists!)

I hope I look as good as you at 103!

I am surprisingly youthful of appearance, it is true.

Aims, that’s horrible. Much ~ma for fighting it.

My grandmother does a lot of family history stuff. She goes to classes. She’s found out a lot about where our family went after a lot of them left County Cork - including Boston and Australia. We’re now in touch with cousins all over the place. It’s fascinating stuff.

Interview~ma, Hil! I hope you get the job.

I hope you get that job, Hil.

NC~ma, Beverley.

Feed is a good book, but perhaps not the best choice for nighttime reading while alone in a strange, windowriffic place.

Sending the ~ma in an NC direction.

Hil, I really hope you get this one. It sucks to have the future so unknown.

Bev, locally grown ~ma headed out! And by the way, my folks went to Bellingham while they were out visiting my brother and absolutely loved it.