why get into a fb argument about something you don't understand? I know...I'm Erika and this is the internet, but still? kind of boggled.

Scrambling through a ton of stuff:

Oh, P-C, ugh. And I'm with the other Bitches--if I were in your or your brother's place and your dad actually did call the girlfriend "it," that'd be my firm "And...we're done" moment. But, really, the whole thing is a huge dank mess of awful.

And I'm in awe of the tight, loving relationship you and your brother and sister have forged between you (and part of me is constantly boggled by it - how could your parents be this deeply wrong and yet have managed to bring three such excellent persons into the world?).

bt, I'm so sorry for Wallybee's second family. What a terrible blow. Any and all possible comfort to all the survivors, and just quiet good thoughts going out to them anyway even if comfort isn't possible.

sj, eek! Is TCG sure he's okay? And the car? But mostly himself? And does he need to be swaddled in bubble wrap until November?

{{{Laura}}} and I'm glad Brendon will be there for the funeral. And, also, lots of get-his-shit-together~ma to your boy.

Random Matilda quote of utter weirdness, from sometime this past weekend. She and I were pondering a little bottle (I can't even remember what; possibly one of the little spray bottles of water being passed around during the heat of the wedding, or maybe a tiny hotel shampoo bottle, or even some other bottle I've since forgotten). I said, "It's so tiny! What could you ever do with such a tiny little bottle? What would you put in it?"

Matilda frowned, pondered the bottle, and said doubtfully, "...Lovers?"

Oh, Matilda. Will you ever stop cracking me up? The Magic Eight Ball says probably not.

Ugh. I just read a Linked In profile where someone "architected a solution". REALLY!!!

sj, eek! Is TCG sure he's okay? And the car? But mostly himself? And does he need to be swaddled in bubble wrap until November?

He claims he is fine. We're leaving the car at the auto body shop later this week and then we'll find out about the damage. (My BFF T is visiting from Texas for a few days and we're going to meet her at the beach!) As for the bubblewrap, yes please for the next 40 or so years please.

One of the funny things about my intermittency on b.org is my surprise at seeing people Buffistas were dating now married or engaged to them or even parenting with them. I feel like Rip Van Winkle.

ETA: But it's cool, obviously. I guess I just get shocked because so little ever happens in my lovelife it's like I'm standing still. And sometimes I can project that and then be shocked that so much has happened in 5 or 9 years in someone else's life.

Both capable of provoking nausea.

I am so gonna stop giving you the good stuff.

I love Matilda's take on the world.

I meant to offer sympathy for Laura's mother and for Wallybee. I have many family members of my heart whose troubles hurt me far more than my blood relatives.

My few relatives are in a dreadful state, and we just got a blow today. My mother is the youngest of five, and her nephew, the son of one of her brothers, is only 8 years younger than she is and was raised by my grandparents, so to her he's like a little brother. He and his wife live in the Atlanta area, but I don't see them often, mostly because he gets all his "information" from talk radio and she is difficult to be around.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago she was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I put on my nice person disguise and have called her several times to talk about what chemo is like and what to ask for and I put together some stuff I found helpful, like ginger candy.

Then on Friday, my cousin essentially collapsed. He had apparently been feeling bad for several weeks, but didn't want to say anything because of what was going on with his wife. He was put into the hospital for tests and I went to see him over the weekend, but he was almost completely out of it, shivering, moaning and nodding off every few minutes. Today they got back one of the test results and he has lung cancer.

My mother is not taking it well.

Fuck cancer.

Oh, god, Ginger. Fucking fuck cancer, that fucker.

So many brackets to your family, Ginger. The Universe needs to take one hell of a large step backwards. Fuck cancer, indeed.