eta: Basically they sound like a lot of people in Cash's extended family. She could give better advice at how to deal with the chronically You Owe Me Every Break (or, Save Me From Our Poor Choices) people

Ayup. The difference is that it's a lot harder to say no to family. I think I would trust your instincts, Stephanie. People who come on to near-strangers asking for some serious help (or dropping vague "we could really use some money" hints") should probably be avoided. Like David said, they might not have evil intentions but they could very well just be manipulative-user types.

I'm not as familiar with military culture--is this a couple you met from the base? I can imagine folks would be a little more willing to reach out if they felt part of a military family than total strangers.

If it were me, I wouldn't invite a total stranger (pregnant woman or not) to stay in my home with my kids. I'd offer to help out to some extent--rides, or something like that. But until you know them better, it strikes me as odd that someone would be expecting that kind of thing from strangers.

We met them at church. We go to this Wednesday night dinner before Ellie's choir and they were there. The thing about tonight was that she was supposedlyin the hospital with preterm labor and had a seizure. Her boyfriend works at night and according to him, they don't know anyone else. So while I would never invite her over, he framed his request as her spending the night alone and possibly seizing again v. sleeping here. It's so overreaching but I just couldn't see myself saying no, if it were true. But now they have our address, although we are in the phonebook.

You know, if we had decent healthcare this probably would not have happened. I can't believe, if it's true, that the hospital sent home a woman with preterm labor and seizures.

You know, if they're members of the church, I would suggest talking to someone there. My sister's community church is VERY good about providing assistance to members. You could always call the church and ask their office or outreach service to call the couple and offer assistance.

It would also be a good way of "vetting" the people, per se or finding out if they're on the up and up.

the brief stop was like a fun little holiday into a land of awesome toys and graphic novels and craziness (one wall is crooked and the kitchen looks like an abandoned Escher sketch! there's a real honest-to-God attic with a ladder that pulls down from the ceiling, and musty-smelling warm air with dust motes dancing in the light from the single window, and bare roof beams, and mysterious boxes!). She was quite thoroughly charmed and charming.

Wow, my apartment has never seemed so interesting. Everybody come visit!

Anyhow, the car is now clean and Uncle Neil can ride around in it anytime he wants.

Yay!

I can't believe, if it's true, that the hospital sent home a woman with preterm labor and seizures.

At the least, I would think they'd ask if her she had someone who could look after her.

I'm sorry Stephanie. It sounds like a frustrating situation.

I am an idiot. Just noticed a spelling mistake on my teaching statement, which I already sent out to quite a few schools. (Luckily, most of them are electronic applications, and I can replace it with no problem. The paper ones, I'll just figure there's nothing I can do -- sending a new copy to fix a spelling error seems sillier than just having the error in the first place.)

Hil, all those deeply-accented foreign-born math professors may be paying off for you riiiiiight NOW.

It's a German word. I got one syllable right, but spelled the other syllable phonetically in English. Just one letter wrong. I don't think very many people have actually read it yet, anyway, since only a few deadlines have passed, and my application is still officially incomplete because my letters of recommendation aren't in yet.

Wake Up With Hugh Laurie: not many Brits got to break into the American market via the medium of 'Friends'. [link]

Cheerios (which I am currently eating, soon to be followed by second cup of tea of the day).

smonster and others who were interested in Glee's portrayal of disability - it has nothing to do with Glee, being British-TV-based, but this article is interesting in terms of disabled charaters being played by non-disabled actors: [link]

And I really will post stuff about the social model when I'm more awake.