Thanks, y'all.

I have my quibbles about how she manages her life and her money, but the truth is she's been woefully overworked and underpaid for years, and then got laid off. And she hasn't gotten an unemployment check in three weeks after all the bullshit delays - it was a couple of days in Congress terms, but the bureaucratic impact is sprawling. I get so much much from her in non-material terms, and I've been where she is in that hopeless, no-way-I-can-dig-myself-out-of-this place. This is despair. And there's not much worse in the world. I can help, so how can I not?

I still want her to get her shit together, so it's not like she's living on me, just a helping hand here and there. But I do what I can and I give her a way to make it work. She repainted my bedroom and bathroom last month which I've been dying to do but didn't have the time or energy.

(Between this and the SIL thing - she's afraid of flying to begin with, especially alone, so it's not just that, but reasonably or not the idea of going to Arizona is freaking her right the hell out - I am really feeling the impact of congressional shenanigans.)

I get so much much from her in non-material terms [snip] I can help, so how can I not?

This makes you a damn good person. There are people who ... don't. Won't. Either.

Go, good sister, Brenda!

One of my resolutions this year is to be a better daughter, sister, and friend. I have been pretty self-centered, and I don't much like it anymore.

I am making steps, and it feels really good.

You're awesome, brenda.

Anyone watching Happy Town? (Amy Acker is in it.) I think it's one of the limited run mystery/thrillers like Harper's Island, and it's not too bad so far.

I was thinking Harper's Island too, but it's not intended to be a limited-run series. The first couple episodes are mildly intriguing but tonally all over the place, and it seems like it's trying too hard.

but there is stuff in the pantry that there is no way I will get through, like unopened bottles of syrup and unopened boxes of hot cereal. I am going to bag stuff up in triple ziplocks, not tell the movers, pack it myself and hope for the best.

I used some red wine vinegar tonight I'm pretty sure I got from ita. That was three movers ago. Mine didn't seem to care. (also? I have balsamic, maybe a couple other food stuffs I got from ita, still.)

Oh, my movers packed up opened things in my kitchen and moved them (after saying they couldn't and without asking me). It was a disaster. My advice is to not give them the chance to have food explosion boxes delivered to Texas.

They actually did refuse to pack unopened booze. Mom brought that up for me. And some freezer stuff. But the damn movers boxed a lot of opened pantry stuff and nosed it right up.

Tennant is kind of looking like my friend Kenneth wiht his hair slicked back. Weird.

So, Sue, your friend Kenneth... he seein' anyone? He like chicks?

***

China stripped of Olympic bronze medal in gymnastics from the 2000 Olympics, because one of their gymnasts was underage. [link]

The federation had been investigating Dong for possible age falsification since she filed paperwork to work as an official at the Beijing Games. The age on those documents would have made her 14 at the Sydney Olympics.

SHEESH CHINEESE GYMNASTIC TEAM OFFICIALS! Just how big ARE your nads? You weaseled out of it at the time with shuffled papers and vaguely implying the opposing teams were being racist by questioning the age of a girl who was mad teeny in the world of teenyweeny athletes and then eight whole years later you either forget to fudge the paperwork again or can't be bothered or you decide you WANT her to be her correct age and you think none of the people you pissed off at the, um, OLYMPICS are going to notice this? Oy.

That said, I feel for the gymnast and always did. That poor kid worked her ass off and got used and screwed over by her own damn team/federation/country.

***

Or it will be until I have to cut it out of someone's hair tonight.

Is it just too cruel to the kids to make daddy be the barber? BUBBLEGUM!?!?!? Sounds like a column to me.

Wait! Any chance that other kid's Mom put him up to it or tricked him or somehow bribed him? Revenge IS a dish best served sticky...

***

Agreeing with Cass on Brenda being a hell of a sister. B, just tell her its an early wedding present in case she ever shows up married...

I've been very fortunate ::knock wood:: with the unemployment mishegas so far. I had a month's work right after I filed so it gives Congress a few weeks to get their shit together before I need those hit deadlines.

I have my quibbles about how she manages her life and her money, but the truth is she's been woefully overworked and underpaid for years, and then got laid off...

The phone is a good place to be helpful I think. So much can come to a grinding halt so quickly without one. A good friend of mine has a sister who's just flat-out continually irresponsible and my friend went with "I'm not bailing you out any more but here is a phone that won't get shut off." and it has brought great peace unto their multi-generational-family-drama.

Which is my convoluted way of saying I think you are being very kind in a very sensible way.

***

One of my resolutions this year is to be a better daughter, sister, and friend. I have been pretty self-centered, and I don't much like it anymore.

AND WIFE! AND STEP MOTHER! DUUUUUDE!!!!! (Well, I guess you can't really 'improve' those. Still wild.)

I know. Still is v. odd saying either of those!

Coffee! Kick in, you! I have to go teach logical thought in a few.

I took a personal day today, but remembered last night that I had not done something my boss needs for a trip tomorrow. I connected remotely this morning and did that and then got many requests for urgent status on payments from vendors. I have been working solid for the last hour. POOP! I am adding this time to my timesheet for tomorrow.

Today's Groupon for San Jose is for fire eating classes.