Ouch! Your poor mom, Amy!

I like the crusty feeling of having saltwater dry on my body.

Totally. It can get old in transit, if you're in the car/on the train/whatever for a long time before you get to the shower, but it's still nice to feel like you were in the ocean.

I do just have a shower in my master bath. But it`s a ginormous beautiful walk-in shower for accessibility purposes. I loves it, I do. I wish we`d been able to put in the tub I wanted (eta: err, in the guest bath, master bath was never intended to have a tub) but it was one of the rush things.

How about this? [link]

WHAT THE SHIT.

I quit swimming there the day I saw the skeleton of an alligator gar washed up on the beach.

THAT? lives in THERE? Hells to the N-O.

It may have just died in there.

That doesn't really help, does it?

It may have just died in there.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED THERE. BY SOMETHING NASTIER.

How can you be an internet/entertainment addict and not know there's a Hawaii 5-0 remake in the works? Where do people spend their time? Sheesh.

I swear this is b.org discussion 57.

lunch today is celery and peanut butter. I wish I could say I was finishing the whole jar, but no. That will take another lunch or so.

Still last night we finished off the bottle of ketchup, another bottle of BBQ sauce, and I had to make new pitchers of tea and lemonade. I am down to only 2 boxes of tea, I think. I actually have to re-stock the lemonade at this point since I am not buying anymore soda and mac will want something other than water.

WHAT THE SHIT.

Had my young brain had exactly those words, I'm sure that's what it would have screamed.

Yeah, ok, supposedly passive and only eat other fish. SUPPOSEDLY!

ETA: ita, I am so glad you are not one of my cousins. I may never have recovered.

ita, I am so glad you are not one of my cousins. I may never have recovered.

I exist to traumatise cousins. It's like a calling.

Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich about her latest book, Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America - For author Ehrenreich, realism beats positive thinking

I've read about half the book. It's rather depressing. Did you know that many companies won't hire people they think are not "positive thinkers"? And the cancer stuff is even more depressing.

Her breast cancer diagnosis introduced writer Barbara Ehrenreich to an unfamiliar world of positive thinking — pink ribbons, pink teddy bears and even the idea that cancer is a "gift" that will make you a better person.

The author ("Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America"), who has a doctorate in cell biology, was appalled by the notion that a cheerful attitude is a key to beating this dreaded disease.

What followed was an exploration of the false promises of positive thinking. These included the mantra of motivators, life coaches, mega church pastors and self-help gurus that if you think positively, whatever you want — a great job, lots of money, good health — will be yours.

...

Q: Have you received hate mail because you're not the positive, sunny person the true believers think you should be?

A: No, it's very much the opposite. People saying, "Thank God someone said it. Now I feel sane." Some of the kinds of people who are likely to write are 1. Cancer victims 2. People who have been laid off and were not getting anywhere and are sick of being told to be happy about it and 3. People who have actually lost their jobs because they weren't positive enough.

That is quite a category. It doesn't mean they were sullen or surly at work. It could mean they didn't get sufficiently into the high-five culture.

Books! Laptops!

If I'm supposed to bring along things to distract me from the fact that I'm taking a bath, I think this is further evidence that baths are not that awesome.

I can read a book while sitting in a comfy chair, or curled up in bed, and again it's the same benefit with less effort. And better lighting. And no soggy books.