She's ESL, and FB'd me, asking for help. "I don't really know how to read; I've been faking it all these years, but I want to go to college and be a elementary teacher or a therapist."

How brave of her. I am misty just reading this. And good on you for helping her. Yay, people!

If we get a really snowy winter I'll get new tires on the car and buy some skiis. Win!

One of my friends here works for Eddie Bauer (corporate, not one of the stores) and they can rent like, tents and stuff--so when it snowed the other week, she borrowed snowshoes from work! How cool is that?

when it snowed the other week, she borrowed snowshoes from work

Very cool. I suppose I could borrow a book on sound Measurement & Evaluation from my work, but it wouldn't be the same at all.

So Percocet Party me turned into sleeping most of the past two days away. Thank goodness for Calli. She is seriously the best next door neighbor in the world, hands down. (Hi Calli!) She not only came over three times a day to take the poodle out and feed her and change her diaper and give her her meds and talk sweetly to her, she brought me fresh-brewed coffee, made me eat a banana when she realized that I had been living on saltines and ginger ale for two days, changed the ice in my cold water leg-icing thingamabob, and even called me regularly in between visits to check on me.

BEST.

Poodle Diaper Changing Merit Badge for Calli!

Aw, thanks, amyth. You're an easy patient to check on.

By the way, another time I was on Lulu duty and left a group at a bar to take Lulu out for her evening walk. Being all truthy and stuff I told them, "It's been lovely, but I have to go diaper a poodle." I could see several people trying to figure out what that could possibly be a metaphor for.

Ok - Emeline and the twins are (hopefully) down for the night. I was leaving and went to say, "Don't talk too late" and quickly changed it to "Don't talk. Go to sleep." Hopefully, they'll not talk into the middle of the night.

Stepdad had to get braces for his TMJ, Tep. Hope you get relief before that.

How brave of her. I am misty just reading this. And good on you for helping her. Yay, people!

Erin, that not only says something about her courage and strength of character, but also a hell of a lot about her respect and trust in you.

Calli, you are, indeed, the world's best neighbor. Thank you for taking such good care of amyth.

Seska, insent.

In diamond shoes news, I want to go everywhere and do everything when we go to England in May and I am ovewhelmed by the options.