Good call, smonster.

Realized that I need to let go, again, of trying to control them.

This is a lesson I need to learn over and over.

And in related news, in what reality are assault and DUIs not included in "do you have any other criminal convictions"??!!? Seriously, people, I can't help if I'm finding this stuff out as the judge is finding out.

Rule #1: DO NOT LIE TO YOUR LAWYER!!!

Stephanie, oy.

{{smonster}} good luck.

Aims, much ~ma to you. I've been where you are.

Barb, you are going to do great! I know it.

I am v. sad about Elizabeth Edwards, even though I saw it coming. She was a class act.

{{quester}} That is so stressful.

{{Teppy}}

Count me among the Love, Actually haters.

I took a shower today for the first time since the surgery. Woo! It was actually a huge PITA. It's not easy to shower, dry off, and get dressed without putting weight on one leg.

Definitely, Stephanie. This isn't the first time I've had to learn it, or the second, or the fifth. You always think that if you just said/did the exact right thing, they would get it/change. But that shit is for feelgood movies.

amyth, do you have a shower stool? That might help.

quester, that sucks! Good luck getting it all sorted.

Barb, you will both look and be awesome!

Job ~ma, Aims. May they be reasonable.

Hang in there, smonster. It's a good thing you're doing, in spite of all the frustration.

Definitely, Stephanie. This isn't the first time I've had to learn it, or the second, or the fifth. You always think that if you just said/did the exact right thing, they would get it/change. But that shit is for feelgood movies.

The reality is, it sinks in at highly individual (therefore unpredictable) rates. We are responsible for the methods we use, but we are not responsible for the results. A seed you plant this year might not grow and bear fruit of its own this year - it might lie in dry ground and not get watered or fertilized for who knows how long. But it can blossom unexpectedly, in the time that is right - not for you, but for the individual you serve. When you see the flowers, rejoice - those blooms are blessings in and of themselves, not as a just reward for the work you put forth in planting.

sarameg, no, I don't. I would've just taken a sponge bath, but I was overwhelmed with the desire to wash my hair. It turned out all right in the end. My knee is swollen tonight after the myriad shenanigans of showering, dressing, and going to the ortho for a follow-up appointment, but I'm icing and elevating, and all is well.

I shamefacedly LOVE Mariah Carey's version of that. Big time.

::turns back on Teppy. Walks around her pouring the pure distillation of hipster disdain in a protective circle to enclose her contaminating uncoolness::