I had Aims' "over-relating" thing in my head today, which I know I do to and try to consciously curb. I did get a good laugh (as I intended) when we were talking about one of them being in a gang (he's not active, but they really don't ever let you leave) ( and no, I don't know which one) and I said, "I know about gangs, I watch Southland." I mean, I meant it to be funny, but it's pretty much true, everything I know about gangs is from tv or movies. Shit, Southland's probably more realistic than most.

I'm going kind of stir-crazy. I just realized that I haven't actually talked to anyone, not even on the phone, in two days. I need to figure out how to find some friends in PA.

I know some moderately nice small-town country folk in Greene County. And a Limbaugh-quoting asshat near Pittsburgh.

I think Greene County is nearly as far away as my friends in NJ or DC.

There's a Young Professionals group here, and I joined their mailing list, but so far, all the events have been on days when I was snowed in. Then they're going skiing soon, and I'm pretty certain that skiing would not be a good thing for me. Bowling this week, and I guess I could give that a try, and even if actually bowling hurts too much, I can sit around and awkwardly try to answer people who ask me why I'm not bowling and eat french fries.

Hil, I can check and see if anyone I know is in the area, if you like.

Oy, I think I pulled something in my left shoulder demo-ing floor today. And guess where I got my flu shot? I just took a shot of Fernet (for lack of codeine) and I'm going to bed soon.

Thanks, smonster. I know I need to get out more. I just decided I would go to synagogue tomorrow night, since I haven't gone in a while, but I checked the website and they're having Family Services tomorrow night instead of the regular ones, and those are too early for me to attend.

Ouchy, smonster.

Drat. I got a tiny scratch on my arm. That I've reopened more times than honestly necessary by mindlessly scratching it. I am breaking out the Hello Kitty bandaid. Or Batman. Maybe Batman.

Smonster, glad work was good. I have a new smart phone (the samsung captivate) so here I am in the 21st century at last! Also, I have a new number all New Orleans style! Bonus: neither crazy tenant or crazy neighbor has the number! Sigh.

All right, I hate to keep bitching about my middle brother, but this is Bitches, right?

So MB calls me this evening (the bro who said to me that he knows that he doesn't call me often, but he feels like we're in touch because he reads my Facebook page) because he read on my Facebook page about Lulu getting put to sleep. Which was nice. And we actually had a nice conversation for a little while. He lives in Chicago, and I confirmed that his car wasn't abandoned on Lake Shore Drive somewhere. His wife's Chinese, we discussed the Lunar New Year, etc. The conversation turned to our other brother, naturally, and how he's been off the feeding tube for over five weeks, and so on.

Now, some of my friends have this sort of awful joke about my middle brother, about whether he'll actually go to our older brother's funeral when the time comes, given his history of general flakiness. We kind of chuckle about it, but don't really mean it, because OF COURSE he would go, right? His two kids, our brother, and I are the only biological family he has left. The idea of him not flying to NY for the funeral is just unfathomable, right?

So at the end of our conversation this evening, he says that he hates to say it, but he hopes that our brother doesn't die either this weekend or next, because he has two big three-day meetings those two weekends, and he can't miss them, or his job would be in jeopardy. And I was like, "They'd fire you for going to your brother's funeral?" And he was like, "No, they'd give me the time off, but I'm the only person who can blah blah present this whosiwhats I don't even know what the fuck he does." He's all, "In the corporate world, you have to understand that..." WHAT? Who is that fucking irreplaceable, anyway? Buffistas who work "in the corporate world," don't you have backups and contingency plans? Or, if you, say, knew your brother was dying, wouldn't you plan ahead and put some in place?

I mean doesn't this sound like ego-stroking bullshit? If Obama's brother died and he had to be gone for three days, Biden could do his fucking job. My brother is a fucking dentist. And idk when he changed jobs and became so irreplaceable in the corporate world, but last I heard (because we never talk, and he doesn't update his Facebook page) he worked for the ADA.

The joke may actually come true. Douchebag.