The younger one literally stood on the head of the older one and screamed for the whole of the 14 hours.

How much am I a terrible, horrible person that this made me laugh out loud instead of sad and sympathetic? I am very, very terrible.

So, my friends came home from vacation and want to buy the house with me. It looks like it might actually work. I don't know whether to jump up and down with joy, or to run screaming to the nearest condo association. Mostly, though, I feel so much calmer and better, no matter how it works out.

Am I delusional to buy a big expensive house with really good friends?

bt, the Sia I'm familiar with is stuff like "Breathe Me," which I love but can't listen to right now, and I wasn't sure what this album had to offer.

I've only heard "You've Changed" and "Clap Your Hands", but they're both distinctly perkier than "Breathe Me" (or for that matter "Buttons" or "The Girl You Lost To Cocaine"). With titles like "Hurting Me Now" and a cover of Madonna's "Oh Father", though, I reckon you made the right choice for the evening's musical stylings.

My insane cat finally took a huge dump. I know you all needed to know that. I suspect it's his way of saying "hey Tzepesh, the foods are noms and when you nom then you can poop out mass quantities and feel better."

Anyone here every use soft claws? I pulled out an old container to cap Mal's clipped claws (he's indoor only, so no worries about having to defend himself against anything more sinister than my face) but adhesive is dried out. The website says it's a proprietary blend that's safe for ingestion, but the active ingredient is cyanoacrylate, which is the same ingredient as super glue and crazy glue. Is it safe to use regular crazy glue or should i wait until i can buy a new set rather than risk poisoning my already high-maintenance feline?

"Your Disco Needs You" is one of my all time feel good songs

I do rather enjoy the imperious French in the middle. Generally speaking, Fever probably manages consistently higher quality, but Light Years sounds like she's having more fun. (Plus, I love "On A Night Like This", which IIRC she performed at the Sydney Olympics.)

Put in writing the terms of the agreement. What happens if someone moves early, what happens if someone can`t or won`t pay. The thing about friendships is that they change over time, and the thing about house payments is they don`t. Can you afford it if everything suddenly went south? (Heh, that`s a funny idiom used with you.) Could you if you had renters? You need to agree up front on all the contingincies and get it down on paper. Don`t say, oh we`re good friends, we don`t need that. Do it because you are good friends. And also because you`re likley to forget sometime during a thirty year mortgage what you all said when you were all house excited.

What happens if someone moves early, what happens if someone can`t or won`t pay.

I'm not so much worried about the "won't"; I think that the "can't" isn't likely, but it needs to be addressed. Jokingly, one mentioned that he would open a vein if he had to default on payments, but I can see where specifying more practical alternatives might be more valuable.

I could just about swing the place on my own with renters, if I wanted to live on rice for a while. In a few years, probably I would be in better shape if I had to do the place on my own, barring the housing problems coming here too.

So many say just not to do it, but it seems like it might be better than having condo neighbors you don't know, who might suck, or might sell to people who do. I really welcome any more ideas of details to keep track of.

DH had the doors open last night because it was gorgeous out. Which means that there is outside in my formerly hermetically sealed inside. And I cannot of course breathe outside. Spring, you naughty evil temptress, get out of my house. I want to sleep. Drugs applied. Some glaring at the peacefully sleeping mastermind of this situation has ensued, but it's hard to be mad at him.

Scott Westerfield, Peeps

Love that book. It was the first one of Westerfield's that I read.

Much health~ma to Tzepesh.

Emeline and I are at the library in a study room, gettin' our study on. Well, I'm studying. Em's drawing. I was so grateful for the coffee the guy down at the coffee bar gave me, I actually proposed to him. He said, "How much money do you make?" He's a trumpet player, I'm old enough to be his mother, and he has streaks in his hair. He's very adorable. And makes an awesome cup of java.

Must write paper. I am armed with APA citation book and Jonathan Kozol.

Free coffee for all the teachers!

Aims, did you see there's a huge exhibit of Harry Potter props, costumes and scenery opening up at Times Square in NYC? You can actually go into the Hogwarts Common Room and Hagrid's hut. None of it is a recreation - these are all the actual props.