My last home phone didn't have a mute, though the conference line did. And of course, whenever I'd be on the phone with the maximum number of people who don't know me personally, the cats would go BONKERS with noisemaking, right as I'd unmuted (complicated, had to pull phone away from face and hit *6) or before I'd had a chance to. Loved the time Loki and Devi got into it RIGHT NEXT TO MY FACE. Or when MK got in mine and let out one of his yowls.

OTOH, whenever the mission head called in from home, he was also herding his kids, and since he needed to be able to break in at any point, we learned over that summer that his kid HATES OATMEAL DAD and doesn't like matching socks.

So I guess we're even.

I...don't know where the mute button is on my phone.

Oh, no wait, I do, it's one of the soft buttons that comes up only when I'm actually on a call.

Wait, you let you cat blow your nose?

Even if he could, I wouldn't let him. Claws, you know.

Wait, you let your cat blow your nose?

Even if he could, I wouldn't let him. Claws, you know.

Ah, see, that must've been what happened with erin & Mal the other day. He was trying to help her blow her nose.

And missed.

Man, I just hate everything. I'm glad, okay, that the weird dealie I have going on with my ladyparts is benign. But part of it is a sore, like if you cheese-grated your finger, or scraped your knee -- just a standard boo-boo. And it will not goddamn heal. It's not exactly an area I can put a band-aid, and it's not exactly an area I can keep dry. Neosporin is NOT helping. And by "NOT," I mean, "I'm afraid it's making it worse." It just HURTS. A lot. And I think it's gotten larger since I started using Neosporin. I had been using Burow's solution (an aluminum acetate solution; made from Domeboro powder; it's your basic astringent, good for inflamed skin) to try to get it to calm down and dry out and heal. Doesn't seem to be helping.

It's been TWO MONTHS. (Well, maybe 7 1/2 weeks.) And it HURTS. A lot.

I can't think of anything else to do to heal it, so I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow and ask her if I need to be taking an oral antibiotic, because Neosporin isn't helping and it hasn't healed for TWO MONTHS and it hurts and god damn it, not having sex is CRAPTASTIC.

Sorry. Rant. (If anyone knows how to heal a wound that should heal but won't, please tell me.)

t edit I don't have diabetes or any other condition that would make wounds heal slowly or not at all. When I get cuts/scrapes/cat scratches, they heal in a normal amount of time (often I don't even do anything to them and they heal). So my immune system isn't broken; my ladyparts are.

I don't know if I have a mute button or where it would be on my phone. And I've been on maybe 3 conference calls in my life. Maybe 5. Point is, not many. I do, however, know better than to use the bathroom while I'm on a conference call, so I think I'll be OK.

Ugh Steph, sorry for the insensitive cross post.

I have no idea what to do, but one thing I might try in your place would be Aquaphor or a similar product to just protect the area a bit.

Shit just keeps happening, you know? I'm really sick of it. And it HURTS.

Soak in salt water, maybe? I mean, that would probably hurt and be awkward, but salt water does help heal wounds.

I have food in my fridge that will go bad if I do not eat it tonight (since I'll be gone tomorrow and Thursday), but I do not want to cook it, and I don't especially want to eat it, either. Hrmph.

I don't think there's a mute on my regular phone (an ancient cordless), but since I work from home I have a office-type phone with a big mute button, and an attached headset that also has a mute button.

You're the people to ask this! The question of drag queens came up between Hubby and I, and we were discussing people we've met who crossed gender in terms of clothing. Hubby said that transvestite is no longer the term of choice, that transgendered was appropriate, whereas I thought transgendered was used when there was an attempt to change the actual physicality. Or is the truth much more nuanced, as usual?