Welcome home, Drew!

Vortex, ugh. I'm sorry you have to deal with this.

Drew is home! Woot!!!

ION, does anyone use a Halti to walk their dog? And does your dog tolerate it? Because Kato, who is otherwise a Good Dog, constantly paws at it and tries to escape-artist his way out and I have no idea what to do to convince him to behave.

Yay, Drew is home! That is SUCH good news.

Hooray Drew!

I am mired. Trying to shake it off, but still heavily mired. Also trying to figure out if the universe is pointing me in a different direction, forcibly. Either way, I'll still finish this, and apply, and give them some coulda-shoulda-woulda's in a couple years' time when I'm right and they are so (old and) wrong.

unrelatedly, Raq, someone was singing Skullcrusher Mountain who is about Mal's height and not me.

Vortex, my fallback was always, "Well, what do you think you should do?" and time enough for her to talk it out, which was what she really wanted anyway, just to be listened to and have someone's attention. Forfend she should actually seriously solicit an opinion or advice except as something to argue her view against. I suppose the exercise gave her a wall to throw ideas against and vocalise them she wouldn't have had otherwise.

If that didn't seem sufficient, when she wound down and waited for me to offer an opinion, I'd ask, "And what would you like to do?" and let her go again.

This method gave her what she was seeking--everything but the enterainment of an argument, which she sometimes pushed for anyway--and kept my frustration down, as I wasn't attempting to solve her problem and getting my suggestions shot down.

It wasn't perfect, but it was better.

YAY!! DREW'S HOME!! HURRAY!!

Vortex - sorry about the mom issues. People asking for advice and then telling you it's wrong advice drives me nuts with nuts on top. Can you start yelling, "PERIOD! PERIOD! PERIOD!" at her and hope she stops? (That's my favorite story re: your dad, BTW. Whenever I buy tampons, I yell it in my head.)

******** So it appears that my co-leader is still pissed at me from standing her up a couple of weeks ago. Tonight I sent her four picture texts with me holding up signs that said, "Please" "Love" "Me" "Again" and then a fifth one with a sign I made that had our initials in a heart.

THEN! I wrote her a poem on her FB wall.

Oh Beautiful Miss Kristy - how thine eyes shine with mirth!
How your presence makes things better
for us mortals here on earth.
Those of us who know you
can't help but feel the love.
...You are brighter than the stars
that shine in the sky above.
Oh Beautiful Miss Kristy - I wrote this ode for you.
In the hopes to make things better
and that you still love me, too.

I hope this helps to start fixing things.

YAY Drew being home!

And oy, Vortex, I feel your mom pain since clearly, ours are also related.

ION, I just received a C&D on my own fucking name. I'm so pissed, I can't see straight. Also, can't talk much about it, other than to say I'm so fucking pissed, I can't see straight.

Well shit. Isn't Bon Bon a tradmark specialist? If she is not the right kind of IP lawyer for you, or not currently in practice, she can probably direct you to someone.

What?! Barb, who...how? WHAT?