they are identical twins with two parents who study identical twins for a living.

Yikes! In the interest of science and their well-being, I urge you to dress one like an Ewok and the other like a Dalek.

I'm sorry. There is no reason to be feeling sorry for myself.

I beg to differ. You're having a very shitty year.

Okay, in a token effort to mingle with the humans I just bought a ticket to this.

Right on! Go team socialization!

Maria, I was pouting and weepy earlier simply because I'm getting my period. *I* should not have been feeling sorry for myself. You've got too much on your plate, but I'm very glad you're here.

Not only do they have two psychologists for parents (even one is too much of a burden for any kid), they are identical twins with two parents who study identical twins for a living.

I desperately want to write a book about you all now.

I desperately want to write a book about you all now.

And I desperately want to read it.

Aw, honey. You've had a really rough, long run of late. You've got plenty of reasons to give the universe the finger, no fault in acknowledging that.

I beg to differ. You're having a very shitty year.

There are lots of other people having shittier years than I am. I, at least, will have a job to detest. We're not going to lose the house. It's just a blow, after being told and groomed all of your life to be extraordinary, to finally figure out, no, you're really not. And nothing is really going to change that.

It's on me to work on accepting it.

I feel somehow deeply ashamed, because, my hand to God, we really did neither jack nor shit to potty train her. Her daycare provider did it all M-F 8-6, starting when Matilda was younger than I would even have thought of starting, and then one evening when Hec picked Matilda up she said, "Oh, maybe you should get her a training potty for your place. I think she's ready."

As a point of interest - purely academic, you understand - at what age are we talking?

Yikes! In the interest of science and their well-being, I urge you to dress one like an Ewok and the other like a Dalek.

At least the Ewok will have empirical evidence to back up the complaints that "you loved the other one best!"

I don't know if this will be helpful or not, but I mean it in a helpful way.

I hardly posted this last year because I was very depressed. My marriage of 11 years was falling apart. I was sick with indecision and worry about what was right for my kids and so on. And then, just days after we made an official decision to get divorced, I did one crazy, irresponsible thing that led to me getting knocked up by a guy who I thought at least cared about me in some small way but turned out to not at all. It was very Buffy/Angel the morning after.

It was a horrible time and I felt like such a huge failure. Like I was 37 and my life had amounted to nothing. I had two amazing kids but I was likely to screw that up any day.

And somehow, things have turned around. I am excited and happy about this baby, looking forward to my future, happy my business is going to earn me enough to support myself and the kids, and finally feeling free after years of feeling stuck.

So, sometimes life seems really shitty and then, it can turn on a dime. Which is not intended to minimize anyone else's problems but to say that, at least in my case, it got easier in ways I never expected sooner than I ever expected.

Mmm. Just finished Apple Pan dinner with Scola. I hope my directions to Pasadena were good.

But you have to think of the poor twins. Not only do they have two psychologists for parents (even one is too much of a burden for any kid), they are identical twins with two parents who study identical twins for a living. Only time will tell if they can overcome this hardship.

they will be GLORIOUS.

Maria, you have had a shitty year. Just because someone else's year was made of explosive diaherra doesn't make yours not a poop-based structure.

And you deserve so much more. You are wonderful and awesome, and helped save our Allyson just this last week!