Thanks, smonster and sj. SJ, I'm glad you'll have some packing help.

soon-to-be unemployed, pathetic excuse for a middle-aged cat lady. With silly hair.

Far from it, calli. I'm sorry about the hormone-ish.

GC, (bounce!) All best possible baby~ma to you and DW!

sj, moving does, verily, suck. It's great TCG and your family are being so good--even if the fam does interject more discussion than pro movers might. And yay for Thessaly today. I can't wait to hear all about the lack of neighbor-noise, and to see fantastic pictures of the new place!

(Might I here plead with everyone for links, if you post your pics on FB? I love to check them out, am eager for pictorial updates on all mah Buffistas, and will happily click on links. But FB is not part of my online routine, so I don't go trolling for any new photos you might have put up there. Links are fabulously appreciated, thanks!)

So glad to hear your mom is doing well, JenP.

And Laura, you have all my sympathetic foot~ma. Foot pain seems so trifling, till you try to get through a day being unable to move at will. "It's *only* a foot!" No, it's a dang important part of your ambulatory daily experience, and having it out of commission requires forethought, planning, workarounds, and lots of extra spoons. So, I'm wishing you spoons. And effective pain meds.

I'll stay out of the sharks' living and dining rooms, as long as they stay out of mine, thanks!

Arggh, former students, stop imploding all at once!

Oh Liese, it's been a hard, difficult time for you and your students here lately. I'm so sorry for all of it, and wish there was something concrete and helpful I could do.

Congratulations, Andi and Daniel!!

Hmm, I can't believe that P-C is against gay were dolphins. What's up with that?

I don't know why it's all so out of control right now. But at the moment I have to decide whether to go to our regular class, where there are students in crisis from the double murder (the exciting new development there is that another couple of students are cousins of the alleged killers), or if I need to go down to a different reservation where there is a former student in crisis with her husband in jail, grieving her aunt who was killed by domestic violence.

I think the second former student is stable enough to wait and try to get together with her over the weekend, but sheesh.

And I'll stop talking about the other stuff here because it's pretty close to the point of gossip now, and I don't want to betray any confidences even though all y'all will never meet my kids. And also because I know it's just disturbing.

But seriously, I don't want to deal. I just want to take a nap. But the kids don't get a pass out of their grief, so I don't suppose I get a pass out of helping them through it. It's why I'm here.

But spread it out a little, kids!

oh, as usual, dear. Is it wrong that I find this amusing? It may add to his little "google problem".

And bonny, reading about the ceremony in the creek (and, if I may ask, why? shouldn't they already have tested the waters?), following the postings it did, I was thinking that at least they won't have to worry about sharks.

I can't believe that P-C is against gay were dolphins. What's up with that?

Ordinary dolphins are fine. But I'm not crazy about were-dolphins, regardless of sexual orientation.

Liese, when I was working the DV and teen shelters, I HAD to talk about some of the crazy shit that went down here, while still respecting confidentiality, or else I would have imploded.

And it helped that one of my BFF's was (is still, actually) a therapist at the teen shelter and we actually COULD talk about stuff and vent without worrying about confidentiality, because we worked with the same kids. You gotta put your air mask on before you can help the other passengers, yanno?

CONGRATS, Andi and Daniel!!! I shower glitter and geeky blessings upon thine headeses! (The glitter ensures that the blessings will stay on your heads FOREVER.)

P-C, I looked at your cruise thingie and they MISSPELLED MASQUERADE! And will provide the masks. This makes me more nervous than the shark talk. They also have sting ray and dolphin encounters; who wants to encounter a sting ray? Geez.

And the "dolphin encounter" might result in your getting hitched, in a manner that would REALLY piss you mom off: "Um, well, I got married. But my spouse isn't Indian, isn't a woman and isn't singular. In fact, my husbands are gay weredolphins. BUT I'm MARRIED!! Aren't you happy?!"

(You should still go; I mean, Bahamas! Take a machete (for the sharks, or persistent dolphin suitors), several books, sunscreen and your own damned mask. )

And the "dolphin encounter" might result in your getting hitched, in a manner that would REALLY piss you mom off: "Um, well, I got married. But my spouse isn't Indian, isn't a woman and isn't singular. In fact, my husbands are gay weredolphins. BUT I'm MARRIED!! Aren't you happy?!"

You might consider saying it anyway. Any woman of your choice (Gujarati or otherwise) would look that much better to her by comparison.