I didn't even think about asking when I was at the credit union. Now I'm trying to decide if I should call them or maybe wait in case I do something like this again where the situation might be worse.

Glad Daniel is better, though still sorry about the infection. Sorry about the various suckages for everyone else. For your entertainment, one of my semi-lucid dreams.

I was in a very strange land. We got money by taking groceries and things from our homes, and taking them to stores and putting them on shelves. We also got money from the utility companies for draining water and electricity from our homes and delivering garbage and sewage. Also we got money from credit card companies paying us what they owed us. We went to work to relax and paid employers every two weeks for that, but we did receive partial rebates on what we paid from the IRS. Though sometimes the IRS overpaid us and we had to give a little back at the end of year. You get the idea.

So I found a wise and experience person, who looked about 13 (Wae13) and asked her "Why is everything backwards from the way I remember it?"

Wae13: Why are you so surprised that the land of the dead does things differently than the place you were when you lived?

Me: I'm not dead!

Wae13: Then your dreams have taken you to a place you should not be, and you are in great danger. Better wake up quick!

And then I woke up.

Except that tumblr doesn't allow you to look up people by the name of their tumblr from what I can see. It's most frustrating.

You just type in name.tumblr.com and you should be able to get there.

You're right. D'oh. This is what happens when you give up caffeine, you lose the ability to brain in the morning.

I can't believe that I'm still going to be here for almost two more weeks! The weather is perfect, there is much to see, the food and wine are wonderful, the house has a hot tub, wish you all were here!

Ah the envy! It's giving me a head rush! Although seriously I am so happy for you that you get to have this spectacular vacation.

Tangential question:

Ok, when Willow sucked the words out of the books onto her skin -- how hard would it be to re-create something like that, for hands and forearms, for a costume?

If anyone I know knows, it will be someone in Bitches.

God, my mother. I am often amazed she didn't eat us when we were babies.

My bro and SiL are coming in town this weekend, just for the weekend b/c some members of SiL's family are pretty sick and they want to see them.

When I talked to my bro yesterday, he mentioned that on Friday night, Mom and stepdad were going to take him and SiL out for Indian, and invited me and Tim along.

So I mention it to mom, and she says no, it's only Jeff, no SiL, and I'm not invited because "sometimes I just don't want to focus on both of my children."

That right there sums up her entire ethos of parenting.

Well, no. That's not fair. It's more like "I just don't want to focus on either of my children."

Honestly, I understand that she doesn't get to see him a lot, and wants to spend time with him. I get that. But (1) she really could have worded it a little better, and (2) *I* don't get to see him a lot, either, and I would like to see him. I'm just not picky about hoarding the bro. Oh, also (3) she was in Vermont in August for a week. So she damn well got to spend time with him.

The fear that I would be like my mom is an enormous part of why I don't want to have kids. Seriously.

Oy, Steph.

Well, the exam situation seems to have been resolved. Sort of. I'll see how well this actually works -- it's trusting six undergrads with a lot of responsibility, with pretty much no instructions for what they're supposed to do.

Tep, in what I'm about to say I want to be clear that I'm not pressuring you to be a parent. Not only is it your right, but you are the best judge of what would or would not make you happy.

But if you got stuck with the job, you are way too good a person to act in some of the ways you fear. Again this is not me arguing about your decision. This is me objecting to you failing to sufficiently respect a person I'm fond of.

I'm with Typo on this, Steph.

At the same time, I am you in the being glad I am not a parent category.

I love kids. I favorably influence the lives of kids pretty much every day. I am so glad I am not inflicting my issues on kids.

Just giving out balloons last weekend was a chore in self-control. Not that the kids were wrong in their behavior, per se. It just took way too much of my grit to be nice about it.

Not full-time parenting material.