My family: my mother fished those disposable pedicure thongs out of the trash to make coasters. You should have SEEN the look on her face when I told her what they were.

They were washed. But still. Emblematic. We improvise.

Also, I'm afraid the cat is going to get stuck with the name Pumpkin unless I find her a home. My mother. The cat. chillin' under the futon: [link] [link] I think I've lost my mind.

My cousin's family just got a cat named Monkey. Heh. Also, my little cousin (3!) is obsessed with Cowgirl Jessie from Toy Story, so she kept saying, " I'm Jessie!" I was like, "HEY! I'm Jesse!" Also, my 9th grade cousin is almost 6 feet tall. Yikes.

Pretty Pumpkin.

Ha - three year-old must have been highly entertained by that.

I am craving chocolate.

Pumpkin!

Hey, at least you aren't naming her after a chaotic god.

Well, there is that. With my luck, should I keep her, she'll swell to the shape of a pumpkin. She give Loki a run for his money on food inhalation.

cutie cat Pumpkin!

there are accupressure wrist bands that are supposed to help with nausea. They helped me with car sickness and air sickness. I think there are those with electric pulses. I thought there was some medical evidence they are supposed to help and not random hoo-ha, but there might be others who chime in here.

Both Matt and my sister J have used the electric pulse ones for motion sickness - and they worked. my sister J is a pretty extreme case so it might be worth trying

I just reached out to pet the rescue on the futon suddenly as she was washing, and she totally flinched. Twice. Uhg. That's not from us. Uhg. She's loveyest (if you aren't another cat) and trusting and calm thing ever. Everyone at the vets' remarked on it, she was chill. But she clearly had shitty humans before.

I can hate people.

(This is me decompressing. Talking to people in the box.)

And just now when I stood up suddenly, she bolted under the couch. Uhg.

Okay, folks who deal with pain, I have had knee pain, agonizing can't navigate stairs, or standing up or sitting down knee pain since last Sunday. It abated, but then I sat for a training today and it's locked back up. There is no swelling but also anytime I put pressure on it if my knee is not locked (which is bad for me, I know), then it gives out.

Go to urgent care or wait and see my regular doc for an MRI?

Today, there was a Flick and Float event at my Y. They had also sorts of pool floaties (and snacks for outside of the pool) and showed Despicable Me. Noah stuck it out for an hour in the pool and then we showered, watched a bit more and went home. What a fun event!

eeep Kat! Knee pain is scary.

I think Pumpkin is adorable. I'd totes take her in if I lived closer by, sarameg. I have a kitty lying next to me and purring right now. She's my little girl who is old now and whose kidneys are failing, but she seems very happy despite all that.

I have never tried the TJs pub cheese. After tonight's convo I think I need to remedy that.

My joints get funky (mainly my knees give out on the stairs, and I have weird gasping-painful twinges in various places even swimming ) at certain points in my hormonal cycle. That would be the first question I looked at. But that sounds a little different.