Today's our first day back with students. We have an online student info system that we are supposed to take attendance in. In the system, there is no kid enrolled in any of my classes.

Sounds like you have an entire classroom of stealth students. Better keep a close eye.

Hi everybody! I am back from Vegas! It was a pretty good trip, although fucked up by travel issues on everyone else's part. I relaxed a lot and drank a lot and won about $10. Which was much more dramatic than that sounds.

Two things from the plane yesterday: there was a really good-looking Idris Elba type guy next to me...with his wife on the other side. But he was chatty and nice and I liked it. Also, someone passed out in the aisle, and they called for medical professionals and a TON of people got up! And I realized I would probably rather see a nurse in that situation than a generic doctor -- I mean, isn't a nurse more likely to have relevant knowledge/experience? I don't need a surgeon, you know? But whatever, the person turned out OK.

Scrappy, I'm sorry about Jason's uncle. He sounds great.

And am really sad about David Rakoff. The only news I've heard since Thursday was the Paul Ryan announcement, and a couple of Olympic things. Mostly when we turned the tv on, it was for pure trash.

No hookers and blow, Jesse? I am disappoint.

Hardly any hookers and blow, it's true.

Pix, I hope you're OK, whatever's going on!

Today's our first day back with students. We have an online student info system that we are supposed to take attendance in. In the system, there is no kid enrolled in any of my classes.

Ugh, such a mess. I hope it's easily fixed, Kat.

Last night was our third night trying to get Rose to sleep all night in her crib instead of in the rocker. The first night was a disaster, the second night reasonably OK, last night somewhere between the two. I think it will be a several-cups-of-tea kind of day.

Yuck, Kat, that would drive me nuts.

Hope whatever unspecified~ma is necessary gets to you, Pix.

I didn't mention it yesterday 'cause I was busy dealing with it, but the SO's grandmother died the day before. She was 96, and had dementia, so in many ways we'd lost her long ago. Since the SO is still on tour, we won't be able to head back for the services, which is sad, but also okay for many reasons.

I had a good cry yesterday and then watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which was a bad idea, but oh well. So I'm doing pretty well with it. It's just sad because she's the last of our grandparents.

That is sad, Liese. I'm sorry.

Oh, Liese, sweetie. Much comfort and many vibes to you and the SO, and peace be to his grandmother's spirit.

Are there any cultures that have managed to take the sting out of any sort of death? Like their religions or philosophies work well enough that relatively natural deaths of our oldest generations don't hurt? Is that possible, on any sort of general scale? Because I'd like some of that, and then I'd share it with my friends.

Because, objectively, it should be fine.

But that doesn't count.

Why did I think two cups of tea was good in the first week West LA has actually had summer? At home, with no AC? Opening my front door is distracting, since then I can hear everyone else's AC better. I'm staving off turning mine on for as long as possible...

Damn, I have to work out this project plan for a September go live where we have a company wide big deal right at the beginning, so that's a no go, and then I'm travelling right in the middle, so that's verboten too. I need my manager's help on this one.

Liese, I'm sorry. It was the same with my mom. It always hurts.

Kat, FFS. I hope that's not a sign of how the rest of the year will go.

Pix, whatever that was, hope the shady thing has gone away.

Viva Las Vegas, Jesse! "Hardly any" hookers and blow, hmm?

I woke up at 6:30 to call smonster, fed the furry demons, took out the trash, said fuckit and went back to bed, slept through the second alarm, got up an hour ago when Leo walked across my head, and ate tuna sandwich for breakfast while discovering a bunch of crap I have to deal with at work. That's been my day so far.