That Charlie Pierce bit is great. My favorite part is: "Did Artur Davis, the newly minted Republican turncoat from Alabama, just cite Jack Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Lyndon Fking Johnson as examples of "leaders" who "reached across the aisle"? Lyndon reached across the aisle? Yeah, he did, and he grabbed their peckers and put them in his pocket, and he didn't give them back until the skinflint bastards coughed up Medicare."

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, is answering questions on Reddit.

Truly, we live in a golden age.

I have no idea when I turned it on, or for who, but apparently when my sister calls, my phone plays the Banana Splits theme music while it says her name (pronounced very well) over and over.

Soooooo embarrassing at work, though.

She called to tell me Megan's on TV, and also to scream, and then to say "That wasn't a car accident--I'm fine."

Excuse me, I've got to go slack on company time.

Isn't it Cass who will eat avocado despite being allergic to it, and just takes Benadryl with it? (I'm not necessarily advocating that, but I'm just saying.)

Yep.

Though, to be fair, it's oral allergy syndrome and is contained to the mouth, lips and throat without leading to a systemic type reaction, which includes hives, stomach upset and anaphylaxis among other symptoms. Though oral allergy syndrome can be quite uncomfortable, it isn’t life threatening on its own.

And I am allergic to nearly everything in the air, so I'm usually taking Benadryl anyway. But I do have a little pill case in my purse at all times with extra.

(I massively threadsucked and laughed when I got to the avocado discussion. I will admit, they taste best in California. Even in Oregon, I could pass them up. But nearer where they grow? Delicious. And should be Haas or Fuerte.)

All the gardens are nice this time of year but not spectacular, the roses are mostly spent.

I just sent uncles to the Japanese Garden which they loved but they also said that the Rose Garden is really amazing right now. I was surprised.

I tried to stay informed about the RNC but first I need to clear any breakables and possibly stock up on liquor. It's not that we have legitimate differences of opinion, it's that I cannot understand how humans actually think this is a direction America will be improved by following. A woman running for Congress who immigrated from Mexico saying that the only thing anyone from the Middle East brings to the US is, "the trash that they leave behind, the drug smuggling, the killings, the beheadings. I mean, you are seeing stuff. It’s a war out there." and so we should not even allow legal immigration? The platform that was approved? The idea that every single person has built every item they have by their own hands and nothing more? Because I think roads and police and fire departments and agencies making sure the water won't kill us are awesome. The throwing peanuts at the black camerawoman? I am disgusted. To be fair, I am disgusted by some Democrats too. But that's not the convention currently happening. Ugh.

They had to come personally verify your office wasn't fake or a whorehouse before you could remote deposit?? That's weird. I thought you were like, getting an appraisal or something.

I KNOW! And it's not like they checked the locks on the doors or anything, and furthermore, it's REMOTE deposit, which means I'm going to carry the unit around and deposit checks from, like, my in-law's spare room. So all the hey, is this place secure? shit is totally irrelevant. Basically they were like, does it look secure? Can you lock up the checks pre-deposit? How are you going to get rid of them when you're done?

But whatevs, I passed, the app is going in now. For serious, it's a half an hour/forty-five minute drive into town. And I have to make it twice, once to get the checks from the post office, and once to make the deposit. And over the summers it's a two week process, getting the mail forwarded, mailing the checks back to the bank.

With this, I can totally just do the deposits from wherever. Because of my cellular modem, I can literally do it from the car.

SHE BROKE THEIR SERVE OFF THE BAT!!!

(Maybe her partner did that. Don't know. Can't see.)

Anyway, now I am going to go reward myself for getting shit done like an adult and blow off the rest of the workday. I'm going to go putter around and the farmer's market and go thrifting for ice cube trays.

Why can nothing ever be simple? Just made plans for drinks with tonight with my friend and coworker K. Then had a call with my boss where it came out that K has probably burned her last bridge and will be exiting shortly by hook or by crook. Which of course is top secret. That should make for some interesting conversational landmines.

Hey, last year around this time my boss was all set to let her go and yanked her out of her then role and put her on my team since I was the only one who had a good word to say about her and this was all communicated to me two hours before I met up with K and her boyfriend for dinner for her birthday. (And I did convince my boss to not tell her all this on her birthday.)

So I guess I can feel good that I did manage to carve her out an additional year and change, since her b-day was two weeks ago. Yay me?

[K is a phenomenal worker who is nonetheless somewhat abrasive and simply cannot stop railroading people or pissing them off. It sucks, 'cause I would take her back on my team in a moment - her output is totally worth the extra time and headaches to keep her under control. And her current manager likes her. But our boss is capital D done.]

Awesomesauce, Liese.

Go ita's cuz, go!!

Hey Nora, if you and Tom can brave driving a few blocks, sounds like the Channel rats are going to try and congregate this evening, at Pete's or mine. Discussion on KR's page.

SHE BROKE THEIR SERVE OFF THE BAT!!!

That sounds totally awesome. I don't know what it means, but it sounds really good so I am happy for her.

Liese, you are totally a good adult today. Blow the rest of the afternoon off, yes.