I'm kinda a cheater though, I think, because for anything serious, like dayslong conferences and whatnot, I also carry my backpack with laptop, and there's lots of extra stash room in there for stuff like water bottles, kleenex, Nook, knitting, etc. I just don't carry it for most things, like going to the store or whatever.

I swear, I'm going to lose my security deposit on my apartment because of Nunya. The front door veneer and storm door molding have all been pryed up, because the pita can't stand to be outside for more than two minutes and resent the dining room window not being open for her convenience during winter months.

But I love her other new habit of sitting on the back of the futon behind my head and wrapping her body around me, so her toes are poking my left cheek and her front paws shoving my right cheek staring at me upside-down and blissed out with her head on my shoulder. Which ocassionaly translates to her kicking my head just to watch it bounce, but most of the time I get her yummy tummy to rub my head on.

My mom's neurotic cat now associates me with being put in his carrier and taken out of the house - he runs and hides whenever I visit. Last night it took 30 minutes of me lying on the floor petting him under an end table before he deigned to purr and stretch his chin out for scritching.

Teppy, I'd have laid money on you being the person who answered my plea. And I'd totally never considered Prince Albert as a partial explanation. Perfect. Thank you *so* much.

My sister gives me questions specifically for y'all (I wonder if she once thought I had all this info in my head?), and my parents have done the "Oh, well, if they could help answer..." Never worse off for trying, mother dearest.

for anything serious, like dayslong conferences and whatnot, I also carry my backpack with laptop

I am so glad these days are past! The tablet without the keyboard is good for a few days, including work, and the tablet with the keyboard--I can't work on it because I don't get work email on it, but in terms of laptop replacement, the main shortcomings are that I can't plug it into a wired network, or a camera or scanner. But I can swing about a week on holiday without yearning for those.

They sometimes forget and treat you like you are 12. When you are healthy.

Try never being healthy, but wanting some time to yourself without it being a thing. V. difficult.

Great news, Dana!

I hear that.

In light of my very FW-NOT-Problems, Taylor's dealing with some stupid college app fee-shenanigans. If necessary, I will pay them for her. Cause goddamn. This girl will get to pick her college.

That sucks or Taylor, but yay that she has you, Sara. I remember between college apps and SAt and AP exams, my family was very short on money my senior year.

Dana, yay new job!

I range from when I go out, and stash only one card, money, and ID in one back pocket, phone in the other, and house key and possibly Chapstick in a front pocket, to my usual traveling bag which has cords/chargers, laptop, food, first aid, sunglasses, kindle, iPad, etc etc etc.

Grace's nurse called us at 5:00 AM today to tell us she was sick. And she was. But damn, it screws up our day to have to pivot and find a new solution. So Grace went to middle school with K today.

This afternoon, I deposited cookie money in the credit union (which is a PITA), then I went and bought books for our next GS journey (blargh) and some badges for the journey. Then I also bought cookie pint glasses (j'adore!) and some badges as thank you to moms in the troop. When I got home, I made lunch for me (at 4:00 PM) then I did all of the laundry, made dinner for K and Noah, folded all the laundry, hemmed two pairs of Grace's pants, trimmed 3 pairs of my pants to be hemmed, gave Grace a bath and dealt with a tantrum extraordinaire from Noah who sobbed uncontrollably for an hour.

It was a busy afternoon. Am tired now.

I also always take a bag now. I carry my wallet, sunglasses or eyeglasses depending, lip goop, cell phone and a pen at a minimum. When I'm carrying everything, I also usually have an iPad and papers to grade as well as a book.

I know I'm OTT in carrying an iPod and an ereader as well as a phone and a tablet, but I only recently stopped carrying a camera. I'm pretty slow with convergence. I don't want a need for music to stop me from being able to surf the web or read a book or make a call. Either my phone or my tablet or both need to double their battery lives before I lighten up.