I hope it all goes okay in the end, Suela. And I get wanting sibs to take over some and understand how awful and stressful it can all be. Because it is and people don't understand it until they live some of it.

Humanity jumped the shark for me when I learnt how complicit everyone could be in the systematic oppression of everyone else--whether it was through malice, shortsightedness, oppression of themselves...we're all pretty awful.

Yeah, realizing this was upsetting. I shall henceforth call it humanity jumping the shark. Since I didn't realize the Native Americans owning slaves, I'll add that to the list.

Bandicoots are real things?!? Why are all of the words that I didn't realize referred to actual animals Australians. Puggles, bandicoots...

I did not know that Native Americans kept black slaves. Was this common?

I don't think it was common and I think it only happened fairly late in the history of slavery. Because before that slaves frequently ran away to the west and often became absorbed into Indian tribes. Which is why you get things like Black Seminoles. And also why most African Americans today have some Native American blood.

Holocaust survivors who'd settled in South Africa and were cool with apartheid -- that is when humanity jumped the shark for me.

They were relatives of a friend. I was about 14. Something in my brain shorted-out.

I got folded into MFNlaw's family for TG, and it was awesome. I ended up talking to her mom for a long while and I suppose it should come as no surprise that she and I could talk as easily as Maria and I. Heh.

Now I just have to hope my cats let M sleep in. They came back downstairs when I did, but I expect all bets are off when I go up to bed. They were enthralled with a human in the spare bed!

I have no idea how I'm still upright and not loopy. We'll call it good food and company. Sure, I don't follow the bursts of italian and spanish , but the tone is all right there. Very thankful for them taking me in today.

ARGH. I have been up since 3. K left for Zion about an hour ago and I'm already tired. I should go back to bed, but am feeling hopeless at the thought of falling asleep and being woken again.

Easy to say from where I'm standing, but DO IT. I mean, seriously--you're here on hand for all of this drama and trauma, and I'd totally get if my sister just threw her hands up in the air and went incommunicado for a while.

Yeah, I know. Life is rarely practical that way. But it would be nice.

What ita said. Good luck, Suela. If nothing else, Monday will come.

You can leave the house, right, Juliebird? Go to the movies. Or whatever.

Drat, the one today-only special from Lands End I was going to get is already sold out.

ION, I'm going to hang out with my mom! My dad is going to his day program, and she has the day off work, so I'm sure she feels like she's playing hooky, but I don't know when we last spent time just the two of us. It will be nice! I continue to be thankful that I like my family.

We are just getting ready to go do Thanksgiving.

I'll be off to PA for combination cleaning-Mom's-out AND bonus salvaging-destroyed-Shore-house -- if I am allowed to come out to the island (they're very finicky about who and how many are allowed in at a time). Otherwise I stay back in PA and manage on my own....

Cereal: 'Suela, when my Mom was being obstreperous, it was AMAZING how much better she responded to my brothers than me. With Women Of A Certain Era, there's more of a habit of compliance when a Guy Says It.

Seriously, my brothers kept wondering why I was complaining that I couldn't get Mom to take her meds, et cetera, because THEY never had a problem, at least until they were hanging out and saw how she was responding....

If you have to pretend you have a headache and go sit out in a coffee shop for a couple hours, it may save a life or two, or at least give a possibility that your mom won't get wound up and diffuse a potential explosion.