I hear it never rains in Albuquerque, and you can Christmas carol in your tank top.

mr. flea leaves for China tomorrow at 7am and I have to think of something to do with the children all weekend, when I've spent 10 hours with them in the car this week already and the weather is going to be crappy. Ugh.

I'm sorry Tom. That sounds like a frustrating and awful day. You, however, are still awesome.

Tom, I'm late on this but I'm sorry it was stressful but I think you did a good job on how you handled it. Little steps.

My mother's grandfather was 100% Comanche, her father was half. I don't know much about my great grandfather expected he owned large amounts of land in Oklahoma and then sold it to buy movie theaters. Right before the Depression. And then he died (oil was found later in the land). My grandfather had an older half sister who married at 14 years old to have some place to go, and a younger sister who was sent off to a Convent school. My grandfather was sent to an "Indian school" where he was mistreated because his mother claimed she couldn't afford them. His sister died in the school either from illness or an illegal abortion (depending on when the story was told).

You can see the Comanche in my Mom and brother but not me. However, we're enough Comanche that we are on the official tribal rolls (my brother got a scholarship to help pay for part of his school).

My mother's maternal grandmother traveled by: covered wagon, boat, automobile, train, and plane at various points in her life.

I did not plan on buying myself so many clothes, but y'all.

ok, first these [link] - in both colors for $6.50 each.

then this [link] at old navy, which seems to be sold out online, but there were several in the store.

and I cannot find either of the things I got at jcp. One being a super cute peter pan collared dress.

I like the pattern mix in the dress, msbelle. I love pattern mixing, as long as someone has does it for me. I'm chronically unable to make a decision as simple as two pieces of an outfit with stripes, no matter how far apart, but if the designer of the clothing has put *anything* together, I'll grab it, and the brighter clearer punchiness of the competing (collaborating!) patterns the more joie it puts into my vivre.

I have started a shared Evernote notebook with my sister in which we are going to put things of interest for each other. So far I've been kind of heavy, so I've got to go find something shallow and/or trite to balance this out.

Hrrmm.

Tom, what everybody has said. You did good. Every step forward is a major achievement. I'm sorry the day wasn't a good one, though.

msbelle, those are purty.

Dana, I think flea has produced tantalizing evidence in favor of ABQ, just saying.

It has rained so much and I have slounged through it to the point I might have to inspect myself for moss.

{{{Tom}}} Don't be hard on yourself. I'm sorry had such a crappy day, but none of that is your fault.

I am so puzzled by my inability to find this dress online. It is a Jessica Howard s/s dress with peter pan collar and pockets. I have the item # and the color from the tag. not online anywhere. anyhow - I am finding as I get older and admittedly less slim, I want things to hang more than cling. The ON dress I bought in a large, the Jessica Howard in an XL cause otherwise they would not hang.

Scola, any rug-brushing-under was courtesy of your Mom. And, presumably, had she been more honest you'd have continued.

Its a tiny bit possible, actually, that her asking at all was a (albeit insufficient and impaired) way of bringing it up and then she chickened the fuck out.

Much love to Scola. Baby steps are steps, yo.