Congratulations Taylor, and congrats Sarameg as well, for being such an awesome mentor.

I don't have any mentees unless you count my nieces, who unaccountably seem to consider me a role model.

Mom's on the serious drugs now, basically just sleeping. So we brought Dad to my sister's house last night, just because. I'll pick him up later and we'll check on Mom, and then go to the farmer's market. I spent a while last night going through the cache of old family photos that Dad scanned several years ago, and setting aside a pile of Mom photos. (Man, the 70s and 80s were bad years for hair and fashion in my family.)

I had a second interview yesterday, and at the end basically told my friend that they should take their time in deciding. I'm now in no rush, as I would like to hear from some other firms as well. But at 3 AM this morning I realized I don't really want to be a project manager again. Not that I have a lot of options, damn it.

Best of thoughts to you, Consuela.

Man, everyone was NUTS out there. Stores that are normally quiet were mobbed and the traffic was nuts. Including the little old lady who rolled slowly into me at a stop.

....yeah. I was not thrilled, but it wasn't even enough to slosh my water bottles over (I at first thought the catlitter had tipped over, but then realized I didn't buy any ) and didn't even scratch. So maybe I got that out of the way? I haven't had another car hit me in ...I can't remember.

It's miserable out there.

I don't want to vacuum.

So there was drama yesterday, for once not involving my family. Yesterday my handyman and his girlfriend were here to paint my house trim. I saw a cop car on the side street, past my pine trees, but I didn't think anything of it, since the cops keep an eye on this neighborhood. Next thing I know, the cop has taken the license plates off John's truck and taken both them and John away, and Sue is crying. Wow, unexpected. I think the cop randomly ran John's plates and found something he could nick him for. Sue had no idea what was going on. I drove her to my bank to cash the check I'd just given them because that was all the money she had, then we moved all their gear into the truck and locked it, and I reassured her that as long as the truck was parked they wouldn't come take it away. Then she said she would go home and wait for John to call her, and I said HOW because she doesn't drive and I know they aren't local, and she was going to WALK home 12 miles in 90 degree heat. Oh no. If she's gonna die of heatstroke, it's not gonna be because I didn't give her a ride. So I drove her to the dingy motel she lives in (and stopped at TJ's on the way back). About fifteen minutes after I got home, John called me. He's out of jail already and has his license plates back, and is VERY apologetic. He still can't drive, his license is suspended, so a couple friends brought him to my place (at 10:30pm) and one of them drove his truck home. I'm glad it was resolved so quickly, whatever it was, but I bet it cost him a chunk of money. I hope they get things worked out for themselves soon, they're good people.

All of which has made me think two things: (1) wow, am I glad I don't live in the world of constant drama anymore, and (2) wow, I am lucky and I have no problems.

This takes some cheap potshots, but I like the general conceit and abut half of the font handling: [link]

Sounds like maybe he let his registration lapse. Or possibly unpaid tickets and a suspended license.

It was extreme everything on the beach! Super hot, super windy, water super cold, etc. But I got my sun on and then a coffee frappe and yay. The water was amazing - still and clear, and there were a million great shells, of which I took two.

Sounds like maybe he let his registration lapse. Or possibly unpaid tickets and a suspended license.

Something of the sort, I'm sure, David. The kind of thing you let yourself forget about when you don't have the money for it.

The water was amazing - still and clear, and there were a million great shells, of which I took two.

I love collecting shells. As is evident by the sheer number of shells in my house and my sister's. I miss having a beach house to go to in the summer. Not that I went that often, but it was THERE. I should take a beach vacation.

Is this too sad for Good Stuff? It's pretty! [link]

Too sad! But really great.

I should take a beach vacation.

You should! The beach is the best. My mother just called to see if I want to go with them this afternoon to the beach I just came from! So I said no.

Just got some awful news. A friend's ex-wife and the mother of his two boys took her life this morning. The boys are 16 and 14.