The shot of the manatee floating above the little kid and saying "And what happens next?" looked like something out of a creepy anime.

I like that one just because of the number of little kids I've known who loved to tell stories but were so bad at it. I always try to listen and be attentive, but I think that a breathless, "and then what happened?" would be so affirming for a little story teller.

eta: Here, sj, non-creepy comfort-er: [link]

Hi, I'm toni and I am a horrible person.

My last uncle just died this weekend. He was a nice man and was the one who introduced my parents to each other.

Thought both of our parents were not close to their families while we were growing up and moving around so much, but once we settled in Iowa, Uncle Jim made an effort to reconcile my mother with her brothers, of which he was the youngest.

He came to both their funerals and made an effort to stay in touch with us.

So, all my siblings are planning to go to his memorial service. It's near chicago on a Saturday, and they are planning to drive there and back, afterwards.

Here's why I am horrible. I am not going. I'm claiming work, but it's really because I know I wouldn't be able to handle the long car ride, the socializing, even though I really want to spend time with my sibs, and the length of the day.

I wouldn't be able to handle the stress of that long a day with no real downtime. I want to go, but I know I wouldn't be able to recover in time for work on Monday.

It's the Fibromyalgia, but I don't think my family would be sympathetic to that.

Not horrible, aware of your own limitations. You're allowed to not exhaust yourself. Funerals are for the living anyway. If you loved him in life and honor him in your own way, that's what matters. He loved you - he wouldn't want you to kill yourself.

It would be really nice if they had one ultrasound room dedicated to infertility without all the yay you're pregnant stuff in it.

I'm not particularly thrilled that the mastectomy supplies and fittings are together with the nursing supplies at one hospital. I'd think it would be really hard on young women.

Whatever gets you through the night, Connie. Seriously.

We all have days like that, askye. I like your haircut, and your brother is an idiot.

quester, you are not a horrible person. You are honoring your uncle by taking care of yourself.

Though the phrase "they would have wanted it that way/they would have have wanted us to continue X" is rapidly becoming sarcastic cliché, if your Uncle was a cool and thoughtful as you say, he'd be the first to tell you "Rest yourself, dammit!"

I'm eagerly waiting for the first show that replies to "Oh, he wouldn't have wanted us to make a fuss" with "Hell, yes, he would have wanted a fuss! He'd want weeping in the street and a ten-mile long procession!"

Thanks. My youngest sister is bailing, too. So I have a little cover.

I will be thinking of him and have suggested we also send flowers as a group. We'll see how that goes.

quester, I felt really badly when I had to bail on a funeral a few weeks back because of stomach problems and a complete lack of energy for making the trip to RI and back. So, I know how you're feeling, but you really do need to take care of yourself first.

Darlings, how desperate for distraction are you? Toddson just posted a link in Literary for a Smart Bitch's review of dinosaur/human slash fiction.

Oscar Wilde claimed that bad art justified itself by providing a blank canvas for the reviewer's paintbrush.

Well this thing may have totally transcended trivial matters such as good and bad and gone straight to "WTF?"