I looked at myself in the mirror this morning after my ablutions and thought "Too much hurts too much. Go back to bed." Last night was tossing and turning, so I made an ortho appointment, emailed my boss, and tried to sleep.

But it's lunchtime now! I only said I was taking the morning off! Fuck.

Nothing stopped hurting--I just had some time off due to unconsciousness.

Teppy, I'm sorry there is so much on your plate. I hope you can block out some hours to give your head some relief.

Oh my, what an eventful day. It took a few hours but B's court stuff is done. He just has to pay more $$ again. The girl is someone he went to school with. She is a year younger, just financially more secure!

We go and pick her up after court to bring her back here to get B's car and so forth. He knows her dad, but has never met mom. She hasn't answered her phone so he knocks on the door and mom comes out. Tells him to go away. He hangs outside leaning on the fence waiting for the girl. Mom comes out with a paring knife! Yells at him to go away; she is calling the cops. Okay. Girl texts that she is sorry that mom is a nutjob and that she will be right out. Mom comes storming out with a laptop in her arms and takes a picture of my license tag with her phone, calls ME a bunch of names and drives away. Okay. Then girl comes out and the cops show up all vested up and stuff. Girl says, don't worry I know these guys. She walks up to cops. Hugs all round. Says, "oh you know my mom, she freaked out on my boyfriend for no reason." Hugs all round and they leave.

I bring girl and boy to his car and bid them farewell. Then my SIL calls and says they can't get her blood pressure under control so she has to go to the hospital to be induced. Then she says she will be leaving shortly to drive to the hospital. I explain why this is not the best plan since she sure as heck won't be driving home. So now I am leaving to go help bring a new nephew into the world.

Woot! Today has not been boring.

And at least I have the girl's phone number now and have kept B advised as to the arrival of his new cousin. He is going to the hospital too because he is crazy excited. SIL and her DH are his favorites.

After I posted, my mom called and said, "I'm in [next neighborhood over] -- want to have lunch?" So I cried all over her, ate lunch, debated going to urgent care for my head, got some Aleve (because it's the only OTC drug I haven't tried), decided to give the Aleve a few hours to work, and took Mom to the tailor to see the dress (she hadn't seen it on me yet; only a picture) and check the length before the tiny Greek woman shortens it.

Head still hurts. There are still Too Many Things Happening all at once. But I can cross the dress off the list, and I had lunch. I don't have a lot of faith in the Aleve, but I'm trying anything to avoid urgent care. My entire right trigeminal nerve is inflamed -- my teeth (upper and lower) hurt on the right side, my right eye is made out of pain, and what hurts the most is my fucking right ear. It's this relentless burny stabby pressure.

Steph, given your severance package, could the job hunt go on pause until the weddding's over (except for anything already in motion) or would that not help your stress level?

I thought about that. I didn't actually expect the 3 places who've contacted me to contact me so quickly, and respond positively. I might do that -- take the editing tests for these 3 places and then hold off on pursuing anything else until after the wedding. But it makes me feel like a deadbeat.

I'm so sorry you're so stressed. Seriously, is there anything you can outsource to Buffistas? I'd love to participate in your wedding in some small way. I have three day weekends, so I could make calls or research things. Sometimes it can help just to have someone to review your to do list and help prioritize.

It's mostly stuff like: write vows, write ceremony, get marriage license, make playlists. Not really outsourceable stuff (although I may be crowdsourcing the playlists here, because DANCE PARTY).

Teppy, I think it is in the nature of cysts to be a bitch and take two or three tries. YCMV.

I'll do the warm compress thing, but I'm really disinclined to call the OB/GYN back. Maybe the Aleve will help that pain, too. Fingers crossed.

Come on Aleve, alleve already!

Laura, crossing fingers for B and his new girlfriend; may it all work out well. May the new nephew arrive without drama!

My entire right trigeminal nerve is inflamed -- my teeth (upper and lower) hurt on the right side, my right eye is made out of pain, and what hurts the most is my fucking right ear. It's this relentless burny stabby pressure.

The trigeminal nerve is the culprit here? Fuck our trigeminal nerves! Assholes. You are not a deadbeat, but your trigeminal nerve is a douchebag. May Aleve kick its butt nerve. I'm trying Valium - maybe it'll settle the damn thing down.

Woot! Today has not been boring.

This. Is. Why. You. Are. My. Hero.

The trigeminal nerve is the culprit here?

It is in my case. I think it's a factor in a lot of migraines.

You are not a deadbeat, but your trigeminal nerve is a douchebag.

It SO is.

I'm trying Valium - maybe it'll settle the damn thing down.

Oh, yeah. I should take an Ativan.

Come on Aleve, alleve already!

What Laura said.

Plus, I really like smonster's idea about the b.org virtual assistant pool.

I, too, would happily sign up for wedding prep tasks, Steph.

It would help distract me such that my brain won't explode over things that, in light of everybody else's travail seem minor.

Still, I spent a sleepless night trying to fix something that went ALL to hell for the pet care company. (a walker gets bitten, doesn't report it, manager efs up like you would not even believe, drama ensues)

In the midst of my forensic analysis to try to pull us out of the shit, the pet care manager decides to go off on one of his patented, "Bonny is to blame for everything. She's undermining me. Why am I even a manager if she is around. How dare she fill in the blank?" Yadda Yadda fucking ya.

In fact, I had absolutely nothing to do with any of it expect for writing a very clear policy that no one has chosen to follow.

I work everything out with the walk...which took some real power on my part...and spend the rest of the night fuming.

I heard all Y'ALL's voices in my head, went into a meeting with the owner and the manager wherein I stated...in much more rational terms than I thought I could,

"Owner, I am submitting a letter to my file that states that I am charged with crafting and communicating policies. These policies are signed off on by senior staff. If policies are not implemented by the managers and yourself, including recommendations for termination of both clients and staff, I will not be held legally responsible for any actions taken as a result of this failure. I would like you to sign this letter."

"Manager, I get that you have a communication habit that causes you to have these episodes. Even if I HAD made some major error each of the times you have spoken to me like that (which I have not), I still deserve the basic respect I show you. (At which point the Owner said something like 'please don't quit') I am not asking you to do anything differently, but I want both of you to know that, when this happens...and I'm sure it will many times...I will not placate you and I will not apologize. Your behavior has never been my responsibility."

He apologized three times by email and once in person.

The Owner and I spent 3.5 hours talking through what we need to do to avoid problems like this, or at least management better, including me stating very, very clearly just exactly what stuff I will NOT deal with.

Then, I came home to find out that another walker let a dog off its leash LAST WEEK and the dog nearly killed a neighbor's cat. 10 days later, we had to hear from the dog's owner that another neighbor told him and now he is being held responsible for the cat's imminent death...and 10 days of medical bills.

Did I mention that I haven't slept?

I want desperately to go to bed, but now we have a conference call at 4 to 'strategize'.

My email reply? Get details from the walker, call insurance company, follow protocol, get in writing that the walker did not inform, fire walker, hand over to the insurance company. Pray.

I. Just. Can't. Even.

JFC, bonny.