The best blessing in the world is to have a normal child

Seriously!?!?!? Even if that were TRUE, who the fuck do they think it would be appropriate to say that to? Someone who is "too" happy about their child's whatever-ness, who needs to be brought down to earth and humbled? No, that's just asshole. Someone who doesn't have a "normal" child? Even more asshole. So that leaves....nobody. STFU.

I can't breathe well enough to sleep, due to making all the snot (with bonus sneezing and coughing). And now my ear has started hurting. I'm giving up and making tea.

What's the benchmark for legitimate calling in sick? Also, if I have met it should I text my supervisor now (12:30), in another hour or two, or when my alarm goes off in the morning (note: If A or B, I will be turning my alarm off)

What's the benchmark for legitimate calling in sick?

Sounds like you have met it. I say, call in now, turn off the alarm, take your preferred medicine, and go to sleep.

Woo.

Except, I have already taken a benedryl and an ibuprofin. I guess I should take a second hit of each.

I gave the critter an indecent burial. Poor thing. S/he really was cute. And just wanted something to eat.

Whitefont for the squeams.

There is blood on my floor. I can't bear to scrub it tonight.

The common wisdom is that the trap snaps their little necks. They don't.

It's just...

Plus, my bff's brother...her only relative who isn't a troll...died this week. He was a good-hearted soul. She's wrecked.

I'm helping the widow deal with some truly bizarre behavior from their Retriever. Biting men's crotches. A new one on me, for sure.

I'll be with them for as long as they need...with whatever I can offer. Lord knows they have enough to deal with after years of illness and a tragic end.

Man. I need a rainbow pooping unicorn right about now.

Aw, bonny, I'm sorry about your bff's brother.

Seriously, who says to someone who is handicapped, "The best blessing in the world is to have a normal child"?

"Huh. I would have said it's having more sense than a box of rocks but the sad thing is that not everyone gets that, either."

I've questioned both my parents in great detal about post-mortem wishes. I started it as an email....sort of an "I think we both explect that I'll outlive you, and I know that i'll be so overwhelmed with grief that the more practical things we can plan out in advance the less i'll have to freak about while I'm crippled with grief. Next time we get together, can we talk about what you want re: medical decisions, dispostion of physical remains, funeral decisions, etc? Especially funeral or memorial services...so many choices to be made....what music would you want played? Who should I invite who I might not know? Anyone who should NOT be invited for fear of bad reactions? For a wake, are there specific food or drink items that are significant to you and would be respresentative? How about flowers?

I got SO MUCH good info (and I know that it spurred both parents to update their wills and give me contact info for their attourneys as well as home locations of will copies.) My mom knows certain songs she wants played at her funeral and gave me contact info for some of her church friends who know the ins and outs of her church. I found out that she does not want to donate any organs or body parts (which pisses me off, but those are her wishes) because for some reason she thinks she needs her body intact in the afterlife. Wierd, but ok, I can abide by that decision tho I can't promise I won't asl her to change her mind later on. My Dad, OTOH, is all for donating anything usefull, or his whole body to science, or anthing else that could be construed as at all helpful to others, and then to cremete anything remaining and scatter it wherever. Ideally in a certain spot if possible, but per him my backyard would also be just gine. I could have guessed at Dad's wishes cuz that's how I feel, but without knowing Mom's it would never occur to me to not donate or cremate.

Death is such a loaded topic that you can't really just spring if on most people, but giving them some time to ponder (and not just launching the discussion over dinner...even morbid/rational me knows that most people whould find that off-putting) specific questions and topics to think about did result in very usefull information that i suspect will save me a LOT of wishful thinking later on. Heck, they both emailed me responses that I was able to just save as documents. Speaking of which, I really ought to update my own advance medical care directive since mine is still technically for California and I'm in Oregon now.

My water smells horrible. Like, makes you want to recoil, horrible. And, not like chlorine.

No one else on my block is having this problem. They'd notice if they were.

What has my landlord done...again.

I've called the water department. They say they are sending someone out to check it.

I have a houseguest coming tonight.

I took a bath in it last night.

Please...'it's nothing but a bad smell that can be easily fixed' ~ma. As much as you've got.

UGH. Can I bitch a sec?

So, last night had my annual review. It was generally great--I am good at my job, and since I work from home, no one is like "OMG you left early and seemed to be on the internet a lot" as long as I get the work done and done well. Which is so much better than when I worked in an office. And I was told I'm good and my work is good, and people like to work with me. YAY. BUT, at one point I was talking about how they basically took away half my job (granted, most of that half was the stuff I dislike!) and so I've felt like it's hard to be challenged, blah blah, and she started talking about how that's true and part of her job and what she'll be trying to do next year is challenge me, and it's hard for her to find things, especially for people who don't want to become managers, blah blah blah, and I was like "Um..what? I am not anti-being-a-manager?" I think she got in her head that I don't want to be a manager. Which...not true. Granted, my IDEAL job would still have some travel (managers don't), but...I also don't want to be in this job for the next umpty-years.

And then today found out that TWO MORE of my current team have been or are being promoted. Including one girl who I have found fairly useless, and I am SO IRKED. I had a talk set up with my project manager today, who was fairly nice and did have some good things to discusss..but part of it was saying "OK, so [other person] is going to take over some management things since we're losing [personX] to be a manager on another team, so I would like you to take over some of her [ourjob] duties". ...WTF? ARGH.

Were you able to make it clear (to the people who can make it happen) that you're interested in becoming a manager? Because, regardless of how they got the impression you aren't interested, if they think you don't want to be one, then they'll promote useless people instead of you. Wave that management flag!