billytea, I'm so sorry about your family drama. Much ~ma to you.

Connie tons of ~ma to you and your DH.

Looks like TCG is going to have my car for at least today and tomorrow, which would be fine if I was actually on top of my Christmas shopping this year. TCG may be getting an IOU a bottle of scotch, and the rest I'm trying to finish up online and keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be in on time.

The ONLY thing better than an IOU bottle of nice scotch is an actual bottle of nice scotch. And not even by that much.

Okay, I have a massively onerous task. I need to write a business proposal as part of a business loan application. This is one of those things that makes me feel like an absolute impostor. I know it's not rational, I've been running my own company for years, but I have no actual business training and when I get hit with things that are perfectly normal business requests I just feel like a food and flail around trying to put them together.

I have a lunch meeting at 12:30 then I need to come back and get this done so that I can have a meeting with a bank manager tomorrow afternoon.

This is the part of running a business that makes me feel like an idiot.

Sigh.

There are enough things in this life that he wants that just flat out can't happen for him. Me feeling uncomfortable should not be a barrier for his desires.

You are a good person, Andi.

bt, I'm sorry for the family drama.

ND, I have faith in you! And you're not an idiot.

That definitely sounds onerous, ND! Akin to writing a college/grad school application or something. Which is notoriously onerous. Good luck.

My brother is apparently just becoming more of an ass as he grows up. Now he's posting stuff that I won't click on ( like about how racist microaggressions are a bunch of BS, or so I assume from the title) and referencing "Marxist academia" and how it's so out of hand. Like, wtf brother?

That's a tough thing to have to do, Drew - coming up with a way to explain yourself and your business in way that makes sense, first to you, then to translate into language that will make sense to the loan officers.

I can't imagine that anyone who runs a business feels competent at all aspects of it. You're great at what people hire you to do. I know you're on a deadline for this one, but I understand that business proposals are one of the things that the Small Business Administration offers a lot of help on.

I'm sorry about the family drama and your brother's friend, BT.

My family drama is more trivial, but depressing because it's part of a long-time pattern of dealing with my sister, who never gets me exactly what I asked for, because she thinks it costs too much or she can't find it locally. She wanted a Christmas list from me. I asked for two things on sale on Amazon that total about $40. One is a moderately obscure DVD that anyone with any sense would realize was only available online. She apparently spent the last three weeks wandering around Wal-Mart and calling local stores, then tells my mother she can't order the things on Amazon because the shipping is too much, even though I re-explained free shipping to her. It's hard to figure out anything I want that's in stock at the nearest Wal-Mart. It all sent me into such a funk that I boiled dry something I was supposed to be reducing by half and realized the reason I had so much chocolate glaze was that I read ounces for teaspoons.

Oh, Ginger, that's sad - your sister's inflexibility. Also the boiled-dry reduction, particularly if it's a chocolate glaze. I do not envy you the clean-up.

Ufh, Ginger, that reminds me of my mom. She loves garage sales. But while I also love a bargain, I want it to be a well-thought-out present, not just "look, I saved money!" One year I asked for sheets, a certain perfume (available at any department store) and a book (available at Barnes and Noble). Didn't get any of those things, though you'd think it was simple enough.