my ex-stepmother is totally forgiven for the absent VD card guilt trip. She gifted me a SoupCycle membership. Fresh made vegan soups delivered to my door every thursday (which is conveniently for me a day off-so not a day when any delivery would be waiting on my front porch for possible poaching til nearly midnight.) I'm really touched, it's a super nice gesture and perfect. For weeks i've been eating soup out of a can (a can!) because I just don't have the spoons to wash and chop veggies and toss them in a crockpot. Which seriously should not take that many spoons for a week's worth of numminess, but still. I haven't been able to muster it up. So i'm really touched and thrilled. She's back in my good graces full stop.

Oh, as usual, dear.

but the amount of time I have spent writing e-mails - and the number of people that you copied on the e-mails - is unbelievable.

The amount of time I spend basically trying to find out who has the answer or explaining how I am running around trying to find out who has the answer is stunning. And completely exhausting. Given it's not actually my job, I might just stop caring. Or trying. One of those. Both is tiring.

That's an awesome gift, erin!

I'm so glad , erin. I had no idea such a thing existed. Such a good and thoughtful gift.

Sorry for the stupid work things, my friends. I just had a week off - mostly home with my DH, but this last weekend was in tamalis bay eating osters, cooking and drinking wine with friends - an absolutely amazing weekend and I feel good about going back to work. I kinda like people again.

hope you all have a good week -Tuesday is your restart day. I so decree.

That's an awesome gift, Erin! And only in Portland would there be vegan soups delivered by bicycle.

The more it is zero degrees here, the more I want to move to Portland. Bike courier soup delivery only sweetens the pot, so to speak.

I couldn't be more happy to be living in Souplandia. It was even sunny and 66 degrees today! Ok, that's a total aberration and will be back to cold and rainy tomorrow, but it was a delightful diversion. I would totally try to move all the buffistas here except for the SAD disorder.

That's a lovely gift, and shows that she is attuned to what you're going through and what might help.

I'm having a really difficult time at my hematology appointment. they can't get a vein. And I'm alone because Mom is on vacation. Some distract me.

Ask for the funky laser machine that reads the veins. Then bewail the state of their technology when they say they don't know what you're talking about.