I'm sorry, Burrell. I hope it goes more easily than you think.

And now, before I start my couch job, I will go make snickerdoodles. While listening to cheesy Christmas songs (including that Dan Fogelberg song that always gets me even though it's totally hokey).

I think the problem is I'm no longer holding onto much of anything, and I just have to hope I don't fall too far, and that there's something down there to cushion the landing.

I think I would be OK on a glass floor? My fear is connected to being off-kilter, so a stepladder is way scarier to me than a tall building.

In this I am Jesse.

Anyone ever use the escalator at Porter Square station in Cambridge, MA? You know the one I mean if you have. That things gives me panic attacks going up or down.

Actually, I think up is worse because I worry I'm going to lose it and keel over backwards, and once that started I'd be heading for the bottom.

That escalator never bothered me much because there is a low ceiling. I nearly had a panic attack on an escalator in DC because it was nearly as high and steep -- in an open-to-the-sky pit. Had to close my eyes and hang on to the rail for dear life. Only time I can ever remember being hit like that.

The ceiling never helped because it's not the wide open space that gets to me, it's the angle of the ascent.

Plus I've always had the irrational fear that escalators were out to get me, something a certain X-Files episode did nothing to alleviate.

I've signed up for a tai chi class in January. Should I watch Avatar (I'm assuming Airbender, not Pandora) first?

I am again kicking ass with productivity, but still not getting all I want done. Big nbig achievement of the day was 2 boxes and 3 bags of stuff out of my house. Also e things mailed off.

Now I must break for lunch so I do not lose steam.

Well heck.

Anyone who watched news about last week's shooting probably heard about Shepherd of the Hills church, which is just down the street. It was the main evacuation/pick up location.

ARP has had it's holiday party in one of the rooms for the last few years. We had to cancel last year's party because Sandy Hook happened the year before and one of the member's aunt died in that tragedy.

So, this year - the church is holding a candlelight vigil in the gym at the same time as our party is scheduled. Aside from the mess of parking and keeping the two events separate, it just feel wrong to have a party next to a vigil. I don't even know what to do at this point. The party is tomorrow night and we are not cancelling a second year in a row.

Brian Boitano came out as gay. So my question is, he hadn't come out before?

And New Mexico legalized gay marriage.

I will be happy if we ever live in a world when this isn't news because gay marriage is just referred to as marriage and people can live their lives openly.