I think I need to schedule regular nights that I go out and do stuff, whether or not I can make plans with others.

I am thinking maybe every other Thursday. Maybe I start next week.

That sounds like a good idea, msbelle.

Do it. I mean, I'm really grateful for wine night tonight. Yes, I was and still am in a shitty mood. And yes, because of our various issues, this was an abnormally short wine night (S's in election season down in Annapolis,J had a lesson/practice session and had to bug out, I'm in a crapass mood, K had work nightmares and insomnia last night and we were all having low level maybe-sick?-unease.) Hell, we only killed 3 bottles of wine which is a new low, but it helped to try.

That sounds like a great idea , msbelle.

and really, for men of a certain age - going into an assisted living facility can be great. My grandfather was very popular at 90. when he died, his girlfriend reassured my mom that they didn't 'do anything' but read the bible together. ( at 93 if he could have done anything - go granddad)

Anyway - my plan , if no one makes a compound in Niles , that is a plan when I get old. unfortunately I'll be working a little longer

I think it's a great idea, msbelle. One of the things I miss about my stretch class is getting out of the house a couple times a week for just me-time.

Yeah, one of the things we are very worried about with my mom's recent stroke and cancer is that we always expected dad to go first. And if she goes first it'll be a huge mess. He would try to claim he's fine, but the house would never be cleaned, it would be piled with his papers, he can't cook...it would be bad. I figure mom would love senior living when she feels it's time--if she feels like she can't drive. Especially if she could bring her dogs.

My parents are also funny because they go to all the retirement homes and assisted living places in town to take the tour...because they get free lunch with it!! Though I do agree that if you were moving in somewhere with a meal plan, how good the food is would be a big thing!

Ugh. I know people are often wrong on the Internet. But I hate when people I like post wrongheaded articles and maybe don't totally agree...but then have friends who are even worse. TRIGGER WARNINGS ABOUT RAPE IN A MOVIE YOU HAVE TO WATCH DUEING CLASS IS NOT CENSORSHIP YOU ASSHAT!

I'm having, it seems, leadership issues. Either I suck or the interns are clueless morons or a bit of both. I keep finding them staring at me like zombies wanting to eat my brains after giving them a task I've seen them carry out successfully before. "Intern 1: go do A, this is how you do it, intern 2, go do B, this is how you do it". Look back to find intern 1 is still staring at me mumbling "so . . . ". I'm trying very hard not to be an ass about it, but that tact usually leaves me speechless, because I'm a giant ass.

So I am asking for advice on how to gently and kindly but not in a pushover way to say "is there something you didn't understand/how were those instructions unclear otherwise why tf are you dawdling now?".

I've noticed it too, meara, how upset some people are getting about the idea of giving trigger warnings for classroon readings. I'm not sure why it's such a problem. I mean, if I am assigning a text with disturbing content, isn't the expectation that we are going to address it, or at least discuss it?

I wish my dad would take advantage of being in assisted living. Mostly he sits in his apartment and watches tv and reads naval history novels (he's very happy with the pile of Hornblower novels I gave him). And calls me late at night to complain about his computer.

Hugs to all with parent troubles. It's so fucking hard.