When I called my father at age 86 to tell him he had twin grandsons on the way his response was "You're cutting it kind of close, aren't you?"

Hah! That's funny, Rick. (How old are those twins now? I swear children of people on the internet grow up EXTRA FAST)

I rarely drink--definitely didn't get those genes from the family, since I'm not even a big fan of the taste of alcohol. But I would have a hard time dating someone who wouldn't drink as in "doesn't like being in a bar"--I know there are many people like that, but I like hanging out with friends, and dancing, and music...and those happen in bars. I'm fine drinking club soda if I don't want to drink, but I don't want to NOT GO because people will be drinking!

I somehow escaped becoming a smoker, too--my parents both did back in the day, and my sister and brother both do. I'm glad, I know I'd have a hard time quitting.

I never really wanted children, because I come from a long line of crazy. My main regret is that we have some cool family stuff and no one who would appreciate owning it.

There's nothing quite like a cancer diagnosis to make one dwell how life did not turn out the way one planned.

I'm having a very hard time being in my 50s. So many things I thought I'd have gotten to do. So many things I'm convinced I'll never have the time/resources/health to do. Reassurances are dismissed by my hindbrain as Pollyanna fluff. I hate my brain for saying, "You know, your friends--if you still have any--are only going to throw that out when you're dead in 20 years, so why bother?"

I still don't want kids, and I enjoy having a sibling who procreated because now nobody cares as much that I am single and childless.

I'm starting my new role on Thursday. Still have no idea what I'm doing! I have some anxiety about that, but I'm trying not to freak out about it too much. Of course, I also seem to have a sinus infection that's making me mildly miserable, so right now I'm just drinking a lot of herbal tea and making a lot of last minute decisions before we turn off the lights on my old product this Wednesday.

I've made it 10 months without smoking! My dad keeps trying to quit and recently went back to it again. I'm pretty sure I'm done since I can't handle the smell now. One bad habit broken. Now I just need to figure out how to get more sleep and eat less.

msbelle, I'm glad that G feels like he has enough Chosen Family to celebrate.

Today is the last day of this bout of PD and tomorrow Grace has surgery. I am tired thinking about the fact that I have to go back to work in two weeks. Too exhausting to contemplate.

Wow! Good for you, shrift! I think they are upping the price by a dollar here, which means I should really quit this time, but I don't wanna.

That's awesome, shrift. I need to quit, too. Jesse, maybe we should quit together?

But not quite yet.

Me three.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure prices went up to $11 a pack here in Chicago, which was a small factor in quitting for me. I mean, I could afford it, but it made me cranky. Plus people were aggressive about asking for cigarettes and now I get a lot less street harassment.

I'm not sure what tipped me over from Not Quite There to Let's Do This Thing. I guess I'd been thinking about it for a while and then I got the Lord Voldemort of colds, so I figured I'd quit while I was already miserable.

My *problem* is that cigarettes are still relatively cheap here in PA.

Of course, that's over still $5, and I remember when they were $1 a pack.