Today's skull against the wall effort was spent convincing a person that just because he only knew one song in the oeuvre it didn't count against the oeuvre (neither did lack of American music awards) and in fact might count against him, and said ouevre might make the performer a legend in an arena with which he's not familiar.

He was still hostile when he came around to Aishwarya Rai might not care who George Washington is, so it took a couple more posts to calm him down and bring him back to "Exactly. And you don't know enough about Sinead O'Connor's music to universally judge her impact on anyone but yourself."

White Egypt chick and I--I think we'll go our separate ways. For all the weird things that platform lets you do (you can't block someone from your personal site, but you can hide a response to you from *everyone*), it doesn't help peacemaking much.

Okay, I am now starting to worry about the shutdown/furlough situation (mr. flea is furloughed). I never expected it would take this long, and the money we are losing that we are trying to save to buy a house, and he is bored and grumpy but not devoting himself to domestic achievements (although he did take a sleeping bag to the laundramat today) and AAAAAARGH.

We sort of just talked about this with our realtor (newsflash: government shutdown does not help sell your house, especially in a government town).

I personally don't see how the Republicans can hold out on this much longer. Obama won't blink, and public opinion is already down on the Republicans.

Am I too much of a Pollyanna?

if a character is looking everywhere for God and decides to ask animals which animals might make good picture opportunities?

Does it have to be an animal? How about:

• the Bodhi tree
• Bristlecone pine
• Winnie the Pooh
• Hobbes the tiger
• the Cheshire cat
• Totoro
• the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey
• a Snark
• a Boojum
• Cthulhu

The thing is, the news is all "Boehner says they won't default on the debt!" today, and while that is nice and all, the debt ceiling deadline is Oct. 17, and today is only the 3rd, and another TWO WEEKS is INSANE. (Well, more insane than now.)

My computer seems to be reaching the end of its life. I've already replaced the hard drive once, and the CD/DVD drive stopped working a while ago, and now I've got no sound and the fan is making some worrying noises. I've got a feeling that those bat mitzvah savings bonds will be going toward a new computer.

oh man, E is having a banner day. He did not manage to ever get the make-up classwork done in match class that we started a sag on over a week ago. He once again had no work brought home. I made him come with me to check to parent online grade access AND HE IS FAILING 3 CLASSES. Just at passing (75/76) in 2 others. 1 class he was caught cheating in!!!!

Holy Mother of GOD.

ANd of course I also get an email today that his school cafeteria balance is low which seems a bit early and I find that he has been buying $2.50 drinks and breakfast (while refusing food from home) AND breakfast for OTHERS!! oh hells no, we are not made of money. DAMN.

He has already blasted out of the house and returned, yelled at me, cried, threatened(promised) to leave - and I have not even doled out a punishment except to say "This is not ok, cannot continue, and computer time is cutting back."

The shutdown in 1995(6?) went for 28 days. Better buckle down, just in case.

Evidently WIC programs are running out of money, which hurts rather more than national parks being shut down.

Cthulhu

I have a My Little Cthulhu t-shirt, gifted to me by a D&D friend when I left Philly. I usually wear it as part of my evening ensemble. Ryan thinks he's quite adorable and calls him "Flooyoo".

Yeah, coincidentally I am teaching grantwriting to a bunch of food pantry staff tomorrow. I, at least, am on the side of the goddamn angels.