{{{Suzi}}}

I'm seriously trying to think about how I can take more weekend days off from my mother without offending her. Not having a single conversation was pretty much just what the doctor ordered.

Jesse, can you frame it in such a way that you need to devote an entire day to getting your stuff done without interruption? Maybe take every other Saturday for yourself? Because having a set schedule allows you to make sure you have quality time for her without letting your other responsibilities fall by the wayside.

Last week, while exhausting, was so fantastic. The business part of the business trip went very well, and almost ensures another trip out in Jan/Feb. The personal side? Totally awesome. Dinner with Epic in San Diego, dinner with Pix in San Gabriel (Kat, you were totally missed!), and dinner with Burrell and family in LA--I'm a lucky gal. I'm so glad to have b.orgers just about everywhere I travel. It makes the long flights and crappy hotel rooms so much more worthwhile.

Aw, that sounds like a good trip!

Jesse, can you frame it in such a way that you need to devote an entire day to getting your stuff done without interruption?

Sadly, that's not even it. I'm basically just rejecting a ride from her to do the same things I would do anyway, because I find it more relaxing to be on the bus. Ah well -- not really tenable, but things do come up every so often.

It was so great to hang out, Maria.

I'm sorry, Jesse. I totally get wanting to unplug from family, even though you love them beyond reason.

Burrell, yes it was! Your kids are the best, and DH isn't too bad either. I always feel so very welcome when I walk in your front door. Thanks for having me.

Well, that was one fast morning. We had three other volunteers besides me, which was almost enough. The kids were adorable, and some took to the programming like ducklings meeting water for the first time.

So exhausted, and glad I don't do this all the time!

I think I'll be volunteering for Made With Code later this week when I'm back from NYC.

Being a fan of most things Iron Man and having a bunch of credit at f.y.e., I picked up the disks for the 1994 animated Iron Man series. I enjoy (the first season at least) Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and I was curious about pre-Avengers-movie cartoon canon. Boy, howdy, am I glad I didn't pay real money for this. Maybe 20 years ago I'd be more charitable. The best description I have for this is, well, cartoonish. It is a prime example of the cliches. The costumes, the voices, the recycling of footage, the plot tropes . . .

Well, it was cheap. And will make rewatching EMH for the fourth time much more pleasant in comparison.

Connie, fyi, I had cataract surgery a couple of years ago. The eyes were done separately - two weeks apart, I think - and the interim was miserable. But once I got through that, things got better. I was EXTREMELY nearsighted and now - since the doctor corrected my sight - I can walk around without glasses. I can work on the computer without glasses. It's just annoying that, with two separate prescriptions in my eyes, if I don't have my reading glasses with me I have to close one eye to read something.

I think the number of times I have to stop myself from saying "nothing is fucked here" at work is going up. One of these days I'm going to slip and get in trouble. But it's such a calming phrase!

I'm having one of those Mondays where I'm being nibbled to death by ducks. A button popped off my coat while I was waiting in the rain for a bus this morning, so now I have to buy a sewing kit to take with me to NYC so I can sew the button back on tonight. I leaned against something and got some schmutz on my pants and didn't notice until it had dried. And a bunch of other minor inconveniences and clumsiness on my part, such as accidentally flinging parmesan cheese on myself.

I did call and make a doctor's appointment for a physical next week, so I'm on a baked goods ban until then. I probably should call and schedule an optometrist appointment while I'm at it.