My great-great-aunt (a few generations up on my mom's side, don't remember exactly how many) was struck by lightning when she was standing by a window (holding her little sister, who was not hurt).Didn't kill her but messed up her hip for the rest of her life. So there's a healthy respect for lightning in my family. But not like Sophia's.

Much ~ma, Drew

I can't figure out how people do that divided sleep thing,

I had to go parent for a bit so the conversation may have moved on, but on the divided sleep front, last night was one of those nights when I unintentionally do this. Usually what happens is I wake up around 3 full of anxiety and need to write for an hour or two before I can go back to sleep. But Frances spiked a pretty high fever last night and went to bed early, but woke at 4 am when her ibu wore off and her fever came back. So I had to get up, take her temp, and treat her. And then Isaac woke up with a headache, so had to take his temp too (normal -- phew!) and then treat his head. And then had to take turns lying down with each of them. So it was easily 1 1/2 hours before I went back to my own bed. But I DID go back to sleep, thanks to an extra dose of melatonin. Chalking that in the Win category.

I've been waking up at 3 or 4 every morning for most of my pregnancy. I usually read or go on twitter for an hour then fall back to sleep until 7 or 8.

My family members all have greater respect for storms than I do. I love a storm and tend to sit and watch right in front of the window. Even when we board up for hurricanes I have a window left free for me to sit and watch the awesomeness. I probably haven't instilled any great fear of storms into the boys that way. Mom and siblings will do things like not run water or talk on the phone. Me, not so much.

On the lightning front, my mom also told us to stay off the phone, but only if the lightning was nearby, which, given that we lived in LA, it rarely was. She was fine with letting us sit on her bed and watch the lightning outside her big window. But she had some stories! Like the time a bolt of lightning danced around her yard and then landed a few feet away from her. No doubt scaring the crap out of everyone.

Lightning was cause to get off the phone and stay away from water when I was a kid as well. Country people have a different relationship to storms.

I seem to remember being a teenager and rolling my eyes at parents (but I think not my parents?) who wanted us to get off the phone in a storm, when the phone was cordless.

Timelies all!

Health~ma to Drew.

I have the 365 cats calendar. Today's cat is named Loki, and his owner is named Sarah, from Baltimore, MD.

::cues up theme music to Twilight Zone ::

I just stepped inside after hanging out on my balcony watching a severe thunderstorm roll through. (I figure I'm safe because I'm surrounded by buildings higher than I am.)

I even ate a few pieces of hail that I picked up.