It also sounds to me like there was a substantial financial commitment to the trip, which can't be refunded. So she's wasting not only her own money, but money her son's father AND her son put out.

Nilly, the only thing I can be sorry about with you is that you're not here more often, but being that you have way more important things going on in your life (career, marriage, SMALL CHILDREN) it's not the kind of sorry you should be responsible for -- the sorry is on me and my selfishness, if that makes sense.

Is there a point where the kid gets to go on his camping trip after all? If Mom tells him the night before he leaves, shouldn't there be a Too Late To Stop This penalty?

Connie, no. There is no point, unless she does a 180, which is not likely. And yes, I believe there IS and SHOULD be a Too Late To Stop This penalty

Thank you, Hil. Checking the calendar was incumbent on her. And this fantastic kid is going to be DEVASTATED, and it's her fault. If he gets told (FINALLY) tonight, that 1 1/2 days before the trip.

And see, Nilly, (you have NEVER offended me, you wonderful person, and proved beautifully without realizing it one of my points about why I'm so angry about this situation) is that this day is about atonement and forgiveness, and she has never once apologized to D for cheating on him, being emotionally abusive or leaving their finances/house in a huge mess -- basically causing him pain up till this very day.

I find her insistence on M observing the day without her doing the things that make the day the most High Holy Day EXTREMELY hypocritical, and that drives me bonkers.

Again, my issue is NOT with Yom Kippur being the most important holiday of the year; it's how horribly she is handling the situation, and hurting my stepson in the process. If he'd been told he couldn't go on the trip in the first place because it was Yom Kippur, I would have been completely supportive. Even though I'm personally agnostic.

THANK YOU all so much for listening to me rant and work through this. I'm talking to D about it, too, but we have to talk about other things, so we won't go crazy! -er. Crazier.

Nilly, you've done nothing to offend me. And thank you for such a thoughtful post. I always love seeing your pixels, whether in long form or brief.

Strix, your stepson's mother sounds like quite a piece of work.

In much more mundane news, I have a cold. At least I don't have to decide whether or not to call in sick to work. Also, I have two interviews in the next wo weeks, with a possible third (th date and time hasn't been nailed down yet). The third is for a position I'd given up on months ago, in Olympia, WA. That would be cool.

Some news, finally, on the car front. The bad news is that it's probably going to cost me more than "merely" replacing the engine because they're going to rebuild the one I have. The mechanic, who comes highly recommended, just hasn't been able to find a replacement engine with "low" mileage (it's a 10yo car), which he would trust.

So if you remachine/replace the bad parts, it costs a bit more because you're not getting a package deal (as it were) with a replacement engine. And it's a good idea to replace some of the non-broken bits, like hoses to ensure the engine will run for years to come and avoid future maintenance.

The good news is that we're moving forward finally on getting my car fixed. Friday I'll have been a month carless, which works OK when I'm unemployed, but it getting old fast.

Nilly, you have never offended me; I can't even imagine that happening. It's always good to see you here!

Strix, I am so furious on Micah's behalf, I want to find that hypocritical, cruel, selfish, thoughtless woman and... and gently explain to her why she is wrong. Repeatedly. With a shovel.

M is going to be so very, very pissed. Which seems to be against the whole point of the holy day.

Good luck, Calli!

I hope that works out, Theo.

Hi, Nilly!

My To Do list is telling me to go out to lunch today, but I have yesterday's salad in the fridge. I may pick up a cheeseburger for dinner instead of going out to lunch, that seems like a reasonable compromise.

Zen, oh yes. My feelings exactly. And Connie, he's going to be rightfully pissed. But he's going to be really SAD, and that gets me the most.

Hey, it's October! The date son my filenames don't need a leading zero on the months!

It's the little things.

There are protests going on at the University of Georgia, because homecoming is on Yom Kippur.

From the statement from the university:

The president already has directed his staff and the athletics department to inventory important holidays like Yom Kippur and to place them on the calendar several years out to help us avoid such a conflict in the future. Important holidays, such as Yom Kippur, are highlighted on the university's master calendar so that all can be aware of these dates when scheduling events.

That's right. From now on, they're going to use a calendar.