That is awful, Steph. What a nightmare for Pride.

They don't care, and they want to send a message (that message being "Remember what happened before? There's a lot more of us, and we all have guns."

Which is kinda one definition of terrorism.

sigh. remember when it didn't feel like the country was being torn apart by hate? that was nice

Welp. I found out very early this morning that some colleagues suddenly left the company. I don't know what drama or scandal went down. I'm back from the mindfulness meditation retreat, and unfortunately I'm the only one on my team working right now. I've got all the escalations, all the people complaining that we haven't responded quickly enough, and I'm trying to remain calm even though I really just want to start inviting people to go die in a fire.

On the other hand, I'm having dinner with friends tonight, so that'll be nice.

Perhaps someone with a pet alligator should bring it to a day care center to show how friendly they are.)

Oh, I like that. I'm using that metaphor, if you don't mind.

I'm sure not sticking around anywhere armed yahoos are festooned with instruments of death and destruction. Stores, malls, shops, parks, plazas, office buildings, take note. They walk in, I and my wallet walk out, and will not be back if I can arrange alternatives.

Me too. I was in Heathrow airport baggage claim once and soldiers with machine guns (don't know the technical term) were posted as security guards, and even knowing they were there to ensure peoples' safety I didn't feel safe. I was there for almost two hours waiting for my friend, just sitting around, and I felt like any second they were going to approach me and demand to know why I was still there. I haven't seen the display of soldiers there anytime since, so I wonder if there was a terror alert happening then or something. Regardless. Didn't feel particularly comfortable around those huge guns.

Timelies all!

Found out one of our summer students is 20. Man, I feel old.(Look, I know I'm older than most of the people in the lab, and old enough to be the mother of many of them, but still...)

Oh, I like that. I'm using that metaphor, if you don't mind.

Feel free. It'd probably be more effective if you take the pet gator to a Disney facility to reassure the families.

(My brain is not always a warm and fuzzy place)

(I like your brain.)

The last six weeks of shenanigans at work, I just can't. Now that we finally got everyone's attention, am not liking the implications at all. It might be a serious derailment, a fundamental system+infrastructure incapacity, not just a bug, data corruption or tuning issue. Major implications for this project and others. I hope I'm just being Eyeore. But even my Pollyanna boss is sounding like Eyeore. Which is alarming.

I cannot cope with thinking about the ammosexuals hanging around Pride events. Just cannot.

sarameg, that sucks so much.

My supervisor today bragged on me to a couple of people I'm training in (one who is actually new, one who has been around for months but has some neuro-atypical issues with learning and memory) that when she has a problem she likes to brainstorm with me because no matter what gets thrown at me I'm always so calm. I replied, "Sure, when I'm at work. And it only looks like I'm calm. If I said half of what I'm thinking, I'd get fired and someone would have to wash my mouth out with soap." Still I'll take the compliment. I do strive for the whole swan thing - smooth and graceful on the surface, paddling like the devil underneath. Of course, being able to let loose at home makes it possible for me to maintain the facade at work.

Hivemind shoe shopping issue: I have been having foot and knee pain which I am rather hoping will be relieved by the new shoes I have on order at the local good old-fashioned shoe store. They did not have the size I need in stock of the New Balance walking shoes that have the best support for my feet. Last time I got these, they put me in a size slightly larger than the numbers on the foot measure slide thing says because of the way the shoe crinkles in on the outside of my big toe. But that leaves my delicate flowers of womanly feet in men's size 10.5 width 4E. Now, they were also having a sandal sale, so I decided to ask about getting proper Birkenstocks. Years ago, I had a series of cheap knock-offs that I found comfortable and supportive. I haven't seen any knock-offs in ages, and I am desperate enough for comfy sandals I am willing to dip into my savings to foot the bill for the Birkies. (No, I'm not apologizing for that pun. I'm not sorry in any way, shape or form.) When I told the shoe salesman what kind of sandals I wanted, he showed me the sale table, precious little left in women's sandals - my usual size in women's shoes is, or used to be, 11 Wide. He kept picking up all sorts of sandals to show me, but none of them were Birkies. He never offered to fit me in any of the models they had on display lining the walls all year long (seriously, dead of Minnesota winter, Birkies on the wall). I'm pretty sure that they did not have any left in back. Or maybe I made it sound like I only wanted to look at stuff on clearance. Anyway, having failed to get sandals at the local place, I decided it would be ok to try Amazon.com for 'em. Problem is, I can't make heads or tails of the size charts on Amazon for Birkies AND reviews are all over the place about sizing. Some say order smaller than your usual size, others say be sure to stick to your exact size and others are saying it's unpredictable which ones will actually fit. Going to the Birkenstock website still leaves me with the question of, do I order my exact size in women's or do I order the larger size that works for the men's New Balance? Does anyone here wear Birkies and happen to have shoe size issues?

I wear birkies. My US size is ~9M, depending on the shoe and manufacturer (in running shoes I take a 9.5). I got up and looked at my birkies to see if I could find the sizes, but they've long since worn away. My clogs are over 20 years old and are on their fourth set of soles. Anyway, I seem to recall them running true to the listed European size conversions for my feet, if that helps.

Good luck with them, WS! I love mine (1 pair clogs, 2 pair sandals) and will probably get more as the budget allows.