That's awful, flea. I'm sorry that your husband is hating his "dream job", and really sorry you are in such a demanding role of emotional caretaker on top of everything else you do.

Lee, if you like any of these [link] I can get them for you at a better price than that shows. (Probably. If they are on very deep discount already maybe not) Also, 3.5 months to the outlet sale

I was mostly not in classes with my bestest friends in elementary school. Or high school, for that matter. 5th grade, yes, but I met her in that class and then she went to a different school for 6th.

Minor triumph of the day - I noticed while watching Mr. Holmes that their saucers were more bowl-shaped than plate-shaped and thought I should use one of my little shallow bowls as a saucer for my Chinese teacup that didn't come with a saucer but needs one (I have previously used a saucer from my tea set but the little indentation for holding cups is not quite the right size so it's almost worse than having no indentation, and then a little plate I bought for the purpose which is okay) and the little bowl works great! Easier to hold while drinking, catches any dripping tea in a more final way, more stable while carrying the cup back from the water cooler, generally yay.

my big issue is I am having so much trouble running a family and working full-time. I simply don't have enough energy at the end of the day to manage the emotions of everyone in my family (about to be 12, going to high school, hormones; 9, stubborn as fuck and makes brushing teeth into an hour long fight every night; 46, stubborn as fuck and wants to complain about work nonstop) as well as do the things that need doing like feeding and clothing everyone.

Ugh, this is what I am dreading about going back to work. Too many demands on me, physically, logistically, and emotionally. I went in yesterday to say hi to folks, meet my maternity leave replacement, and show off the baby, and my boss literally could not say a single nice thing about the school or what's been going on there over the summer. I know she gets frustrated easily and doesn't have a lot of people to vent to, but I don't know if I can take another year of being her sounding board for all the stuff she hates.

Oh, poor Matilda. Does she have many other opportunities to see her friends? Can she eat lunch with them, or see them at recess?

Sheryl, glad to hear the little guy is doing well!

You have some real prize coworkers, Consuela.

JFC, I just discovered that people (who should know) think that Monday is fine for an "August 15" deadline. I've been trying to get it done today!

At least I have a beer, thanks to someone's going away party. It's nice how literally two sips of beer in the office makes me more relaxed.

ION, I have a hankering for tuna casserole. The highly-rated ones on allrecipes.com have many comments about blandness and dryness. Does anyone here have a tuna casserole recipe they like?

Lee, if you like any of these [link] I can get them for you at a better price than that shows. (Probably. If they are on very deep discount already maybe not) Also, 3.5 months to the outlet sale

Ooh, a project for tonight, instead of cleaning!

She can see some of them at recess, but every class sits at its own table at lunch so no go there. One girl is in her aftercare program, so hopefully they'll get to see a lot of each other there.

Right now she's with Hec visiting Japantown, in hopes that chocolate fish waffles and anime trinkets will cheer her up. He just texted me to say that she seems to be rallying a little. Oh, chocolate. Is there nothing you can't do?

Oh, flea. I fight the same toothbrushing battle out here every night. I've been known to plead with M., almost on my knees, to just once please please do a thing when we ask her to do it, the first time we ask, instead of delaying and dawdling and lawyering us to death for 25 minutes and then doing it anyway, after we're down to our last frayed nerve. And, Kate, ugh. That is a completely no fun, draining work atmosphere to be returning to.

Why did I look at those plates, -t? Curse you and your link of beauty! I shake a shaky fist in your direction! (It's the hummingbird plates. Sigh.)

That's the set I basically bought all of to use at work, JZ! I got myself the tea set because pretty and I do drink tea every day at my desk, and then added a coffee mug and a bowl and a couple of plates and a platter from the sample sale because I could. Oh, and a divided dish to hold the candy I keep at my desk as a service to my department (and so people will come talk to me (and so I can have candy whenever I want and still tell myself it is not really for me)).

I have a dinnerware (and cookware, really) problem and if I can channel my buying urges into stuff for other people rather than myself it's better.

David loves hummingbirds. I can almost-for-sure say that if those had existed when we were engaged, they'd be our plates (though the ones we have now *do* have monkeys and satyrs on them, so there's that; still, hummingbirds are even better).

I think I'm out of spoons. I'm exhausted and all I want to do is curl up and nap, but while the air bed is fine for temporary use, it's not my real bed. (You're not my real dad!)

I just have to kill an hour or two until I can get a shuttle back to San Francisco. Then I probably will assemble the chairs that were delivered this afternoon, which will not be restful exactly, but will lead to me being able to sit on something that isn't the floor.

For now, I shall browse plates.