Aww man, Zoe.

Julie, if it wouldn't cause a shitstorm, I can see a hotel room being a great call for you.

tommy, glad the job stress has eased up. That's gotta be a great relief.

I set pots and pans to dry in the dish rack if there's room, or just dry them. I think we're "supposed" to dry pots and pans as we go because they'd rust or something, as if they were all still cast iron. Drying rack technology needs to catch up with the modern world!

Julie, trying to second-guess what your mom needs from you right now is just going to put more stress on you, without necessarily helping her. If she can tell you what she needs, that's great, but if she can't, then I say, do what you need to do for yourself, and factor in what other people need as you discover it. Me, I'd go on and get a hotel room, and take myself out of the dynamics of the house arrangements this time. (I, of course, am most concerned about you, so any suggestions are biased in your favor.) I hope this all goes as well as it possibly can, and you and your family can get through it together.

Humpfh. I got all enthusiastic yesterday about an open call mural project my hometown is conducting, came up with a concept and did preliminary photo reference research, and then looked up a more detailed rules paper and realized what I had in mind is completely wrong for the project and I don't have the examples of previous mural/large format art experience they're asking for.

Oh well, maybe I'll see if my landlord would be OK with me painting an apartment-long mural of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast.

Timelies all!

Today was the little guy's first day at daycare, and it went well.

That's wonderful, Sheryl. Always a stressful first.

Pretty much, no writer ever just gets what they submitted published(Which is sometimes really great, like the last time Victor edited my work and made my transitions smoother) Sometimes really annoying, when they let their pet bonobo handle their spacing and copy edits(probably should have kicked up a fuss about that one, but at the time I felt like "I know them and I took the money. Eh.")

mac's 1st day. he had homework. YAY! seriously. the lack of homework in the 7th and 8th grades was ASTONISHING to me, so I hope even a worksheet a night comes home now that he is matriculated high school (still in jr. high building in our district).

Sadly, it sees he is in a remedial level of math in addition to Algebra 1. I don't mind if he needs it, but it is keeping him from starting a language this year. It's one of those things that had I known he was going to be placed in it, I would have had him do it over the summer. So, a call to the counselor's office tomorrow to have words.

also, if there is anything as rude as a teenager, I never want to meet it. So over the constant rudeness.

I'm sorry this is so fraught, Julie.

Poor Zoe. Glad she's home and mending.

We are having an epic storm right now and suddenly there is a leak between the front porch and the house. Unprecedented! It's always something with a house.