I forgot that she never, EVER shuts the fuck up. She will not stop talking. Ever. Like, if someone is clearly reading a book, she sits down and launches into a monologue anyway. About NOTHING.

I had a neighbor like that back in Brooklyn. (In the same building, so we ran into each other pretty often.) Eventually I learned to just say "uh-huh, see you later" and walk away. It's trickier when it's family though!

You have described my not-so-new colleague (yes, both of you).

Oh nooooo.

Also I meant to say "oh no!" to Dana. I feel like that should get you out of at least one 7am meeting.

I'm sorry, Karl. I love dogs, and I hope to live in a situation where I can have one again someday. But you don't know what strange dogs are going to do, and their people owe it to the dogs and society to keep them under proper control. I forget where you live, but in concealed carry states, that interaction could have resulted in a dead dog.

JZ, I'm so sorry about how Matilda's camp experience ended. It's great that there's extended family support, though.

she would just start talking about something else in the middle of someone else's story! What the actual fuck?

It just literally does not register with some people. My mother-in-law is one of them. And it is not a habit that gets better or more amusing with age.

I'm having oatmeal with half a banana. I don't even like bananas.

I guess it's an improvement that today I am wishing I had a banana rather than a cupcake. I mean, I wouldn't turn down a cupcake, but I am really bummed that all my bananas are at home.

That is some impressive zen, sarameg.

I think there was something else I meant to respond to but I had a feeling before I got out of bed today that it wouldn't be a great brain day for me and I was right.

I am finding the banana x-post hilarious.

Ooh, Jesse, sorry to hear the gf came on the trip. Right now I'm annoyed with one friend who is basically like "no I can't do anything without my gf because we only get so much vacation time and it wouldn't be fair to use it without her" and I'm like "you LIVE together, you can't spend ONE weekend apart??"

Oh nooooo.

The getting-in-the-middle-of-someone-else's-story is what ticks me most. For her talking I have headphones (God bless musicals), but it's been several times where she interrupted professional conversations with other colleagues and bosses. I think she just can't read into these situations, but it's really tiring my nerves.

I knew a non-stop talker, it's like they're terrified of silence or think that it's a major social failure if there isn't "conversation" when there are at least two people in the room. I could see actual anxiety in her face as she kept talking.

As a dog owner, that shit from other dog owners infuriates me. I'm sorry, Karl.

All the talky-people just need to shut the hell up. Including me most of the time.

sara, that's great, and I'm glad you got to a point where you can appreciate your parents for what they are now, foibles and frailties included.

JZ, I am so sorry for all of you. I hope Matilda feels better soon.

Right now I'm annoyed with one friend who is basically like "no I can't do anything without my gf because we only get so much vacation time and it wouldn't be fair to use it without her" and I'm like "you LIVE together, you can't spend ONE weekend apart??"

I am lucky that SO does not feel this way. We both take time away with our own friends, and we're happier for it.

Speaking of SO, I am so goddamned proud of him. He is publicly fighting the current narrative about Sunday's tragedy (deifying the murderer) and has received a lot of support from folks who agree that didn't feel comfortable speaking up earlier. Shared, with permission:

Alright. I've been largely quiet on here about how this all makes me feel. Here goes.

Sad? Absolutely. But not for the same reason as many others. I'm sad that Sue was taken too soon by someone who claimed to love her more than anything. I'm sad that Sue will not see her new grandchild. I'm sad that Sue will not get to share her kindness with anyone else ever again. I'm sad for both families who have been shattered by this senseless event. I'm sad that there are children and grandchildren who have to carry this with them for the rest of their lives.

But mostly, I'm angry. I'm angry that Jim would do this. I'm angry that so many want to focus on his suicide without putting as much weight in the murder he committed first. I'm angry that his years of public service somehow outweigh the fact that he killed his wife. I'm angry that many are assuming he had a work related mental illness and are quick to use that as an excuse for what he did. I'm angry that so many people are coming forward with stories about his actions over the last few decades in his personal life, but they're quickly disregarded because he was a well respected first responder. I gained a great deal of knowledge of my profession from him, but it is greatly overshadowed by who Jim proved to truly be. I'm not currently and likely will not mourn Jim's death.

I know my opinion is not a popular one and I'm alright with that. I mean absolutely no disrespect to either family with my feelings. Everyone is processing this in their own way. This is mine.