I spent some time in the university district some years ago, and I was fine without a car. Decent public transportation will get you to most places where visitors like to go within the city.

In other news, I just called my financial guy to ask where I should put the money I got from my grandmother, and I'm going to put some in my retirement account and hold on to some, and just as I was trying not say I was going to spend it on hookers and blow, he told me to spend it on hookers and blow! This is why he's my financial guy.

huh ... I'm dealing with a financial mess. My mother left me an annuity fund when she died (in 2014). My sister, as executor, sent me the benefits package and necessary paperwork. I sent in the official death certificate and a notarized form giving them my address, my information, asking that all information be sent to me and choosing not to do anything with it for five years. A few months ago, my sister (who's not speaking to me) sent me a letter from the financial company saying that there's a required minimum distribution - if I don't take it, the IRS takes half that sum. I sent them another letter asking to have all information sent to me ... but they seem to be operating on the assumption that my mother is still alive and receiving mail at her old address (where she lived, when she was - y'know - alive). Luckily, my current employer has a financial advisor and I contacted her to ask about transferring the funds into an account with my name on it (and, hopefully receive statements and so on at my address). Even more luckily, she has some other clients who are enmeshed with this company, so she's exerting herself with them. Seemingly, no one knows anything about anything - she spent something like two hours on the phone Friday trying to find someone who knew anything. So ... I have hopes that before the end of the year (when the required minimum has to be distributed) I'll be able to pry the money from their incompetent hands and put it someplace useful.

Jesse's financial guys rules.

Toddson, that sounds complicated. I hope your boss can help get it untangled.

Gud, I know next to nothing about Philly transit (unfortunately)! I live out here past where the Main Line ends, and I rarely (read: never) get into Philly proper. Sox knows the city very well, though, and I know what others have said about the airport is true. If you're not going to be venturing much past the center of the city, no need for a rental car (and honestly, driving in Philly scares me in a way driving in NYC never did).

Cinnamon toast:

Adjacent to the conversation about doctor's names here, I started a list of names last night at work, from the various funeral homes I took calls from. (Attention: flea!)

Just a few:

Lissee (pronounced Lease)
Willodean
E'Lois
Zvi
Roylene
Kymeir
Pharis
Vidore
Ioakina
Draper

That's an amazing list, Amy.

Good luck with all of that, Toddson.

If Roylene wasn't a Southern woman, I'll be surprised.

Congrats, Teacups!

~ma for your father, Sue.

I have an Onerous Task at work, and I'm procrastinating.

Timelies all!

Health~ma for your dad, Sue.

Doing laundry in order to pack for our next trip. We have to get up at stupid o'clock to catch our flight.

Thanks guys.

Apparently his regular doctor is on vacation and an old friend's dad is filling in. Though I thought he'd retired already.

The Saga of My Root Canal Re-do has ended well! After the first appointment for the re-do, I still had some pain and tenderness, and the endodontist said that can happen in a percentage of patients, and he put more medicine in the tooth to see if that would get stuff to calm down. Today was my follow-up appointment, and while the pain is gone and I can chew on that side, it seemed to me that there was still tenderness and swelling in the gum area. The endodontist took a look and said it all looks really good, and the gum tenderness is normal as it heals.

I was so sure I'd be getting that tooth pulled, because that's the only option on a failed root canal. I am SO RELIEVED.