For those of you that have large amounts of vacation time banked, check with your employer and see if they allow you to gift them to a fellow employee who might need them. This can be a huge gift for someone that is dealing with a family member in the hospital, or a new employee who doesn't have a ton of accrued vacation time and has a sudden emergency need. Not all employers allow this, but if they do it's a pretty amazing thing to be able to do.

I tried giving it away too, but they don't do a bank. A department can get together for someone in need, but there is no central bank and they don't just let you give to people not "in need". Two of the really greAt new IT folks are working all the days this Christmas but I can't give to them!

Petunia unwrapped my moms present!!!!

I threw out my back sorting laundry. Badly enough that I couldn't stand up or walk, because bodies are poorly designed. I do not recommend being strapped to a back board and carried down stairs, because that shit is terrifying.

On the one hand, xrays didn't show anything. On the other hand, still in massive pain and can't really walk, so I've been admitted, and am now on a "multi modal pain protocol": Drugs. Steroids, Tylenol, ibuprofen, gabapentin, and hell yeah opiates.

Oh no! I hope you feel better soon.

Mom's surgery went well even with mimi surprise of "oh, yeah, we do need you in the hospital after all to help mom, btw I forgot my charger and my battery is dying". And I just sent the email that's tying me to an advisor for the thesis so it's no longer a "yeah, I guess I'd like to?" and more of a "oh gosh, what did I just sign up for? [something I wanted and worked hard for, silly brain]".

Between these two things that happened on the same 24 hours cycle, I feel very much like a grown up. When did that happen.

Thank you for the ~ma.

Damn, Atropa! I always suspected laundry was dangerous. I hope recovery is swift and easy

Oh no, Atropa! I hope you are back upright shortly.

I think figuring out how to do what you need for holidays without trying to force other people into it is really important. Because obviously, forcing adults into anything is not that easy or fun....

I'm braiding the last of the turkey legs I got for Thanksgiving and didn't need, so that meant opening a bottle of red wine and boy is it tasty.

I realize this is the least of our problems, but -t, were you actually braising???

I am looking forward to my family coming for Christmas today, but I realize I didn't follow the rules for the gift exchange and I think I have to go to the store for another appetizer. Oops.

I'm braiding the last of the turkey legs I got for Thanksgiving and didn't need, so that meant opening a bottle of red wine and boy is it tasty.

I realize this is the least of our problems, but -t, were you actually braising???

I'm desperately hoping she really braided it!

In all my stress because my mom changed our Christmas menu from chili to ham! I forgot the original side I was bringing- salad!

I want braided turkey legs!

Also, my mom is really annoying me with this ham thing. No one likes ham, I don't know why she is doing it, except I can't eat beans. But I can eat around the beans! Sheila said she would bring a sandwich tray, and that made my mom think she didn't want chili! My mom "told" me we were switching by asking me if I could eat ham, but I thought she was just asking. My uncle has only been talking to me, so we have sides and bread for chili. But now I need to make new sides. I bet Sheila will still have the sandwich tray. We are four people, how is communication such a disaster?.

I am pretty sure my mom is just trying to be nice, that is the issue, so I am also a little angry at myself for being annoyed. But if she just let it go and let me do everything we would not have all this agita! And we would be having better food that everyone like, with actual sides that go with that type of food. My mom somehow never learned to plan a coordinating meal, because my grandma cooked when I was little, and then I cooked for most family holidays until I was thirty and my mom all of the sudden decided she should, when I am happy to. And we added Sheila, who also cooks. But I started planning and making holiday meals in 7th grade, I am capable of it!