I drove the work bus twice today (well, 3 times if you count round trips as separate drives) and noticed how while I get myself worked up with a little stress fretting about how difficult it is, when I'm actually doing it, I'm well in command of the situation, not overwhelmed, but definitely alert and on top of my game. I think I need to keep frosty while I'm doing it, but work on being cooler about the anticipatory phase.

My situation is similar to bennett's - my siblings and cousins and I are scattered all over, none of us live in the town where we grew up.

My dad actually did say, essentially, he would be dead so what he wanted dind't really matter.

ION our hours at work are being cut by 40 hours a month. So....I'm losing the equivalent of a week of pay a month. Next week I'm working, barely 32 hours. And my expenses went up. AND they reduced the hours of many stores - like my old store went from being open 10-8 Mon-Thru, 10- 9 on Fri & Sat and 12-6 on Sunday to 11-8 Mon - Fri, 10- 8 Sat and 1-6 on Sunday. Our hours didn't change. I'm sure the parent corp is looking at all the Macy's and JcPenney closings and how Kohls is doing and trying to do something.

Except cut pay to the executives. I mean , we can't have that.

Yikes, askye. Hope that isn't too hard on you

I guess we sort of have a family plot in the Serbian cemetery but (a) it might be full and (b) nobody in my immediate family actually wants to be buried there.

Omg I am TIRED. So much packing today and almost almost done, but will not finish tonight, even with another push.

Video job interview tomorrow afternoon, because of course.

Steph just now posted on FB that the surgery ended successfully.

Thanks for sharing that, Scola. I totally forgot to come back here and post.

Man. What a long long long fucking day. Tim is progressing through recovery on schedule -- the breathing tube is out (and, relatedly, if I never ever EVER have to see someone I love with a breathing tube down their throat ever again, I will die a happy woman, because that shit is distressing) and he had ice chips, jello, and oxycodone. I left for home when he was getting all loopy.

I am so tired that the edges of things are getting all soft in my vision. Therefore, I am going to bed. I don't even care that it's alone.

♥

It turns out that my Dad's first choice for his remains is illegal, which means I'll be denied the opportunity to put wacky hats on his skull. So when it's eventually time, I'll probably have his and mom's ashes turned into a gemstone.

Steph I'm glad Tim's surgery went well. I hope that you get a lot of rest and he has a speedy recovery.

Spreading dad's ashes at the beach is illegal but that hasn't stopped all the other people. There are a lot of ashes out in that water.

-t it's going to be a stretch I guess. If it weren't for the damn medicine I could do ok because that was what my hours were in the summer. But it also means I'll be off at 3 pm some days and 5 pm others so I can do things like cook and maybe go for a walk.