I am grateful not to have anyone toxic like that in my life.

I am so lucky that my Facebook friends are mostly you guys, people from my Myers-Briggs group and cool people from high school! I unfriendly the high school people pretty quickly if they are angry making.

Although the weird think around here is a meteorologist who got fired because he somehow said "Martin Luther Coon King Junior" on air. I am pretty sure he didn't mean to, but now some people are boycotting the tv station for firing him, which is ridiculous

I'm so sorry you have to deal with that level of crazy, sj. Your family pictures bring so much joy to so many. Block away the crazy!

Thanks, everyone. I'm trying to pull myself together today, but I'm also still in pain from falling. So, it's not going well.

Sorry you're caught up in this nonsense, Consuela. I'm a little frustrated with the Dems on this. I think they should be putting on more pressure, passing little bills to fund TSA works, to fund keeping National parks maintained, to fund meat inspectors... you know, make the Repubs or Trump have to shoot that stuff down.

Busy times lately, I'm in job looking mode again. Done a couple of technical assessments, had an interview Thursday, had two interviews Monday, had a second interview yesterday. Have a second interview coming up Friday. I don't know how many talks I've had with recruiters. There's a lot in the pipeline still. Just signed for another retention bonus with the current employer so I'd like to stay on awhile, but I really want to have something lined up for after with a delayed start.

I'm a little frustrated with the Dems on this. I think they should be putting on more pressure, passing little bills to fund TSA works, to fund keeping National parks maintained, to fund meat inspectors... you know, make the Repubs or Trump have to shoot that stuff down.

Isn't that exactly what they're doing? Nancy Pelosi proposed this strategy in December and these bills will be passed this week.

Now I wish I had unleashed all the power of verbiage right back. At the time I was still hoping to have cordial relations with that part of the family. My self restraint did me no good.

I guess moving to another city without providing a forwarding address means they want me out of their picture. Their Family Values are so not inclusive. I like to think our grandma and grandpa would be appalled.

Isn't that exactly what they're doing? Nancy Pelosi proposed this strategy in December and these bills will be passed this week.

Then I stand corrected.

The problem is that McConnell refuses to allow a vote on any budget that doesn't meet Trump's demands -- even though just before Christmas, the Senate UNANIMOUSLY passed a budget that didn't have a wall in it.

But McConnell is suddenly afraid of the tea party? I don't even know.

At the moment the Senate Dems are refusing to pass anything else, which since the filibuster still applies (for non-confirmation stuff), they can do. I don't know if it'll be enough for McConnell, who honestly doesn't seem to think about harm to ANYONE as being worthy of his attention.

When they write the histories of this time, McConnell is going to be so dragged by history that nobody will ever name their child Mitch again.

Ha - so, because of the shutdown, the White House hasn't paid their $5 million water bill, and DC is wondering if they can actually shut off the White House's water. (Answer seems to be, legally, yes, but they probably won't.)