Talked to my mom about going to see the annular eclipse next year, so I feel good about that. I expect finding a place to stay to be much less fraught than a total eclipse, but might as well start planning early.

That long train trip sounds amazing!

I’m thinking of visiting Montreal for my next not-family trip. I keep meaning to go to England, but Montreal seems less expensive and with less actual travel time.

I really want to go to Montreal. Some day.

Seconding msbelle’s hell yeah!

here to Chicago because I have never taken that route

I support this plan.

People who are thinking of going to Montreal: Do it, do it, do it! I took the train from Toronto (I was in town to visit colleagues) and it was a lovely four-hour train ride, with very friendly train staff who asked me if I wanted the train announcements in English or French. Being greedy, I opted for both.

My spoken French (learned 35 years ago!) is just barely good enough to be understood in Paris, but Quebec French is just plain beyond me -- it's different enough that I wound up asking people to repeat themselves multiple times, and usually after the second time, they gave up and switched to English. But it was all done in good humour, with none of the haughtiness that I'd feared. And I could read the street signs, which was a thrill and a half. The mass transit is low-key efficient and the subway has rubber tires, which makes it a lot less noisy than others I've been on.

The people were lovely, the walking was gorgeous, and I would go back in a hot minute.

Hi Buffistas! I am back in Florida, and still exhausted from my trip. Brendon was worried I was going to hate the condo, but nope, I love it. Still have to get a lot of things from storage. We were taking turns eating with the ONE plastic fork he had in his truck. I don't really want to buy stuff when I have it in bins. Snagged our coffee pot from his brother's, but he forgot the filters. He also brought the small pot with a mesh filter so we managed that anyway. We have a bed, couch, and I currently have my computer on the dining room table base because we haven't brought up the glass top yet. My desk is still at BIL's. Anyway, it will come together. My patience is helped by staring out the windows at the ocean. It has a wrap around view on the balcony so I can see sunrise and sunset, with ocean and city views. It is an absolute delight. Dog is still acclimating.

The lack of furniture and stuff sounds trying but the place sounds amazing Laura!!

Oh, wow, that sounds amazing, Laura!

I know plenty of highly-function folks with ADHD, but you kind of have to make the effort to develop the tools, and I don't think he is.

I was never diagnosed (because in the 1990s, ADHD was something only boys got diagnosed for) and basically made it to adulthood (a) very late and (b) with entirely homegrown coping mechanisms. If anyone at any point in middle or high school had noticed that I was struggling in the same way my diagnosed and treated brother was, and given me literally ANY strategy that wasn't "just remember to turn your homework in" it would have made a huge impact.

Oh my Buffistas, I miss you guys so much and I wish I were here more regularly. I don't quite know what's happened to my online life this year but I feel so disconnected from everything.

One of my oldest and dearest family friends died of pancreatic cancer last week. He went to the hospital for the first time three weeks ago and went downhill fast. He was my mother's childhood best friend and was the absolute beating heart of our entire extended summer family. He was one of those people (like ita) whose loss leaves a massive hole in the fabric of so many lives.