But I have learned the hard way that there are places where being completely Myself doesn't pay off.

Oh, ain't that the truth.

She said we’re not blood related but she’s a “cousin of my heart”.

In my family, the term is "shirt-tail cousin." I don't know the origin of the term.

If you're on Windows, pressing the Windows key and period key will bring up an emoji keyboard.

If I ever knew that, I had forgotten it. Thanks! 🐸

I've been so far behind on the board and it took me a while to catch up. I could have skipped, but I didn't want to miss anything, so now emotions are spilling out of me like an overfilled pitcher.

JZ, I love you.

There are no simple questions imho.

I am the proud owner of a new machete, which I just took out for a spin trimming the shrub/tree by my driveway. Not exactly martial arts/comic book movie levels of effortless cutting, but it seems useful enough to be worth a $6.99 yard work/home defense purchase.

Oooh, machete. I have much foliage that needs to tamed.

It's so good to see many old friends popping back in to say hi.

I'm working on prepping for the new semester, and as usual, I am so not prepared. Classes start next week. (I'm teaching an online section of a class that I've been teaching online for several years, so all of that stuff is pretty well prepared, but I'm also teaching one online and two in-person sections of a class I've never taught before, and the meeting with the course coordinator where we'll go over that stuff isn't until Thursday.)

I'm not sure if I mentioned on there that my current treatment for the radiation damage to my bladder is hyperbaric chamber treatments. Which is substantially less cool than it sounds, and since it's every day (M-F) for 40 treatments, is kind of a slog. But it's an approved (by insurance even!) treatment, so fingers crossed for positive results!

Every day! Wow. I feel like there should be some sort of Jules Verne/Arabian Nights mashup to entertain you through the treatments. Absolutely crossing fingers for you!

Today my crew loaded the last two trucks for the musical that has been all-consuming for the last 4+ months and taking most of the spare moments before that since January. Tommy has left the building! Now I need to figure out how to approach TPTB to make sure they fully understand the human cost of asking a non-profit regional staff (many overtime exempt, like me) to do big commercial musicals. I think several people are looking to me to be the squeaky wheel.

It's so good to see many old friends popping back in to say hi.

Agreed!

The physical therapist is here asking all the intake questions, and Tim is constitutionally incapable of giving a simple answer to any question. It's driving me insane to listen to

This used to drive me crazy with my mom and her many medical appointments. But I fear I'm now doing it too (I just want to make sure to answer the question COMPLETELY, y'know?) (Ahem, see UserName).

I just learned this last week... I feel old.

I just learned this reading the board, just now. Hope you feel better.

Hope the work sitch gets sorted, Todd.

Every day! Wow. I feel like there should be some sort of Jules Verne/Arabian Nights mashup to entertain you through the treatments.

That might be nice. As it is, just books (no e-reader with pressure!), crosswords, and sudoku get me through. I finally stopped feeling claustrophobic thankfully. Today I got down there and just as I was leaving my car I got a call that our "dive" was cancelled because there was an emergency patient. Which isn't so bad, got the afternoon free, they'll just add another treatment to the end of my sessions. Just wish I hadn't driven all the way down there for nothing. And then feel like I shouldn't complain, I'm lucky enough to live in a city where this treatment is only a little over a half hour away. But a little over a half hour each way every day is just draining.

Happy Trump indictment day! This is my favorite holiday.