Boundary setting FTW.

I was really close to a flat "No" before I decided to ameliorate it.

Internally it was like, "No! Ewww! No!"

Aeryn is at Vidcon this weekend with Ethan, so Dylan and I are on our own and he has decided he wants to make beef Wellington tonight. I talked him out of a full size roast and so instead we have two filet mignons (filets mignon?) ready to be wrapped in mushrooms, prosciutto, and puff pastry.

A is over the moon because her cosplay was well received by a gaggle of other teenagers who are fans of the same youtuber she is dressed up as and now they are all besties and have a group chat.

I love all of this! I have never felt older than few years ago when I asked my friend who her daughter was for Halloween, and it was a YouTuber I had never heard of.

I got the shot! Wooooo!

MiL is leaving today

I skipped over this piece of good news earlier but meant to say, I hope her departure is even more friendly to your blood pressure than the kale.

I hope her departure is even more friendly to your blood pressure than the kale.

Also that

I skipped over this piece of good news earlier but meant to say, I hope her departure is even more friendly to your blood pressure than the kale.

I can hear her outside talking to the neighbor. She said she was going to leave at 11, dangit!

A brief litany of rude, weird and inappropriate things she said on this trip:

"There are a lot of things I didn't like about your marriage with Jacqueline but I do appreciate that you made her smile."

"Obviously, among the kids [referring to her own three children], T.J. and Lukas have the best marriage."

Her: "I haven't heard from Judy [her sister, not my sister also named Judy] since Jacqueline passed."
Me: "Oh, well, she's contacted me a few times."
Her: "That's because Judy always goes for the men!"

Mil: [shit talking my SiL Angela as usual]
Me: "Well, I had a great time with Angela. I'm always happy to see her."
MiL: "That's because Angela always goes for the men!"

Her: "Well, you know, George [her nephew] is just so unbelievably handsome."
Me: "He is."
Her: "I was telling Elene [George's mother, her SiL] 'Can you imagine what it was like for his wife to look up and see that face while they were having sex?"

ETA: My favorite bit of all-time Narcissism is that she had to gall to say, several times, "I just have to get used to the fact that I'm alone in my family."

This after she has moved from Reno to Portland to be with Chris and Angela and their kids AND her other son, Lukas, and his husband, TJ have sold their house in CT to move to Portland to be nearer to her. Literally she has her whole family pulled into her stupid little orbit.

Anyway, she is now gone.

Oh, my god, Hec, unbelievable... except very believable. I stopped actually using that word long about 2016, but it slips in every once in a while. I hope you're relieved of her presence by now. Wow.

It's been a whirlwind of weird up in my sector for the last little while, but things seem to be settling. Ish. The new pup continues to charm. Don't really care all that much about the rest of it at the mo'... not in a dark way, just in a my brain is mush way.

I have been reading and thinking good thoughts for all of you, as always. This place, man. So special.

My mom's mom used to say shit like that, too. She's dead, gotta echo Moms, and say "Good," even though that seems "way harsh, Tai" to say about your grandma. But I was, like, the first draft, you know? My brother was so favored that people from other dysfunctional families pointed it out.

I do like Sunny, but she has no need to judge me. Also, if it gets down to it, I'll tell her to kiss my crippled, heathen ass. *But, Hec, you're the best partner a woman could ask for...she's dense if she doesn't get it. (Or sic David Simon on her.)

I appreciate it so when folks document the utterly horrible things said by family members. Reminds me why certain boundaries have been set, and should be maintained.

I mean, I grok the concept of narcissisms and yet...still gobsmacked sometimes by the things that actually come out of people's mouths. Where they can be heard. By other people.

I still have bulk wheatberries so I'm trying a sweet/savory cold salad from an afro-vegan cookbook that was a gift last winter time. No kale, the only green is cilantro. It's a beautiful cookbook and very well intentioned (includes recommended music playlists for certain recipes) but even simple seeming recipes become overly complicated. I had to soak the grains overnight in boiling water, then dry toast them in the pan before adding water and bringing to a boil. It's surprisingly challenging to toast wet grains without getting a layer stuck to the bottom of the pan. Two of the "ingredients" are recipes from other pages. Ugh. at least the sidebar internal recipes don't require overnight prep also.

I mean, I grok the concept of narcissisms and yet...still gobsmacked sometimes by the things that actually come out of people's mouths. Where they can be heard. By other people.

Truly! It is good to hear the MIL has left. May the stress level respond accordingly.