Thank you, Shir and Nill for all the updates. I'm really grateful to hear your thoughtful words in the midst of all this horror and hatred.

David, have you been able to unwind a bit after the funeral and crush of family? How are you and Matilda doing? Are the girls settling in at the shelter? Thinking of you all the time and holding you in my heart.

I've taken a vacation from dealing for most of this week. But now I actually have to attend to things. My contractor is meeting me at noon to discuss fixes to the back stairs.

(A four part project! 1) snake out the storm drain at the bottom of the stairs; 2) power wash with eco-friendly detergent the entire space to get rid of lingering cat smells from previous owners and get rid of the proliferating spider webs; 3) Replace every broken or chipped step or riser or bannister or support; 4) Repaint the whole thing.)

Also, EM is coming over today so I have to catch up on certain things I've been putting off - including a call into the Surivor and Beneficiary Support Group at UC Retirement who should theoretically be able to fix three things that have been bedeviling me.

At 2pm I report to my dermatologist, Dr. Shannon Watkins, for yet another procedure to take care of pre-cancerous cells on my forehead. Originally this was going to involve some kind of lotion and then lasers which would result in all the bad cells dying in an eruption of pus and scabs. Yeuch. But I think I opted for the more expensive procedure which will only make me look sunburned and offers a potential glow-up for my skin.

This is the rare occasion where Dr. Watkins will not be cutting on me in any capacity (I don't think).

Do you want to hear the song I wrote about her? Sure you do!

Dr. Watkins has a hobby
she's nice nice nice
She picks up a scalpel
and slice slice slice

She's cutting chunks out of me!
Prophylactically!
If I want to be cancer-free
She's gotta cut some chunks out of me!

Melanoma! Got to go!
Carcinoma! Got to go!
The procedure's name? Is Moh!

I have to say the proposition was dicey
She pulled out a needle and said "This shot is spicy!

My friend Jes had been out of town for the last week so I was happy to meet her at Alembic last night and we had good, connecting talk. She's going to be gone for two weeks on a birthday trip which is going to be a bummer for me, but I'm excited for her.

Matilda is dealing pretty well. Her therapist keeps offering her extra slots, so she went right to a session after the funeral, and then had her regular session yesterday.

She's staying super busy at school and I think that's helping her. She's usually coming home around 8 after keeping score for basketball or something similar.

I haven't been able to reach the school counselor this week, but I've been texting with the girls and things seem stable at the moment. They can only stay at the shelter for three weeks though, so they need to find some Foster situation. I know they have a new case worker who is trying to get the placed together.

Oh, and the hospice service called to remind me that I have 20 free counseling sessions with a bereavement counselor.

So I'll do that now that my schedule is easing.

Oh, and the hospice service called to remind me that I have 20 free counseling sessions with a bereavement counselor.

I'm so glad to hear this.

I'm still in Georgia till Monday morning, but I've moved from the part where I roam around Blue Ridge Mountain backroads and scenic drives mostly by myself to the part where I'm attending Multiverse Con in Atlanta. The panels look great (events don't actually start for another hour or so) and the hotel has a more comfortable bed than my vacation rental did and allows me to set the thermostat down to my personal semi-arctic preference. But part of me wishes I was staying in the mountains until it's time to fly home--I haven't yet had my fill of waterfalls and mountains and just being ALONE.

(And yes, I do realize I live near a bunch of mountains, big spiky ones that are snowcapped for most of the year and are punctuated by volcanos. But the Appalachians speak to a different part of my soul.)

Thanks for the update, David. I worry about you. Having lots on the schedule isn't a bad thing as distraction can help. Nice song. Reminds me that I have to do the body check appointment when I return home. Part of life in the Sunshine State.

Another guilty plea in the Georgia case. Fani Willis keeps lining them up, and knocking them down.

Nilly and Shir thanks for keeping checking in!!

David that’s a good song. And glad you’ve got some counseling coming to you.

I keep having to do work and I don’t want to. But applying for a new job is like….EXTRA work. So that seems like too much too.

I hear you on that, meara. Although I am actually enjoying my job right now - it's more work than I really want to do but at least it is interesting.

Hooray counseling and therapy and checking in!

Another guilty plea in the Georgia case.

Is that all of them? I may have lost count

Chesebro and Powell have both pled guilty in exchange for testimony. Heh.

... though I hope they have security, or a safe place to hide. TFG is going to lose his shit.

It has been a long week and my work laptop has been acting up, so I was at home using a janky version of VPN to access the network, and I just gave up and took the rest of the afternoon off. It was too difficult to get much done.

I’m sitting at the doctors office and just received my second application of numbing cream to my face.

It’s a little scary to contemplate what they’re going to do to my face that requires this much numbing.

I have to wait another half hour before the procedure. Gah! This is not going to be fun.

Fraxel laser resurfacing. My skin should look younger when it’s recovered though.