I'm definitely not going to try it again!

Karl, sending much love and ~ma for your family.

As you would imagine, I've been having little phantom limb pangs of wanting to talk to JZ about this or that or just missing her.

That will never go away. You can play a WWJS thing in your mind. What would Jacqueline say? I hope Matilda and Nora's reunion is comforting to them both.

Laura, I hope your travels continue as well and smoothly as possible.

Three days was the way to go although wrangling the animals into hotels two nights was a pain by myself. At least Skinner stays quietly hanging out in the car without issue so I was able to breakfast without worrying about him barking. Made the trip in record time because I didn't stop at all except for charging and bathroom breaks. Good to be home, and Skinner was super happy to see all his friends and run like a dog that has been in a car for 3 days.

But on the bright side, it was the first shabbat since the war started that there were no alarms where my sister in law and her family live, for the whole time we were there, and the drive back home, so that was a nice surprise.

Rejoice in these moments when you have normalcy.

We had a repair guy out yesterday, and it *is* the motor, but putting in a new motor is still cheaper than buying a new dryer (although not by much once you add in labor), and Tim is really committed to repairing rather than buying new, so I'm just along for the ride.

With Tim on the dryer as they do last forever and repair easily. Now that you are getting a new motor it will be around forever.

Car trunks are dangerous! After I had my Moh's procedure I leaned into the back of the car and caught the door edge right into the wound. So painful!

They are! As are door edges in general. I have at least learned to be more deliberate when getting in or out now.

For some reason, the rest of the post disappeared??

And we got home just in time to see the Bengals score the first touchdown in the Bills game.

Woot! Good timing. The good thing about catching up is that I could be concerned about your noggin and relieved all within a minute or two.

Home and at my desk. Working on unpacking. So much stuff. I have to bring home any canned goods, and condiments and such because they can't handle the freeze/thaw repetitions over winter. And I take a lot of clothes since I stay 4 months, and the pets have stuff. Every square inch of my car was full. The valet and DH put it all on a rolly cart and were amazed at my tetrising. They brought the stuff and I did the animals. I hope to get unpacked by tonight.

I did grab sushi after the dog park last night because cooking wasn't happening.

Turkey post. I figured out why the post was cut short. Used 'less than' rather than 'greater than' in my quotes.

If anyone remembers the story of how my mom and I have been pranking each other with a rubber ear since I was 12 years old (sneaking it into each other's possession however we can, like hiding it in the other's purse, putting it in a Christmas stocking, etc), I made sure that my mom currently has the ear, because she and my stepdad are in Italy for 2 weeks. This morning I got a text with a picture of the ear at the Colosseum. (She doesn't want me to post the pictures on FB until they're home, because they're paranoid about burglars deducing from the pictures that they are out of town and emptying their house like the Grinch. So I'll eventually post the pictures, but, sadly, not today.)

Anyway, if you need amusement in your day, try envisioning a photo of a rubber ear with the Colosseum in the background, with the light coming in from the left and dramatically illuminating the ear. I can't stop giggling at it. It is truly a marvel.

Mom, you have my ear.

Hee on the dramatic ear!

{{{Karl}}} all kinds of ~ma

Oh, ciao, ear!

Talked to my college roommate, Chip (one of my closest friends) tonight. Extended an invite to him and his wife to come visit and stay at the Garden Apartment and they said they would in 2024.

After I landed in SF, Chip would spend at least a week with me over every summer for many summers in a row. So, I want to re-establish that kind of rhythm and connection.

On that same theme, I also invited JZ's cousin Nicole to come out next week for a few days (a much shorter trip from Sacramento). Jacqueline and I sort of adopted her as she was the very cute but very oddball black sheep of one branch of the family, and we always have room for that sort.

She needs a regular dose of San Francisco and that's something I can provide for her. (If you remember way back, she was the kid who was going to freak out San Francisco with her full Michael Jackson costume, but instead was met with welcome curiosity by various people dressed as Jack Sparrow.)

There were three people that looked up to Jacqueline as a surrogate mother figure and she made sure to make time for each of them in her last days: Nicole, Matilda's friend Mia, and the young man she had mentored, Marco.

I'm making a conscious effort to connect and reconnect with people. Maybe a little sense of urgency, I guess.

It's been one month ago and a lifetime and two days ago at the same time.