My downstairs neighbor, Jamille, called me this morning so I could take a picture of her and her son, Sebastian, on his first day of 4th grade.

FB memories informed me that today is the 11th anniversary of Matilda's first day of 4th grade, and 5th anniversary of Matilda's first day of Sophomore year in HS (her first day back after the pandemic lockdown which lasted 18 months in SF).

Soph was her only good year of high school being the tiny sliver of time between worldwide pandemic and Stage 4 cancer.

Matilda hasn't really been happy since the beginning of her junior year before JZ's diagnosis. She has her moments, but she's no longer carefree or joyful. I'm not sure if she'll ever get that back.

While I object to the term "vegan cashmere" (that's not a thing), I did in fact trip and fall right into this hipster sweater trap and had to buy it: [link] I'm allergic to real wool, anyway, so woo hoo for the unbiblical manmade fibers!

("Hipster Sweater Trap" = new band name, or new album name?)

Mommy's life-long bestie was just moved into memory care - they found one near her son that would take her cat.

This time last summer my "cousin" and I got our moms together knowing it would be the last time. We knew they were failing. C was already having memory issues, mom's cancer was growing. Nevertheless, "We have to do this while we still can!" felt a little dramatic - they were... fine. Walked where they needed to be, remembered whatever eventually. People can be old ladies like that for a long long time. Or it all just ends.

("Hipster Sweater Trap" = new band name, or new album name?)

Weezer song for sure.

Carefree might be too much to ask for, but moments or even periods of joy, at least, I think is a reasonable hope. Certainly what I wish for M as a floor

Hipster Sweater Trap is an excellent band name! Maybe they include some Weezer covers in their repertoire?

I'm allergic to real wool, anyway

You’re allergic to sheep AND goats?

Maybe it wouldn't *completely* come back(life is different once you know how bad the bad stuff gets, for sure) but research *tends* to suggest that some people are born happier and, after getting through a struggle for a while tend to return to more of their...set point. (I'm sure it says lovely, optimistic things about me that most of what I know about both happiness and sex comes from other people's research.) OPP= Other People's Protocols?(Nah, not quite "Big Bang" enough to make that joke. ETA: Do you think people would have lost their minds about rock and roll so hard if the first bands were more like BareNaked Ladies and Weezer instead of Elvis? (Although, maybe, there's nothing hot about Bill Haley either. Nothing, you know, "because it's wrong", anyway, and the Usual Suspects hated him, too.)

I'm allergic to real wool, anyway

You’re allergic to sheep AND goats?

I can wear wool socks on my bare feet, but I can't wear sheep or goat wool sweaters without a thick long-sleeved shirt underneath. It's too itchy. (I guess my feet are tougher? Or they're more willing to put up with wool in order to not freeze?)

(Also, "You’re allergic to sheep AND goats?" feels like a quote from something, though I don't know what.)

You are reminding me of the time Mo Rocca commented on WWDTM that hand knot sweaters were too itchy so a bunch of listeners angrily knot and sent him sweaters to refute that claim.

I doubt that's being quoted, though

PARTY AT THE SHEEP’S EYE

I am assuming this will be offered on various forms of merch, and I am knowing that I will buy one of those merches.

It was such a fucking great episode. Do we call them episodes? I'm having a brain fart.

Way to go, Laura's nephew!

Debet, I approve only of your third birthday present. I mean, so far as my approval actually plays into... anything, ever.

I am not allergic to wool, but with every passing year, itchy things become more and more of a no-go.