Foot~ma!

I am on the road. I am going to Utica to pick up my nephew and his cat to take the cat to the vet. He never got a driver's license (he's 50). After that, I am going to Rome to have lunch with my son and GF. Then, the three of us will head to Albany to pick up DH, who is flying north to drive home with me. So, I am pretty much in the car for the next 12 hours, with a number of stops.

Fuck. I just received a call from my mom that my cousin’s house is burning down. He and his family were not in it at the time but the dog was. His aunt (my cousin) just got out of the hospital yesterday after a month recovering from a brain bleed. So things were starting to look up. Any ~ma you can spare for them please.

{{{amyparker}}} I’m so sorry for your loss. Love to you and yours.

Surgery~ma for Mac.

Oh, sj, I am so sorry. So much ~ma their way. How awful.

Thanks, Jen. They have two little ones 4 and 6 years old, and I keep crying everytime I think of what could have happened to them. They think it was a gas leak.

I mean, good lord, yes I'm so glad they weren't there, and my heart breaks for them and how they must be feeling, especially losing their family pet. Hugs to all of you.

Sj. I'm so sorry for your cousins. I'm glad they are ok but it so traumatic, especially for the little ones.

So M's female cousin , who doesnt live with us but is around all the time, was there this morning complaining about political and stuff. She said she hates Democrats but every item she listed that is important to her is something Dems support and have been trying to protect/expand and the GOP doesn't. I keep pointing this out to her and she's telling me I'm wrong.

Like Social Security she keeps claiming that Democrats want to end it and when I show evidence that isn't true she just blows me off.

It's frustrating

Situations like that, I've found it doesn't help to tell them why I disagree, but sometimes it helps to keep asking, "Why you think so?" Sometimes they stop and think. Sometimes they realize they are just hoping for supporting echoes. Sometimes they realize they are just trying to provoke.

However, if one takes that method too far, one ends up sounding like a three-year-old endlessly asking "Why?!" so use judiciously.

I am reminded of a line from The American President. "Whatever your particular problem is, I promise you Bob Rumsen is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it." [link]

Oh sj. How heartbreaking for your cousins. All kinds of ~ma sent that way.