So Far...

...aside from the predictable side-effects, I haven't had too difficult of a time adjusting to the 24-hour cardizem (generic, of course!). I do have a headache, and it's like a low-humming piece of machinery. You know it's there, but you're not concentrating on it too much. 

If it persists through Wednesday, I'll call Sis and ask about it. That will have been a week, and I think that's perfectly long enough for any low-dose headache. I'm kind of tired, but perhaps it's anxiety -- I am restless because I'm afraid, never having had a "normal" headache, that this headache will turn into a migraine. 

Cardizem relaxes the blood vessels so that your heart doesn't have to work as hard. Maxalt, the migraine med, also relaxes blood vessels so the migraine loses its grip on your skull. One can't be too relaxed, obviously. As it is, the Maxalt would knock me out anyway. I'll have to ask the doc about that, and hopefully, this last go-round with Mother Nature will be the absolute Last Gasp. My mom says that after that, the migraines tend to go away. Huzzah!!

Still haven't gotten my EKG device yet, but Hubby says it's been shipped. So we shall see. 

Technology...

I will tell you that the Samsung Galaxy 4S has a much, MUCH better camera than my Nokia 900. But the bad thing is, I can tap the Nokia's screen to take the picture. With Red (now the nickname for the Samsung), I have to tap the screen to focus, then hit the camera icon at the bottom. You also zoom in by pinch/swipe movements. Anyway, it takes really nice pictures, and once I figure out how to get them to the computer, I'll share some. 

I also know that I can use it as a music device so that when I'm teaching my Yoga class, I can use an in/out cable and download practice music instead of rooting around for CDs. 

It still looks like we'll be purchasing the new Nokia phones sometime soon. Just not sure when. Hubby is researching some backup/transfer programs so that all our apps and stuff move over when we get to setting up the new phones. Kid #2 isn't sure what kind he wants, but he's going to just do his research. 

Estate Stuff...

The IRS is a joke. The saga is this: My idiot brother was "sticking it to the man" (yeah, please do roll your eyes) and didn't file tax returns for several years. He was sporadic in the years he DID file taxes, and for at least one or two years, he was on total disability because of a work injury. 

So I've been working with the paralegal to get all the info to backtrack - file those years that he missed. The irony is that, nitwit that he was, if he HAD filed, he would have gotten decent returns. When he died, he had a total of somewhere around $50,000+ in IRS liens. The lesson here, children, is this: FILE YOUR TAXES. 

Because if you don't do it, the IRS does it for you. And guess what? They file at the highest percentage they can. And charge you interest practically from the moment they THINK about filing the returns. 

So we have all but about 2 years. I spent a day or so tracking down W-2 forms via some pay stubs he kept. This was in the way-back times of 2003-2009 (not all of those years, thankfully). But he worked at smaller companies - many merged or just went out of business, or the original owners weren't around. For one particular year, we had to petition the IRS to send us the W-2 info. Obviously, anyone that works realizes that your employer files this kind of info with their own returns. 

I got a letter back from the IRS. It basically said, "No tax returns were filed under this SSN for that year."

Ummmmmmmmmm. Yeah. I know that. We're trying to file the taxes. I dutifully sent it off to the paralegal, who promptly said that the IRS is not making this easy. I noticed. 

When I got the letter and read it, it was right after the a-fib attack. I hollered, "FOR GOD'S SAKE YOU MORONS, I KNOW THAT HE DIDN'T FILE THE TAXES!!!" while flinging the letter across the room. Quinn headed for her cave. Tippi looked at me as if I had just flipped a cog. And Raisa -- well, she's a husky, so she barely noticed. 

That low-dose headache ramped up to about a 7 or 8 on the pain scale for about an hour after that. 

Anyway, we're trying to pry a W-2 form out of the IRS. Then file the tax return. Then hopefully have enough proof so that we can knock the liens down a bit. And then close the Estate. 

I just want this over. 

Yoga...

I'm teaching a Karma Yoga class. Karma, of course, is the concept of "what goes around, comes around." As part of my training, we're required to teach a class to those who are underserved in the community. So my friend G set up a class for me with a local rehab place - alcohol and drug rehab, that is. 

I have a very simple sequence for them, since she did it last year and said that "you never know who's walking into the room." We have 15 students coming, and she's staying to help get things set up. 

It will be interesting to teach this kind of population. I mean, often in Yoga, you get folks who are in rehab for stuff, but normally it's physical ailments, not addiction. 

And next weekend, I have my last "intensive." A Yoga "intensive" is a concentrated course - in this case, 4 days - with a teacher. I'm honestly really not looking forward to it. I think that I was in a groove a while ago (like a year ago when I was in the midst of the training) and now I'm not in that groove anymore. 

I don't mind taking the extra courses. I think you never stop learning. But I think that the long days are just not my cup of tea this time around. Anyway, it's the last one of the entire curriculum, so anything beyond this will be one-time seminars. Next is preparing my final thesis (not a whole big honkin' thesis - mostly "what do you want to talk about in regard to Yoga" that we're required to do), and then I'm going to be certified as a 200-hour teacher. 

Knitting...

Today's Free Choice WIP is the Blue Baby Jacket. I'm close - well, not totally close, but let's face it: a lot closer to finishing THIS than Kid's Afghan... I'm just starting the right shoulder and will finish the right front today, I think. Sunday will be the March Snowman, but later. 

Boy Sweater

Sunday is also the twins' FIRST BIRTHDAY!! Think about this: 

 These were the sweaters I made for them!! I'm thinking they don't fit anymore, since Boy Twin is already in 2T, according to my mom... These sweaters only go up to a 12-month size, but I bet you could just do a little math (!) and figure out how to size it up a bit more. I wouldn't go all the way to 4-T, but I think it would still be cute on a 2-T sized kid. 

Their sweaters were done in super-wash wool. It looks like it's held up really nicely, since I last saw them in the winter. 

If you remember, they also got blankets that were the color of the sweaters, but not "masculine" or "feminine" patterns. Though I now wish I would have done the Feather-and-Fan pattern. 

Just because I never have yet... 

Girl Sweater

The Blue Baby Jacket is in an acrylic. I'm thinking that it won't hold up as long as these will. But I don't mind because it's a stash-buster, and let's think about this: the size is for a 12-month old baby. 

Whoever gets this will grow out of it in about a nano-second. So it won't be a situation (I think) that it'll have time to pill or anything. The kid will be out of it that fast. 

Again, just plain buttons for this blue one and the next one which will be lilac. Out of the Button Bin, and not fussy. There's no sense getting cute buttons, because the yarn does most of the work here. It's turning out beautifully, and anything I'd buy would just compete with it. Aside from the fact that any baby in any sweater --- well, the BABY is the star, right? The hand-knit item is just an accessory to the adorableness of Baby. 

Blue jacket progress

I have yet to show my friend D how this is going, seeing as she's the one who handed me this yarn and said, "Here - I won't knit with this; it's just been sitting in my closet."

Granted, for a while, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it till the jacket idea hit me...

We missed getting together this week, but I did run up to Wool and Company for their sale. And I got buttons (at home, otherwise I'd have taken a picture) for the February Lady Sweater. The buttons are triangular and have a Celtic Knot as the design. I figured they would be classier and the knot "resembles" the lace that will be the bottom of the sweater. They didn't have a great selection of buttons in a colorway that would go with something that, in one light looks lilac and in another, looks periwinkle. 

I also managed to pick up a canvas bag, on sale for 25% off -- and then some of the stuff I picked up INSIDE the bag was another 25% off. Apparently, you could fill your bag and if what was in there wasn't already on sale, you could take advantage of the pricing. 

Dang. I should have picked up the Travelers Scarf... it would've fit in the bag and at 25% off the $90 it would have cost, it would have been worth it. I hate when a good idea hits too late. I'll just have to hope that by the time the next sale comes around, there's a big -- I mean MONSTROUS - hole in the WIP pile. Because I don't want to tackle a 12-foot-long scarf till I have a handle on the stuff I've already got in the works. Or in the closet. 

I started the "conversion process" for some old magazines I have. I tabbed the magazines, and I'm scanning what I want. Putting it on a jump drive for reference (rather than creating another pile of papers, I can index what's on that drive), and then I will find a home for the magazines. Maybe the Senior Center in town will take them. 

Easter Already...

Easter bunnies & tree

I haven't even put up the knitted bunnies... I don't know what happened to Lent. It hit me last night when Hubby says, "Oh, is Sunday the day we sing Lacrimosa?" Ummmm, no, that would be Palm Sunday, but holy moley.... That means I'm really, REALLY behind in working on the Exultet. Crud. 

We've set our Easter for Holy Saturday, and because one of the teachers didn't want to shift her schedule, I'm working Holy Saturday. More specifically, Holy Saturday afternoon. Which means I have the morning (and the Friday before) to do deviled eggs, a Lamb Cake, and get the majority of the dinner prepared. 

I don't normally believe in cloning, but perhaps this would be a good reason to do so. 

Anyway, Easter is at an odd time. It just seems like it hasn't been Lent, even. My dining room table has become a junk pile again, and I didn't even put a spring-ish table cloth on it. The bunnies and eggs, if you remember, were created for an art contest, and they didn't win because obviously there's a prejudice with fiber-art being considered "real" art. And nobody thought that the Fannie Mae ribbon was cute, either. 

I have to create a coaster or some sort of felt pad for the base of the tree, since it's metal, and I should have put it up. I may still - will have to see how this next week goes. 

Random Picture...

Raisa decided that since Quinn and Tippi both had "belly rub" portraits on Facebook, she wanted one too. 

Rub my belly. Now. 

Well. No. 

She just wanted the belly rub. Needless to say, I can't knit and belly-rub, but that is totally not Raisa's concern. Rub the belly. End of story. 

She's going to miss the first Intermediate Obedience class because of the birthday party, but we're already a step ahead with her "heel." As long as I have toast. 

Still no heat in sight, but plenty of sniffing going on. Not sure we'll even get to the Obedience class, but we're keeping a good eye on her. 

Off to get some more tea and knit on that jacket. It'll be nice to update the progress charts. 

Paying It Forward...

We all talk about "paying it forward." At least I hope we do. And we all like to think we're doing our bit to make our society a better place. 

At least I hope we do. 

But here's a guy who's put his wallet where his mouth is:  he paid up some kids' lunches in a local school after hearing about that school in Utah that tossed lunches for kids who had outstanding lunch ticket debt.

I love the comment he made: "These kids need to worry about the grade they get in spelling."

I wonder how many of us will take his lead and do something like this? It doesn't have to be a forever thing. It doesn't have to be EVERY kid... When we help one person, we create a ripple effect. So help one kid and pass this on to a friend. 

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/06/houston-man-pays-school-lunch-debts/

I don't normally post entire links, but I found the headline compelling, as I hope you do. If you are fortunate, you should feel easy enough to share your good with others. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pass this link on. The good that man did is really beyond compare. No, it's not finding the cure for cancer.

But maybe he helped a kid get lunch and THAT KID might be the one who finds that cure. 

I think I'm going to call our local grade school... we have a school that's pretty poor, and my kids went there - and got an excellent education, by the way! So maybe I can help another kid out...

Knitting...

Cup Cozy

Was going to go with the super-easy-instant-gratification cup cozy today at lunch, but it's been a busy day at work. Suffice to say that I've got about 1" more on it. And about 40 more rows on the Nephew Afghan. I'll be working on that one tonight. 

Sad news at Le Mouton Rouge Knittery... She was robbed! The good news is that they did catch the young man. The bad news is that it happened at all. I hope that the young man wakes up -- he's headed down a very wrong path.

The afghan pic is my "super-lovely yarn bowl." Also known as one of my steel mixing bowls. You can get cutesy, but when you're working with what's essentially "bulky" yarn, you go with efficiency, right? This is the last 2 hanks and honestly, all kidding aside: I want this thing DONE. Where are the Yarn Fairies when you need them???

It's now too big to haul to my knitting group. I think I'll have to suss out one of the Second Socks to finish instead of taking this beast out. I believe I can lay my hands on them. Will look tonight. 

Free Yarn Bowl!

I have set aside the February Lady Sweater. I could bring that to knitting. It would probably help because I believe I'm at the juncture where I might need some expert help. But for right now, maybe a mindless sock is just about all I need. 

Angel...

I will often tell people, "I'll light a candle for you" when they need prayer or good thoughts. In the church we now attend, I can't figure out whether they actually USE the candle section!! And anyway, it's a small spot just inside the door, which to my mind isn't ideal. Heaven knows I don't want to burn the place down! I have never seen it lit, so I don't want to commit a churchy faux pas. 

So I have this angel. I usually will light this up. It's a lovely bit of stained glass I purchased - oh gosh - about 25 years ago?? Maybe more?? I can't remember. But she sits on my bookshelf. I don't use her as a night light. But I do use her as my "prayer light."

It's a little hard to see from this angle, but she has a pearly white body, her wings are all rainbow-y when she's lit or in the light, and her head is a faceted crystal. 

So if you ever need prayers, let me know - and I'll turn on the angel for you. 

Honestly, some folks feel all quibby about "prayers" - because perhaps they are private about their own beliefs; they have no specific church; they're atheists - no matter what. It's just a thing. 

Myself, I've found lately that "you have my prayers" makes me uncomfortable. I feel better telling someone that I'm holding them in my thoughts. 

This little angel is a good way to hold someone in those thoughts. Every time I see her in my home office, I pause and think about someone. 

I have a Himalayan salt candle in my work office. Not only is it good for the air (removing impurities) but it also takes a little tea light, which takes about 4 hours to burn through - I don't have to worry about inadvertently leaving a candle burning when I leave. I light that every day I'm in the office. It serves as a reminder to stop and think of people or even stop and breathe. 

Whatever works - that's the way I feel about it. What are your devices to remember people and acknowledge them? I would be interested to hear about them. 

Weather...

Baby, it's COLD outside!

Yes, it's cold. Yes, this is a cheesy dash-temp shot at 8:44 a.m. today. And yes, we're in for more on Saturday. And of course I work. I worked LAST Saturday and the instructor called the class off. After I got there. But it was actually a good thing I was there, because one of the HVAC units on the roof had fizzled and the back of the campus was about 50*. Great for August. Not so great when it's 1* outside!! 

So this weekend, Saturday will again be the big snow. Well, "will be ANOTHER BIG SNOW" is probably the better way to put it. 

This time, I will check my work e-mail -- last week, I was thinking that our school would cancel classes. Silly me... I also gave the instructor my cell phone number. Hopefully, (a) the class won't be cancelled; or (b) I'll know about it before I drive out there!

I am waiting for the temps to be a tad more... well, temperate! I loaned my cross-country skis to my friend G - she wants to get back into it and I can't ski for crap. I love to snow shoe, and if it gets a little less chilly - i.e. you can breathe without freezing your lungs - perhaps Hubby and I can get out onto one of the easier trails. 

I would do it, by the way, WITHOUT the dogs. I'm still building back my endurance, which may seem strange to you what with all that yoga training. But these heart meds - they're making it harder for me to get my heart rate up (a good thing for arrhythmia but a bad thing when you get chilled outside; it's harder to warm up) and they've sucked my endurance out the window. At least this way, we won't have the Three Beasts dragging us in search of deer. 

In point of exercise, by the way, I have pulled the weighted hula hoop from behind my door. I can only do the thing for about 2 or 3 minutes. But it's also got knobs on the inside, so my ribs feel a bit "pummeled" when I get done. I'm trying to move more and perhaps this will help in the long run. 

And speaking of that, I've renewed my commitment to a "cleaner" diet way of eating. If I use better language, it helps me stay on track!! The reason this is appropriate here is because the "clean-up" involves lots of salads! And it's cold outside. 

I'm craving mac & cheese and butternut squash soup. Not kale salad. But - I went into a comfort-food tailspin this summer and I need to drag myself, kicking and screaming, out of it. 

The worst part is the first part because it's just dumping the sugar. You don't realize how much sugar you really eat! But I'm hanging in there and I know it'll pay off in more energy, better "numbers" during my check-ups and frankly, yeah: I'll weigh a lot less. When I weigh less, I hurt less. Believe me, it's only partly vanity. The other part is just being fed up with hurting. Arthritis - at least at this stage - is a "hidden" ailment. I just hurt. A lot. And it's no fun. 

I mean, I know people have it a lot worse than I do. I can still shovel snow. I can still do a lot of yoga. I can still knit, play guitar, walk without assistance - crikey, I'm VERY lucky. I have all of my original joints. But I want to be better. I want to get back to being able to do stuff with Hubby without him worrying that I'm going to keel over. 

And I'd like to take a Level 2 yoga class - of course I still can't invert, but a nice flow yoga sequence would be good. 

Autherine Lucy...

Autherine Lucy

I found this as part of a FB page I manage. I try to put something up there every day or so on Women's History and today we have a two-fer - Ms. Lucy was the first black student admitted to the University of Alabama. She was expelled because she accused administrators of conspiring in riots. Hers was a court-ordered admittance. She did not go back right away, but later did earn a Master's Degree.

The point of this is that there are "rights" and these rights should not be viewed through the lens of race, the lens of gender, or the lens of anything else you can see. 

Women's rights are essentially HUMAN rights. The recent "anniversary" and sturm-und-drang about Roe v. Wade is OLD NEWS, folks. As Kid #2 asked, "Didn't you fight that fight?" - and he can't see why there's such a determination to overturn a lawful decision of SCOTUS. To be honest, no, I didn't fight that fight. I was in high school. A Catholic high school, to boot. But I have taught the boys to use their brains and to see that really, each person should be able to make his or her own health decisions. When you're part of a couple, it's reasonable to expect that you would certainly discuss this with your partner.

But really - I don't want anyone else in my uterus. 

My personal feeling? (I know y'all are waiting for it...) If you want to overturn a decision of SCOTUS, how'z about that Citizens United ruling? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? We get all that Koch Kash out of our elections??? 

There's a thought. 

Random Picture...

This is a card that I bought for a fundraiser for John Nelsen Moosedog Rescue Fund. It's made by Mandy Smithers - Google her, she makes fantastic cards!!

Anway, this is what I plan to do tonight. In between rows of the Nephew Afghan!

I bought a couple of these and used one for a thank-you note for a gift Tippi got from one of our therapy partners. 

Mandy's cards are suitable for any occasion and they're works of art in and of themselves. I'm going to frame the extra one I bought. Pink is Tippi's color. Each dog has her color. Quinn's is red and Raisa's is purple. 

The cards are blank inside for your own sentiment. Help out a woman-owned enterprise if you're interested in some special cards!

Perhaps a Reboot?

I'm not looking to be the Yarn Harlot. Not even the Pioneer Woman. I'm just looking to exercise my writing chops, perhaps inject a little humor into someone's day, and natter on (and on and on...) about things I like, such as my dog, knitting, etc.

So I'm thinking of a reboot of sorts. Some sort of structure to The Blog. I think I tried this a while ago and it failed somewhat spectacularly when I just didn't blog for months on end...But I have been looking at what other folks are doing, and I like bits and pieces. And I prefer to adapt things to my own way of doing them. Who doesn't, right?

So I was thinking that perhaps each post should have ONE THING about knitting. Or maybe one specific day could be my "Randomly" day. I feel like I need to talk more about reading. It's seeming to me that this is generally a "knitting blog" which is fine but when you use The Google, you see about 20,500,000 entries for the term "knitting blog." Seriously. I just did it. 

But I'm not going to do that now. I'll probably start next week. I like the idea of "starting at the beginning" and technically, this being Saturday, it's the "end" of my workweek. So we shall see how this shakes out next week. I'm still committed to not losing sight of the blog. Maybe not a daily entry, but at least 3 times per week. 

Heart...

As expected, nothing showed up on the 24-hour monitor. And because we have The Big Trip coming up, the doc didn't want to do a 30-day monitor. That would no doubt cause a crap-load of trouble with the TSA and its foreign equivalents. "No, seriously, here's a note from my doctor. It's a HEART MONITOR." 

When we get back, I'm to have an ultrasound for some reason: mostly so my doc can make sure things are doing what they're supposed to do.

In the meantime, he says, basically, mazel tov - have a wonderful trip. To my question about a tandem parasailing adventure, he said, "Even if you keeled over, it's not life-threatening, and there's a doctor in Bordeaux who's done more atrial ablations than anyone else. Ever. He's fantastic." 

Thanks, doc. So there's no problem with me strapping myself to a parasailing expert and flinging myself off a minor Alp, gliding along at thermals approximately 10,000 feet up. Gulp. 

Here's a video of what we're thinking of. Problem is, Hubby wants to do one at a higher elevation (go for it, dear - you've got excellent life insurance coverage), but he's thinking of us doing them on the same day. My idea was the lower elevation, mainly because I'm not all that physically fit lately, and I don't want to climb up the mountain! Which is a problem for 2 reasons: First, we end up in two totally different cities, and I'm not planning on taking my cell phone. I don't speak French. Second, we're only bringing the one camera and the GoPro. We can't both be using them at the same time. So we're still negotiating that. We'll be in that area for 2 days, so my thought was one each day. 

Dear Mother Nature...

Of course, leading up to the trip, I'm having "periodic visits" after being a long while without. So, Dear Mother Nature: Could you please just shut off and STAY OFF? While I will, with great regret, miss your monthly (sometimes MULTIPLE times a month) visits, I will try my utmost to adapt. What? You caught that great steaming pile of snark there? Sorry about that. I'll try to be more sincere. 

Please, please, PLEASE don't make me haul a ton of "sanitaries" in my luggage. I just would rather you confine your visits to -- well -- to NO visits, thanks. I'm 55. When does this shut off? Thanks, but I no longer wish to be a hormonal over-achiever. 

Knitting...

So I do have most of the stash photographed (including the new stuff) and then yesterday, Doris hauled off and handed me some more. What? Say no? Who are we kidding here? I have some lovely bright red cotton - a sweater's worth, if not a little more, and some fantasy yarn that I have no idea what to do with. I will get them photographed before the Obligatory Birthday Party Appearance and up on Ravelry. Perhaps Ravelers will have an idea; they usually do!

Along with that my friend Joan is doing a project which will require Sonda's Hand-Dyed. As you know, my friend Sonda is no longer with us, and Joan is her mom. Her project is to knit something for each of the kids/grandkids from what remains of Sonda's Hand-Dyed. Doris gave her some purple and I have the yellow/orange in stash. So I'll go rooting today or tomorrow to see what I can find - I think it's a good thing and even though I had something planned for my last hank, this is a better place for it. I'll adjust and grab another Lorna's Laces or something for the shawl I was planning. 

Obligatory Birthday Party Appearance...

So I have a friend that I've known for nigh onto 45-ish years. We used to be close. Then we drifted. Then we rebooted. Now, it seems that we're re-drifting. Her daughter produced a grandchild, which is fine, even though I have fairly strong (surprisingly conservative) views on this. Actually, let me explain. I have no problem with single mothers. Stuff happens. I do have a problem if, when you're of an age to actually support yourself and perhaps the child you produce, you summarily decide that your mother can raise the kid. And I have a truly large problem with said mother, after herself having a mini-stroke, saying to me, "Oh, they're living here rent-free, she's not working, we're paying for the lawyer for the daddy to pay support, and yeah, we babysit a lot because, you know, Sally needs her social and recreation time." 

No. She doesn't. OK, every parent, to the best of their ability, needs a break. But dumping the kid on your mom every single weekend isn't a break. It's obnoxiously annoying and depriving your mother of a life of her own. 

Now, perhaps the friend LIKES this. She's (in my opinion) lived vicariously through her kids ever since they've been born, cloaking it in "being an involved mother." And perhaps I'm looking at it from my own standpoint of "the kid (daughter) is nearly 30 and maybe she needed to take responsibility BEFORE there was a baby." Or maybe, as my kids have told me, I'm looking at it from the lens of how I raised them: "I will do my utmost to support you in whatever you choose, but I raised you, and barring a medical issue, I'm not planning to raise your kids." Yep. That's what I told my kids. And no, my kids don't hate me for saying that. They kinda like the clear communication. 

Anyway, the OBPA is because I'm really seriously thinking of terminating the friendship - for a number of reasons, including the fact that she doesn't call till she needs something from me, and when I call, there are vague "Oh yeah, we need to get together sometime" mutterings. But there's no time or effort in this friendship anymore. 

The OBPA is for the grandbaby. Every year. I'm the geeky one who brings books. No electronics and no toys. Books have an on/off switch. And they have bright colors and pictures. And I love books. So there. 

In truth, one part of me is sad about how this relationship has devolved, but the other part is actually kind of relieved. It's too much work to resuscitate something that's not willing to breathe on its own. We have, over the past few years, only been able to get together at Christmas Eve - an open house at her place. We used to get together for walks in the neighborhood (hers or mine), shopping jaunts, lunch on each one's birthday. The annual girls' weekend away. Random but regular phone calls. Each one of us initiated these things more or less equally. The work of the friendship was shared. 

Yes, I know, friendships change. But I'm of two minds here. This person has known me longer than anyone else except my immediate family. But I really don't want a 90/10 friendship. It would be different if it was a fluctuating division: you all know there are situations where every friendship waxes and wanes. Times when YOU feel like you're carrying the load and then other times when you NEED to be carried. 

But this is just so much less. At one point, we were communicating through e-mail, but "I can't do that anymore because Georgie is always with us and he likes to pound on the keyboard when I'm at the computer." Notwithstanding the fact that the kid needs to learn how and when he can "pound on a keyboard" --- there's the issue of when it's ok for you to have an adult friendship of your own. She has a habit of whining that she's got no friends.

Well, it happens when you don't participate. And I don't know what to do with this. I guess we'll have to see what develops today. There were, to paraphrase Simon & Garfunkel "mumbled such-are promises" of getting together prior to this party, but nothing happened except a short text exchange. That's not a friendship. That's an energy-sucking relationship.

Soooooooooooo.... We shall see, I guess.  

New Prince George...

Congratulations to Will & Kate. Now, can we please learn some basic biology? The female (yes, FEMALE) British correspondents were announcing breathlessly that Kate was "FABULOUS" for birthing a boy. 

This is, I believe, 2013, though some of our more regressive conservative politicians would have us believe that it's actually 1813 as far as women go. But I digress.

Biology 101, courtesy of Sister Faith at my high school: The MALE determines the gender of the fetus. 

Just pointing that out. Now you may resume gazing at the adorable baby pics. And please stop bashing Kate because she "hasn't lost the baby bump." Good God... She's all of 105 pounds and delivered an 8 pound+ baby. It took 9 months to grow that bump. Leave her alone.