Well, except for last night, I didn't eat really really late. I suppose tonight I shoulda gone to bed already.

I had my own empty the nest meltdown when DH was clearing out what is no longer DS's room. (He's engaged, for heaven's sake. He's not coming back!) I was mostly OK... but just edgy and anxious. Maybe I shoulda had a beer. Probably less calories.

But I digress. DH and I walked yesterday!! AND today!! Yesterday inside the first enclosed mall in Texas. Getting bigger every year( The mall should get bigger... I should NOT.) Saw some pretty clothes at Dillards. I can't remember the last time I cared. But I'm not gonna get a wool jacket for $$600, even if it does mean I have great taste.

Then we went to a craft gallery that I didn't expect to be open. DH bought me a prezzie for no reason. Isn't it pretty? (see below... I hope the re-sizer works for me.)

Kiwi... DS's best friend graduated from Tufts... COOL. Very progressive and great for smart people. We need folks who understand the middle East. I hope she'll get to the economics soon enough... and that the profs can weave in the psychology and history. I thought the class titles at Mt. Holyoke were pretty strange, but DD ended up being an econ major!
Hope your procedure is boring and less traumatizing that you expect. I think drinking that stuff might make me bulemic.

Baggz, I hope your headache is all gone. And the dumb tourists. (Keep the smart, spendthrift heading that way, though. The Nova Scotia cottage photo is gorgeous. I hope your friend's wife is doing well. Except for feeling fat, I'm doing fine, myself.

Cherry, would you come vacuum our rugs? I know where the extension cord is because NOBODY uses it.

Cowie: Hang in there. Stay feisty. Hope you found the quote button.

Happy new week, cows.

oooooo. Lovely medical procedures. I think I've already had the one you're scheduled for, Kiwi. They give you enough drugs that you really don't care what they do to you. The bad part was drinking a gallon of swamp water the night before. They could have had me eat at McDonalds and it would have worked the same way. tmi, I know.

How do you upload a photo? It won't upload mine - says upload failed. Talk veeerrrryyyy slowly to me.

OO Painty, that's purty! Yay on the walking! I'd be tempted to rejoin the local walking club if they start that up again this fall. It's not too boring when the weather is good, although it's only once a week which is certainly not enough. When the weather gets too cold they walk through the halls of the high school in the evening and that has got to be the most deadly boring thing ever to do. If an actual friend were to go with me I would do it, but most of the people who go are just "people I recognize". Some of them are in the Red Hat club. Not going there, don't think so. Well, not yet anyway.

Yeah, Tufts is an excellent school. I think it's a better school by a good leap than when I went there. I was chatting with a father who had been to the Legacy reception (alumni parents of freshmen) and he said he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get into Tufts now. DD is very happy with her class schedule; I talked to her for a long time last night. She understood my concern about the lack of variety in her courses this semester and she said she tried to get into Logic, Statistics, Environmental Science and some others but had not been able to because they were full. So she fully intends to get going on sciences and other things next semester. She's also applied for 3 different jobs and really hopes to get one in the music department in the events office. She said the places had not had a lot of applications yet so she may have her pick; that would nice for her for a change. She couldn't pay someone to hire her this past summer (okay, she didn't actually try to pay anyone, but you know), the jobs are so scarce here.

Did I tell you all that DD went on "Jumbo Idol" -- the Tufts freshman version of Amer. Idol -- and finished 3rd?! 1200 some odd kids (well, only 7 actually performed) and she got 3rd place. That's my girl. She already has a fan club. A girls' a cappella group is trying to get her to join. She is holding out for a part in a play or musical.

Ickiness and rant to follow; please ignore:

The "procedure" was horrifying but actually not that painful or disgusting. Sorry, didn't get the pleasure of drinking the barium solution, let's just leave it at that. DH has completely lost his frigging mind -- last night he offered to drive me to the hospital, which I really didn't see the point of, but since he was offering I figured it wouldn't hurt, so I said fine. But, I told him, I would have to get up at 6:30 and do some "prepping" and would he please please just stay in bed? Yeah yeah yeah. Well, no no no, he got up 5 minutes before my alarm was going to go off with the lame excuse that he was already awake. We barked at each other and he took off in his truck (because I said, no you cannot sit in the next room on the internet, why was this too much to ask?). I know this sounds nuts, but we only have one bathroom and it's on the first floor, while the bedroom is on the 2nd. And frankly this thing is humilating enough without an audience. So he stormed off and I cursed and muttered for 2 hours. Then he came back to take me to the appointment. What? Okay, fine, I will pretend nothing is the matter with this. He was going to go get a coffee and a newspaper while I was in there, but he goes to park so I ask him why he is parking, and he says he was going to "take me in". Excuse me? Am I now an invalid because I have to have a lab test? I made him drop me off. Afterwards I was really in need of just going home, but I was really hungry too, so I asked him to go through the McD drive-through then go home and he wants to know if I'd mind if he went to the grocery store and picked up some ribs for dinner. Oh good god sometimes I just want to strangle the guy.

Do you know I fasted for 24 hours and I didn't lose any weight? That's not fair.

Kiwi

The photo upload is pretty much the same as always, but they will resize it for you. The only problem is if the file size is more than the automatic compression can handle. If you try a photo that is somewhat smaller, it ought to work. You and I don't seem to use any of the same software, so I'm not sure how to tell you how to reduce the size of the file -- it is usually an option under "Save As" when you have the photo open. Make the compression % at 10% or something like Medium quality if it asks that.

Hi dolls! Still catching up on all your doings and not feeling much posting mojo. MAJOR decluttering to do around here and I've actually done some of it today.

Glad "the procedure" wasn't too awful, Kiwi. I haven't had the pleasure yet, but according to my f-i-l and our next door neighbour (yeah, Germans talk about stuff like that in mixed company) here they just knock you out completely and you wake up feeling none the worse for wear.

We are all bummed to be back here again and have been very, very cranky. Especially me. Tomorrow will be better, right?

Hugs to all and sundry.

Ooooh! I just got my tiny brain around the multi quote thingie. How cool!

Must go vacuum something.

Suggie!!! Welcome back darlin! git yer mojo and tell us all the wonderful things you and the fam did whilst back home!

Kiwi: How absolutely vile! I think any one that hits the half century mark should be given a grand party (specially us folks who grew up in the 60's and 70s!)..DD sounds like she is jumping right into college life...good fer her..she will be a STAH!!!!

Painty!!!! I;m thrilled to hear that you are mooooving and DH is partner with you ..What you do with photos is amazing girl! such an eye for color and composition.. sigh..loverly!

Baggyone: you and Wabs live in Eden I swear... how beautiful that sunset is!

I just finished up a contract/consult job for my old employer.. They've been wonderful at trying to help me get back in the company ..but I live in this dreadful state where not many major insurance companies likes to do business... but I will keep my chin up --I'm sure I'll land a full time gig someday... We just finalized our plans to go back out to the Asheville area.. This time I got tix for the Biltmore, http://www.biltmore.com/ and the http://www.gsmr.com/ and after the train trip dinner here http://www.groveparkinn.com/ Tomorrow I will take the 2 "girls" over to meet the dog sitter... then we leave in a week or so for our long weekend..

but right now I have to go and smite some dust bunnies

I'm jealous. Actually this whole thing involved a series of X-rays, so perhaps was not quite the same thing. I know you'd have to be awake so you can keep flipping around on the x-ray table. Yeah, that was comfortable, especially perching myself on my left hip on a hard table owowowow.
That sounds like a blast! My sister and her family love to visit the Biltmore House. I don't think I've ever been, although we went to that area quite a lot when I was growing up. My nephew (8) is particularly enamored of the place and has been drawing "architectural" plans of his future mansion. He says we can all come live there. It has a homeless shelter on the grounds -- isn't he the product of his environment! I used to draw house plans that always included a big horse stable.

Good luck on the job front, Schatzi, it's great that your former employer is able to point some work your way at least. What do you do for them? You have probably told us but my head is a sieve.

Yes, Arabic is the up and coming Must Have language apparently. There are something like 4 sections of the Elementary Arabic class at Tufts and all are full and there are so many people on the waiting list that they might add another. This is a school of about 4000 undergraduates. When I was in college I remember the hot language was Russian, not that I took it, but in the US at the time studying Russian was right on the line between subversive activity and wave of the future (remember Back in the USSR?). DD seems so serious about the middle eastern studies thing that I hardly know what to make of it. Her course called Peace & Justice Studies she says is going to be useful because it focusses on conflict resolution. Do you think maybe we should have encouraged her to be a rock musician?

Kiwi

I was in the obscure part of healthcare..vision and dental dahlink... policy setting, benefit adjudication, contract interpretation, systems enhancements to support the products , rolling out the new or changed stuff to the affected areas yadda yadda bleah.. I just rewrote sections of their HMO manuals for them for a new product twist..hohum.. but it was $$ so DH cant complain.. What's been bittersweet is that I have been offered nice jobs in so many states EXCEPT HERE..and those that are in the state but not within commuting distance.. oh woe.. but , I told him this before we moved here..so I can always throw that in his face if he gets ugly about me STILL being home.

I remember back...way wayyy back , I took a class in what was called "Critical Issues" - It was an Intro to politics, finance and international relations.--the professor urged us to take up middle east studies..that in the next 50 years , the "hot bed" of economy, religion, and nuclear activity would be centered in the "cradle of civilization" . Quite forward thinking -but with all your DDs talents and passions time will tell what education path she takes..How exxxciting!

Canadian soldiers carry the coffin of a fallen comrade, one of five killed in weekend fighting in Afghanistan, during a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Air Field.

Photo: Sgt Lou Penney/DND/CP

Reality is a Buzzkill...Did you try to post a Pic oh BaggyOne?

Yep, reality does sober things up....

I didn't see a picture either, and it's sad what you get when you do an image google w/ "one of five killed" as the search phrase.

Are we due for a new thread? Someone think up something clever.

Absolutely. The fact that ANYONE is getting killed is just appalling.



Or something clover, even.

i am trying to find that picture-i don't know if it will work,but i am damn sick and tired of KIDS getting killed over in the Middle East. We are supposed to be "Peacekeepers"---that is what our army was for. KIDS.!!! they are the same age as my dd's ---20 to 22 year old young men---getting themselves KILLED For WHAT????---the Afghani's don't want us over there,the Taliban are going to do whatever the **** they want anyway {when we finally leave} and it's none of our gd business. so what do we have??? a bunch of grieving families,young men with ruined lives--if they aren't dead they are SEVERLY maimed.AND!!! now that Canada is involved,we will be target for the terrorists as well. The only good thing is that when our Prime Minister tried to stop the media from publishing pictures like this----it didn't work out for him----i think George Bush managed to stop the media from "upsetting" the people with images of dead soldiers.

still trying!!