[stargazer]

(((amilita and Mr.)))

*~*~*peaceful vibes for Mr.'s Dad*~*~*

[amilita]

Yay Futura! Have a wonderful trip.

Yay for taking a holiday, DM! Glad Mr is getting things lined up to fix his mouth.

Star, I can't tell you how many times in my life I've wondered if I'm not next in line for some good stuff, and you know, it always comes around sooner or later...hoping it's soon for you!

Rose, your visit sounds pretty fun, even if it could have been more so! And I've gotten totally into Bollywood movies! I think more US movies should have big dance numbers!

Yay for mac and cheese, Syb!

Yay for good times, Bunny!

Polly, that sucks about the Amazon seller. I agree with not cutting people unlimited slack.

(((Kitten))) Sounds like you're doing a good thing for your sis.

Sidecar, yay for getting things back on track! It totally effects my mood, too. I'm getting back on the wagon, as well...gotta go over to the blog.

(((Yuefie))) Whew! I sympathized when you mentioned kitty jumping on your belly! It hurts enough when mine do it just when my bladder is full!

(((Mando))) Thinking of you.

Hey! to everyone else...Damona, Christine, Sassy, Candy, Pixie, Raisin, Billy, Tes, all of you!

The Mr.'s dad is not doing well. I don't think it will be long before his liver cancer takes his life. He seems to be at peace with everything, and so far the Mr. is handling it well.

I'm a bit of a mess...I feel a little bad because it's more about memories of when my dad died or imagining when my mom dies. I'm trying hard to keep it about the Mr. and not about me, though. I've been a little tired, I guess because I'm a little depressed. On call tonight...hope I get to stay home all night.

I've been Facebookin' it lately...I guess why I'm around here less. If any of youse is over there, lemme know (or remind me) of your full, real name and I'd like to connect over there. It's easier for me to keep up with things on that site, I think.

[stargazer]

(((damona))) is your heat working yet?? i hope so. not good to hear that you were without heat during the frigid temps.

(((syb))) hey, any work is work in the thesis area. one of my motivating factors in getting the dissertation done is not having to pay my school tuition for the dissertation.

(((DM))) good for you for taking a personal holiday today.

(((futura))) yeah for being in NYC! make sure you take pics for all of us nosey peeps to see. i hope you have a good time there. are you meeting up with any busties while you are there?

(((mando))) go go mando! good to hear that you are returning to work even if for a part part time. keep your strength up!

(((kittenb))) good for you for emailing your feelings to your stepsis. i think just knowing you are there is great. now, she just needs to reach out when she is ready to make a change.

(((RV))) good to hear you had a fun with BGP. don't worry about the full length missing posts. we know you were having fun this weekend.

kvetch: the winter and week has not been kind to my car. meaning, i've been rearended twice. last week, a car hit me. mama and i were fine. i was just annoyed. today, as i was pulling out of my parking spot to realign, a driver attempted to go around me, i didn't see her...smack. we both have minor damage. everyone is ok. i've just been annoyed. i wouldn't feel so bad if i had an income at the moment. so not happy. plus, i found out my appeal with my former training site was not overturned. my mom and i were like..."ok. maybe these things are happening to prepare for some good things. we don't need any more bad things." hee.

antikvetch: making progress on my dissertation. my mom and i had a good lunch today. the weather was cool with the sun shining. i just want to know when i can start wearing yoga pants, a tanktop, and flipflops on a daily basis. ha!

(((kvetchies)))

[damona]

bunny, thanks for filling me in about mando. i'm glad you had a good weekend with the gals.

(((((((((((((((mando))))))))))))))) love and healing to you, sweetie.

*~*~*~*quick recovery vibes for mr dm's mouth*~*~*~*

(((((((((((((((((love and kisses to all))))))))))))))

i'm heading home shortly. i miss my kids, and my hubby, but at the same time, i'm gonna miss the relative peace and quiet, as well as my bgp, of course! not to mention, i fully expect my house to look like toys r us blew up in there, since the mr is a good dad, but doesn't exactly worry about picking up the disaster.

[designermedusa]

futura, enjoy your time in NYC and DC.

rose, yay for Sheff’s company doing good. There are so many companies that are cutting positions in massive numbers. Glad you and the best pals had fun despite sickness and the play being sold out.

syb, I love making homemade mac and cheese, and it’s one of the few things I love to eat leftover.

Bunnyb, glad you are having a fun time with morning ton and zoya.

((damona)) Hope the boiler gets fixed soon.

Star, yay for being the home stretch with your dissertation.

Polly, hope you get the book soon. I agree, don’t give him a good review unless you actually receive what you ordered.

Sidecar, yay for the weight loss. I really like your blog, the recipes sound really yummy, too bad I am not a motivated cook.

((yuefie)) Glad you are feeling better, and yay for selling your car.

((kittenb and stepsis)) I don’t have any advice, but I’m sure she appreciates that you are there for her.

((mando)) Continue to feel better.

My weekend was okay, took today off as a personal day since my company is too greedy to pay it as a holiday. I was really nervous because Mr. DM had an appointment with a dental surgeon today, he needs to have all four wisdom teeth and another tooth removed. Well the appointment went well, and it’s not going to costs us as much as we thought. He has the surgery at the end of the month, and it will be a relief to have him back on track for dental health.

[futura]

Happy MLK!

*Quick flyby*

I'm in New York! We arrived on Saturday. I'm going to Washington D.C. tomorrow! I don't know what kind of craziness we'll encounter, but i'm looking forward to it. The place we're staying in is fabulous. I'm drawing like mad.

((((((Mandolyn))))))

(((((Kittenb))))))

(((((((All of you))))))))

Gotta get me some breakfast.

[roseviolet]

Happy MLK Jr. Day, everyone!

Bunny, thanks so much for the Mandi update.

Yuefie, congrats on getting out of the house. Hooray for new cars!

(((((((((((((( healing hugs for Mandi & Yuefie )))))))))))))))))))))

Kitten, best of luck with the step-sis. That sounds really painful to watch.

~~~~~~~~~ waves of warmth for Damona & fam ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Polly, that sucks about the book. I don't blame you for not giving him positive feedback. You paid him for a service & he should provide that service to you.

(((( soothing hugs for Sidecar )))

(((((((( Syb, Sassy, Star, Polly, Kitten, Bunny, Morn, Pixie, and so many more )))))))

The BestPals left yesterday afternoon. The trip was not as fun as I would have liked because (1) Sheff had to work late, (2) I got pretty sick a couple times, and (3) it was frigid cold. Plus the play I really wanted us to see was sold out. But we still had fun. BestGalPal bought some art at a local gallery & we went to the Bollywood movie theater and visited Duke's art museum & ate a ton of good food. Plus we finally got BestGalPal to try Rock Band & discovered that she is a wiz at the drums.

Kvetch: I know that I wrote a couple of posts over the past week, but none of them are appearing n the thread. I'm afraid that I may have accidentally forgotten to post them. How frustrating! Especially because they were long & I handed out plenty of individual vibes. Bah!

Anti-kvetch: The game that Sheff's company released in October is selling better than expected. There have been a lot of layoffs in the tech field in our area, so it's a relief to hear that Sheff's company is bucking the trends despite the bad economy.

Gotta run. Time to start working off all that good eating. Hope you all have a great day!

[sybarite]

Thanks for the update bunnyb: good to know mando's on the mend and feisty enough to be stir crazy! Glad too that her job is offering support and flexibility right now.

Kitten, showing stepsis that you are consistently there for her could help a lot. It might not be today or tomorrow, but knowing she can come to you may mean she approaches you with her problems in the future. It's so hard to get someone young and stubborn to talk when they're not ready to.

I'm trying to figure out how I will celebrate the inauguration from here.

Oh, GG is utterly bubblegum for the brain. I've actually finished watching season 1, splitting the episodes over a mere two weekends. I am a trash TV glutton.

BSG on the other hand is just superb television. We watched the new episode last night. AWESOME.

SG, I have to steel myself into staying right offline when trying to work on my thesis... it doesn't always work though. Ongoing productive vibes for you!

I had a nice weekend: the mister and I hung out, planning our upcoming trip. I made my first ever homemade mac n' cheese: best leftovers ever!

[bunnyb]

Have there been any updates on mando recently? I hope she's getting better.

*fly-by*

mando emailed me today and wrote "i'm doing ok. still sore and achey. but i'm going to try to get out more this week - little jaunts with my mom. the snow and ice are making me housebound (afraid of slipping), i'm going stir crazy, it's making me even more depressed. but other than that, i'm healing well, my doctors are pleased, and i'm trying to gear up emotionally and practically for chemo in a month. i'll probably go back to work the week of the 26th, but very very part time. thank goodness my boss is being so good about all this."

Thought everybody would like to know (damona - that kind of updates you. Our beloved Mando was diagnosed with breast cancer since you last posted and had a double mastectomy almost three weeks ago and is now recovering from surgery before chemo treatment ).

*~*~*~*anti-cabin fever and healing and happy vibes for mandolyn*~*~*~*~*

Having a lovely weekend with zoya and morn. Will update properly once zoya had gone home but we've hung out, eaten, drank red wine, shopped, met persiflager and had dinner tonight at morn's with G, Indigo and Tank. Good times.

sidecar, I'll need to check out your blog! I loved mashed potatoes and particularly looking for good recipes with pancetta and spring onion and another with cheese and bacon. Mmmm.

(((everybody)))

[damona]

hey y'all, i'm at my friends again.

(((((yuefie))))) hope you are feeling better, darling.

(((((kittenb))))) my sis went thru a fairly self destructive phase. it's hard on the whole family when that stuff is going on. i was no angel, but i think she had me beat for sheer family divisiveness.

what's wrong with mando? i have such limited access, i never know what's up anymore! well, ((((((mando))))), hope whatever it is is getting better.

(((((((((((((((everyone))))))))))))))) i miss you guys so much!

kvetch: typing with a bandaid on my index finger is a pain.

bigger kvetch: the boiler in my wing of the complex is on the fritz. we've had little to no heat for the last few days. yes, the night it was -22 degrees, we had no heat. double socks and long undies for everyone! good thing we have lots of blankets. i hope that it's finally fixed for good. *crossed fingers*

[stargazer]

is today maintenance day for websites?? first, bust was down. now, i can't log onto facebook.

i guess that means i gotta work on my dissertation.

*~*~*soothing vibes for yuefie*~*~*

yuefie, it sounds like you are getting stronger.

(((mando)))

polly, oh, that sucks about the book. about the weather, it is going to be 38 degrees on thursday?!? that's a heatwave! i have to go to school that day and i was thinking of going to the art institute. i think admission is free on that day.

pretty quiet weekend. the weather is not really motivating me to venture out. so, reading stuff for my dissertation. i'm in the final home stretch here. i will be done by the first week in february! yippee! i had no plans for tomorrow, but i think my mom wanted to do something since she is off for MLK day. we are going to go out to eat. hopefully, m.henry's is open cause i've been craving it.

btw, polly, right now on HBO, they are showing an inaugural celebration. it is pretty cool. it is still hard to believe obama is being sworn in right now. i think i'm going to cry when he gets sworn in. gosh, i get so choked up just thinking about it. stepdad is gonna be home that day dvr'ing the whole inauguration on tuesday. such a historical event not only for the country, but for the world. truly history in the making.

(((kvetchies)))

[pollystyrene]

(((kitten and family))) I was never on the sibling end of that situation (though humanist was far from angelic), but I had lots of friends who made some very bad choices in their teens.....some of them got through it and went on to great things. Some of them...not so much. I think family support and guidance is key, though, so I think anything you can do is good.

(((yuefie))) Glad to hear you're improving. My friend who had it done about 6 weeks ago is doing really well. He says he still gets a little twinge of pain now and then, but nothing near what he had before. There is hope!

Ooo, can't wait to see the real ring, sassy!

Have there been any updates on mando recently? I hope she's getting better.

Kvetch: I ordered a book to send to mando through a third-party seller on Amazon because it's out of print. I ordered it December 21st and still haven't gotten it. The guy has a decent rating, but people's one complaint is that shipping takes forever. He's been stringing me along, and apparently doesn't get any tracking numbers for his shipments. WTF???? Then he sent out this email to everyone who has orders with saying that he recently lost his job and retirement plan after 35 years and is trying to make a living selling stuff on Amazon, and if he gets enough good ratings, Amazon lowers their fees for him or something. I'm sorry that he's going through this, but it seems to me that getting tracking numbers is pretty basic and if you can't even do that, you shouldn't be selling things on Amazon. Stick to Craigslist, bucko. Needless to say, I'm not going to be guilted into giving him a positive review. If the book isn't here this week, when it hits the one month mark, I'm canceling my order and going to another seller.

My friend's mom who was diagnosed is just going to get chemo once a week until March, no surgery in the plan as of now.

The weather here is crappy. It's 16 degrees today and is supposed to slowly climb to the 38 degrees, the highest this week, on Thursday. Then it will drop back down to 18 degrees by Friday or Saturday. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago. I love Chicago.......

I'm pretty excited for Tuesday. Does anyone know the schedule? I think the inauguration starts at 12pm, right? That's probably eastern time, I assume? Is there a website that will be streaming it live?

((hugs to all)) yeah, where is tes?

[kittenb]

Thanks everyone. I sent her an email letting her know that I was aware that stuff was going haywire. I told her that I was alwaya here for her and that nothing could ever change the fact that I love her. I'll keep sending her love through text messages (her fav form of communication) and keeping the doors open for her to talk or come and stay here for a little while. I just hope it is enough.

[sidecar]

(((((((kittenb)))))))))) I think all you can do is be there for her, and be honest and open with your mom and stepmom about your concerns. Talk to her about it, even if it makes her mad or if she doesn't want to listen. We can go to email/PM/Facebook if you want to talk more specifics. I'm trying hard not to upset you further or overstep my bounds. I have few regrets, but one of them is not speaking up to my family, or my brother, about his self-destructive behavior and how it clouded his judgment. I didn't want to upset him, or my parents, and so I never said anything. And I think my parents were embarrassed by some of the things he did, so they didn't tell us. And if we'd all just talked ... maybe it wouldn't have changed anything, but at least I would have done what I could.

thanks for the love, all. I'm feeling a bit better. I made it to the gym twice this week so far, and have been eating fairly well. Since. Jan. 1, I've lost 5 pounds. I feel so shallow, but getting my physical self back in order a little has made me feel better. (And bunny, just for you, I posted a very basic mashed potatoes recipe today!)

BTW, I love Gossip Girl, although I regard it as junk viewing. It's fun, light and entertaining -- like candy TV. If you like Josh Schwartz, you might also like Chuck, which no one watches, but I think is a much deeper show with better acting. GG is like Us Weekly, and Chuck is like Wired.

yay for new cars and engagement rings!

kvetch: holy mackerel, am i bleeding. I knew when I went off BC things would be different, but I am overwhelmed by how heavy a regular period is after years of having few-to-none!

((((special hugs for star))))

[yuefie]

(((((kittenb))))) I understand how hard it is to watch a loved one self destruct and the feelings of powerlessness it brings on. Sending extra hugs your way and much coping vibage too.

((((mando)))) ~~~~~healing and comfort vibes a plenty~~~~~
in case you're out there lurking, I hope that the drains are out and that you are feeling tons better.

I hope bunny & zoya & morn are having a blast together too

((((rose, syb, pixie, sidecar, polly, humanist, star, damona, raisin, candy, sassy, dm, christine, futura, billy, tes, amilita, qspice, everyone))))

Thanks for the continuing love and get well wishes. I sure do heart you all .
I'm feeling better, I'm still sore but able to get around and have begun driving everyone nuts around here. I have a really hard time sitting still and resting like I should be, so I pushed it a little too much a couple of days ago and have been paying for it ever since in soreness. Why am I so stubborn? Oh yeah, Virgo... hee hee. Today we took my car down to "retire" it and they paid me $1000. I was stunned, I didn't think it would be that much. So I am taking that and buying another Volvo from a friend of mine. It's another older car, but not as old as mine was and in much better condition. So, yay for that!

[stargazer]

(((kittenb))) i'm so sorry. that has to be terribly difficult for you.

[kittenb]

My stepsis is in crisis and does not know it. Her behavior is off the charts w/regards to some very adult behavior and I am seriously worried that she will not live to see 20 or even 19. If there was any benefit to forcing her to see a therapist I would do it but sadly, I know better. She has to want things to change.

I don't know what to do. My gut says always offer her unconditional love but everything she is doing is so awful for herself and her spirit that it make me cry.

[Christine Nectar...]

ok, i'm back in full bust-swing now!

ccg - i think there's been a lot of that going around. glad that boy-things are going well though!

kittenb - i always knew that i did not want to work with children (one prof told me that the students w/ kids of their own NEVER want to work with kids ) but my diploma is in assaulted women and children's counselling. i remember i found the abused children learning really valuable though, because it helps you understand where your adult clients are coming from.

star, veggie burger/fries/stout sounds delish. count me in!

kvetch: the zipper on my winter coat is buggered, and it's the coldest week of the year!

anti-kvetch: got the kiddo's birthday plans all sorted out (i think) and she is so excited!

(edit) p.s. (((((((mando))))))))
and yuefie, glad you're on the mend!

p.p.s. red y-fronts, white bra w/teeny black polka dots

[kittenb]

Hey Damona!

I am looking fwd to seeing the ring Sassy.

candycane_girl - I've been lazy on school work this week myself. I just haven't had it in me to open a text book after a day of training. I have catch up to play this weekend.

Star - I like the location too.

I keep hearing about the plane that landed on the Hudson River yesterday. Such an amazing story! But now I feel very weird that the news reporter said that birds hit planes about once a day! Obvs, they rarely crash the plane, but still! What the heck?

[damona]

hey kvetchies! no, i don't have a computer yet, i'm using my friends. i just had to check in and see how y'all are doing.

love to all.

(((((((((((busties/ers)))))))))))