Earl Is Dead

Wow. He sounds like one end of the horse alright.

Yikes, Hostile , what a long and frightening day. Glad your dad isn't broken. Vibes to you Endeavour and lots of luck finding the right new caregiver for your mom. Hunkering down for a blizzard tomorrow and grateful that it's on a Saturday for a change. Having invested in a generator this summer I'm going to assume we will not lose power *fingers crossed*.

Gym never beats couch in my world. Kudos to you. I have lived in the same part of the country my whole life. It has always snowed here in the winter, but for some reason the pre-snow panicking is worse now than ever in my memory. It does not compute.

I haven’t been here in a few weeks since I’ve been off from work and I have issues using the forums on my phone (and I can’t with the mobile version, sorry PTV), so I apologize for playing catchup. My Christmas was a four day extravaganza of family gatherings, alternating between my family and Mr. Earl’s, so it was a marathon of planning and running and dealing with people. In a way it makes me feel better to read your stories about family dust ups and people who just can’t not be a dick because at least I know I’m not alone. The Sunday after Christmas, the fourth and final day of festivities, was the worst because we hosted it, which just added stress (for me) to an already tense gathering. Multiple can’t-not-be-dicks from the Mister’s side, and a bat$h*t MIL crammed into a very tiny living space do not a fun evening make. What is so hard about civility? I don’t understand. It worked out well for me that I had off the week between Christmas and New Year’s off from work to recover. No events for New Year’s Eve but had friends over for dinner Near Year’s Day. Fun, but also the last time I will be seeing this friend for a while as she has relocated out of state and has no more trips scheduled home for the foreseeable future. L I am going to miss seeing her. KPC tons of vibes to you and your dad-not-dad. I hope you and your mom and his family get to spend as much time as possible with him and that he is comfortable. Fuck cancer indeed. Congratulations, Erratic for the Parents Get Out status for little Alf! I hope things move quickly and smoothly on his adoption from here on out. Here’s to a good or better 2016 for all!

[Q]I'm having it right now for dinner. With Olive Oil and Spanish paprika[/Q] I want this. Now.

Anyone who has ever loved an animal should know how hard it is to lose one. Fuck them indeed. I question the presence of their souls.

I'm so, so sorry trudi. Hugs to you. :*(

Sorry to hear of so much loss and sadness. I hope all those grieving are surrounded by loved ones.

I'm a little bummed that Buffy's shiny umbrella didn't win the daily match up on the home page here. That's one of the few scenes that still gives me the warm fuzzies when I see it.

Boliver - I think a lot probably depends on the type of establishment - diner, fine dining, bar, chain restaurant - I doubt there's one perfect way to go. In my college years I worked at a 24/7 diner in a great location (close to movie theaters, bars, shopping) so between the dinner crowd and the late night crowd what I brought home working 2 doubles in one weekend was much more than I would have made at 10 or even 15 dollars an hour. The minimum wage for waitress in PA then was $2 something an hour, which would usually pay the tax so the cash was all mine. Obviously that is not the case in every situation, but I guess I like thinking that those opportunities would still exist for someone willing to hussle for them.

Waitressing is hard and a lot of people are jerks and/or don't tip well, but a lot of people do. I made way more waitressing in college then I would have at a retail job working the same hours. So I don't know how I'd feel about a no tip norm.

I have not been able to catch up as much as I'd like to because work has been kicking my patoot. In a few more weeks I should be done running training sessions that I should never have had to run in the first place and then maybe life can return to normal. Work vibes to you Endeavour. And many vibes to all who need them. Belated hugs to you and your family trudi. Glad your grandmother had a long and wonderful life. Ace I really enjoy Jane the Virgin, not for it's soapy-ness but more because of it's playful, sometimes goofy tone. And because Gina Rodriguez is awesome. But hey, different strokes - maybe it's just not your thing? I don't care if anyone remembers my birthday, but I do like to take it as a day to be selfish and eat/watch/do whatever I feel like. And if I live with someone who wants to make it a day about watching football while making a huge mess in my kitchen, that's not cool with me. Not that this has happened recently or anything. And now I have a question about Star Wars that I don't want to ask in the other place lest my doofus brother pretend he knows things: Are the Timothy Zahn novels and all that came after them cannon or not? , or is all that out the window? The new trailer confuzzles me. Spoilering that just in case.

Very happy for you and your mom Loandbehold . I hope you get to breathe easier now.

I'm sorry about KittyF. I hope a neighbor took him in and is working on putting up signs right this minute. Anti-pukey vibes to you and the little one Erratic. Well, anti-pukey vibes to everyone really. Puke sucks.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, Boliver. How terribly sad. I can understand how much more painful it would be to handle finding him and calling 911. Major hugs and vibes to you and Silver Fox. Welcome jaytee. :o) I've never had a permanent disability but was in a cast and on crutches for three months once due to foot surgeries. Some people really can be overly kind trying to help, to the point where sometimes it was embarrassing. I tried to keep in mind that their intentions were good.

Hugs to HostileDad. :o( *waves arms to CKO* Hi! I once spent a weekend in D.C. and went to two Phils/Nationals games where the Phillies fans far outnumbered the Nats fans - it was definitely a weird feeling. It was especially off putting to have the scoreboard telling me to root for the "other guys." Vibes to empty nesters and hooray for parents finally leaving nests after looooong visits. Hot flashes:not looking forward to them. Are any NYC or DC folks here experiencing the same excruciating lead up to the Pope's visit as we are in Philly? I feel like we've been hearing about road closures and SEPTA rerouting and plans and ticket instructions for a decade now. The President comes in and out of town with less kerfuffle. I do realize the Pope doesn't travel as much as the President but still, this feels nutty.

Thanks for the tip, Chyna! I've had that happen in the past and just given up. I just assumed they were gone for good with no tech support to fix the glitch.

The teacher in me totally agrees that the balanced schedule makes a lot more sense in terms of learning and retaining information, but the rest of me wants all kids to have the summers of my childhood. Or maybe I just want them again.

Yay! So glad the big headache is over for you now Endeavour! Flip side: Good luck on the house hunting, romantic idiot. I see kids going back to school this week already. It always seems strange to see this happening before Labor Day but it seems to be the norm now. I guess I'm just old.

We saw Minions a few weeks ago. It was amusing because those little yellow buggers are never not funny, but it's no Despicable Me. Lots of fun laughing, not a great or heartwarming plot. I've been away, busy at work and a weekend down the shore keeping me from spending as much time frittered away online as I'd like so I am just catching up. Much I'd love to respond to but I'll edit myself (for a change :o) This is probably a weird random thing to reply to but I have one of those and I do love it, but you have to be extra careful about not getting crumbs in the butter because mold happens really fast. One of my all time favorites! Love the Idea of a you tube gathering. Annie if it gives you hope I was also that kid as a teenager. I waged endless war with my mother over the collection of dirty dishes that would grow in my room. I am the exact opposite of that now, so hopefully your son is also just going through a lazy phase of life. Hugs and vibes to all who are in need.

That is also awesome. What I meant was more that the very first shot we saw of Rachel and the very last one were the same, on her back, shot from above. Great catch about the song - that's even more cool if it's true.

I loved this finale. I was so afraid they'd drop the ball and it would suck and ruin how much I've enjoyed this show and I was so grateful that wasn't the case. I don't know why I even noticed this, but I even loved how it came full circle. Rachel's last scene talking to Quinn, she's lying, wrung out, flat on her back on the chaise lounge, exactly how we first met her in episode one, flat on her vulnerable back on the floor of the limo. Another season of Satan's Asshole concluded, and she's right back where she started. I hope that S2 is as good as this season was, but if it goes all Heroes on us, I'm still happy to have been on the S1 ride.

One thing I appreciated about The Taste is that they did not do this. Poor Nigella ended up with zero people on her team by the end of each season, but at least they seemed to be eliminated honestly. I too enjoyed the mentor season and would second another, provided Alton was one of them. Almost any of the FN personalities would be better than Bobby and Giada at this point. Not that they don't give sound advice at times, but they seem to be towing the FN party line a little too much for my taste. Instead of pushing for yet another delightful home or semi-pro cook who can regale me with stories about their grandmothers/adorable children/years growing up in the south/travels to Thailand, find an actual chef who can teach me something I don't already know. Or maybe put a show on FN that we haven't seen a dozen times before. I wish that were really the goal of TNFNS.

Many, many vibes to you, Barphe. And whatever other virtual support you need too.

It's been so quiet in here the last few days. I hope nobody minds if I take a moment to gush. I had a really good day today. I'm off work this week, taking use'em or lose'em vacation days, and after a busy weekend that included throwing a picnic on Saturday and dinner plans yesterday my goal today was to be do a few light house chores but not not get out of my pajamas all day. Instead I got a knock on the door around noon. If you don't know, I live on a horse farm where I and a small number of others board our horses. The "kid" who knocked (kid to me as I've known him since he worked here in his teens, now a young man in his mid 20s) wanted to let me know he'd be riding since there was no one else else around and, safety first, could I keep an eye out? Long story short: he's going through a rough time with his family, had a rough morning at work, and decided to leave work for the day hoping to get some barn therapy. He's a novice rider with a green horse - bad combination - so instead of just watching him from the house I put on real clothes, went down to the barn to stay with him as he rode, and offered an eye on the ground to give advice. I don't and didn't pretend to know anything about gaited horses, but I do have a lot more overall experience than he does, so I was able to give useful suggestions for him to try. And bonus! His horse was wonderfully compliant, helping us both figure out what worked and what didn't without being a green jerk. The kid enjoyed a good ride with a lot of success and no stress. When he was done riding and I stayed to help hose the horse off and clean up, he spilled his guts about everything he's been going through. That post college, girlfriend/parents/my-life-isn't-what-I-envisioned-and-how-am-I-ever-going-to-get-there struggle that so many of us faced. I couldn't help him with all that, but he really needed a sympathetic ear and that I did have. Combined with getting to use my long atrophied riding instructor knowledge and have someone really appreciate both made me feel really, surprisingly good. Sorry this is long. It's been a long time since I've felt like a rider and a helpful teacher. Added to which feeling like I helped a good kid who even told before he left how much he really needed this made it worth my jammie day interruption. Today was a good day.