Bad: Not much, actually. I feel bad about not having any bad, especially when others do, so if anyone wants to unload on me, please do!

Good: Puppy graduated from puppy class last night. We're so proud. His "thesis" was to stand on his hind legs and twirl around. He can do 2 and 1/2 now!

Good: Weekend forecast looks gorgeous, and neither I or SpiffyLady have to work this weekend.

Good: Mean editorial woman is on vacation next week, and friendly editorial assistant will be fulfilling all requests in her absence.

Bad: I am pretty tired after two nights of not sleeping.
Bad: I have a busy afternoon ahead of me.
Good: Because I didn't sleep last night, I think I figured out what the last scene in the Soprano's meant, and what happened to the nuclear Soprano family.
Good: I am going to see a puppet troupe perform at the local outdoor theater tonight with friends.

Good: It's my last day of work!
Bad: It's my last day of work!

Bad: I really want to see video of the Jiang Yuyuan falling down last night, and there doesn't appear to be any on the internet.
Bad: Paycheck has not yet gone through. Really would like to get it today!
Good: It's Friday!
Good: My weekend will be full of fun, friends, Perez Hilton: The Musical, and suit shopping.

Bad: I got 75% of what I needed to get done, done.
Good: HEY EVERYONE! I'M ON METACHAT!

Good: We got the intercom in our apartment fixed.
Bad: The apartment porter who fixed it seems to think that I am really stupid. He wouldn't believe me today when I said that no, I wasn't running the heat. Who heats the apartment in summer?
Good: My friend from NZ, who has been living in France for the past 5 years, is in town and randomly emailed me out of the blue. I'm meeting him at the Met in a couple of hours.
Bad: My feet are super swollen. Getting up and walking around will be good for them, but I hate having them be so big and gross.

good: It's Friday
bad: I'm thinking I'm going to be in trouble for something I didn't know I had to do
bad: one of my new staffers caused a major ruckus and then left town.
good: staffer left town and people calmed down. She's back and everyone's got thing in perspective.

Good: Life is good. My family is healthy. The foliage is green and gorgeous. I have french bread.

Bad: I am having a VERY DISTRESSING skin condition. This is what happens to my face when I take some medications (most). It is happening to my face again. I have not taken any meds in months. I haven't even taken a vitamin. Could this be rosacea? I have never had rosacea in the past. I am 35 years old. I am sure it's not contact dermatitis. Can it be something I'm eating? Like Splenda or aspartame or something else? What in the hell is going on? I don't want to go out in public like this. Yesterday it wasn't as bad, but still bad. I'm calling the dermatologist. I have been washing my face with regular soap, Neutrogena acne soap, and Pan Oxyl. I haven't used the Pan Oxyl for about five days. Has anybody ever had anything like this? I have had acne all of my life, but this is not your usual acne. I never break out like this. HELP. Do not click these photos if you are squeamish.

Good: No alkie-August is trundling along. I've been drinking Orangina and Reed's ginger brew and Italian sodas (lemon, lime, blood orange) and this grapefruit soda called fizzy lizzy or something like that. I think I've lost some weight -- Related: After work, without the beckoning of a lovely glass of wine, it's easier to get my ass to the gym.

Bad: My younger monster child has accused my older monster child of snooping around in her room (which she locks -- "someone" took the extra key off of my key ring), perhaps looking for cigarettes or cash. And, frankly, the evidence is against the older monster child, who proclaims his innocence.

Good: At work all of sudden I'm getting tons of interesting new cases and intakes.

Bad: Due to Good, I'm really busy at work.

Good: We have a housing spot for older monster child, whoo-hoo!

Bad: We're still waiting for the move-in date, having been told July 15, then July 23, then first week of August, now they're talking September.

Good: Younger monster child has finished all of her course work for her high school diplomma, yay!!!

Bad: It's Friday and as usual I have no life or plans. Perhaps the gym!

Good: No one has stolen my computer yet!

Good: My train tickets from Berlin to Toruń arrived yesterday (mailed all the way from Frankfurt! Yay internet!) and they are very German, which is neat and international and all that, except I don't speak German aside from "danke", "currywurst" and "schuss!", so there's a fun element of risk involved here. Presumably "sitzplatz" means "seat". And there are pictures. Luckily my train isn't super-early on the day I'm leaving.

Bad: Because there is no "this person has no criminal record" certificate in the United States - something Poland wants before it lets me live there - I can't prove that I'm not the next D.B. Cooper, so I need to get fingerprinted by someone, have those prints sent to the FBI's office in West Virginia or something, and then hope they get back to me before I leave on the afternoon of the 3rd. Found some forms on the FBI website, skeptical that the local fuzz will a) be able to fingerprint someone without an appointment (though this is the tenth safest city in America, people!), or b) know what the heck I'm asking for. Cripes.

Bad: The house is a total nightmarish mess again and I'm not too excited about cleaning it up. Aaargh.

LoriFla, I don't know on the skin condition, I bet the dermo will know in 2 seconds, it looks very specific. But, also -- you're so young and pretty in those pics (despite the rash)! I guess I never saw a picture of you before. I hope the skin clears up soon.

mdonley, can't you ask for a criminal background check on yourself? I had to do one to move into an apartment years ago...you just go down to the sheriff's office and ask. No biggie!

hi mdonley, enjoy Germany, I did! Sitzplatz is indeed Deutche for "seat". Also, it's "Tchuess" (cheers, goodbye), where the T is not actually silent, it's subtle tho. and you might add "genau!" (catchall emphatic, similar to "seriously" or "totally") "Vielen Dank!" (pronounce "v" as "f") for "thanks a lot!", "bitte Schoen" (you're welcome) and "Schoenes Gut!" (awesome!) to your vocabulary.

and then of course there's "scheisse" (shit) which works for so, so many things. And "am Arsch" which means things are truly fucked.

good: it's not 100 degrees

bad: it's 50 degrees instead. and raining. hard.

good: the seemingly simple change of sitting on a pilates ball for all work/home desk time for the past month has done amazing things for my going-uphill ability on the bike. oh and also added some real definition to my abs, but that's a side bonus really.

bad: I'm so burnt after a long season of racing that I really don't feel like taking advantage of this. Maybe I'll convince mr. lfr to go mountain biking this weekend if it clears up.

good: it's finally cool enough to cook inside! I'm making carne asada tonight, woo!

Good: My daughter has had a fantastic week at Girls Rock! DC camp. Really amazingly great. She's come home every day bubbling and excited and damned proud of herself for what she learned and accomplished. Not just musically, though that, too. I hung out for a bit yesterday, and there was just so much esteem, for self and other, that I get tears in my eyes thinking about it now. She lives with her mom an hour away most of the time, but she's been at my house the whole week, which is the longest time I've spent with her since the divorce 10 years ago, and even with packing the lunches and dealing with getting her to bed and out of bed and rushing across town every morning, it's been one of the best weeks of my life, truly, really. She's performing at the 9:30 Club tomorrow morning, and I am absolutely psyched about it.

Bad: Her mom is coming Sunday to pick her up.

Good: I'm really enjoying the new Hold Steady record.

Bad: I'm no audiophile, but even I notice that many new records seem to have zero dynamic range. Why is this? Why have audio engineers forgotten how to mix records? Is this due to digital compression? What's the diff btwn a digital file on a CD and a digital file on my hard drive? Am I just stupid? The whole thing is just LOUD, and while I like loud, it seems like the BANJO PARTS SHOULDN'T BE SO LOUD...

Good: I'm going to eat a big juicy hamburger for lunch.

Bad: Again.

Bad: had 3 a.m. meltdown over a sweltering mass of unrelated things: family troubles, computer problems, money, medical trouble, and (oh, sweet mercy) wedding planning.

Good: Family is family. I appear to have fixed the computer (oh please oh please oh please). I'll come up with the money. I'm dealing with the medical stuff. I stopped thinking about planning A Wedding with a capital "wuh," and instead started thinking about planning a marriage ceremony followed by a kick-ass party.

The Fella, in a perfect moment, laid in the dark with me while I sobbed, and calmly reminded me that we'll do our own thing. The conversation included this excerpt:

The Fella: And everyone will be happy for us! And if anyone's not, what will we say to them?

Elsa: [loud, horrid blowing of nose] Um. "Cram it with walnuts, loser"?

The Fella: Yeah! There you go!

Good: I received my 1930s facsimile edition of the complete British soldiers newspaper from the 1914-1918 trenches; the Wipers Times. Awesome sceptic humour, strange typography.
I got onto the Wipers Times thanks to a remark by gnfti on mefi.

Good: it's Friday, the workday is done

Bad: I couldn't get anybody to go to the pub and have a beer

Good: watched last episode of House of Saddam. Of course one generally already knows a lot of the events that will pass, the fate of the men married to his daughter f.i., but it's still impressive for the banal fact of depicting true events.

Good: GF is gathering her stuff in the US to make the big leap across the pond and start september 1st her big big job here in The Hague, NL. No more Skype!

Bad: And will leave promptly for London to work for 1/2 a year with her team there. Back to Skype.

Good: but we can hop over for weekends and see eachother!

LoriFla, I don't know on the skin condition, I bet the dermo will know in 2 seconds, it looks very specific. But, also -- you're so young and pretty in those pics (despite the rash)! I guess I never saw a picture of you before. I hope the skin clears up soon.

Second!


GOOD:
1) I got my HbA1c today. I'm at 6.4% down 1.4% from last time. YEAAAAAAAAAA! I am so excited the insulin and changes are really working.

2) I get to pick wild herbs this weekend and make oil infusions that will become salves. They are gonna be XMas gifts - herbal first aid kits.

BAD:
1) My liver is not happy about something and while that's bad, I know we're gonna find the answer.

2)I have to keep reducing my ice cream intake. Blah!

Good: My train tickets from Berlin to Toruń arrived yesterday (mailed all the way from Frankfurt! Yay internet!) and they are very German, which is neat and international and all that, except I don't speak German aside from "danke", "currywurst" and "schuss!", so there's a fun element of risk involved here. Presumably "sitzplatz" means "seat". And there are pictures. Luckily my train isn't super-early on the day I'm leaving.

German tickets and the train system are pretty easy to figure out - if you have a reserved seat, look for the sitzplatz, klasse (or, abbreviated, Kl.) tells you which class you're in (and '1' and '2' are often helpfully painted on the sides of the train cars), and when you need to transfer trains, the gleis # is the platform you're looking for. But if you get stuck somehow, just about anyone between the ages of 18 and 30, and just about anyone wearing business attire, will be quite likely to speak at least some English, so feel free to ask them for help. I've found Germans to go to great lengths to help people out, so don't feel bad about asking.

Good: Other than not having a girlfriend, life is fantastic.

Bad: Absolutely nothing. I mean, I could stand to lose 10 or 20 pounds, but that's life.

Good: Crew is fun and full of cool people.

Bad: The boat we were in yesterday ripped a 3/4" diameter hole in my heel.

Good: My hands are healed, more or less.

Bad: My knees are being REALLY tweaky and I need to get them checked out.

Good: I have health insurance that actually pays for stuff.

Bad: Doctors of all stripes still make me panic wildly and I hate them.

Bad: Relationship stuff continues apace. Complicated relationship stuff. *sigh*

Neutral: My mom is coming to visit in ten days.

Good: She will buy me curtains and rugs and probably a toaster oven.

Bad: She will be very excitable, which is not really what I need right now.

Bad: My bookcases are still all over the living room and I need to get them DONE. This has gone on long enough.

Bad: I kind of want to curl into a hole and not see or interact with anybody ever again.

Bad: Stupid recruitment firm lost my application for my boss's job. The database apparently has no record of it.

Good: I have an email from them acknowledging receipt of said application.

Bad for them, good for me: Wrote a great letter pointedly expressing my displeasure (as a candidate) and concern (as a hiring manager who has to use their service) and cc'd it to our Director of Corporate Resources.

Good: I got an interview! Woohooo!

Good: Meetup tomorrow!

Bad: I am very quickly sliding back into depression and my therapist is out of town so I won't see her until the 29th. I feel like I am white-knuckling it, mentally, and just barely holding myself together.

Good: I am going home for a visit in a few weeks and will be surrounded by people who love me.

Lori, could it be eczema?

I've gotten a very similar rash before all over my entire body, but it was an allergic reaction to fake tan and it itched like nothing else, which doesn't seem to be a problem in your case.

BitterOldPunk,

Did you see this from a couple months back?

Good: I just mustered up some gumption to go fertilize my palms.

Bad: the dermatologist's answering service answered. They are out for the weekend. I'll have to call Monday. Thanks for the guesses and encouragement, y'all.

Good: am laughing wildly at what sounded like The World's Most Awesome Euphemism:

I just mustered up some gumption to go fertilize my palms.

Good: I'm having the same reaction as Elsa.

Friday!

Good: I have four days off next week.

Really good: I'm seeing Radiohead twice.

Even better: I'm meeting up with friends in Seattle who are visiting from the Eastern US. I haven't seen them for a couple of years. I can't wait.

Bad: I saw the world's worst production of King Lear last night. What the hell, Bard on the Beach? I was cringing by the end... you know that episode of The Simpsons where Marge gets the lead role in the town's musical production of A Streetcar Named Desire? It was exactly like that. Just... wrong.

Neither good nor bad: I had a friend stay over last night after the play, and realized that since my son moved out I have a really hard time having anybody else in my space. And this is somebody who I really like, really respect, and don't get to see often enough. I just feel like barricading my door and soaking up all that sweet, sweet solitude... My son moved out this spring. I'm living alone for the first time in my life, and I never want it to stop.

Good: I just finished editing a dissertation, for which I will be paid in Euros. Whee!

Good: I managed to convince my mother to purchase some makeup for me today.

Bad: My doctor's office called saying they had my test results AND NOW THEY WON'T ANSWER THE FUCKING PHONE SO I CAN GET SAID TEST RESULTS.

Bad: My asshole ex-bf's cousin called me. Wants to hang out. I don't think 'go fuck yourself, you motherfucker' quite gets the message across.

Good: I also managed to pick up my awesome Origins face scrub.

Bad: They're discontinuing it. (This is the second product that I've liked from this company that has been discontinued. I'm pissed.)

Good: I added a cool scene involving a monkey to my short story-in-progress today (any day I write is a good day) and sent an email to an old friend, who may not answer (long story), but I'm glad I sent it to him anyway.

Good/Bad: I go back to work in about two weeks. It will be good to see everyone, kids and staff, but six a.m. mornings are not my favorite.

Bad: I've been off my healthier eating kick lately. But today was better. Sliced banana in blueberry yogurt for breakfast, some leftover chicken parm for lunch (small portion -- it's all about the portions, I say).

(That looks like an interesting diet, ej... I wonder how the GM folks did on it. I sure would like to lose ten pounds before I go back to work. I'd give anything to fit into my old jeans. I hope you enjoyed your roastbeef!)

Good: I splurged and treated myself to a ticket to Equus on Broadway this fall. After missing Patrick Stewart in Macbeth, I didn't want to miss out on this one. I first read Equus in a psychology class at Michigan. It's one of my favorite plays. And I have a great seat -- front center mezzanine. (Just one ticket, for a matinee; Jon's not too into Equus.)

Good good good: I took bunnyfire's advice and called the local sheriffs, and holy toledo, I'll be getting this non-existent letter/certificate thing next week! Whoo!

Double plus good: My Polish wisa arriwed today. I need to start practicing using w for the V sound.

Schoenes gut: Thanks for all the help, bunnies!

Bad: We were going to take over my friends' lease at the end of the month, but the management turned us down. They don't accept pets. We didn't know this, my friends forgot to tell us, and we listed our cats on the application.

Good: Another apartment we looked at last month just posted a couple of openings on Craigslist.

Bad: Their application form says they need to see our social security cards. My parents haven't spoken to me in nearly a year, and they are essentially holding my ID hostage (passport, social security card, birth certificate). I can get my own copies, of course, but that takes time.

Good: BF called the apartment manager, who says it's not a strict requirement, and they'll hold one of the apartments for us until we can drive down there on Sunday. I'm still requesting copies of all this stuff.

Bad: It's 106 degrees.

Good: Air conditioning. I love air conditioning.

Bad: 15-hour day at work today. I am exhausted. And I have to go in tomorrow and work all day again.

Good: Lots of OT!

Bad: Which I need, since I just found out the car repair I've saved for all summer (an engine replacement in an antique car) is going to cost at least DOUBLE what we originally thought.

Good: I am sitting in my underwear in an air-conditioned den, drinking a cold beer, and am about to go to bed. *yawn* Goodnight, y'all.