1. Called the mortgage broker about getting my wife's name off the mortgage.

2. Trying to decide how to respond to my wife's suggestion that I unfriend her on facebook.

3. Yeah, long story short.

1. I just realized the Navy sweatshirt I am wearing is close to 24 years old. I bought it in 1989 when on a school trip to the Naval base at Annapolis, Maryland. The sweatshirt has aged much better than I have — it looks nearly new.

2. I am eating maple apple cake at my desk as I type this and Trilby is perched on the bookcase right by my desk, staring intently at it.

3. I am going bead shopping this aft. I want to make some necklaces for a couple of friends as a Christmas/thank you present. We don't normally exchange gifts but they've really been there for me this rather unpleasantly eventful year.

An aside.... ouch for the boobie squash and for defriending your spouse.

1. I want cake.

2. I really, really, really want cake.

3. The person could at least let me lick the plate.

1. The tree is trimmed, the holiday gift cards for work folks are given, the holiday cards are mailed, the knitting of the Bear's Xmas scarf is on the way to timely completion and also I talked the nice man into coming to the opening last Friday of The Hobbit, which I loved, as well as the local production of The Nutcracker this week.

2. I am working through the end of the year as I'm out of vacation time. One of the staff with whom I work closely isn't, and so the going is a whole lot bumpier right now than usual. Well oiled machines work poorly with a key component missing!

3. Our beloved Maurice, our male king tabby cat, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this fall. He failed fast, losing one of his beautiful green eyes and hemorrhaging blood on a daily basis. But he kept eating and purring until Sunday, when his appetite finally deserted him. So we put him to sleep yesterday. There is a big hole in our hearts and our household.

Sorry, mrmoonpie & bearwife & all else who are having bad weeks!

and this year the movies are The Muppets Christmas Carol = ahhhhh, my favorite!!! So jealous, Senyar.

1. Feeling gross today. Just a funk, I guess. Going to a holiday show tonight with a friend, hopefully that will brighten my spirits. You know what else I'm gonna get one of these days? A betta fish for my office. I think a fish would be a nice office friend. Will probably do that after the holidays.

2. Tonight's Pinterest experiment: Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad. Mmmmmmmmm. How could something with one cup of mayo be anything but good?

3. Every year my parents say they want nothing for Christmas, and this year, that's what they're getting. Other than a visit from their grandchild in February. Surely a grandchild buys me at least one year off.

I'm so sorry, bearwife, and Mr Moonpie.

1. I got to the gym yesterday despite recent knee problems, and I am on track for getting there again today.

1a. I probably will have to postpone any mailing of holiday cards in the Xchange to a Springtime Surprise. I don't have the first clue where I could find cards around here, and I don't have materials to make anything.

2. Finishing my last song project took way more out of me than I imagined. My level of mental exhaustion right now is measurable, and that is a new experience for me.

3. Despite the grumpy grousing, I have a fairly upbeat attitude, and Sookie is getting a tad vexed at our unexpected bouts of spontaneous dancing about the room.

1. How the hell did I sleep til 10?

2. I should go to the gym ...but I also should wrap my gifts.

3. I also want cake but there is no cake in the house.

(((MrMoonPie))) (((Bearwife))) I am so sorry to hear about both of those developments.

I'm not sure how I missed Mr. Moonpie's post. How totally and completely awful. ((((Mr. Moonpie))).

Thanks for the condolences on Maurice. He was a super duper kitty and the only good things we can say about his death is that he had a heck of a wonderful life and a long one, 17 years worth of being fully appreciated.

*whuffles mrmoonpie and bearwife*

1. I called out of work yesterday and today. Just couldn't seem to get going in the morning and needed to take some time for myself. The weekend women's retreat I attended was wonderful and recharging, but I haven't really taken some extended time for myself and it is making me sad.

2. My symptoms of the sad have all been happening except for crying and mental ick. But yesterday I did nothing but sleep. Yule is coming on Friday and then the days will be getting longer and hopefully my mood will come out of the shitter.

3. This weekend was super awesome--tons of singing and laughter and naughty jokes. And now the rest of this month is going to be crazy. But I've gone ahead and removed 2 events from next year's schedule on account of conflicting events and cost. Maybe that will help a bit.

1. mrmoonpie, I am so sorry. I met both you and your spouse (though pre-marriage) at a MeFi meetup once, and you are both lovely folks.

2. bearwife, I am so sorry about Maurice. Would love for you to post a picture .. he sounds handsome.

3. Orange swan, I too have an ancient Navy sweatshirt of roughly the same vintage. Though in my case it is a historical remnant (ex-boyfriend was a midshipman). It is still in decent shape though a bit tatty around the neck and cuffs and I don't want to let it go just yet.

My sympathies to those going through rough times.

1. I am tired thanks to a certain kidlet who would not be still last night and a sore throat.

2. My tiny team at work had our holiday lunch today. Mmm cheese ravioli. It's likely we will be split up next year and I will miss being on a team with them.

3. Tomorrow will be an interesting "what exactly are you thinking my role will be" discussion. I'm about thisfar from saying screw it and requesting I stay on my manager's team instead of switching over to another team.

Aww mrmoonpie. Sorry to hear that.
And losing your cat is so sad. :-(

Me I'm waiting for my old parents' (78&82) reaction: I ordered a Samsung tablet with a large screen to be delivered to them. They'll be annoyed that I went against their wishes in buying something that's expensive and unnecessary in their eyes. I wonder though if they'll start to like it. :-)
My father prefers to tinker with old gear that runs Windows XP f.i.

Come to think of it; I didn't have a smart phone until my new company gave one to me. And I don't have a tablet myself. Hmm, maybe I should just give in to the resemblance and stop trimming the wizard eye brows that in my middle age have started growing. (as a boy I used to view the little roofs above my fathers eyes with curiosity)

Having lost cats and split from spouses, I can deeply sympathize.

1. Grinding work week and foul weather.

2. Will have 5 days off when I get to the end of it.

3. Company's coming for Christmas!

[written on my office XP machine]

No online pix of Maurice . . . I will try to get one up on Flickr, probably this weekend at earliest. He was gorgeous, with classic gray tabby markings, a white "shawl," aforesaid beautiful green eyes, and very pointy upright ears, plus to top it all off an adorably pink tipped nose. And a big old purr. And he and our other very geriatric cat, who spent almost her whole adopted life since she was a shelter kitten with him, were both hugely social, meeting all guests at the door. We called them our "greeter kitties." He tried to head butt the vet who delivered his fatal shot, too. I hope his darling soul is in a pain free place full of treats and soft pets and warm laps now.

Bearwife, Mr Moonpie - I'm sorry. hugs for you both.

((mrmoonpie & bearwife))

1. Feeling miles better than yesterday (3 hours sleep Sunday night)
2. Found out my old department has nearly destroyed itself with an internal feud. Sad, but not surprised.
3. Looking forward to half days Thursday and Friday with the kidlets. Then two weeks off.

mrmoonpie and bearwife - sorry you have such sucky things going on right now. internet hugs all around.

1. i think i'm getting closer to getting all these apps i'm working on wrapped up so i can actually have time off next week. surprising my mom with a visit to TN to see her (i'm in PA). she is totally convinced i'm not coming til March. colluded with her best friend to make sure she would actually be home tho!

2. i might be seeing that nice boy i was gushing about tonight or tomorrow (but definitely friday) if our schedules permit a quick midweek beer at the pub.

3. i learned yesterday that as much as i want a second latte of the day at 4pm when i'm working til gods know when, it is a BAD idea because then i can't sleep and wonder why. thank the same gods that i can roll in here whenever i feel like it.

I am very sorry, mrmoonpie and bearwife.

1. I have been having extreme anxiety that probably really began with my mom's ALS diagnosis a year and a half ago but that has continued to ramp up and was worsened by Friday's shooting. I need to get it under control, not just for my own happiness but so that I don't turn my kid into a scaredy cat like me. I don't want him to be afraid all the time.

2. Further to the above, I have begun meditating again. I did it for a short time a few years ago, and while it really helped me then, I didn't have the self-discipline to keep it up. It is really a struggle as my mind constantly drifts, but I'm trying. I am going to start trying to go to a meditation group on Monday nights, though I'll probably only be able to go every other Monday due to my husband's work schedule.

3. My birthday is tomorrow and my in-laws are watching Henry tonight so that my husband and I can go to our favorite restaurant for dinner. We are very lucky to have family that not only loves to watch Henry but who I trust with him.

mrmoonpie, I'm so sorry! That transition is so hard --- the emotional stuff and the mundane, day-to-day stuff of mortgage/bills/belongings, too. I'm sending good thoughts your way.

My condolences, bearwife. It's very hard to lose a pet; they're such loving little members of our families. Sending hugs.

1. Busy day of errands and chores. I got a lot of little things checked off my list.

2. I got a (not great) haircut from a very chatty, very gloomy stylist. Yikes. She A) managed to turn every subject to the most negative possible outlook and B) WOULD NOT SHUT UP. She reminded me of a former co-worker who could make lemonade back into lemons and who never, ever stopped talking --- and indeed, my stylist's co-worker kept catching my eye in the mirror and raising her eyebrows at me. I'm sure it's painful to be around her (just the half-hour I spent with her was dejecting) but it must be so much worse to be her.

3. My goodness, I'm lucky. Not just in the events of my life, but in the mostly-sustained ability to find something positive in even the worst times... to look for the light that twinkles even in darkness.

And now I'm going to go see what I need to do to fix this haircut.

amro, can you use the Headspace app? Great meditation aid. Failing that, there are really good meditation vidoeos on YouTube.

Thanks, all. It's been three months, and it's not like it was a huge surprise. Amicable, just working out the details. No kids, and I'm keeping the house (and can afford it), so it could be a lot worse. Plus, it's the second time (for both of us!).

Mostly, it's been a time to see my friends and family pulling together to support me and take me out and say nice things. It's what I was thinking about when I posted about separating worries from concerns--no major worries here (though lots of concerns).

Again, thanks for the kind words. And I'll send out some to those who have their own struggles.

(extra hugs)

Whuffles to all.

1. I dressed up -- in a DRESS, people! -- for the chancellor's fancy-schmancy holiday party. In other words, I am dressed like the previous occupant of this office used to dress every day.

2. I don't actually know if the party is today, or what time it starts. I'm pretty sure it starts in an hour, but I forgot to put it in the ol' phone. So maybe I'm just pretty.

3. Aaaaaand I drove to work because I am a lazy butt, and my husband has the other (nice) car, and it snowed for the first time, and and and

Tiny problems, in the grand scheme of things. Tiny things.

(Hugs all)

1. Trying to get ready for the trip out to California (I can only hear that word in Ahnold's accent now)

2. It's so nice to have a few days off from work. I haven't had a vacation since April and that was only three days.

3. Still don't know if my kid actually graduated from College last week.

Ouch, such shitty weeks for so many of you.

1. It is disgustingly hot and humid today. Dripping with sweat from walking to the shops before 7am and now I just feel gross.

2. Brother-in-law lives close, has pool and aircon so I should visit again but it turns out my daughter (3) has no fear; yesterday, in a moment of sheer stupidity I didn't do a verbal handoff with my brother-in-law before I swum up one end, so when I popped back up she was splashing around valiantly trying to get back to the edge. She's fine, my brother-in-law pulled her over to the stairs where she coughed a bit, horked up some watery phlegm then asked to go back in. I spent the rest of the day (and all night) in a barely restrained panic attack. I ended up sleeping in her room as well because I'm the kind of idiot who googles things.

Her response to the whole endeavour? "I tried really really hard but I can't swim"...it was her third time in a pool in her entire life.

3. I still haven't finished Christmas shopping.

(((group hug)))

1. Had an eye appt. today and I thought I was getting more injections. I was almost nauseated with anxiety. Turns out it was just another scan, injections are next month. Hooray!

2. Got a big bunch of cards today, yay! Still haven't gotten mine out. Boo!

3. Had lots of snow coming down this a.m. (but not sticking), we're under a snowfall watch and it's sunny right now. WTF?

*hugs mrmoonpie and bearwife*

1. had the memorial for the star poet on Friday. It went ok, but I wish there had been more people.

2.found out that the broken crane won't come down until at. least March

3 Leonard Cohen tonight!

1. Fucking loving being unemployed... for now. There's so much I finally *can* do that it's easy to get overwhelmed.

2. Also plan to love being Company.

3. Got a "free" laptop from a friend. A RAM upgrade and a fresh battery later, and it's humming like a dream! Now I just need to get confident using the Debian half of the dual-boot...

being unemployed was the one time in my life i exercised consistently and ate really well because i had time to prepare lots of homecooked goodness. i was lucky to have gotten severance along with UC, so i didn't have the stress of being jobless and broke, but it was nice for a little bit.

1) changed oil on GMC Sierra
2) first time ever, slipped and 1/2 full filter rolllled six feet across garage floor dribbling all the way.
3 Eh, big deal, felt ?silly?; put new filter on; topped off with new oil; cleaned up mess and wiped floor down. But I've never dropped a filter before. Oh well.

Hugs.

((((mrmoonpie)))) ((((((bearwide))))))

1) It's my birthday! For 35 more minutes, anyway. I had a tasty dinner and tried a new IPA, both from the grocery co-op.
2) Looking for a new job - I hate to give up the freedom of part-time work already (and probably take on a 45 minute commute) but I need a better environment and tasks that are better suited to my skillset, plus less worry about money would be a nice change over the last couple of years.
3) Trying to figure out New Year's Eve plans for one. One the upside, I got my ticket for Ralph Stanley's show on the 4th.

Hugs and whuffles to them that needs 'em.

1. I had an early application to college in that, well, I kind of assumed was a slam dunk. I got deferred (ie. they'll relook the application) instead. So for a few days I was all, oh forget it I'll give up and go be an accountant or something. Not that I have anything against accountants, but it's my mother's idea of a nice, stable job. Which is okay. But I'm a special snowflake, right?

2. Baked cake! So, here, Trilby, have some. Banana bread and a lemon yogurt cake. More baking for Christmassy stuff this weekend. And I have done little else except for watching New Girl and knitting. I need a job, seriously.

3. Another interview tomorrow evening. What am I going to say, I don't know. It will be a feat of will to not say something like, 'You know, I really don't think I'll get in. I'm kind of boring, and kind of dumb. Let's just go home, okay?' Because I have done that before. I hate screwing things up for myself and I hate being lousy, y'know? Grahhh.

And hugs to those who need 'em. Baked goods too if you want them. (:

Happy belated birthday, sysinfo! I hope it was a nice one!

undue influences, it's natural that a deferral --- when you expected an immediate acceptance --- trips up your feelings a bit. But you sound like you're handling that surprise really well. And you'll handle your upcoming interview well, too. And yes, thank you, I would like some cake. It sounds delicious!

So sorry for all of those having trouble.

1. Three separate people have asked to stay with us for New Year's weekend, but we actually want 0 people because I leave for a week long work trip Jan 1. It's hard to say no, especially when the people keep escalating in importance (his brother). Not sure what we will do yet. And it sucks that none of them want to come a little earlier when we will actually be away and really need pet sitting!

2. Baked these really awesome chocolate nib and chip cookies and brought them to a party where they were devoured quickly and commented on by a lot of strangers, which made me feel good. I omitted the walnuts but added the sea salt.

3. Feeling sick again- this time throat problems and trouble swallowing, but I have my doctor's appt Friday so hopefully he will help me figure out wtf is going on! I am going to ask him to check all my blood vitamin levels and stuff.

4. I'm close friends with 3 recently single and truly beautiful women who I would love to set up with people right now, but I don't seem to know the right dudes for them (they're all straight and they've asked me to help them find ppl so I am not just being nosy, though I am also that). I keep meeting guys who are too boring or not ready to have a real relationship. I'm going to try to make one of the gals come with me to a Mefi meetup because I think she would fit in well and like it, and also maybe meet people. No luck yet convincing her to hang out with my internet friends.

::joins in group hug::

1. My sister is home for Christmas. It's difficult keeping her happy.

2. I have the rest of the week off. Tonight is the office happy hour/inadvertent holiday party and then I'm DONE. I'm SO DONE.

3. I have a lot of wrapping to do.