Went to Las Vegas a few weeks ago! I wanna go back real bad. The perfect vacation, for me, is when someone else does all the taking care of me (i.e., all that emotional labor, common for many women I'm sure!). Can I get you another drink? A cab? Another chocolate for your bed? Yes, this happened; at the hotel, they have housekeeping service twice a day, instead of once.

That, and the 100 degree weather. Vegas, baby!

I think I've herniated at least one disk in my back. Again. I had an MRI on Friday and have my followup with the orthopedic on Tuesday. And then my bellydance classes start up again on Thursday. Which also includes preparing for the bellyballet that my troupe is participating in. So hopefully I get some good drugs (since they already gave me muscle relaxers and Vicodin before the MRI was even done).

An internet friend passed away some point over the weekend and we (read: internet comm that I knew her from) found out yesterday. It's been a struggle to just not completely shut down.

Niece has started school and it's a brand new experience for us all. She seems to be doing okay, but everything is new for me, so it's a struggle on my part.

A friend finally got a job in California (in GA currently) which is great, but we were looking forward to seeing him Labor Day weekend, so we're sad that he'll be gone. Hoping for meeting him in Vegas at least once a year, so maybe that is a silver lining.

We've added some new people at work (one already, once coming) and we're a pretty small office, so I'm waiting for it to rebalance. Things are awkward right now.

Also, DragonCon is soon, and I am making costumes for it!

It's been surprisingly busy as my brother and his wife were visiting and we wanted to show them ALL the things, also there was the annual family barbecue last weekend. That was a smaller and sadder gathering than usual as we have had two deaths (one of a beautiful 18 year old about to start college, both unexpected) and a divorce happen recently.

Yesterday we saw some friends for the first time in a long time at the Mariners game and amazingly it turned out to be a no hitter! I think that was the first time any of us had seen that, and it was wonderful.

I think those adorable kitties are Bond and Jaws, or perhaps Bond and Pan.

I was in Vegas myself at the Trivia Championships of North America last weekend. I went in thinking and acting like an underdog, punching up a little bit and making jokes about beating people who everyone knew were the very top... and then I beat the top seed in one event and did very, very well in others. It was kind of surreal. But I had a pretty good time, despite never leaving the Tropicana and barely getting time to eat anything. Met a ton of cool people and reconnected with others.

While I was gone, my husband took our 1yo to visit her grandparents at their new house in Illinois. Many other family members were there, and one in particular set off my hackles when she played with our daughter a whole bunch and took pictures, then put photos on Facebook in a family group. This particular aunt blocked me and my husband on Facebook about four years ago, so whenever she comments in family-related conversations I'm completely left out. And this is about MY DAUGHTER.

So I felt kind of like that poor poster on the green whose inlaws don't want anything to do with her except for, oh year, she gets to babysit while the grandparents get to play with the grandchild at this woman's own house :P

Meanwhile, said aunt and another aunt had our daughter so revved up that she didn't want to go to sleep, so my husband picked her up and got a bottle... and then tripped down some stairs with her in his arms, giving her a bump on the head and giving him two sprained ankle and a break in his fibula near his knee.

So he was kind enough to let me go out of town and do all of the parenting... and now I am doing all of the parenting as well as helping him out. He can move, but verrrry slooooowly.

Mightshould has been visited by the Enkittening!

This summer has been far from relaxing, we've only taken one weekend off. When we are not working our day jobs, we've been working on fixing up our house, and looking at local real estate. We just bought another cute old house we are going to fix up, because clearly I am insane. Our plan is either to rent it or sell it, who the hell knows. All I seem to do anymore is look at crappy old houses. That may sound like I am bitching, but far from it, more like deep in the throes of a new obsession.

I've had a busy time lately. My old overgrown patio garden has been completely made over, a massive landscaping job that took 3 weeks. I've had new Indian sandstone patio, raised beds, and today my new garden furniture was delivered - in a thunderstorm. I think I have jinxed the summer by creating this lovely space. I've put up new bird feeders and have a lovely view of them from the living room, watching all these little birds flit from nuts to seeds to suet balls and back to nuts again.

Work is insanely busy, with lots of changes going on that I have little control over. My days working from home have been reduced and I'm finding the new schedule very draining.

Health-wise, I'm getting over an auto-immune illness that has knocked me for six. But I'm okay, all I need to do now is get back to yoga and not beat myself up about losing some fitness.

OMG mightshould - KITTENS!!!

Senyar, how beautiful. Enjoy!