Yeah, the thunderstorm woke me up early. It was great! Then I remembered that the contractor who's coming today to do the radon remediation doesn't have my new phone number, and even if he did it wouldn't matter because I've already broken my phone.

So I had to get up and turn on the computer for skype.

I'm dreading having to find something to wear and being on time and stuff.

Ugh...I'm still not good at either of these.

Ginger, glad Mr. Peabody's OK. And I think that guy should repeatedly have lighter fluid poured on him and lit.

Poor, poor Mr. Peabody. I'm glad he's home and doing ok, Ginger. I'm too angry on y'all's behalf to be coherent about what the scum-sucker deserves.

{{{{{{Shir}}}}}} No, I do not think that was too much. Don't you dare apologize to her if she gets all hurt and pouty about it.

{{{{Hil, Raq, all the DCistas}}}}

Shir, I think laying it out like that was the right thing to do. If you find you need to take further steps or limit things even more, she won't be able to say she didn't understand what she was doing or that it was upsetting you.

Poor Mr. P. Get better soon!

I'm glad Mr. Peabody's home and ok-ish. Poor beastie.

Mmmm. French toast. That banana challah turns out to make excellent French toast.

I have a Harvey resting on me as I type, and I just finished breakfast - ricotta cheese with blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, topped with a bit of Cool Whip. I may be the happiest, most content person on the planet.

Ginger, ~ma to you and Mr. Peabody and I'm glad he's out of surgery and resting comfortably.

I hope someone comes along and sets that asswipe's entire crotch on fire.

Shir, I just have no words-- that's not a friend. That's a drain on a lifeforce and right now, you do not have to deal with this. Between school and the emotional overload of your grandfather's passing-- you shouldn't have to deal with this and any human being with a shred of decency and self-awareness would be sensitive to this. The fact that she clearly isn't and doesn't respect your boundaries suggests to me that she doesn't see anything beyond the scrim of her own needs and wants. Kind of like a toddler. This is not something you need right now. I don't know what to tell you to do in order to make it better for yourself, but I think that message you sent is a good beginning. If she takes serious enough offense to that that she breaks off all contact, then that'll be sad, but perhaps better for you in the long run.

I just finished breakfast - ricotta cheese with blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, topped with a bit of Cool Whip. I may be the happiest, most content person on the planet.

Wow. Food porn. Kindda don't mind having that right now.

Thanks, all. She emailed me back, explaining her side. She didn't attack me or was offended. She just said something along the lines of "wow. Huge misunderstanding", and asked a lot of questions to understand what have happened.

Good, I guess, only... more questions to answer. Dammit. And I did feel a lot more better after sending her that email. She's confused if we're OK, and doesn't seem to understand that checking up on me is the wrong stuff, not the questions themselves. I'll explain it to her later.

Okay, I'm really here because I want to share some little kid picspam [link]

And to ask for some we-really-need-some-orders-today ~ma. I mean, seriously, we need to movers to come next Monday but can't set that up without the orders. Which are supposed to be here 90 DAYS before a move. Now that Ellie's birthday is over, I have nothing to distract me from the "we need to move NOW!" stress.

Confusion is often a mask for anger, for people who are using manipulation as a mode of dealing with others. Of course she isn't going to attack you at this time, she is smart enough to get that that would cut her off. I strongly feel she is manipulating you with her confusion, Shir. And backing off to make it seem more acceptable to you. She wants your attention, and is needing explanations not because of lack of comprehension, but because if you are explaining to her, you are giving her attention and energy. This, of course, is likely on a subconscious level, so if you call her on it, she will not know what you are talking about. I strongly recommend you disengage from the discussion at this time. It is quicksand. It is not getting you more freedom from her, it is pulling you further and further into her pit of sticky mess.