I'm not saying you need to win some competition, but maybe this will make her understand your situation more? I don't know.

OMG -- my cat is back on my lap! ISTG.

Jesse, that's exactly what I keep thinking. We don't talk, but I keep probing K to see if she senses a shift. But I'm not so subtle in my probing (no surprise to you all) and I'm getting unsatisfactory answers.

I think I'm going back to delete my entry. I've vented. I don't need to let bad juju hang out for the universe to read.

I'm sure the fact of the former relationship gets in the way of empathy and may continue to, for a while. Objectively, I don't see how anyone can not get that you had a hell of a lot to cope with, and even now have a fair amount on your hands.

They make me so much more attractive.

I think the thing is, I become so much more attractive TO ME when I'm holding one. Though...that's changing too. Don't know what to do with it, but the "but I'm PRETTY" is an annoying refrain of late. Confidence, such an odd creature. Never though I lacked it, but I'm coming to appreciate a new side of it.

No licking the trim. I'm thankful I don't have kids, because then it would be a big issue. I know my neighbor Ben basically stripped his whole house down and removed stuff before moving in because he has a now 3 year old. I can't imagine.

As for K's ex, yup, scary. You can feel compassion alongside exasperation. It's allowed. I'm on the outside, yet when I try to explain to friends even more on the outside? It's odd. And I'm at a distance.

Well yeah. Obviously.

In completely non-related news, K and I are at loggerheads over children's shoes. I tend to buy brown dress shoes or black dress shoes from places like stride rite. A few months ago K bought him some black New Balance sneakers and today she bought him Adidas Pro Shell. It makes me want to roll my eyes and point out that the shoes are not good for his feet! And she hates the shoes I buy him and calls them nerd shoes.

Though I did win on the underpants argument.

Having run a Cascade load shortly after a Wave load, I'm pretty sure the unsatisfactory results have not been the detergents fault. Something is clogging up the spinny parts of my dishwasher. Which is easy enough to take apart and clean, but it seems like I just did that. It was probably longer ago than I think.

I am on to Season 2 of Leverage. Please let me never see the scenes of Nate with his son again. I still love Parker.

But does he get the green underpants?

His pref cracks me up.

Grace's nerd shoes were perfect, I have to say.

Broke the gingerbread getting it into the ziploc. Oops. But tastes awesome, high spice. Begs for plain whipped cream. Extra spice was a good call. Pumpkin bread is cooling now. I want to lick my house, it smells so good.

He does still want green. He also chose the Hulk toothbrush today because (yes) it's green. He wanted a green pair of adidas! He cracks me up.

Aw, kid has good taste. Though oddly of late, I am departing from green and heading towards purples and GASP raspberry pink. Even chose pink gloves over purple at Target this afternoon (fucking cold and I have no idea where my gloves are now.)