M (with the patience of Job): If you bought two [items] that were $100 each, that would have been $200, right? $98 is two dollars less than a hundred, so two of them is four dollars less than two hundred. Thus, $196.

My math teacher heart loves that there is someone out there who would go to this as the first explanation.

OMG! My SIL just was offered a position of Director of a LaPetite in B'ham!

Not the one she works at now, but one only 20 minutes away. Basically, they need someone to whip it into shape, and she really is the one to do it. She salvaged their training program in the past year alone, and grew the location she's at now even though that wasn't technically in her job description (they're a top performer in the state, and even her director said it was in large part due to her advice.) Just this summer, she talked herself into a $1/hour raise after meeting with the new district head for a mere couple hours.

This will actually double her pay, and she'll be salaried, not hourly. WOOHOO!

And she's about to take a vacation to Hawaii largely funded by her best friend, with a bunch of her closest friends.

She's loving life.

Oy, Matt. But really is ita the one you want to ask about avoiding marks or bruising, really?

I made the Hyperbole and a Half girl laugh on Facebook! She responded to my comment! I am inordinately pleased about this.

Skipping and skimming for a meMeME post...

Dear God,

I don't know if you removed the funny bones of many earnest Christians (or if it's the work of The Enemy), but thank you for sparing me, just the same.

Love,

Me

P.S. And thank you for letting me retain my thread-killing powers, despite my long, unexplained absences from b.org.

So despite being bloody careful and actually planning out this stripping session (I cut pieces ahead of time, afixed necessary tape, made it all accessible, so no seat of the pants plastic wrapping)...I got paint stripper on my boobs.

OTOH, my neighbor friend just called me from Zion to let me know she's out of town and had a nice chat with her. I really like her. Like, she could easily become a dear close friend like.

Satellite picture comparison of flooding on the Indus, last year vs. this year: [link]

Note the scale in the corner.

Here's me at the rink tonight.

Here's video.

So far so good with the dad visit.

He came by my office from the airport. I showed him around and we had lunch at the office cafeteria. Then we stopped by the mall to see Kelly at work. It was her last day.

Then he checked into his hotel and changed into cooler clothing (he had heavy weight pants, and a long sleeve shirt on, plus he had gotten on the plane with a parka. It was in the 90's today). We took CJ to karate, picked up my CSA share, then went back to watch CJ's class. Dinner at Panera and then CJ's karate demo team try out.

When we got back to my place he actually helped CJ with his French homework. So far so good.

Tomorrow the guys are going hiking up at Red Rocks while Kelly and I hit the dojo. Then we are all going to see Inception. None of us has seen it yet.