I think Last Rites ("extreme unction") has always been available whenever people want it. I can't imagine a Catholic asking for it and being told they can't have it, but in practice people don't ask for it until they're on death's door. [link]

or you could just say "Shut your pie holes!"

Emmett and I have become partial to "Shut yer gob!" from it's repeated use on The Mighty Boosh.

We're back from our round-trip to Portland. Left on Thursday, back on Monday, so that's five days of trip, four of which were long days of driving.

And yet, we did okay. Everybody had a moment or two of grump and gripe but for the most part we traveled very well together. Emmett just absolutely flipped out with pent up energy when we got to our hotel room, so it was quite unfortunate that we didn't have pools to jump into. But otherwise we listened to Terry Pratchett audiobooks (A Hatful of Stars, and Thud), the kids watched videos in the back seat and we listened to music and toughed it out.

The wedding (JZ's brother) was lovely, though it was Way Too Hot for the Pacific Northwest (like, 96) and out on a dusty pig farm. (SRSLY) But as the day dimmed it was quite beautiful out there, and Emmett was thrilled to use the mammoth slingshot and shoot apples and gourds at distant pig sheds and the nearby creek.

Matilda was very excited to see her new Aunt in a very pretty dress getting married and danced quite a lot during the reception. First time ever I've danced to "Sex Machine" by James Brown at a pig farm.

We stopped by in the morning to see the bride and groom on our way out, and then had a second stop to see my ex-GF and her family (two kids). That was really fun, as they took to Emmett and Matilda took to the girl's dress-up wardrobe (Wonder Woman and Princess Tiana! Bliss!). I hadn't seen ex-GF since she'd had kids and she hadn't seen Emmett since he was about 6.

Hit Burgerville on the way out and got blackberry milkshakes. Saw much wild life on the way home, but managed to leave Medford at 7:30am, and get Emmett to his mom's by 1:00pm. And now we're home and tired of traveling.

Timelies all!

Congrats Gris!

I am amazingly awake considering I got less than 5 hours sleep last night.(Got home after 1 am from the concert thanks to major construction on the Beltway) And the only caffeine I had today was a Coke at lunch. Concert was great, but I wish Gary had been able to go. (He's on a business trip we didn't know about when the tickets were purchased)

Solution? Still not a verb.

I just got to listen in on a work bitchfest. I feel all special now.

I have an hourlong meeting in 20 minutes. I feel unspecial again.

Solution? Still not a verb

I still don't get how.

Do you take your car to the shop and say, "I want you to solution my car?" Do you say, "Who solutioned my crossword puzzle?"

Ooh. Maybe "solution" (the verb) is the opposite of "precipitate."

"Yesterday it precipitated. Today all that water solutioned."

Well, as we've been solutioning in this project...

NO WE HAVE BEEN DOING NO SUCH THING. We may have been solving, we may have been designing, but WE WERE NOT SOLUTIONING.

It's so prevalent a term here, and it drives me batshit.

Well, as we've been solutioning in this project...

That ain't right.

Is there some gang of retired english teachers we can sic on 'em?

I'd like to solution why people keep abusing poor, helpless words.

I had an enormous soft ice cream cone for dinner, and I don't feel a bit guilty about it.

I have always hated "reach out to."