Have I not taught you the bra-buying trick? Go to someplace like Nordstrom (and I assume Macy's, but I always go to Nordstrom) and get sized/fitted. Pay attention to which bras fit you the best! If your finances allow it, buy one bra from this excursion. Then go onto your favorite bargain-hunting website and find the make/model of the bra that worked best.

Nordstrom does fittings? I have been trying to find a place that does fittings. I do not have a Nordstrom around, but maybe Macy's will work.

Nordie's is totally known for their fittings, and is probably second only to actual old-school lingerie shops with like, old Russian women or something. Haven't heard anything about if Macy's is good.

I probably need to go get fitted, but the common wisdom and issues I have suggest I need a smaller band, but when my bras are new the band barely fits! So not sure how that's about.

I wish there was a Norstrom's near here. Although the only place where I've gotten the right fitting is at Lane Bryant and only by one associate.

I have weird boobs or something and I figured after awhile something was wrong and just muddled around by trial and error (ignoring the fitters) I kept measuring as D cup. I am not a D. Finally I went to Lane Bryant and got an associate how measured band and cup size, checked the measurements got a D, took a look at my chest and said it wasn't right. Then she measured from the base of my breast to my nipple. Came up with C cup.

She went and got a C up bra in the right band size and it still looked wrong slightly off on the cup. So she tried a B, which was a teensy bit full, but worked better than the C.

While I was there she was trying to convince a woman to get a better fitting bra, the woman's band was practically at her waist. So the sales associate put her in a bra that fit and hiked her breasts up and made her look like she'd lost some weight. But the woman just wasn't comfortable and felt like it was "too much" and went back to an ill fitting bra.

My last bra shopping attempt actually ended in tears and trying on every damned bra Nordstroms and a couple specialty bra shops had to offer with nothing coming up better than my currently too large-but-puts-them-in-the-right-places bras. I'm kinda not looking forward to another attempt.

I have a seriously, seriously FWP. It's taking up way too much space in my head and I need it out, because it is pissing my off at just about everything. Do not read if you don't want to find me "I got a white iPad and I wanted a black one. My parents are assholes!" petulant. Because, really, it is that bad. I'm alternately laughing and cursing at myself.

My parent are proposing a trip. To Australia, their dime. All of us, including the boys. Family trip of a lifetime. This year. I'm pretty sure I don't have enough vacation time. And leave-without-pay is so not in the budget or the career plan. I'm trying to carve a bold new spot for myself at work. I really need to get the porch fixed. I'm frustrated for being frustrated by this. Hell, they've helped me out, to my feeble protests, on some of the larger house projects. I'm frustrated with my parents because I've told them repeatedly about my stupid vacation hour pinch this year, but since their retirement, they've been enjoying being able to vacation without worrying about schedules and seem to have forgotten that the rest of us have to fuss with that shit and dangle this before me. And my SIL, cause she's in a similar shit vacation sitch. And then I'm annoyed at being so petty and really? Such a goddamned diamond shoes issue. And then I get annoyed because my workplace was named one of the top 25 in Baltimore, largely for the benefits and flexibility, but I don't get that because I'm a goddamned subcontractor, and they wrote in bylaws that I can't shift to the main contract.

I just need to fucking get over myself. And accept the new normal of my parents having an open schedule and pushing back appropriately. Oh, and did I mention they are probably coming out in March with the boys and likely PJ? I "don't need to take time off."

I need to get over myself.

sara, as somebody whose parents are gone, I'll note: the porch can wait. At this point in your life travel opportunities with your parents are going to be increasingly rare. I don't know if you can finesse it at work, and being a superstar is all well and good, but...Australia is forever. And the porch project will still be there when you want it.

Sorry, for the unsolicited opinion. Just sayin'.

(When I was with EM she talked about the fact that she and her father had always planned on going to Ireland together and he was getting older and it didn't look possible. I pushed her to go and the memories of that Ireland trip were the last she has of him before he got dementia and then died. Don't mean to be morbid or anything, but that's where I'm coming from.)

Ugh. That sucks a lot, sarameg! Is there any way you can "borrow" ahead on vacation time? (Not sure if my current company allows, but the old company let you borrow ahead up to 1 week, and earn it later, but if you left before you had re-earned it, you had to pay it back)

Or would they push it off to next winter? That would seem to be the key time to go there, no?

That is just Dewey Crowe levels of stupid.

HA. I'm now picturing what Raylan's face would look like if he'd been the one to bust this guy.

David, that's kind of my thinking. But some things actually can't wait, structurally. I have to do the roof-recoat and porch fixing sooner rather than later (as my dad has ironically pointed out to me.)

I can take leave-without-pay, but that's a serious hit. Thing is, I am my safety net and I don't give my safety net a lot of leeway to take risks.

Eh, we'll hash it out see if my brother and SIL can do it (their situation is much tighter than mine.) If they can, I'll pinch and work crazy hours. And eventually let go of my resentment over my subcontractor bullshit benefits and my parents seriously not hearing me on my life situation.

Really, I feel ridiculous.

Is there any way you can shorten your portion of the trip so you don't have to take so much time? I agree with David here. We took the SO's dad just on a day trip to Illinois, to see the Lincoln presidential library, and it was both incredibly difficult and wonderful. After we got home from the holidays, he landed in the hospital and things looked dodgy for a while and all I could think was how glad I was we'd taken the trip, that if he died that we'd have the memory. He recovered, but I'm still glad.