Well, that she's fired up is good for her, though maybe hard on the homestead. In the abstraction, watching close families deal with stress in fascinating and sometimes hilarious in the knots they tie themselves into. Having been in it? Really damned hard.

Enh. Forget baseball. Tomorrow it's a parent's only meeting at 9 and I have N&G without any relief. That decides it.

Man, I just want to shove my mortgage up someone's ass- been reading "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis and just reading about the banking industries' mortgage shenanigans, and it makes me feel like a fool for a) buying a house and b) continuing to pay the mortgage on something that is losing value by the day.

Um, I have anger issues.

Tom, others have said it better than me, but good for you, seriously.

This weekend, I am working, not going to Krewe du Vieux, but going to see Jonathan Coulton and TMBG.

Mr Peabody has an embarrassing relationship with a braided rug at my mother's house. He immediately throws himself on it and drags himself across it by his front paws. Apparently braided rug is the best tummy scratcher ever.

I still need to acquire me a handyman husband. I had a handywoman wife briefly, but she moved to the Eastern Shore, damnit.

I worry that if my mother runs out of steam, she'll beat herself up about it. She's set herself a high bar, and I guess I cope with my chronic issues not by fighting too hard, because it tires me.

However, this is her sickness, not mine, so I'm just there to support. And also remind people to wash their hands.

What's K's issue with baseball for Noah, Kat?

He's still a bit young. Also, it is scarier than a lot of other sports because the ball is hard and it will occasionally hit you in the face. The fear part is normal enough - in fact, I think one of the virtues of baseball as a sport is learning how to deal with fear.

Rookie has a feature on teenage shrines to their personal idols.

There are some I would expect (The Smiths), some that are surprising but sweet (Stephen Fry) and some that indicate (because of their recurrence) small wrinkles in the pop cultural psyche (several shrines to The Virgin Suicides, and also Sofia Coppola).

Okay, you know how the internet is full of fodder for other people to get off on that you completely fail to get? I mean, aside from the stuff you yourself get off on, but that's relatively boring in the face of sexy slow motion (NSFW). I mean, huh, and huh again. That's a dose of saltpeter administered in a cold shower.

Kat, doesn't Noah already do soccer?

I need to find a handyman.

Lee does your Angie's list membership allow you to search in other areas, or is it limited?

He does indeed do soccer and loves it. But he would love to play baseball once he got around to the playing. In fact, he plays it in the backyard ALL THE TIME (and hockey, without the ice). He loves to play catch. He loves to bat. He just really enjoys it.

Plus, this year at this age is totally low everything -- risk, stress, you name it. A classmate's dad is coaching and our friend Sarah has her son on the team too. It's sponsored by his preschool.

K thinks he is too young to play and she HATES LL parents.