Suzi, weirdly that sounds like what I had when I was in Dublin. I wish you a swift recovery.

Zen, now I wanna go back to London. I never made it all the way through the V&A.

I intended to go get bloodwork done this morning since I'm working from home today, but I felt crappy enough that I didn't want to get out of bed. Maybe I'll go after lunch. I don't want to put it off much longer.

Got my new phone! Now I just need to run over to the T-Mobile store for a nano SIM.

Zen, now I wanna go back to London. I never made it all the way through the V&A.

I have to go back, too, I haven't gotten to the V&A at all yet! Nor the Natural History Museum. They had animatronic dinosaurs. The line to get in was huge and we were weak.

ION, have you ever done anything so dumb you can't even explain to yourself how you managed to do it? Even people who know all the dumbass things my so-called genius ass has already done would just shake their heads at me.

Sleeping well is nigh miraculous. I'm so glad you got a good solid night and shook off the fever, Suzi. Wishing you many more.

So envious, Zen!

Also, man, goats are magical! Bouncing, climbing, pj-wearing, cheese, theater construction -- is there anything they can't do?

ION, I may have to end the day by stabbing a co-worker. Just for the record: Though I am in my actual human life kind of passive-aggressive and flinchy and conflict-avoidant, my work self is pretty damn direct. When I send you an email telling you I've done X and Y and can you remind your boss to sign off on Z, you really do not need to spend several hours brooding over the communication and muttering, "But what did she really mean by that?"

What I really meant by that was, well, the thing I said. I'm not asking you to do A, B, or C. I don't need Q. You don't need to follow up with *my* boss about it. The part where I said the only thing I need from you is for you to remind your boss to sign off on Z? That's what I meant, in those words.

ION, have you ever done anything so dumb you can't even explain to yourself how you managed to do it?

Oh, my, yes. The dumb stuff I report to y'all sometimes, not even the worst of it.

But, JZ, what are you really trying to tell us?

So, I went to the doctor yesterday to have four spot-things taken off my back. Not cancer, just raised brown blotches that come with age, apparently. They itch and I hated them, so got them taken off.

He (spoilerfonted for medical TMI) numbed me, sliced them off then cauterized each one. They are each about the size of a quarter, don't look like scabs--ust like odd whitish blotches, and they HURT. One of them is right under my bra and I am a little cranky about the whole thing.

I am suffering for beauty is what I'm trying to say.

Zen, I am trying to tell you that my workplace is badly in need of some gin and a dog bowl.

All I'm reporting about this dumb thing is, from now on I'm packing for every trip two weeks in advance. Just so I can be calm and think about what I'm doing, and so I'll have time to change my mind when I realize I've done something inexplicably stupid.

I don't have anxiety about travel, or flying, or any of the normal things normal people fret about. I'm not afraid of things. I know how to take care of my shit. I thwarted a thief in the crowd at the fireworks on NYE. No, my madness-inducing anxiety hits me when I contemplate packing. Not even normal fears there, either. I don't fear forgetting my medication or losing my glasses; I've got this. No, it's about my clothing. What shoes, what coat, what pants, what shirts? My BFF just tosses some stuff in a bag and goes. Katie wears black pants and fannish t-shirts everywhere. I am baffled by this unconcern. Unless I had a TARDIS to carry every item of clothing I own and several I haven't bought yet, I couldn't possibly bring everything I might need. So I have to choose the right clothes/shoes for circumstances that I don't know what they are yet, and -- panic. Every time. Never mind that I've traveled a lot and nothing terrible or even particularly notable has ever happened from me not having the right things. Well, except this time, but only I was affected. And I did do better this time with packing clothes, the stupid fail was shoes. I'm calling it a learning experience and moving on.

Zen, I am trying to tell you that my workplace is badly in need of some gin and a dog bowl.

See, I just feel that you could have communicated that more clearly.

Oh, anything right under your bra is awful. Sympathies, Scrappy.

Aw, Zen, that doesn't sound like an actual dumb thing. But good for you learning from it.

Gin and a dog bowl, two bits.