The whole focus on individual detached homes, with large individual yards is not really that paradisical in the long run

I agree, American society has evolved away from thinking of communal life as a good thing, though large cities may counter that. Heck, it may go back to England, where everyone apparently longs for a patch of green to call their own.

I am so over my kids today. They are old enough that they should be able to be a help instead of a burden, but they cannot seem to get their shit together to actually be helpful. Probably this is my fault, because it's my job as the parent to teach them how to get their shit together. But seriously? A 9 year old should be able to make himself a damned bowl of cereal. Today was a clusterfuck of taking forever to do simple tasks (at 9:54 mr. flea said, let's get ready to go; we left the house at 11:17) and then whining about homework for 3 hours. I have never been so glad to "have to" leave for work (I went in 5-9 tonight.)

They are old enough that they should be able to be a help instead of a burden, but they cannot seem to get their shit together to actually be helpful.

oh look, topic covered in counseling today (oh hey, yeah I scheduled counseling to start back up and today was first day). Mac resents chores because he has chores that are beyond just his use of the house...yeah kinda was pushed by counselor into realizing that maybe most f what mom does falls into that category.

Uggh, nap helped headache some, but not enough. More drugs...

A weather change is on the way here, and the pressure is dropping like crazy, and my head feels like the Hulk is crushing it. Meh.

1) The single family detached home with large lots 2) Automobile dependence

I think both tend to atomize us, to separate us from one another and not in a good "privacy for introverts" way.

The neighborhood I live in (also the one flea lives in, and, now that I think of it, the one Hil lives in t edit they are not the same neighborhood; they're 3 different ones) is a mix of single-family and multi-family homes, and in my neighborhood, the single-family homes are on small lots. It's an old neighborhood, built when big-ass homes with huge lots were not a thing. And it's very walkable/bikeable/on the bus line.

My neighborhood is apparently the next big neighborhood, and its walkability is a big factor. Everything old is new again.

(Granted, right now we don't have a grocery store, but we are on track to start building for a grocery co-op in the very near future. And the co-op model is fantastic, and will employ a fair number of neighborhood residents.)

A weather change is on the way here, and the pressure is dropping like crazy, and my head feels like the Hulk is crushing it. Meh.

It has been raining here all day, and my head hates it.

I asked my doc for a massage therapist recommendation for my headaches and she is giving me a referral to PT so I can get it covered by insurance (some PT places specialize in soft tissue manual manipulation, aka massage).

I'm a bit huffy after a comment was conveyed to me about stockpiling. You mean the materials that cost less in bulk that I don't have to buy again for one or two years, and do use every year, giving the budget freedom to purchase different materials at a good price that are then also used every year. Or maybe it's the ornaments for our annual Christmas tree that we reuse every year that have been here since before I started working here.

I have a feeling this was spawned by the fact that my "stockpile" resides in the barn attic and the ED wants to move my office there (with the mice shit and no heating and leaking roof) and he needs to free up the space. I'm sorry that I didn't precisely calculate how many pomegranates and lotus pods I needed last year and have some leftover. I'm sorry I saved our Christmas lights and recycled the grapevine wreaths to use again.

Tell me, is spending a grand and netting $4000 a disappointment? (Maybe I'm wrong and it is).

It seems like bad form to whine about it, since it's the result of an extremely successful year, but I am just weary to the bones and feel like I can't get ahead of the curve on anything right now. My desk is just buried and my email inbox is overflowing, and it seems that no matter how much time I put in I can't catch up.

So much of it is really good stuff, but it's just overwhelming. I'm hiring more people, and planning a move into a real commercial space for the business, and incorporating, and trying to keep on top of current that has me working overnights and then carving out time to teach. All of my employees are doing amazing work, but we are all working too many hours right now. There is some crazy exciting stuff on the horizon, but right now I just want to feel like I have my feet under me. I never expected to be a business owner on this scale.

Drew, that does sound overwhelming. But congratulations on your award! I saw Pix's pictures on FB.

That certainly seems like a lot. And good stuff, so congrats, but still a lot. You'll get it all managed, I'm sure.