the week

* Lola the Jeep did NOT need any sudden repairs! the "leak" was nothing more than leftover fluid in the old brake line making its way out. i'm jubilant! i'm ecstatic! i'm...wishing they would've told me that could happen and saved me hours of panic!

*Dallas (aka Tripod, aka Sir Pups-a-lot, aka Nibbles) is settling in nicely. he's getting plenty of exercise, and we're working on sitting, staying, and the all-important Get Down. he loves to fence-race with Ruger, the neighbor dog, and he barks his fool head off at every person he encounters...including drive-through cashiers. E took him downstairs yesterday for an official cat visit (there have been a few unofficial, tearing-down-the-stairs-after-him visits), and Houdini puffed her fur out, sized him up, and swatted him. personally, i consider this progress - she's getting used to his noise and scent, and has figured out that she can mount an offensive instead of running for cover. also, we are in contact with a trainer who does the temperament tests for the shelter, and who promised a free training session to the next adopter after Dallas was returned. so, to sum up, pupperton will get some proper training, and eventually the cat will free-range in the house again.

*Mom's foot surgery went perfectly, and she is now recuperating in her recliner. we took up all the area rugs in the house, and she's been scooting around in a wheeled office chair. you'd hardly know she's injured - she's been keeping up on the dishwasher (MOM! you need to let me do some of this stuff!!!), and today she made herself a grilled-cheese sandwich.

*sometimes you really need a bucket of fried chicken, some biscuits, and a tub of coleslaw. don't ask me why. it's a mystery of the universe.

*i'm making progress on the licensing. high school transcripts have been sent; next up, i drop off education verification paperwork to my massage school.

*you know what's marvelous? getting through an exhausting, stressful, pulled-in-all-directions week, crying a few times, wondering why your anxiety seems out of proportion, doing some navel-gazing...and realizing that that sense of being in perpetual disgrace that you've been carrying around for 13 years (encompassing your failure to graduate from college, several bouts of depression, several horrific endings to relationships, being fired from a job, being unable to find a job, several moves across state lines, and several poor decisions that seemed right at the time) is complete and utter bullshit. you are not in disgrace. you were NEVER in disgrace. the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for FORTY YEARS - you only wandered for eleven, but it took you two more to figure out that you were free. FREE!!!