So I went with Mike to Minnesota to visit in-laws for 9 days, and it was a fucking nightmare. Kind of a mixed blessing; on the one hand, there was constant fighting - my sister-in-law vs. my indescribably-awful-yet-still-pity-inspiring-stepmother-in-law, my father-in-law vs. IAYSPISIL, SIL vs. her husband, my brother-in-law......did I mention that ( Read more... )

I'm pretty sick of the internet. Actually what I'm sick of is what the internet does to people, and more specifically what it does to me. I don't think I can take one more self-centered list, or snob-appeal list, one more who's-smarter-than-whom pissing contest, one more cheery-fake declaration of friendship by someone who'll immediately talk shit ( Read more... )

Ok, not a fair title. I'm not about the schadenfreude, I promise. But at the risk of making a sweeping generalization, I hate the people who work for Caterpillar. I hate their arrogance, their surety that their stock would go infinitely up and up and up, they dismissive contempt of anyone not smart enough to work at Caterpillar. And now the ax has ( Read more... )

Two of my female colleagues shared detailed obstetrical/gynecological details with me today out of the blue. I don't know why I seem to inspire these kinds of drive-by personal revelations.

http://www.hogmalion.com/shop.cfm?Action=Det&ID=54Read more... )

I have realized something ( Read more... )

You know what? I like the smell of cigarette smoke ( Read more... )

The above in reference both to a) the length of time since my last post, and b) the current state of the Val-verse ( Read more... )

Been awhile since I posted ( Read more... )

At the urging of my fan base, I'm updating my damn jourmal already ( Read more... )