On my kid's email list, someone's daughter experienced menarche -- her first period. While some women were extending congratulations to her through her mom I wasn't sure if I should offer congratulations or condolences.

Hey, welcome to the next 25 years of ruined underwear, horrible cramps, mood swings, and risk of pregnancy.

Whee! You're becoming a woman!

Enjoy your bleed. Have a nice day!

---

I've been working all day. Some of it is because one of my instructors' parents had a horrible car wreck. Her dad hasn't ever come out of the coma and neurosurgery has made no difference in his condition, which is just plain sad. I emailed a lot of people and it's just been a long afternoon around that and organizing a mess into something sensible for another prof. I still haven't started looking at the advisement manuals the Chair gave me.

Let's not even review the Laundry Mound (LM) that has started taking over the spare space in the garage and I think might have eaten some small rodents in its path. I will let you know if I find pellets in the dryer lint filter. We could reconstruct the skeletons and see what lives in my garage with LM and get a sense of what kind of rodentia preferences LM has. I wonder if LM will restrain children. Oh, the possibilities!

Last night, Mike and I had a date. We rented a video (Secondhand Lions), a pizza (BBQ chicken, red onions and sundried tomatoes) and watched it at my office at the uni. We really liked the video, so we'll probably buy the DVD for home. Afterwards, we went to a casino and I won $14 at the roulette table. I was up about $50 at one time, but if I'm playing on their money, I play until the husband gives me the "I wanna go home because I'm tired" nod. I played and then I got the nod, and while I had had several nods, this was a persistent nod which coincided with my bursting bladder, so he cashed in for me, while I raced to the nearest potty. I like dating my best friend. It reminds me why he *is* my best friend.

I reduced LM by running the dryer before we hit the sheets and the laundry facilities have been going full blast all day long. The really cool thing is that the house is clean to boot.

Definitely, a better semester at home.