As of 2015 according to the Census Bureau: TX - $48,237,511,000 which is $1759 per capita FL - $33,315,277,000 which is $1646 per capita. State debt per capita ranged from $914 (TN) to $11,100 (MA). PR's debt (currently) is a bit over $21,000 per capita. Clearly, Puerto Rico is in rough shape financially. But that means nothing to starving, thirsty people who are getting increasingly anxious over the state of the island.

Sparring does a marriage good.

You might want to check news sources other than Fox News. Also, Trump may have said that debt would need to be wiped out, but, as usual, he was flapping his gums with whatever he pulled out of his butt. Very quickly clarification was made that that would NOT happen. And the state of a state/territory's debt does not make a difference in whether the state/territory gets help in a disaster. Or at least it shouldn't. Texas has a very high debt level (even when factored based on population), but Trump says he'll be with us forever and never mentioned the state's debt.

Hormonal: No. Just trying to determine which organ my body wants to cough out this time. Remedies: I have no wisdom to impart. I've never had issues with hormones. I vaguely remember relatives talking about vitamin E to make everything stable hormone-wise. Weekend: Hopefully getting better. Anything else will have to wait to see if I get better.

We subscribed for a couple months over the summer. My 9yo really liked it. And it got him reading simple chapter books. It was totally worth it.

My aunt and cousins live in Ashburn. My cousins moved there in the early 2000s back when it was pretty empty.

Writer research: Yup. But I'm acquainted with quite a few indie authors now (thanks to my book review blog) so I "see" their process. Theater: Used to be. It was always fun to analyze your character, especially when it's a side character (like the one I played in Death of a Salesman). I met my husband in theater class in college. Good news: I'm alive. I coughed all night so I am exhausted, but I am definitely alive so that's good.

Ani's been in a fibro flare up for a few weeks now so she's in a lot of pain. Not eating well often causes flare ups and the Diamox she's on messes with her appetite so it's a vicious cycle. She absolutely needs to Diamox since it relieves so many of her symptoms so we're having to really pay attention to how much she eats. It makes it so she just doesn't get hungry. She's on her third cold since school started. She works with kids at taekwondo and then nannies so she gets exposed to everything. She's on antibiotics right now for a sinus infection. She gets sinus infections about twice a year, but I didn't think that was very often because Fritz used to get one every other month when he was little. She also has severe menstrual cramps right now so she's feeling pretty pathetic. We think her fibro pain gets worse for the second two weeks of her cycle. We're going to pay close attention to see for the next month or two. I'd hate for her to have to go on yet another medication (or get the implant), but if hormones are making her pain worse, we'll have to. The boys are doing pretty good. Fritz held on to that cold for a solid two weeks. He's downright healthy compared to Ani, but he's quite sickly compared to his brothers. Cameron and Adrian seem to be getting over their colds, too. Cameron started working at the new taekwondo school last week. He's head instructor three days a week. His first day (the second day it opened) was his 16th birthday. He's loving it. He plans to make a career out of instructing.

I read two books yesterday. Or rather finished one and read the other. Being sick has its advantages. Outcry by Manny Steinberg - It's the author's memories of the six years first in a ghetto in Poland and then in concentration camps. He was determined to stay alive so he could be a witness to the atrocities committed by the Nazis. I read a lot of books of people's Holocaust memories and they just amaze me. The strength of a human is incredible. I always ask myself how they lived. How did they not give up. There is usually something that anchors them such as keeping a younger sibling alive or the intense desire to live to tell the story. But then there are the kind people risking their own lives to give them an extra few crumbs or stop them from getting beaten that last time that would've surely killed them. There is always a kind German. I think that might be the most important takeaway from these stories. Be that kind German. I found it interesting that the author of this one learned in the concentration camps that Hitler picked Poland first because there was already an undercurrent of anti-semitism in that country. Hitler's leadership allowed that anti-semitism to come out in the open. Some of the other countries, particularly the Scandinavian countries where that wasn't the case and so the Nazis had a little bit harder of a time getting into there (and many Christians ended up in the Concentration Camps from those countries because they protected Jews). I just couldn't help but draw some similarities to today in the US and white supremacists. They've always been there. They're just a little more willing to be out in the open now. The other book I read is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. I've been looking forward to that one since he announced it several months ago. It wasn't as heart in a blendery as most John Green novels, but it was so real. The main character (a lot of it takes place in her head) has OCD with most of that aimed at health and bacteria growth. John Green has OCD and I really don't think he could have written the book so authentically if he didn't. My best friend gets into thought spirals, generally about health issues. I have a lot of practice in talking her down/out of the spiral, but they come right back and we have the same conversation again and again (she knows it's irrational - for example have literally no symptoms and so being terrified she has pancreatic cancer because it usually has no symptoms). She went on medication a few months ago and the difference is amazing. Her doctor asked her what she does when she gets into those thought spirals and she said, "Call Heather." The doctor told her that's not a good way to manage it. She still has some issues, but it's easily manageable and I don't get freaked out panicked texts at 2 am anymore. The possibility of having breast cancer can wait until morning and usually by morning she doesn't think she has it anymore anyway. So, anyway, because of my best friend I related so much to the main character's best friend and understood the main character. Given what I've seen in my best friend I think those thought spirals were written so spot on. I highlighted this: "...What I want to say to you, Holmesy, is that yes, you are exhausting, and yes, being your friend is work. But you are also the most fascinating person I have ever known, and you are not like mustard. You are like pizza, which is the highest compliment I can pay a person.†and sent it to my best friend because that's how I feel. It's a lot of work to be the friend of someone with mental health issues, but it's worth it.

My kids finally passed their cold on to me. Today was a day off (Columbus Day). Good thing since I'm sick and sound like I should be running a 1-900 service right now.

My kids finally infected me with the cold they've been passing around so I spent a lot of time this weekend reading. I've read so much I'm actually bored of reading. Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys. Loved it. It's historical fiction set at the end of WWII told from four different points of view. Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco. She does anti-bullying presentations. This book was the story of what she endured at the hands of bullies who grew up thinking they were just being normal kids and weren't hurting anyone. Appaloosa Summer by Tudor Robins. This one was okay. It's young adult and got kind of technical on the horse stuff. I'd probably have liked it better if I was into horses. My School is a Spy Factory by Steven Stickler. I read this one to the boys. It's about a middle schooler in NYC who goes to a school that secretly trains kids to be spies. Adrian especially enjoyed it. Prejudice Meets Price by Rachael Anderson. This one was absolutely perfect for my sick self. Excellent mind vacation. I finally finished spelling out SAPPHIRE for September's birthstone. Salt to the Sea Any Way You Dream It Pants on Fire Please Stop Laughing at Me Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure Intrusion Rent a Husband Embryo

Pets: A dog named Lola, two sugar gliders named Filli and Kree, two guinea pigs named Hera and Demeter, three red-eared slider turtles named Pluto, Mercury, and Venus, and a cichlid, an albino pleco, and six snails. Vet trips: Not since Lola's regular checkup a couple months ago. Weekend plans: We're doing the Downs Syndrome Buddy Walk tomorrow. One of the little ones in the nursery at church has Downs and we're on his team :)

Today: School, Ani's physical therapy, Cameron working this morning and evening, Ani working this evening, kickboxing for Jamie and Fritz tonight (taught by Cameron lol). Breakfast: Everyone else had cereal. I had leftover pizza. Weather: Mid-80s, high humidity. The humidity has been AWFUL here lately.

Yes.

We're working our way through the various meal kits trying them out. We did Blue Apron a couple weeks ago. We're doing Hello Fresh this week. I think we'll do Sun Basket next. We do them for lunch so the two-person meals are plenty for the five of us home (one of whom is so picky he rarely eats what we make for lunch). It's expensive, but that perception might vary depending on where you live. If I still lived in MD or VA I probably wouldn't think they were so costly, but I live in Texas and could get the ingredients at HEB cheaper. It doesn't really take any less time to cook from a kit since you are still chopping and what not, but it sure makes planning meals easier. Plus we've found a couple things we will make again and again. In fact, one of the meals we made from the Blue Apron box is on the menu later this week. I was thinking that these meal kits would be ideal for someone newly out on their own who doesn't know how to cook very well but can follow a recipe and would otherwise be picking up pizza or burgers all the time. I blogged about our Blue Apron experience here: https://thefamilywho.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/we-tried-blue-apron/

CB: My parents had one when I was very small. I barely remember it. Birthdays this month: Cameron's 16th was yesterday. My sister's is the 21st.

We don't travel fulltime. I think it's cool when people do. Non-traditional Business: I know a lot of computer people who work from home (wherever they are). Come visit: No room. Too bad because that would be cool.

I absolutely hate greige. It's ugly. But I have several friends who love it. (Greige actually turned me OFF a house, I hate it that much...)

Call the gyn who did my hysterectomy.

Ready for last quarter: It's kind of nuts that it is already October. October plans: Cameron will be 16 tomorrow. The new taekwondo school opens today. Cameron teaches tomorrow. Great birthday present. This weekend: We had a demo team birthday party yesterday. Today: School.

Last night (early this morning) I finished Embryo by JA Schneider. It's a medical thriller and I just couldn't put it down. I tried! I really liked it.

AND territories. The territories are absolutely positively part of the United States. Period. And you would be wrong. The United States includes the 50 states, DC, AND the territories.

He IS working in his profession in the USA.

Incorrect. They actually voted overwhelmingly for statehood earlier this year. Voter turnout was low, but, then, turnout is often low (and it was almost double voter turnout for San Antonio mayor a few months ago). In 2012 they also voted for statehood. It's Congress that won't act.

Why do you think someone saying they are Puerto Rican is extremely important? They are pretty much treated as second class US citizens so I am not surprised they would identify as Puerto Rican first. Then again I know a heck of a lot of Texans who identify as Texan first, American second so what's the difference? My friend's co-worker said helping Texas and Florida was fine, but we shouldn't be bothering about Puerto Rico because they are just a bunch of Mexicans anyway. My friend was stunned speechless. 1.) Not Mexican and 2.) there are a lot of actual Mexicans in Texas (she did not seem aware of that). And she's a teacher.