There's an Overdrive app For iPhone. The catalogue system on that is a nightmare, too. (you can also just go directly to Overdrive from your library's website, as well, log in, put audiobooks in your checkout basket, then log in through your iPhone app.) I would also look at iTunes U. Not so light, but they have Jane Eyre and other books in the public domain from Lit2Go, which are generally well read.

I think it's customary to apply payments to the oldest balance on an account, whereas you are paying by EOB, which may reflect claims processed out of order (just generally, not specifically in your case). So, I can see, if your daughter's account is a sub account of yours, where they would do that. That seems like an odd accounting system to me, though, just because what if multiple family members come in on the same date? That could be a posting nightmare.

Wow. I'm glad you're not MY mom. ;)

This is what we did a couple years ago, and dropped from $216 for cable/Internet/phone to $42 for higher speed dsl and dial tone. We pay $189 for two smart phones with (grandfathered) unlimited data and 1200 shared minutes. We have Netflix (we had it before) and an HDMI cable that lets us stream anything we can watch online from a tablet to our tv. (so, Netflix, Hulu basic, PBS streaming, etc) (and about 90 minutes NE of you, we get all of your channels, plus B'more and Philly) Quite honestly, we don't miss the cable. I thought we would but we really never have. And the dsl is much more reliable than our cable 'net ever was.

Me, too!! :grouphug: All of that, and I'm especially on board with a little deserved PTSD, courtesy of the Hive. That's just obnoxious.

And there you have it. I honestly don't have much thought over how many kids other people have, beyond the thought that I would lose my mind from living in my house with so many other people (introvert, need some downtime without personal input... Many children is just a mismatch with *my* personality.) But... I think it's quite obvious she is more interested in the spectacle than the parenting. And that is very unfortunate for her children.

I had the same kind of experience on what one would think should be a tolerant, inclusive forum. Nope. I was called a fascist, bent on nothing but furthering the religious, right-wing agenda, on their education forum because we're Classical homeschoolers. At first, I had to :lol: but the slams just continued, got more and more vicious... And so I decided it wasn't worth my sanity. Please note: I did not write a lunatic sounding blog post in response. I just stopped posting/reading there.

:lol: Though one or either of them may need an exorcist. And probably an English teacher. Man, those are some angry, ANGRY people. What possesses people to go mental all over a forum on the Internet? (see "needs exorcist" above) Good grief. Love, One of the token, faith-challenged, liberal grammar squad WTMers.

Mmmmm. This is SO going on the menu this week.

Hyacinth's issues stem from her paranoia that someone might find out she's related to Crazy Lady. Yeah. It's a very rare thing that I keep him abreast of the board goings-on. He was so aghast at the crazy woman during the first thread, I had to keep him updated.

Me, too. I drink coffee, tea and water. That's it. I did rather lose my taste for it late in pregnancy, though. (so I picked "other")

:iagree: When I saw the thread, I started reading it aloud and my husband yelled "woohoo!" He is very disappointed you didn't want to take one for the team this evening.

YES!! TSH is a pituitary hormone. It could very well be that the pituitary is not signaling enough thyroid hormones to be produced. If that's the case, though, you'll have to take thyroid to fill the gap.

I've become a fan of Geraldine Brooks' historical fiction, and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisy Dobbs mystery series in the past few years.

Trim should be semi or gloss... Does exterior paint even come in flat? I would think flat would allow too much water to seep through. (we're restoring our 150 yo clapboards, so you'd think it would come up, but... Nope, I have no idea what our exterior paint is. And I just asked my husband - who is not a paint guy, that's me here at Chez Crazy - and he has no idea either.) I like the Olympic interior zero VOC paint, but it does take more coats than Behr stinky paint. Sorry, that's probably not that helpful. Ok, i just came out and put my eyeball up the the front of the house. Our exterior paint is satin. Whew. I feel better.

I don't know, but it appears your kitten is possessed. Coincidence?:001_huh: :lol:

:lol: irony I have both, and you'd think I would have a definitive answer, but I don't. I bought the new edition for the updated resources.

Our tree comes down pretty quick, but we did have one year when we were company-cleaning before my dad came to visit and too that opportunity to put the 6' tall singing Santa in the foyer away. It was July. :glare:

That or Sea Pearls sponges. They don't dry like a tampon, but do collect the, um, extraneous moisture.

It's my understanding that modern dishwasher detergents are formulated for no rinsing. If you rinse everything off, the enzymes will etch your glassware. Our dishwasher is 8 years old (a portable model now installed under the counter), we have really soft water, and use Method Smarty Dish tablets. I scrape the chunks off because the dishwasher doesn't seem to handle bits of rice or flecks of spinach well (spinach is the worst, it seems to permanently laminate to the dishes!). Our dishwasher is hooked up to the cold supply line (oil boiler, it's not cost effective to heat the water that way because the dishwasher still gets cold water but the boiler kicks on because of the demand) and we use the "heated wash" setting (the dishwasher heats its own water). We rarely have something not come clean, even baking dishes or dried on egg. Every few months, the glasses will start getting obnoxious silt that looks like salt and pepper in them. Then we clean the dishwasher by running Finish cleaner through on the hot pots & pans setting. I really think the trick is finding the detergent and wash setting that works for your particular water. It's trial and error, mostly.

I thought that said garbage sale!! :lol: I thought "how perfect!" In many ways, I still feel like I'm just now catching up from the baby-toddler-diaper-sleep deprivation years, and the I, too, have come out of that fog to find a big mess. It makes me sad to look back to when the boys were little and I had everything under control. In fact, I changed the bed every couple of days because I would run out of other laundry to do. With a preschooler and two toddlers in cloth diapers!! I just realized the other day that my thyroid and adrenals were probably working in overdrive during that time, and that's why I could get so much done (and why, in the intervening years I put on a lot of weight and developed CF). I would love to get back there, in productivity not the path to physical burnout. In fact, since we have relatively late games this morning, I think I'll go up and change our bed. ;)

:grouphug: No, I don't think it's typical, either. Ironically, my husband has been the only person in the past few years who pulled out the "but she's your mother" argument. And he knows how toxic she is. That ended when I asked him whether he would encourage anyone to overlook such a pattern from a friend or other relative. He wouldn't. I do think it's hard for people to separate the fluffy, warm concept of "mother" from the reality of what many of us have experienced. I mean, how far did we each get into adulthood before we managed to separate that out? Speaking for myself (but it seems to be typical), I spent a LOT of time being lulled into the warm fantasy, then being shocked at the reality, and trying to adjust myself to make that mother idea true. So I completely understand people not getting it. I do appreciate when those who don't get it appear to accept my choice without prejudice.

That would be very interesting. Here's another thing: the only place I would habitually belly up is at the sink. But it's an apron sink, so has smooth, rounded edges. There's no counter there. As far as chemicals, we use non-toxic, mostly gray water compatible cleaners. I suppose it's possible that cleaners with enzymes in them could degrade cotton fibers if there is a habitual protein spot on the area, right? I don't think my cleaners are particularly enzymatic (I don't use BacOut, for instance), nor think I usually have a food spot around my navel... The fabrics that get the holes, aside from being cotton knit, aren't similar, at least in weight or drape... What about seatbelts? I wonder if the top of my lap belt hits a piece of shirt in that area. It's funny how common, yet mysterious this phenomenon seems to be. Eta: my husband is wondering if the little doohickey piece of the seatbelt that keeps it from just dropping on the floor might be hitting when the belt is released. On him (5'11"), it hits his hip. On me (5'0") it may hit right in the hole spot. I'll check tomorrow... We have to get to the bottom of this! :D

I could have written that. (in fact, I think I mostly have ;-) ) I've had the very unexpected experience, though, of having a lot of support from friends, coworkers, etc, when the topic comes up and I reveal that I am not in contact with my mother. Maybe some of them are making nice noises because they don't know what to say but I've not had anyone react negatively. It's been a little surreal.

I am a big proponent of forgiveness. Narcissists to not ask for pardon, though. They simply look for a new way to control or destroy. My mother's behavior is outrageous, and I am outraged by it. She lives in a world of her own making, which is furnished with cardboard cutouts (the rest of us), and she lashes out at the cardboard cutouts when they fail to do exactly as she dictates. There is nothing to forgive. She has never, ever done anything wrong. Cardboard cutouts have no feelings, no desires, no self-determination. I exist only on the same level as a chotchke on a shelf and, not serving her current aesthetic, will get tossed as quickly. There is a great analogy in the ebook "What Makes Narcissists Tick": we know tigers are dangerous, wild creatures. We don't hate tigers for being what they are. (And, I would add, nor do we "forgive" them for being dangerous predators) We simply don't get in the cage with them. Some people choose to learn to "safely" (relatively speaking) interact with the tiger. Most don't. It's not punitive, it's self-preservation.