Dearest pup, we are very grateful that you are back home and doing well. What we are not grateful for is the $1600 bill for your stay at the emergency veterinary hospital because you decided to eat some rocks the way kids eat M&Ms. You are 5 years old and might I remind you, this is a second offense! Remember the nut shell incident? Please don’t make me muzzle a CKC spaniel so we can continue to enjoy our walks. Let me explain the concept of three strikes.
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Poor kids! Parents get to see their brain and bones even before they are born! Absolutely no privacy 
!!!
Dear Chocolate:
I need you desperately!
It seems that my multi-tasking of the house, and keeping track of three adult children (their calendars, and SO), along with my mother’s health issues, is not enough proof of my abilities.
DH, yes I’m angry!
You want me to intercede with your medical consults because you “don’t have time”. You are famous for avoiding people and avoiding eye-to-eye contact. You can’t deal with plumbers, electricians, mechanics, appliance repairmen, pool cleaners, and contractors because that’s not your “personality”. Then you get angry because I didn’t tell them what you wanted me to tell them. I am not a mind reader. I don’t know how I’m supposed know, in advance, what you want to ask them. You don’t tell me in advance. I am not you! Learn that!
Yet, you seem to think that I can’t manage my time and calendar, so you wake me up at 4 am to tell me that I need to leave to get our DD to the airport at 6:00. Both she and I had told you the time because you always want to know. Then you “forgot” and had to be reminded last night. You were not going to volunteer to take her, so why ask?
If you had bothered to check our online calendar, you would have noticed that the calendar said 6 pm. I was extremely tired, staying up late and helping her. Now, you don’t understand why I am angry??? I’m an adult and I did manage my own education, career and finances, long before we met.
I know that you think that you have to micromanage my schedule, and that you have to manage my time, but I have a natural calendar in my head and I have to often remind you of your commitments all of the time! It’s also written on the house calendar, on the iPhone alerts, and on the computer calendar!
When have I ever missed a flight, or an appointment?
Please let me sleep and please stop giving me extra work! Your parents really did a number on you. They did not do you any favors by having “Daddy’s secretary” schedule your appointments and type your papers.
RANT over!
Chocolate time!!!
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When I rule the world, I’m going to require that all toys be sold in square/rectangular boxes. Wrapping these bizarre shapes is exhausting!
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Why are the squirrels playing roller derby on the roof? I really wanted to sleep in today.
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I feel awful - just decided, with my aunt, that given the tri-demic & family members’ health issues, we should put off our family holiday get together (again) until next year. I know that a couple family members will be unhappy with the decision, and I wish we could do it. But we felt it made sense. So why do I feel so conflicted?
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Local news of the day… A porch pirate steals a package… that contained kitty litter! 
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It looks like UPS confused delivery locations. We were expecting a bunch of pet toys to be given as gifts to those members of our family that are four legged. Instead we received a large supply of feminine hygiene products.
I suspect neither party is happy.
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A friend in Virginia texted me yesterday. We haven’t yet received a gift they sent which was supposed to be delivered on Wednesday. Unless porch pirates struck. Hoping they didn’t and we get it today.
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Sis and BIL are visiting. BIL delicately asked if we didn’t like the fancy coffee grinder they sent last year (we use a crappy one). Of course it never got delivered and he never got refunded so we had no idea. We had a laugh about that.
Sis tested positive for covid yesterday. We caught it early and she’s isolating in the basement. S23 is having surgery at a children’s hospital on Tuesday. I had to call the pre-screening department and leave a voicemail. So now we get to wait to see if they’ll cancel. This may cost us thousands more dollars if it gets bumped to next year. And we’d have to wait til summer due to an April switch in insurance. Arrrrgggghh.
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Our Christmas box arrived in Qatar on time and intact. Merry Christmas, son!
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Happy retirement, Leonard Pitts. I will miss your columns. You helped me to understand that it’s important to see things not through my own experiences, but through the realities of those they affect.
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It’s been 3 weeks since you passed. There’s so much to do and I miss you so much. I now realize I have no BFF other than you.
The kids seem to be having a good break from college. I do like seeing them band together, as that hasn’t occurred usually, but the price we pay is you are gone.
Not sure how I’m going to continue going on, but I am doing the best I can.
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It’s funny, no, sad how some of the most racist people refuse to examine their own unconscious bias. There is plenty of racism (much of it unexamined) to go around in our society.
You can’t fix it unless you look at it.
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Univ of Chicago:
You’re wasting your money on the promotional material you keep sending my kid. You’re unaffordable and like I said last time, my kid will never get into your school. Plus, your reputation precedes you and my kid is not interested in going to a college in an environment full of intense pressure and anxiety. You are wasting your time. We now shred your mail and it becomes worm food instead. Put the money you’re spending on mail to my kid instead into a scholarship fund.
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I suppose there is never a good time for bad weather, but ugh, I really hate during this busy week and impending festive time, to have to worry, worry, worry about family members traveling on a couple different days later this week. 
This is why I always 
for no snow/icy precip until after the new year!
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I hate threads where no replies are allowed and I only say that because no one can reply in disagreement 
Happy Holidays!!
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It’s the year for scummy clients. I hope this isn’t a trend.
Glad the neighbor is gone for Xmas. She’s weird, nosy, and a pain in the butt.
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