Shout out to universal remotes

And to my beloved. This business trip marks my husband's first that I can confidently command the technology in my own home. I can watch tivo, live tv, or even a movie even though it is well past a reasonable hour in his time zone. Nachos in hand, I settle in for a night's viewing, secure in the knowledge that the remote has been programmed so expertly by my soul's mate, the captain of my ship, that even I can't foul it up. Hee-hee-hee. Blue screen of death; where is thy sting?

Dispatches from the ADHD front

So my girl comes home yesterday and says it's her shoulder mate's birthday tomorrow and she'll be in her workshop making him something. A shoulder mate, for the uninitiated, is the person who sits next to you at the table (or diagonal -- it wasn't clear). So she comes down and she's made this contraption with feathers and wood bits. Me: What is it? She: I don't know. Me: May I suggest making him a lanyard instead?

I mean, the kid is almost ten. Do I seriously have to tell her not to make the sort of present that only a mother would love? But I'm so delighted that she has exhibited sufficient awareness of the world that she even knows this kid's name and has managed to remember that his birthday is tomorrow that I don't quibble. So shoulder mate is getting both the feathered creation and a lanyard snake today.

Hard out here fo' a shrimp

So my girl is in this choir, and being a shortie mc'short-short, she never has to guess where she'll be placed. So we were talking about how she'd better bring it because she'll be front and center all her life. Spouse walks by, mumbling, "Hard out here fo' a shrimp..."