<p>Not exactly the stone a blushing bride is likely hoping for, but so glad it’s passed!! Happy day for all! I had no idea you could get a kidney stone so early, but then again… what the heck do I know.</p>
<p>Such a fun weekend, my cousins arrived along with two of the cutest second (?) cousins any girl could hope for… OR are they first cousins once removed. I have no idea, so we’re thinking we should just all call ourselves aunt!</p>
<p>Woohoo to NM’s d2’s “birthday gift.”</p>
<p>Moda, I think there was some “happy mojo” in the stars this weekend…had a really nice weekend around here too socially and the happy vibe even extended to routine shopping mojo, home repairs, and audio installation. Rarely are those kinds of tasks so smooth at te mccompound. I’m liking it ;)</p>
<p>But the mist astonishing “luck” mojo of te weekend happened to two of my “lovely league” pals out in Newfoundland. You may recall from reports of our trip last year that mch did not see the humpback whales he’d been hoping for…and we “blamed” a friend who has legendary “whale repellent mojo” because whale watching is always a bust in her presence.</p>
<p>Well, said friend was waving at my videographer friend in Bay Bulls on an outing this weekend when TWO humpback whales breached behind her in a once-in-a-lifetime double breach show 
Since my other girlfriend works for Canadian Press and had it on film, the clip made its way to national news. It’s hilarious ;)</p>
<p>Happy Birthday to D2 and so glad she avoided the surgery.</p>
<p>Very cool about the whales, kmc.</p>
<p>Moda, I have LOTS of cousins (Italian on my Dad’s side). Never got the difference between degrees of first, second, etc and the removed thing .I am close to many of them and refer to all as my cousins.</p>
<p>The children of two first cousins are second cousins. First cousin once removed: either the child of one’s first cousin; also the first cousin of one’s parent.</p>
<p>We figured this out when we were all up at the lake a couple of weekends ago and the cousins wanted to know what they were to the oldest cousin’s kids.</p>
<p>So happy that the stone passed! </p>
<p>I was going to type that I can’t post more this morning because I am feeling rather overwhelmed, which is a ridiculous thing to type given what is happening in NM’s life. But I’ve still got to run.</p>
<p>Oh cq - sounds great on the job front.</p>
<p>So glad to hear of the passed stone… now upward and onward!</p>
<p>KMC - love that video!! Truly an awesome shot!</p>
<p>Glad the passing of the stone is done. I hope that the rest of her week passes much more pleasantly.</p>
<p>With respect to family relations, I love my little ancestry.com gizmo that lets me point to any two people in the family tree and tells me how they are related. </p>
<p>D is now sending me recipes for various fish dishes and for eggplant, bok choy and other veggies she would never touch when she lived with us. I’m sincerely glad her tastes are expanding, but when I think of all the veggies she declined… One of these days she’ll develop a liking for lobster and crab, and then she’ll realize just how much good stuff she missed. We still laugh about her question from sophomore year in college – why had we kept green curry from her all those years? </p>
<p>Still learning…that I don’t know beans about some aspects of formatting. Apparently, there is a difference between dashes, en dashes and em dashes, each of which is used in different ways according to the copy editor. </p>
<p>NM, DIL had a kidney stone two weeks after their wedding and a week after she qualified for medical insurance in the US. (No prior history – and at age 22) We had all worried that she’d be uncovered between the date of the civil ceremony and when S1 started work, and I think S & DIL found us to be worrywarts. Not any more! </p>
<p>Glad your D is feeling better and that she has cleared that stone in her path! :)</p>
<p>Woody…it is an awesome clip, isn’t it? And hilarious that my pal is doing the “hellooooooo” to the camera while these majestic creatures leap from the sea She’s a big diver and marine aficionado and we’ve teased her for years about never seeing a whale.</p>
<p>Arabrab, tell your editor to get with the times…the em dash is obsolescing because code doesn’t care for it (don’t actually say that though…it might trigger a diatribe against the IT world…but know that it’s true! :)</p>
<p>I’ve always been fond of the power of the em dash, being the tangential writer that I am. However, as they say, language is alive, fluid, and given to wandering off ;)</p>
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<p>Note to self: If the em dash ever comes up in conversation, appear knowledgeable by positing the theory that it is obsolescing. </p>
<p>I was asleep before 10 pm last night. I was just wiped out for some reason. H scoffed when I said I wanted to be to sleep early, but I had to do what I had to do.</p>
<p>Two spaces after the period are also obsolescing, but old habits die hard! I guess I will just be old fashioned and quaint.</p>
<p>c_q, I totally fought that battle every time I proofed a paper for one of my kids.</p>
<p>MP - that is late for me. I’m in bed between 8:30 and 9:00 most nights but then again I’m up at 4:30. I know – some of you are just getting your second wind when I’m saying goodbye to the day. :)</p>
<p>Glad to hear that the stone had passed – painful!</p>
<p>Saw DIL on Sunday - first time I’ve seen her in 3-4 weeks – she is starting to pop out. 
Only gained 2 lbs so far but you can see that she is pregnant now. Her b’day is coming up in a couple of weeks. I think I’ll get her some maternity clothes. Seems like a reasonable gift. :)</p>
<p>How great for you, Rochmom!
My nephew’s wife had a baby girl last week on my H’s b-day! You’d have thought he was the grandfather, he was so excited! Little one is the first of her generation. So wonderful!</p>
<p>BTW, Zetesis, did your D have any reports of the festivities in Germany after the World Cup win?? Must have been fun!</p>
<p>How fun, RM. I bought the minimal maternity wear, and I can even now remember how much I despised that blue jumper by the end. </p>
<p>Woody – babies in the family are such a celebration, and how lovely that this one shares your husband’s birthday!</p>
<p>There are SO many more maternity options now…Target, Gap, Old Navy, Ann Taylor Loft. I recall there being three stores, including one very expensive one and the irritatingly named one (“Daddy Did It.”) There were so few options, and there I was, in my mid 30s, shopping for lawyer maternity clothes, next to some 16 year old who liked the jeans that had bows on them.</p>
<p>H’s twin brother’s D has the only two kids so far of that generation. The first was born on my birthday, and the second on my dad’s birth/deathday.</p>
<p>CQ glad she loves her job and totally worth the wait, although easy for me to say.
Daughter posted a pic of her with OBama and others, she of course is next to him. I had to delete it from my FB until I learn to hide something as my mother freaks. honestly very tiresome. I worked the weekend. not the funnest. but am on vacation for a while. soon.
RM just a suggestion but I would give a giftcard. Congratulations.
The whale breach is cool where can I see it?</p>
<p>My sister said that first cousins share a grandparent and their children are then first cousins once removed. Second cousins share a great grandparent etc. Does this stay in keeping with the other explanation that confused me? I’ll stick with just calling them my cute cousins. And will hope that D1 continues to wait a few years before I become Nana or Mimi (as those are my choices, I thinki).</p>
<p>Did I mention my having been watching The West Wing? It is completely weird that the “political fears” of that time became so much reality, right down to government shut downs and terrorist attacks. Makes you kind of wonder if all of gov’t isn’t just scripted from reruns. </p>
<p>We’re headed to the 'burgh this weekend to bury my Mother’s ashes. I think my mood is reflective of my internal conflict of wanting to avoid conflict. Not that any is expected, but my sister has been in a foul mood towards me since february. My middle sister is unable to be there, but has lots of advice (of which somewhat makes me laugh because it’s easy to guess what you would HOPE to do, but a lot harder to do that always in the moment. But she also said she insisted I keep the mantra from “the Help” replaying in my mind all weekend: “You is smart; You is kind; you is important.” All of which will be helpful to remember, especially with my brother there who even though is 6 years younger likes to pick on me for sport and then get mad at me when I snap. Always a good time. So we’ll hope for the best. </p>
<p>Off to google Double Whale Breach because it just sounds too cool to not. :)</p>
<p>Wait - is the wedding THIS weekend??? I sure hope so as it will give me something truly fun to look forward to hearing all about!!! Remember to breath and my advice - assign a friend as your go to if there are any concerns with individual guests lest we forget the drunkle (drunk uncle) cautionary tale. :)</p>
<p>And yes, I had to add the double space as a typo to my word docs because the habit was so engrained. I still do it a great deal, but less than I used to for sure. </p>
<p>So glad to read that NMN’s D2 is feeling better. Best wishes to all the NMNs, and especially to the bride and groom-to-be, for a wonderful weekend!</p>
<p>As always, it’s fun and quite informative to follow along here. dte’s daughter standing next to our President - how cool is that! (whatever your politics) And c-q D’s job sounds very promising! Exciting days for those moving into new apartments and dorms! The subtleties of grammar can be both obscure and illuminating.</p>
<p>I can relate to the drama that bubbles up at family gatherings, especially when someone’s estate is being discussed. Kudos to oregon and others who manage to take the high road. </p>
<p>Love dte’s motivation to return to grad school. Last year, I took several grad classes and am contemplating three more to fulfill the requirements for a certificate in strategic management. My Ds ask: mom, why do you take the classes for credit (and work hard to earn As) when you already have a grad degree? I say, because I need to keep my mind sharp, want to stay relevant, and don’t plan to be fully ‘retired’ for 20 or more years.</p>
<p>I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. We seem to be getting a lot of (sporadic) rain in New England.</p>
<p>Congrats on CQ D’s job and stone passing. Meditate and ignore annoying relatives. Good luck with the wedding. </p>
<p>Had a great weekend with an old friend in Nantucket. Just arrived in Europe to help a client, but am immersed in a game of political football. For a while, we were the ball, but no longer. But the client is inflexible, occasionally unreasonable, and has a very hard problem. Thanks heavens I have a good team.</p>