Mara

Happy anniversary to one of the TRF members I would most like to meet!

Hopefully this tread reminds you not to be such a stranger to these parts. I'm back! In force, so beware!

Just being a Sunday afternoon couch potato because I want to. Not because I'm too paralyzed by depression and anxiety to do otherwise. :)

Love the idea of "random stuff invasion"!

Wish I had something useful to add. I sleep like a log, but that's partly due to the meds I take for depression. I never found much use for melatonin, but it does seem to work for a lot of people. I never understood why the phrase "sleep like a baby" is a simile for sleeping well. What, you woke up every 2 hours wet, hungry and screaming? Doesn't sound very restful to me.

Awesome idea about the mouse speed! The user will think it's the mouse battery . . . . I've seen people screenshot the home screen on a smartphone, then leave the screenshot open, causing endless frustration as the phone's owner wonders why in the hell the touch screen suddenly isn't working.

Please share your best April Fools' tricks! Nothing (too) destructive, and (I probably shouldn't have to add this, but-) nothing that will land someone in the hospital. I have a prankster buddy here at work; we delight in messing with each other. For example, he knows I hate bananas, so one night after I'd left he threw a half-eaten one in my trash can. Place smelled foul the next day. I retaliated the following Friday by leaving some Gorgonzola cheese in one of his desk drawers. I've also done the Diet Coke-soy sauce swap. Always fun if you know a cola addict.

Seeing this thread just completely made my afternoon! Hugs and love to everyone, and extra thanks to Lorraine for starting it. God, I feel old!

He does have a great voice. I could listen to him read the dictionary. (Which, and it does pain me a little to say it, would be more interesting than his travel narratives. Anyone's travel narratives - unless you were along for the trip, other people's vacations aren't interesting enough to warrant hours/pages of prose).

The pan flute. He's Zamfir's successor.

Really, I just can't be bothered to overanalyze the whole situation. Circumstances change, people change. We all, inclusive of Neil, Geddy, and Alex, thought Rush was done after the events of 1998. But we got another 15 years. These guys have given their all to their fanbase. 100% every show, every night. But they're in their 60s, for chrissakes. If one or more of them wants to call it a day - they have f***ing earned it! Too many assumptions. These three have always respected and supported one another, but that doesn't mean they're not individuals. IMO, they're handling everything with class and dignity, as they always have. No petty infighting or squabbling as happens with other acts.

This. Patton Oswalt's bit about that dreadful, stomach-churning song "Christmas Shoes". I am literally crying with laughter! http://youtu.be/iq10bz3PxyY

Interesting turn this thread took! I was a little out of my mind when I started it....that part of the album has been on repeat in my head for a few days.... I was feeling a bit maudlin.

When Mylo went down And we sat and we cried on the phone He was the first of our own Some of us go down in a blaze of obscurity Some of us go down in a haze of publicity The price of empathy* The edge of insanity *lyric slightly altered for personal reasons

So that means you're both "the golden one" and "scarred from birth"! Sorry. I don't much care for that particular song, but I had to....

You sure know how to woo a woman. ;) Considering it's his ex-wife, I don't think he was trying to woo....

I do give home-baked goods to a lot of people I am close to. My dad and both grandmothers- they don't need anything, but they LOVE the Mexican wedding cookies I make. Seriously, Dad has ruined his Christmas dinner appetite with these. He is crazy for them and if I give them too early, before dinner, he tears into them and gets stuffed. I love being able to do something so simple that brings so much delight. I get a lot of joy out of exchanging gifts with people most beloved. But the obligatory stuff? Just a way to avoid drama. Sometimes it's a matter of deciding that Christmas isn't a fun hill to on which to die.

Meaning, are there people in your life who you may not really care much for, but for whatever reason you find yourself grudgingly forking over bux every Christmas to get them a gift. (I've re-gifted in such instances as well). I know - it totally violates the spirit of generosity that is SUPPOSED to be the motivation. But sometimes it's just the wiser move to make. A smallish gesture to keep the peace. Do you bother? And what sort of gifts do you give these people? My personal favorite is a Hickory Farms box. Nothing says "I don't much like you, but got you a gift anyway so you don't spend the rest of the year talking trash about how I didn't give you anything" like warm cheese and calcified summer sausage!

Much better than looking like an old Neil Peart. (He was hot in his youth - hasn't aged so well). Me? First time using FaceTime - had a great chat with a very close friend who lives in DE. I gave him a tour of my office....

Well said Pat! I'm damn good too. You should not have given up! Let's start a progressive blues band in Texas! Now that I'm divorced I am going to focus on finding a high quality band. No time or need for a woman. Been there done that. "No Woman No Cry" Love, Bob Marley You got divorced???? Damn, I have been away for a while! Sorry to hear that, Earl.

I remember this shit. I reread through the first couple of pages. Will go through it more thoroughly later The CP thread on the topic was a classic as well. They took to calling the original complainant "Hose Mechanic". And proceeded to brutalize him in the way that only CPers could.

Really wonderful friends who keep reminding me that it's okay to lean on them when I am having a tough time. Invaluable.

Thanks. It's still kind of roller coastery. I know I am better off cutting a narcissist out of my life, but I still often find myself missing him something fierce. Or rather, I miss who he was pretending to be. But I smile and laugh a LOT more now, even though it's only been a week. I am much more engaged and I know, rather than simply hope, that it will get easier.

Strange times we live in. Can't take anyone at face value anymore. There is a lot of truth to the old sayings: Appearances are deceiving and You can't judge a book by its cover. Yes, but Google can be your friend! (And in his case - your enemy). :D

Not today, but yesterday. Trying to heal from a bad relationship. I cut contact totally, even changed the phone number I've had for 15 freakin' years. I'm slowly seeing improvement, but there are times when it's really hard. In oneof those moments yesterday, I did a Google search....let's just say the results were shocking and not all at once. It confirmed some stuff I suspected and something I never knew. The latter is uproariously funny precisely because it's so pathetic. It was a mood lifter! I am keeping a screenshot of what I found. Not to do anything nefarious, but it's something I can look at whenever I need a reminder that I am well shot of this individual. And eventually I will delete.