Ha ha! I know what you mean. I only heard the retraction/ letters to the editor bit or I would have probably fallen for it also.

You realize that was an April Fool's article, right? Gotcha.

In case you missed Hardball w/ Chris Matthews, this was pretty rad:
[youtube 7gSxCYlvbKs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gSxCYlvbKs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL youtube]

SIMPSON: Who the hell is for abortion? I don’t know anybody running around with a sign that says, “Have an abortion! They’re wonderful!” They’re hideous, but they’re a deeply intimate and personal decision, and I don’t think men legislators should even vote on the issue.

Then you’ve got homosexuality, you’ve got Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We have homophobes on our party. That’s disgusting to me. We’re all human beings. We’re all God’s children. Now if they’re going to get off on that stuff—Santorum has said some cruel things—cruel, cruel things—about homosexuals. Ask him about it; see if he attributes the cruelness of his remarks years ago. Foul.

Now if that’s the kind of guys that are going to be on my ticket, you know, it makes you sort out hard what Reagan said, you know, “Stick with your folks.” But, I’m not sticking with people who are homophobic, anti-women, moral values—while you’re diddling your secretary while you’re giving a speech on moral values? Come on, get off of it.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/11/alan-simpson-...

Thank you for your gentle words. Yes, I can be bad about bottling things up. I admit to being that way naturally, ( when I was a teen and asked my mom what 'stoic' meant her usual response of "Look it up" was amended to add "you're stoic." I was secretly so pleased because I was reading an article about Robert Redford and he was stoic and I was stoic and oh my gosh we're soo alike swoon.) but lately my usual outlets have dried up a bit ....my mom and family have been dealing with their own grief and I lost a lot of friends in the "divorce." I try to screw up the courage to post here seeking advice, but most of the time I back down, feel out of the loop, shy etc.

Thanks again.

Thank you for your response. I was away at..... my grandma's house or I could have responded sooner.
Yes, the vacuum thing... need to be better about that. I admit I'm the sort who has sort of floated along the river of life (cheesy!) taking things as they come. It can reduce the stresses of life, but yes, not very conducive striking out onto one's own deliberate path. I also think this has been compounded by my (for awhile there) perpetual state of grief and depression after this series of losses.

My uncle really does want the best for me and to live a full life. That's why I was so shocked by his response. We are all very liberal progressive, artistic, fairly unconventional people, so to find myself asking "What is this 1811? Have I really become the spinster older sister groomed to take care of my elders in their dotage??"

Well, anyway, I did receive a call from a job prospect today, so that's looking promising.
Thanks again for your kind words. I have read a few of your advice responses to others and you have a way of really seeing what's going on and giving great constructive advice.

Thank you for responding. I didn't mean to post and run, but funny enough, have just left my grandma's house (crying that I was leaving no less) after a couple of days companionship. "Mission creep" is a good way to put it. Went down there for lunch which then turned into "I can stay one night" which turned into two nights. Mission creep indeed.

I can relate to the living a "3/4 life" thing. A few years ago,I moved back to the area where I grew up. My partner wanted to finish a college degree and it happened to be closer to my family, so it seemed like a good thing to do.

A few months in he dumped me for a girl in his photography class (classic, right?) then I lost my job and a few months later my grandpa had to have emergency surgery. I was very close to my grandpa a mentor and all around buddy. Since I was out of work, and had nothing else going for me, I was called upon/ volunteered to help out with what started out to be to be recovery from the surgery, and then suddenly it became the Hospice suicide/death train. "All aboard! Everyone has got to be supportive! Whoo, whooo!"

My grandfather didn't want to be a burden to us, but the fallout after his death has been surprisingly hard. It has left my grandma bereft and adrift and I've been helping her a lot. While my family does their share working around job schedules and long distances, it has left me feeling stunted, held back in a way. It's been difficult to look for jobs and the gap on my resume is ever widening. Hardly even think about socializing anymore.

Now, I'm to the point of not having enough money to keep my apartment and I was considering moving to get a job. When last talked to my uncle for advice about my situation he sort of implied that I shouldn't move so that I could care for my grandma to prevent any regrets that I might have if I were to move away and her condition deteriorates. (she is healthy as a horse, just lonely mostly)

Sorry this turned into a disjointed novel. Guess I had more bottled up than I thought.
Anyway I can relate to staring down a half lived life and all the energy caring for someone else's mental (or physical ) stability can take out of you.

I hope you can find the right balance. I hope you can have a candid discussion with your mom about this. I think she will understand that you need to have a life at times separate from hers.
Not easy. Not fair.

Ahh! I just rambled my way through an interview and lived to tell about it.
Even though I'm facing the increasingly real possibility of losing my apartment due to lack of funds/ employment, should I reward myself by splurging on Thai food lunch?

ลาก่อนโอเคขอบคุณ

It's NPS Fee Free Week Apr. 16-24 assuming the shut down doesn't occur/ends. (Also June, Sept, and Nov have free days.) http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Duude, I know. They are little jewel boxes of fruit. The queen of fruits. The most delightfully messy essence of sweetness. Southeast Asia why are you so far away???
You're the one going to Hong Kong? is it? Please eat everything in sight. At a table and chairs set up in the middle of a street late one night in HK I had a dish of little rounds of eggplant slices that were stuffed(?) with a sort of mashed up fish mixture that I still think about. Sounds weird, but it was very good.

I have been kinda hating my name and avatar lately though. Might be time for a change.