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Curious, what is everyone's least favorite Christmas song? Everyone has at least one. Mine is Last Christmas.

I am so relieved I made it through my first American Thanksgiving. I never used to bother with it, since Father always thought it was a silly excuse for gluttony. But now I have married an American, and I did not make a fool of myself with his family. I am very pleased.

Thank you for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, mom. You're the best. Sit and relax and I'll take care of the dishes. Siblings? Bella? I enlist your help.

Anyone have solutions to writer's block?

Happy.

Despite writing paranormal mysteries, I have no plans for Halloween. Go figure.

One bonus of being stuck indoors while my thoughts were on display, was that I did a great deal of writing. I just turned in my next novel.

Kind of glad I got left out of this round of crazy. People don't need to know that I attempt to diagnose them while I talk to them. It'll just make me seem like a jerk, and I don't want that kind of reputation.

I fell asleep while doing homework and I'm pretty sure I had some of those dreams everyone keeps talking about. I'm really unlucky in my dreams. I'm twelve and keep getting attached by monsters. First, we were on a field trip and some girl was bullying me and somehow water from a nearby fountain blasted her. Then my teacher turned into some kind of giant bat with fangs and my other teacher gave me a pen that turned into a sword and I destroyed her. Later I heard my teacher and my friend talking about how I was in danger. When I went home at the end of the school year, my mom was married to this real slob. He had to be the biggest asshole I've ever seen. So, then my mom and I went to Montauk for a few days and my friend, Grover showed up, but he was different than I'd remembered. Turns out he was a satyr. We left Montauk and got attacked by a Minotaur. It wound up doing something to my mom and in a burst of anger, I cut off it's horn then killed it then I passed out. Then I woke up in the infirmary or something and there was a girl that looked like Annabeth.

If it weren't for the fact that I almost cut my face off when the pen I was going to continue my homework with turned into a sword, I would have thought I'd been playing too many video games lately.

There are weeks when moving away feels like a really smart idea.

Sometimes I wonder why I volunteer on my free days at the hospital, then it's the little things that remind me it's worth it. The kind words, the smile on the lips of an old woman who knows she doesn't have much time left and enjoys passing on her stories to anyone who will listen. It's those moments that make me smile.

Despite the fact my house is miles from anyone I have decorated for the first time in over... well a long long time. I guess I felt the pull of the season.


Canaan
I'm craving non-terminal patient company. How's about we hit up a good exotic food place and mourn the fact it's not as good as in it's native country?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a vet that is good with rabbits? Most of the vets I've been to seem to have little knowledge about them at all.

[Turin]
How are you feeling? How have the dreams been?

If you ever decide to rob a convenience store for the first time, be careful about when you do it and who's inside. If you get shot with your own gun do not try to cauterize the wound with a hair curler instead of going to the hospital. A+ for creativity, F for giving yourself second degree burns inside a gunshot wound.

Also, if a crazy man comes at you with a stick and you have a gun, watch your ass because there's a reason he thinks he can take you.

Needless to say these master criminals were caught.

These dreams are just charming, aren't they? I must've spent five entire minutes this morning looking for grey hairs, because I'm certain they're going to turn up, especially if this continues.

Three bloody years in one night. Three. I'm going to start getting wrinkles and die an old maid, just like Mother always threatened.

I am never drinking again.

This is just strange.

If I didn't know any better I would say that in my professional opinion the man I am living with is going through a mid-life crises. The cherry red car showed up on it's own though, so I don't think I can really classify it as such. In the mean time? I will pass it off as one of his endearing quirks.

I really don't think I could write anything quite as weird as the past few weeks have been. Fortunately, I haven't seen anything that is specific to my genre.

Finally, Beleg Cuthalion's day has come! An opportunity to pew pew within the boundaries of a city! TRIUMPH!

Is it bad if they drool on you or is it only if they bite you? Or is it not the same?

When I got home last night from my boyfriend's apartment, I said goodnight to my father. When I awoke this morning, he was gone.

He had been ill for some time, and I had been expecting it. I have completed the necessary rituals like 末期の水, matsugo-no-mizu (moistening his lips with water) and closing our 仏壇, our shrine, against evil spirits. However, I now must contend with the logistics for helping distant relatives fly here from Japan and making sure all goes well with the authorities.

Therefore, I ask. (1) Would anyone happen to work at a hotel or know a good one where I might get a group rate? (2) I have not been able to find an answer - is an autopsy required? I would not want it. (3) I had other business - namely a real estate closing - which was to happen this week, and now it must be pushed back. Do I simply contact my lawyer?

I am sorry to trouble the network with such broad questions. I have studied funeral customs and how to properly handle Father's resting place; I have not studied mundane details.

( Private to Turin and Logan )

TURIN TURAMBAR, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!!!

It just keeps talking to me. Talking and talking.

The nightmares came back full force last night. I refuse to call them dreams. They're nightmares.
Seems like some things mirror my life, which hardly seems fair.

I am curious about something. Do Western people celebrate their birthdays once they are no longer children? Because we always have, and my father forgot mine, and I am more hurt than I should be.

It's probably about time I introduced myself on this thing! I'm not really computer savvy or anything, but I think I have the hang of the network. My name is Faelivrin and I just moved back to Orange County after visiting my family in France. I'm 29 years old and a widow as well. Is that too personal? Oh well. I don't know how these things are supposed to go.

Thank God I don't have to go to work this week. I'm going to do nothing but sleep and bathe for the next three days. If anyone needs me, I'll probably be scrubbing under my nails.

Private to Turin
Except I owe you a drink, still. How's tomorrow work?

Private to Alex Summers
How are you doing? That was a hell of a light show.

I'm in need of a lawyer on a family matter. It's very complicated and very personal.

Research for my next book is going well. I might have gotten a little distracted. It was worth it. I'll probably never see her again. Usually works out that way...

Good day, good people of the valar net! I'm Beleg, and I'm new to the network and to the area. I don't expect that people will know or remember me hi Turin, but I also star in a on-again, off-again web series: Beleg Cuthalion - Big Bow Hunter. It's chronicling my outdoor adventures tracking and hunting with various really big bows and how I have fun cheating death. I firmly believe that hunting's only fun and truly sporting when it's equally dangerous and your prey can run you down and eat your face off!

Alas! It would be on more of a regular schedule, if I could only stop bleeding.

If there's any sort of good hunting grounds or other archery enthusiasts out there, let's meet up and try to get our faces eaten off, together!