"Well, do you have any money, dear?"

Yes. That's right.

"Well, do you have any money, dear?"

That was the humiliating question posed to me by my mother, or as my father calls her, my benefactress. I should say he calls her that in between his riotous, hooting gay laughter at my expense over the other end of the telephone.

And the answer to that question was no.

I know. It is pathetic. But is actually not my fault this time! For reasons cannot explain or even quite comprehend but due to circumstances almost entirely out of own control, have not been paid since November 15th. Which has elicited this reaction from me:

 
Consequently, am a pauper, and without benefactress, would be destitute and this would be me in a matter of days:

That's right. I'd be raggedly and poor on the streets like Éponine, wailing about being on my own or similar, stealing from people and being scrappy but lovable tragic hero etc. Except would not die in act of heroism but more likely from starvation owing to fear of being caught stealing. Hmm. Poverty diet on whole new level? Would probably be very thin after few months on streets. Hmm, no, though. See fat homeless people all the time (good shelter food?).




Hmm, what else... ohh, I knowww...

 KATIE'S BIRTHDAY!

In other news, yesterday waaaas only one of the greatest people EVER's birthday, my sister Katie!

Hurrah!! Left her birthday card while I was home that was received, I hear, with TEARS! Ha! Success!! Not sure why tears at birthday cards are my family's united goal every card-holiday, but they are. So in the success meter, mine obviously ranks very highly.

Only sucky part is missing birthday festivities with them. Cannot believe has only been a mere 13 days since Shannon and I came home!

So, to my family, a million of these, courtesy of me via Teresa Giudice:

Speaking of Shannon, I also apparently inadvertently guilted her into calling Ta Ta more often. So this is my special shout out to the lovely Ta Ta, Mom Mom, and Pop Pop down in the big Stratford En-Jay. I do what I can, Ta Ta! Love y'all...

It is snowing in the lamplight outside my window right now and I feel like, since I live in Europe, should do something like make tea and sit in window with book and watch the snow fall. Will probably end up making tea and watching bad reality TV, but it's a good start. See y'all later.