How much do I love Crazy Aunt Purl?

She had me at white trash drama magnet. Oh yes, White Trash is NOT a Southern thang, er, thing. The white trashiest people I ever lived near were our downstairs neighbors in Redondo Beach. They were from Chicago or someplace Midwestern. Major pre-kids California newlywed flashback. I feel her pain. Their general white trash drama was accompanied by black eyes and screaming. Discussion question: You are pretty sure the manager of the building is beating the shit out of his wife and kid regularly, but you live there and he has a key to your apartment. And you are frequently alone there while your husband travels on business. And don't have any friends you can call/stay with except your insane drunk mother-in-law. And this is all pre-cellphones and Internet, and when much of law enforcement was still mired in the opinion that domestics were not worth bothering with. (Wait, has that changed?) Jeez, thanks Laurie, I'd blocked that particular memory until now.

But Kitty Carlisle! (See Aug. 8) I hadn't thought of Kitty Carlisle since I don't know when, but yes, she was the game show goddess of wit and cool for those of us who watched way too much TV. Which I also do, and proudly. It's one thing to be shallow and watch crap TV because you don't know any better, it's another to know better and choose to adopt shallow as a lifestyle choice. Been down that intellectual road. Give me Dancing with the Stars! And how on earth is this girl old enough to remember KC?

Work is good, crazy busy. The Cranky Cupcakes (hereinafter the Testycakes) are surprising me. The one I'd pegged as the real badass who would hold out against change is now just trying to get along, and the one I'd thought would try to get along is being very sulky and quiet. Whatever. I have more on my plate than I can handle, this is not my business unless it overlaps my business. I just hate working in office tension - we have enough outside sources of tension.

Boy is settling in up in Asheville, I can't wait to go visit in October. He says they are running a flophouse through November - this is the price of living in the heart of all the cool stuff. I'm going in October, haven't decided which week. They already have an October booking, so I'll squeeze it in before or after that guest room occupancy.

So I am on the Yarn Wagon until that visit. God knows, I do NOT need yarn. I have enough to keep me and six other people busy. I'm saving money for tourist things like the Biltmore of course, and for hits on the yarn shops, and Earth Guild because hell, it's so "where old hippies go to craft," I know I will love it and never want to leave.