Since Alex has attributed this post to my suggestion, I suppose I ought to say something more. I'll apologize in advance - so sorry. In general, I'm interested in the contrast between living in a hyper-individualistic culture, that is also a pressure cooker of conformity. We want to allow for differences in people of all sorts... while telling them how to behave, how to feel and what to think. As an online community and in general, we're narrowly broadminded and opinionated.

Whether voluntarily in life, or in death, we're loosed from our anger toward the people in the past. Acceptance and resolution are inevitable as we're shaken from our grasp of everything we thought was important in life. I haven't 'let go' as much as just gotten old and my anger faded with my memories. The diagnosis of cancer and chemo helped that process along. Forgiveness is another matter, preferable maybe, but not necessary. I have one (enabling) parent left; I'm trying to decide what is the right thing to do. I'm inclined to do nothing but I was amazed at how many of my friends were mildly horrified by my silence and apathy toward my mother. Those friends are also parents. I read the words 'the tyranny of the self-help culture' with some interest and let that roll around in my brain for awhile. But apart from the self-helpers/religious, I wonder how much of the pressure on others to 'reconcile' comes from parents, horrified at the idea that their children could walk away from them as adults and never return. As parents, even if they avoid their parent's mistakes, they'll make plenty of their own. What will the price be, they wonder? I strongly suggest they teach their children to 'forgive' early on, that human beings make mistakes and that parents are only human. I come from a long line of grudge holders and they're rather proud of it too. Forgiveness, whatever that means, was not an option.

tl:dr - I can't blame you

**wipes away tears of laughter** Oh man, that was funny and I hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet... so thanks for that. I wonder what setting she had on that curling iron? Like Tori, I have lots of fine textured hair. My iron goes up to 25; I have it set on 5. When I last bought a curling iron, I asked the women in the beauty supply place why the irons had such high settings; they said the higher settings were for women with more coarse hair; they needed the heat to penetrate. I have burned my face and scalp many times on just a 5 setting and I'm slow to heal. Why do women continue to do these things to themselves?

I admired her composure... I think she may have a future in comedy.

Pretty funny. I liked the croc in this one.
http://vimeo.com/54943110

When she had her son, she was only a year older than he is now; she hadn't finished growing up before becoming 'The Mommy'.

We've played these kinds of videos for the last two holiday seasons. This Christmas my husband found one on youtube that was three hours long. Every 20 minutes or so a log got added, or someone with a fireplace poker would poke at the logs then add wood. Other than the poking of embers and the popping of the resin though, it was a quiet experience. Commentary would not have improved the mood.

... because when you finally get to your campsite, you need a little something to get the attractions on the other side of the park.

Thanks, Miss C! My favorite remains the little owl, enjoying having its feathers stroked and head scratched. Awwww...

Until that day, I'll stand shoulder to shoulder with the Neatorama bloggers against the grinches, and they can pry my love of the humorous, the awesome, the weird, the adorable and the tasty, from my cold, dead heart. Booyah!