am i first?

OMG, when Nate offered to take that guy's dog, I bawled my eyes out.

drunken donating. that's a new one.

you are so innnovative.

further proof that you are the best thing to happen to wine since boxes.

While I can appreciate the opportunities for humor that your affliction provides your loyal readers, the mom in me is truly worried about your inability to sleep, missy.

Although this latest tragedy is certain to make all of us insomniacs for awhile, you seem to have had this issue for a bit. (I remember something about tying up tomato plants with yarn at some ungodly time of the morning?)

Just expressing my loving concern for your health. Maybe you should check with a doctor about this inability to sleep well.

Thanks for reminding us, we all need to keep the donations going...for a long time to come.

You rock, Aunt Purl!

Though, have we yet heard the story about the "cameltoe"?? I mean, maybe we have and I have simply forgotten. Cuz me and my memory, I tell ya. Though I did just find out why I'm having the ole memory problem just yesterday in fact ... some article just stated that eating right and exercise helps with that. Yeah. Oh well. Me, chocolate, and knitting while just sitting ... heading off to oblivion, oh yes we are.

Laurie,
I'm sure you weren't the only one drunk-dial-donating. So don't feel bad or embarrassed. In the end, did you feel better? I bet the answer is yes.
Now all you need is a commuting-buddy to help make sure you've got your sh*t together in the morning and to provide a sympathetic shoulder to loll on at night. May he be *hot*!

drunk donating:) we should pass around bottles to everybody and maybe this planet would be a better place eh?

Oh Purl. We were watching the Oprah at work and we were just sobbing. SOB-BING. Bawling like someone had told three little girls there'd never be Christmas again. Or pancakes. Or WINE!

one thing though, with you and the not sleeping? Not that I would ever deny someone wine or advocate any sort of abstinence for fully grown adult women.... BUT.... alcohol does jack up your sleep patterns especially if you're drinking right before bed. Or drinking a lot. Like a boxfull. I only tell you this cause I love you.

but otherwise, you're right. It's only the fact that I can't get off work and can't afford not to be working that I'm not driving to NOLA right this minute to do whatever I can, even if that's only giving out hugs. and gum. But I'll give money and I'll send my prayers and have to live with just that.

Thanks ya'll for the concern -- I was doing better with the sleeping until this happened. I was going to bed early, so that when I wake up at my usual 3-4 a.m., it felt like I was just an "early riser" instead of a "zombie of the night."

This weekend I'll break out the sleeping pills, that should help. They say this newfangled thing called "exercise" helps, but it sounds very hard. Bleh.

In all the news lately, I'm rather glad I don't have a tee-vee. The NPR newsreports provide enough imagery for me, I think I too would lose it if I had the visuals to go along with them. Maybe that's the secret, hear it on the radio, see it on the internet, avoid overwhelming sadness by never putting the two together. I do love me some Oprah though...

I also love playing the "whose tail/paws/face is that" when my cats sleep all clumped together. Is it just me or is Roy bear-hugging Bob's tail?

So why doesn't Oprah take some of her BILLIONS and build a city for these people??? Hell just selling her Hermes purse on EBAY could support me for a year!!!
Oh..I heard to day that Anderson Cooper is like majorly loaded...Gloria Vanderbilts only kid!! Yowser!!....

I would think with all of this not sleeping you are doing that you would find the time to write me an email! Just saying....

Seriously though, I hope you are doing OK. I worry about you. Well really, I worry about how the cats are doing. You are not keeping them up at night by turning on all of the lights just because you can't sleep are you?

Oh and also - buy the cats some bacon. Honestly - all this talk of "bringing home the bacon and frying it up too" - the cats say it is all a lie, they have not seen or smelled any of that much talked about bacon. They are disappointed.

I am so glad that I am in good company. I have been having a hard time sleeping lately also. I was this way after 9/11 (but knew people in the building...they all got out). I have donated money (sober) and donated clothes but I still feel I need to so something else. It is comforting to know that there are others out there that feel the same way...oh, and cried because of Oprah.

Good to hear Laurie, that the sleeping thing is under control. May I recommend Hyland's Calms Forte Sleep Aid? It's an herbal thing (like camomile tea.)

My ex-grandmother-in-law (a very sweet, Southern woman from Georgia) recommended them to me a long time ago and they work great for when you're stressed or sleepless.

Laurie, YOU can come and drink wine with me anytime! Careful with those sleeping pills.

Actually, I'd rather hear about the KA. Or the adjunct history professsor. And Jaycees? Girls join the Jaycee-ettes. Or did when I was growing up. Maybe the Jaycees have achieved enlightenment since then.

Really, the exercise thing works. It's an ancient secret. You tire yourself out in a different way than can be achieved by knitting, drinking, or working. Then your body says, "Yay, I am ready for lots of sleep." And you wake up more refreshed than usual, if not exactly as happy go lucky as when you were six.

Oh that Oprah - I Tivo her too, don't be ashamed! That episode was amazing - I also cried when Nate talked to the man who almost lost his dog...love Nate!

Laurie, you said that if you buy the right bra, things just fall into place.
I thought the idea of a bra was that things didn't fall, they sat up nice and proud....

Yes, I too Tivo Oprah. That episode was horrifying to watch, but the thing that put me over the top was the guy and his dog. Not the dead bodies lying in the streets, not the baby raping, but the guy who wouldn't leave his DOG. That put me over the edge, and I cried like a little bitch.

I just put the Humane Society donation link on my site this morning! Yay for your drunk donation. On an ENTIRELY (sort of) different subject, I was school shopping with my cool boys on Monday and there at Zumiez (do you have those in your malls?) was an action figure of Crazy Cat Lady. I almost bought it for myself. You have to! If you will I will. It's this rubber figure of this lady in a trench coat with 6 little "action kitties" and a couple in her purse and coat pockets.

I had refused to watch television until Friday night. I was sucked into the horrible pictures and glued to story after story of tragedy. I actually was sobbing and talking to my television! You know what I did? Yes, I called and donated - before wine. But then I went to the craft store and bought this beautiful-soft, cushy, pretty, pretty, pretty yarn. Girl, I don't even knit. Now I have an overwhelming urge to......I don't even understand.......

Shari! You're going to knit! Through tragedy comes ... knitting! With soft yarn!

That is a good thing :)

LeAnne... no freaking way, there's a crazy cat lady action figure?

I. Must. Have. It.

Drunk dial away girl!

I've seen the Crazy Cat Lady action figure. It rocks! But why's she gotta be crazy? Maybe she's just really, really kind.

Or maybe she had a lot of wine and drunk adopted all those cats.

Laurie, I love you! I'm so sorry to hear about your insomnia, but thank you for the laughs. The head lolling picture is hilarious - though it definitely sucks to be the lollee (see my recent blog entry about "the picker").

Heh, I must get the Crazy Cat Lady action figure!

http://www.stupid.com/stat/CCLF.html

I'll put it next to my Warrior Woman action figure (from Road Warrior) and call it "Me: Fantasy vs. Me: Reality". Which is which you ask? Let's just say I have 3 cats and no crossbow.

I love how one lolling guy is a redhead and the other is a greyhead, just like Bob and Roy. Perfect.

At least you know that if you get all hopped up on sleeping pills, you won't be in any condition to dial.

ps, I would also like to hear the cameltoe story!

Let's just say someone, definitely not me, and someone else, a friend, were possibly drunk and called another friend. And someone from the drunk team may have shouted a bit loudly in the background about cameltoe, mostly as an informative and also HELPFUL tip, as a good friend would never do, unless of course she were drunk and stupid, and then Friend With Cameltoe got very mad (obviously) and started calling drunk dialers "spawn of satan" or, alternately, "I will tell everyone about the time you made out with Ugly Guy on the hayride!"

So, you know, drunk + dialing rarely mix well....

I hear you - just a bit too much wine and I hopped right on the internets and opened up my little wallet! If I did this every time I felt the need to drunk dial, no one in the world would want for anything.

Good luck with the sleeping. I love the wine but I find that sleepytime tea can be a helpful psychological cue to (put down the wine glass, turn off the tv and) go to bed.

Thank you for one of the best cat photos I've ever seen... it's so comforting, and cheered me up immensely.
And yes, that story about the man and his dog ~ I will never forget that. Ever.

I would've drunkdial donated, but my credit card is already too close to maxed out and I still have a ticket to Ireland to buy for my [non crazy aunt purl]auntie's 60th birthday, though I don't know if I can even get the days off and this damn country and and and...
I dunno. CAP...your blogs get eerily close to what's in my head [minus the cats, which I'm not yet responsible enough to have].

Eh, I'm an insomniac too. I was before the hurricane, but it's gotten so much worse since this happened. Between the tv and the internets and my feeling particularly far away from the South these days way up here in NYC - I can stay up all night AND be an early riser too! I just wish i could put all this no sleeping energy to work where people need it.

That is exactly why I don't sleep on buses, either. Forget the head lolling - imagine if your MOUTH FALLS OPEN! Oh my god, and there you are, head lolling around with your mouth open, looking like a clown on one of those bean bag games.

Dear lord. No thank you. I live in fear of the same on planes, even on cross-country flights.

My husband and his old C.G. buddies call it "Drink & Dial". It's only funny IF the calls come in before 1:00 a.m.!

Hey Crazy Aunt Purl,

Well, you just summed up all of my feelings about the Hurricane right there. So mad and upset and yeah, drunk dialing does pay off.

You ROCK! And I also read your comment on Yarnegedden and that's exactly how I feel. Thanks for being so gracious and well written when I couldn't.

Okay, so I have to have the Crazy Cat Lady action figure, but did ya'll see the Talking Pregnant Trailer Trash Doll at stupid.com?
http://www.stupid.com/stat/TTTR.html

She has a cigarette dangling from her mouth?! What a scream!

And don't even get me started on the Toad Purse. Thanks for the laughs!

Girl-- I saw that episode! I did okay until the boy who would not leave his dog part too. I lost it and was in tears when fussed at my entire family for making fun of me for wanting to foster a hurricane pet (we were on vacation together). When you have 5 pets what is one or two more for a few weeks. I would want someone to do the same for me.