I’m late getting this posted (of course), but smart and sassy Vanessa included my shopping tale on her new blog, The Aisle Files. It is a story of yarn and violence — go read it!

This Sunday is Father’s Day. Last week, my father finished paying child support.

My parents divorced 25 years ago. Eric (we’re not close; I haven’t talked to him in at least 10 years) was supposed to help support me, my brother and my sister financially. I haven’t read the divorce decree for several years, but I think he was supposed to continue that support until each of us turned 18. I’m the oldest; that would have been 14 years ago. My brother, the youngest, is now 28.

I don’t believe it was much more than $200 per child per month — so a $600 check was due every month until I turned 18. That’s not much. And, obviously, most of ‘em were never sent.

It took several other trips to court to get him to pay it, years after it was needed most. Strangely, Eric had been paying $200 a month the past few years, and then all of a sudden paid off the amount with, according to that schedule, a year to go. I hope he’s not bucking for a Father’s Day card. Besides, I already gave my mother her Father’s Day card last weekend when I saw her. (That’s a tradition my brother and I started several years ago.)

Think it’s too late to get Eric to pay off my student loans? He was supposed to help pay for college, too. I’ve been paying back student loans for the past 10 years.

I’m not a big music video fan. They rarely seem to go with the song … or make sense. Case in point, earlier today I watched Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” video (I still think he just has a stutter.) (Yes, I think Lady Gaga is a drag queen.) and thought it was a ridiculous. I mean, I get what he was going for, but … It’s 8 minutes of my life (8! minutes!) that I will never get back.

On the other hand, here’s a fantastically literal music video:

Here’s the original “Total Eclipse of the Heart” video. It’s scary either way.

(Via No Ordinary Rollercoaster)

Ellen DeGeneres delivered the 2009 commencement address at Tulane University. This year’s class is the “Katrina class” — the students displaced by Hurricane Katrina four years ago.

DeGeneres also appeared during Tulane’s 2006 commencement address.