But raw carrots have that outer/inner ring thing going. I used to love eating the outer ring first and then the inner ring when I was younger.

I thought I was the only one who did this. I've been successful with baby carrots too, but you have to work much harder at it. I'm usually not patient enough.

And yummy Betsy. Those ginger carrots sound too wonderful. I'll have to make them next time I visit my mom, who's a ginger freak.

David Brin, whatever his political stance, is known as a hard SF writer as well. I loved Startide Rising and The Uplift War, although the subsequent novels became too self-indulgent hard to follow, and I don't think I ever finished the series.

One or two salient points: Crichton defenders of Polter Cow's ilk are dead to me. Corpses littering the battlefield of science -vs- sensationalistic pseudo-science scare tactics, each of them. Crichton is Stephen King, with a metric ruler.

CJ Cherryh has an amazing ability to invoke science, without committing any. I particularly love how her hyperspace is a condition in which metaphysical things may happen in the minds of her people. The key to loving her books is that you have to abandon what you want it to be about. A Cherryh novel's "what it is about" will smack you upside the head the next morning, while you are riding public transportation, or driving to work.

He said.

But raw carrots have that outer/inner ring thing going. I used to love eating the outer ring first and then the inner ring when I was younger.

I thought I was the only one who did this. I've been successful with baby carrots too, but you have to work much harder at it. I'm usually not patient enough.

Ooh, I do this too! Do either of you eat Twix so that it breaks off just where the little holes are? The ones in the cookie part, I mean. (If you do this, you'll know what I mean -- if you don't, then I seem very insane right now.) I've always wondered why those little holes are there. Something about keeping the caramel connected to the cookie? But I'd think the chocolate should do that.

On the "said" debate, I was an English major and I'm in favor of variety or nothing. Said for every single quote is boring and often just plain inaccurate. Don't remember my English profs telling me one way or the other on it though, so that's just my opinion. Does remind me of my English teachers always telling us not to use words like "nice" because they don't add anything. If you're going to use a word, make it something with meaning. Or just let your quote stand for itself. Or write scripts and then you don't have to worry about the whole problem quite so much.

Crichton is Stephen King, with a metric ruler.

I think Stephen King is a talented writer, and especially enjoy his short stories and novellas (the stories in Skeleton Crew and Different Seasons are my favorites). I don't see any similarities between King and Crichton.

Do either of you eat Twix so that it breaks off just where the little holes are? The ones in the cookie part, I mean. (If you do this, you'll know what I mean -- if you don't, then I seem very insane right now.)

Sorry. I'm actually not all that fond of Twix. But I do pull off the edges of Reeses peanut butter cups, where the chocolate is thicker before it hits peanut butter. I don't know if this counts, but there you are.

Trudy, I am here.

I am not attacking Stephen King. I'm saying that Crichton's use of science has more in common with SK's use of the rules horror than it does with the use of science.

t does happy dance of Gus Is Here

You still alarming/titilating the housekeeping staff?

(Trudy, there is now a story I will someday tell you. You will be less alarmed than titillated, I warrant.)