Great article, Lisa!

---

Erika has a new tag.

---

Nora, I've been having this terrible, completely irrational feeling that you guy you knew who killed himself is a friend I've lost touch with who lives up there. (He talked about suicide sometimes when we were close and has a family history of it so it's not totally random.) Did the guy you know have a little boy by any chance?

(and I guess what I should really do is make more of an effort to get in touch with him. He was one of my best friends in grad school but we had a kind of complicated relationship and stopped communicating a year or so he moved back to Mass.)

---

Thanks. Marvin is pretty taggable, although I miss the days when I could hear that and congratulate us for, you know, coming to our senses and etc.

---

I don't think he did. He was Irish, if that helps.

---

He was Irish, if that helps.

Okay. no. Irish descent but from NC. thanks. I'm sorry for the real guy's people though. it just sucks.

---

You Massachusettites (that can't be right) are the ones that our various Insurance Commisioners (the last three of whom, at least, spent some time in jail (while still serving), inspiring the initiative requiring convicted felons to step down from elected office (it didn't pass)) hold up as examples of what will happen here if we impose any regulations at all on insurance companies.

Yes, of course, we still get insured, and if all y'all (not just LA, but the other states, too) followed suit, the insurers would have no choice but to adapt to the consumer protection regulations, or go out of business.

This post was mostly an excuse to abuse parentheses. They've been getting above their station, lately.

I am so naturally disposed to parentheticality that I was surprised to find I had to focus to follow along, but follow along I did.

Aidan is going to turn two years old in three days, right Deena? Ogh. Time is a thief. I hope you and the babies feel better, soon.

I will have to admit that there is still schmoopiness going on, I'm just better at keeping it somewhat contained.

Damn! I don't like the containment. I like to hear about Teh Schmoop! Well, your schmoop. Bitch Schmoop.

What. Nora. Said.

---

Yes, of course, we still get insured, and if all y'all (not just LA, but the other states, too) followed suit, the insurers would have no choice but to adapt to the consumer protection regulations, or go out of business.

FWIW, the insurance business as a whole is more strictly regulated than any other type of business. EVER. I'm not saying abuses don't occur, but more often than not, the insurance companies are held accountable in some way.

The Very Large and Well Known Insurance Co. DH works for pays out 98 cents on every dollar of premium it takes in (according to last year's figures). Its profits come from carefully investing (no high risk per regulation) and buying bonds. When insurance companies take in much more premiums than they pay out in claims, they are forced to lower their rates by state insurance commissions.

---

You are totally holding out on us about the cheerleader pictures!

Ha! I don't usually full on dress like a cheerleader. Sometimes I just use pompoms. Here's a kind of older picture:

[link]

---

Yay, lisah!! What does the skirt you have look like?

Damn! I don't like the containment. I like to hear about Teh Schmoop! Well, your schmoop. Bitch Schmoop.

Okay, here's a bit o'schmoop that happened Sat. night. We were at dinner with a bunch of friends (Kathy Astrom among them!) and we were talking about getting ourselves nominated for What Not to Wear or Queer Eye for the Straight Girl. A friend said that we all cleaned up too well to qualify. I said that it took work and looked at the BF and said, "Tell them what I looked like at 10 this morning." Without missing a beat, he looked at me and said, "Great." It melted me.

---