In perfectly sane and not-weird-at-all news, where the HELL did I leave my distance glasses?

car.

Yes, this. I am a freak, by most people's definitions. And I know when things are appropriate and when they aren't.

What would you wear to court? (this is not a snarky question)

Some of the others were adamant that they should "be themselves". Neither choice as "un-adult."

Actually the second is a profoundly un-adult choice. Do you want to have people listen to you or do you want to express yourself? The two are sometimes mutually exclusive. An adult has several different selves which he/she can adapt to the occasion.

Jilli wears Jilliclothes to job interviews partly because she's warning the employer that this is the woman they're hiring. There are occasions that are grave enough that Jilli would dress civilian -- she just said as much.

One of our very cutest goths goes to interviews in, albeit toned down, Morticia-meets-Mary Poppins garb and we all find it delightful.

Yes, but I also work very, VERY hard at reassuring people that while I am Not Like Them, I am Not Dangerous. MJ hasn't managed that.

where the HELL did I leave my distance glasses?

Inside your purse? On top of your head?

So if I have to send a work e-mail basically reminding my internal clients that I'm currently sitting on my ass because they haven't sent me anything to work on, what is the preferred approach?

A) I wanted to make sure you got the list of questions I sent last week. I will be in the office at these times, blah blah blah.

B) I wanted to remind you that I've reached the end of the edits I can make to the Handbook That Ate Tokyo. As soon as you send me more information, I can finish making changes and prepare it for publication.

Sure. But Jackson is in fact famously estranged from most of his family and hangs out primarily with his entourage.

That depends on which family member is being interviewed.

Who do you want to defend next? Howard Hughes? Elvis?

As soon as one is indicted I'll let you know.

the defense of sleeping with children *while under suspicion of child molestation*

Why should an innocent man change innocent behavior? Woudn't that be suspicous? (maybe not the call I'd make, but not a reach either)

And Farrah is a drunk.

What would you wear to court? (this is not a snarky question)

Black wool ankle-length trumpet skirt w/ lace trim, white high-collared blouse, Edwardian-style black wool riding jacket, and black flats. I wouldn't wear my hat, and I probably wouldn't wear the giant pointy rings because they make security guards nervous. So, an even-more toned-down version of my interview clothing.

Definitely B, Dana.

Why should an innocent man change innocent behavior?

Because sane people do not consider sharing a bed with non-related children to be innocent behavior.

In a seminar on early adolescent psychology I took, the presenter said that teenagers are sometimes hard to spot for signs of mental illness, because lots of natural parts of that age, such as severe mood swings, self-consciousness, obsessive behavior, are all normal. He said he was taught to go by the "back of the neck" test. If the person makes oyur hackles rise, pay attention. In other words, we as human beings have a sense for when others are "off" and we can tell the difference between eccentricities, which are a choice, and illness, which isn't, even though they can present in the same way. Healthy people react with suspicion to unhealthy behavior. The suspicion and name-calling and all of that "circus" behavior is horrible and I want no part of it, but it is understandable.

My feeling is that MJ is damaged, not merely unique, and to treat him (or anyone famous or monied or not) as just an interesting guy is bad for him. That's what his money has allowed to happen for years, and even if he has NEVER done anything sexual with a child, he still seems to have a horribly unhappy life. I wish he had someone around him who loved him to call him on his shit and that he had lots of therapy. I think his parents have a lot ot answer for, frankly.