He hasn't lost a lick of his Boston accent, and I felt weirdly soothed that he was the boss for this reason alone, which is not based in any rational thought.

It is nice to hear it. When I'm watching something totally unrelated to Boston (sometimes, even when it is related, as so many people are immigrants to this area) and I hear the accent, I feel like I am at home. Which, I mean, I am. But it is nice to hear. Even dear old Mumbles Menino, whose accent does not come from this planet.

To answer Cindy's question, yes I am pretty sure Bratton spent like 8 years in NYC as their head police honcho before moving to LA.

That dude is hella stupid. Of course, I remember in the DC area a woman kneeled on the tracks (no car) outside of Reston and was a suicide by train, and it so messed up train service and so traumatized the train drivers that politicoes went on the news to beg people to kill themselves some other way.

aurelia, does your friend have somewhere else to stay?

She's welcome to stay with me, but I suspect she'll stay with the live-in boyfriend.

I've never written a congressperson before? Any advice?

Don't threaten anyone and include your name and address. And what Maria said about e-mail.

I have to drive today and I'll be getting home late. I'm gonna lose my shoveled out parking space, aren't I?

I've heard of suicide-by-train in many cities. Apparantly New York is the best/fastest at cleaning up the mess and resuming normal subway service - I've heard it takes them about an hour.

As long as we're appealing to the Collective Buffista Brain ("the size of a planet!"), what is the brandname of the ultra-expensive gas stove that basically stays hot all the time? I think it's made in England.

I might as well start my stove-shopping from the top down.

It stays hot the whole time? That's not a fire hazard?

Too rich for my phoneline, in my case. Dialup

You don't need a fast internet connection to use an MP3 player.

Also -- I don't get how they're a lot of work. But I ripped all my CDs way before I got one, so I guess my barrier to entry was low. Once you have ripped, though, it's not much work. And the ripping effort is on par with playing the CD once -- so your ROI appears pretty quickly.

what is the brandname of the ultra-expensive gas stove that basically stays hot all the time? I think it's made in England.

Betsy would know. I recall that she has the stove lust. I think it was French or Swedish, though.

It's an Aga. And I want one, for no good reason at all.

what is the brandname of the ultra-expensive gas stove that basically stays hot all the time? I think it's made in England.

Aga?

Arrrrgh! Brenda beat me by TWO seconds! Damn you, wee Brenda! You win this time!

what is the brandname of the ultra-expensive gas stove that basically stays hot all the time? I think it's made in England.

It's not Viking? Those are made in Mississippi.

When I lived in Chico, it was common knowledge (so, possibly not true at all) that about one person a year died on the train tracks that ran through town. I can certainly remember one who was just a drunk kid who couldn't quite make it home one night and lay down on the tracks. There was no derailing or anything.