I wonder, if you find being offended a problem, if offending back lightens that (evening out the playing field) or worsens it (sets off a spiral, perhaps).

Hurting people has never been an effective coping mechanism for me. Well, you know what I mean. Hurting them emotionally doesn't help me feel better. Which is why I ask.

I do understand what you are asking. I don't know that I have a very good answer for you. I think sometimes it does feel like leveling the playing field and at other times is just escalates things in a bad way.

Normally I do tend to walk away as opposed to escalating.

Not ND, but I know I made my share of crude jokes over the weekend. But, despite the fact that I share his feeling of being offended by others' religions, if I make a religious joke, it's not because I want to offend someone who is religious -- I make the joke because I think it's funny, and because I know at least some others will also think it's funny.

Now, those jokes quite probably offend some others to a certain degree, but for myself (and I'm sure this rankles as much as the offensive joke), I don't particularly care if someone else is offended by my sense of humor. And yes, this goes for people I care about, including close friends and family.

Not that I'm sure what, if any point I'm trying to make.

Sean, I tend to be pre-emptively offended by you. It saves on the cleaning bills.

Sean, I tend to be pre-emptively offended by you. It saves on the cleaning bills.

And, of course, I you. But that's mostly because of the smell.

Whose smell I can't say for sure, but I'm definitely offended by the smell.

Can y'all start selling offense futures? Because I can see a thriving market here (not to mention, I could use the cash).

If there's cash to be made, I'm keeping for myself. I've got a golden calf to finance over here.

I've got a golden calf to finance over here.

(puts in big buy order for offense futures)

Sean, insent. Pop on IM and I'll explain.

Catching up, in Palm Springs:

You'd be surprised how much People Don't Know.

Hee. Brenda, this is so true, no matter the topic.

I've had many dreams about losing my teeth. But I only loose about four or five, max.

I dreamt of losing two, the other day. It was very realistic, and disturbing when I woke up (but I was glad that they were not, in fact, gone, when I woke up. That would've been much MORE disturbing)

He also rememberd to wish for her a PREHENSILE TAI

I dunno, a prehensile tail would be freaky, but kinda damn cool.

She made us promise not to starve her to death

Personally, I hope if I'm ever in that situation, someone will conveniently miscalculate my morphine dosage rather than starve me to death, but ya know. If that's what she wants, I'd agree to do it. Or not do it. As the case may be. And hope it never comes to that.

asking her if she has any test-taking strategies to recommend to him (or for us to recommend to him), beyond the typical go to bed early; eat well;

I don't usually eat breakfast. And my first big chem test in college, I decided "I'm going to get up early and go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast, because that's good for you". I ended up puking in the middle of the test. Heh.

I find it interesting that one never hears comments like this about Purim, or Yom Kippur, or Diwali, or Ramadan

Well, duh. Cause they're not exactly celebrated by the vast majority of Americans.

while playing basketball. Luckily, they were all reattached successfully.

Wow. That is super freaky and disturbing.

What if you use half of a scissors to cut the pants in half?

I believe you would then have much cursing and frustration.

Leif grabbed a sharpie this weekend and wrote "Leif" and a smiley face on his hand

Isn't he, like, two?? He can write his own name?!? Wow!