Mal: Well, look at this! Appears we got here just in the nick of time. What does that make us? Zoe: Big damn heroes, sir.

'Safe'


What Happens in Natter 35 Stays in Natter 35  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


quester - May 11, 2005 5:18:45 pm PDT #3487 of 10001
Danger is my middle name, only I spell it R. u. t. h. - Tina Belcher.

Zenkitty, I'm putting together a graduation gift for one of my neices too. I've done it twice now, for her older siblings. I put together a bunch of stuff they can use at college but might not think of themselves, but I try to tailor it to their personalities. I put in things like those little reading lights, book holders, book marks, an address book, a toy, etc.

This niece is getting a couple of strange things. I slept in her room when I was up there for the holidays and she has posters of Orlando Bloom and Sponge Bob Squarepants. So she's getting a homemade Sponge Bob picture frame holding a picture of Orlando Bloom. Also, a Sponge Bob toothbrush.


Zenkitty - May 11, 2005 5:20:44 pm PDT #3488 of 10001
Every now and then, I think I might actually be a little odd.

Excellent ideas! Thank you, mighty Buffistas. Where do I put the sacrifice?


Jesse - May 11, 2005 5:21:51 pm PDT #3489 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Picture frames are good for going off to college, too.


sarameg - May 11, 2005 5:24:25 pm PDT #3490 of 10001

Oh! Those frameless glass 5x7 frames from IKEA. I LOVE those. I have a bunch of postcards collected from various points in my life that I've put in them. It makes for nice "art." Or Art.

Can they please make nonstick covers for balance balls? Sticking to the plastic ouch!


Jesse - May 11, 2005 5:28:38 pm PDT #3491 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

I have to say, my mom gave me the best high school graduation present ever -- she collected advice from a ton of people, including current college students, about leaving home/living with roommates/being in college. I think she asked people I was close to, but also people she knew would be funny. She compiled it all, and got a calligrapher friend to make the cover, but you could just do it on a computer. That was a fabulous present. A pain in the ass to do, but not a lot of money.

Some favorite bits: If you don't have enough money for drinks and dinner, get a bloody mary. The drink + celery + bar nuts is practically a meal! Also, second hand from someone's dad: Tell your date you only drink Chivas, and you won't get drunk and taken advantage of. You won't like the taste, and he won't want to pay for much of it!


sarameg - May 11, 2005 5:34:13 pm PDT #3492 of 10001

That reminds me: my brother is a poor grad student with a family (though well paid for a grad student.) He's found a good way to get free lunches. Seminars. Being a MAJOR Neurosciences university, it gets the supercatered type seminars nearly daily. He only hesitates when he enters the hall and everyone is wearing doctor's coats. Otherwise, he doesn't hesitate to fake it.

Sometimes, he even finds it relevent to his work (some alzheimers, but now I think he's more towards cancer.)

And yes, he sneaks leftoevers out.


Jesse - May 11, 2005 5:36:04 pm PDT #3493 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

This is the problem with my school: we have brown bag seminars. Hmph.


Gudanov - May 11, 2005 5:36:15 pm PDT #3494 of 10001
Coding and Sleeping

Sorry, Gud, we did kind of geek out on you there didn't we.

Don't be sorry, I didn't mean to sound like it was a problem. I had fun meeting you guys. Nothing wrong with a little theater talk, it's just I don't have much to contribute unless I start making things up.


sarameg - May 11, 2005 5:43:00 pm PDT #3495 of 10001

It's all about the funding. UAB gets so much that when they accept a grad student in this program, the tuition is covered and the student gets a $20+K stipend. It's a sweet deal. And the only way my brother could do it.

OK, I'm watching what seems to be a SuperNanny reunion special. Why? I don't know. But I'm unnerved. I guess I had good parents (who were educators) and all my babysitting and nannying experience informs me, but so freaking much seems like Duh! Of course, I'm not a parent. But jeez, the behavior that is tolerated! And the fact that some of these parents seem so adrift and passive. Oy. It seems common sense to me. t /judgy


Allyson - May 11, 2005 5:45:35 pm PDT #3496 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica

And the gay people put up with this?

Okay. So this is a weird thing that used to happen to me all the time in college. A huge pool of my friends were gay men. A lot of them expressed desire to have sex with me, or make out with me.

"Allyson, you're just so pretty. I would sleep with you, if you wanted me to. Do you want to?"

What the fuck was that all about? I sort of made up my mind that because it was early in the college years, and they were just coming out of the closet, the dudes I knew were just unsure of how to express affection without it being sexual in nature. But i could be wrong, often am.