Huh. I had strep almost non-stop as a baby.

Me too, there was much discussion about my tonsils and whether I really need them. I still have them, though.

As for cranberry sauce, we do the canned jellied stuff (but the classy one with whole fruit). We leave it in the can shape. No one eats it but my mother, and she frequently forgets it among the plethora of other food on the table. She will suddenly leap up, crying, “the cranberry sauce!” and we laugh.

Speaking of thanksgiving, what should I make for dessert this year? Mom makes dinner, and I make dessert. I always make carrot cake, cause my dad loves it. A few years ago, I got bored and made chocolate cheesecake too, and my mom loves it. Now, I bring both, and I’m bored with both. I have decided that I will tell them that I will make one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas, and then a dessert of my choice. So, what else should I make?

Project must be sent to Portland at noon my time. Just got an e-mail from someone I've never heard of before, asking if we can't change the name of the system, because he finds the name we're using "kind of a mouthful."

Oh, the rampant stupidity! That's some funny shit.

I, on the other hand, walked into the office this morning to discover some jackhole with a backhoe had severed the network connection between our buildings, and thus we get to spend ALL DAY hooking up the studio across the street with firewire drives full of files.

The only thing that can save this week is if this new snafu keeps me from attending our corporate retreat tomorrow.

I found a cookbook of old Maine recipes and it includes a pumpkin pie made with sliced pumpkin. I will be making that this year.

and thus we get to spend ALL DAY hooking up the studio across the street with firewire drives full of files.

How...exciting. You should pretend you're in a blockbuster movie, or something, and you have to get these files moved because the safety of the country depends on it! I recommend answering your cell phone periodically with the phrase "Hello? Oh, yes, Mr. President. It's quite an honor to speak to you."

We have antibiotics, oxygen tanks and glucose drips to today - not available in 1918.

Yes, but we don't have the nursing personnel to use and monitor them. That's one of the big worries: our healthcare system doesn't have the reserves to handle a pandemic.

I, on the other hand, walked into the office this morning to discover some jackhole with a backhoe had severed the network connection between our buildings, and thus we get to spend ALL DAY hooking up the studio across the street with firewire drives full of files.

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You should pretend you're in a blockbuster movie, or something, and you have to get these files moved because the safety of the country depends on it!

That really works best if you've spent years warning everybody about *exactly this* happening, but nobody would listen! Including the sheriff, who's been taking kickbacks from the backhoe drivers for years.

Now they have no choice but to bring you in to fix the mess they made. But watch out! They'll turn on you the first chance they get.

I, on the other hand, walked into the office this morning to discover some jackhole with a backhoe had severed the network connection between our buildings, and thus we get to spend ALL DAY hooking up the studio across the street with firewire drives full of files.

You should pretend you're in a blockbuster movie, or something, and you have to get these files moved because the safety of the country depends on it!

Or a Danny Kaye movie:

The Jackhole with the backhoe
Cut the wires for the files...

shrift, Dana, seriously? I'm impressed neither one of you is on a homicidal rage by now. Actually homicidal, I mean.

Vortex, I'm obsessed with things that are pumpkin-y, but not pumpkin pie: pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin cheesecake, like that.

Flu vaccine is my life right now (my office gives shots). I do know that the current vaccine does not protect against "avian flu" as it hasn't passed from human to human yet. (please forgive me if this has already been said). The other thing that is a pain in the ass is that someone or something (perhaps the drug companies) seem to be controlling the vaccine-- that is you could order 30,000 doses for next week, and then just not get them. Or get fewer and late and then have to throw it out because your clinic has passed.

Now they have no choice but to bring you in to fix the mess they made. But watch out! They'll turn on you the first chance they get.

Awesome. You know, she's a techie who doesn't play by the rules. Her partner was three days from retirement when that backhoe driver ran him over. Now she's out for revenge, and god help the people who get in her way.