What would you say if they went to Albany first, instead of contracting with the workers? They're going to Albany anyway. I suspect you'd find legislative approval of the new age limit before union agreement more weaselly.

I suspect you can't actually read my mind.

The city is not in this negotiation. The MTA is a state org.

The mayor appoints board members. The city's involvment is not direct but it's influence exits. Check out the West Side Stadium debacle for a good example.

Oh, also useful (in concept) in cases where I know my brother would absolutely love a thingamasocketplugamprotorgear crankshaft to make his car go faster/louder/make farting sounds, except he's the car person, not me so I'd most certainly buy the wrong thing.

So I paypal-ed (finally got it to work!) him $100 to spend at his favorite online parts dealer and told him I'm going to wrap up his dirty socks under the tree to stand in if the part hasn't arrived by christmas.

they are afraid of me (which I think they are, in a general way, because I have sophistication coming out of my bottom, you know)

Well, that is smellier than normal sophistication, so how can you blame them?

Me and my family are exchanging gifts from our last travels, it seems. Since my sister and I travelled together, I haven't gotten her anything. I feel bad. My mother, it seems, has gotten me a salwar kameez and other clothes, jewelry and a dagger, so it's the best Christmas ever.

OTOH, there's a pretty specific law from the 1970s to the effect that wiretapping in excess of 15 days without a FISA (or other) warrant is a big no-no.

Getting FISA warrants is almost a rubber stamp, so I gotta wonder what the heck are they doing that they won't even go to FISA. OTOH, this administration probably classifies the kind of dog food the first dog gets, so maybe it's just them being paranoid.

I love gift cards. As long as they're for places I frequent. I have this tendency to just buy things as I want them, which is hell on anyone trying to shop for me.

I love gift cards. Part of this is due to the fact that my family rarely knows what to buy me, especially regarding clothes. I'd prefer as elegant, tailored, dark, and timeless as possible. Mom and Sis's idea of Clothes for Calli tend toward pastels, bright florals, and, in one memorable shirt, pastels with bright florals surrounded by gold puffy glitter. There may have been allegedy cute animals involved in some way, too. Or maybe I'm conflating gift flashbacks. Mom says my taste is boring. I say standing in return lines is pretty dull, too.

However, Mom did come through with a long black leather coat last year, so I may have finally convinced her that I'm not Pastel Floral woman.

I love a mother that buys her daughter a dagger.

I'm going to split with my wife and proclaim that I am pro-gift card in a lot of cases. Especially people who aren't close enough to know my callous and arbitrary tastes.

I find them portable, flexible and (if approved by a shadowy secret court) entirely constitutional.

But please, keep it generic, people. Amazon.com - yes. Unicorns.com - no.

Getting FISA warrants is almost a rubber stamp, so I gotta wonder what the heck are they doing that they won't even go to FISA.

Yeah, that creeps me out big time.

Ha HA! I'm not going to have to go in for a final tomorrow night. That is AWESOME. I love the fact that even though the University says they're open, my academic dean says it's "unacceptable" to make us come in for a test.