I have now escalated and have left messages for 3 of the people I need things from in addition to the emails. I leave tomorrow evening on a business trip, I really need answers on these things before I leave for work tomorrow.

My favorite raccoon encounter was when I was in Princeton for my brother's wedding back in 1988. We were at the campus for some pre-wedding deal (the ceremony itself was at the university chapel--awesome setting!), and we saw a family of two adult and two baby raccoons, just strolling down the sidewalk surrounded by students doing the same. They were so blase about being that close to humans that I was amazed.

I feel your pain, msbelle. I have left messages for several people. I need to hear back from them tomorrow. I fear it may not happen.

Timelies all!

Well, my folks have made it back ok from their trip to New Zealand and Australia.(guess they weren't on flight 815 :))

There was an Animal Planet documentary called Cheeky Monkeys that shows up every once in a while, about the urban monkeys in South Africa. Think raccoons, only give them real opposable thumbs, and the tendency to descend in troops of 30-40, and you can get a fearsome level of destructiveness that would make you long for the halcyon days of skunks, bears and so on.

Here is where they are getting all of that crap. If men are forced to choose between "someone who is funny" and "somone who thinks you are funny" they choose the one who thinks they are funny, and they are especially prone to do this if they are thinking of a long-term relationship. If women are given the same choice, they choose the partner who is funny over one who thinks they are funny. But both men and women would prefer to have someone who is funny AND who appreciates their humor, so the whole thing is a slight of hand.

See, now THAT's really interesting, and totally rings true to me.

Are there any plebian masses at the Bellagio?

Oh hells yes -- there are plebian masses everywhere you go in Vegas.

For the last 15 minutes, I've been fantasizing about a hot cup of tea, while sitting on my sofa looking through a Crate & Barrel catalogue.

That sounds like an excellent fantasy.

Me, I don't need fantasies, because I have 75% off Valentine's candy!!!!

Oh, and best of luck to katefate and Megan's MIL. Kate, a friend of mine just had her gall bladder out, and it's made a world of difference.

I just made myself a pasta dish from a new cookbook, pasta with carmelized onions and blue cheese. Like onions. Like pasta. Am a little suspicious of, but generally like blue cheese. The dish however, I didn't like. It was way too sweet. The cats won't even look at it.

Back to the drawing board for dinner.

I just made myself a pasta dish from a new cookbook

Wouldn't it be a bit, I don't know, stodgy?

Wouldn't it be a bit, I don't know, stodgy?

High in fibre!