Allie -- I'd leave it up to the actual people in the conversation to decide whether to take offense, as I'd trust they have a good idea what battles they want to fight. Though, depending on how kindly I felt towards Ms. Neo-Con, I might take her aside and point out that she might be inadvertantly giving offense -- phrasing it as a matter of Politeness might get her to evaluate how she speaks. Quite a few prejudiced people in my experience have little conscious bias towards those whom they are personally acquainted with -- it's the great faceless (brown, white, pink, yellow) masses that they lump together.

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't sure if it was AM or PM because I'd managed to turn off the alarm in my sleep. I'm only a third of the way through my coffee, and I'm already panicking about how it's almost gone. But I suppose if the god damn freezing wind didn't wake me up this morning, more coffee doesn't have a chance.

That's the thing, Theo... after the matter was brought to HR, they spoke with the other people in the conversation, all of whom said that they didn't take offense and that what she was saying made sense in the context of the conversation. C!N-C wasn't written up, but she did have to sign something that will go in her file.

The offended person also made a big deal of injecting herself in the conversation and showing how offended she was.

The offended person also made a big deal of injecting herself in the conversation and showing how offended she was.

The offended person is white? It seems like much ado over nothing to me. But then (as an example of the opposite thing), I'm pretty likely to say things that might sound offensive on the face of them, but which I trust the people I'm talking to to take as a joke.

No, the offended person was black.

Apparently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have moved to New Orleans. Huh.

I nominate this for Odd Headline of the Day: Escaped Chimp Gets Snack, Cleans Bathroom

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- An escaped chimpanzee at the Little Rock Zoo raided a kitchen cupboard and did a little cleaning with a toilet brush before sedatives knocked her out on top of a refrigerator.

The 120-pound primate, Judy, escaped yesterday into a service area when a zookeeper opened a door to her sleeping quarters, unaware the animal was still inside.

As keepers tried to woo Judy back into her cage, she rummaged through a refrigerator where chimp snacks are stored. She opened kitchen cupboards, pulled out juice and soft drinks and took a swig from bottles she managed to open.

Keeper Ann Rademacher says Judy went into the bathroom, picked up a toilet brush and cleaned the toilet. Rademacher says the 37-year-old Judy was a house pet before the zoo acquired her in 1988, so she may have been familiar with housekeeping chores. Judy wrung out a sponge and scrubbed down the fridge.

It took a couple of tries, but the zoo sedated the chimp, who fell asleep on top of the refrigerator with half a loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread she had pulled out of the freezer.

If anyone runs across an escaped chimp, could you show them to my bathroom?

Sounds like a case of "as ye sow, shall ye reap" for Ms Neo-Con. Which unfortunately is likely only to confirm to her that [random minority group] is touchy/out to get her instead of being a teachable moment where she could learn that her speech and attitudes can be offensive and need amending.

If anyone runs across an escaped chimp, could you show them to my bathroom?

Seriously! If it'll lure her to Chicago, I'm considering changing my tag back to, "It began with Judy, the obligatory chimp."

If the keepers don't start leaving cleaning supplies behind in Judy's cage for her future amusement, they're missing a bet.

::looks into attaching four sponges to my cat's feet::