{{{Sean and S}}}

I have no advice for surviving rural TN. Just remember you don't have to live there.

LOVE my Roomba. Do not currently have it. Floor covered in cereal.

Mal and I spent all day doing the zoo thing. He loved riding the metro, even the underground parts. For those he flirted with everyone, just like he would do in Athens. He pretty much loved the zoo also. I was *this* close to buying him a stuffed naked mole rat.

We saw the pandas splashing in the water, and somewhere billytea felt a cold shudder as a woman said, "Is that a wallaby?" and her friend said, "No, it's an oryx."

I am tired.

Bananas and OJ, Sean.

Potatoes have a decent amount of potassium too, don't they?

I was *this* close to buying him a stuffed naked mole rat.

Dude, we have one! So does billytea.

Dude, we have one! So does billytea.

Neither of these surprise me.

We ended up with a stuffed Pallas Cat. I'm trying to think of a name other than Athena. Mal is now sleeping with the "kitty" clutched tightly to him.

Pallas Cat.

Those are the ones that, on first glance, could pass as housecats, right? They're nifty.

Yep - "Oh hai - does you has a pika 4 me?" [link]

"Oh hai - does you has a pika 4 me?"

"Giv me ur pikas & nobudy getz hurted!"

I have no advice for surviving rural TN. Just remember you don't have to live there.

This exactly. I go to rural TN a few times per year (my parents live about 2-3 hours west of N'ville). I do a lot of daydreaming so I don't have to pay attention to conversations. I also turn the conversations around to cute nieces/nephews because everyone can agree on cute babies/kids. And, I always remember that I will get to go home in a few days.

For those really big mistakes:

[link]

I'm sure you and S will make the right decision, Sean. Much ~ma to both of you. Yeah bananas. Go bananas!

what's the most graceful way to avoid a hug?

There've been some good suggestions. I'm a hugger, but I try to be sensitive not to hug when people aren't comfortable with it. If someone puts their hand out to shake, I pretty much take that as a cue that shaking is what will be happpening. If someone says that they don't shake, I would respond that I do.

And joining in to say that I'm DED of the Matilda cute. I think that's the best picture of Matilda that I've seen. It really captures the adorableness that she is, and her very positive energy.