I read that as a man, some cake, and some gin, which would also be okay.

I'll call the local shelters. I'm pretty much in love with him already but ... I don't want his tail anywhere near me because I'm a total wuss like that.

Just promise me when the vet starts to take him from the room you'll yell OFF with his tail! like the Red Queen or something. I'd hate to miss an opportunity like that.

Makes it a hell of a lot easier to leave when it all goes to hell.

Yyyyeah. Or even degrades gracefully. If there were a sort of sub-marriage, like, "I take thee to live with for a few years, but I don't really think it'll last forever, let's just see how it goes," I might save it for marriage. But I had a great time living with a guy whom I'm quite glad I didn't marry.

Edited: whom.

I want Keith Olbermann and some chocolate frosting. What?

This may not be new, but I just had to jump ahead to show Googoth [link] to Jilli. Unfortunately, the actual search seems a bit clunky.

Oh! Emily! There are no comics in the package I sent you, because apparenlty they're skipping this month. I meant to tell you that in the message last night, but I was kind of out of it.

No problem, vw.

I need to write an essay about why I want to work with high-needs children. And the thing is, I do, but I don't know how to say why without sounding either self-aggrandizing or idealistic in a way that implies that I don't know the reality of the situation.

Sorry to angst out every tiny detail of the job-hunting process here. I just don't really have anything else going on in my life. Oh god, how depressing is that?

Must hunt for my good-hair photos. I wonder where the hell I put them last time?

Ok. So, I just created consent forms for the research I'm doing next week. My dad's response? "These are scary. I understand that this is the way 'the game is played' in research, but you better be prepared to explain to your grandparents why you need these."

So, um, grandpa and grandma, I need these to save my ass in the future. What the hell am I supposed to say to them? "I'm trying to do this right, so please, please, pretty please, sign these forms."?

I guess so. Yeah.

I need to write an essay about why I want to work with high-needs children. And the thing is, I do, but I don't know how to say why without sounding either self-aggrandizing or idealistic in a way that implies that I don't know the reality of the situation.

Well, you enjoy the challenge. And you feel you can learn the most as a teacher by working with them. And you like your work to have an impact.

Can you explain to them that, for obvious and well-proven reasons (Tuskegee airmen), there's a big system in place to protect research subjects and, for not quite as obvious reasons, you interviewing them causes them to fall under this big umbrella of "research subjects"? Or do you want it shorter?

Yesterday, I locked myself out of the apartment. Acrossthehall!Teacher being gone for the week, I rang the bell of her next-door neighbors, whom I've barely seen. One of the little boys, maybe 7, came and answered the door, but he didn't recognize me, so I asked him to go get one of his parents. I mean, *I* know I really live there and could prove it once I got inside, but I'd rather stand outside all day than try to persuade this kid out of his good sense in not opening the door to people he doesn't recognize.

Er. That's kind of a roundabout analogy, but you see what I mean. They're not signing it because they're in any danger at all of being exploited or misused -- they're signing it because other people might be in that danger, so this is the system.