I think Bobbi just won the gross stories war.

...I....what?? WHY?

Because the inventor invented them to clean the ears of his baby daughter, who was named Gay.

Vortex - I like that idea. We'll go with that.

Someday my slow connection will give me the adorable Lily Bean and I will die of the cute.

Meanwhile, my cat Ivan is sitting over the keyboard and meowing at me. I'm making beef stew and he assures me that is perfect food for felines. (This was made more difficult to type by the Cat Ivan lying down on the keyboard.) Thanks, Ivan.//////////////////////////////////0

I haven't been able to get online all weekend until now. It's been very frustrating.

Oh dear me. I skip and skim and end up reading all the gross out stories. Serves me right for skipping, I guess.

Vortex - I like that idea. We'll go with that.

no, it's actually true [link]

Oh, good loward, people, with the gross bug and mouse stories. I think if I found a mouse or a giant bug in my food-making devices, I'd have to move.

In general I approve and even enjoy the co-opting of words for other purposes, but I sigh that we can no longer use the word "gay" in its original meaning without someone giggling like an adolescent. (Okay, sometimes it is me.)

I'm eating a salad. Willingly, even. I'm not exercising as much now because it's too cold to walk outside, and then there was that awful week sitting with my mom at the nursing home that still casts its pall of misery over my life, and so naturally I've gained about seven pounds, all in my belly of course, undoing most of the weight-loss work I did this summer, and now none of my winter clothes fit. I am distressed over this enough to eat... leaves. Leaves.

I swear, every time I hit post I find a typo.

Because the inventor invented them to clean the ears of his baby daughter, who was named Gay.

Ahhh. They mentioned that he invented them when he saw his wife using cotton wool wrapped around a toothpick to clean the baby's ears, but they left out the bit about her name. That makes sense.

Gross food story (whitefonted) - it happened to a customer at a restaurant a friend worked at.

Customer gets a cup of coffee with her food. She stays for hours - each time she almost finishes the coffee my friend fills her cup. Finally she gets ready to go and for the first time finishes the cup. A roach had been steeping in the coffee the whole time....

Nuthin' they could do to get that customer to ever come back....

What Condition 1 weather in Antarctica is like: [link] (video)

I love the woman's laughing.