there are some pretty decent boxed wines available. It's a great option if you can't finish a bottle in two days because the bag keeps the wine from turning.

Annabel story:

Annabel's new daycare teacher gives the kids weekly assignments: line leader, person in charge of turning lights on and off, etc. Last week Annabel was the weather reporter. Every day she'd tell us about the weather, something that continued into the weekend.

Monday the assignments changed. Annabel is the line leader now, and Olivia is the weather reporter. Annabel now refuses to have an opinion on the weather. Comment on how it's warmer than it's been in awhile or say that it's windy or raining, and she earnestly tells you that Olivia is weather reporter now. Yesterday when I was driving her home, NPR played a story from its Climate Connections series on the Norte Chico civilization of ancient Peru, and I said, "Listen, Annabel! They're starting a story about what the weather was like a long time ago." (This was before I caught on that weather is now a forbidden topic.) She was so long and voluble in her protestations that Olivia is weather reporter now, and she has a different job, and weather was just so last week for her that I didn't get to actually hear the story.

This, I suppose, is where whoever told me that the day would come when I'd wish Annabel would be quiet gets to say "I told you so."

Happy birthday, Kristin and Maria!

Awwww, I love the Annabel-refuses-to-tell-the-weather story!

hmm... my Healthy Choice entree's dessert (peaches) seems to be flavored with whiskey. "Whiskey with salt" is listed in the ingredients but nowhere (else) on the box does it indicate an alcohol-flavored sauce on my peaches. It's delicious but seems irresponsible to me. What if a recovering alcoholic unwittingly ate this?

Laga, I was out with a friend and he ordered pecan pie, and we had to send it back becasue after one bite he was like "there's alcohol in this and I need you to take it away from me".

yeah I just emailed the company. If I can save one person a trip back to rehab it'll be worth it.

The Post is calling VA for Obama. Is it a little early? Polls just closed...

Last I heard 42% of the precincts were reporting, and it was 60% Obama, 30% Clinton. Presumably the other 10% went to the other names on the ballot, including Richardson, Edwards, etc.

The Republican side was a lot closer between McCain and Huckabee, mainly because all the parts of VA that will secede if Obama's elected voted for Huckabee.

MD extended their polling hours due to weather.

And I still can't figure out super delegates. It's like our entire system is designed to throw as many obstacles in the way of the popular vote as possible.

They've also called DC, based on apparently no returns and no exit polls. Maybe they got the Washington State Republican Party to handle it?

Hi! I just skipped a couple thousand new posts since i dropped off the board in the process of moving to ask a question....

I have a new kitten! He is super sweet and adorable and all black except for a leetle bitty white bib on his chest, covered by the tag on his collar. Pretty much exactly the same coloring and markings as my 3 year old cat Nicodemus.

I need to name the kitten! He came with the name Dustin, but aside from thinking "dustbin?" that does NOT appeal to me. I've though about Nicholas or something else that would abbreviate to "Nico" so that i could call both cats the same thing, since they look so similar, but i think that might just be mean. Also considered Jayne because he has a bit of a swagger, and can be very aggressive about stalking Nico even though he is only 1/3rd the size...for now...but he seems awfully smart for a Jayne ;P

If YOU had a sweet and loving black cat, what would you name him? Looking for ideas here, help me brainstorm! Kthnx.

here are some of the boycat names I've been considering...

Cameron

Valentine

Valentino

Dave

Cthulu

Dib

Gir (too close to grr I think but then again maybe still good)

Captain Jack (Sparrow or Harkness, do cats need a last name?)

Robin (or indeed Robin Hood)

and the current front-runner is Ubu Bubu Kittyfuck. Is it worth getting sprung from the shelter if you get saddled with that moniker?