I'm wondering if there would be any ethical issues that might come up that would cause problems. (e.g. birth control prescriptions, etc.)

I'd call and ask.

Ahhh, so many good short stories already mentioned.

Jilli, did you get that very nice hardcover illustrated (pen and ink) edition of "Homecoming" that came out a couple years ago?

Speaking of goth short story classics (it might be the optimal goth literary expression): "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner, "The Monkey's Paw"...

My favorite short story writer is Flannery O'Connor. While I do love "Good Country People," "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is the one that I will always love best.

My second favorite short story writer is I.B. Singer. He had a big influence on me. "Gimpel the Fool" is rightly his breakthrough masterpiece, but the most moving to me is "Taibele and her Demon." (Surprisingly similar to Joyce's "The Dead" now that I think of it.)

F. Scott Fitzgerald said that he was wiser in his writing than he was in his life and I felt that keenly in his very sad and rueful story "Babylon Revisited."

It's cool to see so many Harlan Ellison stories mentioned. I think he might go down as Bradbury's heir in a weird way. (They're both huge Oz fans.) My favorite of his, and the most chilling adult horror story I know is "All the Birds Come Home To Roost." The only story it reminds me of is another Bradbury masterpiece, "The Playground." (So freaking horrible! Ahhhh!)

I'm also a huge fan of Borges' puzzle pieces from Labyrinths, particularly "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," "Pierre Menard, The Real Author of the Quixote," "The Library of Babel."

Also love Hawthorne and Melville as short story writers.

Since Nutty tipped to South America I'll also mention my affection for Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "The Sea of Lost Time."

Jilli, did you get that very nice hardcover illustrated (pen and ink) edition of "Homecoming" that came out a couple years ago?

The one illustrated by Dave McKean? Yes I did. I'm pretty sure I made squeaky noises when I found it at the bookstore.

My favorite of his, and the most chilling adult horror story I know is "All the Birds Come Home To Roost."

I thought about that one, but Lonelyache cuts closer to the bone for me.

Which might say one or two things about me. Ahem.

Plays seem to occupy that space for me.

Plays do occupy so much of my reading time these days. There are day's, though, when I escape from the world and drown myself in literature.

It's on the The Allure of the Mean Friend

This is a family favorite. My mom has a Mean Friend and after the first time we heard it, it stuck.

I've never been treated at a religiously affiliated facility before.

Having been treated all over the US, I've never had an issue with this. (I think the only situation would have been birth control but it never came up.) Good luck finding a doctor. I usually take whoever looks good on paper (basically picking a name/gender/whatever that I like). Totally random but it usually works out okay.

Jesse - Iris is an Angelina Ballerina fan, if you're still looking. Profile addy is fine if you want any more info.

Middle School is perfect timing for southern gothic - Welty, O'Connor (AGMIHTF and Good Country People, but I'm going to the far wall and pimping "Parker's Back")

The lists above had my head nodding too. The McSweeney's collections have been really good lately. ... more in a sec. I have to go strip a bed.

OMGWTFBBQ: A coworker just called me from his house to where I am at the public service desk to ask me if I thought our mutual colleague was supporting her 3.5 month old's head well enough at the baby shower yesterday afternoon. I guess I am just glad he didn't call HER about it... he really seems to be losing it lately.

Short story I liked in 8th grade and don't think I've seen mentioned: The Devil and Daniel Webster.

How did the games go?

Well! It helped that my coworker's husband is a bit of a natural comedian. I had people fill out a slip suggesting a name and he read them aloud and then we all speculated as to what profession a child with that name would have (farmer, butcher, president, filmmaker...). I think my favorite suggestion was Barack Hussein Herlastname Hislastname...