My kids are 11 and almost 18 (!!!!!). We still have child locks on the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms. Now we view them as earthquake safety devices.

Make the volume control inaccessible. Your ears will thank you. D thought it was great fun to stand in front of the stereo, hit buttons until the bass-y-est station came on and CRANK that sucker up and down. And since the tv used the same speakers, you'd unsuspectingly turn on the tv later and practically get blown across the room.

I hate those people. I try to believe I do not share space with them.

Still, I'm proud to know that I'm squarely in the prime fine-furniture-buying years. It gives me a powerful sense of identity that I feel my generation has always lacked.

I think we're pretty close to the same age. Should I mention that I'm now considering buying a purple plastic bouncey ball from the toy section of Target to use as a footrest at my desk?

Should I mention that I'm now considering buying a purple plastic bouncey ball from the toy section of Target to use as a footrest at my desk?

Awesome! I'd steal the idea, but I've found that with the big red bouncy ball chair, feet on the ground is desperately important.

The people who had to remove their designer chairs with "razor-sharp edges" when they had a kid... what about before they had kids, when regular old klutzy people like me came to visit?

Ahahahahaha. People like me would commit accidental suicide on those chairs.

Jessica, the clear DVD guards here worked very well for us at first. They keep the buttons and stuff out of reach of little ones until they figure out how to get past them. We used them for our DVR and DVD player.

Good luck with the mobility. Remember, soon he will be faster than you--and better rested. The object of babyproofing isn't so much stopping them as slowing them down until you can prevent tragedy.

I hate the NYTimes's "lifestyle" articles.

One of the most tedious things I ever saw in that section was a photo spread of Lee Radzwill's OLD fifty room Park Avenue apartment and Lee Radzwill's NEW fifty room Park Avenue apartment, the purpose of which was an indepth analysis of what objects d'art and antiques she had included in the new residence and precisely how.

Crazy Polish roommate was kvelling over the thing.

I was all, "So she moved and... took her stuff?"

Jessica - love the crawling baby video.

Just got my google alert for Dekalb - all shooting news. (Usually it's small with a local sports update or something to do with local government.)

They've released the names of the five victims:

Daniel Parmenter, age 20, last of Westchester, Ill.
Catalina Garcia, age 20, last of Cicero, Ill.
Ryanne Mace, age 19, last of Carpentersville, Ill.
Julianna Gehant (pronounced Ghee-hant), age 32, last of Mendota, Ill.
Gayle Dubowski, age 20, last of Carol Stream, Ill.

And the shooter was a former grad student who had transferred to U of I but who wasn't considered a red flag but he had apparently been on meds then gone off meds and started to behave erratically.

Oh gawd - this is so infuriating I'm not even sure I should post it....

Saudi Arabia is one screwed up, vile little backwater of a barbarous craphole. You have to read the case of Fawza Falih.

She has been condemned to death. By beheading.

She has been beaten to the point of hospitalization during her incarceration.

The authorities have a signed confession, which she has not had read to her.

She didn't read what she signed, either, because she's illiterate.

She and her representatives were not allowed to attend much of the trial.

And the crime for which she is to be executed? Witchcraft. She is accused of casting a spell that caused a man to become impotent, and threatening to cause people to be possessed by dogs.

[link]

I feel ill....