A friend of mine and her adopted sister have very different coloring (the sister's complexion is a bit darker than mine, my friend has light brown hair and green eyes), and even that difference is enough to makes introductions interesting (even though there are actual blood-related siblings I can think of who look at least as different).

I've got fairly dark coloring, and my sister has dark blonde/light brown hair, greenish eyes, and gets freckles in the summer. When we were younger and spending a lot of time outside in the summer, I'd tan pretty dark, and she'd stay pale or burned or maybe get a little bit tan, and the sun would bleach her hair pretty light. In pictures of the two of us together at the end of a summer, there's no way we look related, let alone sisters.

(My hair used to get these great red streaks from the sun in the summer. I wish it still did that -- I loved that red color.)

My hair used to get these great red streaks from the sun in the summer. I wish it still did that -- I loved that red color.

Mine too. I have no idea if it'd do it still. I guess not, but I hardly spend the same amount of time outside.

Okay, I got on top of a task that's been dragging and pretty much force-fed it to the next team down the stream, and still my big task is nowhere to be seen.

And y'all are slow as molasses.

y'all are slow as molasses.

Yeah, what's up with that? When I'm on the board's night shift, it makes sense. But what's the excuse now?

My excuse is I've been discussing dinner with my parents. I think we've settled on takeout from the pan-Asian place. I think I'm getting Thai curry.

My excuse is I've been discussing dinner

You had to have a good excuse? Oh, well.

Timelies all!

:waves to Nilly:

I have two first cousins, on my mom's side. (None on my dad's)

My mom's the only brown-eyed, freckly redhead in her family (she takes after her grandmother)--the rest are all Black Irish (dark hair, skin that tans, eyes of varying hues not brown). My niece got the red hair (from both Mom and my SIL's mother, who was northern Italian from the Alpine region, so she had red hair instead of the stereotypical black) as well.

I've also been whining about my sunburn while my extremely pale mother tells me that it's not a real sunburn, it's just that my skin is slightly pink. Whatever it is, it's itchy. And also asymmetrical, which possibly bothers me more -- I only got burned on my right shoulder and the right side of my neck.

Oh, I hate asymmetrical burns!! The only good thing about a burn like that is that you have the option of sleeping on the unburned side.

ION, an excellent profile of Rachel Maddow.

Free criminal searches on anyone! Do you really know who people are?

Well, I guess it's public info. I did find my brother in there.....