I loved last night when the puppies' Dad was briefly turning on a hair dryer to help them get used to new scarey sounds.

I find that if you go down the supermarket aisles with a knife clenched in your teeth, the other shoppers tend to get out of your way. It sure helps you get through your list faster, anyway.

Eureks Springs! My girlfriend's and I have chosen it several times for our girly weekends. One weekend was Lesbian Weekend and the irony was that our bi friend couldn't come that weekend.

We've had some fun times there. We stayed at the haunted hotel once, but not in the haunted room. In the off-season, it's pretty cheap. We had a whole B7B to ourselves once (not on purpose, just worked out that way.)

We always end the weekend getting treatments at one of the many spas. We've done the historical one, which was cool -- they put you in these Swedish hot tub looking things, except the top is covered, too -- only your head sticks out.

And then there was the hippie lesbian spa where the steamer was a 2010 looking egg you got in. Not great for clautros, but it steamed you up good, and then you took a shower with homemade mint shower gel, and then you got your massage with facial. It was cool. We were the only clients there on a Sunday morning, and it was really fun.

I was spanked as a kid, and everything I can remember was for uetter brattiness or potential harm to myself. I got whaled GOOD when my dad caught me poking a dead snake in the road and it turned to be (a) not dead and (b) a copperhead. He was scared shitless. It was all WHACK! NEver! (hug) WHACK! Never! (hug)

The dissappointed speech always CRUSHED me, and I don't think I was spanked over a certain age -- maybe 9? -- when grounding/THE SPEECH was more effective. And yes, when I was grounded, I lost reading, and that SUCKED ASS.

I got slapped once when I was twelve and mouthes off to my dad. I would have slapped me too. And my last ever spanking was when I was twelve and pushed my dad into the pool and he landed on another kid. I got spanked AT the pool.

And I, too, told my mom "Fuck you!" when I was 18. She kicked me out. (I was home from college and went to stay with my best friend.)

If I had kids, I would probably believe in the occasional spank. But I would model on my parents who always, always told me WHY I was getting spanked and it was never brutal -- I was always 5 or ten open-handed spanks on the bottom, clothed, and it smarted, but didn't HURT. And they always told me they loved me, and treated me like normal after. Like, "You did this, this is why we are doing this, do you understand? Ok -- spank -- now, hug and go sit in your room and think about this for a while, and dinner is in 15 minutes."

I was never spanked, and have no intention of ever spanking any future children I might have.

The most obvious reason I can think of for having "no spanking" laws is to prevent grey areas in child abuse cases.

In totally inappropriate auto-generated ads: one of the "related ads" links on the bottom of the NY Times topics page for Harvey Milk is for Hostess Snacks:

DUDE. So not ok. My only hope is that "cookies" pop up a lot too, you know?

I got spanked a couple of times. It was hardly the worst thing that happened to me.

I should have taken a bowie knife on my grocery store run. All three stores worth. When did currants become a rare, exotic item in US groceries?

When did currants become a rare, exotic item in US groceries?

I blame raisins.

I never spanked the boys in a deliberate manner, but have smacked them in the sudden urgent they are about to do something catastrophic manner. DH disagreed completely with my gentle nature with them, but he respected my wishes. I still get blamed by him and a while lot of other people for their failings because I was way too lenient with them. My neighbor always is telling me (joking) that I should have beat them, and that it isn't too late. Y'all can be amused at the thought of me putting my 6'5" son across my knee to spank him.

All I could do as a parent was follow my best instincts. Can't do what is right for other people.

ION, I still have no plan for Thanksgiving. I need to do something about that.

I blame raisins.

The big, wrinkled bullies.

Now I have to google currants to see what they are.

The big wrinkled bullies are prunes!

The only thing worse than Ding-Dong ads in Harvey Milk stories would be Kool-Aid showing up in some of the recent Jonestown articles....