We can argue about whether she is upper middle class or rich. But I'm pretty sure what she is not is in "average" financial circumstances. I just thought it was funny that anyone would describe her has "average". If 150,000 a year is average, then is someone making 60K a year poor? How about someone making 35K a year? I mean I don't think her income says anything about her at all. She is a judge. She makes what judges make (including having a judges pension which is defined benefit and absolutely secure except in circumstances where her pension will be the least of her worries). The writer is being pretty unaware in describing her financial status as "average". I mean 90% of people her age have net worths ranging from negative to a few thousand dollars. Nobody with a million dollar net worth is "average". And it may just be an accident of property values rising, but it doesn't matter whether she was a genius an bought shrewdly, or bought a house she liked and it escalated. She owns a million buck house free and clear. That is not average, not even with 30,000 in debt, which in her case is a debt of less than three months pre-tax salary.

I'm pretty sure what she is not is in "average" financial circumstances.

Well, what the article says is her "finances look a lot like the average person's", which given the fact that she has no savings beyond enough to pay her outstanding debt, is pretty accurate. It says she owns a condo, but I didn't see where it says she owns it "free and clear".

I grew up in a neighborhood sometimes featured on Cops. That may take me beyond "of the people" into "of the hood."

Timelies all!

While I'm not sure if my upbringing would paint me as unsuitable for the Supreme Court, the fact that I go to science fiction conventions and have associated with known anarchists probably would.

Trimmin' the bust to make the tree look taller: [link]

From the people who brought you, An empty stable smells better than a full one: [link]

And, Sweaters should be bought not grown: [link]

crisis averted. Family we had verbally discussed a playdate with never called. I had called Thursday night and tried again Friday early evening. nothing. My brain, being what it is right now, had decided that they were backing out for any number of reasons. I had no idea how I was going to present it to mac, who despite being fairly unsophisticated, does think a lot is linked to him. Well, they just called and they were going to have to cancel unless we could move the playdate to our house, which we can and I did and now it is onnnnnnnn. 2 boys, 4 hours. and big sighs of relief.

How to shave your Groin?!?! That is hysterical. Also, is "groin" the correct term?

Also, is "groin" the correct term?

"Abdominal/naughty-bit interface"?

Apart, possibly, from this place, there's probably nothing to keep me from the SC. Now, high political office...I've probably done too much theatre for that to fly. I have a decent "born of the people" story (3rd generation at my public HS, the land my family lives on has been in the family for generations, etc, etc. But, then, yeah, theatre people are morally sketchy.

I've probably got a decent combination of deep local roots + plucky-immigrants-made-good background to make for a nice enough story, but the fact that I'm implacably anti-death penalty dooms me for anything in either the judgy or political line.

I am so psyched for Suzi! She's at the A's game tonight (and crashing at my place after) and the A's are up 6 to nothing in the 3rd!!!

WE SAW SUZI AT THE GAME!!! It was thoroughly splendid. We were sitting up in our plaza level seats looking down at the field and the lucky people in the fancy season-ticket-holder seats, and I said, "Awww, David, look, somebody's wearing a wig like Suzi's."

Hec squinted and said, "I think that is Suzi's wig. I think that's Suzi."

I scrabbled out my cellphone and tried her number, only to find that I had her old number; then I called Perkins, just as one of those people on the field in the funny clothes did something stupid, or exciting, or something. Anyway, just as she answered, everyone started yelling, and we could barely hear each other. But as soon as I hung up from Perkins, we could see the person in the Suzi wig start groping in her purse for her own phone. Then she stood up and started scanning the upper stands, and we stood up, and we all started waving like crazed gleeful things at each other.

Then she came up and visited with us (our lowly tickets wouldn't let us go into the season-ticket-holder seats, but Suzi got to go everywhere because she is a Celebrity Fan and everyone at the ballpark had been missing her terribly). Not only did we get to see a truly glorious win, we got Suzi right in the middle of it. Thank you, Perkins!