The Irish side of my family had very large families a generation back 11/12/13 kids. The cousins are plentiful.

My biggest pet peeve SF trope is when aliens are fascinated by humans and humanity because we're all such beautiful unique snowflakes, or when a problem is unsolvable only until Humanity swoops in and applies our patented Creative ThinkingTM to the situation and saves the day.

But you have just eliminated about 83% of the saves the day storylines! Apparently my love for science fiction hasn't been affected by the @@. So many of my beloved series and movies are filled with oh puhleeeeze moments.

Thanks for the kind thoughts for K, y'all.

Will they be able to reconstruct the damaged parts?

I don't know. I didn't get to talk to her. My phone works for crap in my house, so I had one of our friends (there's like 6 of us) on fb chat while she was on the phone with K relating the conversation, which I was then pasting into a message for another one.

Technology makes worrying about your friends over long distances so much easier!

You know what'll really ruin your morning? Sitting next to a table of racist blowhards at weekly breakfast with hubby.

Ugh, DJ, that sucks.

IOmeN, I've got a wicked upset tummy today. Dunno why, exactly, since I haven't eaten anything that should've done this to me. Hope I'm not getting some form of plague. That would be VERY bad right now.

They seriously pulled out the "Yeah. That's really a place where you don't use (the n-word)."

What? Somewhere people might recognize you for the racist you are?

We've sat next to that table before and while they're usually talking politics of the "They're all bums/waste of my tax dollars/I haven't really thought of the policy implications of this, but it sounds like something Ron White would say/Aren't I pragmatic and clever if only people would listen to my glib one-liners we'd all be better off"-type, this was just head-exploding.

If you have to say that you can't say something because people might think you're a racist? It's because you're racist.

Goodness, Fred, how worrisome. Much kidney~ma to Rigatoni.

If we live in a world where we are only one of several sentient space-faring species, then we ARE NOT THAT FUCKING SPECIAL.

Hang on, there are some special things about Humanity. For one, our computer operating systems interpenetrate will all alien computer operating systems. Obviously we have a special talent for computer science.

When I was a kid, shopping for synagogue outfits for Rosh Hashanah was a big deal, and those would be our Nice Outfits for parties and stuff for the rest of the year. Now, I'm just digging through my closet, trying to put together something that looks halfway OK.

Easter was skin-out new clothes. That dress was referred to as an Easter Dress for the rest of its life. As in, "Wear your sister's Easter Dress from two years ago..." So, new slips, tights, undies, socks, shoes, and (of course) a hat (something we ONLY wore on Easter). I still miss getting an Easter Dress. I think I'll start again.

Hey, Bitches. Popping in to ask if anyone has suggestions for dealing with antibiotic-related stomach yuckies? Besides yogurt. Not for me, for my sis.

Acidophilus from the health food store. Get a refrigerated one and be sure to keep it cold. Works like a charm. We go on it as soon as we go on the anti-b.

My Dad didn't tell us he was having a double bypass until after he had it. It was the long weekend we were driving from NJ to Florida and back to spend a day and a half saying good-bye to my Grandfather so his, "I didn't want you to worry" has some sense to it. And it was charming to see him try and be paternal. But have we never heard the expression, "Died on the table" DAD?!?!?!? THAT would have been a hell of a way to find out, huh? "Your Father died during his double bypass" "He was having a double bypass?"

a problem is unsolvable only until Humanity swoops in and applies our patented Creative ThinkingTM to the situation and saves the day.

I think that's why I like the Asgard relationship with humanity in the Stargate 'Verse - they ask humans for help for fetch-n-carry, or because their opponent won't be interested in our low-brow tech, or because they need stupid ideas. But I suppose that might qualify under the "patented Creative ThinkingTM".

~ma for DJ's friend's mom, and to Fred's Rigatoni, and to omnis's dad.

I still miss getting an Easter Dress. I think I'll start again.

I still think of my nicest spring dress as my Easter Dress, in spite of not really celebrating Easter for the past 15 years.