Trader Joe's dough with an sell by date of yesterday is probably still good for making pizza today, right?

Yep.

Thanks, Hil. I'm even more paranoid about food stuff than normal since the food poisoning the other day.

As Hil says, yes. There's a fair amount of margin built into sell-by dates, plus you're going to be cooking it long enough to kill any evil microbes.

I was always taught that "sell-by" dates are set to about 5-7 days before "use-by" dates.

This was shortly after a woman in our building sent her 10-year-old son to go door to door, looking for/asking questions about anything that might be valuable. (The kid was so cute, asking, "How much is that bike worth?")

The Girl actually had her bike stolen from our building's underground parking lot - but we're pretty sure that was unrelated. We think it can only have been a neighbour, though - but it's a big building, with 21 apartments. Still worrying, though. But it's London. That's not unexpected. Unlike random suitcases and boxes going missing.

A friend of mine was living with us at the time, and it didn't make sense that she'd take the stuff, let alone lie about it.

Weird. That happened when I was an undergraduate, but that was people living together who didn't know each other very well (and we had lockable room doors, so we all moved everything expensive into our rooms and that was that). But your situation was odd.

It still might be good to give them a heads up in case it has happened to anyone else.

This is a good point. Once I've looked again with PCA's help, I'll let them know.

There's a fair amount of margin built into sell-by dates, plus you're going to be cooking it long enough to kill any evil microbes.

And it's not like it's meat or rice. Dough's safe to use for longer than them.

Update on the cute girl angst: Friday night, she said she'd e-mail me about getting together for drinks or dinner maybe next week. Not having heard from her by Tuesday evening, I left a voicemail checking in to see whether she still wanted to get together, and I gathered that she was busy, but how about dinner Wednesday or Saturday? Still no response.

So that's pretty much a dead end, as far as I'm concerned. Don't know why I got my hopes up. World is back to normal. Paradigm shift my ass.

Instead I told a good friend of mine who lives on the other side of the block that we should visit each other more, and he invited me to dinner tonight, so I'm doing that. Girls. Whatever.

Dear unnamed coworker -

I ask you to consider, for just a moment, that there is a reason that Under Armour has the word "under" in its very name. Might I be so brazen as to suggest that it is because the garment is intended to be worn, work with me here, UNDER something? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you are proud of your long-distance runner's physique, and I'm sure that said shirts are fabulous for working out. That is after all their intended purpose.

I don't think it's going out on a limb to consider that Under Armour's intended purpose is NOT Business Casual. If you sported this look once a month or so, one might be inclined to overlook it. However, I've worked here for nearly seven years and can't recall seeing you in anything else.

You might want to humor the thought that your coworkers do not need or want to be able to enumerate your chest hairs.

Were I to sport a long underwear top each day, rest assured that I would hear about it from my supervisor (and, I hope, any friend with concern for my wellbeing). I cannot fathom why your supervisor has not pulled you aside for a gentle chat.

I must offer you kudos, however, on your misguided sense of appropriateness. I won a bet with myself when you showed up at our departmental picnic sporting a sleeveless Under Armour top.

On behalf of myself, my coworkers, and our assaulted eyes, Moi

Girls. Whatever.

There are other fish in the sea other than girls. Or would that cause your mother's head to collapse into a black hole? And, naturally, it might be irrelevant to you. But depending on Mom's propensity towards singularities, it could be fun to offer as an option.

I'm sorry, P-C. I declare cute girl a flake and say she isn't worth it. (unless she calls and then I'll jump right back the other way because I am fickle like that)

I remember my nephew declaring girls more trouble than they were worth when he was in college. He married a year ago and is expecting a child now, so apparently he got over it. FWIW, his mother set him up with a friend of hers. My sister says she doesn't know whether she gained a daughter or lost a friend.

Why does chopping cauliflower make my hands itchy?