I'm ded from the baby smile.

I don't really want to be *that* neighbor, but the people behind me who built the eight-foot fence while leaving a large amount of trash, old logs and weeds in the space between their fence and mine are now building a very large outbuilding of some sort to further loom over my property. More to the point, it's maybe five feet from the lot line, and code says 10. Should I let the county know?

Ginger - totally let the county know.

I don't really want to be *that* neighbor,

I think those people are being those neighbors, not you. Definitely call the county.

(((Norah)))

Hil, your adviser sounds about as useful as a chocolate fireplace, and evil to boot. I wish I had a useful suggestion - lacking any, I'm just vibing you unspecified getting-around-the-talentless-fuckwad-ma.

Sparky - BLESS!

Matilda continues to slay me, although it does sound like she needs to back off Mommy, with the Diva-like stompfests. And, JZ, I loved the link to Kate Crackernuts and the other fairytales. I am now diverted from my existing children's book plans, and thinking that I might need to have a crack at using one of those stories (I reread The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh whilst I was at it, and it's rather splendid too).

I was often disgruntled with Disney versions of fairy tales (except Beauty and the Beast, because Belle is a hot bookworm and her father is awesome, which almost made up for the mysterious disappearance of the two sisters; I liked 'The Little Mermaid' for the music, but was pole-axed by the crappy ending), although very pro-fairy tales. My grandfather gave me two huge hardback books crammed with European fairytales when I was tiny, and I devoured them, and was most disdainful of bowdlerised versions.

I don't remember wanting to be a princess, although it's entirely possible. I do remember being a total sucker for any dykey/crossdressing swashbuckling stories, though, from George in the Famous Five (she had her own island! And was invariably mistaken for a boy! And didn't have any truck with the notion of doing girly things like cooking and shrieking and being dainty and helpless!) on through Margaret Lockwood's highwayman role in The Wicked Lady, through Eowyn and a vast succession of sword'n'sorcery heroines.

...actually, I'm pretty sure I wanted to be a Highwayman. (Possibly just DO a Highwayman. James Mason has a lot to answer for.)

Further to yesterday's Penguin Anecdote, I have questioned my friend at length, and if she's lying about this then she's got Dexter-level cunning, and her entire personality is a complete fabrication. She cheerfully expanded on the details she'd given me before, down to the kid's name, the impact that the discovery of the baby penguin had on the rest of the kids on the bus (pure pandemonium) and the way that neither she nor her colleague were prepared to touch the damn thing themselves, but made the kid keep hold of it right up to handing it back to the zoo's staff. And a bunch of other details that she ruefully supplied. So, yeah - I'm going with Dudley Zoo being crap, because otherwise I'm going to need to start adopting Trueman Show- level paranoia.

I am happy to learn that the Penguin Tale is trufax.

Dear committe members,
When I assign you a task, please don't come back to me with questions that effectively make the task *my* responsibility.

Thx,
Moi

I think those people are being those neighbors, not you. Definitely call the county.

Yes. This.

I am happy to learn that the Penguin Tale is trufax.

Me, too!! I heard what I guess is the Snopes version a couple of years ago and was v. disappointed it wasn't true. But now? It IS true! Yay!

So, today I've been showing all my classes a short PPT to prep them for a video we're going to watch tomorrow. It's Halloween. Yes, my district has a policy about showing movies that don't have an instructional/eductional purpose, but I teach classes wherein ANY movie can be educational. So we're going to watch "Fear Itself."

How much do I love that I have a PowerPoint on Buffy??

I think those people are being those neighbors, not you. Definitely call the county.

Sparky is wise (apparently instant wisdom is a thing with Buffistas named S____y, which just goes to show that Sassy needs to post more often so we can enjoy her wisdom too).

Sparky also needs to spam me with baby pictures, please?

I don't always read stuff about whacking folks with hammers.I just remember that the book was quite specific and "ballpeen" is a weird word...do I look like Bob Vila? I hate it when I get annoyed by crap that strangers do, in completely unrelated to hammers news. Because I am irrationally peeved that the woman who bitch-slapped me yesterday can't be bothered to reply to my response. I shouldn't care, but apparently, in her world, it's okay to take time out of her day to act as if she caught me snickering in the hall without a bathroom pass, but not to form even a courtesy response...I think that's at least as offensive as what I laughed at...who's got the middle-school mentality now? But I hate that I care...it was a drive-by, from somebody whose *username* I barely know, and just because she acted like an authority doesn't mean I need to give her that respect. And I was initially pleased that I argued my point with her, but then made a concilliatory gesture and then spent all day hitting Refresh waiting to hear that we're cool. Why? Somebody that would do that to a stranger is an ass. Even if she's a free-range, women-owned, dolphin-friendly ass. But I hate for even an ass to think I'm immature and sexist. OTOH, I have already spent longer on this than Mr. Grayson has on the inciting incident, I'm pretty sure. He doesn't care to put the lobbyist on his Rosh Hashanah card list and I doubt he gives much of a shit what she thinks. I admire that for a reason, right?

Loved the penguin story.

In vaccine news - my university has the H1N1 vaccine now. For the students. I'm hoping that this means that the public school system has it too. (I guess Chicago just got the vaccine at the beginning of the week - so we're not lagging too far behind.)

Erika, yeah, she is being an ass, but I agree with you that you are giving her way too much power.

Personally, if I had made that slip G did I would have apologized to all honest prostitutes for using a denigrating word for their profession and even more sincerely for comparing them something as low as K street lobbyists.