Awww...

Taco Bell Dog Dead: Gidget Dies At 15

She charmed millions without ever saying a word, and managed to make fast food tacos adorable. Gidget, the Chihuahua best known for her Taco Bell ad campaign, died from a stroke on Tuesday night at age 15.

he did something to his wrist/thumb and was diagnosed with tenosynovitis.

He has my sympathy. I'm pretty sure that's what's wrong with my thumb, but because we have the best medical care in the world, my PCP told me what OTC brace to buy and gave me hydrocone so I could hold out the six weeks before there was an orthopedic appointment. (It's tomorrow. Yay?)

pulling shrink wrap and tape off packages (which, oddly, is what hurts him the most).

I've been doing research, and anything that involves putting your thumb and forefinger together and pulling is on the top of the list for pain. Between those things and anything that involves turning the wrist, I've done a lot of screaming, occasionally in public. One thing my research indicates is that ibuprofen is not particularly effective for tenosynovitis and the usual treatment is a cortisone shot.

Hm. I'd always assumed shyster came from Shylock, not from "scheissen".

Me too - I'd assumed it was anti-Semitic. But it's not! So I can say it!

Shyster shyster shyster shyster shyster shyster shyster!!!

One thing my research indicates is that ibuprofen is not particularly effective for tenosynovitis and the usual treatment is a cortisone shot.

I had that fairly badly last summer, and a cortisone shot worked wonders. I also slept with a rigid brace for a while (for all values of "slept" that mean "put it on before falling asleep but then at some point in the night pulled it off while still fully unconscious").

(for all values of "slept" that mean "put it on before falling asleep but then at some point in the night pulled it off while still fully unconscious").

did this with my thumb brace that I wore for tendonitis (from playing PS2).

The qdoba stuff maybe be sheisty, but also may be crappy service from dumb people. I pointed out in my complain email that with 9% unemployment surely they can either find motivated workers or motivate the ones they have to do a better job. I really better get free coupons from them.

Thankfully I went and bought myself some cherry jamboree, so all is not lost in my day.

I actually like Qdoba better than Chipotle. Chipotle has better meats and guac, but Qdoba has better salsas. Too bad there isn't one downtown near where I work.

I really better get free coupons from them.

I'm still annoyed with Au Bon Pain that they never sent me anything after I wrote them that I got the wrong sandwich -- it was a mislabeled wrap, and no way to tell that until I started eating it.

Does anyone remember- a long, long, long time ago- an article that was posted here about the negative effects that a formal user rating structure could have on an on-line community (The kind of rating system where every user can give a comment a thumbs up or thumbs down).

I remember that! But not in any more detail than that. I think there was some jargon for what that kind of system is called, which if someone knew the term would help you get to the article...

Amusing side-note: when I was studying German in college, one of the students forgot the pronunciation rules for the IE/EI dipthongs, and instead of "to shoot" - shiessen - said "to shit" - shiessen. Frau Janess was MOST outraged.

Wait, are those meant to be spelled the same?

Does anyone remember- a long, long, long time ago- an article that was posted here about the negative effects that a formal user rating structure could have on an on-line community (The kind of rating system where every user can give a comment a thumbs up or thumbs down).

I don't know if it's the same thing but the whole new comments thing on Jezebel et. al has been getting on my last nerve. On the other hand, I don't waste as much time there now!

There's a Qdoba near my new office. Well you still have to get in a car to drive there. That's the most annoying part about being in the 'burbs.