From our daily paper:

FARIBAULT — The last two times someone broke out the front windows of Town and Rural Mercantile, the culprits failed to make entry.

The third time was the charm, but the person responsible not only left with no cash — he may have left a clue or two.

“A wallet was found at the scene,” Faribault Police Chief Dan Collins confirmed Wednesday morning.

“Now we go talk to the person to see why their wallet was at the scene,” he said.

Bring a sign, chief...

"Here's your sign"

Oh, and there are drops of blood around the broken window.

How ever will they prove the culprit?

xkcd today is awesome: [link]

My one roommate is Korean. For the past year I've been saying, "Oooh! Cook Korean food" and she never did.

And then then I started bringing home Korean groceries! She was all, "Oh, you MEANT it!"

I brought home some kimchi and we've been trying to age it so we can make tuna kimchi jjigae (stew).

Looks like we're going to buy a new jar because this one is nearly gone. Whoops.

We just lost about a cup of it to the fact that I've been reading too many recipies and just put some of it in ramen with a can of anchovies in sort of a half-assed jjigae. It's pretty nummy.

“Now we go talk to the person to see why their wallet was at the scene,” he said.

I'm kinda hoping it turns out to be the drunk driver who left his license plate in your trunk last year.

My Psycho!Ex got caught because he left his wallet in the car he stole when he ditched the car. I wonder, does that happen often?

stupid is as stupid does.

t erika crime makes you stupid t /erika

runs into thread, rending hair

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! So, we've just done our assembly, and it was v. good, well done the kids, yay yay yay and all that - and I was all beaming and happy that they'd kicked ass (having had less than a week in which to learn a 30 minute play about their school residential a fortnight ago, complete with song), and then there's this one parent, who is the grumpiest, most hard-hearted, self-centred, curmudgeonly S.O.B. ever, and he's sitting with his head in his hands as the Headmistress is quickly giving out the weekly Super Star Certificates.

With his head in his hands.

This is a guy whose daughter, bless her heart, took on not one but two roles in the play (after we discovered somebody would be absent) and did them both perfectly. Great acting. Loads of lines. She's a smashing kid. And instead of sitting there beaming like an idiot (which, Jesus, I do when it's TOTAL STRANGERS being brave and giving it a crack, never mind the fruit of my loins, never mind when they're doing A GOOD JOB), he's sitting there with his head in his hands.

So I think: well, he bitched about timekeeping before, 'cause she has a piano lesson. Better send her up to get changed and ready right now, so they aren't running late. Which I do, in a positive way, telling her how great she was.

But no, he's still hovering around talking to other parents for a good ten minutes or so after. And apparently he was making dismissive remarks all through the play, as is his wont.

They are ten year olds.

They learned a 30 minute show in a week, plus song, with lots of funny bits and good acting. And: they are ten. It's not going to be Ian McKellern performing Lear, true, but it was the best assembly this school's had this year.

I...I've got nothing. In fact, I was in tears for a bit there, but now I'm trying to stop being so self-indulgent. But - for the love of GOD, what is he thinking? I mean, yes, sure, he's Scottish - but that doesn't mean you have to be dour and dismissive and Scroogelike 24/7, it really doesn't. Stop rocking the stereotype, ffs.

(And as he left, I heard him saying to another parent: "...well, those are the sacrifices we make, when we have kids." And I had to ask her - she's a friend - "What sacrifices?" Because I know he doesn't work - and hasn't tried to find work, as far as I can gather. His wife works for the UN and supports them both, which I'd think was cool if he were using his time to raise and nurture his two kids and/or doing something awesome and non-profit-making (doing charity work to help the refugees on the border with Burma, say, or perfecting his oil painting technique, or running marathons) but as far as I can see he just sits around bitching all day. So I was curious to know what terrible sacrifice he was bewailing that he'd had to make in order to come watch his kid's show.

He was stuck in traffic, apparently.

It's Bangkok. That's like saying that you, I dunno, you got served fish while you were staying at the seaside. It's a nobrainer. It's a daily occurance.

Jesus. His daughter just moved up to number two in the list of Kids I Would Adopt In A Flash. (Hell, I'd marry his wife. She's a lovely woman. I'd be a much better spouse and co-parent than he shows any evidence of being.)

My only comfort is that I have no evidence that he physically beats his kids, just lots of evidence that he bullies the crap out of them, and never lets them feel like they're awesome.

Do. Not. Want.

t /rant

Fay, that's just horrible. I'm with you on the wanting-to-adopt-the-kid thing. It's so sad when parents don't recognise the amazing gift they have in a child. You're raising a person, for fuck's sake. At least treat them with the respect that human beings deserve.

Cashmere, much ~ma for the surgery. I hope it's straightfoward.

Any ~ma for my Girl's family would be appreciated. She was up half the night with her grandmother, whose blood pressure was so high they had to call an ambulance. That family is going through a lot at the moment. (On the bright side, her father is barely getting any side effects from the chemo. It's so weird. But good.)

In a sort of comparison... I feel selfish being stressed, but I am. I wish I wasn't such a bitch at the moment. I'm hoping it improves after dissertation. Helpfully, The Girl is staying in Israel until the day before my deadline.

Shir, are you around? Say fun, cheering morning things, like you're good at doing. :)