"None of your business" answers both questions quite sufficiently, IMO.

"How many times did we tell you when you were growing up, no BMW?"

Few years back, I remember my mom told me something on the lines of "when you'll start a family, it's better not to do it with someone from another religion/background". To my question-marked face (sad to say, more due to young age (13-14) than to racism awareness), she continued by saying that it's hard enough as is to have a family with someone from your own background, so to have it with someone from a different background could be trickier.

Years later, her daughter has written thousands of words to people of another background than hers and have her own thoughts of what is family and what a family should look like. And my mom? Supports me. It's so much easier to spot her "blind spots". A lot of what she says can sound so racist sometimes, but she mostly doesn't really think like that - and she's willing to acknowledge her mistakes - but that's just how she's used to think.

ION, @notIDFspokesman now follows me on Twitter. When the Army of the Guardians will come and get me, I'll know from where they knew about my existence in the first place.

WTF do I say to my dad when he asks where I was when he called? "Uh...at home." "Well, why didn't you answer?" "Uh...I was busy." "What where you doing?" [Hand to god, he WILL ask this.] So what in the HELL do I say to that level of nosiness?)

Carefully redirect/deflect? Instead of actually telling him where you were, "I wasn't able to get to the phone [then, before he has a chance to jump in with a question], so I called you back as soon as I could. What's up?"

And for "another obligation..." "What is it?" "Something I can't get out of. What about next Tuesday instead?" Just hustle them off to the next point of actual business so they don't have a chance to get nosy. If they do anyway, keep redirecting. "That date's not possible. If next Tuesday won't work for you, is there another day that will?" Keep redirecting away from the nosy shit.

Or wipe my memory, and its my understanding that that technology isn't perfected yet.

Tell me about it. I'd kill for a few retcon pills.

I'd kill for a few retcon pills.

Heh. Maybe you already have....

I was just reading a story which had a story within it that went something like:

And the genie said the young man 'And now you have one wish left.'
'But I don't remember anything. I wish to have my memory back,' the young man said.
'That was your first wish too,' said the genie sadly.

Teppy, my mom is the same way. Even when I do answer, she will even say "Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?" With those questions, I usually say "I was out in the yard." Even if it is evening, I could say, "taking out recyclables" or something. She buys that. And then what JZ said. "So what's up with YOU?"

My mother is really good about "You don't want to know."

Because, she knows if I say it, she really doesn't.

This is where not having a land line comes in handy too - "My phone was in my purse and I didn't hear it ring."

'That was your first wish too,' said the genie sadly.

There are so many sad genie stories....