Ginger, wouldn't that be "I will have"? "I'm going to have" sorta puts the emphasis on action towards the future, it seems to me.

Wikipedia calls it the "going-to" future.

There's a way in which getting too deeply into language abstraction makes my eyes glaze (like the long discussion on an Irish list I'm on) but there's another way in which I want to delve into it. I would really like to know some of these more obscure (to me) names for things.

ETA link [link]

And I was honestly worried I would get turned away at the gate for being too fat for one seat, or that whoever was next to me would complain about the audacity of my thighs or arm to bump theirs.

pshaw! You are nowhere near large enough for that to be a problem.

I fit between the lowered armrests. BARELY. With no amount of comfort whatsoever. I can easily see an overzealous gate agent hassling me. (And, as I think of it, wasn't Kevin Smith tossed off a flight even though he fit between the armrests? So it concerns me.)

A cute picture of a baby with a funny caption:

I had to post that to Facebook immediately. I know more than one little girl who resembles that picture.

Spidra, that structure can either be thought of as a form of the simple future, with "is going to" acting as the auxiliary verb, or as the present continuous, aka present progressive, e.g., "I am writing a paper," which becomes a future form when a time in the future is added, e.g., "I am writing a paper on Monday."

msbelle, your massive accomplishments over the last few month are truly boggling to us mere mortals. And methinks your standards for yourself are pretty damn high. You do need help, I'll grant you. But I have no doubt you'll organize and implement that solution and incorporate it seamlessly as you have every other backup and aid to this awesome and forward-looking life you've made. Courage, dearheart. Trust in yourself, for you're the one of the strongest women I know.

What she said. Every single word of it. You are one of my heroes, and I've learned so much about parenting and patience from you.

Points and nods to Bevery and Burrell

Srsly. msbelle = amazing *and* nicest.

Given that I drive five hours two days a week every week and the SO is afraid to fly, yeah we`d rather drive or train. I don`t mind driving at all. And I used to love flying too, but it is more and more of a hassle. Next month I`m flying to Ohio, but I`m going out of my tiny little town. So that`ll be interesting because I`ll need to gate check the bag that will be my carryon the rest of the way, since the first plane will be so small. But that first leg will be a super short flight.

msbelle is AWESOME. I know you might not feel that way right now, but I am straight up in awe of you, lady. I judge you AWESOME.

(And, as I think of it, wasn't Kevin Smith tossed off a flight even though he fit between the armrests? So it concerns me.)

Yes, which is the first time that I thought it could actually happen. I don't think this will happen with me, but it's something else for me to obsess about.