Watching the professor of the class I'm TA'ing freaks out via email is probably more amusing than it should be.

ChiKat, much it's-nothing~ma to your kitty.

I'm fairly meh on Valentine's Day this year. I use to get chocolate and rent Tank Girl every Valentine's, but I don't even feel like caring that much this time around.

Maybe ice cream and Boa vs. Python or Stonehenge Apocalypse. Something involving explosions.

I mostly ignore Valentine's Day. I'll spend about ten minutes being all sad and lonesome, and then I'll watch a violent movie with explosions and get over it. Like, I'm not MORE alone on Feb 14 than I am the rest of the year, so what's the big deal?

Ouchy toe! I hope it is feeling better today.

Valentine's day was my dad's birthday so we generally find it a nice day for remembering him. This year it is a day when we have a big major 6-8 hour certification test at work, that may even roll over to the next day. If the test goes really well we will collapse with exhaustion and relief; if it doesn't go well we will collapse with exhaustion and despair. Either way it is unlikely that we will be thinking chocolate or flowers.

Evil test luck~ma, Laura.

(6-8 hours?! What is it, an advanced seminar in Vogon poetry?)

In fact, when I tell people that they can't pull their hands away (at peril of stimulating the bite instinct) they look at me mystified. Sorry folks, we are primates...pretty much the opposite of canine instinct.

Huh. How weird to know that something I always did instictively (letting the dog or cat gnaw on me, while just closing my hand into a fist to make it less gnawable) was the right thing to do.

With my mom and dad's dogs, when I was younger, I tried to be as much like a mama dog as I could; sometimes, if they nipped too hard playing, I would nip them back on the ear. It seemed logical, if a trifle furry.

6-8 hours?! What is it, an advanced seminar in Vogon poetry?

Government certification of our software. We have to demonstrate compliance with a long list of elements. We have a dozen of us doing a rehearsal today, but they aren't ready for my part yet. I should get my act together and get to the office I suppose. Don't wanna.

Yay Shir!

That is nutso, Laura. Best of luck.

Which French trashy vampire movie?

Les Morsures de l'Aube, aka Love Bites. It's much more a French movie than a vampire movie. And apparently is supposed to be something of a black comedy, which I was surprised to find out, seeing as I didn't chuckle once. I can send it to you when I send you those books, if you like.

I find that I am more bitter about V day when I have a prospect that's not working out or an unrequited love/lust situation.

Well. Yes. Goddammit.

As I have given up on the only prospect in eons, I am quite zen this year.

Oh, good on ya.

Huh. How weird to know that something I always did instictively (letting the dog or cat gnaw on me, while just closing my hand into a fist to make it less gnawable) was the right thing to do.

With my mom and dad's dogs, when I was younger, I tried to be as much like a mama dog as I could; sometimes, if they nipped too hard playing, I would nip them back on the ear. It seemed logical, if a trifle furry.

Rockin' canine instincts, Erin. The nipping is good, but most humans aren't particularly good at it.

The truth is, you can't teach a dog how to NOT do something. You CAN teach him/her to do what you want, when you want it. It's all about the pleasure principle with the pooches.

Quick question for the gaming amongst us.

I'm putting together a couple of chat-breaker exercises for tonight's game night.

The first is a series of questions, Who Among Us. For instance, Who has seen Star Wars more than 5 times? Who has a visible tattoo? Who grew up in your home state? Who is the same zodiac sign as you? Who knows the most common town name in America?

I need funnier/cleverer questions. What do you think?

Before you say it, I know that for some, talking to strangers is unappealing. I'm assuming that the folks who sign up for an event like this are at least a little bit open to the practice.

Next, I'm doing a yes/'know' guessing game where each person gets a sticker with one of a pair and must ask yes/no questions to determine who they are, then find their other half.

Pairs like: bogey/bacall, han solo/leia, leto/jessica, alice/mad hatter, hagrid/buckbeak, sherlock/watson, dracula/van helsing, lady/tramp, starbuck/apollo.

Who else should I use? I'd like to have a bunch so that, as people come in, I can pick ones that are more likely to be identifiable by the demographic that shows up. I even thought to use justin/selena, but assume most of the attendees will be older than that.