Good luck to smonster with The Talk, and ~ma for Deena's foot.

Shir, your friends' new baby sounds very lucky to have arrived in a family like that.

I love it when cool people reproduce.

That. Truly great, smart and brilliant people (the mom just finished two MAs, one in musicology, the other in biology. Very bright people. I'm almost scared to think how smart their baby girl will be. The father is the same guy who announced the pregnancy with "I have successfully duplicated slightly less than 50% of my DNA (due to mitochondria)").

And of course... Yay Dating!omnis! I must confess, I was hoping you were talking about Cute Girl you flirted with, but I approve this date as well. Have fun stormi-- uh, wait. This might not be the best greeting for the situation.

Seska, good luck with turning your new place into a home.

Have fun stormi-- uh, wait. This might not be the best greeting for the situation.

I don't know; someone you can storm the castle *with* is someone you want to keep around.

Wasn't my original intention, but very much agreed.

Storming the castle, is that what the young people are calling it now?

Awww, Andi, and here I thought there was something romantic about a couple who can lay siege to a fortress together. In the literal sense.

Storming the castle, is that what the young people are calling it now?

I think that's called sexual intercourse.

I've decided to embark on the One Hundred Pushups program.

Cool! I looked at that program and it seems pretty reasonable while still being challenging. Good luck!

Hmmm...maybe I should do it too?

Awww, Andi, and here I thought there was something romantic about a couple who can lay siege to a fortress together. In the literal sense.

Huh. I've always figured building and deploying siege engines was more of a whole family thing. Lots of teachable moments for the kids.

The raptor girl is a fashionable 4th grader (unpossible!). This morning she's wearing sparkly black leggings, black mary janes, and a black and purple plaid shirt shot through with silver. On her head, a pink and black striped hello kitty hat.

Stylin'!

Matilda woke up this morning and said, "Daddy, I dreamed you and I were on a bus. And Lilly was running next to the bus and she couldn't get on. I miss her. I heard her in my dream."

Actually she didn't say "heard" but "heared" because verbs are tricky.

Then she had a different thought that she needed to share.

Matilda: "Did you know that some dolphins give you presents?"
Me: "What kind of presents?"
Matilda: "They give you seaweed."
Me: "That sounds plausible."
Matilda: "They hold it in their pointy mouth. Then you goes for a ride."
Me: "Fun!"
Matilda: "But sometimes dolphins cry. Do you know how they cry? They don't make a sound. They just go like this." [pulls a sad dolphin face] "Do you know what dolphins cry?"
Me: "What kind?"
Matilda: [whispering] "Palamanians."

Awww, Andi, and here I thought there was something romantic about a couple who can lay siege to a fortress together. In the literal sense.

Huh. I've always figured building and deploying siege engines was more of a whole family thing. Lots of teachable moments for the kids.

I'm an impatient gal. Who knows if I'll have a family -- and even if I do, I can't wait that long -- so I figure at least my partner and I can wreak utter havok together now.

How is Kara a fourth grader?!?

We have kittens! Inanna and Enki. They are super-adorable, and Mal is learning to be a good big brother.

The shelter sent them directly to the vet for well-kitten checkups and neutering, so we picked them up there. This vet is out in the country; used to be solely a farm vet, but they've converted some of the stables to a very nice small animal clinic.

So it was past/future juxtaposition weirdness. The original building from 1780 is now the waiting room and grooming, and has QR codes on everything (they give you Google Maps and multiple review sites as well as vet info). The kittens had laser surgery, but the exam rooms are decorated with implements used in the middle of last century.

Also, they are insane. The vets I mean (of COURSE the kittens are; they're kittens). They told me I should keep 2 3-month-old kittens from doing anything active for 2 weeks. And that I should brush my cat's teeth daily.