They need people to go on Galaxy Zoo to help identify them.

Hah. My dad loves that thing. Classifying galaxies is a PITA.

If you get a chance, ask him what his scariest part of the last servicing mission was. Most HST folk have one.

Name rings a bell, he's probably used the archive and I know him only as a user name.

So, there is disagreement in Scrappyland. Friday my mom arrives, PLUS my brother and his wife are in town for one day on their way back to the Netherlands. My SiL has never seen LA and we are touring them around all day Friday. My idea was to surprise them with lunch on a studio lot. Our friend is working at Sony and can get us a drive-on and we can go to the commissary.

The DH says that the food is not really that good there and that it's just the lot and wouldn't be exciting. But I say, yeah for YOU it wouldn't, you've been on a million lots. Would you guys think that was fun--lunch at a studio commissary--or am I nuts?

I'd vote fun.

I think that's fun. It's a place and side of things most folk don't get to see (hello, I love going to JPL and getting to go down into the sandbox and be speshul people who don't have to look through glass from above and pose with a Rover!) Unless the folk are completely disinterested in that sort of thing, I'd say it is a go. I'm terminally curious, love to get behind the RESTRICTED ACCESS signs to...well, just about anywhere.

Never been to LA? If they are at all interested in media, I think it's a good plan.

If they don't like tv or movies, less so.

Sure, you can find better food elsewhere but it's the experience and the "they make fiction all neat and pretty and viewable here" that are cool.

Fun or not, it'd be a story. I vote for things you'd bring up later during dinner conversation. (Funnily enough, my L.A. experience that meets that criterion was visiting the Hustler superstore in the company of Bufistas.)

I'd probably vote fun, provided (a) they're not huge foodies hoping to get awesome LA food and (b) they are into movies/TV at all.

I vote fun.

What Hil said. You cook it in olive oil, and a little butter, maybe some garlic. And then you put the cooked pasta right into the pan with the stuff you're sauteing and mix the pasta up with it.

You can do this with any combination of things you might saute, like mushrooms, or chicken.

I made a big bowl of awesome last night. Sauteed mushrooms and veggie sausage with garlic and olive oil, boiled some gnocchi, and threw that and a huge mess of spinach into the pan. Tossed in a tablespoon or so of brandy and when that cooked down topped with parmesan.

I vote for things you'd bring up later during dinner conversation.

Like when I showed you and Debet crime?

I live in a small big town. Interrupted ABC program feed for a press conference because a volunteer firefighter lost his life in a fire up the way. It's sad, but also...I love a town that cares.