Sally Freakin' Ride. Let's face it, Allyson has an awesome job.

It was great for me to be pregnant at the same time as Burrell (and our babies are EIGHT!! now).

Also, you were pregnant with Dillo when JZ was cooking up Matilda.

Erin, the important thing is that you feel shiny. But I do think you rock the bob.

I wonder if recruiters consider Al-Anon membership a positive worth seeking out. "If you can deal with alcoholic parents you can deal with our workplace."

They might, but I doubt they'd admit it.

I got to speak to Sally Ride on the phone. SALLY RIDE. Yes, when I transferred her call over, I called my mom and squeeeeeed.

Cool! When I worked at WGBH I got to transfer a call from Alistair Cook. At Fantagraphics I got to take a call from Alan Moore.

I, uh, got to take a call from Dr. Dean Ornish once, wanting one of my docs to join an academic committee with him.

I also once took a call from a Dr. Pretorius, but I don't think he was the Dr. Pretorius.

Sally Ride! So cool!

I once answered phones for John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band's managers. ... that's a pretty minor brush with fame, I have to admit. And I never met the band, and when I left, they didn't even give me a free copy of the new album. Jerks.

This is why I went bananas over the rock-bonding incident.

My scientists and engineers have taken to calling the class, "Allyson's Rock Class."

Dean Ornish used to be married to my cousin. JZ, we're totally connected.

I think my weirdest brush with "fame" was going to dinner with my boss and David Smith, Susan Smith's husband -- the Susan Smith who drowned her kids. (We published his book.)

So, my cousin is engaged, and I looked up his fiancee, and she's an artist, and I really like her work! Unfortunately she seems to be doing well enough that she is probably not in my price range. [link]

Love it! Maybe there's a family discount?

I always want to buy more art even though a)I have no space for it, and b) can't afford it. As it is, most of my art comes from art school sales and etsy.

My work is so dysfunctional in many ways, but the core group of people I work with has been pretty great, until recently. Last spring, they hired someone new, and she seemed to fit in well. However, she's having a tough time learning the ropes and masks this with a attitude of "there's nothing you can teach me" and blames everyone else for their errors, which just makes things worse. She now doesn't speak to one of my coworkers at all, and barely speaks to the other. I am the only one speaking to all three...it is awkward.

(I can't even begin to go into the clusterfuck that is being reorganized to a different department while physically staying in the old department, or having a boss who avoids all contact with staff or colleagues and yet decides your priorities for the year.)