Amy, I'm so happy that Stephen has a good new job! And Kate, it's great that you were able to see the developing sprog.

You have pointed out the essential problem. Perhaps there needs to be a quiz to log in

XKCD suggested that but can't find that one offhand.

You are incredibly interesting and skilled!

This! I'm sorry the job bullshit is making you feel that is not true right now.

Amy, so exciting about Stephen's job! WOOT! And also a big woot for Kate sprog! Exciting good stuff!!!

That article has links to the email exchange. I think the Police Chief should have discussed the issue with the Prof and Dept Chair and that the Prof should be less of an ass. [link]

I find it interesting that he acknowledged that context was needed to explain his use of the quote.

Normally Scrappy is wise, but not in this instance--you are vibrant and smart and on top of shit, not middle-aged and frumpy or passed-over.

Just got back from the doctor. She was able to get my lungs to behave and now I have some Prednosone. I have such a love/hate relationship with that drug.

She also did a flu test cause she is kinda concerned. I think it is just a cold that dropped into my lungs. They don't even start their flu clinic for another couple of weeks.

I'm having a lot of trouble putting "Scrappy" and "ordinary and dull" into the same sentence.

Let's see if we can work "roller skating," "ex-stripper," "scriptwriting doctor" and "vivacious redhead" into that sentence and see if it comes out more ordinary and dull looking.

Adventure Time: best Marceline episode yet!

And David, don't miss Secret Mountain Fort Awesome!

Scrappy, you are never ordinary. But, at the same time, I do understand that feeling...having a boring and pointless job often makes me feel very boring and pointless. But we are much more than our jobs.

Context matters. I had a sociology professor whose concentration was race and ethnicity in America. She had a large collection of signage "NO IRISH NEED APPLY" "WHITES ONLY" and some little black sambos she used in her classes.

Without context, seeing these things in a random professor's office might be horribly offensive.

OMG Allyson, did you hear this story: [link]

[link]

The 22-year-old York University student who mistakenly accused her professor of making anti-Semitic remarks issued an unapologetic response to the ridicule that has been widely levelled against her.

“I understand that there may have been a miscommunication,” Sarah Grunfeld writes in the statement distributed Wednesday evening by B’nai Brith Canada. “But any miscommunication was on the part of the professor, not me.”...

Grunfeld accused social sciences professor Cameron Johnston of telling a class on Monday afternoon that “All Jews should be sterilized.”

In fact, Johnston — who is Jewish — was explaining to the students that not all opinions are valid or acceptable, using the example of Jewish sterilization as a reprehensible opinion, with historical precedent.

In other instances of heartening news: the garage that worked on our car called. They know I broke down on my way home (because I called them when it happened) and they feel bad about it. So they're willing to eat $800 worth of labor (the amount they charged to fix the starter clutch) if we want to go ahead and get the new transmission.

Basically, the mechanic is saying, "I'll work for free to make it right, if you guys can pay for the parts."

Which is pretty cool.

It definitely changes the equation though I still don't know if that makes a fix feasible. That would knock the $3,300 price tag on the transmission down to $2,500.