It was a WONDERFUL cookie. And the soup, while not the best broc/cheese soup I have had WAS the best broc/cheese soup I've ever had, you know?!

And if I didn't know it would probably injure my arm/make it hurt worse when the block wears off, I would videotape it flopping. (I've only done it by accident; I am being very careful wiith it now.) It is FASCINATING to me. Utterly no control, can't even twitch a finger.

ETA: I didn't hire someone well-qualified once because he stank so vilely, we actually had to go and send a student to buy room spray, the smell was so strong, it permeated our large uni offices and lingered an hour after he was gone. The interview was torturous.

It was a WONDERFUL cookie. And the soup, while not the best broc/cheese soup I have had WAS the best broc/cheese soup I've ever had, you know?!

Ahahaha, I know just what you mean.

Man, I just talked to my sister and she had a rough weekend emotionally. We're in similar places in a lot of ways. Frustrating.

Strix, I'm glad the surgery went well and that you're not currently in pain.

I once had a coworker who was an animal horder. The cats would pee on her clothes and so on. I think she was at the point where she just didn't smell it anymore. I felt sorry for her; she seemed to have some problems and no one knew how to help her. But working close to her was unpleasant.

Amyth and other localistas: please let me know if my cat's territorial marking can be detected 10 yards away from me in social situations.

Glad to hear the surgery went well, Strix.

WRT LA trains, I am so looking forward to the day they open the train station near me that will take me RIGHT TO WORK! I can hardly wait to ditch the car and commute on the train.

And speaking of cats and their territorial marking, our cat has developed a bad habit of peeing. It started in the bathroom that used to be hers, which while annoying is also somewhat understandable. But she's peed on our bed 3 times now. That shit will not stand. I'm trying out that Feliway stuff, I hope it works to minimize the temptation to pee on things.

Strix and D - thanks for updating - and i'm glad to hear the procedure went well.

I hate the Tom's of Maine deodorant. Somehow, it made me smell worse than I did without any deodorant. There's something in there that encourages bacteria growth, or something. I know a few other people who've had the same issue with it. I've got super-sensitive skin, and after several deodorants that I knew were safe for me changed their formulas and I got a rash, I gave up on the regular brands and started using the Crystal kind, which I actually think is better than most of the others at preventing smells rather than covering them up.

Most deodorants, including the crystal thingies, give me a rash. Tom's is one of the few that do not. It has been a long time since I could spend less than $4 on a stick of deodorant (not including the time I found a stash of a good brand that I liked even better than Tom's at Big Lots for less than $2 a piece).

Strix, I'm glad to hear things went well with the surgery.

Burrell, have you had the cat checked for a UTI? When my guy started peeing outside the litterbox, it turned out that was the root cause. Of course, it set a behavior pattern that took a while to break afterwards, but that's another story.

What is this proopcast of which ya'll speak?

And yeah, the LaRoche-Posey stuff is super spendy. I still cringe every time I have to restock, but my skin loves it so much that I decided it was worth it. One tip for the higher SPF stuff: if you use it on top of anything (like moisturizer or makeup or such) make sure each layer dries thoroughly, i've read about it pilling up on the skin otherwise (a problem i didn't have, but then i don't use separate moisturizer/spf, i like it all in one application.) I only use that sunscreen on my face, neck and decolletage, cheapo-"no ad" generic stuff for the rest of the body.

Wishing you fast recovery, Strix!

We had a barbecue yesterday afternoon. Two of The Girl's friends from law school came over. Future lawyers can drink. I am a teensy bit hungover.

erin_o - [link] Brutally hilarious and very smart comedian.

I am feeling kind of run down this morning, blecch, despite going to bed early and only working six hours yesterday. I guess my body is still not quite back to normal.

Woot! Something new to add to my podcast list. BTW, have I mentioned here how much I love the Stitcher app? Groups together all my podcasts. Much love.