ways in which the junior high school students were talking about dating.

I did love the girl who told 8 or 10 boys "I don't know" when they asked her to the dance, because she didn't want to be mean, but she just wanted to hang out with the other girls.

I might have missed part of what you heard, though because I was working while listening, and I mostly remember the poor boy from Rochester who was depressed about moving to a new school and how hard it was to make friends.

It sounds kid of horrible, but it is adorable.

If by horrible you mean AWESOME, then yeah!

Oh internets, never change: someone has made a vaguely cranky comment on my FB post about our anniversary. "Only in America. (rolls eyes at the Samhain being taken in vain..)"

Apparently I am a Very Bad Pagan for getting married on Samhain. Pffft, whatever.

Old family friends, the baby is a lobster, the mom is a chef with a lobster pot, and grandpa is a fisherman in a cap and rain slicker.

That is awesome!!

le nubian, why aren't we supposed to be giving candy this year? Or is it Reese's we're not supposed to be giving? (I got zero trick or treaters last year, and suspect to lure them back to my house, which is behind another house, I'd have to highly decorate and light up the walkway, and that ain't happening)

Apparently I am a Very Bad Pagan for getting married on Samhain. Pffft, whatever.

I throw pumpkin guts in their general direction.

Thanks, sj and Erin.

I hope shrift wanders by so I can squeeze out some more Gone-to-London tips.

Betty is also going through Dublin and is very tempted by this tour:

********

Land & Water Tours
The immensely popular Viking Splash Tour (tel. 01/707-6000; www.vikingsplash.ie) is an unusual way to see Dublin. Aboard a reconditioned American World War II amphibious landing craft, or "duck," this tour starts on land (from Bull Alley St. beside St. Patrick's Cathedral) and eventually splashes into the Grand Canal. Passengers wear horned Viking helmets (a reference to the original settlers of the Dublin area) and are encouraged to issue war cries at appropriate moments. One of the ducks even has bullet holes as evidence of its military service. Tours depart roughly on the half-hour every day 9:30am to 5pm and last an hour and 15 minutes. It costs €20 for adults, €10 for children 12 and under, €18 seniors and students, and €60 for a family of five.

We saw those duck tours in Dublin. If she likes silly, they could be good. Seemed to have a lot of children or school groups.

In Dublin, if she likes treats, tell her to go to Queen of Tarts.

So apparently I get the procrastinatrix award today.

You lose. I never get trick or treaters, but it occurred to me at 5:30 that kids might go further afield since the weather is so nice, so I did an emergency run to the CVS on the corner. There was more Christmas candy available than Halloween, but at least this will not be The House with No Candy. It will still be the house of the dog who protects it from all comers, though.

We have duck tours - they use either duck calls or some kind of noisemaker so you hear loud, artificial "quacks" as they go by.

It will still be the house of the dog who protects it from all comers, though.

Oh, good point. I should probably crate the dog this evening...

ION, My Nemesis has done it again. Nearly 2 weeks ago, someone from the field sent her an email asking her for some information, at least half of which was data she wouldn't be able to compile easily (if at all) but which was the sort of thing I could pull together.

She told them she would do it, and then ... didn't. Well, she gave them her data, but not mine, and didn't forward it to me or anything. Just left the guy with only half of what he'd asked for.

So he sent the request again to someone in our Juneau office, who forwarded it to me. I got to tell the guy, "When you have this sort of question, just send it straight to me."

Nemesis is not making herself look good. Why so stupid?

And now I am compiling that data for him. Because I'm helpful like that...