JZ thanks those are good analysis. And classic rhetorical techniques. (Rhetoric again not in the insulting sense of empty talk, but Rhetoric in the classical sense of understanding the difference between a spoken and a written argument. Mind you a lot of written communication can be improved by these techniques.)

I suggest incorrect capitalization to solve the confusion. rhetoric and Rhetoric.

They'll tell me, like they did before, to take short term disability.

Also not wanting to be all up in your business, but just for a data point, I took short-term disability when I had foot surgery, and while the pay cut was a bummer, it worked out much better than trying to work when I couldn't walk.

Good grief, the convention has reduced me to tears twice already and they're barely begun the evening's shenanigans.

So just listening to Kerry - it is a powerful, emotionally speech with inflection. As soon as I look at him it seems flat. sad for him.

STD anecdata: my boss had to go on it for almost 3 months after spinal surgery at basically the worst time for her professionally. She had just started as my interim boss, to become actual boss when my current boss burned the last of his vacation and officially retired. It was also the start of the Servicing Mission. She was going to be flat on her back for a month or two, unable to really even check in.

She wanted to postpone it. Even though she was waking up with breakthrough pain in the middle of the night on narcotics. But the mission head and the team were all very supportive of her going ahead with it. It was a little chaotic, and some things did get screwed up, but not irreparably. We made it work. It didn't seem fair to ask her to wait when work COULD be handled without her.

This paragraph:

STD anecdata: my boss

Did not go where I was expecting. Thank god.

AHAH. Oops. Short Term Disability. We used the acronym so much in email traffic, it lost meaning.

I am Flea.

Backtracking, because I am miserably behind: Consuela, I'm sorry for your loss. Cash, I'm so freaking sorry. Ita - all good wishes for the pain to go away. I hope HR gets a clue. They need you at your job. You're good at it. They should figure how to make it work.

One thing sure hasn't changed in the 4 years since the last presidential campaign: Joe Biden has mesmerizingly gleaming white teeth.

Also, I think he's had Botox. His forehead is suspiciously smooth.

t /shallow

And yes shallowly, he is FIRED UP. Go Joe!

Did not go where I was expecting. Thank god.

Not alone in that.

Wow, watching an ESPN film on the sports world June 17, 1994. I still have very strong feelings on OJ Simpson apparently. But the whole white Bronco chase was happening during my birthday dinner that year and there was a tv in the bar area. Things have changed so much in news coverage.

What flea said about STD.