I'm really just trying to find up if it hardens up as much as cold butter so I know what the upper limit on the texture is--stiffer than butter or not.

I don't think it gets as hard as butter.

So I went to speed dating. It was fine, although I left early because I had a gap (more women than men there) and I was fading, and the last couple of guys were short. Among other things. I was definitely the oldest person in the room, but it was fine. I wrote down some guys I would see again, but am not actually interested in any of them - just, I would have another conversation. One of them lives around the corner from me! So that would be easy, if nothing else. But now I'm exhausted and up too late and don't want to go to work tomorrow.

The end.

I had bed bugs in NYC and you have my sympathies. It was psychologically really difficult but went away eventually. If no one mentioned it yet, tape around the bed legs.

Are ninja socks toe socks? I wear those for long runs.

OK, Community. You rule my world. Holy shit!

Just got a text from KCD's wife (need to come up with a nickname for her - KCDW?). She is taking tomorrow off to come help us. It is her son's birthday and she needs a distraction. (Her kids, who are about the same ages as mine, moved out last Christmas over various issues and have not talked to her much since.)

Aw, that's really nice of her to help, Suzi. I hope things go well and quickly resolve.

When I was young, Crisco seemed to be part of all cookie recipes. We used margarine as a spread, and Crisco in cookies

Y'know, I have no recollection of USING crisco for anything growing up, but I know we HAD it. Nowadays, I do not own any, and don't know what I"d use it for. I guess in theory pie crust, except I generally just buy crust, rather than making it.

My favorite easy bar cookies call for melted Crisco/shortening. And shortening makes my pie crusts flakey.

My kids' spots are definitely on inaccessible areas, like torso and crotch. Not areas that have been exposed. It's disturbing.

My mother makes great pie crusts with Crisco, although a good part of her success is 60 years of making pie crust. The now defunct Swift'ning, which was part lard, made better pie crust, but it died in one of the fat wars. Crisco was recently reformulated to be lower in transfats (it could hardly be higher), and it seems to cook about the same for her.

Current science says lard is better for you than the partially hydrogenated shortenings like Crisco that replaced it. I'm waiting for butter and sugar to become health foods.

Burrell,

try a "free" detergent and see if that helps.

That sounds vaguely topical allergic reaction. Maybe have their pediatrician look at it?

I'm thinking that you have sensitive skin (mostly I think this because I do and sometimes we're twins) and they could too. I get weird welty things sometimes and most every bite or abrasion gets inflamed. Basically my skin freaks out if air blows the wrong way. Though I am pretty sure the current itching is totally psychosomatic which is silly.

I kinda think free detergent is a good idea. Especially since it's not just torso but crotch. Chemicals, fibers, excessively dry air?

io9 and the other sites are making me want to get an account and slap a few people with facts. And jalopnik is the worst. People are being wrong on the internet and I cannot just get over it.